Maxtoch E1+ Rainbow // Quad 5000 Lumens - single 18650 EDC // Full Review

robo819 · 2018-12-17T13:48:03.000Z

This is the Maxtoch E1+ Rainbow , sent to me for review and NO other compensation other than keeping the light.

The Maxtoch site is now up and running so the E1+ (and other Maxtoch products) can now be found on the main site…. http://maxtoch.com/ … and the E1+ itself at this link … http://maxtoch.com/maxtoch-rainbow-e1-5000lm-p0021.html (links NON affiliated)

I also might mention when you register , or make an account on the new Maxtoch.com site you get a $5.00 coupon.

The E1+ Rainbow is the new EDC in the Maxtoch line up. Although I did not get the “FULL” package for my review , the package , which is a pretty nice cardboard 2 part box , will contain the E1+ itself , A maxtoch 18650 branded cell , a single cell USB charger , stainless clip , a velvet carry pouch 2 extra O-rings and the user manual.

This is a single 18650 powered light and it is made of Titanium that has been heat treated to get the very brightly colored rainbow effect. Each light will look slightly different as the process used for the heat treat is not an exact science , so I guess these lights will be like snowflakes and no 2 will look the exact same.

This light is pretty compact and smaller than all of my other (personally owned) single 18650 EDC lights. Pictured below with the Manker E14 II (left) and the BLF A6 (middle).

The emitters (4 x XP-L2) sit in a nicely made smooth , quad reflector made of Aluminum. The reflector design looks to be well thought out and has spots made on the back side to clear the solder joints and the screws that hold down the MCPCB. The emitters each sit well centered in the perspective holes and the MCPCB is a DTP copper board. The light comes in a neutral tint (4500K to 5000K) and also in cool white (6000K to 6500K) and the E1+ is rated at 5000 lumens in Turbo mode. The sample I have reviewed is the Cool White.

The fins are well cut and there is a “flat” where the bright red side switch button sits in those. Just under the side switch (on the tube) is the slot for the stainless clip to attach at the end of the “spiral” cuts of the tube. The clip can be put on the light for head up or head down carry and holds firmly either direction.

The only branding or etching on this light is on the end of the tailcap and is nicely done. The tailcap spring looks to made of copper instead of the usual plated steel. There is also a magnet in the tailcap , so the light can be attached to a smooth metal surface and it holds on pretty good.

All of the threads on the E1+ are well machined and operate smoothly.

The driver is a dual UI with mode memory , with a simple quick click of the switch activating “on” and the standard switching modes of each click of the side switch moving you into the next level of brightness. The modes are ECO / Low / Medium / High and Turbo , with Turbo being a quick double click. A press and hold of 1/2 second to turn the light off in this part of the UI. A double click gets you to the Turbo mode from any mode including off and then another double click to get the strobe mode.
Then there is also the ramping side of the UI which is activated from “off” with a 1/2 second press and hold of the switch button , also mode memory in this mode. Once the light is turned on you can simply press and hold the switch button until the level of brightness you want is achieved and then release the switch. To move brighter or dimmer , again press and hold to the level of brightness desired. To turn the light off from this part of the UI simply do a quick click of the switch. Since the threads are not anodized there is no manual lockout , but there IS the mechanical lockout , which is achieved with 4 quick clicks of the switch from “off”. When the lockout is activated the light will give one quick blink to indicate the lockout is activated and if you try to turn on the light when in lockout mode it will give 1 quick blink of the LED’s to indicate it is in the lockout mode. To unlock the light simply do 4 quick clicks again and you are back to regular operation.

The beam from the E1+ , although floody does have somewhat of a hotspot in the center with the reflector in the head. It makes for a good flood with a little bit of throw to the light also.

100 yards to gate in High / Turbo……

75 yards to gate in Medium / High / Turbo……

50 yards to gate in Low / Medium . High . Turbo….

Garage door 20 yards in Eco / Low / Medium / High / Turbo…….

Due to the small size of this light , as with most small high output lights , the Turbo mode will only run for short periods of 30 seconds as there just is not enough mass to move all that heat out quick enough.

Here are my charts with the listed lumens and the tested run times / lumens I got using a Samsung 30 Q cell , as well as my tested output on the tail amperage.

Overall I really like this little light and it has massive output for the small size , with a good beam for all around use. The magnetic tailcap can also be very useful in many situations for hands free use of the E1+.

The only Con I can think of for me personally ,is that I would like to see a moon mode in the UI as the lowest setting of 120 lumens is a little too bright for some instances and this has already been suggested to Maxtoch.

If you do not want to watch the whole video but would like to see the live outdoor footage comparing the E1+ with the Manker E14 II and the Sofirn C8 F , that footage starts at 11:42 of the video timeline.

MAXTOCH Rainbow E1+ 5000lm

LED：4*CREE XP-L2 HD LED Max Output：5000lumens
Reflector：Mirror Max Beam Distance：180 m
Battery：1 × 18650 Max Runtime：10h30min
Size：93mm × 28mm × 24mm Weight：100g

Agro · 2018-12-17T15:00:13.000Z

Thanks for the test of this very intriguing light. 30 seconds turbo seems very good at this size and performance.
I see that you measured output, did you measure throw as well?
How is tint shift?
Could you show us some pics of the driver?

BlueSwordM · 2018-12-17T15:03:43.000Z

I’m not one to complain, but why are they using an uncoated Beryllium Copper spring?

That’s just asking for oxidation and reduced performance over time because of this.

robo819 · 2018-12-17T15:36:22.000Z

Agro:

Thanks for the test of this very intriguing light. 30 seconds turbo seems very good at this size and performance.
I see that you measured output, did you measure throw as well?
How is tint shift?
Could you show us some pics of the driver?

My sample actually goes to 45 seconds before it steps down from Turbo , but they list 30 seconds……One thing to remember is that my sample is a prototype and is NOT serial numbered or anything like the ones bought from the website will be. The sample I have reviewed may not reflect exactly what is to be expected as Maxtoch is usually pretty tedious with their testing and final products.

I just took a measurement at 5 meters and I am getting 204 meters of throw according to my meter. This is a more floody light with somewhat of a hotspot but not really that tight.

The tint is cool on my sample in all modes with it getting cooler as the modes go higher. They are offering the 4500K to 5000K tint also though if the cool tint is not wanted.

I have not tried to take the driver out yet and probably wont mess with it until after Christmas if I do decide to. It is either glued or pressed in very tightly. With so much going on right now getting ready for the holidays I prefer to wait and take my time so I can be sure I do not damage anything when / if I do take the driver out.

robo819 · 2018-12-17T15:37:38.000Z

BlueSwordM:

I’m not one to complain, but why are they using an uncoated Beryllium Copper spring?

That’s just asking for oxidation and reduced performance over time because of this.

I am assuming to get the most current from the spring maybe? It does not take that much to clean the spring every couple of months though , as this one is pretty easily accessible

BlueSwordM · 2018-12-17T15:40:13.000Z

No, not really. Even a small nickel plating would really help with oxidation.

Especially with high currents, oxidation is accelerated, and contact resistance goes up significantly.

And at that price, I would expect a silver plated/gold plated Beryllium Copper spring.

robo819 · 2018-12-17T16:11:48.000Z

BlueSwordM:

No, not really. Even a small nickel plating would really help with oxidation.

Especially with high currents, oxidation is accelerated, and contact resistance goes up significantly.

And at that price, I would expect a silver plated/gold plated Beryllium Copper spring.

I cant tell if there is any clear coating or not on this particular spring but, so far the color is just like it started out with no signs of oxidation. I am not familiar as you may be , with Beryllium Copper , with the time period it would take to start oxidizing or turning a different color , but with me having had this light very hot a number of times and also a number of hours running in all modes , would it not be showing some signs of oxidation by now if it were not coated?

EDIT: thinking about it I guess clear coating would also cut down on the current too……lol

DB_Custom · 2018-12-17T16:32:43.000Z

I don’t think the spring will cause any issue for a long time to come. The light makes really nice output, looks sweet, seems like a nice fancy edc for a businessman or a woman. In the majority of cases for this type of light, losing a few lumens due to any oxidation on the spring is not likely to be a concern. Maxtoch builds lights for Military and Police, pretty sure they know what they’re doing…

Thanks for the review robo, or maybe not so much, as you know I love Titanium and am broke!

Agro · 2018-12-17T16:55:34.000Z

2.15 cd/lm. Floooody.

Umpi2000 · 2018-12-17T17:01:39.000Z

That’s gorgeous!
I love that colour effect!

DB_Custom · 2018-12-17T17:13:07.000Z

While Maxtoch is calling for this light to have XP-L2 emitters, this prototype has XP-L HD emitters. (XP-L2’s are flip chip technology, no visible bond wires, and the yellow phosphor completely covers the substrate. The pics show white on the outer substrate and the bond wires are clearly visible.) So if they indeed do put XP-L2’s in the production units they should make more lumens…

Robo, I’d ask Amanda about this, see what they’re planning.

Edit: From the Maxtoch website…

Clearly there is a mistake somewhere…

robo819 · 2018-12-17T21:56:40.000Z

DB Custom:

While Maxtoch is calling for this light to have XP-L2 emitters, this prototype has XP-L HD emitters. So if they indeed do put XP-L2’s in the production units they should make more lumens…

Robo, I’d ask Amanda about this, see what they’re planning.

Gonna send an email to her as soon as I post this……My sample does indeed have the XP-L HD emitters in it as I just went and took a close look at them and I had not paid attention to the emitters to even know they were not the listed XP-L2 emitters. If they are advertising the XP-L2 then that is what I hope they are going to be putting in the final product.

On the positive side even with the XP-L HD that are in the light it is only 169 lumens short of the listed 5000 lumens output , so it should make or better that 5000 lumen rating with the advertised emitters.

Edit: The more I think about it the better I like the idea of keeping the XP-L emitters over the XP-L2 , because with the XP-L you don’t have that olive green cast around the outside of the spill like the XP-L2 emitters tend to have many times.

DB_Custom · 2018-12-17T17:20:49.000Z

Hey Blue, FastTech sells the small caro-bronze springs that look copper but are very stiff, could this spring be of that type material? I don’t recall ever seeing beryllium copper being unplated, Intl-Outdoor sells em gold plated. Doesn’t the actual chemistry have a lot to do with how it oxidizes and to what extent that will affect current transfer?

On this smallish Titanium light, reducing current draw might well be a positive experience, allowing it to be held longer.

BlueSwordM · 2018-12-17T17:28:36.000Z

@DB Custom, the Fasttech Carobronze they are made of phosphor bronze rather than Beryllium Copper.

You can get unplated Beryllium Copper springs, like in this picture, but it is not recommended because of heightened contact resistance which can go even higher than non-plated steel when oxidized:

Most copper alloys used in springs aren’t corrosion resistance because they are used for current handling, and using one would either affect conductivity/contact resistance/yield strength.

Also, with higher currents come higher temperatures, and higher tendencies to oxidize.

I can already see it on his sample, the bottom wire being already oxidized, and the top coil starting to be so.

DB_Custom · 2018-12-17T17:40:53.000Z

So if you cut the tab off an Omten switch and soldered it over the spring you’d eliminate the contact issue, right? (Omten switch tabs are always long and have to be trimmed to mount on a board, using one of these trimmed off ends to cover the end of the spring would put a different surface as the contact. )

DB_Custom · 2018-12-17T17:42:57.000Z

Supposition though, at this point, as we don’t have a way of knowing what the MaxToch spring is made of.

BlueSwordM · 2018-12-17T17:45:37.000Z

Yeah. We know it’s at least a copper alloy.

And why would you cut the tab off an Omten switch? Why

Sorry if I was a bit too specific in my complaint.

I did so much work related to springs, and learned so much, that it became engrained in my head.

DB_Custom · 2018-12-17T17:48:20.000Z

I think they used the phosphor bronze for this spring, to tell you the truth. And it won’t oxidize like a beryllium copper would. Might not carry the current, but then if the light is making 5000 lumens I’d say it’s doing allright how it is.

Ever buy the large Omten switches? They have very long tabs that stick straight out the side. You have to bend the tab to match your board and cut off the excess. Even the small ones have longer tabs than necessary to fit on the standard 15mm pcb.

robo819 · 2018-12-17T18:10:04.000Z

Well whatever these are made of , they need a lot of heat for solder to stick to them.

Problem solved though with some solder at each point of contact.

Franz · 2018-12-17T19:51:39.000Z

Thanks Robo, excellent review

I miss the graph with runtimes and stepdown

So, whats the max continuous output? It van stand on medium mode?