4Sevens Maelstrom X10 (XM-L, 26650) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS and more!

[andylondon]

All review units were T6.

Thank you David. Are the X10's that you are selling U2 bin, or a mixture of U2 or T6?

 

[selfbuilt]

I was reading over at the Marketplace and David says the flux and bin codes will vary, some could be T6 and others U2. This had me thinking maybe this test sample has the U2 and that is why it reaches higher output levels and maybe the T6 is closer to the 640lmns, just a thought.

All review units were T6.

I suspect it has more to do with cooling - all my runtimes are done under a cooling fan.

ti-force has done a nice analysis of various cooling options on the S12 and X10 in his review, and you can see it drops lower with less cooling. Although he didn't test a cooling fan specifically, I know from my own experimentation that a fan provides better cooling that a full-contact hand grip for hand cooling. So I suspect I would have had lower numbers if I hadn't used a fan (based on ti-force's results). And of course, my lumen estimates are computed, not direct measures in a calibrated sphere, so the degree of uncertainty in the measures is high.

 

[jhc37013]

I suspect it has more to do with cooling - all my runtimes are done under a cooling fan.

OK yes that makes since and thanks for another excellent review I just placed my order through 4sevens. :thumbsup:

This great little thrower with moderate spill is going to fill a void I have, like you said it does as well as most 2x18650 XM-L light's and I can't go EDC'ing those around on my belt EDC. I think it will complement the SC600 I carry in my pocket well.

 

[ti-force]

Nice review, and thanks for the mention, selfbuilt :thumbsup:. For anyone who's interested in seeing my OTF lumen results from a direct comparison of an X10 to an S12, click here.

 

[Colonel Sanders]

Hey David, thanks for joining us here (very cool and makes me want to keep buying 4savens lights.)

If you don't mind, what is the approximate split between u2 and t6 bins in these lights? Thanks!

Also, VERY cool of you to use the lesser bin for your review lights. I wouldn't
have guessed that in a million years.

 

[infinus]

Does the X10 roll around a lot? Say you were to lay it down on a slight slope, does any of the machining prevent it from rolling?

 

[4sevens]

Hey David, thanks for joining us here (very cool and makes me want to keep buying 4savens lights.)
If you don't mind, what is the approximate split between u2 and t6 bins in these lights?

Sorry we don't disclose that information and even if we did the breakdown between bins tomorrow would not be the same today

 

[MTL-TL]

I have 2 questions. I know they are not quite in the same category but how does the X10 compare to olight sr51 in therms of throw and output and overall usability. The description says the X10's battery should only be charged with 4sevens charger. Would it be safe to charge the 26650 in ultrafire WF 139 charger ? I saw somewhere that it can accomodate a single 26650 even thou' it wasn't designed for it initially.

 

[selfbuilt]

Does the X10 roll around a lot? Say you were to lay it down on a slight slope, does any of the machining prevent it from rolling?

Yes, it rolls somewhat, as you would expect. But the cut-outs at the base of the head help stabilize it (as long you don't give it a lot of force to set it rolling).

I have 2 questions. I know they are not quite in the same category but how does the X10 compare to olight sr51 in therms of throw and output and overall usability. The description says the X10's battery should only be charged with 4sevens charger. Would it be safe to charge the 26650 in ultrafire WF 139 charger ? I saw somewhere that it can accomodate a single 26650 even thou' it wasn't designed for it initially.

Don't have the SR51 yet to compare, but that is of course a larger light (with higher output). Should be reviewing it later this summer, and will include the X10 in the comparison.

As for a charger, I would personally only use one rated for use with 26650 (without modification).

 

[infinus]

I wish Thrunite and 4Sevens would take some of the focus off of "Tactical" lights. I'd love to have one as a work light. For this it needs to be able to be set both on it's side without rolling and tailstand. Seems like the focus is all on tactical.

 

[Haesslich]

What a great light. I don't have any 26650 cells but I guess I'm going to have to add some because this light is worth having. What a great little light. I am amazed that the X10 keeps up the the TK35 in output, throws farther, has longer runtime, AND it is WAY smaller. amazing. I can't wait to have one in my hands.

Wait, it throws farther? I thought it 'was similar' according to the review. Wow - if that's the case, I need to try one out myself. About the only thing I would pick at is the non-standard battery... but it's hard to get enough power into this size without going this route.

 

[jhc37013]

Wait, it throws farther? I thought it 'was similar' according to the review. Wow - if that's the case, I need to try one out myself. About the only thing I would pick at is the non-standard battery... but it's hard to get enough power into this size without going this route.

Pretty cool huh, I have the the TK35 and it does throw well for the amount of wide bright spill it has, Selfbuilts readings put it around 20K lux and the X10 at 24k. The TK35 at 284m is really on spot on to what I have tested outdoors and with the X10 at 310m has me excited to say the least.

I'm really curious to see just how bright and wide the spill is compared to the TK35, can't wait.

 

[selfbuilt]

Pretty cool huh, I have the the TK35 and it does throw well for the amount of wide bright spill it has, Selfbuilts readings put it around 20K lux and the X10 at 24k. The TK35 at 284m is really on spot on to what I have tested outdoors and with the X10 at 310m has me excited to say the least.
I'm really curious to see just how bright and wide the spill is compared to the TK35, can't wait.

Well, I agree beam distance is the better the way to compare the throw of different lights - not because the absolute value is relevant (i.e. I don't consider distance to 0.25lux very significant), but because it provides a linear comparison between lights. In this sense, the X10 throws ~9% further than my TK35 sample (based on the 5m lightmeter testing). :shrug: We'll see how the 100 yard beamshots look, but so far I wouldn't expect it to be a huge difference in real life. The spill will be interesting to compare outdoors as well ...

 

[richpalm]

Thrunite Scropion V2[/URL], which was just a week or so after the incident (I took the buddy-taping off for that light). The nail is starting to come off now, so I imagine the next sets of lights won't look too pretty.

I have pretty much full function back now, just some loss of senstitvity in the tip (plus it's a little wider than it used to be ... ).

Wow-I'm not so laid back! If that happened to me my cussin' would be so insane that SWAT teams and black helicopters would be showing up fast and the neighbors would get a show as I got straitjacketed! :tinfoil:Construction and me uhhh.. don't exactly git along.! Surprised I never had the cops though with the night walks I do, wondering where the alien ship is landing!

****

Nice review-my only downer is no clickie.

Rich

 

[jhc37013]

Well, I agree beam distance is the better the way to compare the throw of different lights - not because the absolute value is relevant (i.e. I don't consider distance to 0.25lux very significant), but because it provides a linear comparison between lights. In this sense, the X10 throws ~9% further than my TK35 sample (based on the 5m lightmeter testing). :shrug: We'll see how the 100 yard beamshots look, but so far I wouldn't expect it to be a huge difference in real life. The spill will be interesting to compare outdoors as well ...

I'm very much looking forward for you to add it to your 100yd beamshots, if for some reason the X10 comes up equal to or a little short of the TK35 in throw it would be hard to complain if you take size into consideration. It's all about the size for me, like I said in a earlier post this light will fill a big void for me because everything I have that even comes close to this throw is TK35 size or bigger and not easily carried around in a holster or in a pocket of my cargo pants, I think I can handle the X10 but I won't really know until I try it. When you described the spill as being very wide well this pretty much sealed the deal for me, I got my shipping notice earlier today from 47s so I will be able to compare it probably Tuesday night.

 

[Haesslich]

Well, I agree beam distance is the better the way to compare the throw of different lights - not because the absolute value is relevant (i.e. I don't consider distance to 0.25lux very significant), but because it provides a linear comparison between lights. In this sense, the X10 throws ~9% further than my TK35 sample (based on the 5m lightmeter testing). :shrug: We'll see how the 100 yard beamshots look, but so far I wouldn't expect it to be a huge difference in real life. The spill will be interesting to compare outdoors as well ...

Let us know what you get. I think the TK35's main advantage over the X10 is the more-standard battery setup it has... which means it concedes size and maximum voltage/capacity available to the Maelstrom X10's 26650 cell. Especially when 4Sevens gets to be more selective with what cells go with the light. Also, are these tests going to be run with the AW18650s or 4xCR123's? Won't change the voltage too much I suspect, but I am curious.

 

[Colonel Sanders]

I'd be curious to see if the output of the X10 is affected by what battery is used. I'd like to see the two different 4sevens 26650s compared to IMR26650s.

 

[selfbuilt]

Surprised I never had the cops though with the night walks I do, wondering where the alien ship is landing!

As Mrs Selfbuilt likes to remind me when I head out to do 100-yard beamshots - "bring ID". :laughing: Still, no one has called the cops on me yet (or I got out of there before they arrived). Still, I'm sure they'd enjoy a chance to see the lights themselves.

Nice review-my only downer is no clickie.

Yeah, a clicky would be nice. But I would also be quite happy with a two-stage tactical twist/press swtich.

I'm very much looking forward for you to add it to your 100yd beamshots, if for some reason the X10 comes up equal to or a little short of the TK35 in throw it would be hard to complain if you take size into consideration. It's all about the size for me, like I said in a earlier post this light will fill a big void for me because everything I have that even comes close to this throw is TK35 size or bigger and not easily carried around in a holster or in a pocket of my cargo pants, I think I can handle the X10 but I won't really know until I try it. When you described the spill as being very wide well this pretty much sealed the deal for me, I got my shipping notice earlier today from 47s so I will be able to compare it probably Tuesday night.

I haven't compared the beams beyond 10-15m or so yet, but at that distance, I like the hotspot of the X10 better - it is slightly larger, and much more uniform in brightness (my TK35 has a brighter periphery relative to the centre of the hotspot). The corona of the TK35 is brighter and more diffuse at this distance, however (i.e. less sharply defined, gradually drops off with distance) which makes it more useful IMO. Spillbeam-wise, the TK35 is already quite good for this class - but the X10 is still wider. Overall brightness seems a bit higher on the X10, but hard to tell with tint/hospot/corona differences. We'll see how the 100-yard shots come out (just waiting on some lights to ship next week).

As for hand-feel, I personally prefer the X10 over the TK35. It's not so much a length issue as the cylindrical nature of the X10 fitting better in my hand. Of course, that also means it's more likely to roll on you ...

 

[Haesslich]

I haven't compared the beams beyond 10-15m or so yet, but at that distance, I like the hotspot of the X10 better - it is slightly larger, and much more uniform in brightness (my TK35 has a brighter periphery relative to the centre of the hotspot). The corona of the TK35 is brighter and more diffuse at this distance, however (i.e. less sharply defined, gradually drops off with distance) which makes it more useful IMO. Spillbeam-wise, the TK35 is already quite good for this class - but the X10 is still wider. Overall brightness seems a bit higher on the X10, but hard to tell with tint/hospot/corona differences. We'll see how the 100-yard shots come out (just waiting on some lights to ship next week).

As for hand-feel, I personally prefer the X10 over the TK35. It's not so much a length issue as the cylindrical nature of the X10 fitting better in my hand. Of course, that also means it's more likely to roll on you ...

How would you rate the usable spill, distance-wise, on the X10? You can have a great hotspot 400 meters away, but if all you can see is that small strip of light between you and that distant target... The two reviews I've seen here have indicated how well the X10 throws (thanks to 4Sevens' attention to the reflector design), but are we talking about 50m distance before the corona becomes useless? The beamshots don't have distance markers or reference points to help with that.

And would you say this is easy to use with gloves or when wet, due to the knurling? That's a consideration for folks who have to wear gloves due to environmental or job-related reasons.

 

[selfbuilt]

How would you rate the usable spill, distance-wise, on the X10? You can have a great hotspot 400 meters away, but if all you can see is that small strip of light between you and that distant target... The two reviews I've seen here have indicated how well the X10 throws (thanks to 4Sevens' attention to the reflector design), but are we talking about 50m distance before the corona becomes useless? The beamshots don't have distance markers or reference points to help with that.

My 100-yard beamshots do have a distance marker ~30m, due to the angle of the beam (i.e. corona spill on the road, before it drops down). See my round-up thread for more info on the location. But it will likely be a couple of weeks before I make the next trip out, as I am waiting on some more lights. We'll see how it looks then, I haven't tested it at any significant distance yet.

And would you say this is easy to use with gloves or when wet, due to the knurling? That's a consideration for folks who have to wear gloves due to environmental or job-related reasons.

Hmmm, the smaller light size might work against you a bit here (depending on how big and bulky your gloves are). But the button is certainly easy to access with gloves on - much more so than most lights.