High Output Thrower Review: M2X - 16wFP - M1X - EL P7 Longthrow

Ryanrpm

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Well, this is the beginning of a nice roundup of 3 of the top throwers among the high-output lights we have on the market.

The 3 I have in my possession are the EagleTac M2X (Cool tint), Sunlite 16wFP, and the JETBeam M1-X (v2)....and soon, the Elektrolumens P7 Longthrow. (will arrive next week)

Disclaimer: This is not a review to show a breakdown of all the parts per sea, but rather to show size comparison and beamshots. You can find those reviews in the Reviews section.

Special thanks go to Russthetoolman for loaning me his M2X for about a week while I do this comparison, (and to Glenn7 for loaning me his Elektrolumens P7 LongThrow! The review of all 4 lights is in post #6.)

First, I have to say that all 3 of these lights can throw! They all will throw farther than your M30, your TK40, the Tiablo ACE-G, the M2, and perhaps the Legion II.

Please note, that the above mentioned lights just might kill these 3 throwers in terms of spill/flood, but when it comes to throw, these 3 are unarguably, at the top.

Why? Why are we so concerned about these lights and their ability to throw? Well, to make a quad emitter throw, is a challenge to say the least. You're dealing with a large light source, gaps between the dies, and a lot of current/heat sink issues. Most P7 or MC-E lights have medium to low throw and high to ultra high flood. You all know this. :poke:

Yes, I realize that the M2X is not a quad die emitter, and is technically in a different class, but oh well. It can just as easily be bought off the shelf, have batteries tossed in it, and it performs, right? So why not include it.

Outdoor beamshots will come later....I promise you. For now, you get to enjoy some size comparisons and wall shots.
Broken down to their shortest height:
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And at their longest:
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How about just their heads? The brains and brawn of the lights...
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Reflector shot. The M1-X and M2X are a good bit wider in diameter to the 16w.
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Here is some close shots of the hotspots. It may be difficult to distinguish how bright the 16w really is because it is a warmer temperature than the other two.
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Here is a shot of each at about 25ft from the wall.

M1-X:
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M2X:
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16w SMO:
f_DSC0863m_25ede8b.jpg


The pictures were stepped down so we could see the hotspots better.....


My initial thoughts? The M2X is generating more lumens than the other two. It also has a flawless beam. The M1-X has a large void in the hotspot. The Sunlite is the lightest weight of them all, and also has the smallest head. The M2X does tend to be top heavy, so be careful when holding it.

When taking them outside, it appears that the M2X also throws a little further than the other two.....but lets wait for the beamshots. The warmer color of the 16w may reach further through the air, and the void in the M1-X may hurt it a bit at long ranges.

All 3 have excellent craftsmanship from their makers. :twothumbs:twothumbs

Please....................stay tuned....;)
 
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Zeruel

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Re: High Output Thrower Review: M2X - 16wFP - M1-X

Hmm...I'm considering the Sunlite Eagle 16wfp, but unsure of its performance against M2XC4. Thanks for a helpful review, I will look out for your outdoor shots. ;)
 

Ryanrpm

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Re: High Output Thrower Review: M2X - 16wFP - M1-X

Hmm...I'm considering the Sunlite Eagle 16wfp, but unsure of its performance against M2XC4. Thanks for a helpful review, I will look out for your outdoor shots. ;)

If you're talking about throw performance, consider the following:

Without knowing the amount of lumens the M2X is generating, it's hard to know which one has the higher output.

We do know from Sunlites IS, that the 16w is at 580 OTF lumens @ 2.8a. Keep in mind that because of their excellent heat sinking, they are producing a driver that will deliver around 4a of current to the emitters, taking the lumens closer to around 800 OTF lumens. (IMO, currently the 16w is being under-driven....those emitters can handle much more being that they are 4x60mil chips)

Notice that the hotspot of the 16w is smaller than the M2X and M1-X, which speaks of their focusing ability of those 4 emitters...and with a lumen bump, it will reach farther.

The M1-X and M2X have a nice white tint, just like my Fenix T1 on turbo. I am impressed by all three lights...and each one has their advantages. I am particularly impressed by the beam of the M2X and how they got those 3 emitters to merge into one! The form of the light is another thing to talk about altogether though.

The M1-X is nice to behold. It's a sharp looking light! Love the SS bezels and overall quality of the parts. Someone said it in another thread, and I believe them....the M1-X is definitely generating more than its 450 advertised OTF lumens.
 

Ryanrpm

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Re: High Output Thrower Review: M2X - 16wFP - M1-X

Thanks for a helpful review, I will look out for your outdoor shots. ;)

You're welcome! Oh, and keep in mind, it will be a few days before I can actually get the beamshots. Traveling out of town this weekend. I am taking all 3 lights with me though, and perhaps I can capture some nice Idaho greenery!
 

Ryanrpm

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Re: High Output Thrower Review: M2X - 16wFP - M1-X - EL P7 Longthrow

Well, I'm back from the trip, but I did not take any pictures of Idaho, sorry!

I do however, have the Elektrolumens P7 Longthrow in my possession, and I'll be sharing some beamshots with you all. And towards the end, I'll have a mini review of this monster of a light.

To start, I went out to the local elementary school where I could get white wall shots at 230ft. This gives you an idea of what the hotspot looks like at a long distance away.

Again, in this review are the Sunlite 8w(for single die comparison only), Sunlite 16w, JetBeam M1X, Elektrolumens P7 Longthrow, and the EagleTac M2X.

These 4 lights are considered to be the TOP High Output Throwers, along with the Neofab Legion II. I wish I had one to compare in this run....

Let's start with the 230ft white wall shots. There is a lot of ambient light...

Here are the contenders:
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Control:
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Eagle 8w:
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Eagle 16w SMO:
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JetBeam M1X:

f_DSC0870m_1f7dbe3.jpg


P7 LongThrow (tight focus):
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P7 LongThrow (loose focus, to remove donut):
f_DSC0872m_4e2bba2.jpg


M2X Cool:
f_DSC0873m_dcbe125.jpg



Next, we have a green tree shot at 600ft.

Control:
f_DSC0880m_dfb07ec.jpg


Eagle 8w:
f_DSC0879m_6eceaca.jpg


Eagle 16w SMO:
f_DSC0881m_c745d8a.jpg


JetBeam M1X:
f_DSC0882m_5e5f39f.jpg


P7 Longthrow (Tight focus):
f_DSC0883m_47a3e32.jpg


M2X Cool:
f_DSC0884m_5d4bab7.jpg


And just for fun, I aimed them all at the tree. I estimate it's about 2900 lumens between the 5 lights:
f_DSC0885m_ee1fb0e.jpg




Here is some comparisons of the 4 lights:
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The Longthrow P7:
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The Sunlite AS-LED 4x60mil:
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The M1X MC-E:
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The M2X 3 x Cree R2's:
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Here is the nice little MC-E engine of the M1X:
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Here is the Stainless steel bezel comparison of the M1X and M2X. M1X is on the left:
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Here is a reflector comparison of the 16w, M1X, and Longthrow:
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Here is a mini-review of the ElektroLumens P7 LongThrow:
The light is huge. What more can I say??

J/K of course...there is a lot to say. It's heavy, it weighs 20lbs, it needs nuclear power to operate, it comes with a warning label telling you to wear steel toe boots.

Sheesh, J/K again.........I guess I'm getting tired!:ohgeez::D
f_DSC0900m_61259c8.jpg


Wayne must have used 5lbs of aluminum in making this light. It is adjustable, which is nice....you can go from spot to flood. It runs on 3x'C' cells. The tailcap is a twisty for full time on or push button for momentary on. There is only 1 mode: BRIGHT! The reflector is big enough for me to eat cereal in. The knurling on the tailcap is very intriguing to me. It is extremely small cross pattern, but very grippy. Reminds me of a fingernail file. The lens is made from some polycarbonate or plexiglass or something like that. The light looks to have some anodizing, possibly type III.

Measurements of parts:
f_DSC0913m_85acfaa.jpg


Overall Length: 249mm. The length will increase slightly when you tighten up the focus.

Reflector: 72mm reflective diameter. 51mm deep. Nice smooth finish.

Lens: 73mm diameter. 3mm thick. Made of some polycarbonate or plexiglass.

Head: The head is a two piece unit. Maximum outer diameter is 83mm. It has a step progression machining which reduces in diameter to match the body.

Body: 180mm length. To top of emitter it is 191mm. 31mm diameter. There is a single O-ring at each end of the body. Threads are generously lubed. Smooth body, no knurling.

Tailcap & Switch: 37mm long. 37.5mm diameter. Contain two bands of fine but aggressive knurling. As I said above, it reminds me of a course fingernail file. Switch has no special components except a spring and an o-ring. The switch is also the only component that is not anodized. It sits inside the tailcap. This light can tailstand.
f_DSC0914m_9507f1c.jpg


Overall thoughts: I am kind of blown away by this light, because it is so unlike any other light that we find for sale online or at the store. It is very simple in design and is made to deliver one thing: High Output Throw. That is why it fits well in this review. I personally don't think I would ever get a lot of use out of this light, simply because of its size and weight. It's just too awkward to hold. It does perform though, and it keeps right on up there with these other lights.

One thing I did notice is that there is not really any tension between the body and head where they thread together. This means that when you find the optimum focus, it can easily turn out of focus if you twist, bump, or even move the light around. There is one O-ring creating some tension, but it could be thicker IMO.

Well, thanks for viewing everyone. If you have any requests, please speak now!!!! I will be sending off the M2X back to Russthetoolman in the next few days, and Glenn7 owns the P7 LongThrow...so that will be going in the mail soon as well. Thank you both for allowing me to review and use these lights in this comparison! :wave::twothumbs:thanks:

Oh, and from the looks of it, the Sunlite 16w has met its match in throw and output with the other lights in this review. Its tint may keep you from seeing its full brightness. It is still a top thrower and will be even better when the 4A driver is released. I will update this thread with it and the M1X when the driver is released.

And, keep in mind that all these lights out throw all the other quad emitter lights currently available...like the M30, TK40, L950M, MVP, ACE, RX-1 MC-E, and M2 just to name a few.
 
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easilyled

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Thanks for all the great images/pics.

I hope you didn't scratch up all those reflectors in removing them.

It looks like there's an o-ring in the base of the JetBeam M1-X reflector. Does the L.E screw into this?

Presumably you need to remove the Light-engine before the reflector can drop out?
 

Zeruel

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Thanks Ryan. Looks like M2X out threw Eagle 16wfp. :thinking:
 

Ryanrpm

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Thanks for all the great images/pics.

I hope you didn't scratch up all those reflectors in removing them.

It looks like there's an o-ring in the base of the JetBeam M1-X reflector. Does the L.E screw into this?

Presumably you need to remove the Light-engine before the reflector can drop out?

Yes, the L.E. screws into the reflector. They both, once together, just drop into the head.

Thanks Ryan. Looks like M2X out threw Eagle 16wfp. :thinking:


Yes, the M2X out threw the 16wFP by a small margin. 2 reasons I believe. The M2X has more overall lumens being generated. And the cooler tint gives the impression of being brighter.

Notice in the tree shot, that you can see the beam of the M2X in the air more clearly than you can see the warmer color of the 16w beam? Has to do with the cooler, more bluish particles standing out in the air. However, I did notice that the 16w did a great job of giving excellent color rendition, and bright spill. See the field?

I'm convinced that the new 16w 4a driver will generate close to 800 OTF lumens. And because the 16w focuses into a tighter spot, it will have more throw. I will only be able to show this in a comparison with my M1X, because the other 2 lights will be in the hands of their owners.

All in all, I'm very impressed with the M2X and it's ability to merge the 3 emitters into one like they did. The M1X is a very nice light as well, and JetBeam should really work on refining a reflector that removed the donut/crosshair in the beam. The P7 Longthrow....well, I've already shared my thoughts above!
 

Zeruel

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Yes, the M2X out threw the 16wFP by a small margin. 2 reasons I believe. The M2X has more overall lumens being generated. And the cooler tint gives the impression of being brighter.

Notice in the tree shot, that you can see the beam of the M2X in the air more clearly than you can see the warmer color of the 16w beam? Has to do with the cooler, more bluish particles standing out in the air. However, I did notice that the 16w did a great job of giving excellent color rendition, and bright spill. See the field?

I'm convinced that the new 16w 4a driver will generate close to 800 OTF lumens. And because the 16w focuses into a tighter spot, it will have more throw. I will only be able to show this in a comparison with my M1X, because the other 2 lights will be in the hands of their owners.

All in all, I'm very impressed with the M2X and it's ability to merge the 3 emitters into one like they did. The M1X is a very nice light as well, and JetBeam should really work on refining a reflector that removed the donut/crosshair in the beam. The P7 Longthrow....well, I've already shared my thoughts above!

Looks like I have to pass 16w this time round. Btw, any idea when will the new version with 4a driver be out? I've heard speculations so far....
 

Ryanrpm

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Looks like I have to pass 16w this time round. Btw, any idea when will the new version with 4a driver be out? I've heard speculations so far....

Good idea to wait on it.

Now, I'm not a prophet or the son of a prophet, so don't stone me if I'm wrong...but if I had to guess, I'd say late June, early July. Sunlite is VERY good about holding to their predicted release dates, and they've told me they have 2 new lights coming out in June, and they said 3 weeks after that they were releasing the 4a driver.

It is taking a bit of time with testing and beefing up circuits and such to handle the higher current. I'm sure you understand. ;)
 

Zeruel

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Sunlite is VERY good about holding to their predicted release dates, and they've told me they have 2 new lights coming out in June, and they said 3 weeks after that they were releasing the 4a driver.

That's good to know.....for a change. :rolleyes:
I just hope they'd come out with more lights that can be used with stock batteries.
 

Outdoors Fanatic

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Now I'm pretty darn convinced that the JetBeam M1X, is the most practical and better light overall among all the other monsters. Not to mention it doesn't require any user fix and it has had zero bugs so far.
 

Ryanrpm

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That's good to know.....for a change. :rolleyes:
I just hope they'd come out with more lights that can be used with stock batteries.

I'll find out why they don't go that route.....but I have a feeling its because of their Application Specific LED's and the way they run their voltage/amperage configuration. They have a lot of safety measures built into the battery itself. I'll show you some pictures of the batteries.

Outdoors Fanatic: Yes! The M1X is a very nice light, and I have no complaints with its functionality. They certainly have my eye. The one major improvment they can make is to remove that donut from the hotspot.
 
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Zeruel

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Now I'm pretty darn convinced that the JetBeam M1X, is the most practical and better light overall among all the other monsters. Not to mention it doesn't require any user fix and it has had zero bugs so far.

I was tempted by M1X until I saw the Raptor....
Then I was tempted by Raptor 2.... :crazy:
 

I came to the light...

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Thanks for the review!

The M2X surprised me. It certainly does seem to be putting out more lumens. However, owning both a M2 and M1X, I don't think the build quality or design are as good as the JETBeam.
 

Ryanrpm

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My next comparison will be to show you guys some brightness tests and their fluxuations within the 1st 6 minutes.

To give you an example of what I mean, here is a sample:

The following is ceiling bounce readings. The 1st number is what the meter read when it was turned on, and the 2nd number is what the meter read after 30 seconds of runtime.

P7 Longthrow: 37-35
M1X: 37-30
M2X: 41-38
16w: 32-32

I will also use another meter which has a finer reading. The purpose of this test is to test the drop in lumens caused by heating of the emitters. It's also a good testimony of the heatsinking.
 

Outdoors Fanatic

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My next comparison will be to show you guys some brightness tests and their fluxuations within the 1st 6 minutes.

To give you an example of what I mean, here is a sample:

The following is ceiling bounce readings. The 1st number is what the meter read when it was turned on, and the 2nd number is what the meter read after 30 seconds of runtime.

P7 Longthrow: 37-35
M1X: 37-30
M2X: 41-38
16w: 32-32

I will also use another meter which has a finer reading. The purpose of this test is to test the drop in lumens caused by heating of the emitters. It's also a good testimony of the heatsinking.
Thanks for sharing. It doesn't seem the M2X is so much brighter than the others after all...
 
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