Machete God
Enlightened
You've probably already found out by now that the dark center that shows up during near-range white wall hunting is a non-issue 😀
4Sevens Maelstrom G5 *SHIPPING VERSION* Review (XP-G R5) - RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS +
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You've probably already found out by now that the dark center that shows up during near-range white wall hunting is a non-issue 😀
stallion2
Enlightened
well, yeah. like i said, i have the same issue w/ my turbo and tactical quarks but its a non-issue, especially in the field. its a lot more pronounced w/ this G5 to the point where i can shine it at the woods from any distance and see the shaded center. i'm definitely gonna keep the light but just wondered if anyone has had any success w/ correcting this on their own.:shrug:
Machete God
Enlightened
I guess it may be an issue if you can see a darker center at distance. It appears that the second generation of Maelstrom's have inconsistencies in beam quality from one light to another. My initial response was based on personal experience. Mine is a first-gen Maelstrom - I can see a slightly darker center on a white wall at 1 metre, but none whatsoever at any distance further out.
Interesting thread.
As a general rule, all XP-G lights can show signs of the dreaded "donut" effect (i.e. relatively dark centre with brighter periphery of the hotspot). That's why I normally recommend OP reflectors for XP-G lights, as it can help smooth those out (e.g. see the comparison SMO and OP reflectors on my T20C2-II review). Of course, that would defeat the purpose of a thrower light, like the G5.
Both my G5 engineering sample and first generation G5 shipping sample had no sign of the dark centre. Sorry to hear recent shipping samples have had issues. You could try unscrewing the bezel/reflector assembly from the rest of the head to see if it helps (but I think the shipping G5s may be threadlocked). If you really find it distracting at a distance, then I recommend you contact your dealer to see about a replacement.
Kevin1322
Flashlight Enthusiast
Well, l got my G5 today. No question it's a high quality light and l love the versitility it brings with the moon mode to high mode plus the other three flashing modes. It will definetly be a light that travels with me. :twothumbs
It's interesting to me, that though by specs and comparison to other lights I have (M20 Warrior and SF L2 for example) it's not really that much bigger, but it feels and looks much bigger. :shrug: Definetly not one l would pocket.
I read a comment earlier where someone said the difference between high and max was hardly noticable, man they weren't kidding. Makes me wonder what the actual output of the two modes really is. I was thinking that 200 OTF lumens for most things would be good, then to be able to jump to 350 OTF lumens when l needed more would be great, but it just isn't so. :sigh:
Does anybody have or know of someone who has tested the outputs to see what they really are? Nothing against 4Sevens, l know they are a quality and reputiple company, but these outputs just don't seem to add up. l certainly could be wrong though as l'm just using my eye and don't have equipment to measure it.
It's interesting to me, that though by specs and comparison to other lights I have (M20 Warrior and SF L2 for example) it's not really that much bigger, but it feels and looks much bigger. :shrug: Definetly not one l would pocket.
I read a comment earlier where someone said the difference between high and max was hardly noticable, man they weren't kidding. Makes me wonder what the actual output of the two modes really is. I was thinking that 200 OTF lumens for most things would be good, then to be able to jump to 350 OTF lumens when l needed more would be great, but it just isn't so. :sigh:
Does anybody have or know of someone who has tested the outputs to see what they really are? Nothing against 4Sevens, l know they are a quality and reputiple company, but these outputs just don't seem to add up. l certainly could be wrong though as l'm just using my eye and don't have equipment to measure it.
rickypanecatyl
Enlightened
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I bet you could see the difference between 200 & 350 lumens IF you could compare them back to back. It's almost comical when you think about it though...if you're looking at the 350 high to be able to compare it to the 200 output you first have to strobe yourself 4X! That in itself disqualifies you from comparing beam brightness.
Actually, the currently shipping G5 lights have a revised interface where Turbo is on the main sequence. The lights now proceed as Moonlight - Med- Hi - Turbo (i.e. Lo is gone). So no more strobing needed to get to Turbo.
You should be able to see the difference Kevin - but it is not as great you might expect. I don't have a calibrated setup to measure lumens, but I would estimate Turbo is only ~50% brighter than Hi (i.e. not 75% as suggested by the reported lumen values). That's certainly enough to see the difference, but it is not that huge.
As a general rule of thumb, you would need something like ~4x the output to appear as twice as bright by eye. An extra ~0.5x the brightness will be noticeable, but not hugely so.
Kevin1322
Flashlight Enthusiast
You are right, l do have the new version so Hi is next to Max, so easy to compare. I've read that that it takes much more difference in output to see a difference with your eye and that the eye just can't actually gauge it. Never the less, it still seems like you should be able to see more of a difference. Thanks for your expertiece though. I still have a lot to learn, haha. Do you have this light or have you seen the level difference first hand?
I don't have the new version with Turbo on the same level as Hi (which would greatly facilitate comparisons).
However, I can generally tell if my light was left in Hi or Turbo when activating from off. The difference is noticeable enough that I can be pretty confident in guessing what mode I'm in (although I may get fooled, depending on ambient lighting conditions).
Of course, I'm used to staring at a lot of lights ... 🙄
Kevin1322
Flashlight Enthusiast
Yes, I do believe you are, haha. Thanks again for the info.
Machete God
Enlightened
I am able to tell the difference between High and Max, even after strobing myself 4 times :laughing: It doesn't register as a 75% difference to my eyes though, more like a 10%.
Regarding the comments (and discussion, in the linked thread) about the dark centers in the hotspot of the beam, I paid close attention to my beam the next time I used my light, and lo and behold, there was indeed a darker center on mine ("darker" relative to the edges of the hotspot, it is still pretty darn bright there). So, based on my anecdotal evidence, the first-generation Maelstroms are also "afflicted" with the same "flaw". It never bothered me though, and I never noticed it until reading all the comments and complaints about it. Perhaps it's because I am new to flashlights, or because I am not as skilled a white wall hunter or beam observer as some of you 😗
Regarding the comments (and discussion, in the linked thread) about the dark centers in the hotspot of the beam, I paid close attention to my beam the next time I used my light, and lo and behold, there was indeed a darker center on mine ("darker" relative to the edges of the hotspot, it is still pretty darn bright there). So, based on my anecdotal evidence, the first-generation Maelstroms are also "afflicted" with the same "flaw". It never bothered me though, and I never noticed it until reading all the comments and complaints about it. Perhaps it's because I am new to flashlights, or because I am not as skilled a white wall hunter or beam observer as some of you 😗
Kevin1322
Flashlight Enthusiast
Well, I lied. :shakehead After three weeks of deliberating, I sent it back. I just found that I didn't use it or carry it, and I couldn't see spending that kind of money on a back up light (plus finances are low). I got an EagleTac T20C2 MKII instead and am really happy with the decision.
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Very nice review selfbuilt. It's what eventually convinced me to buy one (R5-2nd Gen) this past December.
Love everything about the light. Yes, I noticed the donut hole and I honestly didn't mind it in real world use. Fast forward a couple of months though, and the light is still going strong, but I just decided to buy it some goodies. Specifically the LOP reflector and I must say that it has changed the light for the better. Donut-hole is now gone and the hotspot is a lot more useable while still retaining most if not all of the throwing power.
As I bought this light to compliment my Quark AA^2 as the thrower it surprises me that I enjoy it even more that it has more flood. Can't wait till it's dark out to see how it holds up outdoors though I have a feeling I won't be dissapointed.
Love everything about the light. Yes, I noticed the donut hole and I honestly didn't mind it in real world use. Fast forward a couple of months though, and the light is still going strong, but I just decided to buy it some goodies. Specifically the LOP reflector and I must say that it has changed the light for the better. Donut-hole is now gone and the hotspot is a lot more useable while still retaining most if not all of the throwing power.
As I bought this light to compliment my Quark AA^2 as the thrower it surprises me that I enjoy it even more that it has more flood. Can't wait till it's dark out to see how it holds up outdoors though I have a feeling I won't be dissapointed.
Thanks for this great review, selfbuilt!
Looking at the "beam distance to .25 lux" chart from your thread on the Thrunight Scorpion V2 with the turbo head, it looks like that flashlight only goes about 50 yards further than this one despite having nearly double the light output. I guess the Maelstrom G5 has a reflector that gives a tighter beam?
Looking at the "beam distance to .25 lux" chart from your thread on the Thrunight Scorpion V2 with the turbo head, it looks like that flashlight only goes about 50 yards further than this one despite having nearly double the light output. I guess the Maelstrom G5 has a reflector that gives a tighter beam?
In part, but it's really the the difference in emitters. The G5 uses the much smaller XP-G emitter. The Scorpion (and 4Sevens X7, for a closer comparable) use the much larger XM-L. Larger die emitters have lower surface brightness over their areas, making it harder to focus them to a point (i.e. a small point source is much easier to focus).
