M2 vs M2X!
Hey guys,
I received both the M2C4 and the M2XC4 (cool) today from 4sevens. In a word, I am DELIGHTED! :thumbsup:
I popped in 2 AW 18650s in each and played with them tonight. Some overall impressions:
Fit & Finish is top-notch! Just gorgeous lights!
They are hefty but not crazy big, I feel like a non-flashaholic would think they are a little thick but actually, compared to an olde school flashlight like this:
they are downright compact!
Now, once you pick them up, different story... they are HEAVY! Not in a bad way, but wow, these lights have some mass. The one thing I don't like is that they are fairly top heavy (especially the multi-cree M2XC4--more on the differences in a moment!), and I find less comfortable to carry in the overhand 'tactical' mode (like this:
).
That said, without the clicky and carried "underhand" it feels great and the selector ring works beautifully!
As for the UI, I'm going to have to +1 to the others: silky smooth and brilliant, BUT needs detents or clicks and, really, ought to have strobe to the Left or removed. I keep hitting strobe which gives me a bit of a headache... If I could just get rid of strobe that would be enough for me since the ring is so smooth and allows you to set your brightness so easily.
Comparison between the two:
1. I actually prefer to carry and hold the M2C4 P7 model vs. the multi-cree M2X as the head on the M2X is a bit heavier making it seem even more top heavy!
2. The color of light is fantastic. I have to say that the P7 is a bit warmer than the multi-cree but not by much. In fact, the cool M2X is amazing and not that "cool" at all--I'd put it right with (or perhaps better than?!) my Fenix TK11 which has my favorite tint of all my lights! So overall, A+ here and for the cool M2X: A++!
3. Brightness is amazing, especially when you compare it to your old cannons--Fenix TK11, Pelican 7060, etc. It's devastatingly bright! Now, I know that the P7 model is "rated" at 900 lumens (best case from the emitter, of course) and the M2X is "rated" at 800 lumens (same caveat), but I really feel that the M2X is brighter in every regard, including ceiling test. Of course it's hard to tell and there is emitter variability, so YMMV, but wow--if I had to impress someone, the multi-cree is the next level up. So I think that the initial instinct of the flashaholics here to go for the multi-cree (see, for example, that thread with the poll on which one folks were going to get) was spot-on.
I still love the P7 and am excited to play with it, but the M2X is superior both in throw (clearly) and in my samples even in spill/flood characteristics. In looking around dark rooms in my home, they both did an insane job, but the M2X just seemed to have more punch!
In looking closely, I guess I can still imagine how the P7 could output more light: the overall spot size (hotspot + spill) is bigger. So even though the spill vs. spill seems similar (or even favoring the M2X), because the overall spill is larger in the P7 that could well explain where the lumens went.
4. Beam characteristics: building on the last point, the multi does have a complex pattern that is "floral" while the P7's is very smooth and devoid of all rings! The multi has a much more intense hotspot while the P7 does have this silky smooth transition from hotspot to spill. In function, perhaps not so important, but very beautiful to look at.
Conclusions:
This is a contender for light of the year!
If I had to pick one, I would go M2X, though, ridiculously, something about the P7 keeps drawing me towards it. It's the one I keep reaching for to play with. The weight/balance is just a touch better which seems to make all the difference in my hand. The quality of the light is also so nice and smooth and is so fundamentally different from the ringy Cree beams we are used to. Both kick a lot of butt and would be amazing Hand Cannon Duty lights, likely blowing away your regular light.
Whoo hooo!
