After reading various negative reviews and several comments from multiple people I began to wonder about my desire for an X1. The general consensus seemed to be "it's well built, but not useful."
Well, I finally gave in and bought one on eBay (at a price that was, no doubt, driven by the reviews on this forum - thank you for that). My interest was driven largely by curiosity. When it arrived, I was very pleasantly surprised. First, the light is really attractive. I got the black anodized model. Yes, it's considerably bigger than an ARC AAA or even a CMG Ultra, but I love the way it feels in my hand. The switch mechanism is first rate and just seems to be something that will be reliable forever. The tailcap rotates smoothly, with no hint of looseness or play. The momentary mode switch on the tail is a neat added benefit.
Up to this point, most folks have agreed with me. Now I just have to say, I really like the beam! I think the light is brighter than any of my other single cell lights, though it can be hard to judge given the nature of the beam. It's brighter than my Brinkmann longlife and Rebel. Furthermore, the perfect circle of light and the intensity of the beam really make this practical (IMHO) as a medium distance spotlight. I feel like a prison guard operating one of those spotlights trying to light up prisoners contemplating escape. The circle of light produced is much cleaner than any of my other narrow beam lights (Brinkmanns and PALs).
Inside the house, there's plenty of reflection from whatever I'm illuminating with it to make any room navigable with no problem.
Bottom line for me is, I like this light! It feels substantial in my pocket and my hand and it feels powerful when I light up something with it. It won't replace my ARC AAA (I have that on my keyring), but I will probably carry this one with me in my pocket for a while.
There, now I feel better. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Mark
Well, I finally gave in and bought one on eBay (at a price that was, no doubt, driven by the reviews on this forum - thank you for that). My interest was driven largely by curiosity. When it arrived, I was very pleasantly surprised. First, the light is really attractive. I got the black anodized model. Yes, it's considerably bigger than an ARC AAA or even a CMG Ultra, but I love the way it feels in my hand. The switch mechanism is first rate and just seems to be something that will be reliable forever. The tailcap rotates smoothly, with no hint of looseness or play. The momentary mode switch on the tail is a neat added benefit.
Up to this point, most folks have agreed with me. Now I just have to say, I really like the beam! I think the light is brighter than any of my other single cell lights, though it can be hard to judge given the nature of the beam. It's brighter than my Brinkmann longlife and Rebel. Furthermore, the perfect circle of light and the intensity of the beam really make this practical (IMHO) as a medium distance spotlight. I feel like a prison guard operating one of those spotlights trying to light up prisoners contemplating escape. The circle of light produced is much cleaner than any of my other narrow beam lights (Brinkmanns and PALs).
Inside the house, there's plenty of reflection from whatever I'm illuminating with it to make any room navigable with no problem.
Bottom line for me is, I like this light! It feels substantial in my pocket and my hand and it feels powerful when I light up something with it. It won't replace my ARC AAA (I have that on my keyring), but I will probably carry this one with me in my pocket for a while.
There, now I feel better. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Mark
