Evening guys,
Thanks to some great advice on here I picked up an Xtar VP2 for my 18650's and battery box :thumbsup: Thought i'd share some pics of what i'm using it for and how I fared on my first outing with the batterys and torch.
Charger
Xtar VP2 charger, this replaced my faulty Nitecore I4, but I quickly fell in love with the voltage display and 1amp charging which meant far quicker charging times for my set of x4 18650's.
Perfect cutoff at 4.19v...
18650 Batteries
Four unprotected Torchy 3400mah 18650
Battery Box
Solarstorm battery box, perfect fit for the 18650s and lid seals fully against the elements, takes around 20 seconds to screw the dial down very secure closing action...
All fits snugly into the pouch with velcro strap for the mountain bike...
LED light
The light is a Solar Storm X2, which seems very well put together and the red fins act as a large heatsink when on full power. The clicky switch on the back cycles between low, medium and high beam, or hold down for strobe.
Here are the full technical specs...
Descriptions:
Dimensions: 42mm（L）× 60mm（W）× 38mm(H)
LED: 2×CREE XM-L U2 LED
Circuit: Digital CC circuit, power indicator system and Low-voltage alarming system.
Mode: Low-Mid-High-Strobe
Dimming: Electronic pushbutton switch
Material: Aluminum alloy
Lens: Impact-resistant optical lens
Reflector: Metal reflector
Waterproof: IPX-8, unable to support dive use.
Head & Tail: Aluminum alloy bezel ring
Lumens: 1500Lums - 800lums - 300lums - 1000lums
My friend rides with one on the handlebars and one on the helmet...
LED indicator with a fully charged battery box...
Beam shots
Its always hard to get a good picture in the dark, but i'd say this is very representative of what you can see in the flesh.
Control shot...
low power...
medium power...
high power...
helmet and bar combined...
1.
2.
3.
The test ride was 2 hours on full power, and the LED indicator was on 2 bars at the end...
Battery performance
Very keen to see how much juice was left in the 18650's I check all four in the VP2, they all read the same at 3.88v after settling in the charger. 55% ish ?
Recharging
I've put the 18650s on recharge at 2020pm, its now 2054pm, in 30 minutes they're not far off fully charged! 2 hours of riding and the ability to recharge a pair so quickly, i'm very happy! (EDIT as of 2130pm they are now at 4.19v - so back to full charge in 1 hour 10 minutes from 3.88v)
Conclusion and comparisons
The medium beam is more than adequate for majority of trails I ride at night, the high beam great for descents.
For the test I ran on full beam the entire ride, and i'd estimate a runtime of 4 hours on full based on the voltage remaining after my two hour ride. With my usual rides and mix of medium/high i'd expect to get 2-3 rides out of each charged battery pack. I'm going to try and not drop below 3.0 volts to help with longevity of the battery?
My previous bike lights in chronological order have increased in lumens for each new purchase, going back 5 years i've owned...
Fenix L2D Rebel - 175Lm
Hope Technology Vision 4 - 960Lm
CREE XM-L T6 - 1600Lm (claimed)
The XML U2 LED in the SSX2 has really blown me away in terms of width of beam, distance of beam, brightness, overall trail coverage and fantastic run time. A definite upgrade from previous LEDS. I'm always on the lookout for something more powerful so eagerly await the next bike light LED to take the crown :devil:
Some bonus pics of the old lights...
Hope Technology Vision 4...
Cree XM-L T6 and Fenix ...
Hope you enjoyed the read
Thanks to some great advice on here I picked up an Xtar VP2 for my 18650's and battery box :thumbsup: Thought i'd share some pics of what i'm using it for and how I fared on my first outing with the batterys and torch.
Charger
Xtar VP2 charger, this replaced my faulty Nitecore I4, but I quickly fell in love with the voltage display and 1amp charging which meant far quicker charging times for my set of x4 18650's.
Perfect cutoff at 4.19v...
18650 Batteries
Four unprotected Torchy 3400mah 18650
Battery Box
Solarstorm battery box, perfect fit for the 18650s and lid seals fully against the elements, takes around 20 seconds to screw the dial down very secure closing action...
All fits snugly into the pouch with velcro strap for the mountain bike...
LED light
The light is a Solar Storm X2, which seems very well put together and the red fins act as a large heatsink when on full power. The clicky switch on the back cycles between low, medium and high beam, or hold down for strobe.
Here are the full technical specs...
Descriptions:
Dimensions: 42mm（L）× 60mm（W）× 38mm(H)
LED: 2×CREE XM-L U2 LED
Circuit: Digital CC circuit, power indicator system and Low-voltage alarming system.
Mode: Low-Mid-High-Strobe
Dimming: Electronic pushbutton switch
Material: Aluminum alloy
Lens: Impact-resistant optical lens
Reflector: Metal reflector
Waterproof: IPX-8, unable to support dive use.
Head & Tail: Aluminum alloy bezel ring
Lumens: 1500Lums - 800lums - 300lums - 1000lums
My friend rides with one on the handlebars and one on the helmet...
LED indicator with a fully charged battery box...
Beam shots
Its always hard to get a good picture in the dark, but i'd say this is very representative of what you can see in the flesh.
Control shot...
low power...
medium power...
high power...
helmet and bar combined...
1.
2.
3.
The test ride was 2 hours on full power, and the LED indicator was on 2 bars at the end...
Battery performance
Very keen to see how much juice was left in the 18650's I check all four in the VP2, they all read the same at 3.88v after settling in the charger. 55% ish ?
Recharging
I've put the 18650s on recharge at 2020pm, its now 2054pm, in 30 minutes they're not far off fully charged! 2 hours of riding and the ability to recharge a pair so quickly, i'm very happy! (EDIT as of 2130pm they are now at 4.19v - so back to full charge in 1 hour 10 minutes from 3.88v)
Conclusion and comparisons
The medium beam is more than adequate for majority of trails I ride at night, the high beam great for descents.
For the test I ran on full beam the entire ride, and i'd estimate a runtime of 4 hours on full based on the voltage remaining after my two hour ride. With my usual rides and mix of medium/high i'd expect to get 2-3 rides out of each charged battery pack. I'm going to try and not drop below 3.0 volts to help with longevity of the battery?
My previous bike lights in chronological order have increased in lumens for each new purchase, going back 5 years i've owned...
Fenix L2D Rebel - 175Lm
Hope Technology Vision 4 - 960Lm
CREE XM-L T6 - 1600Lm (claimed)
The XML U2 LED in the SSX2 has really blown me away in terms of width of beam, distance of beam, brightness, overall trail coverage and fantastic run time. A definite upgrade from previous LEDS. I'm always on the lookout for something more powerful so eagerly await the next bike light LED to take the crown :devil:
Some bonus pics of the old lights...
Hope Technology Vision 4...
Cree XM-L T6 and Fenix ...
Hope you enjoyed the read
Last edited:
