Solarforce L900-P7... looking for info

[kramer5150]

Did a forum search and it looks like there are only a handful of members who own one (and only 2-3 really detailed threads).

I'm just looking for general comments on this 3x18650 beast...
Anodize durability
O-ring engagement and water resistance
Thermal management
Switch quality/feel
Run times
Overall owner satisfaction / dissatisfaction

P7 lights are generally not known to be throwers, is that also the case for this one? I dug up a thread from a foreign forum and one member has it out-throwing a Tiablo A9, here, thread #35
http://forum.fotonmag.cz/index.php?showtopic=180&st=20&p=2854&#entry2854

It seems like an excellent value from a Lumen/runtime minutes per dollar.

Just looking for first hand impressions before I spend my $$$.

thanks in advance!!!

 

[phantom23]

P7 lights are generally not known to be throwers, is that also the case for this one? I dug up a thread from a foreign forum and one member has it out-throwing a Tiablo A9, here, thread #35

Runtime graph 33 posts later...

 

[USM0083]

I have the L900M, which is 2 x 18650.

Anodize durability

Can't tell if it's really HA III, but it's held up really well.

O-ring engagement and water resistance

Big fat o-rings at the front, and a pair of o-rings (plastic type) at the rear. Threads were a bit dry, so I put some nyogel on them. Should be very water resistant. Dunkable, as they say.

Thermal management

On high, which I would estimate at around 600 lumens out the front, it gets pretty warm after about 5-7 minutes, which is the longest I've run it continuously. On low, ~300 lumens, it stays pretty cool. I use it mostly in momentary, just to light things up around my building.

Switch quality/feel

Very nice forward clicky. Very little pressure is required to turn on momentary, and just a little more to click on. I wasn't sure in the beginning, since the switch felt so soft, but it's grown on me. With half presses you can cycle through high-low very easily. When clicked on, you have to turn off to cycle modes. To cycle modes just half press quickly. It has memory, so it with be in whatever mode was used last.

Run times

I've only used it for around 30 minutes on high between charges, but I think on a pair of 18650s it would get about 1 to 1.25 hrs, and 2.5 to 3 hrs on low. Might be a bit longer as it drops out of regulation. The standard L900 with three 18650s would run longer. I asked Lighthound if I could use the Solarforce 18650 extension and run three batteries, but they think the L900M uses a different driver.

Overall owner satisfaction / dissatisfaction

Very satisfied. It's has a very smooth medium hotspot (high mode), maybe a little brighter than my T10C2 but twice as big, and a huge amount of spill. Low mode is still very bright; it crushes my T10C2 in hotspot and spill.

The head is big, 2.75" wide. The emitter is fixed in the body, so it would seem to be possible to fit a smaller head on the body.