What is the best P7 light for throw?

[Lumencraft (Matt)]

I have been lookingat the KA, DX,and some other P7 lights and what I want to know is which one is the best THROWER? I am a throw person, floody is not a quality I look for in a light. I am talking mostly about stock lights and not a M*g mod.

PS if anyone has a good p7 thrower they dont use any more PM me I could use one.

 

[LumenHound]

The best P7 thrower will generally be the one with the largest reflector that you can tolerate. Pick you maximum size reflector and work your way backwards through what's available turnkey if you are after something easy.

 

[darkzero]

As of right now, I don't know of any stock P7 lights that I would consider a thrower. Even with the Mag reflector I don't consider it much of a thrower.

 

[TDKKP]

I think only ElectroLumens is making P7 thrower now.

 

[BBL]

A P7 needs to put out four times the lumens of a P4 to archieve the same throw. So no P7 light will ever outthrow a P4 light.

 

[cat]

The ones that StefanFS has made using Tiablos and MRVs.

 

[jirik_cz]

I think that only with smooth mag reflector you can get decent throw with SSC P7.

 

[LEDninja]

A P7 needs to put out four times the lumens of a P4 to archieve the same throw. So no P7 light will ever outthrow a P4 light.

I was under the same impression a while back.
Until StefenFS set me straight.
Take a look at his beamshots - various SSC-P7 lights vs a SSC-P4 USWOH & a Cree Q5 at 250M/750ft.
The SSC-P4 USWOH & a Cree Q5 at 250M/750ft are not in the same league as the P7s. You can see so much more with the P7s.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=198549
He's got more beamshots here:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=202014
A laser will out throw practically every LED light out there but it is useless as it lights up only part of 1 leaf.
A P4 or Cree thrower is better as it lights up 1 branch.
A P7 just lights up the whole tree.
If you need more throw than 250M, you are in the wrong forum. Please visit Spotlights & HID.

At closer ranges the SSC-P7 is just as impressive.
The Malkoff Magmod is considered one of the more throwy LED lights. It lights up a tree in Ernsanada's backyard.
His P7 simply lit up the WHOLE backyard.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=194716

Do not let the fact that P4 & Cree throw type lights produce a spot on your bedroom bright enough to blind you fool you. In real life outdoor use the P7 lights are much more useful.

BTW Ernsanada measured:
Elektro Lumens P7 2D 3C Maglite - 14,600 lux @ 1 meter >> 120.8 meter throw
Maglite 3D Malkolf Drop-In - 12,580 lux @ 1 meter (Current Draw - 1.61A) >> 112.2 meter throw
So the P7 actually out throws the Malkoff. Not by a significant amount but it got the higher lux # in addition to the wider beam.

 

[JamisonM]

A P7 needs to put out four times the lumens of a P4 to archieve the same throw. So no P7 light will ever outthrow a P4 light.

Isn't that something they can just about do. My simple direct drive 3D maglite only draws around 2A from the batteries and while it doesn't light up something far out quite as good of my Malkoff drop-in, what it does light up it lights up alot more. I will say that it make things just as easy if not easier to identify at the same distance.

 

[darkzero]

BTW Ernsanada measured:
Elektro Lumens P7 2D 3C Maglite - 14,600 lux @ 1 meter >> 120.8 meter throw
Maglite 3D Malkolf Drop-In - 12,580 lux @ 1 meter (Current Draw - 1.61A) >> 112.2 meter throw
So the P7 actually out throws the Malkoff. Not by a significant amount but it got the higher lux # in addition to the wider beam.

I disagree if were just talking about throw. While my P7 Mags obviously put out way more overall light than my P4 Mags, my P4 Mags out throw the P7 Mags by far. Even using a sputtered reflector in my P4 Mag & a smooth reflector in my P7 Mag, the P4 still throws farther.

You can clearly see in Ernsanada's pics that the P4 throws farther.

 

[Jarl]

It might throw farther, but the P7 is more useful at range. As LEDninja mentioned, a laser will out-throw any LED light you care to mention. However, it's absolutely useless at range because you can't see anything. The P4 has such a tight spot, you can see only what you're aiming at. The P7 lets you see what you're aiming at and some more- it's a more useful light.

 

[cat]

ok, LEDninja has really said it well. It's about how well a torch illuminates - and I think StefanFS's beamshots showed that. If you want to limit it to "purethrow" (as in the laser analogy), ok, you can probably show that the P4 or whatever will put a brighter spot on an object further away than the P7. But how practically useful is that spot? The purpose is to enable our eyes plus brain to see better in the dark - to identify and locate things better in the dark. So, if you can identify a leaf - and so perceive that there's a tree there - a few meters further away with the P4 than you can with the P7, then ok, but most of the time we'd probably be better able to perceive that there's a tree there by seeing more than just a few leaves.

 

[shakeylegs]

vestureofblood,
I was trying to build a P7 thrower and so dropped a P7 into one of my Aurora WF600's. Focal length of the stock reflector is a bit tricky but once focused, the P7 Aurora WF600 (direct drive) does not out-throw the stock Q5 Aurora WF600 (9volt). It does however put out a brighter broader beam that reaches almost as far and illuminates far more in the field of view. The laser like quality of the Q5 is fun but for general long distance spotting or route finding I'd first reach for the P7 Aurora, the 1D Mag with P7 and Kai reflector, or even my Ultrafire C2 _P7 mod. It will be interesting to see how the upcoming cree 4-die emitter throws with a deep reflector.

 

[martonic]

vestureofblood,

If you want a stock P7 light that throws like crazy, look here:

Aurora AK-P7 SSC P7 2-Mode LED Flashlight (1*18650)

I have one of these and it's amazing. Nice beam too!

For more runtime, you might consider this one:

Aurora AK-P7-3 SSC P7-C 5-Mode 900-Lumen LED Flashlight (2*18650/4*CR123A)

However, no reviews yet because it's just out.

Good luck with your quest!

 

[BBL]

I was under the same impression a while back.
Until StefenFS set me straight.
Take a look at his beamshots - various SSC-P7 lights vs a SSC-P4 USWOH & a Cree Q5 at 250M/750ft.
The SSC-P4 USWOH & a Cree Q5 at 250M/750ft are not in the same league as the P7s. You can see so much more with the P7s.

The pictures confirm, the P4 outthrows the P7...

After all, and once more for everyone: This thread is about THROW!

 

[Jarl]

The pictures confirm, the P4 outthrows the P7...

After all, and once more for everyone: This thread is about THROW!

There's "look how far my light shines hahaha" throw, and there's "look how far I can light things up so I can see them" throw. Which throw is the OP interested in? A laser would be great for the first one, and a P7 more suited to the second.

 

[I came to the light...]

There's "look how far my light shines hahaha" throw, and there's "look how far I can light things up so I can see them" throw. Which throw is the OP interested in? A laser would be great for the first one, and a P7 more suited to the second.

you're hilarious. We're talking about a 4x width difference, and you suggest something maybe a thousandth as wide?

I own a MA6 and have owned an A9, and I assure you, the beam is very useable. Yes, I'd love a wider beam without sacraficing throw, but in practical use I am not bothered by how narrow they are. Saying that they're designed just to show off is so completely wrong that I highly doubt you've held any CREE, SSC P4, or luxeon thrower.

 

[Lumencraft (Matt)]

So far so good I like the beamshots on some of the posts. Definetly getting warmer...

 

[Gunner12]

The best that I know(without going into mods) is the P7 Longthrow by Elektrolumens.

 

[Jarl]

I highly doubt you've held any CREE, SSC P4, or luxeon thrower.

That'll be a mistake then. And yes, I don't particularly like them because they don't let me see. Sure, they illuminate, but the amount of helpful information I can get about the stuff I'm looking at from such a narrow beam is very low.