ElektroLumens P7 Longthrow - w/119 yard beamshots. vs. Fenix T1 & 35W hid

Hi,
I was lucky enough to score a ElektroLumens P7 Longthrow from iced_theater in the Marketplace section. I have wanted a P7 light to go with my Acro A3100 hid, and so I jumped on this light.

The light is the size of a 3 cell maglight, except for the head which measures 3&1/2". The light itself is 10" long, and though being somewhat front heavy, is not bad at all to carry around because of its C cell sized body tube. I definitely am glad it uses 3x C nimh batteries over wider and heavier D cells. The light has a push for momentary tail switch, but is most easily activated by twisting the tailcap to turn the light on and off.

(the narrow black strip above the head is a piece of electrical tape I have used as a temporary measure to hold the focus of the spot where I want it)

The light is well machined and imparts the feeling of not being a run of the mill off the shelf light. The heatsinking around the led is also very impressive, and it keeps the P7 perfectly centered.

Here is the light next to a Fenix T1 for comparison in size.


One nice thing about the light, is that it is focus-able. I like this, because if the head is tightened all the way, the spot is very tight, but their is a very noticeable donut hole since the spot is so bright. I really did not like the looks of it when I first turned the light on. (the donut hole was noticeable at any distance over a few yards) But the light easily focused into a slightly bigger spot with no donut hole whatsoever. You can see the four sections of the P7 leds if you are white wall hunting, but it is not noticeable in normal use (and I am picky) and the beam is quite gorgeous with a very bright and wide spill, and a spot as bright as my old Tiablo, but much wider and more usable... and without any rings.


Now that I have the focus where I want it, I am Very impressed with the light. It is not too heavy, and it has a simply great beam. Not to mention that it is around 3+ times brighter than my Q5 lights. It is nice to see leds start to become as bright as 10 watt h.i.d. lights, and to have the brightness of a multi led light in one still small emitter is very impressive. I cannot find the P7 Longthrow in Wayne's current light listings of the Marketplace forum, but I am sure he would make you one if you asked. It is a very impressive light, and I am quite thankful to iced_theater for letting me aquire his.

Beamshots will follow in a few minutes.

Ok, as mentioned by many cpf'rs, the descriptions mean nothing without beamshots, so I will add a few. I found a great place right next to my work, that is pretty dark, and gives me 119 yards (give or take a yard since I measured by my gps) from where I was standing to the dumpster, which gives my camera something to focus on.

Here first is a control shot. All photos have the camera set at f/2.8 at 2 sec of exposure. White balance is set to daylight and Iso is at 64.

First a control shot... these pics were taken at midnight.

Next, the Fenix T1... high

The P7 Longthrow

The Acro A3100 hid

T1 cropped

P7 Longthrow cropped

A3100 35w hid cropped



Well, the Longthrow is not a 35w hid, but it does have a beam that will reach out and touch things at respectable distances. Plus, there is no spool up time and it can be used for only a second or two without any ill effects. I really like using it where I work, since as shown in the photos, their is ambient light in many places... so my lights never fully adjust to the darkness. This leaves the shadowed places much darker than the would be if my eyes could fully adjust. The longthrow's wide spill and great spot light those areas up well... much better than the Fenix T1 does for an example.

Lastly, I wanted to do a profile shot of the beam. Its part of what makes the light so fun to use. I like lights that are bright enough to actually see the beam profile shooting out of them. The ElectroLumens P7 Longthrow does not disappoint in that area. Wayne made a pretty cool light!

looks nice in silver , see if you can get wayne to sell you a 3 inch sputtered reflector for that thing

Nice, but amazing how the A3100 consumes it.

The hid is another level of brightness entirely... Your right, but the P7 does not feel posituvely dim next to the Acro the way my Q5 lights do. The P7 still feels like a verry bright light, even when using it shortly after using the hid.

qip said:

looks nice in silver , see if you can get wayne to sell you a 3 inch sputtered reflector for that thing

Click to expand...

I just called Tina at Brightguy (great place to buy lights from) to see if the textured reflector from the Lightcannon 100 HID would fit in it, but it is 1/2" too narrow. Would have been nice to pick up a textured reflector for $10 though..... oh well. I am very happy with the beam as it is.