P7 light suggestion

gchronis

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
77
Location
St Louis, MO
Hi all,

I'm about to purchase a $120 P7 light from Tactical HID. They do not have it on their site, but they have 3 lights in stock and wanted to have at least one P7 light. My question is what other P7 lights should I look at around this price, before I make my decision? I know about the Malkoff custom drop-in. Here is a picture of the Tactical HID P7:

http://s83.photobucket.com/albums/j297/cuongvo85/P7/?action=view&current=S6301928.jpg

And here are some specs: George,

The P7 is driven at 2.8amps when at 100%, so it would be 900 bulb lumens, or about 700 torch lumens. The reflector is more rounded than the 24W so it throws very well. It runs on the same 3x18650 battery pack that the 24W does. Includes a home and car charger and a gift box. Run time is about 2-2.5hrs on high (700-900 lumens) and about 12hrs on low (100-150 lumens).

This light looks huge, so I think it will throw out more light than the Malkoff, just because of the huge head/reflector. The size is the same as their 24W HID, but 1" shorter. Here is their 24W: http://tacticalhid.info/hid-store

Thanks for any suggestions,

George.
 

Badbeams3

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 28, 2000
Messages
4,389
Sounds like a good price...specs sound realistic. Does it include the three batts in addition to the home/car charger?

Fenix has the 700 lumen light that might be coming to market...maybe. 8 AA batts if it shows up in it`s sample form shown at the shot show.

If the quality is there...maybe no way to tell without purchasing it (can you call them on the phone and ask them to test it before shipping it to you)...I say go for it...the prices sounds good.
 

gchronis

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
77
Location
St Louis, MO
Yes, it include the batts. It's a battery pack that is built out of the 3 batts, actually.

I don't know about the quality. I have a 35W HID of theirs and it's fine. It's not Deree, but it's fine. They said it carries a 3 months warranty, so I guess I should be ok, if it doesn't work.

Alright, I'll wait for a few more answers and then I'll take the plunge.
 

easilyled

Flashaholic
Joined
Jun 25, 2004
Messages
7,252
Location
Middlesex, UK
Just a word of caution.

TacticalHID use the same manufacturers that supply Kaidomain with an almost identical light.

There has been criticism of this light in the Kaidomain thread and in general Kaidomain's QC is highly controversial and debatable.

This doesn't mean that the same will necessarily apply to TacticalHID if they
control the QC from this manufacturer better than Kaidomain does.

However, it certainly is food for thought IMO.
 

supergravy

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Oct 26, 2008
Messages
92
Location
Oregon
I would suggest taking a look at the Solarforce L900M. It doesn't include batteries when bought from LightHound (direct from china it often does) but is priced right at about $90. I have been on a compulsive light buying streak since joining CPF and have found that this is one of my favorite purchases. When blasting into a dark field, it is only a touch less bright then my ROP hi running on 2 fresh IMR18650's. The large reflector does wonders for throw! It blows away my DBS with MC-E as well as a much smaller Xtar 1x18650 P7 light.

They have mounted the emitter up on kind of a pedestal that comes further into the reflector then any of the other lights. Seems they have dialed it in very well as you can only see the x in the beam when very close (less then 1 foot) from a wall. Beyond that it throws a beautiful beam with a surprisingly tight hot spot and enormous spill. While it isn't out throwing my DBS with smooth reflector and R2 pill, it isn't far behind. Very hard to compare as the L900M is putting so much more light out.

Here is a picture showing the size and emitter setup as described. left DBS V2 1S R2, middle L900M, right Xtar P7
3210230316_bc2515df57_o.jpg


I am really surprised there hasn't been more discussion of this light on the forum. It is pretty well built with the only thing disappointing me is the lack of a AR coating on the lens. And a lot of light scratches on the lens. At first this upset me but now I could care less as nothing shows in the beam.

Almost forgot to mention that the tint is quite nice too. My Xtar P7 is a little purplish, the DBS MC-E is a nice cool white with the L900M a bit warmer. Kind of neutral white heading towards yellow.
 
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