The MAELSTROM X7 with the XM-L LED has been released at 4sevens!

ClickHere to check it out.

Looks like a great replacement to the Maelstom G5 - 480 lumens on the X7 compared to 350 lumens on the G5....nice. You can still only run a button-top 18650 like the AW 2200 on this light (can also run 2 CR123 primaries)...just like the G5. Great light; can't wait to see beamshot comparisons between the two lights.

Yes please, beamshots and lux readings.

hmmm....wonder how the 480 is rated ???
out the front ??
ansi?
ansi out the front??

Now that CPF is back up I'm learning about such things and my wallet gonna get smaller must resist........

Outdoorsman5 said:

ClickHere to check it out.

Looks like a great replacement to the Maelstom G5 - 480 lumens on the X7 compared to 350 lumens on the G5....nice. You can still only run a button-top 18650 like the AW 2200 on this light (can also run 2 CR123 primaries)...just like the G5. Great light; can't wait to see beamshot comparisons between the two lights.

Click to expand...

Strange, I put my non button-top 18650 in my G5 and it works. AW2900's I think they are... will have to check when I get home.

Funny You Say That Because My Wallet Is Getting Smaller And Smaller My Self....

Looking forward to some CPF Reviews !


_

Why do they keep making these lights so that they only work with button top cells though??!!! I just don't get it! There's some really nice flat tops out there. AW's 2900 comes to mind. I shouldn't have to buy new/different cells if I want that light. I know, I know, I could use a magnet but I just don't think you should have to do that. Looks like a really nice light though. But I don't think it's on my list because of forced "button top" use.

mrlysle said:

Why do they keep making these lights so that they only work with button top cells though??!!! I just don't get it! There's some really nice flat tops out there. AW's 2900 comes to mind. I shouldn't have to buy new/different cells if I want that light. I know, I know, I could use a magnet but I just don't think you should have to do that. Looks like a really nice light though. But I don't think it's on my list because of forced "button top" use.

Click to expand...

It's my understanding it is because if they worked with flat tops they wouldn't be able to have reverse polarity protection.

bjt3833 said:

It's my understanding it is because if they worked with flat tops they wouldn't be able to have reverse polarity protection.

Click to expand...

If this is the case then why do they make flat top cells at all? is there a benefit to flat tops?

It is not a benefit but a requirement to have a higher capacity. The overall length of the battery cannot change significantly, otherwise it "becomes" a different battery. I forget the breakdown but the numbers are circumference and length (18650). to get a higher capacity they shove more "battery" into it, and to do that they made the body bigger and therefore had to make the button top smaller, or gone.

If I remember correctly I heard David from 4Sevens say that the X7 is not a replacement for the G5 but the two would rather co-exist, as the X7 will be a floodier area-light and the G5 is more of a thrower. Check out nutnfancy's interview with David from 4Sevens at SHOT show 2011 on youtube if you want the details, there's a lot of info in there about 4Sevens new lights.

To OP, the X7 is not a replacement of the G5. It puts out slightly more light but it is more of a flood light. If you want a powerful light that throws far, G5 is the way to go. X7 makes a better room clearing light.

pjandyho said:

To OP, the X7 is not a replacement of the G5. It puts out slightly more light but it is more of a flood light. If you want a powerful light that throws far, G5 is the way to go. X7 makes a better room clearing light.

Click to expand...

Makes since with the larger XM-L LED. I guess they'd have to redesign the head to improve throw on the X7 like they're redesigning the head on the TurboX 123x2 to fit the XM-L LED. I think I'm going to wait for the TurboX to come out, and then decide which one to get. I think I like the smaller overall package and the smaller price of the TurboX.

Any information about usefull range of its beamshot ?? efective distance it reaches ??

mrlysle said:

Why do they keep making these lights so that they only work with button top cells though??!!! I just don't get it! There's some really nice flat tops out there. AW's 2900 comes to mind. I shouldn't have to buy new/different cells if I want that light. I know, I know, I could use a magnet but I just don't think you should have to do that. Looks like a really nice light though. But I don't think it's on my list because of forced "button top" use.

Click to expand...

Good question in general, but I'm not sure it applies to this light. I use a redilast 2900 cell in my G5 without issue which is not a perfect flat top but it is close because the "button top" has such a wide diameter.

mrlysle,
The reason only button top 18650s will work is the construction of the battery tube in the G5 and X7. It is specifically designed with a shoulder at the positive end to protect the positive battery post from damage caused by frontal impact to the light.
After many brutal, destructive tests of different high quality lights, the positive battery post is usually the first thing to get squished to the point of disconnection failure.
Jim

Outdoorsman5 said:

I think I'm going to wait for the TurboX to come out, and then decide which one to get. I think I like the smaller overall package and the smaller price of the TurboX.

Click to expand...

+1

I'm holding out for the TurboX so I can have more of a thrower light (all of mine are short throw/flood). And I hear very good things about the XM-L. As soon as I see it in the store, it's mine! I'm not even going to think about pulling the trigger...

41028 said:

mrlysle,
The reason only button top 18650s will work is the construction of the battery tube in the G5 and X7. It is specifically designed with a shoulder at the positive end to protect the positive battery post from damage caused by frontal impact to the light.
After many brutal, destructive tests of different high quality lights, the positive battery post is usually the first thing to get squished to the point of disconnection failure.
Jim

Click to expand...

Seems like a poor solution to the problem though. Would be better with a spring on both ends.

41028 said:

mrlysle,
The reason only button top 18650s will work is the construction of the battery tube in the G5 and X7. It is specifically designed with a shoulder at the positive end to protect the positive battery post from damage caused by frontal impact to the light.
After many brutal, destructive tests of different high quality lights, the positive battery post is usually the first thing to get squished to the point of disconnection failure.
Jim

Click to expand...

Are you sure about that, Jim. I seem to recall David admitting that the ring at the positive end of the battery tube was essentially nothing more than a simple reverse polarity protection feature that avoided the added space requirement and cost penalty of a proper reverse polarity protection circuit.

Besides, this rigid ring shouldn't be coming in contact with the shoulder of the battery anyway. The positive battery post still has to contact the front end of the battery tube, or the light won't work at all. Assuming the light is subjected to sufficient force, the ring could theoretically limit the amount by which the positive battery post is smashed down, but once again, by the time the ring became firmly seated on the shoulder of the battery, you'd no longer have reliable contact between the battery post and the front end of the battery tube.