some Led Lenser impressions + beamshots... T7, P17, M1, M14: ALMOST a review. FIXED!

introduction - premise

This is not a real review, i haven't got neither the equipment nor the knowledge base to do a proper one… but since I've found very little data on Led Lenser flashlights I decided to share some basic impression on the "serious" models I own: T7, P17, M1 and M14 (in the past I've bought quite a lot of their early "toy" lamps, and even their first tactical model, the V2 TL, but there's no point to discuss them here).
On CPF Led Lensers are not very popular, and I can perfectly understand why…

1. a serious brand should provide their customers with some actual technical data, and LL doesn't. they don't even give the name of the LEDs thay use (Cree XR-E, by the way...)
2. there's a lumen war going on, with new LED models and new ways to push them to the limits… LL is stuck around the 200 lm area and new models push the limit farther by 5 lm steps…
3. LL just entered the path of light regulation, but every other brand is already years ahead
4. The last really "new" technology LL researched was their patent variable focus that appeared at least 4 or 5 years ago. And they're still living on it.

BUT this doesn't mean that Led Lensers are bad flashlights, even if they're aimed at a much more general and not-so-informed kind of buyer than the lamps usually discussed on these pages. To begin they are pretty well built. Ok, they're not really waterproof (and they can't be, with that sliding lens), but they're solid and (in my experience, that doesn't imply crash tests or diving) reliable.

Re: some Led Lenser impressions + beamshots... T7, P17, M1, M14: ALMOST a review

T7

LL slowly upgrades its lamps, mine is a 2008 or 2009 series rated at 200 lumens. Newer models are a bit brighter (210), older ones didn't make more than 170. It's a classical small tactical FL, fueled by 4 AAA (alkalines are recommended, but I use Eneloops and they work flawlessly). Battery holder is integrated in the tail cap, with 3 retracting poles to connect it with the head… a sturdy and stable system. It's heavier than similar sized lights powered by lithium cells, but it's quite light nonetheless, and very well balanced and pleasant to hold
it's a direct drive flashlight with a mechanical - tail mounted - switch, so the UI is pretty straightforward. half press = turbo. 1st click = low. 2nd click = high. 3rd click = off.




beamshots

high setting, wide focus. the beam is full of rings (but in real life use they're not a real hindrance), and not very wide, to be honest... output should be around 155 lumens. i didn't include a beamshot at full 130% throttle - 200 lumens - but the difference is not so huge.



low setting, wide focus. as you can see the beam is definitely offset, i should have returned it but i didn't. well, now it's a bit late to worry about it!
output should be around 20 lumens, very usable indoor and - at close range - outdoor



high setting, narrow focus. rings are even more visible. the weird square shape of the beam is caused by the offset (LED seems well centered, maybe it's the lens mounting...). virtually no spill, that means that field of view is seriously limited.

anyway the real point of the sliding focus mechanism is the ability to adapt continuously the beam to the needed distance. Once you get used to it it works really well, but beamshots really don't do it justice.

Re: some Led Lenser impressions + beamshots... T7, P17, M1, M14: ALMOST a review

P17

a 3xD, direct drive flashlight, with a 210 lumens output in turbo. of course it's big and heavy, but well balanced. UI is identical to the T7's, with the obvious exception of the side mounted switch. again, seems well built and 3 years of use (not very frequent, i admit) have left no mark on it.




beamshots



turbo mode (130%), 210 lumens. not many rings, but they truly stand out, with their prismatic colours... personally i like them, but i know not many would agree... . the best part is that in flood mode the beam is very wide and perfectly clear and uniform (besides the rings, obviously!), perfect for indoor and close range lighting, unless you use to wander in long, dark tunnels (and of course care to see what's 30 meters ahead...)



high mode, around 165 lumens, wide focus. not much of a difference.



low mode, wide focus. some 25 lumens, that's enough in most situations... cell consumption is very low, even if there's no official data and i can't be more precise than that. but trust me...



high mode, narrow focus. very nice throw, little to no spill and LOTS of rings

Re: some Led Lenser impressions + beamshots... T7, P17, M1, M14: ALMOST a review

M1

little flashlight powered by a single CR123, with an electronic tail switch... LL makes NO statement about eventual regulation circuitry, so i have to assume that it still runs on direct drive, but light level seems more or less stabilized, and turbo mode is not available if batteries are half empty, so i suppose some kind of regulation actually exists.
max output is rated at 170 lumens (130% turbo mode), and again it's achieved half-pressing the button or keeping it pressed. releasing it, at that point, activates high mode. another click shuts the lamp. 2 half presses activate low mode, 3 strobe.





beamshots



high mode, wide focus, output around 130 lumens, but the difference with turbo mode's 170 is nothing spectacular. it works very well, both indoors and outdoors, and has been my EDC torch for a while, but on a white wall there's a lot of artifacts

low mode, wide focus. around 20 lumens



high mode, full narrow focus. not the prettiest beam around, but for a torch this small the M1 has got a serious throw



high mode. playing a bit with the adjustable focus here's the biggest hotspot i could get without any dark zone in the middle

Re: some Led Lenser impressions + beamshots... T7, P17, M1, M14: ALMOST a review

Sorry, but I gotta say those are some really ugly beams. Look at all those rings! :sick2:

Re: some Led Lenser impressions + beamshots... T7, P17, M1, M14: ALMOST a review

M14

mid sized flashlight fueled by 4 x AA cells, fully regulated (more or less... check the excellent review on lygte-info for the technical stuff), with a maximum ouptut rated at 225 lumens. the UI is based on a single tail button (that by the way is not the most ergonomic choice, in my opinion... the torch is quite stubby and i'd have preferred a side switch) and it's quite intricate to program (a simulated direct drive can be chosen instead of the step regulation, and 3 control profiles are available - easy, professional and tactical), so it's very advisable to keep at least the quick instruction card! once set on easy (my choice) everything is very straightforward and comfortable to use... half press (or pressure hold) activates the boost function. full click is for high mode, and subsequent half presses cycle between high and low output. another click shuts the lamp.




beamshots



boost (130%) mode, 225 lumens, wide focus. some ring, but a pleasant and homogeneous beam (at least for my taste), extremely useful for area lighting.



high mode, wide focus, more or less 180 lumens.



low mode, wide focus, 30 lumens. in general use it's an extremely useful mode and it's quite conservative on batteries



high mode, full focus. many rings and very little spill. gives the M14 a good throw, with all real life limitations of tightly focused beams




of course every kind of intermediate setting is possible sliding the head back and forth, with some nice and useful beam profile

Re: some Led Lenser impressions + beamshots... T7, P17, M1, M14: ALMOST a review

js82 said:

Sorry, but I gotta say those are some really ugly beams. Look at all those rings! :sick2:

Click to expand...

of course they are!
jokes apart, these lamps will never win a beam smoothness contest, but - in real life conditions - i found them really useful in flood mode... of course against a white wall they suck pretty badly, but - besides beamshots - who uses a lamp that way?
to be completely honest i don't find rings so annoying. i don't like at all my T7's beam not because of the rings, but because it seems to push all light on the edge leaving a white dark area in the middle, but that lamp is born ill, i don't know if every T7 behaves this way

It is not until you purchase a modern up to date light that you realise the lensers are underpowered, over priced and use old leds with little or no regulation. One of my first lights was the lenser p7, which i thought was great until i bought a jetbeam and four more. The p7 now resides with my mum for which it is perfectly suited. I agree it is well made but just out dated.

i know, i have fenix, xeno and sunwayman lights too... the only field in which - in my opinion - they still have an edge, is indoor lighting. in a power fail or to fix something in a dark setting i still prefer my LLs and their unfocused beam... the bigger LLs (P17 and M14) can completely light up a room with no shadows or blinding hotspots. outdoors the magic ends, of course.

I own a T 7 & a M14,the T 7 is the 200 lum model but compared to my other lights its out of date totally,i let my son use it most of the time & he's happy enough with it.I really like the M 14 strangely enough,it has a few good uses
it's not the best by any meen's in any of it's modes,it performs average in all area's,the reason i like it i suppose is its so easy to pick what mode you want & it does that job OK.its a bit like a jack of all trades & master of none.i
personally like to take mine camping where it does a variety of jobs,not great but it will do for getting mud & god knows what else on it.It does stand up to quite a bit of abuse no bother as well,so for me i think Led lenser could
build a great flashlight/torch it's just they haven't got quite round to it yet.
P.S the battery life is excellent by the wayoo: