X990 beam compared to MaxaBeam

I'm new to this forum (although I've been reading for quite awhile now), so please bear with me if I sound like someone's broken record...

Got my X990 in a black shiny McCulloch case about 3 weeks ago, and I didn't get a good chance to bring it into total darkness until a couple of days ago. Just for fun, I took my MaxaBeam with me and headed over to Yosemite for a couple of nights of flashlight fun!

I don't know about the advertised rating of the X990, wether it IS 7Mil candlepower or not, but if I were to compare it to the MB, it would probably not be far behind, if not accurate to its rating (MB rates itself at 6Mil candlepower)...

Up close, the intensity is more on the HID than it is on the MB, but beam focus, although great at around 300 feet, is horrendously large and pouring on the X990 for me. For those of you who are familiar with Yosemite NP, I could throw a beam from the MB from Glacier Point to Half Dome, and my friend who's parked at a vista point behind it can see the MB beam on Half Dome. I can't do that with the X990. The distance between the two places is approximo 2 miles...

For anyone who owns an X990, can you narrow the beam further to as tight as the MaxaBeam? Or am I stuck with the presetting on it?

You're stuck with what you've got on the x990. It's focusable, but not by much and you get really get a narrow beam with the x990.

Dang it...

Oh well. The MaxaBeam's better anyways. (unless, of course, you bring up cost)

Beamshots? PLEASE!!!!

Yeah, and don't shine either light into the camera, you will most probably just burn up the CCD sensor...

I'll get some beamshots in when I get my digicam back from my friends. They're on their weekend whitewater rafting gig, but by this Monday, I should be able to snap some shots of it and post it up...

MAN!!!! You could afford BOTH HID light?!?!

GEEZZ....lucky you!

Well, I was living off rice and ramen for quite awhile there after purchasing the Maxabeam. Needless to say, I probably won't be doing those types of purchases for quite awhile. The MB's about as far as I'll go when it comes to extreme searchlights. I got the X990 for $450 (1/4 less than the MB), so it wasn't too bad.

And I'm having a hard time getting the right exposure to come up on my initial attempts at getting a beam shot correctly. I'm constantly blinding the CCD with too much light, even as I reduce the exposure time and decrease the light output into the camera, as well as try to distance myself from the lights.

The only shot I've got that's worth looking at right now is the "lightsaber" shot, with the lights pointing straight into the dark sky at night. My distance shots didn't come out right either. I need to get out of the city to get a decent shot. I'll post that when I do get it done...

FalconFX,

Should I continue saving for the MaxaBeam or buy the X990 now and start saving for the MaxaBeam from scratch?

Also, are there any other options before the price of a MaxaBeam that I should consider?

Thanks

Al

FalconFX,
You can adjust the focus of the X990 from "tight" to "wide" by turning the yellow lens frame on the front of the light.
However, as you've noticed, you can't narrow it down to the degree that you can the MB.
The reason is simply because of the type of bulb that is used.
The MB uses a TRUE xenon short arc bulb, which has about an arc length of 1 ~ 2mm. This super concentrated arc of light is what makes the "super tight focus" on the MB possible.
The X990, on the other hand uses a automotive xenon HID, which is not a "short arc". If we had to use that type of description, let's say "long arc" (PK likes to use that word).

Anyway, because the actual "arc" is much bigger, the reflector simply can not concentrate as much light to go at the same angle.

You did notice, that up close the X990 is more intense. That is correct, the X990's automotive HID puts out more lumens than the MB (Spec wise). You might have also noticed that at the widest setting, the X990 has a smoother beam than a MB.
The MB beats the X990 at a couple of things (extreme focus, programable joystick, etc.), but as you mentioned, the X990 is no slouch. It outputs even more light, better at wide angle, etc. For 1/4 the price!
It's impressive in it's own right. Don't you think?

We will be posting a supertest between super-duper lights such as your mMaxabeam, the X990, and a handful of other lights (some which are even more expensive than the Maxa) in the future.

Ratso, I know you are anxious to see the results fast, but please bear with me. I assure you the tests are underway, but the posts are still at least a month away. Some "difficulties" are to be expected when dealing with this caliber of lights. But both I and Ted Bear will do our best to make it a true supertest.
We might be posting a "duty light" test before then.
Streamlights, Magcharger, etc.

Anyway FalconFX,
You are one LUCKY DUDE. Many of our CPF members would love, ABSOLUTELY LOVE to have just ONE of your lights. But you have TWO?????
I think you're gonna give many of us "light jealousy".

We should make a commandment: Thou Shalt not covet thy neighbor's flashlights.

Size15s:

There's pluses and minuses to getting the Maxabeam, as opposed to getting the X990. Obviously, you have to consider cost, as well as portability. The Maxabeam, the most I can ever exude from it, was about 60-70 minutes of light, and then it goes into "pulse only" mode, where it will give you light only when you hold down the button. Compare that runtime versus well over 120-150 minutes on one battery alone (you get 2 with the complete package of the McCulloch), and you can start to see why the X990 is a better deal than the Maxabeam overall.

Depends on whether you want an insanely focused beam, or whether you want to save ~$1400 and get a beam that's not as focused as the MB, but still focuseable to about 300-400 feet, brighter than the Maxabeam at closer range (0-100 feet), and lasts 4X longer.

I'd say go for the X990 first, because it's a great searchlight in its own right, and it's the cheapest light I've seen so far with a 7Mil CDL rating, and it's 1/4 the price of the MB. Trust me, you won't be disappointed by this light! If you have already saved enough (or close enough) to buy a Maxabeam or the Long Arm, and you're concerned more about a longer throw/tighter focus, then go for the MB or Long Arm first.

Kenshiro:

To be honest, I think the lens on the X990 can be focused down just a hair bit more. In dead dark of night, you can tell that the beam is still too dispersed after tightening the knob around the head to its dead point, and if not for fearing that I can jar something loose on the lens, I would've tried to see if I could've turn the focus on the head further inwards.

In any case, it's still an awesome light, and if I were more budget constrained, or if the X990 were available back then, I would definately have gone for the X990 first, instead of the MaxaBeam.

In this case, there are just some uses for the MB, like throwing a light nearly 5 miles away, that the X990 can never hope to do. Some would go for the brightness, but I'm a bit more stingier when it comes to beam focus, and the "lightsaber" effect of the MB when pointed towards the heavens at night is just something short of breathtaking.

this is only a test

X990 Picture: Light and Carrying Case

Dang it... Doesn't work...

Anyone know why the image won't show? I used the UBB code as it should've... Nothing wrong with the link either... Hmm...

Alrighty, one more try using Flashaholic's method...

Hi FalconFX,
The reason your pic is not showing is that your host probably does not allow linking.
If you paste the url, the pic shows fine...
try another host, like ImageStation .

More info about posting pics here .

Thanks Bart... Just did that... and it works great...

FalconFX,
The fact is yes, theoretically the actual beam can be focused down a bit more.
The KumKang HID uses an almost exactly same bulb and ballast (same spec, but the KumKang uses a Philips HID and ballast, the McCulloch uses their own based on the same Philips bulb and ballast). And the KumKang DOES focus down more. Again though, you get more "spill light" than a MB.

As to the X990, however, Ted Bear took the light apart and tried to see if he could actually "change" or even manipulate the thread so that it would turn farther, but to no avail. The only way to do it he said was to actually bore some more threads, or something more drastic. Both of which he did not wish to do.

Once again, lucky you.