XTAR SSC P7-C & XTAR SSCP7-C2 Review

I have just received the XTAR SSC P7-C & XTAR SSCP7-C2 sets

First some photos:

The nice color packaging:

XTAR SSCP7-C2 set



XTAR SSC P7-C set



What you get in the set:
1pc. Flashlight
1pc. Ultrafire WF-137 Charger
2pcs. XTAR Protected 2400mAh 18650
1pc. Spare Clickie Switch
1pc. Spare O-Ring
1pc. Very Nice Carry Pouch

XTAR SSCP7-C2


XTAR SSC P7-C


The Flashlights:

XTAR SSCP7-C2


XTAR SSC P7-C


Side By Side - XTAR SSCP7-C2 Top XTAR SSC P7-C bottom


Side By Side - XTAR SSCP7-C2 Right XTAR SSC P7-C Left


The Flashlights "In the nude"

XTAR SSCP7-C2


XTAR SSC P7-C


Side by Side Beam shot XTAR SSCP7-C2 Left XTAR SSC P7-C Right:



Under exposed beamshot to show hotspot detail (the same for both):



Now for some details:

Body & General construction :

Both are well machined and all the parts fit together nicely. Both are easily dismanteled with no glues in the threads. They both fit nicely in the hand and are well balanced, the grooves and knurling provide adequate grip. Having large hands i prefer the XTAR SSC P7-C as it is longer but my GF likes the XTAR SSCP7-C2 as she has smaller hands. I am not sure about the anodizing but it appears to be normal type II. They are both well sealed from the environment having at least one or two lubed o-rings in every seam. The XTAR SSCP7-C2 will tail stand whilst the XTAR SSC P7-C will not.
The flutes in the XTAR SSCP7-C2 will not let it roll off whilst the ones on the XTAR SSC P7-C do not do a very good job at not letting it roll off. In both the provided protected 18650 fits easily with some extra space so the battery does rattle a bit when the lights are shaked.

The Business End:

Both flashlights have an OP aluminum reflector, a Glass lens and an SSC P7 LED.
In the ones i got the LED in the XTAR SSCP7-C2 has a warmer color.
The reflector in the XTAR SSCP7-C2 is shorter and wider than the one in the XTAR SSC P7-C thus the beam in the XTAR SSC P7-C is a bit narrower but the side spill is brighter. I cannot see much difference in the hotspot.
In both lights the hotspot has a small donut hole in the middle which is visible on a white wall at a distance of more than 1 meter but not if it is closer. The donut hole in the XTAR SSCP7-C2 is very slightly smaller than on the XTAR SSC P7-C. The beam is smooth on both lights with no artefacts apart for the small donut hole.
In both the LED's are mounted onto a brass HS that screws into the body which should ensure a good heat transfer. After 20 minutes of operation in free standing still air on high mode in both lights the whole light becomes warm but not enough to cause discomfort proving a good heat transfer.

Electrics:

In both lights the LED's seem to be direct driven from the 18650 and both have two modes: High and Low. The modes are selected by clicking the tail clickie switch in the following order 1st click - High, 2nd click - Low, 3rd click - Off. The light level is reduced by a simple resistor in the switch.
The XTAR SSCP7-C2 draws 2.10A from a freshly charged battery on high and 0.18A on low.
The XTAR SSCP7-C draws 2.0A from a freshly charged battery on high and 0.18A on low.
If bypassing the switch the XTAR SSCP7-C2 draws 2.5A from the battery whereas the XTAR SSCP7-C draws 2.4A proving that the switch has some internal resistance. I cannot tell if the leds are driven to the 2.8A spec however it seems that the XTAR SSCP7-C2 i have has an led with a lower Vf than the led in the XTAR SSCP7-C which is why it is pulling a bit more from the battery.
I did not measure the runtime but from the draw currents they both should last at least about 1 hour on high and over 10 hours on low.

Output:

Both lights are very bright and put to shame all my other lights. I have no way of measuring lumens so i cannot verify the manufacturers claims i do have a light meter and here are the lux readings @ 1 meter:
XTAR SSCP7-C - 4900 Lux on high & 490 Lux on low
XTAR SSCP7-C2 - 6000 Lux on high & 550 Lux on low
Though one would expect that the one with the deeper reflector should have a higher lux reading i suspect that the slightly smaller donut hole and higher current in the XTAR SSCP7-C2 is why it has a higher lux reading.

These lights are not meant to be throwers but they put a lot of light out in the medium range whilst still being useful in the long range due to the sheer amount of light going out the front.

EDIT:
Runtime Test Results:
I conducted a small runtime test on the XTAR SSCP7-C using a lightly used battery ( same one i used for the other lux readings and fooling around )

Time = 0 minutes - Lux = 4700
Time = 10 minutes - Lux = 4660
Time = 20 minutes - Lux = 4630
Time = 30 minutes - Lux = 4600
Time = 40 minutes - Lux = 4550
Time = 50 minutes - Lux = 4190
Time = 60 minutes - Lux = 3520
Time = 70 minutes - Lux = 2440

After the 70 minute test the battery voltage was 3.32V and the current being drawn was 650mA so after 70 minutes it was still about as bright as a single Cree XR-E flashlight.

End Of Edit

Other Things:

I really like the quality of the included pouch in both lights. It has a velvet like interior and closes both with velcro and a clip. It appears to be well made.

Negatives:

The only thing i see wrong in both lights is the 900 lumen claim as i am quite certain that it is not so. It might be possible to reach the 900 lumens with some modding but not in the original configuration. The donut hole might also be annoying to some.

Conclusion:

Both lights are of good quality and are well constructed and should withstand abbuse. The accessories they come with in the set are also of good quality. They are both very bright for their size. From a personal point of view i prefer the XTAR SSCP7-C mostly for aesthetic reasons and that it fits better in my big hands.
Otherwise, apart for the above negatives i really like both lights.
And happily they are good value for money.

Thanks for reading my first review
P.S. Pardon my bad photography

Mike

Excellent review. Thanks a lot.

Too bad they don't sell the light by itself, without the cells and charger.

Nice review! Some tests abouth the runtime? If the xtar claims 1 hour at turbo mode(mor or less than 900 lumens) is nice:twothumbs

Thanks
Im sure that if you send them an e-mail they will be able to arrange something.

I have the C2 version,got it from Lighthound a couple of weeks ago. I've been using 2 Energizer 123's in it with no problems so far. It gets hot after about 4 mins but it is the brightest light.

iasmosrapla said:

Nice review! Some tests abouth the runtime? If the xtar claims 1 hour at turbo mode(mor or less than 900 lumens) is nice:twothumbs

Click to expand...

Im conducting one on the XTAR SSC P7-C as i type this and so far it's looking good.

houtex said:

I have the C2 version,got it from Lighthound a couple of weeks ago. I've been using 2 Energizer 123's in it with no problems so far. It gets hot after about 4 mins but it is the brightest light.

Click to expand...

With 2x123's it will most definitely be very very bright but i doubt it's doing the led any good since it is meant for 3.7V and not 6V. However i suspect the internal resistance in the switch will be lowering the voltage.
Can you measure the current going through the switch or the voltage at the led ? i would not test the current directly from the batt to the tube as that might fry your led due to the lack of resistance from the switch.
EDIT: I just noticed that the one from lighthound is a different one firstly because it is just the flashlight and not a set and secondly because lighthound says you can use it with 2x123's whilst quality china goods specifically says not to so thare must be something different.

Hey thanks! Those prices are veeery tempting... :naughty:

Amonra, in your underexposed beamshot, the donut hole seems very faint. Is it more visible in real life than in your photo? Do you notice the donut hole while using the flashlight outside?

Runtime Test Added

Amonra, in your underexposed beamshot, the donut hole seems very faint. Is it more visible in real life than in your photo? Do you notice the donut hole while using the flashlight outside?

copperfox said:

Hey thanks! Those prices are veeery tempting... :naughty:

Amonra, in your underexposed beamshot, the donut hole seems very faint. Is it more visible in real life than in your photo? Do you notice the donut hole while using the flashlight outside?

Click to expand...

That photo is at about 1.5 meters away from the white wall so the donut hole is still small ( it is a little more visible in real life than in the photo for the XTAR SSC P7-C but it is about the same as in the photo for the XTAR SSC P7-C2 ) the farther you go from the wall the larger it gets.
I have only used it indoors so i cant tell how noticeable it will be outdoors but i guess you would be able to see it when pointing it a long distance objects.

qcgoods2006 said:

Dear CPF member houtex, Pls note that the flashlight should using 1x18650 battery not 2x123A, as 2x123A will burn the bulb.

Best regards
David

Click to expand...

Thanks.so far so good. I don't depend on this light,it's my WOW light toy. I don't expect to live long.
I have no way of measuring current.

An excellent review. Sadly, the donut holes in the beam is a deal-breaker for me. :(

How good would you rate this torch for Hunting ???

> Vision at 100 metres iw what we are looking at.

Monocrom said:

An excellent review. Sadly, the donut holes in the beam is a deal-breaker for me. :(

Click to expand...

That's a pity since my light from Lighthound arrived today and I can hardly see a donut at all.

In fact for the amazing output, I think this is a great deal.

Amonra, thanks very much for this excellent review. :thumbsup:

Out of interest, please could you tell me how you managed to unscrew the brass pill from the head of the C2?

pramodsid said:

How good would you rate this torch for Hunting ???

> Vision at 100 metres iw what we are looking at.

Click to expand...

The Xtar certainly throws plenty of light out to 100 meters, but I don't think it would be very good for hunting. The problem is that it throws out such a bright spill that I find distant things can get a little lost in the glare. And while it does put out a ton of light, the throw is only average.

I like to walk in the evenings and am spotting all sorts of deer, coyote and raccoons in my neighborhood. For this purpose I am finding that the "throwers" are allowing me to see the animals better. Some of the brighter throwers (such as my DBS) actually seem to make the animals freeze like a deer in the headlights.

Now if you wanted to see a large herd of animals in a nearby field, the Xtar will really light it up. :twothumbs

Sorry for the late reply.
It depends on what you need for hunting but you will be able to see a well lit wide area at 100 meters.

Thanks. The brass pill just unscrewed with my fingers on my samples.

Someone needs to buy a new camera.

im ot going to reply to that

Thanks for the review.
I don't think these emitters are going to go away,their the future.
It's just a matter of time before everyone offers them in their lineup.