I received the Olight X7 Kit version curtesy of Toby from OlightStore.com
Olight specs for the X7
Uses three top-class cool white CREE XHP 70 LED with a total of 12 light-emitting cores.
A maximum output of 9000 lumens which is great for strong illumination and minimum output of 3 lumens, which is suitable for long periods of using at night.
Powered by four 18650 rechargeable lithium batteries of high discharging rate , providing up to 3,000 lumens of output with three hours of run-time.
Comfortable hand gripping experience given by large square textures on the flashlight body.
Low-voltage indicator monitors the battery power level while the light is on, which will glow red when the battery power is running low.
Active Thermal Management: MCU detects the flashlight temperature through the internal thermal sensor in real time, and prevents overheating by reducing the output.
INCLUDED ACCESSORIES
Holster
User Manual
Car Sticker x 1
There are 2 versions available, the X7 Kit (the one I received) and the simple X7.
The single X7 comes with the light, while the kit versions has also 4 Olight Protected IMR 18650 3500mAh batteries and a charger.
Note that the normal version of the kit will contain a battery charger with 4 slots.
So, this is the standard box you get with the X7, with magnets to keep it closed.
Inside the box: X7, manual, holster.
There is a transparent plastic film on the glass of the X7, make sure to remove it before using the light, as suggested in the box.
The Olight distinctive blue PVD treatment on the bezels of the X7, on the body the usual HAIII anodization, black.
The 3 XHP70 in their OP reflectors.
There are some heatsinks on the head.
The knurling on the body of the light. Note that there’s no lanyard hole.
There is only an electronic switch, at the head. The run of the single stage switch is short, and I believe it requires medium to high force to be pressed.
The switch is located under a rather wide rubber cover, and is positioned in a recessed area of the light making easier to locate.
On the left side of the light there is a LED that works as battery charge indicator
Anodized squared threads, allow physical lockout of the light.
The outside of the tailcap is flat and allows tailstand of the light.
The tailcap has a design typical of the multi batteries flashlights, it can rotate around and has 2 ledges that you need to fit in the 2 holes inside the body.
The positive poles of the tailcap and the body are slightly recessed, as seen here. So you need button top battery (protruding wide tops are not ok) to make the X7 work.
In the dark you can see some cyan GITD powder, deposited on the outer surface of the reflector.
In my medium sized (Eu) hands.
What does the scale have to say about some not so small lights?
TM16GT
X7
Eagletac SX25L3
Manker MK34
And some comparative pics:
I always like holsters: they protect the lights and IMHO makes the more comfortable to carry, and so to use. In this regard, the sheath is well done: has a plastic D-ring and is MOLLE compatible
UI
A single click turns the light on – off.
To change level when the light is on keep pressed the switch, and the light will cycle low, medium, high mode, in loop.
From off a long click will activate moonlight mode.
To access Turbo, make a double click. To access TurboS, make a double click when you are in Turbo mode.
A triple click will activate strobe mode.
Has memory only for moonlight, low, med and hi modes. Turbo and TurboS will be “remembered” as high mode.
When the batteries are running low, the LED indicating the battery status will turn on.
Output & runtime
All the testing has been done with Olight 18650 3500mAh IMR Protected batteries. Olight recommends to use unprotected IMR batteries to get max performance with the X7.
Measured output is consistent with Olight Specs.
Sampling frequency is every 2” for Turbo modes, every 90” for high mode.
I tested the 3 higher levels both at Room Temperature with no cooling, and cooled by a fan.
Uncooled vs cooled plots show a big difference, due to Olight output regulating circuit. Remember that the 2 types of plot represent 2 opposite situations: one where the light sits inside a tube with no air circling (the worst one for cooling), and one where the light sits in a tube with a 10” fan, standing few cm away, pushing cool air on it (the best one for cooling).
In real use, you should always be in between these 2 extremes, and should expect proportional difference in the regulation.
The light becomes hot at turbo levels, no surprise here. I can still keep it in hand in the outdoor, and I will enjoy this more in the coming winter.
Beamshots.
From the camera, 100 meters at the trees at the end of the field, measured with google maps and a laser telemeter.
As usual, on my camera the pics at ISO50 are less bright than my eyes with 2” exposure, but are brighter with 4”. Try imagine something between them.
In this pics I have my right hand on the camera, and in my left hand the X7
The 3 big LEDs with 4 die each have a huge and intense spill, but there is somewhat still visible a hotspot. I don’t know about the other samples, but the tint on my X7 appears to be slightly on the neutral side, especially in the spot area.
I’m editing a video with some comparison with of the MK34 (XP-G3 cool white version). While filming this comparison I could clearly see a more demarcated spot in the X7, with slightly better throw, mainly due to the higher output of the X7. Also, the MK34 has a cooler tint compared to the one the MK34.
My thoughts.
There are people that complains that a light is big and heavy, and people that complains that a small light can’t sustain much output for a long time, before activating a stepdown.
The X7 is very well built, with a lot of output and a solid regulation.
The X7 is a big light, and thus is able to run more lumen for a longer period of time compared to smaller and lighter lights: for example: at (uncooled) Turbo it turns on at around 6000 lumens, and only after 10 minutes, when the output is decreased to around 5300, there is a significant stepdown .
I like the temperature controlled output a lot. It actually prevents the light being over heated when unnecessary (for example when you restart the turbo after the stepdown), but smartly decreases the output only when needed. I think it should be a nice feature to have on more lights, preferrable to the simpler temporized stepdown that is common to almost all lights.
This light is made for close range illumination purposes. The LED that indicates the low charge of the batteries works fine, but being on the left side is visible only when you are holding the light with your right hand.
Integrating the LED under the switch, and making it brighter may be small functional upgrades.
I’d like to see this light offered in a neutral/warm tint, with a tripod screw on the body and a lanyard hole.
Thanks to: AntoLed for the camera and the luxmeter.
Thanks for reading.
