I've recently added the new 4Sevens MMU X3R to my collection. The X3R is the USB chargeable, "clicky" version of the X3. I also own and use the X3, so thought I'd post this mini review and comparison.
Selfbuilt has nothing to worry about here... I don't have the equipment to measure exact tech specs and I'm not attaching any photos (you can find those anywhere). These are just my empirical observations to help you decide if this light might be for you or not.
1. Dimensions and Appearance
The X3R is virtually indistinguishable from it's predecessor in terms of fit, finish, weight and size. Both lights have the same well done anodizing and knurling, LED placement, reflector and general look. The X3R measures about 5mm longer though.
2. Accessories
The flashlight comes with a heavy duty black nylon holster with a snap closure (the same as the X3), 2 spare o-rings, instructions, a plug in wall charger and a USB to Micro USB cord. Concern was expressed by some about the holster flap engaging the tail switch when carrying. However, the flap on mine seems to leave enough clearance between it and the button and I have not had this problem. It could be an issue if you're putting the light in a backpack, etc, though.
3. Battery and Charging
The light comes with a proprietary 4000mah 26650 battery. A regular 26650 will not work. This might be a deal breaker for some of you, however the batteries aren't really much more expensive than any good quality "regular" 26650 and the convenience of not having to remove it for charging more than makes up for any small difference in cost.
Charging is done by unscrewing the sliding, o-ringed charging port cover near the head of the flashlight and sliding it back, exposing the micro-USB port. You then simply plug the light into the included charger or any USB port. A red LED indicates charging, green LED fully charged. That's pretty much all there's to it. I really like the screw down cover vs. the rubber plugs some other manufacturers use for the USB port.
4. The UI
This is the major difference and improvement between the X3R and its predecessors. Instead of just HI-LOW with momentary on and having to screw the tail cap down for full on, the light now has a momentary and "clicked on" switch. Also, there are now 5 user selectable configurations you can set. These are various combinations of low, medium, high and strobe and beacon. The flashlight also has mode memory. I won't go into detail on this, as again all this is readily available on the 4Sevens site or elsewhere. A down side of the configuration setting procedure is that the flashlight must be plugged in to charge in order to access it. It's straightforward and easy enough to do, but if you've set one configuration and want to change it "in the field" without access to a power source, you're out of luck.
All in all, I much prefer a tail switch as opposed to one on the body of the light. A partial press of the button gives you momentary on. Unlike the X3, this light will not switch modes on you if you activate the momentary on repeatedly. Not having to use both hands to lock the light on is a big plus as well. Switching modes is accomplished by a rapid full double click when the light is on. This works very well.
What doesn't seem to work quite as well and reliably is the momentary on function itself. I find the threshold between momentary and clicked on to be a rather narrow one. If you don't have a soft touch or are wearing gloves, you might find yourself turning the light to full on rather than the intended momentary on. Also, once in a while the momentary function didn't work at all until the "clicky" had engaged.
Also, because the "clicked on" is kind of "soft", when returning the flashlight to the holster it's possible to turn it on without knowing it if you happen to accidentally press the button in the process - and this actually happened to me once. If my sample is typical, then 4Sevens needs to work on this. That said, I still like this interface much more than the old one.
5. Output
The X3's low is around 200 lumens, the X3R's around 100. It has no moonlight mode, but the X3R's 100 lumens is more useable for close up work. I've configured my light for high-low modes only. As advertised, the light starts to step down after roughly a minute to a minute and a half on high. I don't really find myself having it on high much longer than that and don't see this as a problem. Cycling the light on and off resets it to full power again.
The X3 has a max output of 1600 lumens, the X3R claims 2000 lumens. This is where I was a bit under-whelmed. Granted, at this level a 25% increase isn't going to knock your socks off, but in my comparison of the two I was hard pressed to see any real difference at all. My X3 seems to have a slightly more concentrated hot spot, with the X3R a tad more floody. Tint and beam quality were overall the same. It's possible that my X3 is slightly over spec and the X3R slightly under, narrowing the gap to an imperceptible level. Either way, the X3R packs plenty of punch on high and suits my EDC needs for security work just fine.
Conclusion
If you're looking for a moderately priced, well built and compact flashlight with a lot of output, you'd be hard pressed to find a better one than this. Aside from the shortcomings I've listed, this is a excellent flashlight. I'm now using it as my EDC, and it's a keeper as far as I'm concerned. :thumbsup:
Selfbuilt has nothing to worry about here... I don't have the equipment to measure exact tech specs and I'm not attaching any photos (you can find those anywhere). These are just my empirical observations to help you decide if this light might be for you or not.
1. Dimensions and Appearance
The X3R is virtually indistinguishable from it's predecessor in terms of fit, finish, weight and size. Both lights have the same well done anodizing and knurling, LED placement, reflector and general look. The X3R measures about 5mm longer though.
2. Accessories
The flashlight comes with a heavy duty black nylon holster with a snap closure (the same as the X3), 2 spare o-rings, instructions, a plug in wall charger and a USB to Micro USB cord. Concern was expressed by some about the holster flap engaging the tail switch when carrying. However, the flap on mine seems to leave enough clearance between it and the button and I have not had this problem. It could be an issue if you're putting the light in a backpack, etc, though.
3. Battery and Charging
The light comes with a proprietary 4000mah 26650 battery. A regular 26650 will not work. This might be a deal breaker for some of you, however the batteries aren't really much more expensive than any good quality "regular" 26650 and the convenience of not having to remove it for charging more than makes up for any small difference in cost.
Charging is done by unscrewing the sliding, o-ringed charging port cover near the head of the flashlight and sliding it back, exposing the micro-USB port. You then simply plug the light into the included charger or any USB port. A red LED indicates charging, green LED fully charged. That's pretty much all there's to it. I really like the screw down cover vs. the rubber plugs some other manufacturers use for the USB port.
4. The UI
This is the major difference and improvement between the X3R and its predecessors. Instead of just HI-LOW with momentary on and having to screw the tail cap down for full on, the light now has a momentary and "clicked on" switch. Also, there are now 5 user selectable configurations you can set. These are various combinations of low, medium, high and strobe and beacon. The flashlight also has mode memory. I won't go into detail on this, as again all this is readily available on the 4Sevens site or elsewhere. A down side of the configuration setting procedure is that the flashlight must be plugged in to charge in order to access it. It's straightforward and easy enough to do, but if you've set one configuration and want to change it "in the field" without access to a power source, you're out of luck.
All in all, I much prefer a tail switch as opposed to one on the body of the light. A partial press of the button gives you momentary on. Unlike the X3, this light will not switch modes on you if you activate the momentary on repeatedly. Not having to use both hands to lock the light on is a big plus as well. Switching modes is accomplished by a rapid full double click when the light is on. This works very well.
What doesn't seem to work quite as well and reliably is the momentary on function itself. I find the threshold between momentary and clicked on to be a rather narrow one. If you don't have a soft touch or are wearing gloves, you might find yourself turning the light to full on rather than the intended momentary on. Also, once in a while the momentary function didn't work at all until the "clicky" had engaged.
Also, because the "clicked on" is kind of "soft", when returning the flashlight to the holster it's possible to turn it on without knowing it if you happen to accidentally press the button in the process - and this actually happened to me once. If my sample is typical, then 4Sevens needs to work on this. That said, I still like this interface much more than the old one.
5. Output
The X3's low is around 200 lumens, the X3R's around 100. It has no moonlight mode, but the X3R's 100 lumens is more useable for close up work. I've configured my light for high-low modes only. As advertised, the light starts to step down after roughly a minute to a minute and a half on high. I don't really find myself having it on high much longer than that and don't see this as a problem. Cycling the light on and off resets it to full power again.
The X3 has a max output of 1600 lumens, the X3R claims 2000 lumens. This is where I was a bit under-whelmed. Granted, at this level a 25% increase isn't going to knock your socks off, but in my comparison of the two I was hard pressed to see any real difference at all. My X3 seems to have a slightly more concentrated hot spot, with the X3R a tad more floody. Tint and beam quality were overall the same. It's possible that my X3 is slightly over spec and the X3R slightly under, narrowing the gap to an imperceptible level. Either way, the X3R packs plenty of punch on high and suits my EDC needs for security work just fine.
Conclusion
If you're looking for a moderately priced, well built and compact flashlight with a lot of output, you'd be hard pressed to find a better one than this. Aside from the shortcomings I've listed, this is a excellent flashlight. I'm now using it as my EDC, and it's a keeper as far as I'm concerned. :thumbsup:
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