# 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Real OTF Lumen's, Beamshots, Youtube Video)



## ti-force (Jul 9, 2010)

I recently received one of the much anticipated Maelstrom lights from 4sevens for review, and like the title reads, it’s the Maelstrom G5. At the time of this writing (07/10/2010) the Maelstrom G5 isn't available for purchase, but you can keep checking this page (click here) to purchase it when it's made available. This light has been talked about since day one, and now it’s time for an in depth review. The Maelstrom G5 is part of the new Maelstrom series of lights offered by 4sevens, and it’s also the first model in the series to be released. First I’ll give you a rundown on the specs and included accessories:



*Included Accessories: (Note that at this time, the accessories weren’t available for me to photograph, but maybe they will send me a production model )*

1.) Non-crenellated spare bezel

2.) Flat grip-ring spacer

3.)Holster

4.) Lanyard

5.) Spare o-rings

6.) Instruction manual

7.) Two CR123A batteries (as usual :thumbsup




*Specifications: (Note that these specs were taken by me. All weights were measured with a Pelouze PE5 scale, and physical dimensions were measured with my calipers)*

*1.) Assembled Weight (no battery):* 5.1 oz. For comparison, my Tiablo A9 weighs 5.5 oz. (no battery) and my Fenix TK11 weighs 4.4 oz. (no battery).

*2.) Head Diameter (at bezel):* 1.53” or 38.8mm

*3.) Body and Tailcap Diameter:* 1” or 25.4mm (perfect size for weapon mounting in a 1” ring).

*4.)Total Length (without button):* 5.87” or 149.2mm

*5.) Total Length (with button):* 6.09” or 154.57mm



*Battery Options:*

(1) 18650 or (2) CR123 batteries.
Operating Range: 2.7v ~ 12v



*Typical Output and Runtimes (taken from G5 manual, and as usual, they are OTF numbers):*

Moonlight Mode:___.2 lumens_____7.5 days
Low:_____________4 lumens______3 days
Medium:__________28 lumens_____22 hours
High:_____________200 lumens____3.1 hours
Max:_____________350 lumens____1.3 hours
Strobe:________________________2.7 hours
S.O.S._________________________8.5 hours
Beacon________________________30 days




*Operation: (taken from manual)*

The G5 features a unique 4-point switch engagement in the head of the flashlight that lets you select the different outputs smoothly and silently by simply loosening or tightening the head. Every quarter-turn (approximately 90 degrees) of the head selects a different output. As you loosen or tighten the head, you change modes.

The G5’s 8 total modes of output are split into two sets, Regular and Special. The modes are in the following order from loose to tight:

Regular: Moonlight, Low, Medium and High.
Special: Beacon, S.O.S., Strobe and Max.

As you can see, switching between modes in a set is very simple. You just loosen or tighten the head to get the desired mode.

Switching between sets is also very simple. Fully tighten the head of the flashlight so that you are in the Primary mode. Then, quickly loosen and tighten the head (switching between Secondary and Primary modes) 4 times to change to the alternative set of modes.



*Operators Manual: (click for full size image)
*







*Youtube Video of User Interface Operation:*

Here's a short video that I uploaded to Youtube showing how to switch mode sets and cycle through the modes. The picture quality isn't excellent, but it will work. It was recorded with my Droid phone. No commentary for two reasons. 1.) the operation is pretty much self explanatory. 2.) I don't want you guys picking on my southern drawl .

*Click here* for the link.






*Lux Readings:*

Okay, I just took 5 meter lux readings. My meter is an AEMC model CA813. It's the same meter MrGman used in his IS and it's the same meter BigC is currently using in his IS. The 1 meter lux readings have been calculated using the 5 meter lux readings. Oh yeah, I also measured some other lights as a reference, which should give a better idea:



_______________________5 meter______________1 meter

Maelstrom G5____________600 lux______________15,000 lux
Quark 123-2 Turbo________400 lux_______________10,000 lux
Fenix TK11 XR-E Q5 SMO___490 lux______________12,250 lux
Tiablo A9 XR-E Q5 SMO____830 lux_______________20,750 lux





*OTF Readings taken in my homemade IS:*
 Here are OTF lumens readings of this light. I have a homemade 16" integrating sphere like MrGman had, and like Bigchelis still has (only he's using a 24" sphere now). MrGman was kind enough to share his time and knowledge helping me get my sphere set up and accurate, so I'd like to thank him for that.

Probably the first thing some of you will notice is how my spreadsheets look like the spreadsheets that Bigchelis uses in his thread, well that's because they are the same except for a color change. I used to make all of BigC's spreadsheets, but he has since decided to try something more organized. Since I already had the blank spreadsheets, I decided to do a color change and go with it. I don't plan to test lots of lights like BigC does, so this should work out fine for me you and I both.

These numbers are as close as you can get with a homemade system like this, but keep in mind that these numbers are what you can expect to see, what I mean is, different variables can cause one light to be brighter than another one, so keep in mind that it's possible for you to purchase one that's not as bright as this one, or one that's brighter than this one. Anyway, enough talking. Here are the numbers:




*The first set of readings were taken on Max mode, using every possible battery source that I have on hand, but unfortunately, flat top cells won't work in this light, so I couldn't test with my AW 2600mAh 18650. I think the output would've been comparable anyway, the advantage would've been seen in a runtime test:
*














* I also tested an AW 1600mAh 17670 Li-ion in this light, and the OTF numbers are almost identical to the AW 2200 mAh 18650 Li-ion up until 3 minutes. I would expect the lumens to fall below what a 2200 mAh 18650 would be making at some point, and I also expect the 2200mAh AW to have almost 30 minutes longer runtime too. I took this reading mostly for CPF members TwitchALot and sparkss :thumbsup:, but I have to admit, I was a little curious too.*









*These readings were taken on High mode, using only an AW 2200mAh 18650 Li-ion, 2- AW RCR123 Li-ion's and 2- Surefire CR123 Primaries. The reason I didn't test the high mode with the AW IMR or the 4sevens 2600mAh test battery is because there's not enough difference in lumens between the three to completely run the test, and I feel like most people will be using an AW 2200mAh battery anyway. Also, the 4 sevens test battery is not available for purchase. One more thing, the reason I used Surefire CR123 Primaries is because I don't have any fresh 4sevens CR123 Primaries on hand. Maybe 4sevens will send me a production G5 when they're released so I can show the increase in OTF lumens. If they do, I'm sure it will include some 4sevens CR123's. I'll add that I've tested other lights in the past comparing the Surefire batteries to the 4sevens batteries, and there wasn't enough difference between the two to matter.*










*Medium Mode:*










*Low Mode:
*










*Now for the Moonlight Mode. Keep in mind that this is a prototype of the G5, but if Moonlight Mode on the production model has this brightness, that could very well explain the difference in runtimes compared to Moonlight Mode on the Quark series of lights:*










*Here are my OTF Moonlight readings for a Quark 123 Regular:
*








 *Now it’s time for some eye candy * 






























*
Tiablo A9 on the left, Maelstrom G5 in the middle and a Fenix TK11 on the right:*











*Quark 123-2 Turbo Body on the left, Maelstrom G5 on the right:*







*Double o-rings at the tailcap end:*







*This is the head end of the body:*






















*To remove the clip and grip ring you must first remove both o-rings:*








*Then remove the grip ring:*








*Then remove the clip:
*








*Looks familiar doesn't it?* 








*Grip ring:*











*Tailcap:*








*Notice the black rubber piece inside the tailcap? That means no rattle from using smaller diameter batteries  (CR123’s and RCR123’s). At least not until the head is loosened to access the second mode in the counter-clockwise direction (but hey, you can’t have everything you know).*








*Notice the anodizing on the body and the tailcap. That allows for lock-out:*








*The same switch removal tool for the Quarks works for the G5:*








*That switch looks familiar too* :




















*And the G5 uses the Quark Tactical boots, so the blue boot fits in there no problem* :thumbsup: :












*XP-G emitter with a deep smooth reflector for throw:*












*Oh yeah, did I mention the G5 comes with a removable crenelated bezel, as well as a non-crenelated bezel included (the crenelated bezel on the prototype model I have is made of aluminum, just in case any of you were wondering).*
















*Inside the head: (home to the reflector)*








*Under the hood:*
















* The pins you see here are actually different lengths, so when the head is rotated, the flat metal part of the body makes and unmakes contact with these pins. This is how mode changes are made. Genius. This is 4sevens unique 4-point switch engagement system. *












*I'm going to try and take beamshots tonight, but I probably won't have them posted up until tomorrow. Here is my beamshot taking rig . I've also mounted the light in the same way it would be mounted on a weapon starting the third picture down. The ring is a Leupold 1" ring, Weaver mount. The pics aren't perfect because I snapped them quickly:*





































* As promised, beamshots are here :thumbsup::
*
 The Fenix TK11 was the first shot I took, and as you can see, it’s more out of focus than some of the other images. It’s really hard for me to know what kind of image I’ve captured until I upload the images onto my computer, but I did notice the TK11 was out of focus before uploading, unfortunately by the time I noticed, I had already switched lights. I was pressed for time (i.e., rushed) so I didn’t have time to go back and take another image. You will also notice that the camera got bumped during the shoot. I tried to line the camera back up as best as possible, but it’s not perfect.

As a note, these images are over exposed. The lights didn’t actually appear as bright as they do in these images, but the beam visibility through the air is more pronounced due to sprinkling rain off and on. I had to cover my camera with an umbrella . My main excuse is that I simply need more time behind the camera taking outdoor beamshots at these distances (and in general). At any rate, this should give you an idea; I used common lights as a reference hoping that the majority of people who are reading this have either had, or have one of these lights for comparison. All camera settings are the same. Distance from each light to the edge of the woods is roughly 70 yards (64 meters) total according to Google Earth. The Pine tree in the very back with low lying limbs is roughly 100 yards (91.44 meters) total from each light.



*Maelstrom G5 vs TK11*








*Maelstrom G5 vs Eagletac P20C2*








*Maelstrom G5 vs Quark 123-2 Tactical
*








*Maelstrom G5 vs Quark 123-2 Turbo
*








*Maelstrom G5 vs Raidfire Spear *Orange Peel Reflector*
*








*Maelstrom G5 vs Tiablo A9
*


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## Thujone (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

Thanks for getting the shots up so fast!


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## ti-force (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



Thujone said:


> Thanks for getting the shots up so fast!



I know you guys have been waiting long enough, so I didn't think it would hurt anything to give you some eye candy. More pics coming.


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## gnef (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

looks good. I look forward to the written portion as well.


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## soli (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

Great pics, looking forward to the rest of the review on what is no doubt a highly anticipated light.


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## Ronin28 (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

A thing of beauty! Thanks for posting the pics up! Looking forward to your written review!


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## tre (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

Thanks. Can't wait for more of the review.:thumbsup:


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## netprince (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

If they have a neutral version, this will be hard to resist...


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## paulr (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

Wow, it's like someone read my mind. The first thing I thought when I saw the picture was "awesome light but I hate those stupid bezel crenellations" and started thinking about ways to machine them off. Then reading further down, found that the light already comes with a non-crenellated bezel. Yay! Finally someone is waking up about this :thumbsup:. What about the grip ring, is there a non-crenellated version of that too? And is the UI afflicted with blinky blink and SOS modes? It would be great if they got rid of that too.


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## AardvarkSagus (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

Nice pictures there for certain! I can't wait to see your further impressions.


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## ti-force (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



paulr said:


> Wow, it's like someone read my mind. The first thing I thought when I saw the picture was "awesome light but I hate those stupid bezel crenellations" and started thinking about ways to machine them off. Then reading further down, found that the light already comes with a non-crenellated bezel. Yay! Finally someone is waking up about this :thumbsup:. What about the grip ring, is there a non-crenellated version of that too? And is the UI afflicted with blinky blink and SOS modes? It would be great if they got rid of that too.



Thanks for the complements on the pics guys, and I swear I'm not holding out on the writing intentionally LOL... I'm working on it.

The G5 does come with a non-crenelated "Flat grip ring spacer". Unfortunately I don't have the accessories to take pictures of them, but it is confirmed that they are included with the light.


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## TwitchALot (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



ti-force said:


> Thanks for the complements on the pics guys, and I swear I'm not holding out on the writing intentionally LOL... I'm working on it.



Could you perhaps release specs and then continue writing? :huh:


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## ti-force (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



TwitchALot said:


> Could you perhaps release specs and then continue writing? :huh:



I just finished those up. It dawned on me about 15 or 20 minutes ago. See the top of the first post :thumbsup:


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## konig (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

Moonlight has a runtime of only 7.5 days? The regular 123-2 quark has 30 days of runtime on moonlight.


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## ti-force (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



konig said:


> Moonlight has a runtime of only 7.5 days? The regular 123-2 quark has 30 days of runtime on moonlight.


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## carrot (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

.....


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## recDNA (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

Is this expected to have more throw than the Quark Turbo? 350 lumens OTF? Wow. My interest is peaked.


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## ti-force (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



recDNA said:


> Is this expected to have more throw than the Quark Turbo?



WAY more.....


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## recDNA (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

Oh goodness. My wallet.


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## ti-force (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



recDNA said:


> Oh goodness. My wallet.



LOL.. That's what I said


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## powernoodle (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

Cuando es el releaso?


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## ti-force (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



powernoodle said:


> Cuando es el releaso?



Check here for another great review. Clicky


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## River Runner (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

When will we see beamshots? With all the Malkoff and Nailbender drop-ins, 350 OTF isn't any really big deal these days. But...hopefully the reflector design will provide a "better" beam -- which, of course, is subjective. And, the UI looks nice.

Great pics, BTW.

RR


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## MrGman (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

have you measured the OTF lumens of this beauty yourself yet? Are they waiting to go into the written report? Great right up by the way. It is a beautious light. Need beamshots of course but I don't want to rush you, I know these things take time.


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## powernoodle (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



ti-force said:


> Check here for another great review.



I saw that, and agree its a good one. But wheno es el releaso date, por favor?


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## recDNA (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



powernoodle said:


> I saw that, and agree its a good one. But wheno es el releaso date, por favor?


 
How much $$$ interests me more than when!


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## jabe1 (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

Beamshots bitte!


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## ti-force (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



MrGman said:


> have you measured the OTF lumens of this beauty yourself yet? Are they waiting to go into the written report? Great right up by the way. It is a beautious light. Need beamshots of course but I don't want to rush you, I know these things take time.



I haven't measured OTF lumens yet, but my plans are to do that tonight. I wanted to have this review done before now, but I just didn't have enough time. I think everyone else received their lights quite a bit before I got mine (kind-of last minute). Beamshots are coming. I hope to take them this weekend also. Man I've got my hands full right now LOL..... I don't know when they will actually release the light for sale, and there was no mention of price. I'm guessing it will be very soon.


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## sfca (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

Beautiful. :huh:

I got a couple questions:
What's the tailcap draw on max? And how do you feel about the UI with max output on a different set than the lower modes. 
Wish could eliminate one of the flashing modes...

And the tailcap - is it a different feel than the Quark line. I do like the tailcap/boot a bit wider... kinda like _that _American brand.


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## ti-force (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



sfca said:


> Beautiful. :huh:
> 
> I got a couple questions:
> What's the tailcap draw on max? And how do you feel about the UI with max output on a different set than the lower modes.
> Wish could eliminate one of the flashing modes...



The light I received for review is a prototype and I was told that the production model has 50 OTF more than my model, so they either moved up to an S2 or S3 bin XP-G or they're using the R5 bin and driving the emitter harder. I took taicap measurements earlier today and here are the results: (all readings were taken in Max mode)

AW 2200 mAh 18650_________ 1.35A
AW 1600 mAh 18650 IMR______ 1.37A
2600 mAh 18650_____________1.36A (brand is unknown; battery supplied by 4sevens)
2- 4sevens CR123 Primaries____1.14A

As far as Max mode being in the same set as Strobe, S.O.S. and Beacon, here's the way I see it. They had to have one of the Regular modes in with the Special modes. If they could've avoided it, I believe they would have. It's really hard to offer a UI that works for everyone. Maybe their thinking is that if you're using this light on a weapon in Max mode, you have quick access to Strobe to disorient an enemy, but I really don't know.

It's really easy to change mode sets though. If you've programmed a Quark Tactical before, then that's the same process you use with this light to switch between mode sets, but it's much easier because this light is bigger and the head turns much more smoothly. You loosen and tighten the head 4 times to swap back and forth from either set of modes. If I was in Max mode and I wanted to access the next set of modes, I would grab the head and turn the head loose, tight, loose, tight, loose, tight, loose and then on the next tight, I would be in the next set of modes. It takes me roughly 2 to 3 seconds, and when you enter the next mode set, all you have to do is turn the head in the direction for what mode you want. You don't have to tap the tailswitch or anything like that, loosen the head to access lower modes or strobes and tighten the head to go back. Every 90 degrees of 1 turn in either direction puts you in another mode.


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## sfca (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

Using the Cree data sheet if it's consistently 50 OTF more then it'd be like driven harder with an S2 bin or driven the same with the S3 bin (anyone more versed in this can confirm or deny




)

I totally get the UI, it's very easy to understand. I've programed a QT before too. 

For _this _case maybe it would be better to have a tap-tailswitch to switch sets (not modes!). *Like tap 5 times and hold the 6th.
*The light in the current UI already has to be on - so no difference here. But switching sets would be quicker and also hard to accidentally activate.


_I must add I'd be using this @ work. Max is what I would use most, and simple is best. I can't comment on how professional users would like it.
Time will tell whether we see a lessening of the available modes, or a tweaked UI._



ti-force said:


> The light I received for review is a prototype and I was told that the production model has 50 OTF more than my model, so they either moved up to an S2 or S3 bin XP-G or they're using the R5 bin and driving the emitter harder. I took taicap measurements earlier today and here are the results: (all readings were taken in Max mode)
> 
> AW 2200 mAh 18650_________ 1.35A
> AW 1600 mAh 18650 IMR______ 1.37A
> ...


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## forklift (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

Oh boy... just when I decided to buy a Quark, THIS teases me... now I'll have to wait even _longer _before the purchase!


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## ti-force (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



sfca said:


> Using the Cree data sheet if it's consistently 50 OTF more then it'd be like driven harder with an S2 bin or driven the same with the S3 bin (anyone more versed in this can confirm or deny
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I think it will be 350 OTF total for the production models, but the prototype that I have will be 50 OTF lower. I think that's what he meant. I'll know tonight when I measure OTF lumens of this light.


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## ti-force (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



forklift said:


> Oh boy... just when I decided to buy a Quark, THIS teases me... now I'll have to wait even _longer _before the purchase!


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## TwitchALot (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



ti-force said:


> I just finished those up. It dawned on me about 15 or 20 minutes ago. See the top of the first post :thumbsup:



Thanks! By the way, is there an o-ring on the front in front of or behind the lens? Didn't see it in your pictures, but isn't it important for cushioning the lens and providing water resistance from that end. :shrug:


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## was.lost.but.now.found (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

I feel so dumb because I've read two full reviews with follow up comments on the UI and I'm now just starting to get it. So say I'm switching from Max/special mode group to moon-high mode group and my loose/tight sequence ends on tight, I'm always going to enter the moon-high group on high power, correct? And then I would loosen 270 degrees to get to moon mode? Is there a clicking or tactile response when you change modes?

How responsive are the switches between modes/levels? That is, do you notice any kind of delay or is it pretty quick?


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## sfca (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



was.lost.but.now.found said:


> I feel so dumb because I've read two full reviews with follow up comments on the UI and I'm now just starting to get it. So say I'm switching from Max/special mode group to moon-high mode group and my loose/tight sequence ends on tight, I'm always going to enter the moon-high group on high power, correct? And then I would loosen 270 degrees to get to moon mode? Is there a clicking or tactile response when you change modes?
> 
> How responsive are the switches between modes/levels? That is, do you notice any kind of delay or is it pretty quick?



From the manual I'd say yes. From Ti-force's comments you tighten it fully to primary - then do the loosen/tighten sequence.

I recall on the Quark series if you ended on the loosen mode that would be what you'd program.

From Ti-force's comments and the posted manual I surmise you begin and end the loosen/tighten sequence on primary (tightened). So yeah always high - however it there's no delay then you _could _easily switch to the lower modes.


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## ti-force (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



was.lost.but.now.found said:


> I feel so dumb because I've read two full reviews with follow up comments on the UI and I'm now just starting to get it. So say I'm switching from Max/special mode group to moon-high mode group and my loose/tight sequence ends on tight, I'm always going to enter the moon-high group on high power, correct? And then I would loosen 270 degrees to get to moon mode? Is there a clicking or tactile response when you change modes?
> 
> How responsive are the switches between modes/levels? That is, do you notice any kind of delay or is it pretty quick?





sfca said:


> From the manual I'd say yes. From Ti-force's comments you tighten it fully to primary - then do the loosen/tighten sequence.
> 
> I recall on the Quark series if you ended on the loosen mode that would be what you'd program.
> 
> From Ti-force's comments and the posted manual I surmise you begin and end the loosen/tighten sequence on primary (tightened). So yeah always high - however it there's no delay then you _could _easily switch to the lower modes.




It's much easier if you have the light in your hand so you can actually put the process into motion. It's much easier than it sounds. You guys have pretty much got it, but the head doesn't have to be completely tightened to change mode sets. For example: If your in the Special mode set (Max, Strobe, SOS etc...), you can start on Strobe (loosened 90 degrees) and go: Max (tighten), Strobe (loosen), Max (tighten), Strobe (loosen), Max (tighten), Strobe (loosen) and then when you tighten the last time you will be in High on the Regular Mode Set (7 back and forth turns in total). 

No clicking or anything when turning the head. It's a smooth as a babies bottom. It's unreal how smooth it turns actually. Using my left hand, I can use my thumb and pinky finger to turn the bezel loose or tight, and there's no noise whatsoever.

When switching modes, it's almost like the modes just roll into each other, if that makes sense. No pause or delay, as soon as the head is turned far enough to enter the next mode, you only notice the next mode.


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## Burgess (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

to ti-force --


Great work (and photos) here ! ! !


:goodjob::kewlpics::thanks:


PS: this flashlight sounds GREAT ! ! !


_


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## ti-force (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



Burgess said:


> to ti-force --
> 
> 
> Great work (and photos) here ! ! !
> ...



Thanks for the complements, I appreciate that. I just took some lux readings, so stay tuned.


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## ti-force (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*

Okay, I just took 5 meter lux readings. My meter is an AEMC model CA813. It's the same meter MrGman used in his IS and it's the same meter BigC is currently using in his IS. The 1 meter lux readings have been calculated using the 5 meter lux readings. I'll update the first post with this information when I make spreadsheets of OTF lumens readings of this light. Oh yeah, I also measured some other lights as a reference, which should give a better idea:


_______________________5 meter______________1 meter

Maelstrom G5____________600 lux______________15,000 lux
Quark 123-2 Turbo________400 lux_______________10,000 lux
Fenix TK11 XR-E Q5 SMO___490 lux______________12,250 lux
Tiablo A9 XR-E Q5 SMO____830 lux_______________20,750 lux


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## Beacon of Light (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



konig said:


> Moonlight has a runtime of only 7.5 days? The regular 123-2 quark has 30 days of runtime on moonlight.



I was wondering the same thing. Bummer.


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## ti-force (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



Beacon of Light said:


> I was wondering the same thing. Bummer.



If all goes as planned, I'll be taking OTF readings of the G5 tonight. I'll also test the output of different modes. I.E., Moonlight, etc... I don't plan to do a 7 day runtime test or anything , but this will tell us the lumen output anyway.


----------



## carl (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with Lux Readings)*

Great pics and review!

Since the LED is in a removable module, was it their intent to make it upgradable?


----------



## ti-force (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with Lux Readings)*



carl said:


> Great pics and review!
> 
> Since the LED is in a removable module, was it their intent to make it upgradable?



Thanks for the complement.

The light I have is actually a prototype, and I'm expecting them to use some type of thread locker to lock the two head halves together on the production models. To answer your question though, they could always upgrade, but I believe it's designed this way so the emitter can be installed and the wires soldered.


----------



## CaNo (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with Lux Readings)*

Beamshots please...


----------



## carl (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with Lux Readings)*



ti-force said:


> Thanks for the complement.
> 
> The light I have is actually a prototype, and I'm expecting them to use some type of thread locker to lock the two head halves together on the production models. To answer your question though, they could always upgrade, but I believe it's designed this way so the emitter can be installed and the wires soldered.



Thanks for your answer and also for all your work on this thread.


----------



## jhc37013 (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with Lux Readings)*

Great job thank you, I do have one question does the hotspot have type of donut or dimmer area in the middle?


----------



## ti-force (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with Lux Readings)*



jhc37013 said:


> Great job thank you, I do have one question does the hotspot have type of donut or dimmer area in the middle?



No doughnut at all. The beam is actually quite nice, but it does have a very small amount of rings on the outside of the beam. I was told that the reflector was one of the reasons why the release of this light has taken so long. They just weren't happy with it, so they made it right before releasing the light. The production model may have a slight change to reduce the rings, but I can't confirm that, and if not, the rings are not that noticeable anyway. I would describe the hotspot as being really bright when shined on a wall, with only a very slight dimness to it, sort of like the Quark Turbo has, but much less noticeable. I think it's less noticeable because the hotspot is so much tighter and brighter than the Turbo.


----------



## ti-force (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with Lux Readings)*



carl said:


> Thanks for your answer and also for all your work on this thread.



You're quite welcome.


----------



## recDNA (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with Lux Readings)*

15,000 lux at 1 m is the greatest throw I've heard of from an XP-G R5. It's very competitive with XR-E R2 throwers like the old Eagletac T20C2. I'm shocked it's that good without a 3 or 4 inch bezel.

I hope they don't diminish the throw in an effort to remove the rings. I'll happily suffer the rings if it maintains 15,000 lux. If they go to an LOP reflector like most manufacturers that throw may drop precipitously. I'd ask you the color of the beam but since yours is not a production model it could vary.

I'll anxiously await these measurements on the production model Maelstrom. If they turn out even better, as you suggest they might, 4 Sevens won't be able to build them fast enough. I'm just really hung up on throw because none of my XP-G R5's throw well at all. I really didn't think it was possible to build an XP-G that throws that well. Of course my only experience is with R5. If they are using S2 or S3 I know nothing about those bins.

When looking up info on the G5 I stumbled onto a picture of the S12 and S18. I wonder what they're all about?


----------



## ti-force (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with Lux Readings)*



recDNA said:


> 15,000 lux at 1 m is the greatest throw I've heard of from an XP-G R5. It's very competitive with XR-E R2 throwers like the old Eagletac T20C2. I'm shocked it's that good without a 3 or 4 inch bezel.



Yeah I was quite surprised when I took this light outside at dark and shined some tree tops behind my house. I was very impressed by the amount of light it was throwing on the tree tops. According to Google Earth, the distance from where I was standing to where the tree tops are is roughly 150 yards .


----------



## henry1960 (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with Lux Readings)*



ti-force said:


> Yeah I was quite surprised when I took this light outside at dark and shined some tree tops behind my house. I was very impressed by the amount of light it was throwing on the tree tops. According to Google Earth, the distance from where I was standing to where the tree tops are, is roughly 150 yards .




Wow...Thats about the distance of the JetBeam M2S :tinfoil:


----------



## ToNIX (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with Lux Readings)*

Thanks for the review, excellent work and interesting light


----------



## ti-force (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with Lux Readings)*

Thanks for the complements guys 

Stay tuned; I'm taking OTF lumens measurements right now, and I should be able to post them up in a bit. I'm taking readings of all modes except Strobe, SOS and Beacon. Stay tuned.


----------



## rocled (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with Lux Readings)*

Thanks for this great review!


----------



## dr. quad (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with Lux Readings)*

GREAT review! how are those otf numbers coming?


----------



## ti-force (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with Lux Readings)*

Again, thank you very much for the kind words guys :twothumbs

I just finished up with my OTF readings. I'll post my results here in case anyone has a slower internet connection and has a hard time loading the first page because of all the pictures . This will also be posted in the first post of this thread as an update for anyone who hasn't seen the first page yet. Here goes, and remember this light is down roughly 50 OTF lumens on Max Mode from what the production model is supposed to be:



*OTF Readings taken in my homemade IS:*
 Here are OTF lumens readings of this light. I have a homemade 16" integrating sphere like MrGman had, and like Bigchelis still has (only he's using a 24" sphere now). MrGman was kind enough to share his time and knowledge helping me get my sphere set up and accurate, so I'd like to thank him for that.

Probably the first thing some of you will notice is how my spreadsheets look like the spreadsheets that Bigchelis uses in his thread, well that's because they are the same except for a color change. I used to make all of BigC's spreadsheets, but he has since decided to try something more organized. Since I already had the blank spreadsheets, I decided to do a color change and go with it. I don't plan to test lots of lights like BigC does, so this should work out fine for me and you both.

These numbers are as close as you can get with a homemade system like this, but keep in mind that these numbers are what you can expect to see, what I mean is, different variables can cause one light to be brighter than another one, so keep in mind that it's possible for you to purchase one that's not as bright as this one, or one that's brighter than this one. Anyway, enough talking. Here are the numbers:


*The first set of readings were taken on Max mode, using every possible battery source that I have on hand, but unfortunately, flat top cells won't work in this light, so I couldn't test with my AW 2600mAh 18650. I think the output would've been comparable anyway, the advantage would've been seen in a runtime test:
*













*The second set of readings were taken on High mode, using only an AW 2200mAh 18650 Li-ion, 2- AW RCR123 Li-ion's and 2- Surefire CR123 Primaries. The reason I didn't test the high mode with the AW IMR or the 4sevens 2600mAh test battery is because there's not enough difference in lumens between the three to completely run the test, and I feel like most people will be using an AW 2200mAh battery anyway. Also, the 4 sevens test battery is not available for purchase. One more thing, the reason I used Surefire CR123 Primaries is because I don't have any fresh 4sevens CR123 Primaries on hand. Maybe 4sevens will send me a production G5 when they're released so I can show the increase in OTF lumens. If they do, I'm sure it will include some 4sevens CR123's. I'll add that I've tested other lights in the past comparing the Surefire batteries to the 4sevens batteries, and there wasn't enough difference between the two to matter.*








*Medium Mode:*








*Low Mode:
*









*Now for the Moonlight Mode. Keep in mind that this is a prototype of the G5, but if Moonlight Mode on the production model has this brightness, that could very well explain the difference in runtimes compared to Moonlight Mode on the Quark series of lights:*


----------



## MrGman (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*

Very good work and very interesting results. The G5 doesn't appear to have rock solid regulation so going with the higher voltage of 2 primary batteries over the Lithium Ions gives it a little more peak output. That's not a bad thing. This is a real over 300 lumen light and it is very good looking. Will be interesting to see the production model versus this since they claim it will be brighter and how much brighter it really will be. I am sure they will want you to test their entire new Maelstrom line, yeah they should be sending you a supply of non rechargeable batteries to do the tests with for any lights that use them. 

Keep up the great work. G. :thumbsup:


----------



## ti-force (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*



MrGman said:


> Very good work and very interesting results. The G5 doesn't appear to have rock solid regulation so going with the higher voltage of 2 primary batteries over the Lithium Ions gives it a little more peak output. That's not a bad thing. This is a real over 300 lumen light and it is very good looking. Will be interesting to see the production model versus this since they claim it will be brighter and how much brighter it really will be. I am sure they will want you to test their entire new Maelstrom line, yeah they should be sending you a supply of non rechargeable batteries to do the tests with for any lights that use them.
> 
> Keep up the great work. G. :thumbsup:




Thanks for the kind words G. And again, thank you very much for all of your help; without you none of this would be possible :thumbsup:


----------



## jhc37013 (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*

Those numbers look very similar to the T20C2 MKII, thanks for all your work ti-force I'm sure it's a lot of work.

Is it true the max mode is in the special modes with the strobe and other blinkys. So to access it i would have to turn the head four times?


----------



## ti-force (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*



jhc37013 said:


> Those numbers look very similar to the T20C2 MKII, thanks for all your work ti-force I'm sure it's a lot of work.
> 
> Is it true the max mode is in the special modes with the strobe and other blinkys. So to access it i would have to turn the head four times?



All the hard work is worth it when everyone gets to enjoy this information :thumbsup: Also, I hope 4sevens will send me one of their production models to test so we can see how much they increased OTF lumens. I'm betting it will be 360 + OTF, but it's hard to say without testing it.

About the Max Mode. Yes, it is in the special mode set with strobe, sos, and beacon, and yes you have to turn the head four times to access the Regular set of modes if you're in the Special Mode set, but it only takes me about 2 seconds to complete a mode set change.


----------



## recDNA (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*



jhc37013 said:


> Those numbers look very similar to the T20C2 MKII, thanks for all your work ti-force I'm sure it's a lot of work.
> 
> Is it true the max mode is in the special modes with the strobe and other blinkys. So to access it i would have to turn the head four times?


 
The T20C2 R2 throws a little further but the Xp-G model throws less than 15000 lux at 1 m despite very good OTF lumens numbers.

"I'm betting it will be 360 + OTF..." Why? Do any other production flashlights get those kind of numbers from an R5?

*IF* the production model G5 really produces 350 lumens OTF it stands to reason the lux will be even greater. That would be phenomenal.


----------



## Ronin28 (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*

Ti-Force: Thanks so very much for doing this review and continuing to take Lux readings and Lumen readings! I'm pretty sure I can say that we all appreciate it!!!

On a further note, with regards to changing through the modes, I fully understand what you are saying, but for those who are still unsure...you could always take a video of it, post it on a YouTube channel, and then the confusion would be gone...that is of course if you have a camera that can capture video and a YouTube channel and have time to do it! Just a thought for you sir!


----------



## ti-force (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



TwitchALot said:


> Thanks! By the way, is there an o-ring on the front in front of or behind the lens? Didn't see it in your pictures, but isn't it important for cushioning the lens and providing water resistance from that end. :shrug:



I've been so busy trying to answer questions and working on this review that I somehow missed your question. Yes, there is an o-ring behind the lens. I didn't take a picture of it, but it is there and it does serve the purpose you mentioned.


----------



## TwitchALot (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



ti-force said:


> I've been so busy trying to answer questions and working on this review that I somehow missed your question. Yes, there is an o-ring behind the lens. I didn't take a picture of it, but it is there and it does serve the purpose you mentioned.



Thanks for the reply and for the hard work!


----------



## sfca (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with Lux Readings)*



recDNA said:


> 15,000 lux at 1 m is the greatest throw I've heard of from an XP-G R5. It's very competitive with XR-E R2 throwers like the old Eagletac T20C2. I'm shocked it's that good without a 3 or 4 inch bezel.
> 
> I hope they don't diminish the throw in an effort to remove the rings. I'll happily suffer the rings if it maintains 15,000 lux. If they go to an LOP reflector like most manufacturers that throw may drop precipitously. I'd ask you the color of the beam but since yours is not a production model it could vary.



I recall an Eagletac dealer (Illumination gear?) posting T20C2 Mark II lux readings with LOP, OP and SM reflectors. Something about the XP-G LED idiosyncrasies, yadda yadda yadda, lux lower with smooth and highest with LOP. 

Interpreted that as saying with LOP throw would not decrease/ or much.


----------



## ti-force (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*



recDNA said:


> "I'm betting it will be 360 + OTF..." Why? Do any other production flashlights get those kind of numbers from an R5?



No, but I have. Granted it's a custom Quark 123-2, and I'm driving it at 1.7A, but, well, here read this post:



ti-force said:


> For what it's worth, I have a Quark 123-2 XP-G R5 that I modded to deliver roughly 1.7A to the emitter and it makes 387.9 OTF at turn-on. Of course the lumens drop quickly due to a lack of mass in those lights, which doesn't provide proper heatsinking for this emitter being overdriven, but this light was never designed for that. The 123-2 was designed to house an XP-E or XP-G being driven to a max of roughly 900mA. I'm pushing almost twice that.
> 
> But what if my emitter is on the low side of the R5 flux bin? There could be a possible increase of roughly 6%, which would bump the output up to roughly 411 OTF. And again, what if they use the S2 flux bin? That could be an increase of another 5% (roughly). Of course this is all purely speculation, and we won't know anything until the light is released.


----------



## ti-force (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*



Ronin28 said:


> Ti-Force: Thanks so very much for doing this review and continuing to take Lux readings and Lumen readings! I'm pretty sure I can say that we all appreciate it!!!
> 
> On a further note, with regards to changing through the modes, I fully understand what you are saying, but for those who are still unsure...you could always take a video of it, post it on a YouTube channel, and then the confusion would be gone...that is of course if you have a camera that can capture video and a YouTube channel and have time to do it! Just a thought for you sir!



I was actually just thinking the same thing about the time you posted this, but my Sony DSLR won't capture video, and my Canon S2IS isn't working at the moment so all I'm left with is my Motorola Droid. This is a good idea, so I'll try to make time to do this, but I can't guarantee how the picture quality will turn out LOL....


----------



## sfca (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*



recDNA said:


> The T20C2 R2 throws a little further but the Xp-G model throws less than 15000 lux at 1 m despite very good OTF lumens numbers.
> 
> "I'm betting it will be 360 + OTF..." Why? Do any other production flashlights get those kind of numbers from an R5?
> 
> *IF* the production model G5 really produces 350 lumens OTF it stands to reason the lux will be even greater. That would be phenomenal.



Oh - I did recall it was supposed to be driven @ 1.5A so with the R5 bin that would be ~350 OTF. Like Ti-force says runtime would be less though. 

However if they continued to drive it at this level with a higher bin still then 350 OTF possible with the same runtimes! In this case lux I dunno.


_BTW I know you guys are in other parts of the world but sometimes you swear everyone's in the same situation. MAN, is it hot today!_


----------



## ti-force (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*



sfca said:


> _BTW I know you guys are in other parts of the world but sometimes you swear everyone's in the same situation. MAN, is it hot today!_



Indeed it is.


----------



## ti-force (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*

I'm going to try and take beamshots tonight, but I probably won't have them posted up until tomorrow. Here is my beamshot taking rig . I've also mounted the light in the same way it would be mounted on a weapon starting the third picture down. The ring is a Leupold 1" ring. The pics aren't perfect because I snapped them quickly:


----------



## sfca (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*



ti-force said:


> Indeed it is.








I knew it!


_Beautiful _pics!!!!!


----------



## jabe1 (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*

I like the blue button. :thumbsup:


----------



## Chevy-SS (Jul 10, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*

Thanks for the info and the nice review! 



-


----------



## Burgess (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*

What ? ? ?


This flashlight WON'T accept the AW 18650-2600 *Flat-Top* battery ? ? ?


Say it isn't so ! 


___
_


----------



## ti-force (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*



Burgess said:


> What ? ? ?
> 
> 
> This flashlight WON'T accept the AW 18650-2600 *Flat-Top* battery ? ? ?
> ...





No, unfortunately they won't. Here's a response from 4sevens:





4sevens said:


> Hey everyone -
> 
> I've been following this thread and I'll just chime in on a few points...
> 
> ...


----------



## henry1960 (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*



ti-force said:


> No, unfortunately they won't. Here's a response from 4sevens:




Great Work Ti-Force....Looks To Be A Light For Many In The Near Future!!! :twothumbs


----------



## jcw122 (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*

7 Days for Moonlight mode? Is this a joke or a typo? My Quark on 2xAA's will last THIRTY DAYS. I understand the purpose of this light...but still, what gives for the crap runtime at lower levels?


----------



## henry1960 (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*



jcw122 said:


> 7 Days for Moonlight mode? Is this a joke or a typo? My Quark on 2xAA's will last THIRTY DAYS. I understand the purpose of this light...but still, what gives for the crap runtime at lower levels?





Answer..... moonlight mode efficiency - why is it less than the Quarks? The circuit is fundamentally different. The maelstrom circuit is designed to push almost twice as much current thus the circuit is more complicated and setup to push more current. The moonlight mode is a compromise - achieving moonlight mode with this circuit was quite a challenge as it is. Short of making a second circuit to run in parallel - it's not possible to get the same runtime.


----------



## ti-force (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*

* As promised, beamshots are here :thumbsup:: I posted these on the first page of this thread, but I thought I'd post here too for anyone who has a slower internet connection.
*
 The Fenix TK11 was the first shot I took, and as you can see, it’s more out of focus than some of the other images. It’s really hard for me to know what kind of image I’ve captured until I upload the images onto my computer, but I did notice the TK11 was out of focus before uploading, unfortunately by the time I noticed, I had already switched lights. I was pressed for time (i.e., rushed) so I didn’t have time to go back and take another image. You will also notice that the camera got bumped during the shoot. I tried to line the camera back up as best as possible, but it’s not perfect.

As a note, these images are over exposed. The lights didn’t actually appear as bright as they do in these images, but the beam visibility through the air is more pronounced due to sprinkling rain off and on. I had to cover my camera with an umbrella . My main excuse is that I simply need more time behind the camera taking outdoor beamshots at these distances (and in general). At any rate, this should give you an idea; I used common lights as a reference hoping that the majority of people who are reading this have either had, or have one of these lights for comparison. All camera settings are the same. Distance from each light to the edge of the woods is roughly 70 yards (64 meters) total according to Google Earth. The Pine tree in the very back with low lying limbs is roughly 100 yards (91.44 meters).



*Maelstrom G5 vs TK11*









*Maelstrom G5 vs Eagletac P20C2*








*Maelstrom G5 vs Quark 123-2 Tactical
*








*Maelstrom G5 vs Quark 123-2 Turbo
*








*Maelstrom G5 vs Raidfire Spear *Orange Peel Reflector*
*








*Maelstrom G5 vs Tiablo A9
*


----------



## henry1960 (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*

* As promised, beamshots are here :thumbsup::
*
 



Great Shots....And Just To Think When Production Model Comes Out It Will Be Brighter. :thumbsup:


----------



## recDNA (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*

The second photo of each gif animation loads only partially. I can't see the Eagletac photo at all, only the top half shows up. The Raidfire Spear animation doesn't animate. They do work if you go to the original links but not in the forum view. In the Raidfire Spear shot the foreground seems very brightly lit which I found odd since it should have less spill than the Maelstrom. The Maelstrom beam in that particular animation seems greenish in comparison to the Spear but doesn't in other photos.

Kudos for the all the work. It is appreciate. My remarks are not meant to criticize, just analyzing what I see.


----------



## ti-force (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*



recDNA said:


> The second photo of each gif animation loads only partially. I can't see the Eagletac photo at all, only the top half shows up. The Raidfire Spear animation doesn't animate.



That's strange. It seems to be working fine for me. Are others having trouble viewing also?


----------



## ti-force (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*



henry1960 said:


> * As promised, beamshots are here :thumbsup::
> *
> 
> 
> ...



 I hope 4sevens sends me a production model for testing after I send this one back :thumbsup:. I've got my fingers crossed.


----------



## henry1960 (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*



ti-force said:


> That's strange. It seems to be working fine for me. Are others having trouble viewing also?



Ti-Force Its Working Fine For Me.....


----------



## dr. quad (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen's and Beamshots)*

:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs GREAT job on the beamshots!! its nice to see how the g5 holds up to the rest of the crowd! 

question though, i noticed the quark turbo was a little off center, how did the g5 do in comparison to the turbo quark?


----------



## ti-force (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen's and Beamshots)*



henry1960 said:


> Ti-Force Its Working Fine For Me.....




Good deal. Thanks for confirming.






dr. quad said:


> :twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs GREAT job on the beamshots!! its nice to see how the g5 holds up to the rest of the crowd!
> 
> question though, i noticed the quark turbo was a little off center, how did the g5 do in comparison to the turbo quark?




It pretty much blows the 123-2 Turbo away :thumbsup: The hotspot is still very close to the rest of the hotspots (it's off center, but not by much), you just can't really see it as much because of the distance. The beam has spread out on the Turbo at that point. Follow the beam through the air and you should be able to see that it's going in the same direction as the rest of the beams.


----------



## Thujone (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen's and Beamshots)*

*Very* impressive beamshots... wow.


----------



## dr. quad (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen's and Beamshots)*



ti-force said:


> It pretty much blows the 123-2 Turbo away :thumbsup: The hotspot is still very close to the rest of the hotspots (it's off center, but not by much), you just can't really see it as much because of the distance. The beam has spread out on the Turbo at that point. Follow the beam through the air and you should be able to see that it's going in the same direction as the rest of the beams.



wow, thats pretty amazing! i'm REALLY interested in seeing this in person now:sigh:


----------



## ti-force (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen's and Beamshots)*



Thujone said:


> *Very* impressive beamshots... wow.



Thanks for the kind words 




dr. quad said:


> :twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs GREAT job on the beamshots!! its nice to see how the g5 holds up to the rest of the crowd!
> 
> question though, i noticed the quark turbo was a little off center, how did the g5 do in comparison to the turbo quark?



 I made a gif of the Quark 123-2 Tactical vs the Quark 123-2 Turbo so you might get a better idea. Just keep in mind that I've swapped the XP-G R5 bin cool white emitter in my Quark 123-2 Tactical for an XP-G R3 bin neutral white emitter (tint is in the 3A-3D range). Also, I have OTF numbers for both of these lights and the lumens are very close between the two even though the NW emitter is 2 bins down.

Here are OTF numbers for each one:

*Quark 123-2 Tactical AW 17670
* 1 sec_________253.3
30 sec_________227.9
1 min_________225.5
2 min_________223
3 min_________220.6


*Quark 123-2 Turbo AW 17670*
 1 sec_________247.3
30 sec_________241.2
1 min_________240
2 min_________237.6
3 min_________236.4


*Quark 123-2 Turbo vs Quark 123-2 Tactical*









dr. quad said:


> wow, thats pretty amazing! i'm REALLY interested in seeing this in person now:sigh:




Hopefully they will have it ready for purchase soon.


----------



## ti-force (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*



recDNA said:


> The second photo of each gif animation loads only partially. I can't see the Eagletac photo at all, only the top half shows up. The Raidfire Spear animation doesn't animate. They do work if you go to the original links but not in the forum view.



Are you still having trouble viewing the gif's? What browser are you using?




recDNA said:


> In the Raidfire Spear shot the foreground seems very brightly lit which I found odd since it should have less spill than the Maelstrom. The Maelstrom beam in that particular animation seems greenish in comparison to the Spear but doesn't in other photos.
> 
> Kudos for the all the work. It is appreciate. My remarks are not meant to criticize, just analyzing what I see.



I can't explain the greenish tint in that picture. GIF's seem to introduce a lot of noise into the picture anyway, so that might have something to do with it.

I can explain the spill of the Raidfire Spear though. I forgot to mention that my Raidfire has an orange peel reflector, so that's why it has more spill. I'm glad you pointed that out.


----------



## ti-force (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review (Updated with OTF Lumen Readings)*



jabe1 said:


> I like the blue button. :thumbsup:



It does add a nice touch doesn't it . For anyone who's interested, the blue buttons can be purchased right here: Clcky.


----------



## ti-force (Jul 11, 2010)

*Youtube Video of User Interface Operation:*

Here's a short video that I uploaded to Youtube showing how to switch mode sets and cycle through the modes. The picture quality isn't excellent, but it will work. It was recorded with my Droid phone. No commentary for two reasons. 1.) the operation is pretty much self explanatory. 2.) I don't want you guys picking on my southern drawl .

*Click here* for the link.


----------



## KingCanada (Jul 11, 2010)

Another shotty 4Sevens light, whats new on this forum?...


----------



## ti-force (Jul 11, 2010)

KingCanada said:


> Another shotty 4Sevens light, whats new on this forum?...



Indeed, 4sevens is the shiznit. I think a lot of others would agree about their great lights.


----------



## KingCanada (Jul 11, 2010)

Personal attack removed. Take your issues up in private, not on the forums.


----------



## PayBack (Jul 11, 2010)

*Re: 4sevens Maelstrom G5 Review*



paulr said:


> Wow, it's like someone read my mind. The first thing I thought when I saw the picture was "awesome light but I hate those stupid bezel crenellations" and started thinking about ways to machine them off. Then reading further down, found that the light already comes with a non-crenellated bezel. Yay! .



Pretty much said it for me.


----------



## sfca (Jul 11, 2010)

Re: Pics - Man that's a HUGE spot. I saw the other beamshots and I'm like hmmm maybe too small. But no way!


----------



## recDNA (Jul 11, 2010)

Just too bad so many people expect blinky modes that manufacturers feel compelled to include them. I love it when there is an option to make them unavailable like in the Quark tactical UI.


----------



## Chevy-SS (Jul 11, 2010)

I love the animated GIF beamshots. Very nice work!!!  Is there a tutorial available on how to create them? 

They would not work for me in my preferred browser (Firefox), so I opened them in IE8 and they worked perfectly. Really makes it easy to compare the beams.


-


----------



## ti-force (Jul 11, 2010)

Chevy-SS said:


> I love the animated GIF beamshots. Very nice work!!!  Is there a tutorial available on how to create them?
> 
> They would not work for me in my preferred browser (Firefox), so I opened them in IE8 and they worked perfectly. Really makes it easy to compare the beams.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the complements 

Just size your images (800x800 for CPF), then go here, upload the jpegs in the order you want them to cycle, make sure "Loop gif animation" is checked yes; choose the animation speed you want (I usually use medium). I always leave "resize for AIM buddy icon checked no. Then click "create gif" below those options and wait for it to be produced. I always use the last link at the bottom of the page once it's created, and they are hotlinked, so be sure to remove that to comply with CPF rules. That's it, not much to it. Just keep in mind that creating a gif adds a lot of noise to your images, but to me, the benefits of having the beam cycle is more important than not having some noise in the image. Oh yeah, gif's work fine with Google Chrome too, but they don't work with the Android software on the Droid phones coming out (which is what I have :mecry supposedly they're working on a fix though. As it is, I can only see the first image in the cycle with my phone.


----------



## 4sevens (Jul 11, 2010)

ti-force - those comparison beamshots are great! It brought a huge smile to my face and the months of r&d with dozens of protos and reflectors well worth it! I was hoping someone would make some 100m beamshots. kudos!


----------



## PJD (Jul 11, 2010)

Aside from the down-right impressive output, the thing I like most about the Maelstrom is the very simple appearance. It looks VERY nice, but isn't "over-fancified" with a bunch of unnecessary and usually unappealing excessive lines, indentations, and "futuristic" looking aesthetics. VERY sharp, simple design! Well done, David!

PJD


----------



## ti-force (Jul 11, 2010)

4sevens said:


> ti-force - those comparison beamshots are great! It brought a huge smile to my face and the months of r&d with dozens of protos and reflectors well worth it! I was hoping someone would make some 100m beamshots. kudos!



You guys definitely did it right. The beam isn't too tight, but yet it throws a ton of light forward and it still has very useable spill. Great job on the whole light :twothumbs. I believe it will be successful like the Quark series has been.


----------



## Flashlight_Bug (Jul 11, 2010)

I wish 4-sevens would make a tailcap like that on the Eagletac T20C MkII where you have the option of putting on a rubber shroud. That'll be great for users like me who are prone to dropping their lights all the time and dinging the tailcap. Can't wait for the production model to start shipping........


----------



## sfca (Jul 12, 2010)

Flashlight_Bug said:


> I wish 4-sevens would make a tailcap like that on the Eagletac T20C MkII where you have the option of putting on a rubber shroud. That'll be great for users like me who are prone to dropping their lights all the time and dinging the tailcap. Can't wait for the production model to start shipping........



Perhaps you could bug the Oveready guys to make something for ya? 
IMO when other companies start making accessories for your lights - that's a good thing!
Plus... they're on a roll!


----------



## PayBack (Jul 12, 2010)

If this thing has the throw of an A9 but with a bigger more usable spot as the beam shots seem to show, I might have to get one.


----------



## guiri (Jul 12, 2010)

This review sucks! Not ONE word about when I'll be getting me FREE sample 

Great job, especially on the multitude of pics.

I know this is the wrong thread but have you heard anything about the 18? The big one?

Again, great stuff!

George


----------



## woodrow (Jul 12, 2010)

Fantastic review. One of the most detailed, with some of the best photography I have seen since I have been here. Thank You


----------



## DM51 (Jul 12, 2010)

woodrow said:


> Fantastic review. One of the most detailed, with some of the best photography I have seen since I have been here. Thank You


I agree. Outstanding work, ti-force! 

Moving it to the Reviews section...


----------



## ti-force (Jul 12, 2010)

carrot said:


> Don't want to derail this thread but I'd like to note that I'm running a passaround over on the MP.



Thanks for taking the time to put that together so others can test this light . Also, thanks for sharing here.



guiri said:


> This review sucks! Not ONE word about when I'll be getting me FREE sample
> 
> Great job, especially on the multitude of pics.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the complements. No info on the big brothers yet (S12 or S18), but if I had to guess, I'd guess that the S12 will be released before the S18. Just a guess though.




woodrow said:


> Fantastic review. One of the most detailed, with some of the best photography I have seen since I have been here. Thank You





DM51 said:


> I agree. Outstanding work, ti-force!
> 
> Moving it to the Reviews section...




Thank you both for the kind words . And thanks for the move DM, I appreciate that :thumbsup:.


----------



## selfbuilt (Jul 12, 2010)

woodrow said:


> Fantastic review. One of the most detailed, with some of the best photography I have seen since I have been here. Thank You


+1. I particularly like those animated GIFs of the 100 yard shots. Makes it much easier to compare. :thumbsup:

Everyone always bugs me for these in my reivews, so it's nice to see someone else provide them and take the heat off me! :laughing: Seriously, I hope to do a bunch of long-distance shots myself soon for my high output and thrower lights, but I always seem to have too many other new lights to work on instead ...

Keep up the good work ...


----------



## Midnight Oil (Jul 12, 2010)

If only it were a P60 host...oh my.


----------



## ti-force (Jul 12, 2010)

New images of the G5 with flat bezel and smooth grip ring.

Clicky and Clicky


----------



## ti-force (Jul 12, 2010)

selfbuilt said:


> +1. I particularly like those animated GIFs of the 100 yard shots. Makes it much easier to compare. :thumbsup:
> 
> Everyone always bugs me for these in my reivews, so it's nice to see someone else provide them and take the heat off me! :laughing: Seriously, I hope to do a bunch of long-distance shots myself soon for my high output and thrower lights, but I always seem to have too many other new lights to work on instead ...
> 
> Keep up the good work ...



Yeah, doing these reviews really is time consuming (as you well know with that impressive list of reviews you have ). Thank you again for the complements; I appreciate that. I think you, AardvarkSagus and I each brought certain things to the table which benefited the readers, and like you said, it makes it easier on us :thumbsup: You and Aardvark both went into more written detail (as well as other key things) than I did, which makes my day because that's one of my weak points LOL.....

All and all, I think people can read all three of our reviews and know almost every answer to every question (other than price ) they might have by the time they're done reading :twothumbs. We all three did an excellent job, and hopefully 4sevens will send big brother to each of us so we can do it all over again . I really enjoyed it, and I really enjoyed both of your reviews. Thanks guys :thumbsup:.


----------



## Vernon (Jul 12, 2010)

Release date? Come on 4Sevens, we know you're reading this stuff.


----------



## 4sevens (Jul 12, 2010)

Vernon said:


> Release date? Come on 4Sevens, we know you're reading this stuff.


It'll have to be tomorrow. We've been very busy today - assembling the g5's


----------



## PayBack (Jul 12, 2010)

ti-force said:


> New images of the G5 with flat bezel and smooth grip ring.
> 
> Clicky and Clicky



Now ya talking, it looks so much nicer with the clean lines of a non crenulated bezel, single colour and no grip ring (my opinion ).

*ti-force* are your beam shots accurate when comparing it to the A9? I have an A8 and love the throw but the small spot lets it down. if this thing throws the same with a bigger spot it goes on the shopping list.


----------



## ti-force (Jul 12, 2010)

PayBack said:


> .
> *ti-force* are your beam shots accurate when comparing it to the A9? I have an A8 and love the throw but the small spot lets it down. if this thing throws the same with a bigger spot it goes on the shopping list.



Yes, all camera settings remained the same for every light. The focus was changed after the TK11 beamshot because the image looked horribly out of focus. That's the only setting that was changed, so you see it exactly how it was, but remember, these images are over exposed some, so they look brighter than they were at that distance. It's really hard to get an exact brightness, plus the exposure on my beamshots shows more detail IMO.


----------



## AardvarkSagus (Jul 12, 2010)

ti-force said:


> Yeah, doing these reviews really is time consuming (as you well know with that impressive list of reviews you have ). Thank you again for the complements; I appreciate that. I think you, AardvarkSagus and I each brought certain things to the table which benefited the readers, and like you said, it makes it easier on us :thumbsup: You and Aardvark both went into more written detail (as well as other key things) than I did, which makes my day because that's one of my weak points LOL.....
> 
> All and all, I think people can read all three of our reviews and know almost every answer to every question (other than price ) they might have by the time they're done reading :twothumbs. We all three did an excellent job, and hopefully 4sevens will send big brother to each of us so we can do it all over again . I really enjoyed it, and I really enjoyed both of your reviews. Thanks guys :thumbsup:.


Hey, thanks for the compliments there. I'm definitely quite impressed with the level of detail you two go into and appreciate the information. 

Also, the new pics with the smooth ring and bezel...now that's what I'm talking about. I definitely like it that way, and I'm normally a crenellated sort of guy!


----------



## 4sevens (Jul 12, 2010)




----------



## Ronin28 (Jul 12, 2010)

4sevens said:


>



Oh me likey...me likey a LOT!!! :naughty::naughty:


----------



## TwitchALot (Jul 13, 2010)

4sevens said:


> It'll have to be tomorrow. We've been very busy today - assembling the g5's



The release date or the information about the release date? :nana:


----------



## ti-force (Jul 13, 2010)

4sevens said:


>



Nice :thumbsup:. The pressure switch goes nicely too.


----------



## AardvarkSagus (Jul 13, 2010)

Very nice! Fits quite beautifully there.


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## dr. quad (Jul 13, 2010)

4sevens said:


>



NICE!!!! that is a gooood looking set up!

question though, is the pressure pad sold separately?


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## gnef (Jul 13, 2010)

I would assume the pressure switch would be an accessory that would be available that you would purchase separately from the light itself.


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## ti-force (Jul 13, 2010)

gnef said:


> I would assume the pressure switch would be an accessory that would be available that you would purchase separately from the light itself.



That's correct; if it were included, the price for the light would be higher and not every customer will be interested in a pressure switch.


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## dr. quad (Jul 13, 2010)

makes sense

any idea about the release date?


----------



## was.lost.but.now.found (Jul 13, 2010)

dr. quad said:


> makes sense
> 
> any idea about the release date?


 
Look up exactly 12 posts.

Edit, well 12 posts from you post, 13 from mine.


----------



## dr. quad (Jul 13, 2010)

was.lost.but.now.found said:


> Look up exactly 12 posts.
> 
> Edit, well 12 posts from you post, 13 from mine.



thats what i'm talking about, just checking to see if their gonna still announce today.


.... or did he mean the release date is today?


----------



## was.lost.but.now.found (Jul 13, 2010)

I don't know, but I think everyone hitting refresh on their browsers looking for an official release just caused CPFMP to crash.


----------



## dr. quad (Jul 13, 2010)

was.lost.but.now.found said:


> I don't know, but I think everyone hitting refresh on their browsers looking for an official release just caused CPFMP to crash.



:laughing: i was thinking the same thing! we'll see soon enough i guess


----------



## tre (Jul 13, 2010)

was.lost.but.now.found said:


> I don't know, but I think everyone hitting refresh on their browsers looking for an official release just caused CPFMP to crash.


 :lolsign: I was also thinking that.


----------



## ti-force (Jul 13, 2010)

It's getting close guys. Nose around on this page right here a little bit:

https://www.4sevens.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=15&language=en&&page=1


----------



## ti-force (Jul 13, 2010)

Have you guys noticed the "authorized only" section under "4sevens lights"?


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## sfca (Jul 13, 2010)

It's here!


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## PayBack (Jul 13, 2010)

ti-force said:


> Yes, all camera settings remained the same for every light. The focus was changed after the TK11 beamshot because the image looked horribly out of focus. That's the only setting that was changed, so you see it exactly how it was, but remember, these images are over exposed some, so they look brighter than they were at that distance. It's really hard to get an exact brightness, plus the exposure on my beamshots shows more detail IMO.



No that's all good, I was more comparing it to the Tiablo (with your handy switching gifs) than using the light in the picture as an indicator, so comparing the two, it looks like a good option for my light to buy for my Ride along with the cops... or to marry to my M4 when I finally buy one.

Though how can they offer a blue boot and not GITD? *hint hint*


----------



## ti-force (Jul 13, 2010)

PayBack said:


> No that's all good, I was more comparing it to the Tiablo (with your handy switching gifs) than using the light in the picture as an indicator, so comparing the two, it looks like a good option for my light to buy for my Ride along with the cops... or to marry to my M4 when I finally buy one.
> 
> Though how can they offer a blue boot and not GITD? *hint hint*



It would be nice if they would offer GITD in the future. That would be a nice touch, and I've always wanted one for my Quarks, but haven't found one that would work correctly. Mostly, I like a loud colored button on a light; it's just appealing to me.


----------



## MrGman (Jul 13, 2010)

I looked at the 4 7 link on this light and their link to other reviews. It would appear your lumens readings are very close to that of light reviews dot com. I think yours are more accurate especially since you show the instand on and decay over the first 3 minutes with the battery configurations. This is pretty good confirmation on what this light really puts out. 

I expect the production unit to be very close to what they say it will put out.


----------



## ti-force (Jul 13, 2010)

MrGman said:


> I looked at the 4 7 link on this light and their link to other reviews. It would appear your lumens readings are very close to that of light reviews dot com. I think yours are more accurate especially since you show the instand on and decay over the first 3 minutes with the battery configurations. This is pretty good confirmation on what this light really puts out.
> 
> I expect the production unit to be very close to what they say it will put out.



I'm hoping they will send me one of the production units so I can test it too, but like you, I expect it to be very close to their claim. BTW, I ordered some UCL glass to try out in this light; just to see . I'm guessing the gain probably won't be any greater than 4%, if it's even that much (they have pretty good glass), but I thought I'd try it just to see.


----------



## subiedriver1990 (Jul 14, 2010)

I have a Fenix TK-40 and was wondering how the G5 would compare in terms of throw? It took owning one light with a floody beam for me to figure out that I am a throwy light kinda guy. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
lovecpf


----------



## PayBack (Jul 14, 2010)

ti-force said:


> It would be nice if they would offer GITD in the future. That would be a nice touch, and I've always wanted one for my Quarks, but haven't found one that would work correctly. Mostly, I like a loud colored button on a light; it's just appealing to me.



Yes, you need a light cos it's dark, which makes it hard to see black switches. And while you can know where it is in your hand, mounted on a weapon or sitting on a shelf, that's not so easy.


----------



## ACHË (Jul 14, 2010)

Released!

$149.95 

Before the discount :naughty:


----------



## ti-force (Jul 14, 2010)

subiedriver1990 said:


> I have a Fenix TK-40 and was wondering how the G5 would compare in terms of throw? It took owning one light with a floody beam for me to figure out that I am a throwy light kinda guy. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
> lovecpf



Sorry, I don't have a TK-40, so I can't give you a fair opinion. If I had one I'd take comparison beamshots for you, but I don't.


----------



## subiedriver1990 (Jul 14, 2010)

Thats ok. I'll just have to buy a G5 and compare them myself


----------



## ti-force (Jul 14, 2010)

subiedriver1990 said:


> Thats ok. I'll just have to buy a G5 and compare them myself





If you plan to buy pretty soon, don't forget to follow the discount rules in the thread linked below.

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=231921


----------



## guiri (Jul 14, 2010)

I tried to do that but the database is down so I ordered one this morning without the discount


----------



## subiedriver1990 (Jul 14, 2010)

Thanks for the link. I shall use it. I have been very impressed with 4 7's since I got my first light (Quark RGB) and can't wait to get the mack daddy of the line!


----------



## Lawliet (Jul 14, 2010)

subiedriver1990 said:


> I have a Fenix TK-40 and was wondering how the G5 would compare in terms of throw?



Just looking at the lux numbers they shouldn't be that far apart.
But the G5 will cause less self blinding, thus have more effective throw.

Choose your interpretation.


----------



## Machete God (Jul 14, 2010)

ti-force, thank you for your hard work and this review, your pictures of the light and nifty animated beamshot comparison gifs were very useful.



guiri said:


> I tried to do that but the database is down so I ordered one this morning without the discount


Drop 4sevens an e-mail and see if they can't help you.

For everybody else, there's an introductory (next 2 weeks) offer of 22.49 off the price of the light, you'll need to enter 'G5INTRO' as the coupon and include your CPF/CPFMP username in the order (the only place I could do this was the 'special instructions' box, not sure if I did this right?)

(I hope it's ok to post the offer here, seeing as CPFMP is down)


----------



## icehunter (Jul 14, 2010)

For a beginner in this new and exiting field it is pretty hard to get reliable product information. LED lights are for example advertized as 900 lumens, when they are really more like 200 lumens. I would therefore like to thank you all, and CPF, for your valued input and info. 

It would be nice to have a "most read" and "most active" info on the CPF web site in order to know what the buzz is at the moment for those who are not frequent readers.

I am looking for a replacement for my trusted Fenix TK11, used mostly as a weapon light. The replacement should hopefully be of similar size but double the output. Size and weight are an issue but so is also the light output. The Maelstrom looks promising, especially the s12. 

The discussions on CPF can be confusing for beginners. Take this discussion as an example, The Tiablo A9 has a higher lux rating than the G5 both at 5 and 1 meter. But it is obvious from the pictures that it has much lower output. It would have been nice to have the lumens for comparison. 

Which brings me to the point. Why are people so exited over the G5 at 350 lumens when you can have either the Fenix TK30 at 370 lumens using 1x18650 (and option of 630 lumens with 2x18650) or Olight M21 at 500 lumens (according to 4sevens web) with 1x18650? Both the TK30 and the M21 are cheaper than the G5. Or am i completely missing the point?


----------



## Vernon (Jul 14, 2010)

I used the discount late last night and it worked perfectly. With the $22 discount, I went ahead and paid $25 extra for overnight shipping. Wow, I can justify about anything these days.


----------



## Thujone (Jul 14, 2010)

icehunter said:


> Why are people so exited over the G5 at 350 lumens when you can have either the Fenix TK30 at 370 lumens using 1x18650 (and option of 630 lumens with 2x18650) or Olight M21 at 500 lumens (according to 4sevens web) with 1x18650? Both the TK30 and the M21 are cheaper than the G5. Or am i completely missing the point?



4Sevens lists OTF or out the front lumens. Many manufacturers just list the bulb lumens. Of which you get only ~60% out the front.


----------



## guiri (Jul 14, 2010)

Machete God said:


> Drop 4sevens an e-mail and see if they can't help you.



Thank you God....and they say God isn't listening...


----------



## Erich1B (Jul 14, 2010)

Very nice review.


----------



## Lawliet (Jul 14, 2010)

icehunter said:


> Which brings me to the point. Why are people so exited over the G5 at 350 lumens when you can have either the Fenix TK30 at 370 lumens using 1x18650 (and option of 630 lumens with 2x18650) or Olight M21 at 500 lumens (according to 4sevens web) with 1x18650? Both the TK30 and the M21 are cheaper than the G5. Or am i completely missing the point?



The type of LED used in the G5 has a reputation for lots of lumen spread over a relatively wide area. Most lights using it have less throw then their predecessors. 
The G5 changes this, it throws just as good as the older lights on a per lumen base, but with much more light to work with. 
And it has got a nice form factor, small enough to have it with you without getting annoying. For example the TK30/40/45 are beyond EDC and to heavy as a weapon light.

"Best of both worlds" instead of "where no man has gone before".


----------



## Vernon (Jul 14, 2010)

icehunter said:


> Which brings me to the point. Why are people so exited over the G5 at 350 lumens when you can have either the Fenix TK30 at 370 lumens using 1x18650 (and option of 630 lumens with 2x18650) or Olight M21 at 500 lumens (according to 4sevens web) with 1x18650? Both the TK30 and the M21 are cheaper than the G5. Or am i completely missing the point?



Really good point made here - I'll give you my take. One of the differences in something like the TK30 versus the G5 is simply how easy/hard it is to carry on me. With the larger bezel on the TK30, I'm not apt to pick it up when I go on walks and rides. Don't get me wrong, I like the big lumens on the TK30 but not at the expense of the size (in most cases). 

The M21 got mediocre reviews. It's rated at 500 lumens but most reviews rate it at 300 to 350 OTF lumens. In addition, there have been documented quality issues as well. For example, here's a blurb from a review on CPF:

"Two weeks ago I bought a "Olight M21". I had "Fenix TK10" (275 Lumens) and I bought the "Olight" because they are 500 Lumens. My first disappointment comes in when compared with the "Eagletac T20C2" of my brother. The "Eagletac" 300 lumens, illuminates more than the "Olight" 500 lumens. My second disappointment, a week after buying it, I drop a table 1 m in height, and stops working. Incredible. My "Fenix TK10" I fell from a ladder of four meters high, and continued working."

I seriously hope this doesn't sound like I'm bashing the TK30 nor the M21 - I'm sure they're great lights in their own right. However, I think it paints the picture as to why so many of us are pumped about the new 4Sevens G5: quality products from a quality company, great customer service, 350 OTF lumens, solid warranty, a smooth reflector with no flaws/rings in the beam profile, a true XP-G "thrower," unique interface, great size, cr123 and 18650 compatible...the list goes on.


----------



## guiri (Jul 14, 2010)

You're right and yeah, it should be kinda obvious that people wouldn't be happy if they bought a 500 lumen light and it only gave them half that. I know stuff like that pi$$es me off!

George


----------



## ti-force (Jul 14, 2010)

Erich1B said:


> Very nice review.



Thanks .




icehunter said:


> For a beginner in this new and exiting field it is pretty hard to get reliable product information. LED lights are for example advertized as 900 lumens, when they are really more like 200 lumens. I would therefore like to thank you all, and CPF, for your valued input and info.


:welcome: And thanks for the kind words; I'm sure everyone appreciates that.




icehunter said:


> It would be nice to have a "most read" and "most active" info on the CPF web site in order to know what the buzz is at the moment for those who are not frequent readers.



We encourage you to hang around frequently and get sucked in like the rest of us. Misery loves company you know . j/k, but once you really get sucked in, you'll be hanging out pretty often.





icehunter said:


> I am looking for a replacement for my trusted Fenix TK11, used mostly as a weapon light. The replacement should hopefully be of similar size but double the output. Size and weight are an issue but so is also the light output. The Maelstrom looks promising, especially the s12.



I think the S12 will be larger in diameter. I don't know if that matters to you or not.





icehunter said:


> The discussions on CPF can be confusing for beginners.



It can be confusing at first. There's a LOT of info on this forum, and it takes time to learn the ropes (again, this is why we encourage you to hang around more ). 





icehunter said:


> Take this discussion as an example, The Tiablo A9 has a higher lux rating than the G5 both at 5 and 1 meter. But it is obvious from the pictures that it has much lower output. *It would have been nice to have the lumens for comparison*.



Ask and you shall receive :

*Tiablo A9 XR-E Q5 SMO (smooth) Reflector OTF lumens:*

2- CR123 Lithium Primaries:

1 sec__________186.7
30 sec__________178.2
1 min___________178.2
2 min___________175.8
3 min___________175.8


Lux readings are taken to show the amount of light hitting the area of a surface. My light meter has a sensor that's about 3/4" in diameter, so the light that puts the most light on the sensor will have the highest lux reading. The high lux numbers are mostly due to light being focused tighter (reflector design, size of emitter die, emitter design, aspheric lenses etc. The tighter you focus the light , the more light you have hitting the surface area of the sensor. Think of it like a water hose with a nozzle on it; if you adjust the nozzle to the point where all you have is water spraying out everywhere in front of you, you won't be able to spray water very far because it's not in a tight stream.

If you adjust the nozzle to spray a tight pattern, you have a tight stream of water that can reach 15...20ft or so. Does that make sense? Also, a light that produces more lumens will cause the lux numbers to go up (think spigot barely turned on vs turned all the way on), this is one reason why it's best to take lux readings at 5 meters or greater distance and calculate for 1 meter lux. Another reason is the fact that the beam has spread out more at a distance of 5 meters vs 1 meter, which is more accurate. If I were to take lux readings at 1 meter, the readings would be exaggerated because you have a higher amount of light hitting the surface area of the sensor. If the light puts out a lot of lumens, the lux readings will be exaggerated even more. Does this make sense?


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## Vernon (Jul 14, 2010)

Awesome...thanks. I gave my A9 away and miss it. It's getting good use with it's new owner though. I finally feel like the G5 will truly replace the A9 for me.


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## guiri (Jul 15, 2010)

I'm with ti-force...hang around, there aren't enough of us freaks in here, we need more and besides, the only way we're gonna get the economy straight is to spend a lot on flashlights. That's what you should tell your wife anyway 

George


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## candle lamp (Jul 15, 2010)

Very nice review and good job ! Thank you for your riview. :wave:


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## ti-force (Jul 15, 2010)

candle lamp said:


> Very nice review and good job ! Thank you for your riview. :wave:


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## snala (Jul 16, 2010)

Lawliet said:


> The type of LED used in the G5 has a reputation for lots of lumen spread over a relatively wide area. Most lights using it have less throw then their predecessors.
> The G5 changes this, it throws just as good as the older lights on a per lumen base, but with much more light to work with.
> And it has got a nice form factor, small enough to have it with you without getting annoying. For example the TK30/40/45 are beyond EDC and to heavy as a weapon light.
> 
> "Best of both worlds" instead of "where no man has gone before".


 
That's all true. 
So taking the plus's and minius about the G5 here, what would happen if Fenix bought out a TK13 with the TK12/TK30 interface, the G5's emitter, Fenix's usually good regulation on 18650 or CR123 but for TK12 money.
That would be really worth looking at too and it makes sense it's probaly going to happen based on previous versions?


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## sfca (Jul 16, 2010)

snala said:


> That's all true.
> So taking the plus's and minius about the G5 here, what would happen if Fenix bought out a TK13 with the TK12/TK30 interface, the G5's emitter, Fenix's usually good regulation on 18650 or CR123 but for TK12 money.
> That would be really worth looking at too and it makes sense it's probaly going to happen based on previous versions?



Wouldn't that be the TK11/TK12 R5 models? 

I'm not well versed in Fenix's UI but I recall it to be one of those multi sets of 2 modes, twist/untwist to access modes, twist/untwist multiple times, etc to access different sets.


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## snala (Jul 16, 2010)

sfca said:


> Wouldn't that be the TK11/TK12 R5 models?
> 
> I'm not well versed in Fenix's UI but I recall it to be one of those multi sets of 2 modes, twist/untwist to access modes, twist/untwist multiple times, etc to access different sets.


 
Yes you are right but if they decided to push it a bit more to get the higher output as per the G5 etc. TK12 is 3 sets of multi modes but with a true Max output and low and the tactical max and strobe option seperate also which is what the main concern seems to be about the G5's UI.
A G5 with just one set of 4 options UI: Max, Hi, Med, and Low and with 18650 flat regulation for $100 would sell like crazy to the consumer market. Give it an optional MCE head for spill as well.
Just making a comparison as far as the cost is concerned as some have queried it here. The G5 is just about twice the price of a TK12 so......

PS has anybody got a TK30 and a G5 to compare? I would really be interested in seeing beamshots (TK30 in the the 1 battery configuration on max specifically, 370 L) as the outputs are similar but the beams are spilly spot vs spot so like outside at say 100m. Asking as I have an Tiablo A9 and TK30 and using these outside it's not as one sided as you would think. Since the G5 is really a newer A9 with a bit more light everywhere.......


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## Chevy-SS (Jul 16, 2010)

Vernon said:


> I used the discount late last night and it worked perfectly..............



Yep, me too. Looking forward to trying out this light!  I'm buying it mainly for the defensive strobe, which I hope is extra-bright (see pic below)........ :devil:







-


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## ti-force (Jul 16, 2010)

Chevy-SS said:


> Yep, me too. Looking forward to trying out this light!  I'm buying it mainly for the defensive strobe, which I hope is extra-bright (see pic below)........ :devil:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The strobe is pretty darn bright :thumbsup:.


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## Elmer Fudd (Jul 19, 2010)

I just got the light today. I've had a number of lower end LEDs over the years - Brinkmann party, the (not so) new Maglite LEDs party:), several Fenix lights, and a couple Surefire G2LEDs with the TNVC dropin for carbine mounted weaponlights.

Everything about the light seems solid, definitely the brightest LED I've owned (how's that for a technical review :wave. However, the one knock I have against it is the UI, like that of every 'tactical' LED out there I know of. To me, a true 'tactical' military/LEO LED light would allow easy, flexible mode switching one handed, preferably with the thumb used to activate the switch. The other hand most probably has a weapon in it, so two handed mode switching becomes awkward and dangerous.

I guess that would mean moving the control circuitry back to the switch and using some kind of clicky ring switch (or perhaps switches interrupted by steel nubs) around the raised center clicky switch on the back of the tailcap. That would allow mode and on/off switching via the thumb only, which is all you might get in a high stress, dynamic situation.


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## guiri (Jul 19, 2010)

I don't know a thing about tactical lights but really, if it's ON the gun, don't you just need it to be full speed or you mean switch to strobe?

George


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## ti-force (Jul 19, 2010)

guiri said:


> I don't know a thing about tactical lights but really, if it's ON the gun, don't you just need it to be full speed
> 
> George



This is pretty much what this light was designed for. Basically, it's meant for the tactical user to set it and forget it.


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## guiri (Jul 19, 2010)

Well, that's what I thought but then, I'm tactically challenged I guess


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## Elmer Fudd (Jul 20, 2010)

guiri said:


> I don't know a thing about tactical lights but really, if it's ON the gun, don't you just need it to be full speed or you mean switch to strobe?
> 
> George



If mounted on a carbine, it would be nice to be able to switch between max and strobe easily. When transitioning from outdoor to indoor use (think LEO checking out a disturbance or burglary call, initially outdoors, then moving inside to check things out), you might want to dial down from max to high, so you don't blind yourself indoors against white walls. 350 lumens is well above what some very experienced pros think is appropriate for indoor use. At times you might want to go to the moonlight mode as a navigational aid (although red would obviously be preferred). With a short barreled carbine, the front of the light might be near the muzzle, you start reaching forward twisting the head of the light, that's not real safe. It also takes you out of a firing grip with your support hand. 

For an LEO with light in one hand, pistol in the other, having one handed mode/intermode control would be nice, I would think - max to strobe outdoors to high when entering a building, to moonlight for a navigation aid perhaps, to low for paperwork when back in admin mode. All that two-handed twisting with the light on is not really elegant or efficient, to say the least.

I just use weaponlights for fun, not for a living, but pros make the same comments about the head twisting UI.


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## guiri (Jul 20, 2010)

Gotcha! So, what's a good interface for these people? Clicking multiple times or what?

How about if they have a pressure button...?


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## Elmer Fudd (Jul 20, 2010)

guiri said:


> Gotcha! So, what's a good interface for these people? Clicking multiple times or what?
> 
> How about if they have a pressure button...?



Posting my thoughts over on a tactical forum, someone a lot more experienced suggested the Olight M20S. The side button on the tailcap looks nice and the UI logic sounds good, but not enough useful modes IMHO.

I would want:

Outdoor - Max 300+ lumens, strobe, very low (moonlight type) for stealthy navigation (perhaps with removable red filter)
Indoor - 200 lumens or maybe a little less, strobe (possibly at lower level than outdoor), medium for more admin/low threat searching, very low (moonlight type) for stealthy navigation
Admin - moonlight, low, medium
Survival - SOS, beacon

That's what comes to mind after reading some pro comments, doing a limited amount of low light shooting myself, and most especially reading "The Strategies of Low-Light Engagements" by Ken J. Good, an excellent read and one of the very few on the subject. His comments over on the Low Light forum at lightfighter.net are very informative.

I think as LED lumen levels keep increasing designers are going to have to take into account the different requirements for tactical indoor and tactical outdoor use.


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## guiri (Jul 20, 2010)

Ok but that's a hell of a lot of modes to have and hard to make a simple enough interface for all that, don't you think?

I mean, it's a bit like having the cake and eating it isn't it?


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## Elmer Fudd (Jul 20, 2010)

The Olight two-button tailcap would seem to work well for that:

1. Press and hold side side switch and use main clicky to cycle through modes without turning light on - one click = outdoor, two clicks = indoor, 3 clicks = admin, 4 clicks = survival. That way you don't get 'lost' vis a continuous loop of modes. Light stays in mode until switched to another mode by user.

2. Main clicky cycles through states within mode. Pressing and releasing side switch turns on second state within mode (strobes for indoor, outdoor, low for admin, beacon for survival).

3. Make the modes programmable - you assign whatever states you want in your own sequence.



guiri said:


> How about if they have a pressure button...?



I would think a two button pressure switch using the same logic would work - probably more expensive since it needs the same chip in the tailcap you are replacing ...

Either tailcap or switch would require two fingers to change mode, but a lot easier than the head twist.


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## MrGman (Jul 20, 2010)

A wise man once said "if you have 8 modes in a flashlight, then in reality you only have a 1 in 8 chance of turning on in the mode you actually wanted, when you want it". This is not the ideal set up for a "tactical" flashlight. Talking about mounting it on a rifle and having the on/off pressure switch and now a second pressure switch to change modes and making it all that more complicated and having to go through training scenarios just to cycle your flashlight into the right mode before you "come through the door" or "burst onto whatever the scene" is along with all the other things your suppose to remember to do starts to become ridiculous. 

I like the idea of a limited function selector ring that you simply preset to the mode you want and then the pressure switch for on and off. Having to do the back and forth multiple twisties to change mode sets or a special second button to get certain modes is too much, not going to really be used on a rifle mounted light. Presetting to High, Strobe (not that I agree with having strobe), or a low mode on the selector ring and then just turning it on when its show time seems to be far more logical. This is a cool flashlight, but it would never by my #1, 2, or 3 choice on my rifle.


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## recDNA (Jul 20, 2010)

Any chance of re-checking the numbers with a production model?


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## ti-force (Jul 20, 2010)

recDNA said:


> Any chance of re-checking the numbers with a production model?



At the moment it's not looking too good. I thought 4sevens would want to show the increase that was made over the prototype (especially since this review has had 10,000+ views), but I guess not :thinking:.


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## guiri (Jul 20, 2010)

Why not ti?


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## ti-force (Jul 20, 2010)

Just a gut feeling, but who knows; my gut has been wrong before .


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## Burgess (Jul 21, 2010)

Well, i'm Hoping that 4Sevens will* See the Light* !




Seems to be a National Secret as to *Which Flux Bin *this emitter has.



_


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## guiri (Jul 21, 2010)

I understand. My gut's been bad for years. I keep having to stay close to the bathroom at all times :naughty:


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## Lawliet (Jul 21, 2010)

Burgess said:


> Seems to be a National Secret as to *Which Flux Bin *this emitter has.



That may be a side effect of catering to governmental institutions.
Offer R5 bin, and you've got to deliver R5, even with S2 available and without drawbacks. You don't want to be to specific or decision making could take longer then product cycles.


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## ti-force (Jul 21, 2010)

Burgess said:


> Seems to be a National Secret as to *Which Flux Bin *this emitter has.
> 
> 
> 
> _



You've got that right LOL. That question has been avoided like the plague . 

Are there any production G5 owners out there who can take accurate tailcap current measurements and post them here? Tailcap measurements of the prototype are on the first page of this thread (post # 30; link provided below). If this data can be provided, it could give us a good idea about whether they went up a flux bin or not. If this info has already been posted elsewhere, could someone provide a link please?

Link to post 30:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/3445678&postcount=30




guiri said:


> I understand. My gut's been bad for years. I keep having to stay close to the bathroom at all times :naughty:


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## HKJ (Jul 21, 2010)

ti-force said:


> Are there any production G5 owners out there who can take accurate tailcap current measurements and post them here?



Tailcap current will not change with led bin.


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## guiri (Jul 21, 2010)

I'll be happy to ship mine to you if you think that mine's a production model? Got it last week from 4sevens. If so, hit me up with your address and phone and I'll send it your way


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## ti-force (Jul 21, 2010)

HKJ said:


> Tailcap current will not change with led bin.



Precisely :thumbsup:. If current remains the same, they got the increase through moving up in flux bin. If the current is higher, it may still be an R5 bin with the increased current producing the additional output.




guiri said:


> I'll be happy to ship mine to you if you think that mine's a production model? Got it last week from 4sevens. If so, hit me up with your address and phone and I'll send it your way



Thank you much for the gesture, but I just received word that I will be receiving a production model for testing :thumbsup:. I guess I jumped the gun with my assumptions  ; I guess I forgot how busy they must be right now. If you'd like to know exactly what your G5's making, I'd be glad to test it for you anyway, but that's up to you. I'm pretty certain your light is a production model though; 4sevens wouldn't ship a prototype out in place of a production model .


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## guiri (Jul 21, 2010)

Nah, that important to me. Light is good and that's all I need to know 

You just let me know what yours puts out


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## arek98 (Jul 21, 2010)

ti-force said:


> Are there any production G5 owners out there who can take accurate tailcap current measurements and post them here?


 
Mine is 1.08A with 2 fresh Panasonic CR123A (measured 6.42V without load).

They could also tweak a driver and somehow increase efficiency, driving LED harder with the same tailcap current.


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## Chevy-SS (Jul 22, 2010)

ti-force said:


> _Are there any production G5 owners out there who can take accurate tailcap current measurements and post them here?_



Mine reads 1.21 amps with the two CR123's supplied by 4Sevens.


-


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## koolranch (Jul 24, 2010)

WOW the pictures are the best I have ever seen in a review. Thanks for taking the time to do this. If it was not for your review than I would not have consodered buying this light. Thanks!!! :thumbsup:


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## ti-force (Jul 24, 2010)

koolranch said:


> WOW the pictures are the best I have ever seen in a review. Thanks for taking the time to do this. If it was not for your review than I would not have consodered buying this light. Thanks!!! :thumbsup:



Thanks for the complement , and I'm glad you found it helpful :thumbsup:.


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## recDNA (Jul 24, 2010)

ti-force said:


> At the moment it's not looking too good. I thought 4sevens would want to show the increase that was made over the prototype (especially since this review has had 10,000+ views), but I guess not :thinking:.





Oops I see you are getting one. Great!


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## gnef (Jul 24, 2010)

Look up a few posts to #191


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## recDNA (Jul 24, 2010)

Do we know now that the led is an R5?


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## gnef (Jul 24, 2010)

Nope, 4sevens has not told us the bin.

I think someone was speculating that they don't want to state the bin so that they have the flexibility in the future to put in different (most likely newer) bins. Something about how if they state R5, then possible government contracts would require that they stick to R5's only? I am not familiar with any of that, just what I recall reading.


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## guiri (Jul 24, 2010)

Well, considering the way yall flash alkies like to nitpick, do you blame'em?

I can see it now...HOLY CRAP! I got a different bin than what was advertised. This light is useless...

Yeah, I can see it now...


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## guiri (Jul 25, 2010)

Ok, I give up. I tried to find it but I can't. I thought there was another review by selfbuilt with runtimes but can't find it and besides, I suck at reading those charts so here's the question.

What's the difference in RUNTIMES between two CR123, two RCR123 and one 18650 on the G5?
I'm updating my battery stock and want to buy as FEW different batteries/types as possible.

From this review, it seems output is just about the same with all of the batteries..right?

Lovely weapon mount pic by the way. I may have to get a mount for my AK and cram this one on there. Just gotta figure out where to put it as I didn't change anything on it. Got a Polish underfolder with original wooden stock. Hated it on pictures till I got one and loved it and haven't been wanting to change it 

Might get a 12 gauge Saiga though and put the light there 

Thanks

George


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## gnef (Jul 25, 2010)

guiri said:


> Ok, I give up. I tried to find it but I can't. I thought there was another review by selfbuilt with runtimes but can't find it and besides, I suck at reading those charts so here's the question.
> 
> What's the difference in RUNTIMES between two CR123, two RCR123 and one 18650 on the G5?
> I'm updating my battery stock and want to buy as FEW different batteries/types as possible.
> ...



Using selfbuilt's review, you can see the difference in runtimes and regulation.

It is a bit complicated, because of the regulation on 18650's. If you are looking at pure runtime, then 18650's are your best bet, but make sure to get ones with button tops, not flat tops (current AW 2600 mah are only flat top). The issue with the 18650 battery is that the light isn't fully regulated at this voltage. It will still be plenty bright, but will dim gradually - your eyes may not notice even.

If you want full regulation and good run time, then primary cr123 batteries are what you want, and is what this light was designed to take.

The rcr123 have limited run times compared to the other options. With that said, if I were to get this light, I would run it on rcr123 batteries, and top them off regularly, and keep a backup store of primary 123 batteries for emergencies or extended run time. All my 18650 batteries are AW 2600 mah, and I wouldn't feel comfortable using magnets to make a button top, and I don't want to buy other 18650 battery brands.


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## guiri (Jul 25, 2010)

Well, primaries are out as I can't stand just using something for a few hours and then throwing it away. Runtime I guess would be preferential if you say that I wouldn't see much difference in output.

Now, since I AM looking into buying more batteries (I have very few RCR123's and 18650s and I've gotten more lights...see my thread here.. https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/3464521#post3464521 ) should I buy more in the 123 format so that I can use them in smaller/shorter lights vs buying say half the amount of batteries in 18650's?

Yes, I know it doesn't quite work that way and I have no idea what I'll be buying in the future but I want to try not to spend hundreds of dollars in new batteries either. 

Too bad the 2600's are flat...

Thanks

George


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## redbike (Jul 27, 2010)

This thread contains a wonderful review and follow-up comments - thanks for (almost!) all of them. My G5 arrived about an hour ago and thanks to this thread and the video linked through the passaround review, I've sussed out the UI with no problems and am up and running. Come on nightfall...


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## ti-force (Jul 27, 2010)

redbike said:


> This thread contains a wonderful review and follow-up comments - thanks for (almost!) all of them. My G5 arrived about an hour ago and thanks to this thread and the video linked through the passaround review, I've sussed out the UI with no problems and am up and running. Come on nightfall...



I'm glad you found this info helpful :thumbsup:. I think you'll really enjoy your new G5.


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## ti-force (Jul 27, 2010)

**UPDATE** - A production G5 is in route to me as I'm typing this, so I should have OTF results by the end of the week if not before :twothumbs


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## adnj (Jul 27, 2010)

1.48 amps with the cell at 4.19 volts disconnected.


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## recDNA (Aug 1, 2010)

ti-force said:


> **UPDATE** - A production G5 is in route to me as I'm typing this, so I should have OTF results by the end of the week if not before :twothumbs




I'll anxiously await your results. 350 otf may turn out to be "optimistic" if my beamshot comparisons at home are any judge.


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## recDNA (Aug 9, 2010)

Have you tested the production model?


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## ti-force (Aug 9, 2010)

recDNA said:


> Have you tested the production model?




Not yet. An Olight SR-91 has been sent to me for review and testing, but the bezel is too large to test it in my 16" sphere, and since my 16" sphere is pretty darn accurate, and the fact that MrGman and myself spent a large amount of time making it that way, I couldn't take the risk of cutting it to fit the SR-91. What's my solution you ask? Well, we're currently working on a 24" sphere to test these new monster lights . Needless to say, I've got my hands full right now.


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## paulr (Sep 2, 2010)

Interesting light, too much crap in the UI. 4x7 if you're listening, I hope you'll make a version with the Quark tactical programmable 2-level interface.


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## Machete God (Sep 6, 2010)

Any chance of OTF numbers for the production model of this light any time soon, ti-force?


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## tab665 (Sep 7, 2010)

it has been confirmed that newer batches of the maelstrom have an updated UI. now its turbo-high-med-moonlight on one set of settings, no more low mode, but now easy access to tubo without going into the blinky modes.


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## Hertao (Sep 18, 2010)

*UI Question*

The UI on this light is still a bit confusing to me having never handled it. Is it possible to preselect a mode and leave it set at that? For instance, if I wanted to use Max (350L) only, could I set it to Max and forget it...having the light go on at Max every time, or do you have to cycle through 3 modes every time you turn it on in order to get to Max?


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## gnef (Sep 18, 2010)

*Re: UI Question*

Max is easiest to keep it set on. The max setting is fully tightened, so just leave the light on like that and you will be fine. If you want a lower mode from there, just loosen. Once you select a mode it should stay at that setting until you rotate the head.


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## Hertao (Sep 18, 2010)

*Re: UI Question*



gnef said:


> Max is easiest to keep it set on. The max setting is fully tightened, so just leave the light on like that and you will be fine. If you want a lower mode from there, just loosen. Once you select a mode it should stay at that setting until you rotate the head.



Thanks!

I'm a total flashlight novice compared to most of you. I've got a Surefire LX2 that I carry most of the time, but a light that's 150 lumens brighter does sound appealing! Is this light going to be noticeably brighter than the LX2?


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## Machete God (Sep 18, 2010)

*Re: UI Question*



Hertao said:


> Thanks!
> 
> I'm a total flashlight novice compared to most of you. I've got a Surefire LX2 that I carry most of the time, but a light that's 150 lumens brighter does sound appealing! Is this light going to be noticeably brighter than the LX2?



It is going to shine noticeably further ("throw"), but won't blow your socks off in the brightness department (say if you bounce the light off your ceiling to light up a room).

BTW, the LX2 has about 240-250 OTF lumens, Surefire under-rates their lumen output figures


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## Dioni (Sep 20, 2010)

Very nice review. Thanks for the great beamshots.


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## 4sevens (Sep 20, 2010)

paulr said:


> Interesting light, too much crap in the UI. 4x7 if you're listening, I hope you'll make a version with the Quark tactical programmable 2-level interface.


Of course we are listening, we always do. Try this for size. The UI was designed such that it CAN indeed function like a two stage light. Two modes accessed by tightening and loosening acts just like the quark tactical. In fact when I use the light, I only use those two modes. The others are tucked away nicely and I never "run into" them. To me it's just like a two stage light.

Of course, the two modes aren't as programmable, but you may not have considered all the though that went into the light. For example, only the tightened mode can support max due to it's 1.5A current drive. We had several other implementations some of which make the light bigger or function for niche applications. I think the G5 as it is fits most the most markets compared to all the other protos we made. I bet most people who use the light all the time use just the max (tightened) 95% of the time and they're happy.


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## SCEMan (Sep 20, 2010)

4sevens said:


> I bet most people who use the light all the time use just the max (tightened) 95% of the time and they're happy.


 
Actually I use HIGH 95% of the time due to it's loooong runtime with near-TURBO mode output. Great engineering!


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## pee10755 (Sep 26, 2010)

Does anyone know who is selling this light for the best price, cpf discount, and is shipping lights with the new UI?


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## mhphoto (Sep 27, 2010)

I think I might have found my Christmas present to myself...

Great review!


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## Jestertac (Feb 7, 2013)

Sorry for the Necro post, just wanted to chime in on the review.

I bought two of the Mailstrom-X cool white for his and hers AR15's. In the woods these lights throw very well out to about 100 yards. I was using this light dismounted for pistol shooting as well so we could "spot" our 9mm rounds better to the target. That and my buddies XDm only had the fiber optic sights. The Quark 123(Squared) wasn't quite cutting the mustard next to the new kid on the block...

We were using these lights to pick up spent brass as well (the stuff that missed the spread out tarp) and it did pretty well. I often wonder if the neutral would do a better job but don't want to kick down the extra $100 on a whim. That fact notwithstanding, the cool white did fine for spotting the nice shiny brass in the dark.


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## RBH (Feb 8, 2013)

The G5 with an 18650 is a fantastic light.


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## slntdth93 (Feb 8, 2013)

RBH said:


> The G5 with an 18650 is a fantastic light.



Would you mind telling which 18650's you use?


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## RBH (Feb 10, 2013)

I use the EagleTac 3100mAh. http://www.eagletac.com/html/accessories/features/et18650_3100mah.html



slntdth93 said:


> Would you mind telling which 18650's you use?


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## cpf001 (Jun 29, 2015)

This is a great light and I am sad to see that foursevens no longer carries a maelstrom with 2xcr123 and xp-g LED.

The possibility for weopon mounting while remaining affordable, absolutely incredible.

However the new lineup is sweet as well so can't complain.

thanks foursevens!


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