# P7 LED Flashlight, bar mounted



## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

I was torn between which bike light I wanted, Main thing for me was being able to ride at almost any speed on flats and roller both on the roadie and MTB. So 20-30mph range and not out ride the light. I was tossed between the Dinotte sale $99 (200lumens) or dual Fenix L2D (combined 380lumens). In my research, I found a new LED breed called the P7, which is a cluster of 4 P5 CREE LED's, same family of light used in the Fenix and Dinotte lights.

I bought a MTE 7 mode light https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13060 AWESOME AWESOME light for the dollar. The light itself was $45 + mounts, bats and charger came to $70 even. Half the price as dual L2D and 30% cheaper then dinotte.

I went out for a 40 mile road ride but started about 6:30, didn't get home til almost 9:30pm But damn it was fun testing out the new light. I can cruise at 18-20MPH with the slow strobe which gives high power output. The faster strobe is nice with Med output but I fear it might cause bad things for on coming cars. The Med mode is great for climbing at slow speeds or more city lighting where you don't need 100% of the light. High mode was simply awesome. I tried to out run this light and couldn't on the flats. I got it close to 30mph on the flats and still had more room for speed. I went downhill I normally do at 32-35mph and did it at normal speed with this light:clap:

High mode has a 1hr10min run time before it dimmed, another 20 minutes before it dimmed again. This is off a single 18650 battery. Next week I'll try the run time of the Med mode and the slower strobe.

I can't wait to try this light out there on the dirt:thumbsup:

now for the pictures








Medium mode








High mode:clap:
























bush about 15ft away.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Awesome!! :eekster: I think these torches are going to give the fancy bike light manufactures a run for their money. Are you using protected batteries? If not be careful you don't over-discharge your batteries or you'll need new ones real fast. The beam pattern looks to be mostly flood but it still has decent throw even on medium power. It is very impressive. Last time I checked D/X had the multi-level MTE on backorder. It looks to be one of their more popular torches. Looks like it would make an excellent bar mounted light, road or MTB.


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

I've got the Single Cell trust fire on order 5 mode version, those pics looks like the perfect for bars pattern, Reflectors abit bigger so i'm hoping for more throw as I'll head mount it, but I'll get the CREE Version when it's out then move the P7 to bar mounted no doubt.

1hour 10mins if mine gets that with that output that'll be great, was expecting 45mins.

My batterys are protected as i kill un protected CR123a's regularly and all charged and ready to use 

When you can get light output for $80 all in like that, why waste your money on anything else I say.

I'll have a R2 on my head to boost the range for fast sections to, Hope 1 Vision ( CRAP ) on the bars and a C3 100lumen light on the bars to, do you think it'll be over kill 

Might mount my spare R2 on the bars aswell, if there is enough room just for bursts though.


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## denmikseb (Aug 27, 2007)

Narrow beams have been keeping me away from using flashlights; but from your photos this light appears to have quite a wide beam. Maybe even wider than a Dinotte 200L?


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## msxtr (Dec 10, 2006)

Hi, great light!!!!!!!! it hot very much the flashlight when you ride with your bike? 

Greetings - Saludos

msxtr


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## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

I'm running blue protected trustfires. This light has a good mix of flood and throw which is very useful on rides without having to run dual lights. Though I might pick up a ligh and small cr
123 light to mount on the helmet for more dirt rides. I don't think I need that much light on the road. 

I got the 7 mode because the 5 mode was on backorder, now all of them are on bo.


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## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

msxtr said:


> Hi, great light!!!!!!!! it hot very much the flashlight when you ride with your bike?
> 
> Greetings - Saludos
> 
> msxtr


No the light remained cold when I was riding, even at 8mph when I was climbing the last hill home which is 4miles at 5% average grade.



denmikseb said:


> Narrow beams have been keeping me away from using flashlights; but from your photos this light appears to have quite a wide beam. Maybe even wider than a Dinotte 200L?


That would have been the reason why I'd have to get TWO of the Fenix L2D's, but one of these of bad boys is all that is really needed. I havn't seen a 200L in person yet, but the spill of the P7 cast enouh shadows on the opposite side bike lane and then some. I road on the center line for a few seconds (when was safe on that last climb) and I can shine the entire road with the wide spill. With the center still thowing out 100ft.

When I borrowed my friends Fenix L2D a while ago, I couldn't throw it out that far and the hot spot was about 4-5ft wide at 60ish ft out.

This LED is 10-12watts of power, so that would put it in the same range as the Dinotte600L. But only $45 oppose to $400 for the 600L. Not too worried about the seconds its takes swapping batteries every 70-80 minutes of high runtime when I can save over $300:thumbsup:


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## helibird (Apr 22, 2008)

Anyone tried this on the dirt yet?? By the shots there sure seems to be a lot of spill, would it be enough light to have one on the bars and one on helmut??


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

I should be trying a different version Tuesday / Wednesday will try it bars and helmet but helmet is my main useage on dirt, it's wet dirt where you really need Max power though.

As long as you stay away from LED's with a strange Lens that pools all the light into a spot with no spill, then all the LED's I've got have plenty of spill for me,

I'll stop every 70-80mins to too save $300 everytime, if you want a longer run time blow $10 on 2 batterys, if a battery dies who cares, if the light dies still barely care  Unlike a expensive setup.


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## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

I'll try to get out there on the dirt in the next few days for my review. I have an older Cygolite I used to use in the winter months. I'll charge it up and take it out so I can take comparison shots to from the low tech halogen bottle battery setup and this new high tech wonder from Hong Kong with no wires attached


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

No wires is key isn't it, no taking your rucksack off forgetting your connected and ripping your head off  or no trying to route the lead the right well when putting the helmet on.


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## tamen00 (Mar 10, 2004)

Has anyone tried running an external battery pack with one of these? Could you get a 4800 mah 3.7v battery pack and run it as an external and get 4 hours of runtime with it? I do not see why it would not work, just wanted some insight on it before I tried it... You could then shorten the light, run a standard mount, and you would be good to go...

jsut a thought


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

I toyed with the idea, but if the battery is in the back of your shirt it'll take you 30seconds to change it, I find it more flexible want a 8year ride, just fill the rucksack with batterys and ride


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

* tamen00 said:*


> Has anyone tried running an external battery pack with one of these? Could you get a 4800 mah 3.7v battery pack and run it as an external and get 4 hours of runtime with it? I do not see why it would not work, just wanted some insight on it before I tried it... You could then shorten the light, run a standard mount, and you would be good to go...
> 
> jsut a thought


No one has tried it yet that I know of but I've toyed with the idea. I just ordered one of the P-7 MTE torches last night from the China Goods web site. Deal Extreme is much cheaper but all of theirs are back ordered so I figured I would pay the additional $15 rather than wait. A couple years back I bought a nice 4800mah Li-ion 3.7 volt battery from BatterySpace and never used it. This would be a nice battery to use to adapt one of these torches to an external battery. Nevertheless, I'm really hoping that the 18650 (2400mah) batteries I've ordered with the torch will give the 1+ hr. run time that is promised. Like *Turveyed* I'm planning on using mine helmet mounted. The torch I chose looks like it might have a nice center hot spot which is what I am hoping for. *Turveyed*, I tried to hold off on buying one of these but the temptation was too much. Even if it doesn't have the throw I'm looking for I still will have a nice torch. With my 600L on the bars and P-7 torch on the helmet I should have an awesome amount of light.


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

The Trustfire with Copper HeatSink 1 I've order is in stock on DX $54 area, C2 sized reflector so should have a tighter spot than the others but not as tight as Cree's.

Even if it's not a thrower it'll great for 15mph area techy stuff with light everywhere hopefully, I've got the R2 on my head aswell which is a good thrower, but the P7 will boost it more to 

I tried too, upgraded both my 100lumen torches to R2's ( 250 ) with the DX drop in but wrecked the 1 R2 due to heat hassles so sod it  The 40min run time each was ludicrous though. Hoping using Medium power alot will get me 90mins+++ per change.

Expecting Wednesday on mine, should be Friday at the latest though, need to get some night time training rides in.

Only took 2 days ( I'm in the UK ) from the charger + batterys being despatched to arriving, so slim chance on tommorow, average Tuesday.

new toys 

Need the CREE Version, with Side emmiting so it uses the reflector better for more of a thrower, which will be available cheap in a few months i bet.


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## Team Cyborg (Feb 26, 2008)

I competed in the 24 hr at Albion with P7 bar mounted and P7 helmet (2 mode version). I could not outride the lights, they are simply brilliant (we won our age group). The throw is excellent and they provide lots of spill. Not bad for a $45 flashlight. I'm also getting approximately 2 hours on high and even when they start to dim the light is still useable. I have the earlier version which is supposed to be 600 lumens, the newer C bin are supposed to be 900 lumens which will reduce the run time. I got mine from China.


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

Team Cyborg said:


> I competed in the 24 hr at Albion with P7 bar mounted and P7 helmet (2 mode version). I could not outride the lights, they are simply brilliant (we won our age group). The throw is excellent and they provide lots of spill. Not bad for a $45 flashlight. I'm also getting approximately 2 hours on high and even when they start to dim the light is still useable. I have the earlier version which is supposed to be 600 lumens, the newer C bin are supposed to be 900 lumens which will reduce the run time. I got mine from China.


Likely annoys the Expense Lupine Betty / Wilma riders aswell, with only the 600lumen version.

2hours seriously, doubt any of the torches are drawing more power than yours from the battery, abit more efficent so 700lumens i still think is more realistic so fingers crossed on 2hour, I'll do a discharge test with mine by a fan for sure soon though.


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## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

Turveyd said:


> The 40min run time each was ludicrous though. Hoping using Medium power alot will get me 90mins+++ per change.


dude this light runs on Med mode FOREVER and I mean FOREVER. I'm in the middle of doing the runtime, I've had to do it on my spare time when I'm not at work. easier at work cuz I'm at my desk the whole time. I ran it THREE hours on Med yesturday while I worked some OT and honestly I was amazed it was still going wen I had to leave. I've been doing 30 minute egg beated timed interval here and there.

I got it running again for another 30 minutes before I'll check the voltages, I'm going to stop the test at 3.60v or when I see the light dim and it hasn't dimmed yet:thumbsup:

Battery started at 4.22v
2 hours @ 3.87v
3 hours @ 3.82v
3.5hours @3.79v
4 hours @3.76v
4.5 hours @3.75v

At this rate of .06v used per hour, the run time of Med mode will be around 6.5hours:thumbsup:  :thumbsup:


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## dazzat3 (May 4, 2008)

I've been using a DX 5 mode SKU12060 for about a month now for commuting and it has a good mix of spread and throw. all for $65 with charger and two batteries, how can you go wrong? Absolute Bargain.

I started using it as a helmet mount but I have since moved it down to the handle bars as I was not able to get it to sit securely on my helmet but I would not hesitate to recommend it as a helmet mounted light as it was very effective....It only weighs 154 grams with a 2500 mah battery.

I was toying with the idea of buying another but I have now started to make a 6 SSC P4 LED dynamo driven light only waiting for LEDs to arrive from DX. I will use the P7 as a Helmet mounted light but I will have to come up with a better mounting method or a new helmet.


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## zarr (Feb 14, 2008)

Thanks for the tip! :thumbsup:


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

Interesting, but doesn't make sense, how bright is Medium 1/2 or less ??

On the basis i get 42mins outta my R2 with 2 CR123a 800Ma batterys, 18650 2400ma so x's 3 run time, then you've got 4 dies, so call it 3x's the draw so back to 42mins 

Why I was thinking Medium for 90mins run time for general useage!!


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## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

Well the 5hour voltage was 3.74v which is interesting because the tapper of the discharged has changed.

The first two hours discharged .35v from the battery (the overcharged voltage)
2-3 hour discharged .06 volts
3-4 hour discharged the same .06 volts
but now hour 4-5 discharged only .02 volts.

Seems as the battery is getting closer to it's 3.6 normal output, the LED in Med is getting more effeciant. So each LED in the die is running at optium temp and power ranges. I don't have a light meter or anything like that so i can't tell you if it's running 50% of the total power or not. But if each die was putting out 225lumens max to generate the 900lumens total. The med mode MIGHT be running at or around 100lumens per die.

The latest Fenix TK10 list 225lumen max for 90 minutes, but on it's Med mode, it's 60lumens for *10 hours* which might be the same range as this P7 light on Med with this new change is power consumption. Still 60 per die is 240lumens total is better then most light out there. Unfortuanlly, with the P7 wanted to run a wider beam, the focus on that 240lumen isn't so well. At full power the wide beam is NICE, but if this is correct, Med mode is running around 25-30% max.

I'll finish my run time test on Med mode today at work. Next step will be the slow strobe but uses 100% power in each burst. I really like this mode and can ride at a good clip using it too.


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## Deme Moore (Jun 15, 2007)

The quoted lumens are a fantasy. On high in theory it should do 700 lumens but maybe not even that given a weak driver (which these Chinese lights are known for). But still, plenty bright.

My Niterider X2 Dual does a real, measured 150 lumens on low and that's enough light to ride by. So if the P7 can do 200 lumens on Mid you're golden.

Now to get me one of these lights and post a comparo!


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## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

so I got the final results of MED mode of this light.

Battery started at 4.22v
2 hours @ 3.87v
3 hours @ 3.82v
3.5hours @3.79v
4 hours @3.76v
4.5 hours @3.75v
5 hours @ 3.74v
5.5 hours @ 3.72v
6 hours @ 3.70v
6.5 hours @ 3.67v
7 hours @ 3.35v and was a little bit dimmer. And could go longer..

I'm waiting for the batteries to charge up and try the strobe soon using this same test method.


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

as long as Medium mode is useable, then thats a really nice switch on and ride all night with 1 cell torch, 2 cells tops if you use high mode abit.

Is Medium useable is the question then ??

Comparing to the R2 250lumens, Medium mode must be putting out @70lumens to get that kinda run time.

See how the TrustFire 5 mode Single 18650 does hopefully tommorow!!


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## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

I'd be using High, Med, Slow speed strobe the most. Low mod is good for reading a book, trail map or route slip. The other mods aren't really usable for a bike light.

Med mode for me will be used for slow speed stuff like climbing or recovery on fireroads. I can save the bat for singletracks and downhill sections or any other higher speed stuff where I find I'll outride the light.


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

My plan is medium nearly fully time, but medium does have to be as good if not abit better than the R2. Hoping 350-400Lumens ( Lad on DX says medium is 95% power, low 85% power if so Low will be fine for me )

R2 single click used on anything remotely DH best to run 2 lights for fast stuff.

And High saved for seriously techy fast stuff as it's going to be a hassle to change modes, well switch off and wait 3 seconds he claims reverts back to high.

Fireroads I'll likely switch it off and slow climbs just use the bar lights, alot of riding time wise is climbing ofcourse.

Hope it arrives tommorow, if it's as bright as claimed I'll hopefully be riding alot more at night which I Like doing.


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## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

on mine, it's Med, High, fast strobe, low, slow strobe, SOS then police tactical

So if I'm on high, I just turn it off with a hard click, on again at Med. So two clicks and less then a second to revert to Med.

I hope to get out there tomorrow night for a dirt ride. We'll see......


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

Well I've had mine arrive the Ultrafire 1 and although I'll reverse judgement until it's dark so 10 1/2 hours ..................

a) it's HEAVY
b) the Reflector body is HUGE bigger than the C2, dunno if it's going to fit on my helmet yet.
c) did I mention Heavy, we are talking 3x's the weight of my R2 torch!!!

Just adjusted the pill abit higher seems brighter and tightened the spot abit.

Power wise :- ( Spot )

Medium Mode is compareable to the R2, with 4x's the area on the spot.
High is a tad below 2 x R2's, but yet again with a HUGE area compared to.

Spill wise the R2 is actually brighter and I find the spill useful on the bars rather than the spot 

its definately on the limit of what I'd like on my head weight wise!!!

I Really expected better the Beams abit wishy washy aswell, really shoulda waited for the CREE version but atleast I've got the batterys and charger for that hey.

Bar mounted is likely where it's going to end up sadly realistically  WASTE but even then it weighs so much at the front it's going to be hard to keep up from slipping down.

Nothing like the pics above, I really expected better, no wall of light here 

But find out when it gets dark!!


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

Well thats ruined that, the Reflector looks dirty inside so popped it out, gave it a quick wipe and bye bye shiney surface, exposed it to a red non reflective undercoat on 1/2 the lense, dropping the power by nearly 1/2 the fastest wrecked light in history.

I Have got a backup plan though, I'm going to sand the top layer + under coat off get the reflector nice and smooth and then TRY ( No idea if Alu will polish up enough ), to use Brasso to polish the reflector till it's really reflective, it will also be smooth for greater range 

Either way I won't waste money on another P7, just don't like where it puts the light, with the reflector off it barely throws any forward, as shown from the lack of spill, will wait for the CREE 4 LED Version.

Atleast it's only £25 wasted


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

Well my conversion to smooth reflector is complete, sand paper to take the top off then BRASSO for @1hour rubbing like crazy my fingers hurt big time the reflector is SMOOTH and I can barely see the screen because I shon it in my face just doh!!!!

Okay the spot is abit smaller and you can really see the 4 LED's close up and even 12foot away the donut hole ( hmmmm Donut ).

Interestingly the Spill is brighter than the 2xR2's which puts it back in the running as a sensible bar mounted light. Up from 1/2 a R2 and a HUGE area to.

Can't rule out the Reflector was burn damage I left it on for 5mins to see hot it got sadly


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## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

Is this the one you have? http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13336

The head of that is 15mm larger then on I have. I looked at that one and didn't like the 2 1/4" lens off the front and also 1/4lbs heavier then the MTE one I got.

Take some pics tonight, hope the donuts isn't noticable on the trails. That would be annoying.


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## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

another thing to do, rewire the two wires coming off the LED to the driver board. On my light, it was some thin 22-24gauge wire. I replaced it with 18gauge wire.


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

Yep thats the sucker, i wanted the copper base which I'm still not 100% sure it's Brass, figured the torch would be C2 size, with batterys this is @350-400grams, @50grams heaver than the Hope 1 vision, which is left for dead by the R2's and the P7, i mean is this even working ohhhhh!!

I've repositioned the pill and pretty much removed the donut.

Take it out for a quick blast tonight if nothing else, try it bar and head mounted.

Full length of house the range looks impressive compared to the R2, thats wishy washy this 1 kicking butt.

500Lumen rating I think, which if so 75mins run time compared to my calculated 45mins which will be nice.

So drop this onto the bars and order the MTE as looks MUCH better and smaller and lighter!!


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## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

it's prolly a brass base. Copper is way expensive for a slug that size.

you light itself is 269 grams
MTE light is 148 grams 

Pretty good difference there, more so when you hit a bump since the head of your light isn't well balanced tot he body. You'll have to strap the lighting closer the top of the body to even out the weight.


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

jsigone said:


> another thing to do, rewire the two wires coming off the LED to the driver board. On my light, it was some thin 22-24gauge wire. I replaced it with 18gauge wire.


My hands and soldering ability isn't upto that sadly!!


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

Internal temperature after 10mins seems fine though, so it's okay likely not running as powerful as it should be though.

Not far off twice the weight, yep i chose badly there 

Thankfully at these prices you can afford to experiment !!


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

Obviously my reflector isn't as good as it should be, it's just highly polished Alu, so making it not a fair test doh!!!

Not going to say it's alot worse, brighter spot, brighter spill, but smaller spot so I'll consider it a upgrade


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## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

the bigger the reflector the more throw it should have. I think its the nature of the P7 config to have lots of spill.


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

Mines with the reflector before had NO spill, currently its got alot more spill interestingly, although this is tuneable by moving the pill up and down so it seems.

1hour to dark here, then I'll find out, but TOO HEAVY and definately not powerful enough to bother, better have a huge run time, definately thinking bar mounted


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

Ohhhh with the LED exposed there is a HUGE bright ring 90degrees to the direction, this is wasting alot of light if the Reflector can't use it be warned.

Seouls are Side emmiting, CREE's are forward emmiting aren't they or something ???

Got to hold out for the CREE 4 LED Version really


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

Well thats totally the end of that torch BANG your dead!!!

Decided Bars only, still nothing special, but better than the Hope 1 Vision, so lets do a run test, ohhh hang on maybe with 2 CR123a's doh!!!! it flicked through it's modes, then started to smell, burnt out the switch, it does switch on but looks like LOW mode only won't change 

£27 down the tubes, don't tell the GF LOL

Okay my fault, but still do not get the trustfire one !!


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## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

its not designed to run off of 2 CR123's. Its directly driven off battery with some type of load resistor to regulate the pwoer. Not power regulated by a driver board like Q5 and P4's are ran off of to run multiple bats off it. Sucks it blew.....

You can get another P7 for 20 some US bucks. Or double it and get a lighter weight MTE light.....


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

Well I've tried it so nobody else will have to  Thought i'd see if it was brighter the answer was ofcourse no, and I just looked at it in what ever mode it's in doing a run time test as it's vaguely useable on the bars ( well adds some light ) and should run for hours I'd hope which as I've got spare 18650's be rude not to.

Retro fitted my damaged CREE R2 back to Cree P4 100lumen which is similar to the damaged R2 and can also run off 18650 so 4hour run time expected  on my helmet with a 2xAA C3 80lumen constant on, and the 250lumen R2 used when needed.

Bars have a Hope 1 Vision and knackered P7 which is just slightly brighter than the C3 but still brighter than the Hope!!!

Will likely order a MTE like yours when a client pays me, be okay head mounted ???

The new Single mode C2's look good to, looks to be abit more of a thrower!! Liked my old C2's shame about the crap switch!!


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Turveyd said:


> ...Will likely order a MTE like yours when a client pays me, be okay head mounted ???
> 
> The new Single mode C2's look good to, looks to be abit more of a thrower!! Liked my old C2's shame about the crap switch!!


Turveyed, Just to let you know I ordered this MTE P-7 torch > http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/mtereg-superbright-lumens-flashlight-torch-p-982.html > This one is only two mode. Since I only plan on using it helmet mounted I only wanted a high/low switch. I already have an MTE torch that has the exact same dimensions so I know that it will work well on my helmet. The MTE I have is pretty much a spot beam but with the P-7 setup I'll just have to cross my fingers and hope I still get a good usable spot. I didn't order mine from D/X but D/X has the same torch and also has it in a five mode as well. I should probably get it by Thur / Friday of next week. Whenever I order from Quality China Goods it usually takes about ten working days ( Air mail ). So far I've never had a problem with them and they arrive in my mail box without a hitch. I'll let you know how it works when I get it. If I were you I'd try to send the Trustfire back since you had problems with it from the git-go and it does seem a tad heavy. If D/X takes it back maybe you can switch for another model(?). I'd send them an e-mail to see what they say. If you're a regular customer I'd bet they would take it back ( * regardless of what you might have done to it while trying to fix it...:smilewinkgrin: )


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

*Be sure to let us know*

I'd be very interested to know how bright the low level is on the two mode. I would be using it bar mounted so My perfect version of the MTE P7 would have a high and a medium that required nothing more than a quick click to change from 'need all the light I can get' mode to 'I'm climbing and can get by with half mode' and back again.


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## Team Cyborg (Feb 26, 2008)

rideandshoot said:


> I'd be very interested to know how bright the low level is on the two mode. I would be using it bar mounted so My perfect version of the MTE P7 would have a high and a medium that required nothing more than a quick click to change from 'need all the light I can get' mode to 'I'm climbing and can get by with half mode' and back again.


I have the 2 mode MTE SSC P7. The low mode is fine for very slow trail riding (barely). I run a helmet and bar mount. Normally I run with the helmet on high for training when I crank it up to race pace I have to run both on high. Maybe you could tinker with the clicky, probably uses a resistor of some sort for the low setting.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

> *RideandShoot Said:* I'd be very interested to know how bright the low level is on the two mode. I would be using it bar mounted so My perfect version of the MTE P7 would have a high and a medium that required nothing more than a quick click to change from 'need all the light I can get' mode to 'I'm climbing and can get by with half mode' and back again.


As soon as I get it I'll put some beam photos up ASAP.



Team Cyborg said:


> I have the 2 mode MTE SSC P7. *The low mode is fine for very slow trail riding (barely).* I run a helmet and bar mount. Normally I run with the helmet on high for training when I crank it up to race pace I have to run both on high. Maybe you could tinker with the clicky, probably uses a resistor of some sort for the low setting.


I am a little worried about the low setting. The product description made the low mode sound as though it is very, very low. It might only be in the 100 lumen range. I would rather have it in the 200 lumen range. Like you I've already thought about changing the resistor if I can get the clicky apart. If not I will probably be able to use the clicky from my other MTE light which has a brighter low mode. I'll be crossing my fingers hoping that it all works to my liking when it comes.


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

I'd say the torch I had was 80 on low, looks like it's direct draw here so without electronics to boost its inbetween low and medium, tried it with a wire same output 

Thats why I went for 5 mode, i wanted a useable Medium @400lumens with a estimated 90min run time,

Sadly SSC's are all about the Reflector the spill is from the reflector, Cree on the other hard, take the reflector off and you've still got forward push and useable spill.

not long for the CREE versions which will i bet be much more useable BUT stuck for a month or 3 until there are good reviews 

But a P7 for Flood on the bars and a CREE 4 jobby on your head should be spot on.

Will look forward to more beam shots, if as good as above I'll be getting the MTE as looks good flood wise.


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## iq2k (Jul 5, 2008)

*ledtech*

I think heat is a consideration & does steel power intended for lighting & that 930 lumens is close to breaking point for ssc p7 binC LED' hence all the heatsinking under the led.
the other thing is some also have controllers that do not dim the light via power draining resisters but feed the light at given phase, what this means is the feed is taken from the battery within a given range to power an ic, this ic ensures that the power is switched at a rate that gives a certain brightness when you click on & off with some, half clicks with others.
The light setting is cycled through the stages through the ic.
One plus with this system is you can get light right up to either the torch ic's protection kicks in.
Or If your using protected batteries they also have an ic that shuts down.
there is another variant that warns by dimmng the lights maybe10 before minutes shutdown
the point is it is new tech even to torch lovers but those who want and can't wait
as far as a p7 for cycles i believe for now the mte 5 mode is good for a no messing light if you want something a bit more perfect start with the 2 mode you could try changing the ic for a serious one like THIS then change the clicky switch to half lick to change light mode while they are running for about $2 more
i think when you select a SSCp7 LED torch for cycling you nead spreed of light cause the throw is crazy with these things 
for a hemet fenix P3D Q5 using it's Cree XRE Q5 is a good hemet light not as bright as the p7 12w jobs but lightweight & more than enough for me as the bar mounted p7 takes care of the road the fenix is there when i need to glance outside the light spill, down or if i take a lucky tumble "you know !The one where you end up stumbling at 10mph, leaving the bike behind you.Well you can see jmore than enough with this little torch to be back in the running.
i also found that after looking down with the p3d in tubo mode i was a bit blinded by the reflection, after taking a mo to get full vision back all was good.
Heres a funky little custom light that is also for sale.
Iv'e been pestering them to do it in a p7 with that controller as then any battery in a bottle will do i've tried the controller with powertool batteries & P7 with great success.
If they get enough request there could be something raw and new out there to rival the


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

JSIGone, have your tried this light head mounted yet ?? and on dirty ??

If so is it useable head mounted ? weight on head, power output and range all useable there ??

I don't mind using it on the bars, I'll just use my 100lumen torch that takes 18650's for huge run time on my head instead of the bars for general use then the R2 for fast requirements light drops to crap with that sadly with a 18650 

Should have it ordered and here end of next week, as my 1 R2 that got burned is DEAD I'm abit unpowered here.

If it's any good, I'll run 2 maybe 2 on my head and 1 on the bars even 

Although likely wait for the Cree's and move over to them for my helmet mounting.


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## iq2k (Jul 5, 2008)

Turveyd said:


> JSIGone, have your tried this light head mounted yet ?? and on dirty ??
> 
> If so is it useable head mounted ? weight on head, power output and range all useable there ??
> 
> ...


I think the new fenix p3d with the new cree Q5 led and constant power driver weighes nothing & serves me well helmet mounted click *here* to check it out


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

Abit down power wise than my R2 but 1.8hour run time sounds great, likely a better reflector so similar power, £40 is reasonible.


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## Capt. Z (Jan 24, 2008)

Looks like the P7 is a great light for the occasional MTB night rider on the cheap.

How do you guys mount the torch to the handlebar or helmet? I guess felcro would do it to mount in on the helmet.


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## J-No (Apr 27, 2008)

Okay, total idiot newbie here. Most of this thread is way over my head. I'm interested in this light or one similar, as I do not need all of the modes.

I will need batteries. I'm confused by all of the terminology. I need the 18650's correct? How are these different from AA? Do I want Li or Ni-MH? How many mAh? Are all of these rechargable?

Can I use Lithium disposables in a pinch and will they last longer? (It seems they do in the Dinotte lights) I was going to order a Trustfire charger/batteries at the same time, but then got lost in all the lingo.

Thanks!!


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## dazzat3 (May 4, 2008)

J-No said:


> Okay, total idiot newbie here. Most of this thread is way over my head. I'm interested in this light or one similar, as I do not need all of the modes.
> 
> I will need batteries. I'm confused by all of the terminology. I need the 18650's correct? How are these different from AA? Do I want Li or Ni-MH? How many mAh? Are all of these rechargable?
> 
> ...


Hi J-NO,

Here is a shopping list,

Torch/Flashlight option 1, http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12060
Torch/Flashlight option 2, http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12325
Batteries, http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5790
Charger option 1, http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.936
Charger option 2, http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4151

Hope this helps


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## balhoon (Sep 23, 2005)

dazzat3 said:


> Hi J-NO,
> 
> Here is a shopping list,
> 
> ...


Thanks for the newb help 
Do you also have a link for an oversize bar mount kit  ?


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## J-No (Apr 27, 2008)

Thanks for the list. I ordered directly from your advice. Based on reading this thread I ordered the 5 mode with the idea that the med mode may be perfect for me.

I may use this primarily for a secondary/backup light for when I get caught late at work. Can I use lithium disposables and keep them in my pack for when needed? If so, more or less run time? From what I understand the recharageables will not hold their charge over time.

The knowledge on this board is amazing. I hope to someday build my own light.


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## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

The 5 mode is what I wanted but didn't want to wait for the backorder to update, so I got the 7 mode which they had in stock at the time. Now I think that is on BO as well.

this is the mount I have, http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12000
ordered 2 of those suckers, left one stock for the helmet and hacked up the other one to fit on my bars. My road bike as oversized winged bars and it works fine with more then enough velcro to wrap it. Both straps are different sizes, I used the shorter size to hold the light and the second for the bars. You can order the lockblock/fishblock ones from the Fenix store but it's a bit more money. I have the tools at work to easily make the mods I needed to the mount.

I havn't been able to get a night ride in lately, my brother was on leave from Iraq for a few weeks so I've been spending time after work with him rather then riding. Still hope to get some dirt shots in later this week. I plan to helmet mount it first then move it to the bars and see how it works for my local trails.

I ordered this light for my backup pocket light, nothing specail http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5435


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

*No-Jo,* I think you will like your new torch when it comes. Since this thread is about the P-7 models I'm going to assume that the torch you ordered uses 18650 Li-ion rechargeables. You also asked questions about the batteries so I'll try to be brief.

*No-Jo said*,


> Can I use lithium disposables and keep them in my pack for when needed? If so, more or less run time? From what I understand the recharageables will not hold their charge over time.


 The 18650 Li-ion batteries come in two versions, protected and unprotected. The protected version would be best in this application. Protected batteries have a small PCB (printed circuit board ) installed to protect the battery from being overly discharged. This is good because if a Li-ion battery is overly discharged it loses it ability to hold a charge. Rechargeable Li-ion's hold their charge in storage very well, unlike some NiMh batteries so you can basically charge them and forget about them until they are used. *I don't think any one makes a non-rechargeable Lithium version of the 18650. If they did they would probably be very expensive. (* If I'm wrong about that someone please correct me) The 18650 batteries also come in different capacities ( mah ).
In the P-7 using the 2400-2500mah would probably give you longer run time. The higher the number the longer the run time. In case you didn't know "mah" stands for Milli-Amp-hour, 2500mah = 2.5 amp hours. If you order non-protected batteries don't worry about it. They will work fine. Just be careful to switch them out when the light starts to significantly dim. Oh, one more thing: the 18650's are 3.7 volt batteries. When they are fully charged they will charge slightly over 4 volts ( peak voltage> this is normal ) Do not switch out to two smaller CRC123 type batteries because two of those ( 3-3.7 volts ea. ) would bring the voltage up to over 7 volts which, in this case would be a big no-no...No-Jo.:nono:


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## J-No (Apr 27, 2008)

Thanks for the info. It helped out a lot. 

-J-No


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

_would bring the voltage up to over 7 volts which, in this case would be a big no-no...No-Jo. _

Guess which smart arse tried that the thought, I smell burning, whys the light flickering ohhhh


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## iq2k (Jul 5, 2008)

Thanks for all your help.


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## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

some of us gotta learn those leassons the hard way:thumbsup:


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## Capt. Z (Jan 24, 2008)

Will the P7 be bright enough for a ride in the woods at night going up and down and around those curves?


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

The 250lumen R2's are enough but still with 1 abit struggly, the P7 I had breifly had the same spot output as 2 R2's but a larger area, just no spill at all strangely.

I'm hoping the MTE's mentioned here will out perform that and last more than 1/2 a day


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## iq2k (Jul 5, 2008)

Turveyd said:


> The 250lumen R2's are enough but still with 1 abit struggly, the P7 I had breifly had the same spot output as 2 R2's but a larger area, just no spill at all strangely.
> 
> I'm hoping the MTE's mentioned here will out perform that and last more than 1/2 a day


I don't know if i'm just late to the party or what but check *THIS* out & tell me what you think.
:eekster:    :nono: 
I wounder if gf will notice:madman: :madman:


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## iq2k (Jul 5, 2008)

I wounder if i can sqeeze 3 x p7's in that housing?


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

Damn thats is some serious peice of kit the surface area with all those huge thins is going to be huge, if they do optics and you don't mind lugging a huge battery around then 3 x P7's would kick ass, I'd wait for the new CREE 750lumen peronally, likely put more light forward like the R2's do.

3 x R2 would KICK some ass though, and less draw than 1 x P7, I've ran 2x's R2 with less optics so 3 x with descent optics / reflector and WOWSA's anyways.

1 P7 in flood mode and 2 x R2 for range would be perfect if they'd let you machine it for different LED's.


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## dazzat3 (May 4, 2008)

balhoon said:


> Thanks for the newb help
> Do you also have a link for an oversize bar mount kit  ?


http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12000

The above is a good mount but only if you want to mount your P7 off your stem...it is not set up to mount at 180 deg like the Two fish mount and it sits the torch up to high on your helment....will be hit by lower tree branches. I have found the Livestrong type arm band the best way to helmet mount the P7....Just be carefull if commuting with the P7 as it'll burn the eye's out of on coming traffic if it's not directed properly.

The 5 mode MTE has more than enough punch for mtb night rides. Nothing else will compare with out spending several hundreds more in a commercially available light,,, and can you buy replacement batteries and chargers for approx $10 for these lights???...or upgrade as LED tech improves, without breaking the bank???


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

Upto buying my useless P7 think I'd spend $140 in 4 torches in total over the last year, stacks of CR123a's giving me a huge run time and upgrading the P4's 100lumens to R2 250lumens.

+$100 for the P7 + 18650's + charger and another +$45 to come.

If you consider I spent $220 all in on the Hope 1 Vision with batterys + charger and the old P4's leave if for dead, let alone the R2 and the P7 barely seemed it was on.

Helmet wise, I use strips of inner tube the light then just slides in and out easily in seconds.


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

Gave up on the P7 plan, just don't like Seoul Emmitors and the way they work, ordered 2 x CREE R2's new ones which should pump out 20% ( 250lumens ) more than my current R2's and run on 18650's for huge run times, just leave them both on pretty much all the time on full ( annoying 5 mode ones )

Got to compare the R2 to a joystick Max ( not 100% sure it's a max ) and the R2 leaves it for DEAD!!


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## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

Got a link to what you ordered?


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

2 of these

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14445

Latest ones out using the new Drop in so decent regulation hopefully, Low mode I guess is useful for bike repairs but plan to run on full all the time, maybe just 1 on climbs if I want to really ride for ages.


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## OldNick (Aug 7, 2006)

This is scary!

When does it all end? I had K2s, and now I am going to Cree.....errr...perhaps not. I have just priced doing two bikes/helmets using Q5s, 3 per set, a total of 2600 Lm at around US$140, and making my own housings.

Then along come these torches,and I am looking at US$180 for four of them, no building, and at least 2800 Lm.....and I get 4 _very_ useful, commercial-looking torches.

I guess if I build using multi Crees I can tailor the light beams, but then I need to buy different optics and trial them etc etc

:madman: 

Nick


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## fightnut (Jul 5, 2007)

Any updates from anyone? There were a couple people that said they were ordering some lights in this thread, and I was just curious if anyone has received them and had a chance to try them on a ride yet?


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

fightnut said:


> Any updates from anyone? There were a couple people that said they were ordering some lights in this thread, and I was just curious if anyone has received them and had a chance to try them on a ride yet?


I had mine a few weeks ago, no real use head mounted, but Bar Mounted I'm riding with just this on for most of my ride, which increases my run time through the roof all in and use 30% power mode for climbs aswell, the 37mm MTE P7 5 Mode is comparable in power output to a Hope HID looks almost identical, I do want a 2nd 1 for fast sections though.


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## sxr-racer (Nov 17, 2005)

has anybody found a handlebar bar mount for these???


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## notnormal (Mar 18, 2007)

I've had a P7 flashlight for about a week. Only taken on 2 short off-road mtb rides. Has held up really well, and is now my primary light on the handlebar. Previously used a DIY 20W halogen mtb light.


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## sxr-racer (Nov 17, 2005)

ok, placed order for this light.

What is everybody's experience on delivery from DealExtreme?


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## notaknob (Apr 6, 2004)

*wait for it.. wait for it...*



sxr-racer said:


> ok, placed order for this light.
> 
> What is everybody's experience on delivery from DealExtreme?


*Once it's shipped*, about 10-15 days.

Notice I put "Once it's shipped" in there. It might take anywhere from 1 week to 2 months to ship.


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## sxr-racer (Nov 17, 2005)

notaknob said:


> *Once it's shipped*, about 10-15 days.
> 
> Notice I put "Once it's shipped" in there. It might take anywhere from 1 week to 2 months to ship.


:madman: :madman: :madman: :madman: :madman: :madman: :madman: :madman: :madman: :madman:


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## notnormal (Mar 18, 2007)

sxr-racer said:


> ok, placed order for this light.
> 
> What is everybody's experience on delivery from DealExtreme?


I was lucky. It took 11 days for me to receive the flashlight, batteries and charger, from the day that I placed the order. They also labeled the contents of the package as "gift", so there was no customs :thumbsup:.

Some tips:
- Since shipping is free, break orders into parts. I.e. group items with similar shipping times together. Things tend to ship out faster that way, and one item won't hold up the order for days.
- Don't bother with backorder items. Wait until it's listed instock, and then order it.
- If an item takes longer to ship then the estimated time (i.e. 2-5 business days), cancel it if possible and order something else.


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## sxr-racer (Nov 17, 2005)

Not at the point of needing lights yet. I have a Niterider Evolution, It will get me by. A friend has some of the Minewt USB's, I could bum one of his as an extra if need be.


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## sxr-racer (Nov 17, 2005)

double post


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

NotNormal, normally 10days here, definately break them into parts with a value of less than £28 each if your in the UK to avoid tax's 


Next order will be a MC-E torch, hmmmmmmm hopefully sooner rather than later  and a few more 18650's to be sure, or maybe a 2nd P7 for my bars.


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## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

took about 8 business days to get mine but i'm in CA. I need to order more batteries, I let a friend borrow my light and she lost one of the 18650's.......


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## Boyonabyke (Sep 5, 2007)

I placed an order early this morning.... 12060... In California here... 8 business days would be great, wonder if they consider Saturday a business day? Of course my Sunday afternoon will be their Monday morning.

States this 12060 is 900 lumens... does that mean it's a P7 C-Bin emitter, by default? This light has been out now what, 6 months? Wonder why they don't put that in the description?


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## Kanute (Jan 15, 2004)

*Bar Mount for P7*

This is what I got from DX.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15342

Works on my 31.8 bars. It does have the ability to rotate, so I just superglued the rotation part in place. Works great.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Kanute said:


> This is what I got from DX.
> 
> http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15342
> 
> Works on my 31.8 bars. It does have the ability to rotate, so I just superglued the rotation part in place. Works great.


 I was looking at those a while back...is there a way to tighten it so the part that rotates stays in place. If not than maybe the super glue was the way to go.


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## Ral83178 (Sep 25, 2007)

> I had mine a few weeks ago, no real use head mounted, but Bar Mounted I'm riding with just this on for most of my ride, which increases my run time through the roof all in and use 30% power mode for climbs aswell, the 37mm MTE P7 5 Mode is comparable in power output to a Hope HID looks almost identical, I do want a 2nd 1 for fast sections though.


Turveyd-

Why do you say that the P7 (assuming what you are referencing) can't be used for a helmet mount? Aren't the lights really only a couple of feet away from eachother?

tr


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

With no defined spot the range of the P7 on dark wet ground is useless, my eyes are always trying to see, where it's dark and the light pool around it ruins my night vision, i spend my time searching around for the spot and just get a really bad head ache.

Stick to something more spotty, dunno if the MC-E will be spotty enough, if not  I'll run a MC-E and a P7 on my bars only use both for fast sections ofcourse and rock on 

Fingers crossed it's a tight enough beam for head use PLEASE!! Normally get my DX delivery in 3 - 4 days, saturdays have been common and tommorow is day 4 so should be here 90% sure


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## Datalogger (Jul 5, 2008)

Those of you with P7's, how are they holding up?


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## sxr-racer (Nov 17, 2005)

Datalogger said:


> Those of you with P7's, how are they holding up?


No problems for me after a few months. Best bang for your buck that is for sure.


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## Datalogger (Jul 5, 2008)

Thanks sxr-racer, that's good to hear!


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

*Some issues*

I finally broke down and bought a MTE P7 5 mode. The size of the light and the amount and pattern of light is as good as most everyone on here has said. Medium pwoer is actually plenty on the bars with a Jet III Pro on the helmet. Problem is mine cycles through the modes on bumpy terrain. I have improved the situation a lot by tightening the fit with some tape around the battery and a spacer to increase the spring tension. Any one have any other ideas? Also, has anyone removed the module in the front? How does it come out? If I could 'liberate' it from the housing I might see if one of the lab techs at work could solder a stronger spring for the positive side of the battery.


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## odtexas (Oct 2, 2008)

Here


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

*This doesn't sound right*

Thanks but I'm not sure were on the same page. I can unscrew the lens head. The LED, heat sink and circuit seem to attach to a white plate which is attached to a brass looking heat sink with two Phillips head (very small) screws. It looks way fragile for channel locks.


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## spellDwhy (May 14, 2009)

It looks like very well. And I want to buy a led flashlight . Can you tell me where it sell? And I found that it's very useful for me.


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

dealextreme.com

eagle-tac.com


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## tomsmoto (Oct 6, 2007)

i had to chime in.. i think turveyd must have gotten a defective light, or damaged it cleaning it or something. this thing is INSANE. theres definitely a well defined spot, but theres plenty of flood to really light up the trail. its borderline ridiculous! its like having the sun mounted to your handlebars.

im running just one MTE ssc p7 off one 18650 cell, completely unmodified. its an amazing amount of light. two would be a tremendous amount of light. if you're worried about light output.. well, dont be :lol: but if you insist, you can order 2 for 60 bucks and have more light than you need.

im considering modifying mine to a more standard looking bike light to properly mount on the stem, but output wise its great.

edit, got MTE SF-15. dx shipped my batteries and charger together.. a day later the flashlight shipped. they shipped to my house faster than ive received stuff from the east coast (live in california). id buy again without hesitation.


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

Hey Tomsmoto.... have you had any of the issues I've had with the light swithching modes on rough terrain?


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## jsigone (Aug 25, 2004)

It's been almost a year since I bought my P7, no problems at ALL. Late last year I paired it up with a JetBeamIII mounted to my helmet to give me more throw/spot up the trail and through the turns, pefect combo IMO. I use them for both MTB and roadie. I've hit 51mph on the decent on the roadie bike using these two lights. AWESOME!!!


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## rideandshoot (Dec 18, 2006)

Hmmm you are smart. I have a jet III pro with OP reflector that I use on my hemet. I just can't seem to fix the mode sitching problem. I just got some magnetic spacers from DX so I'll see if that fixes it.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

*Hot DANG!* New torch showed up today. :ihih: D/X set some kind of new shipping record. It only took about 4 days from the day it shipped and only took about 4 days to process the order...wonders never cease.. Anyway, this is a preliminary review of my new torch :* MTE FS-23 P-7 5-mode ( D-bin ).* see link > http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.22569
My initial impression...I likey... I already have a P-7 torch but I wanted something with a usable mid-mode. The mid-mode is not quite as bright as I would of wanted but it will work. In quick comparisons to my Dinotte's it is about equal to the 200L's mid-level or the 600L's low level. If it would of been around 200lm that would of been nice but at least at the level it's at it should run for 5 or more hrs...which is a big plus. I also like the color rendition of the P-7 D-bin ( SXO white ). No blue or green-ness to the beam at all...nice, all white. Compared to my other P-7 MTE 2-mode ( C-bin ) it is a little more of a confined beam although it still has tons of spill. This is probably do the fact that it has a bigger reflector so probably a little more throw perhaps (?) Don't get me wrong though, the C-Bin MTE has much more spill and is brighter although not by much. This is probably because the D-bin torch has a 5-mode driver while the C-bin torch 2-mode torch is direct drive. As far as the 5-modes go...some good some bad. The good is that all the modes work and do not seem to change without some effort. I've tried banging the torch and it stays put in the mode it was in..which is very good. The bad is that it is somewhat hard changing modes. Sometimes I have to double pulse the clickie to make it change. I am getting better at it so I'm not too worried about that. The other bad thing is that in mid-mode ( 130-150lm ) there is some noticeable intermittent flicker from the PWM circuit. It doesn't do it all the time so for now it's no big thing. Can't wait to do a run time test, maybe tonight if I'm not to tired after working a late shift. I can't say when I'll get a chance to do beam comparisons as it's been raining here for the last couple days.


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## El34 (Jan 11, 2009)

P7 on the helemt and the bars here.

Haven't had a huge amount of saddle time with them cause spring showed up and night rides have slowed down.

Using the Dx 14599 reflector, the P7's I made are blowing away my HID's

The beam pattern is very nice.
It's all in the proper reflector, IMO.

After using the P7's, Clint Eastwood or Arnold would have to pry them from my cold dead hands to get them away from me.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

I was playing with the torch all night, mostly in the mid-mode. Unfortunately it was raining a light mist the entire day/night and is still raining. Wet surfaces tend to not bounce back too much light so it was hard to get a good feel for what it could do. Still I was impressed by what I was seeing. On dry ground it should be even better. I did have to go into an office tonight that is owned by the company I work for. After hours all was dark and they have a rather nice size waiting area ( 25x50ft.est. ) The mid-mode lit up the waiting area pretty good. Can't wait to see just how far it will throw. With what I saw tonight I would think at least in the 
75 ft. range and that's not bad. This should do fine for all around riding. If I need more just hit the high. With this P-7 torch on mid-level ( bar mounted ) and my Aurora MC-E on the helmet, I have a nice combo that, if I'm conservative with the high settings, should be able to milk out 2.5-3hr rides without even changing a battery. When the rain stops I'm going to test that theory as soon as I get the chance. As I'm sitting here I was just fiddling around and noticed that the torch head has lots of room for adjustment. If you adjust the head out it condenses the beam and increases the hot spot. Tightening it down toward the LED and it increases the spill/flood. The good part is regardless of how it is set it doesn't wobble or seem loose ( unlike my other MTE ). Other parting comments: nice glow-in-the-dark button on the clicky. This is a really nice build for an MTE torch, much better than my other one.
( *Review continues in my next post * )


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

*Continued from my last post*....Just got home from work again. No rain tonight but there were spots of low lying ground fog. I did find a couple spots to test out the torch again.
Adjusting the torch head like I mentioned in my last post really does add a bit more throw although it does lessen the spill. The jury is still out though on just how far it will throw on medium mode. I managed to find a really dark area tonight behind the back of a set of office buildings...almost completely dark. There was a little grassy area about 15ft wide that ran the length of the building ( 200ft or so ) When I turned the torch on I was very impressed. It at least looked to be throwing around 75 ft with lots of side spill. Of course I do have to mention that this is on grass. Grass is highly reflective so the throw could be deceiving. Can't wait to see what this does on dirt. So far from what I can tell by trying it on different surfaces I think the medium mode will be most usable within the 50ft. range ( even though it might throw a tad more ) I think if I plan on bar mounted it ( which was my original plan ) I will tighten the head closer to the emitter for better flood/spill. Still, adjusted for maximum throw this torch would make an awesome helmet mounted light...as long as you don't mind cycling through the modes. I can't wait to see how far the high setting will throw with the head adjusted for max-throw. Too much moisture in the air right now to get a good feel for long throw on high. 
Maybe by this weekend the weather will dry up. ( I hope, I hope.. )


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

*Continued review part 4*:

Unfortunately, once again the weather has not been favorable. Rained bloody hell Friday and then Sunday morning there was a brief shower. I decided not to try the trails. Instead I went for the paved bike paths behind where I live. With the MTE P-7 5-mode on the bars and the Aurora MC-E 2-mode on my helmet I took off. Once again my purpose was to test the mid-mode of the MTE. ( http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.22569 ) The head of the torch I left adjusted for max throw. Even though the trails I rode are asphalt they were damp and wet in many spots so typical reflectivity was down a tad. First thing I noticed with just the MTE p-7 on was that when I went through sections with lots of turns it was easy to lose the trail as they turned into the darkness. Spill is greatly diminished on mid mode. Still going straight you can see a good 25-45ft without much problem. When you add the light of the Aurora on low everything changes for the better. Turns are no longer a problem. Both lights tend to complement each other although their beam tints are slightly different. This is not really noticeable though once you start riding. Halfway into the ride I decided to tighten the light head back toward the emitter to see if it made a difference. The result was that it created a larger center spot with not much change in the spill. Still, I preferred this beam pattern when bar mounted even though it lowered the throw down to the 30-35ft range. ( remember this is on Mid-mode ~ 130-150lm est. ) With the MTE on Mid-mode and the Aurora on low total output is ~ 250-300lm. Not the greatest amount of light to ride with but I had no problems seeing anything in the 50-70ft range. Now once you decide to turn one of these bad boys to high mode, everything changes. Regardless of which light you turn high you quickly notice that the other beam completely disappears. The 600lm+ high output from one of these torches blows the lower modes away. I really wish the makers of these torch drivers would make a driver that would output a P-7 around 200-250lm in mid-mode. That would just about be perfect for all around use. With two torches ( P-7 and MC-E ) running at that level you would be able to see great and still have good ( 2-2.5hr ) run times with just one battery in each torch. Of course my choice would be to have the drivers so that they both are either 2 modes or 3 modes ( with no bloody strobe modes...sheeesh ) For the time being I will continue to use these torches as they are...besides using lower levels of light is good practice and restores the sense of Real Night Riding. Just remember...with two of these you can go to 1200lm+ at the flick of a couple switches. :thumbsup:


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## cjroelofse (Jun 1, 2009)

*Batteries*

Cat-man-do

What batteries would you recommend for the flashlight, I'm looking at getting the 3.7V 300mAh battery, is that overkill for the 1 LED, should I rather get a 1.7V battery?

Thanks


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

cjroelofse said:


> Cat-man-do
> 
> What batteries would you recommend for the flashlight, I'm looking at getting the 3.7V 300mAh battery, is that overkill for the 1 LED, should I rather get a 1.7V battery?
> 
> Thanks


I'll assume you are asking about the battery for the P-7 torch. The batteries that run in these torches are all 3.7volt Li-ion 18650's. I recommend either the Trustfire ( blue ) 2500mah's, the Trustfire (black) 2400mah's or Ultrafire (silver/gray) 2400mah's. The Ultrafire (red) 3000mah's are not recommended for high current applications . ( > 1000ma )


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## cjroelofse (Jun 1, 2009)

Thanks Cat-man-do

Good thing I waited for your reply, I'm on my way to order those torches. From what I've read it seems like a good light to start of with, or at least, I think it will be on par with something light the Hope Vision 1 for much less.

Are you still enjoying your flashlight?


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

*Continued Review Part 5:*

Okay, tonight I had a pleasant surprise. Just before leaving for work I charged the battery for the MTE P-7 5-mode, threw it in the bag and headed out for work. Weather was beautiful today, 90'F and dry. Once it got dark I brought the torch out and started to play around with it. With everything dry the first thing I noticed was that the mid-mode looked brighter. I would have to say about 20% brighter. This had me scratching my head...did it just seem brighter or was it actually brighter? The first couple times I turned it on I had to cycle through the modes just to make sure it wasn't on high. Well...no way it was on high because on high it was really busting out. Once again I found some dark areas to test it on and I was really impressed. It most definitely was brighter than my earlier tests. I was so stoked that I couldn't wait to get home so I could try it out on the bike even though that meant going out at 4:00 in the morning.  ...Well... ...as luck would have it, a half hour before my shift ended it started raining bloody murder..:madman: ...Man, I hate when stuff like that happens. Anyway, once home I decided to compare it once again to the mid-mode of my Dinotte 200L. At least I know now it was not my imagination. The mid-mode P-7 is ( now ) definitely brighter than the mid-mode 200L, not by much but brighter. I would say it looks like 160-170lm. Not as bright as the 200L on full but close. I'm still not sure why this is except that maybe putting a fresh charge on the battery might be making a difference..:skep: Oh well, the jury is still out till I can get a dry trail ride in with this bugger. cjroelofse: Yes, I am enjoying my new torch.. ( * Post continues below )


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

*Continued Review Part 6:*

I had a chance the other night to take the MTE P-7 torch out on some trail. Once again my focus is on the mid-level and how well it can work. In a nut shell I was very pleased with the amount of light it was providing. At this level I found the light more usable if I pointed it about 25ft in front of me. Don't get me wrong though, even at this level the torch has some throw. I just prefer most of the light down where I need it most since I also use a helmet light. I think I could be very comfortable using this as my only bar light if I wanted to. On the way back to my car I decided to bail out of the trails because of some heavy mud. Along the way back is a very long ( paved ) downhill run. With the MTE on mid-level and the Aurora M3-2 ( helmet ) on low, I never felt I was out running the beam pattern. Even by itself, the MTE P-7 makes an excellent commuter light. I did notice however a small drop in output ( mid-mode ) over the first hour. I have a feeling this is because the battery peak voltage is dropping ever so slightly. Right now I am using the silver Ultrafire 2400mah's with this torch. I'm going to order a set of the black Trustfires 2400mah that according to the people over on CPF have a lower internal resistance so are better for high current applications. The Black trustfires might just provide a bit more current and thus boost the output a bit. I figure it's worth a try. Who knows...maybe see an output of 180lm on mid-mode(?) :thumbsup: After I got home I charged the battery. I only used the torch about an hour. The battery was charged in less than an hour. Like someone else already said, at this level the torch could run for almost forever. A light like this could be real useful for endurance events.


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## Turveyd (Sep 30, 2007)

If you use the MC-E Mid Mode which is much the same draw the tighter beam should get you brighter for the same draw.

Maybe a 32Degree Fraen ( my 13.5 hasn't arrived yet ), might also be less wasteful on the output, or maybe you can find a similar reflector for a P7 ?? or 1 of the Optics claiming 95% efficency ( I've got on order to experiment with ) could get you more bang for your amps.

For road use I'm running a P7 in Medium and that Drop in P60 MC-E on well 1/2 power, I reckon I get 4+ hours outta both of them, can use it like that for XC to save batterys when required to.

Need more 18650's, I'll look into those Black 2400mah's then, get me a few more lumens on my head maybe


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