# Review: Xeccon Spiker 1207 Dual XM-L



## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

This is a second part of three review. Leonard had Xeccon MTB Revolutioin send me three lights for review: Spiker 1206, Spiker 1207, and Spiker 1210. This review will cover the dual XML T6 Spiker 1207.

Before starting the review, first is some important info.
Xeccon send me the Spiker 1207 free of charge for review.
I have no affiliation with Xeccon, MTB Revolution beside the fact that I have done several review of other lights from Xeccon.
This will be a unbias review and all good or bad shall be reported.

On with the review. The Spiker 1207 sent to me has two Cree XML T6. Each one has it's own reflector. The reflector has a OP texture from what I can tell. The unit came with a 6 x 18650 6600mah battery. It came with a standard 1 amp charger. Other parts include are O rings, helmet mount, extention cable, and a soft bag.

The first thing I noticed was the artistic look of the front of the light. It looks like a "Batman" light. Same goes looking at the back of the light. Sorry, but this light does not shine a bat symbol in the sky calling batman..haha. You'll be lucky to call any bat when both XML led is on high becasue the theoretical lumen claim is 1650. The bat symbol is tempting for someone to look at the light and it can be an attention getter, just don't turn the light on when they are staring at it, otherwise you will be learning a new set of vocabulary. The color matching is very pleasing. It is well balance between the red and black anodizing. The Switch cover on the back of the unit is this figure that I cannot quite make out as of what it is. It has two eyeball staring back at you. I thinbk it suppose to be a bat with it's wing spread out and flying at me. Whatever it is, you'll be the judge. 

Another thing I noticed was the weight and size of the unit. The claim weight is listed at 126 gram and I took a measurment and it weight at 125 gram. The approximate size is about 59.6mm across,51.4mm front to back and 32.2mm top to bottom excluding the oring base mount. Just for size reference, I placed it next to a Magicshine 808E.

The Spiker 1207 has four mode: High, low, strobe and dimming. You can enter any of these mode from the single switch at the back of the unit. The switch has a green indicator and with the two eyes staring back at you, it will be hard to miss when you are trying to find the switch in the dark. :yikes:

*edit* At the time of this writing, the 1207 is now using the U2 XM-L. The unit I have that was sent earlier is the XM-L T6. So that means pretty much the review here is base on the T6 and not the current U2. More than likely whatever lumen result I get will be less than the current 1207 that is being sold.

I will be posting photos, lumen testing, beamshot, battery test and more to follow.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

The box came with the unit package and protected:









The parts that were included are in this picture:









Front of light:









Back of light:









Side:









Top view:









Bottom:









Comparison with Magicshine 808E



















Weight of light









weight of battery









[Edit for picture of weight for light and battery]


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## saypat (Sep 4, 2012)

*bat light*

anxiously awaiting more on this flood light. I want to like this. It would like nice in royal blue imho....


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

* Mode switch and selection*
The mode allow the user to select from four choices: High, Low, strobe and dimming. All selection is done from the single switch on the back. I look of the button seem to be small but I did not have any issue in using it. The size of the body of the light allow the user to place his/her hand over the top of the light to help stabilize the light and prevent tilting when changing mode. This I found helpful when in the dimming mode since that incorporate a constant pressure on the switch.

The process to select High, low and strobe was easy to figure out. The first click of the switch will turn the light on high, second click will set it into low mode and third click will go into strobe mode and the 4th click will turn it off. You can also turn it off from any mode simply by holding the switch for several seconds.

The dimming mode was another story. There was no instruction showing how to go into dimming mode. I had to tinker with it for a while before I figure out how to get it to dim. It turns out first off, you have to be in the off mode. From here you hold the power switch for several seconds and the unit will turn on using the last setting you chose from the dimming. In other words, if you had it program to low dimming, then that's what it will be at when you turn it on in the dimming mode. A second press of the switch and holding the switch on will allow the unit to enter dimming. Here the light will ramp from high to low while you are holding the switch. You can now let go of the switch at the desire illumination and the unit will stay at that level. It takes about 9 second to ramp from High to low in the dimming mode. So if you want to adjust from high to low, you will have to hold the switch for that long of a duration.

The unit does memorize the power level of the last setting for the dimming mode, however there is an exception. Unplugging the light from the battery will reset the memory you have selected earlier. Upon plugging the battery back into the light and selecting dimming mode. the unit will ramp from a High output to the low output.

I measured the low setting of the lumens for the dimming. It adjust from maxium output down to 250 lumens at the lowest setting.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

saypat said:


> anxiously awaiting more on this flood light. I want to like this. It would like nice in royal blue imho....


You are correct as this is a flood lamp. There was a little surprise when I took it outside just for a peek of the beam. This is a OP reflector and not optics. I was expecting more of a pure flood beam but it did throw 100ft with not problems and even reach the 150ft. It was the combo of the dual XML giving off enough lumens to help the throw. More on that further down.

I took a lumen test of the 1207. Just a little note about my Sphere calibration for lights over 1300 lumens. The correction factor value for my sphere is not linear. It has a curve to it. The higher output light will score less if I use the same correction value for the 400 to 800 lumen range light. Instead I determined my value base on using two light combine shining into the sphere at the same time to achieve that 1500 lumen range. I used a BC40 and a SC600 after 3min Ansi standard and shine it into the sphere and got my reading. The BC40 and SC600 have been tested at CPF and I used their tested value as a base for determining my correction value. Final note: my measurement are more relative than absolute.

*Before I post the lumens measurement, I want to note something very important. The 1207 I have was the original 1207 that used two XML T6. Since then Xeccon are now using dual XML U2. The U2 should have higher lumens output than what my review reflects. *

The initial lumen value I got from the dual XML T6 was 1414 lumens and drop rather quickly into the high mid 1350 lumens range. The low setting was measured at 410 lumens. The dimming mode low value was about 250 lumens so that pretty much tells me that the low mode setting was program to be higher than the lowest output from the driver.

The lux throw at 5 meters was 394 lux. So from calculation the throw is 9850 lux @ 1 meter. I would not classified the 1207 as a throw light when compare to something like the KD C8 torch, Maelstrom X10 or Speed II, but it does keep up with similar or better throw when comparing to some of my other lights. It does have better throw than my old MS808 P7, Titan P7 and even more throw than my Olympia 3 x XML although the Olympia is cast out a much wider and more brighter area of light for the first 100ft. I'll let reader be the judge when they see the beamshot later on.


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## .40AET (Jun 7, 2007)

Colleen C- Could you please post your background information? How did you become "The chosen light reviewer" for all of these lights? The reviews would be more meaningful if the readers knew what your history in mountain biking is. 

Thanks!

PS- Starting a new thread with a complete background would be ideal.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

.40AET said:


> Colleen C- Could you please post your background information? How did you become "The chosen light reviewer" for all of these lights? The reviews would be more meaningful if the readers knew what your history in mountain biking is.
> 
> Thanks!


I honestly do not know the real reason why I was chosen to do the review. I cannot speak for the manufactor or reseller who provided the lights. However I do have some possible reasoning why they chose me. Perhaps it's because I tend to be more detail and articulate in the way I do a review? Photo and video is a plus when I was doing my own research for lights and that's pretty much what I tried to accomplish in my review. So I guess that might be one reason for me being the chosen one...I think. I was selected after a referal to do the Bikeray Speed II several month ago and I accepted it. Since then Xeccon who make the BR series also came out with other series of light and I'm guessing it was from that Speed II review was a main reason why they chose me to do the Spiker series. Beside that, I also have quite a collection with lights over the year I spend to find that Holy Grail thrower and that's when the Speed II came out and I gladly accepted to test the Speed II.

I started biking only about 7 years ago and got into the idea of trail and mountain biking with my first bike being a Navaro Float 2.0 full suspension. My weakest part is my limitation when it come to off trail biking. At my age, I limited to dirt trail and non extreme technical ride. I get my blast from mostly downhill since it is no fun having a FS bike bobble up and down while cranking up an incline. Most of the local dirt trail here are in park and the park ranger gets a little cranky if we don't follow the local park rule and ordiance when it comes to closing time. However, winter time does offer a good chance to do some after dark riding before closing time. Otherwise it mean having to drive out of town to get to the better trail but that means several hour drive. That being said, i have to limit my review to mostly beamshot in the Park instead of actual trail shot. I rather not be at the trail after dark by myself. Perhaps someone else who does a lot of trail or mountain biking and have full acess to after hour can do a better and more apropriate trail review for lights.

On the brighter side of things, I do commute everyday to work. It is always in the dark hour of morning and sometime I have to leave late. This schedule does allow me to test and try various light. Matter of fact, that's how my collection become what it is today. I was never satisfied with any particular lights being as picky as I am. My coworker thinks I'm nut for having so much light more so than thinking I'm nut commuting in the rain in the middle of winter. Most of my learning of torch and lights come from trial and error. I spend a mini fortune buying lights but that's Ok because my coworker just love me since I give them my obsolete torch(DX MTE P7 and SST50) and lights (MS 808 P7).



> PS- Starting a new thread with a complete background would be ideal.


I can do that. I actually did give some background info in the Speed II thread and Xeccon Spiker 1206 thread. I can always copy and paste some of those more important background info in the start of each preview thread if that's what readers is more interested in but I prefer not having to wear out my keyboard and bore everyone about me than it is to do the review, however if reader prefer the info than please feel free to let me know(PM) and I can do that as requested.


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## znomit (Dec 27, 2007)

colleen c said:


> I honestly do not know the real reason why I was chosen to do the review.


Its because you've got a cute puppy for your Avatar.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

znomit said:


> Its because you've got a cute puppy for your Avatar.


Well Gee thanks, I feel much better now with that explanation 

Do you know you might have a point here. It's been said that babies and pets are two of advertisement best selling tools. My cute puppy covers both.


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## .40AET (Jun 7, 2007)

Thanks. No need to start another thread, that's plenty of information. If you are commuting everyday, thats plenty of testing time.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

Here is some beamshot taken at the park. I want to emphasize that the unit I recieved early on has the twin Cree XML *T6*. The updated Spiker 1207 now uses two U2 instead of T6. There are bottle on the ground at 100ft. The second tree at the background is 185ft.

All picture taken with these setting:
ISO 100
F4.0
4 sec
Daylight
Manual focus

This is the scene during daytime









Control shot 









Hi Mode









Lo Mode









Throw at 185ft


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

I uploaded some sample video of the Spiker 1207. One video is capture on a local flat trail and another is on the road. In the trail video not that at the end of the trail, it falls into a small creek. This is where the video ends. First time I rode that part of the trail was at night time with a MS 808 P7 and I darn near fallen into the creek.

Again I want to note that the Spiker 1207 I have is the older XML T6 led and not the new version using the U2 XML.


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## mtbRevolution (Aug 10, 2012)

*1207 Review on Bikeforums*

Can't believe it's 3 months since last entry to this thread. I was highlighted to this other review yesterday done by "subwoofer" of CPF and Bikeforums a month ago.

Please note extras now included with the 1207 kits.


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## neninja (Jul 11, 2010)

I certainly wouldn't want to handlebar mount this light. The design has taken no consideration of what might happen to a riders knees, shin or thigh in an over the bars crash.

The sharp V-shaped edges look perfect for slicing legs open. As someone who is currently unable to ride after degloving my knee in a fall I know how unpleasant that is.


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## mtbRevolution (Aug 10, 2012)

neninja said:


> I certainly wouldn't want to handlebar mount this light. The design has taken no consideration of what might happen to a riders knees, shin or thigh in an over the bars crash.
> 
> The sharp V-shaped edges look perfect for slicing legs open. As someone who is currently unable to ride after degloving my knee in a fall I know how unpleasant that is.


Sorry to hear about your knee. How did that happen?

Totally understand where you are coming from. Look, I had similar apprehension when I first saw this light months ago. _The seemingly sharp edges tend to send a little shudder through your spine but when I imagined at every single scenario where this light head would cause me damage, I was hard pressed to find one. _I am extremely careful about things possibly getting litigious. So first thing I did was to ask Xeccon Light to smooth out the edges as much as they can as pre-caution.

The only time I can imagine planting my face on the light head is when the pedal breaks or gives way (and my arms giving way too) while I am about to accelerate like a velodrome sprinter. Cannot see any part of my face hitting the front end of the stem if I do go OTB. I Not saying it can't happen but the chance is low compared to having a lot more damage by planting your face on the road, rock or tree trunk.

The light head is very small. Please see the comparison with the MJ-808E. The V shape edge is small and quite shallow. It will probably just give you a dimple.


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## dirk1965 (Mar 14, 2013)

I'm interested in this light but as I drive a velomobile the light is too far away for me to switch it on at the unit itself. Is there a way to switch it from a remote location?


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## mtbRevolution (Aug 10, 2012)

dirk1965 said:


> I'm interested in this light but as I drive a velomobile the light is too far away for me to switch it on at the unit itself. Is there a way to switch it from a remote location?


Hi Dirk, sorry there is no option to add a remote to the 1207. The Geinea front and rear combo maybe an option since you can add an extension cable towards the front or rear light depending on where you place the remote. A single front light head may not be bright enough when compared to the 1207. You may need 2 Geinea light heads via a reversed Y cable - I will work out an option for you if you wish to go this way later. It will look better on your velomobile IMO.

Pedro just mentioned today he will experiment with the 2 Geineas and post some pics or videos. Pedro?


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