First Impressions:
The Maelstrom X10 was the first light I have reviewed
that uses a 26650 size battery, so I was not sure what to expect. Its
certainly too large to use as an EDC light, but in use it was a great
size and fit my hand well. Certainly seems like a nice sized battery to
use for lights of this size.
Size/Weight:
As I said above, the size and shape of the X10 was
pretty nice, you don't see many short stubby/fat lights like this. Most
are either much longer like a D cell Maglite, or much smaller diameter.
For lights that are too large for EDC but still considered a small
light, the 26650 seems like a great way to go. The weight wasn't bad at
all considering the bulk of the light, with a large diameter head.
Grip/Handling:
The X10 shares the same basic grip design and
knurling as the other large Maelstrom lights. I like the look and feel
of it alot. It provides alot of grip without feeling too rough or sharp.
The mix of flat sections and knurled section work really well together.
The tail switch is much larger than most other lights, making it very
easy to use. It seems solid but does have a bit of a clunky plastic feel
to it, due to it not being a typical rubber boot covered switch.
However, it is not a clickie switch, it is momentary only. I much prefer
a clickie switch but that is personal preference. To lock the light to
constant on you must twist the tailcap. The X10 also has two brightness
levels. Turning the light off then back on within a second or so will
cycle it back and forth between the two levels. There are no fancy
strobe or sos modes. its alittle tougher to twist the tailcap one handed
compared to smaller lights, but the knurling on the tailcap is pretty aggressive
and provides lots of grip. You can also changed levels with the momentary switch.
For example, if you are holding the switch down for momentary use on
low, release, and then hold again within about a second, the light will
switch to high. The drawback to this is that I found myself accidentally
switching between high and low if I was using short bursts of a few
second here and there of momentary use.
Build
Quality:
As with all the 4Sevens lights, the build quality and
machining seem very nice. I see no imperfections on the anodizing and
the reflector and lens were dust free.
Features:
Not really any features to the X10, its a simple to
use 2 level light. I like to see more output levels in a light, but its
nice to see a more simple light being made, I personally feel that too
many lights worry too much about fancy strobe and sos functions. Which I
am fine with, as long as they are not easy to accidentally activate and
are kept separate from the main output levels. The other Maelstrom
lights that do have strobe and sos features do a great job of that.
Output &
Runtime:
The X10 has a nice beam pattern for a light like this. It has a nice
tight hotspot with a decent corona, and a nice wide smooth flood. The
hotspot is nice and white, with a slight star shape fading out into the
warmer tinted corona. This is typical for all the XM-L led lights I have
tested so far that have a smooth reflector. This is the case with most
the Maelstrom lights. You really only notice this when shining the light
on a white wall though. In real use the warmer tinted corona actually
looks nice and adds a hint of warm tint to things, helping color
retention.
The X10 is rated for 640 lumens, but it seems like a very
bright 640 lumens. I figure most of this is due to the fairly large
smooth reflector. It has a bit tighter hotspot than the x7 I tested, so
it throws just a bit better.
The X10 is basically the same as the previously released S12,
except it uses a XM-L LED,
which produces alittle less lumens than the S12's SST-90 LED, but it has a
smaller die, making it able to produce tighter beam and should out throw
the S12.
Heat
Issues:
I experienced no heat issues with this light,
it actually has more mass to dissipate the heat than most lights in its
lumen range.
Pros:
One of the first lights I have seen of this size and shape
Great looking design that also feels great in your hand
26650 battery, while not as common as others, does have a large mAh
capacity
Nice tight spot with good throw
Good output for its size and weight
Cons:
Not able to tail stand
Switch is momentary only
Short bursts of momentary can accidentally switch output levels
Twisting tailcap slightly more difficult compared to smaller diameter
lights
Conclusion:
The X10 was my first experience with a light using
the 26650 sized battery, so I don't have much to compare it to as far as
that goes. But I did find it to be a pretty nice size and shape. It
fills a nitch between a small EDC light and a much larger and heavier
higher power light. The reflector is pretty large for a light this
short, and it did a great job of using every bit of the 640 lumens this
light is rated for. I can hold its own next to some much larger lights.
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