[ti-force]

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



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

1.) Non-crenellated spare bezel

2.) Flat grip-ring spacer

3.)Holster

4.) Lanyard

5.) Spare o-rings

6.) Instruction manual

7.) Two CR123A batteries (as usual )




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

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

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

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

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

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



Battery Options:

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



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

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




Operation: (taken from manual)

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

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

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

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

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



Operators Manual: (click for full size image)






Youtube Video of User Interface Operation:

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

Click here for the link.






Lux Readings:

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



_______________________5 meter______________1 meter

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





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

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

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




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








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






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







Medium Mode:







Low Mode:








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







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






Now it’s time for some eye candy













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





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




Double o-rings at the tailcap end:




This is the head end of the body:










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





Then remove the grip ring:





Then remove the clip:





Looks familiar doesn't it?





Grip ring:





Tailcap:





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





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





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





That switch looks familiar too :








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






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






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







Inside the head: (home to the reflector)





Under the hood:







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






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
















As promised, beamshots are here :

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

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



Maelstrom G5 vs TK11





Maelstrom G5 vs Eagletac P20C2





Maelstrom G5 vs Quark 123-2 Tactical





Maelstrom G5 vs Quark 123-2 Turbo





Maelstrom G5 vs Raidfire Spear *Orange Peel Reflector*





Maelstrom G5 vs Tiablo A9