You'll need to either build a battery pack (wire them in series) or just invest in some 18650s. A pair of protected batteries + charger runs less than $20 altogether. At first I was wary of trying out a new set of gear, but these lights are well worth it. To get the equivalent amount of output in something like a Dinotte, you'd need to spend about $400.

I really like the P7 over the Dinotte. Actually, I bought 2 P7's but gave one to a friend. We ride together at night.
I will probably get a Pila charger, or something similar. I think it is worth it in order to see well and be safe at night. I'll probably get some extra batteries, too.

Does the Pila work with Trustfire 18650 batteries?

Thank you! I too have plenty of NiMH AA's in the 2500ma range. My LED (luxeon III, and K2 emitters) all use AAA's. I bought some 900ma NiMH AAA's, and they are OK, but man, AA's would last 2-3x as long. Yes, the flashlight body would be a bit fat, but still well worth it.

Would anyone here know how these flashlights handle the cold, 0 to -30C?

Thanks.

I haven't tested them, but I presume they'd handle it pretty well. The construction is rugged, and the only downside might be a slight decrease in battery life due to the cold. And that might be offset by how warm the light gets on high mode.

Anyway, I've taken a twilight ride and another night ride since the last time I posted, and the light's holding up wonderfully. It's great to just be able to see, and to not have any doubts whatsoever that approaching vehicles are aware of me. I'm thinking of buying a second one and taping a red blinkie lens over it to use it on low-mode as a taillight.

Don't bother, you are wasting your money, it will still come out pretty white. You need red LEDs.

I have started two threads on that topic, if you are willing to go the DIY route.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...557&highlight=

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...641&highlight=

I'm preparing an order for a P7 flashlight from DX right now. planning to get the MTE SSC 5 mode P7
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12060

plus 18650 charger and batteries. Im planning to mount it parallel to the top tube. I was wondering if anyone has confirmed that the longer protected cells can fit in that particular p7 flashlight.

NEVERMIND. i answered my own questions. i found a pair of protected ones that someone has confirmed to fit.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5790

If anyone is interested, I have a charger and protected lithiums from deal extreme. I am sick of waiting for my P7. I commute and the wait has severely cramped my style. I would like $23.00 for the set, including shipping.

01251 UltraFire 3.6/3.7V Battery Charger
05790 TrustFire Protected 18650 Lithium Battery (2500mAh 2-Pack Blue)

If you let me know tonight I can drop it off at the post office when I head over there tomorrow. It will get to you faster than Dealextreme can get it to you, if I walked it to your house. seriously

Once they actually ship, it takes about 9 days. The bigger delays are in waiting for particular lights to return to stock. That's why ordering quickly's a good idea. It took me about three weeks before I finally got everything, but half of that time was spent waiting for DX to get the light itself.

What's the best p7 model? DX has 19 models listed.

http://www.dealextreme.com/search.dx/search.p7

I'd recommend getting one with at least high, medium, low, a strobe, and voltage regulation. I got the 8-mode because a.) it looked the nicest, and b.) it was regulated, and c.) it had eight modes.

So far, I've only used high and high rapid strobe when riding, but I like having the availability of the other modes. I use high rapid when riding off campus in the daytime, as it's the most attention-getting mode on the light.

So if I were buying another light, I'd buy the 8-mode again. It has the most modes, it looks nice, and it's regulated.

I've had my P7 for enough time to test it out. I would not want to be without it. I got the 8 mode because it is regulated. The charger, while not the best, has been keeping the batteries charged. My Dinotte is now my (reliable) backup.

And what are you guys using to attach it to your bike? Will the Twofish lockblock work?

Took the plunge, P7 8-mode, charger, 2 TrustFire batts, mount. We'll see how long it takes to arrive. I hate waiting ;-)

man..i was going to order a P7 light. ended up also adding the charger and batteries, plus a CR123 everyday carry light, plus those batteries, plus dropin SSC P4 LED for my headlamp, plus a pack of 10 microlights. i need to stop! its like buying bike stuff.

I've got one of those on the way, too. My first from elektrolumens, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Please report on how it is. Thanks!

wayne's flashlights are top shelf but he sometimes get way overextended and usually has delays in production.. The attention to detail and ruggedness of his lights are one of the best qualities.. He also is a master of regulation and his lights usually run much longer than other similar torches..

Something else I'd like to add. I can see no reason for getting the 2 mode light. If you shut off the 8 mode for more than 2 seconds it goes back to the 1st (low) mode. The 2nd mode is high beam. It's not a problem to stay within the hi/lo modes.

I bought a one mode P7 light from DX and have tested it for two off-road mtb rides. Results were fantastic on the handlebar. It puts my 2 x DIY 20W halogen light (handlebar, helmet) to shame. Add a helmet light and it's all you need.

I chose the one mode P7, as I'm only interested in the high mode for off-road biking. That, and I can't to be wasting time cycling through modes.

I don't see how that's possible, unless you simply weren't putting enough juice into them. A single mr11 at nominal voltage is rated at ~ 400 lumens, and an mr16 ~800. Overvolted 20% they're about twice those values.

Those p7s from DX put out 400-600 lumens, right? Even elektrolumens claims only 700+.

Source? I've never seen those sort of figures before. First, MR16 has a larger reflector then an mr11 so the beam is better focused. All else being equal, a 20w MR16 does not produce twice the lumens of a 20W MR11. Second, halogen lamps provide around 15-20 lumens per watt. Third, overvolting by 20% yields around ~85% gain but reduces the bulb life by 90%. So that high end 5000 hour bulb will only have a 500 hour life. Fourth, look at the manufacturer's MR11/MR16 lumens/spread chart for a comparison. Fifth, enough poster on this forum, and others, have already shown that a 3xcree setup beats a 20W halogen light.

Other advantages of the P7 include, less heat, better efficiency, and no cables to snap while off-road mountain biking :thumb:.

Does anyone think we've hit a plateau for high power LEDs using AA batteries? Will it be CR123 or 18650 from here on out, or will another breakthrough keep AA's in the game?