Lux and lumens are not the same thing; they are two different ways of measuring light.

oh gotcha daven, thanks for explaining. I'm guessing a $40 P7 bulb flashlight would work better than this $60 one then

yep generally high powered lights run for fairly short times (2 hours max unless they are very expensive!) I will probably be getting one of these shortly, but I am waiting a bit, hoping that some more reliable models will come out.

I know DX adds and changes models all the time....what is consensus as to the reccomended 5 mode or 2 mode P7 now....I know in the past people have suggested regulated, metal reflecter and glass lens.... any updates thoughts ..... or just quit obsessing and order one?

Buy one with the lowest number of modes you can get by with.

I'd recommend the 2 mode Aurora (I'm very happy with it), but I've only tried 2 P7s so far......

+1 I love my 2 mode Aurora. Never an issue. (But it's the only one I've ever seen).

As far as modes go. I use high. Even the second mode is a waste for me.

Yep, exactly the same situation with me.

I like my 3 mode. I strobe during daylight hours as I believe having lights on whenever the bike moves is a huge safety benefit.

I love my eight-mode. At various times, I've used low, high, rapid strobe, 3/sec strobe, and 1/sec strobe. The only mode I've never used while riding is the tactical strobe.

my way of using my TWO 8 modes are either:

- 1 solid in front (only last 2 hours at HID MAX) + 1 at rear (with a red layer) blinking real fast (police mode) car/truck drivers will avoid you like a plague.

- both at the front, and both flash blinking, turn the 2nd one on after a few sec, so that each will fill up the OFF time of the other. This translates into a longer ride at MAX light conserving energy.

The only annoying thing of that mode is that, your eyes will become annoyed after a few hours, even having 2 of them going in tandem, there are still those fractions of a sec that will be darker than "normal"

but if that doesn't bother you, then you can go on for about 4 to 6 hours straight at MAX flashing light.

is good for oncoming traffic

Ditto. I got the 8-mode because it had fast and slow flash. I use the fast in traffic and the slow on trails.

I just did receive one of the new cheap P7 lights, the MTE-SF23, supposedly D bin P7 and five-mode. (~$32).
Unfortunately, this post is not very informative, since I do not have any standard comparison lights currently. This light is very solid, is as bright as expected, came with a little bit of dirt on the reflector. No problems with accidentally changing modes. First impression is very good.

If you see yourself needing the flash modes (useful), order the 5-mode. If not, get the 2 mode. I ordered some 2 modes, and FYI, the low mode is REALLY low. It's more of a "be seen" type light. Cars will definitely see you, but you won't be able to see ahead much. Since I already have some tr-801's, I use those for flashing, if needed during the day.

Quit obsessing and order one Night riding confidence will go through the roof.

If nighttime riding is your thing, then the 2-mode is a great deal...i got this one last summer https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12623 ...wow they dropped in price by almost $10 dollars from what i paid last year,,,yeah the light is a little bluer than the mc-e lights but the low mode is good for creepin through the neighborhood/familiar territory...and as for the high mode...well, i've yet to hit any spot where i'm hittin 30mph plus and run out of light as of yet...i've ridden some rainy nights where it has never failed me(i'm talkin torrential downpours) but i still wouldnt throw it in a swimming pool, though(took me almost a month to get mine, i dont want to wait that long for a replacement) Sorry for the sales-pitch, i'm just still glad i didnt drop 100's on a dedicated bikelight setup!

I've got an Aurora two-mode P7. Nice light, but it might as well be a simple on/off. The low mode is so low as to be useless.

Now, the bright mode ... awesome.

Hi
I need some advice please.

A couple of months ago I bought a P7 flashlight and love it. Last week I was on a tour and it stopped working.

I unscrewed the switch end and found the spring had disconnected. The soldering job had failed. A friend repaired it and it is still not working.

I tried to pull the spring out so the battery connection would be firm but it is still not working. Any ideas?

What torch is it ?

How many modes does it have ?

It is a 3 mode Trustfire.

With the end cap off, use a piece of wire to connect the end of the battery to the shiny edge of the case that you can see.

The torch will either come on or it won't.

If it lights up the problem is with the tailcap, switch or how it connects - if it doesn't light up the problem is most likely at the other end.

TY Unknown Cyclist...

I did what you suggested and the torch lit up. Now knowing the issue was in the tail I again began to move and stretch the spring and it worked.

I am though concerned that the future is not good for that tail. Do you know if I can order a replacement tail for that light?

That would also give me a good excuse to pick up a few extra batteries and that red tail light. Although, I would rather wait til is becomes a flashing tail light.

I appreciate you taking the time to help me on this issue.

I have a 5 mode trustfire and I need to use a couple of Rare earth magnets for it to work correctly.. It seems th tube on mine is a little long. Without the magnets it switches modes..

You haven't said which trustfire torch it is, I'd guess if an end cap is available it will be on DX.

It seems to be common practice to fit a magnet or two (also from DX) to the end of a battery, increasing spring pressure.

This isn't something I would do personally as the magnets do have a measurable resistance.

Anyway, glad to have helped.

How does one take apart the tailcap on the P7 in order to check for bad soldering?

There are at least 3 or 4 different brands offering P7 flashlights and all of them offer several models. The exact model and a picture might be helpful for the experts here.

In my case I did not have to take it apart. I unscrewed the tailcap from the flashlights body and examined the spring that is soldered into that tailcap/switch.