Today is a good GREAT day. After a several year-long stream of innovative product launches that had flashaholics staggering around with wallets and spouses ablaze, 4Sevens released today something of which the masses have been daydreaming since the product was first given a prototypical face at Shot Show in 2010. That “something” is the Maelstrom S12. It is by all accounts the smallest SST-90 adorned flashlight in the world. It’s a tad shorter than a Sharpie®, as big around at the business end as a golf ball, and bright as heck.
The S12 intelligently uses the energy provided by a rechargeable Lithium Ion 26650 battery by employing both thermal and current regulation. The coupled regulation provides nice even brightness through each charge/depletion cycle and ensures that the SST-90 won’t damage itself if it gets too hot (turning on a high-powered LED flashlight and leaving it face-down on a table can do that… ask me how I know).
It is a two mode light. On high it initially pushes 800 lumens out the front and will run on high for… get this… an hour and a half. That’s right… 90 minutes of nighttime sunshine. If the light warms, the regulation will decrease output to protect the LED but only as much as required to protect the diode. My outdoor tests were in near zero°F conditions (hey it's winter... whatcha gonna do?) and brightness drops weren't noticeable to my eye. On low it pushes 120 lumens for 13 hours. Crazy.
The user interface is simple… high… low… off. No flashy-flash, blinky-blink, stroby-strobes. Just high… low… off. Beautiful isn’t it?
Here’s the catch… all you clicky switch fans are going to be dissapoin pleasantly surprised to find out that the tail switch on the S12 is a pressure switch. Well, OK, maybe not all of you, but I was. I am attached to my clickies the way barnacles love boat hulls. I like my clickies. I like click-on. I like click-off. I like momentary. I really thought the lack of a clickie would be a deal breaker. I thought I wasn’t going to take to the pressure switch on the S12 but I… I can’t believe I’m admitting this… was... wrong. I know right? The pressure switch is totally in keeping with the simplicity of the high/low/off UI and it’s crazy easy to use. Tighten the tail cap and the light turns on and stays on. Back it off a half turn and it turns off but now allows for momentary activation via the pressure switch. Push once... high. Push again... low. No more fumbling through a manual to figure out how to program or unlock hidden modes and no accidental epilepsy.
It is the nature of the larger square die LEDs to have artifacts in the spot of the beam... mainly soft "petals" that extend from the spots' center. In this case the artifacts are minimized by the choice of reflector (which is shallower and provides a broad, usable spill to compliment the intense spot) and barely noticeable for the whitewaller (nerd speak for those who critique beam quality by shining flashlights at white walls) in me. The reflector is smooth. The centered LED system, long touted as a hallmark of 4Sevens, is at work here and the LEDs in my samples were smack dead center which in turn balances the artifacts and creates a very even beam and spot. At 36" the spill was 60" wide but the spot still very intense. The tint of my samples was wonderful... not too cool... not too warm... and not green at all. The circumference of the spill has a slight hexagonal shape due to the slight crenelations in the bezel but it's not in the least bit distracting... at least for me.
The size... Oh the size! I remember a day not all that long ago when just the idea of a flashlight this size putting out this kind of light seemed the stuff of fairytale. Not only is this light small... it fits well in the hand. It has some heft but isn't too heavy. The regulation is industry-leading (during my testing the light never got past slightly warm) and it's flippin' rechargeable! Guilt-free lumens!
The size... Oh the size! I remember a day not all that long ago when just the idea of a flashlight this size putting out this kind of light seemed the stuff of fairytale. Not only is this light small... it fits well in the hand. It has some heft but isn't too heavy. The regulation is industry-leading (during my testing the light never got past slightly warm) and it's flippin' rechargeable! Guilt-free lumens!
The finish on my samples was very nice and all of the machining was solid. The threads are all square and the o-rings were all in place. The tail cap o-ring groove does appear a tad shallow or the o-ring a little narrow so as lubrication dissipates with use there may be issues with pinched or walking o-rings but the lights came well lubricated and the threads/rings were buttery smooth. The knurling is aggressive and the concavities between the raised knurled areas on the tube really help in maintaining grip. The Surefire M6 and its unique tube were always a favorite of mine and it seems the S12 has recognized the same benefits from the designs that made the M6 such an incandescent standard. The attention to detail in the S12 is apparent.
What it's NOT:
- Is it an EDC (every day carry) light? No. It's small, but carry it in your pants pocket and you're likely to get "happy to see me" questions and saggy pants.
- Is it a night stand light? No. Burst 120 lumens in your wee-hour bedroom and you'll likely drop the light, jut out your arms in an effort to grab something solid for support, spin into the dresser, and collapse to the floor.
- Is it a tactical light? Yes. The light was designed for those who need reliability and simplicity, both of which come in handy when bad things are happening to good people. It's got a very bright spot and very wide, usable spill.
- Is it rugged? Absolutely. It's solidly built and polices its draw and internal heat so that it will continue to work in horrible conditions.
- Is it reliable? Sure seems that way. The pressure switch eliminates many of the failure points of traditional switches. You pushy... it lighty.
Normally I classify lights into "wants", "needs" and "eh". The S12 for me would be a "need". It's simple. It's reliable. It's durable. It's small. It's rechargeable. It's bright as heck. B-I-N-G-O.
I'm a fan.
Beamshots (click on thumbnails for a larger version):
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| Maelstrom S12 (high) |
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Maelstrom S12 (low) |
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| Maelstrom S12 (high) |
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Maelstrom S12 (low) |
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| comparison: Thrunite Catapult V2 SST-50 (high) |
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| comparison: Nitecore EX10 R2 (high) |
*Update* - beamshot and time-lapse comparisons
The first two images show thermal regulation in action! The second image was taken 25 minutes after the first and captures the slight dimming effects of the light's function to protect itself from heat build-up. The effects would undoubtedly be more pronounced in warmer conditions.
The animated .gif demonstrates the thermal regulation in action. The minor decreases in output occur because the light decreases output to protect the emitter. After 20 minutes the decreases in output were unnoticeable in the photos so I didn't include them in the animation.
The first two images show thermal regulation in action! The second image was taken 25 minutes after the first and captures the slight dimming effects of the light's function to protect itself from heat build-up. The effects would undoubtedly be more pronounced in warmer conditions.
The animated .gif demonstrates the thermal regulation in action. The minor decreases in output occur because the light decreases output to protect the emitter. After 20 minutes the decreases in output were unnoticeable in the photos so I didn't include them in the animation.
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| Maelstrom S12 (high) T = 0 min. |
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| Maelstrom S12 (high) T = 25 min. |
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| Thrunite Catapult V2 SST-50 smo (high) |
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| Animated .gif showing the minor decreases in output as thermal regulation kicks in |
How far is the light from the objects in the photo? Is this about what it looked like IRL?
ReplyDeleteThe lights are about 75 feet from the tree trunk and a little over 120 feet from the wall behind the tree. I use a set white balance to capture relative tints and try to choose an exposure that generates an image that duplicates as closely as possible what I see with my eye when I shoot it. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteOne of the best floody light I know is the tk45. Do you happen to know how the s12 compare in terms of output? Thanks! .