Pros: This light is really, really bright. Far beyond any other single-emitter LED light I own, and I have an embarrassingly large collection. It's just the thing for my nighttime bicycle commute. I use it as a helmet light, mounted with two of DX's sku 12000 nylon/velcro mounts, which I'd also recommend. That lets me point the light at my path or elsewhere, which is good for communicating my presence to motorists. Nice and floody to evenly light up my path, with a little hot spot to reach out a bit further than the wide pattern. The attention-getting effect is like what I experience riding with a dedicated HID cycling light, but for a small fraction of the price. Unlike my HID bike light, this has replaceable batteries, so if I forget to charge or need more runtime, I can just swap out for a spare battery. With the cooling air stream on a moving bike, the light isn't even warm after 45 minutes on high. Runtime on high is somewhere beyond 50 minutes (that's as long as I've tested), which is sufficient for my ride home, even with a stiff headwind. Two modes is just what I need ... low for getting my bike squared away before riding and high for on the road. More modes would just be a nuisance. Build quality seems solid, and the o-ring seals have proved weather-resistant. So far, I love this light.


Cons: I'd defer a more qualified critic of build quality or circuitry to find something wrong with this model. For my use as a cycling light, where extreme brightness, durability and moderate size are crucial, it seems excellent so far.


Other Thoughts: I gather SSC P7 lights in general are comparably bright, but if you haven't experienced the P7, you need to see the effect to fully appreciate it. This light is a great value with a good price point ... an attainable way buy into this generation of LEDs.


Bottomline: Simple, well-built, a good value and BRIGHT. I imagine that light saber sound effect when I fire it up. On high, it is not a bit subtle. It's just what I had hoped it would be.

Pros: Very very bright, it outshines anything I had including some MRV's :)
I like the 2 mode better then the 5 mode, I'm pretty sure the two modes are either (very) direct drive, or the same with a resistor.
And having a low mode means you can save the high, which is a bit hard, for the times you need/want it :)


Cons: The head cannot me removed form the body (glued I assume), and in my model it's at a slight angle with the body, doesn't really matter much since it's a thrower, but it's annoying :)
Heats up faster then any of my other lights :D But this is to be expected.
Drawing 3 amps on high means it will drain even a 18650 pretty fast :)
Direct drive means the led might get a tiny bit more voltage then it should be getting really. Better would be a two 18650 with a good regulated pcb.
Slightly expensive considering build quality, but that's to be expected with a new led.
Not a thrower, beam is wide, but pretty smooth :) Not so much a con unless you -want- a thrower :)


Other Thoughts: Draws around 3 amps on 'high' with a fully charged li-ion (which is a tiny bit over 4V unloaded).
I expect they connect the led directly to the battery on high, which is probably driving the led a tiny bit too hard if you look at the specs (since a fully charged li-ion tops a bit over 4v, and the specs on the led are at most 3.8v or so).
On the upside it means it's way bright though :)


Bottomline: If you want one of the brightests 'single' led flaslights -now-, this is a pretty decent bet. :)
It's worth considering waiting till some of the bigger brands start putting out high quality models though.
Keep in mind this light should/will not run on high for very long times, it will get too hot, and you'll drain your battery pretty fast :)
If you want the cheapest 'super bright' flashlight to impress your friends with, this is the one to get :D