4.2v Solarstorm X2
Very useful information in this forum, thanks guys!
I bought a SolarstormX2 last week, from an ebay seller in Sydney ($37 & free delivery), it arrived nice and quick a couple of days later, but to my surprise it had a USB charger, and the batteries are only 4.2v (all 4 cells in parallel). Does this mean that the light unit is a different version to the normal 8.4v versions that most people here seem to have? Or is the input in these things able to handle both 4.2 and 8.4 batteries (as the LEDs usually only need 3-4v anyway)? I have not dared to connect my 8.4v Magicshine pack to test, for fear of blowing up the head unit.
I've also been a little unimpressed by the light output of my SolarstormX2. With a full battery it seems to be roughly on par with my two year old Magicshine 808 (claimed 900 lumens) with standard batteries. My new SolarstormX2 also seems to drop significantly in brightness throughout the battery cycle, as opposed to the Magicshine 808. One thing that did impress was that it runs for almost four hours on "high setting" with all three green indicator lights on, then about 10 minutes more on two LEDs, then the last one starts flashing. But after about 3 hours the light output is noticeably dimmer than at the start, so it's not that impressive really. The light also runs gradually cooler as the voltage drops, from full battery when it's fairly warm to touch (although no where near as hot as the Magicshine 808), to lukewarm after about three hours.
Another difference is that the button on the back, seems to have a different programming. It runs the following sequence: Low, Medium - High - Fast flickering (on high, and very annoying) - Off. There is no hidden flash mode by pressing the button for longer, so you always have to go past the annoying and useless flash mode.
Any thoughts on this version of the X2? Has anyone else come across this? Should I test the 8.4v battery and see if it works (potential Blowup of LED's or circuitry)?
Should I just move on and read the item description details a bit more carefully next time and buy a 8.4v version and count my losses on this one, of is it simply a matter of connecting an 8.4v battery to get the brightness that most people seem to get from their X2s?