Introduction:
Sheer brilliance from this extraordinary flashlight. I was expecting greatness from Surefire and that's exactly what I've received from this bodacious product. It outperformed every flashlight, desk lamp, ceiling fan, and just about every light in my house. Its sure radiance will illuminate even the darkest of all dark places without a problem. The L7 is so durable I couldn't try to break it and succeed. The only slight drawback it the battery life; at about 2 hours its not that great, but with two included batteries and a charger you never have to worry about not having light. There is nothing that is not included in this package it has it all, the light, 2 batteries, charger, car adapter, wall adapter, manual, and best of all the Surefire Logo etched into the aerospace-grade aluminum.

Features:
-LED light source has no filament to burn out or break, lasts for thousands of hours
-Rugged aerospace-grade aluminum body, Mil-Spec Type III hard anodized in black or olive drab
-O-ring sealed, weatherproof
-Tempered Pyrex® window
-Tailcap switch — press for momentary-on, twist for constant-on

Specifications:
-Max Output: 100 lumens
-Runtime: 2.5 hours
-1 hour high output, then 1.5 hours useful output
-Length: 7.87 Inches
-Weight: 11.30 Ounces
-Battery: One B90 Ni-Cad

Contents:
When I first opened the LumaMax L7 I figured out it was also the last time that I would open it without the box being the same. There is irreversible damage to the box when opened for the first time. Not pictured, but this could be done on purpose to know that no one opened your $230 flashlight without you knowing about it. Shown below are shots of the top, bottom, side, and front of the box for your viewing pleasure. The box is very informative providing a plethora of information; including features, a brief overview of the company in general, a write up on the Surefire rechargeable's, and about the SmartCharger which I will get to later in the review. The only thing that seemed to collide was the lumen output posted on the box which was 75, and the lumen output posted on the website of 100 lumens.

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Examination:
Upon receiving the LumaMax L7, I noticed that the inside layout was very nice. It provided a great view of the L7, the two B90 batteries, and the battery charger. What you don't see is everything else that is included in the box. All the cables, and not so appealing stuff is hidden under the large Surefire logo.

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Once you dig into the box you get the impression that this light includes anything and everything for a spectacular ready to run device. Everything is included in the box.

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I chose to provide a full body view to see all the lights features at a glance. The back of the light features a tail switch like no other. It is a temp on switch, but instead of being an actual switch it is just a thick rubber at the end of the ligh that moves the whole battery. The battery is manufactured to have both the positive and negative leads at the top of the battery. Check out the battery in the next section and you will know what I'm talking about. When you press on the "switch" it moves the whole battery to connect the two springs in the light cap. (shown below) This is a great mechanish because it isn't one. This reduces electronics to the light cap only; nothing extra is added to the light to keep it as light as possible, and less likely to break. Also shown is the grip which is awesome. It is a design that is carved out of the aluminum to give one of the best grips that I have ever had on a flashlight. Continuing down the body is the logo on one side and the flashlight model and the patent number on the other. Every seam of the light has a O' ring which makes it waterproof. The threads are covered with a slight layer of grease to make the cap removal easier when changing batteries. And the Cap is totally customizable. If you look on the Surefire site you will see how many different lenses, and acccessories you can add to the cap section of the light.

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Charger/Batteries:
The Charger is a rapid charger that in my tests from absolute dead to fully charged took on average one hour and thirty-eight minutes. This isn't as rapid as most rapid chargers but for the size of the battery it is fair. The Charger is constructed very soundly with a rugged shell, and simple design. The top is composed of two lights, including a red, and a green light. The red represents a charging battery as the green represents a charged battery. Next to the green light is a happy face, and next to the red is a charging symbol. The charger itself has a rugged circuit with minimum parts that are difficult to fall off, I would say impossible to fall off. The circuit is not shown due to any issues with the manufacturer. Shown below are the top of the charger, the side of the charger, and the bottom of the charger.

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The two adapters connect through a foolproof plug. It has a closed end on one side and a terminal on the other. It's like a 9 volt battery in that it can only plug in one way.

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The two adapters that came in my box were for a USA style socket and a cigarette adapter for your car. The wall adapter included the cord from wall to transformer, and the transformer with the special style plug to plug into the charger. And the car adapter is already 12 volts so there is no need for a transformer, or any other converter.

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The transformer has a nice compact design and seems sturdy. I chose not to try and open the transformer; I didn't want to risk breaking it. It is all black with a logo on the top, and a green light to show that it is plugged in. The bottom has a nice label and it explains the voltages, positive and negative leads, and some certifications, all the good stuff that you want on a label.

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This is the car charger its very simple with the plug for your car, and to the charger. The cigarette side of the cord has a fuse, that is easily replaceable. The plug itself is made of hard plastic that seems heavy for its size.

Battery:
The battery is unique in that it has a top terminal for positive and negative leads. This is for the light cap. The battery adds about half the weight of the flashlight and ends of balancing out the heavy cap.

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Runtime:
When you have any flashlight runtime is a big issue; if you have the brightest light in the world, but it only lasts for 5 minutes and goes dead then what do you have, but a piece of junk. Examining the light in detail proved that the L7 would last four hours from the time of fully charged to fully dead. One concern of mine was that the light got very hot, it measured at about 125.5 degrees Fahrenheit at its peak. This seems to be normal though with the addition of a caution hot engraving in the cap. When the flashlight gets hot it gets hot fast, and flows through the whole light because of the aluminum case. The official useful runtime was about two hours. After two hours the light still worked, but wasn't very bright. After two hours it was just about as bright as my comparison CC flashlight which was my previous favorite LED light. The CC is like a dead L7, so if you want to know what a dead L7 looks like get a CC flashlight.

Comparison:
Compared to any other flashlight I had at my house was a joke. I tried a Mag-Light, a few cheap lights, and then the CC and the CC ended up being a viable candidate, but it still lost without a doubt. To see the L7 and the CC compared look below and you will see how bright the two are and who is the clear winner. The L7 is very bright and in a few pictures not pictured (Check out the stock photo gallery) I actually took fair photos with no flash in the dark with only light from the L7. The top photo is of the CC light and the photo below that is of the L7. Both photos are with no flash and the light used to take the picture is from the light itself.

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Conclusion:
There is no shadow of a doubt that I love this flashlight. This was a great addition to my toolbox, my desk, my pocket, anywhere... It provides plenty of light with minimum weight restrictions, and is rechargeable. To have the ability to recharge the light greatly improves the chance of it working when you pick it up even if you haven't touched it in a while. The whole light is constructed with precision, and a useful mind for the end consumer. The only drawback is the price, at $230 it's not for the average joe. I can say that the price is decent for what you get though. A flashlight, two batteries, a charger, and the plugs to go with it. If you really need a light that will never quit on you this is worth the price.

Pros:
-Stunning appearance
-Very Bright
-Rechargeable
-Easy to switch batteries
-Rugged housing, resists damage very well
-Charges in a decent amount of time
-Manufactured with high quality

Cons:
-Runtime could improve
-Gets very hot after extended use

Due to the excellent performance, design, and overall characteristics I give the Surefire LumaMax L7 a perfect 10/10

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