Thread: Maxtoch Shooter 2x vs my hunting torches

A few thoughts from years of hunter light design...

As mentioned, the video link above will not give an exact impression of beam out in the paddock - cameras very seldom do. And lights with higher lux (longer range) output do not necessarily make good hunter lights. Gadget and I experimented with setups with huge distance and much higher lumen output than the Maxtoch 2X etc - but we rejected them. Why? - because highest lux and lumens don't of themselves make for an ideal hunter light. Are the little lights in the vid above better all round hunter units than a 2X - the answer is no.

A hunter light is a special purpose category and an ideal design has many strengths to make it an all-purpose torch.

It needs beam balance - and this means important features - ideal tint (neutral to warmish white on the Kelvin scale) for best object definition. Alot of stock cool white LEDs will wash out colour over distance, decreasing target picture. Not good. Then through led selection and reflector geometry you need to generate an all purpose beam. A long throw central hotspot, but also with additional good wide spill circle so you can sweep paddocks in a few seconds. Stock pencil beam lights are of very limited value - you can't spotlight with them. Green LEDs no good for NZ shooting conditions - experience.

Then you need a light with long runtimes. When spotting at night you do NOT want to be doing frequent batt changes. The 2X output was tuned to about 85 minutes runtime continuous per batt set and that's good. Little single batt lights have their place (if they have right beam type) on a scope for occasional scope mounted shots, but not for hours and hours of spotlighting. Their runtimes are too short - some down to 30 minutes with very high drain, high current LEDs. No.

Then you need a hunting light that is 100% heat efficient - the 2X is designed to run all night at maximum output. By contrast these little ones, and the Olights and other makes currently on offer all have thermal problems and need to step down to a much lower output after 4-6 minutes. Suddenly, after 4-6 minutes, you drop to 50-60% or output so your torch can cool down. Not the 2X. A torch that has to stepdown after a few minutes is not good as a spotlight. In the 2X, M24, XPro etc we overcame these heat problems and they'll run all night at max. The little high current lights may not be fitted with setdown thermal management, but if run continuously they get very hot very quickly, and either you can't hold them, or they damage driver boards etc.

You need a slim design, light weight with batts, standard ring size tube etc etc etc...

The 2X was an endpoint design of ours about 5 years ago. It is a specially designed hunter light - not just a search light or a long thrower. Instead it has all the hunt boxes ticked. It has very good runtimes, no heat issues/stepdown, excellent sustainable output, ideal beam balance, lightweight dual batt design etc. These littlies do have a place but are not comparable as hunters.

Gadget and I chat about lights we'd design now and they would be dimensions better than the last 2X and XPro designs. But... they would ALL continue to meet all special criteria for hunters - and none of them would focus solely on longest range, max lumen output. One day we may do some more... we're thinkin about it...