Maratac 9290

[thebullfrog]

Well I just got my Maratac 9290 from County Comm. My initial impression is better than I expected. The anodizing is perfect, it fits the hand really really well, and is more compact than I expected. A couple reviews I found on it and the iTP C7 (the 9290 is a rebranded C7) said it was a bit thick, but I have to disagree. The threads could be lubed a bit better but no big deal. The tailcap is nearly impossible to remove, the O-ring fits in there REALLY tight. The head is a bit snug too, but not as bad. Once past the O-rings it's smooth sailing.

The Cree is just a tad off center, not enough to really make any difference, and you have to be looking for flaws to even notice it. The bean is a bit ringy, but the partially OP reflector keeps it pretty minimal. Rings are very, very faint (can barely see 'em) and have zero effect on usability.  Light is very pure white. Easily the whitest LED I've come across personally. There's the slightest hint of purple but again, you really gotta look for it. I love the simple UI, excellent for an edc. These are just my first impressions, right now I have a half dead Energizer alkaline in it and it's light out so I can't comment on brightness/throw yet, but it seems plenty bright as it is. It doesn't have a whole lot of spill for close up indoors stuff, but that's what my L0D is for anyway.

I like that it doesn't look overly tactical and the natural finish is pretty nice. Fits in pretty well with my extensive, yet sheeple friendly EDC which is the goal. I wanted a Jetbeam Element E3P since it would be such a nice match to my Spirit, but for the money saved, the 9290 is definitely a great choice in it's place. Seems well built enough so far to deal with any abuse I'm likely to give it (not much). I'll report back with more thoughts on it's output when I get a better battery in it and I get to play in the dark a bit. Pics too if I can get hold of a camera.

[Blackbeard]

Pics? 

[Mr. Whippy]

Over 700 posts and still doesn't know how to start a post. 

[thebullfrog]

I don't own a camera, makes it hard to get pics.....

[Blackbeard]

this it?

[thebullfrog]

Yeah that's the iTP version. What I got is this: http://countycomm.com/9290.html  Same light only in Natural finish and debranded. There's actually no branding of any kind. It just has "9290-AA" printed on it.

I was just able to check it out in the dark. Despite a half dead alkaline, some street lights, and it being rainy out, the throw looked pretty good. Easily illuminated the neighbors' house across the street (I'm sure they loved that lol) a couple hundred feet away. I was able to get pretty okay illumination into their yard/trees considering the conditions and battery. Definitely a pretty narrow beam however. As I've read in other reviews the beam is a bit odd due to the reflector design. It has a very focused intense hot spot with an unusually dim (compared to the hot spot) spill, with zero transition between the two. For EDC use it's a perfectly serviceable beam. Just a little odd, and definitely a bit throw-centric. It should be noted that at any brightness level, there's no PWM flicker that I can make out. Also, even with a good battery there's no way it'd ever put out the advertised 190 lumens, which from what I've read elsewhere is accurate. The 190 lm is what the 2 AA model puts out, the single AA runs around 150. That sounds about right to me. It compares very favorably against the Jetbeam Jet I Pro V2.0 that it replaced.

At $50+ it'd be a decent light. At the $33 I paid it's a Hell of a light and well worth buying. For an affordable, reasonably well built, good performing EDC/beater light, it is an excellent option. In fact it'd probably be pretty hard to beat it at that price point. It's a bit overly focused for indoor/close quarters use, and the low is on the bright side, but it pairs up well with my very floody L0D, so it works out rather nicely. For the money, I could definitely recommend giving it a try to anyone looking for an inexpensive but decent quality EDC light 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Seem's like you get quite a lot of light or your money there

[thebullfrog]

You really do. And in looking around, the iTP version can be had for only like $5 more, so if you prefer black you could always go that route. I should add that iTP is owned by Olight, in fact that's where the half OP reflector comes from.