Up the front the X7 has a removable stainless steel crenellated bezel. It's easily unscrewed if you don't wish to have an aggressive looking front end. The threads at the front are machined on the inner side of the bezel so the head doesn't look naked with exposed threads. Behind the bezel sits an AR-coated glass lens padded with a rubber o-ring. The head houses a relatively large and deep smooth aluminum reflector which is smoothly polished overall, but did have some minor smudges. Though this could very well be due to previous testing done on this early sample. Upon visual inspection, the LED sitting at the bottom of the reflector cup seems well-centered. The exterior of the head has cooling fins machined throughout, apart for a band in the middle which has knurling providing grip for mode changes on the X7. The electrical contact point to the battery has a reverse polarity protection built in so flat-topped 18650 cells won't work without magnetic spacers.

The entire body of the X7 is finished in black Type 3 anodizing which is smooth and consistent throughout. There's a nice design touch at the front end of the battery tube which prevents batteries from dropping out even when the head is removed. Also, the battery tube has a 1-inch diameter which makes it easily mountable on many weapon mounts. Most of the tube is covered in textured knurling, with three flat faces machined where branding is printed on. Threads on either ends are cleanly machined as well, mating smoothly with no grinding of cross-threading. Threads on at the tail end are anodized as well, so the X7 can be effectively locked out by loosening the tail cap. There's also a pocket clip which can be removed by first unscrewing the grip ring. Unlike the Quark series, the clip on the X7 isn't as easily clipped on due to its larger head diameter. This four-point grip ring also works as an anti-roll feature when attached. The tail cap has a plain and familiar design which is clean and works well for most flashlights. It's mostly covered in knurling as well which provides good grip during battery changes. The rubber switch cap protrudes out quite a bit which means easy switch activation but thus isn't able to tail stand. The switching mechanism has average travel and a slightly stiff tension to it. Upon engaging, the switch provides a positive tactile and audible click.

If you're unfamiliar with any of the terms used in this review, click here for explanations on common flashlight related vocabulary.

The X7 features a unique 4-point switch engagement in the head of the flashlight that lets you select the different outputs smoothly and silently by simply loosening or tightening the head. Every quarter-turn (approximately 90 degrees) of the head selects a different output. As you loosen or tighten the head, you change modes as follows (in order of Loosened to Tightened): Off, Auxiliary 2, Auxiliary 1, Secondary, Primary.

The X7's 7 total modes of output are split into 2 sets, Regular and Special. The following are the modes in order from Auxiliary 2 to Primary (Loosened to Tightened):

Regular: Moonlight, Low, Medium, High
Special: Beacon, S.O.S., Strobe, High

Switching between sets is also simple. Fully tighten the head of the flashlight so that you are in the Primary mode. Then, quickly loosen and tighten the head (switching between Secondary and Primary) 4 times to change to the alternative set of modes.

The review sample of the X7 has an almost pure white tint, leaning slightly towards the warm side when compared to pure white. The hotspot is tight, with a subtle darker region within its center which doesn't effect practical usage. There is a slight coronal area around the hotspot, accompanied by a wide spill beam clean of any artifacts. Balance of output and runtime is pretty decent, reaching close to 500 lumens out the front and lasting almost 2 hours before running dry.

The Good - Clean fit and finish. Well thought-out user interface. Consistent output performance on all output levels.

The Bad - Output switching mechanism lacks tactile feel.

The Relative - Almost pure white out put tint. Isn't able to tail stand. Forward push button allows for momentary activation.