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<blockquote data-quote="jmoney" data-source="post: 2001463" data-attributes="member: 24661"><p>here is a pretty good break down written by somebody else, it can go much further. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Build Quality / Design</p><p></p><p>Surefire X400</p><p></p><p>The Surefire X400 has a quality LED and Laser Diode. The circuit boards are also well designed and manufactured. Solder work has been high quality at all solder points. I tested several solder points by pulling the wires from different angles. In all cases, the wires broke before the solder points. Keep in mind this is a sample set of one. </p><p></p><p>The body of the X400 is machine from a single block of aluminum. There is no wasted space and the unit is designed as lean as possible without sacrificing structural integrity. The anodizing in even and the body is anodized inside an out; I did not see any possible weaknesses for corrosion.</p><p></p><p>When I unscrewed the Surefire head, it broke the connection points between the battery terminal PCB and what I will call the logic board. The logic board distributes power based on the selector switch position. This is then transferred back to the LED or the laser diode. The logic board also contains the laser diode driver. The logic board and the LED driver board are press fit into the head and shock mounted with some kind of epoxy. Tolerances are tight and the design is very good. I know how it's assembled now, and it makes a lot of sense from a reliability / durability standpoint. The glass lens is beefy and well mounted between the housing flange and reflector. The way surefire assembles this light makes it nearly impossible for an end user to remove the head, as there is no need to change the LED, this should be not be end user serviceable.</p><p></p><p>The laser module is mounted via two long screws and is nestled in a milled channel. There is a thick rubber gasket that seals both the body and the laser module from the elements. Thread engagement is adequate. Wires run from the logic board through a plastic conduit into the laser module. Three wires go to the switch and three to the laser diode. The switching mechanism is a work of art. The selector lever is mounted via a press fit cross pin to the selector and runs the full length of the selector switch giving the plastic selector some rigidity and durability, when you flip modes; it turns a rotary switch to one of five positions. The positive click is a result of two ball bearings interfacing with a molded plastic race. A strong spring pushes the bearings apart into recesses. That is the reason the click is so positive and will likely never wear out. The entire selector unit is screwed into the back of the aluminum laser housing via a threaded steel insert. Another important note here is that the actual selector PCB has a mating recess milled into the laser housing. So no matter how many times you switch the mode, the PCB will never fail and rotate with the switch. On a side note, the attention to detail like previously noted is apparent everywhere you look on the light. Little things like this make a big difference. It is also integrated with the molded plastic selector detent sleeve. Behind the selector module is a strong spring which pushes the laser module forward into the centering ball and socket up forward. There are two very strong springs which act counter to the windage and elevation adjustment screws. These springs are very strong and large in size for what they do. The spring seating cups are also deep enough to keep them well aligned and not fall out if you adjust the laser to full negative travel. The laser module is made out of brass (as most are) and has some nice features. The adjustment spring flats are large, and there is a centering ball machined into the front of the module. This mates with a socket milled into the laser module. The spring tension from behind keeps the ball securely centered in the socket. The windage and elevation adjustment screws are large diameter with a lot of thread engagement. They also have a light thread lock applied to keep them from moving. The size and thread engagement is a huge plus. </p><p></p><p>The laser diode is also seated very nicely. The diode is put in from the front, and then a long threaded insert (retention nut) is screwed in from the face to sandwich and concentrically center the diode in the housing. The collimator is then screwed in on top of the retention nut. The collimator has two O-rings to keep it from moving and seal it against the elements. This is also very important. Any movement in the collimator will change your nice tight dot into a long flat line. (You can screw the collimator in and out to focus the laser). Secured into the laser housing is a second lens to protect the collimator and keep dust / dirt, etc out. </p><p></p><p>The mounting system is also well thought out. The floating rail interface is dovetailed into the body and the locking system is of ample size and has deep thread engagement. You could never strip it. The negative limit stop is a stainless steel pin press fit into the floating rail interface. The battery door / switch system is also well designed. The door hinge is a stainless steel bar pressed into either side of the body. The important point to note here is that the door only engages the outermost part of the hinge, putting all of the pressure at the strongest points. The locking mechanism is designed the same way, with a stainless locking bar and a strong spring to latch it closed. The switch itself is deigned well and very stout. There is an O-ring with a lot of real estate to seal the door. The O-ring is tapered. On hinged doors, a tapered O-ring is preferred as it will provide a better seal should the pressure on either side of the battery door be different.</p><p></p><p>The activation switch is well designed and protected. Four small press fit pins secure the cover plate over the switch hinge, which is anchored on both sides. When you move the switch, a ramp on the inside of the switch presses in both sides of the actual switching unit. This is a redundant system and solid. This is also the method used when pressing the switch forward for momentary activation.</p><p></p><p>One important note on the battery contacts; they are very strong, and wound so as to not protrude far from the battery door. This means the battery can never out-accelerate them and lose contact during firing. They should also never wear out.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="jmoney, post: 2001463, member: 24661"] here is a pretty good break down written by somebody else, it can go much further. Build Quality / Design Surefire X400 The Surefire X400 has a quality LED and Laser Diode. The circuit boards are also well designed and manufactured. Solder work has been high quality at all solder points. I tested several solder points by pulling the wires from different angles. In all cases, the wires broke before the solder points. Keep in mind this is a sample set of one. The body of the X400 is machine from a single block of aluminum. There is no wasted space and the unit is designed as lean as possible without sacrificing structural integrity. The anodizing in even and the body is anodized inside an out; I did not see any possible weaknesses for corrosion. When I unscrewed the Surefire head, it broke the connection points between the battery terminal PCB and what I will call the logic board. The logic board distributes power based on the selector switch position. This is then transferred back to the LED or the laser diode. The logic board also contains the laser diode driver. The logic board and the LED driver board are press fit into the head and shock mounted with some kind of epoxy. Tolerances are tight and the design is very good. I know how it's assembled now, and it makes a lot of sense from a reliability / durability standpoint. The glass lens is beefy and well mounted between the housing flange and reflector. The way surefire assembles this light makes it nearly impossible for an end user to remove the head, as there is no need to change the LED, this should be not be end user serviceable. The laser module is mounted via two long screws and is nestled in a milled channel. There is a thick rubber gasket that seals both the body and the laser module from the elements. Thread engagement is adequate. Wires run from the logic board through a plastic conduit into the laser module. Three wires go to the switch and three to the laser diode. The switching mechanism is a work of art. The selector lever is mounted via a press fit cross pin to the selector and runs the full length of the selector switch giving the plastic selector some rigidity and durability, when you flip modes; it turns a rotary switch to one of five positions. The positive click is a result of two ball bearings interfacing with a molded plastic race. A strong spring pushes the bearings apart into recesses. That is the reason the click is so positive and will likely never wear out. The entire selector unit is screwed into the back of the aluminum laser housing via a threaded steel insert. Another important note here is that the actual selector PCB has a mating recess milled into the laser housing. So no matter how many times you switch the mode, the PCB will never fail and rotate with the switch. On a side note, the attention to detail like previously noted is apparent everywhere you look on the light. Little things like this make a big difference. It is also integrated with the molded plastic selector detent sleeve. Behind the selector module is a strong spring which pushes the laser module forward into the centering ball and socket up forward. There are two very strong springs which act counter to the windage and elevation adjustment screws. These springs are very strong and large in size for what they do. The spring seating cups are also deep enough to keep them well aligned and not fall out if you adjust the laser to full negative travel. The laser module is made out of brass (as most are) and has some nice features. The adjustment spring flats are large, and there is a centering ball machined into the front of the module. This mates with a socket milled into the laser module. The spring tension from behind keeps the ball securely centered in the socket. The windage and elevation adjustment screws are large diameter with a lot of thread engagement. They also have a light thread lock applied to keep them from moving. The size and thread engagement is a huge plus. The laser diode is also seated very nicely. The diode is put in from the front, and then a long threaded insert (retention nut) is screwed in from the face to sandwich and concentrically center the diode in the housing. The collimator is then screwed in on top of the retention nut. The collimator has two O-rings to keep it from moving and seal it against the elements. This is also very important. Any movement in the collimator will change your nice tight dot into a long flat line. (You can screw the collimator in and out to focus the laser). Secured into the laser housing is a second lens to protect the collimator and keep dust / dirt, etc out. The mounting system is also well thought out. The floating rail interface is dovetailed into the body and the locking system is of ample size and has deep thread engagement. You could never strip it. The negative limit stop is a stainless steel pin press fit into the floating rail interface. The battery door / switch system is also well designed. The door hinge is a stainless steel bar pressed into either side of the body. The important point to note here is that the door only engages the outermost part of the hinge, putting all of the pressure at the strongest points. The locking mechanism is designed the same way, with a stainless locking bar and a strong spring to latch it closed. The switch itself is deigned well and very stout. There is an O-ring with a lot of real estate to seal the door. The O-ring is tapered. On hinged doors, a tapered O-ring is preferred as it will provide a better seal should the pressure on either side of the battery door be different. The activation switch is well designed and protected. Four small press fit pins secure the cover plate over the switch hinge, which is anchored on both sides. When you move the switch, a ramp on the inside of the switch presses in both sides of the actual switching unit. This is a redundant system and solid. This is also the method used when pressing the switch forward for momentary activation. One important note on the battery contacts; they are very strong, and wound so as to not protrude far from the battery door. This means the battery can never out-accelerate them and lose contact during firing. They should also never wear out. [/QUOTE]
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