Battle of the P365 XMacro Lights: Sig Sauer Foxtrot2, Streamlight TLR-7Sub, and Olight Baldr S

Background

The P365 XMacro is the P365 that Sig should have come out with first. It has:

• Integrated compensator
• 17 round capacity in a slim package
• Longer grip for more positive hand contact
• Optic cut
• And… wait for it… a standard light rail

Yes, Sig Sauer finally gave us all an option to run a P365 that has a standard rail rather than the proprietary slots that are on the original P365, P365XL, and P365X. They also offer the grip module separately, meaning that for a modest cost, just about anyone can give their P365 a standard rail.

Why is the rail so important? Well, people like to attach things to it. Especially lights. And most lights are made for standard rails. Yes, Surefire and Streamlight both have offerings for the regular P365, but if you want something else, you’ve been out of luck. Until now.

That brings us to the question of which light to choose. For this comparison, we chose 3 of the most common choices.

Contenders

I chose 3 different lights that are popular for the XMacro. Each one needs to fit on the XMacro rail, and either have a following or have an expected following.

First up I have the Streamlight TLR-7 Sub 1913. Yes, this is essentially the same light you can get on your regular P365, except it uses the standard 1913 rail. The TLR-7 Sub consistently ranks one of the best lights, in both output testing and in durability testing.

Next up I chose the Olight Baldr S. This is the highest output light of the bunch, and it also sports a laser. It has been a super popular offering for Olight, and it’s possible that Sig Sauer customers may take to this Olight as a companion to their P365.

Finally, Sig Sauer has been making lights. But you probably already knew that if you’re reading this article. The Foxtrot2 looks a lot like the TLR-7, so it is probably a good one to compare. Further, Sig must be promoting it with the P365 XMacro as we have received requests for that exact combination since the release of the XMacro.

Specs

Make and Model	Streamlight TLR-7 Sub 1913	Olight Baldr S	Sig Sauer Foxtrot 2
MSRP	$239.30	$129.95	$189.99
Street Price	$134.90	$129.95	$139.99
Output (Lumens)	500	800	580
Candela	5,000	4,400	13,000
Runtime (Minutes)	90	100	60
Laser Color	N/A	Green	N/A
Battery	1x CR123A	Integrated Rechargeable	1x CR123A

First off, all 3 of these lights are in the same price range. However, at that price, Olight provides a laser and their magnetic charging. The Foxtrot 2 should have a significant candela advantage, and the Baldr S should have a significant lumen advantage.

Time to see if specs meet reality.

Lab: Lumen Over Time

As always, we test our lumens over time, which provides a bunch of data.

From this chart, we can see that the Baldr S has the highest spike in output, but the longest and most consistent output is with the TLR-7 Sub. As a matter of fact, if we look at total light output (area under the curve), the Streamlight provides over twice the output of the Olight, and four times the output of the Sig. The area under the curve sums up all the lumen readings over time, indicating total light energy before the light turns off. Streamlight apparently knows how to tune to get the maximum out of the CR123A batteries. The ANSI/NEMA runtime on these lights is:

Make and Model	Streamlight TLR-7 Sub 1913	Olight Baldr S	Sig Sauer Foxtrot 2
Runtime Manufacturer Rating	90 minutes	100 Minutes	60 Minutes
Runtime Measured to 10% of Lumen Rating	1 hour 39 minutes 45 seconds	43 minutes 18 seconds	45 minutes 34 seconds
Runtime Measured to 10 lumens	2 hours 23 minutes 53 seconds	43 minutes 18 seconds	55 minutes 46 seconds

And let’s zoom in on the first 10 minutes, which is where most of us will operate:

This chart shows how these lights may have higher ratings, but drop quickly and toward the end of 10 minutes, the outputs may be drastically different than a person would expect. The Olight maintains the lumen lead for 2 minutes, which (incidentally) is the amount of time that ANSI / NEMA ratings measure for max output. From there, the Streamlight takes over the lead. At 2 minutes in, the Streamlight has 33% more lumen output than the Sig Sauer, and by the end of 10 minutes it has double the lumen output.

Here are the max measurements:

Make and Model	Streamlight TLR-7 Sub 1913	Olight Baldr S	Sig Sauer Foxtrot 2
Manufacturer Lumen Rating	500	800	580
Max Lumens	629.1	850.9	616.6
FL-1 Lumens	592.1	763.1	450.4

Lab: Candela

Some manufacturers rate candela at time zero, which uses the light on a fresh battery and without any runtime heat. FL-1 standards require running the light for 30 seconds first, which usually (but not always) results in lower ratings. Other manufacturers follow the FL-1 spec. I took measurements at T0 and T30, showing how the light output may drop in the first 30 seconds of use.

Make and Model	Streamlight TLR-7 Sub 1913	Olight Baldr S	Sig Sauer Foxtrot 2
Manufacturer Candela Rating	5,000	4,400	13,000
T0 Candela	3,510	4,157	10,540
T30 Candela	3,482	4,129	9,258

This data shows the Streamlight and the Olight quite close in output, with their diffuse beams. However, Sig Sauer chose to focus the Foxtrot 2 beam more, which gives it 2-3 times the candela output of the other lights. In my opinion, the candela output alone might be a reason to choose the Foxtrot 2. As we have seen, candela most accurately measures the ability of a light to control a subject. On the other hand, some people do prefer the wide diffuse beam for searching, and the Streamlight and Olight samples here both perform well in that regard.

Lab: Color Rendering

Color rendering measures how accurately the light duplicates the spectrum of the sun, which allows our eyes to accurately perceive colors. It might mean the difference in identifying the color shirt an assailant is wearing for later identification.

For color temperature I prefer closer to 5k. The TLR-7 Sub is closest at 6.2k, with the Foxtrot 2 following at 6.8k, and the Olight lagging at a very “cool” color temperature of 7.2k.

For CRI, we see the TLR-7 Sub and Baldr S both quite close to each other at 67 Ra. The Foxtrot 2 has a respectable Ra of 75, which is toward the higher end of what I see from weapon lights.

Practical: Warehouse Test

I took these lights upstairs in our warehouse space to see how they perform in the real world. All of these lights did fairly well as far as providing a good flood, including the Foxtrot2. However, it was clear the Foxtrot2 was the stronger of the three when it came to intensity.

The TLR-7 Sub and Baldr S fell behind here, being relatively even with each other.

Practical: Light Use

Switches are another factor to consider as you look for the best light. To be honest, my favorite switches are on the TLR-7 Sub. They are tactile, giving me very positive feedback with activation. The switches on the other lights are mushy.

All of the switches have shown to be reliable so far. A press downward is the activation method for all three lights, and they all follow suit to the same quick press for constant on, and long press for momentary.

Ranking the activation from first to worst: TLR-7 Sub, Foxtrot2, Baldr S.

Conclusion

That’s a lot of data to reference when making your decision to purchase. Let’s recap the main points:

Make and Model	Streamlight TLR-7 Sub	Olight Baldr S	Sig Sauer Foxtrot2
Lumen Output	2nd	1st	3rd
Candela Output	3rd	2nd	1st
Runtime	1st	3rd	2nd
Switch Activation	1st	3rd	2nd
Track Record for Reliability	1st	3rd	2nd
Overall	1st	3rd	2nd

All things considered, the Streamlight TLR-7 Sub is the best light.

However, if you want the max candela available, the Sig Sauer Foxtrot2 is a solid choice.

What light are you running on your XMacro? Leave a comment below!