The Fox-1X is Wolf Eye’s first focusable LED flashlight. Focusing is done similar to just about every other focusable flashlight currently in the market, by twisting its head. The head has a crenellated bezel and has a slightly curved surface design. There are wide, oval shaped indents machined onto the exterior of the head which help with grip when turning to focus the head. The anodized finishing on the head is smooth and consistent, and as with other Wolf Eyes products, it has a slight satin like texture to it. New to this model, Wolf Eyes has gone with a pale green hue for the color of anodizing used. It’s noticeably greener than the typical olive drab finish on other tactical lights. Inside the head you’ll find a standard glass lens and textured aluminum reflector which has been very well polished and finished.  The reflector screws into place inside the head, and also holds the lens in place. The emitter and reflector are well aligned, there’s just a very minute gap between them which is understandable since the focusing mechanism requires the reflector and emitter to move independent of each other. Threads between the head and battery tube are thick and smooth, and so if the focusing action. The resistance of the focusing head is average, similar to a MagLite for instance. It should maintain its focus position when subjected to firearm recoils without problems, but might run when carried in a pants pocket.

The battery tube of the Fox-1X is similar to most of the other Wolf Eyes 6 series products. It has a band of diamond textured knurling about 3cm wide around the battery tube. The diamond texture is cut quite deep and provides good grip, unlike the smoother diamond texture found on some other lights. There are 2 flat faces machined onto either sides of the battery tube which have some Wolf Eyes branding printed on them. Anodized coating is very well done all over the battery tube, as with the head. The threads on either ends of the battery tube are anodized, thick and smooth. I did not experience any cross-threading throughout my testing of the Fox-1X. Inside the battery tube you’ll find the characteristic brass insert found in Wolf Eyes products. This brass insert completes the electrical circuit between the switch module in the tail cap and the emitter module and conducts slightly better than just using the aluminum battery tube. Speaking of the emitter module, the one in the Fox-1X screws onto the front end of the battery tube and not in the head since this is a focusable flashlight after all. Thick rubber o-rings sit at either both ends of the battery tube for water resistance. The tail cap has long horizontal grooves machined around its outer perimeter which provides good grip when unscrewing the tail cap for battery changes. The end of the tail cap has 3 scallops machined into it, and almost seems as if it would allow the light to tail stand. However, the rubber switch cap protrudes out just slightly so it isn’t able to. The switch used is similar to other Wolf Eyes products as well. It’s a forward push button, which allows for momentary activation when half-pressed, or constant activation when clicked on. The light turns on easily for momentary activation, cycling through modes or morse code signaling, but to actually get the switch to click on takes a little more travel compared to most other lights. Also, the switch has a good amount of tension, slightly on the stiff side and requires slightly more pressure to click on. This could either be a good or bad thing. Good because it helps prevent accidental click on, but bad because you might miss the click when trying to switch it on in a hurry. I find that there is not enough tactile feedback when the light is clicked on. I could not feel when it clicked, only confirmed by a soft audible "click" sound. Finally, there are 2 holes on the lip of the tail cap for lanyard attachments.

As mentioned earlier, the Fox-1X is a focusable LED flashlight. To understand how differently focusing works with a surface mounted LED such as a Cree XR-E, as compared to an incandescent or other filament based lights, you’ll have to look at their radiation angles. While most filament bulbs radiate light at angles over 270°, these LEDs radiate light from a flat surface, and typically have radiation angles of less than 180° in practical applications. For the above reason, the difference between flood and spot with the Fox-1X will not be as stark as compared to an incandescent MagLite.

With the head fully tightened down, the Fox-1X is flood focused. The beam profile produced in this position still has a noticeable hot spot, but has a larger, soft corona which tapers off smoothly further into the spill beam. Twist to loosen the head further shifts the Fox-1X to spot focus. The beam profile produced in this position has a sharper, larger and more defined hotspot about twice as intense as the flood focus. Suprisingly, spill beam intensity only falls by a small margin, and is still quite bright and usable. Thanks to the well machined textured reflector, the beam profile is always smooth and artifact/ring free at any focus position. The tint on my sample is very white, leaning just slightly towards the cool side. Runtime performance and regulation of the Fox-1X is pretty good relative to its output.

The Good - Excellent build quality and finishing. Focusing feature works well. Nice use of brass for electrical contacts. Costs about 50% or less than SureFire lights (depending on model) with similar performance, plus it's able to run on rechargeable 18650 cells without modifications. Good power regulation.

The Bad - Almost no tactile feedback from the push button switch when clicked on. Difference between flood and spot focus might not be stark enough for some users.

The Relative - Uses a standard forward push button which enables momentary activation. Smooth beam, no dark ring around the hotspot.

Head (front view).

Head (side view).

Head (rear view).

Lens.

Reflector (front view).

Reflector (side view).

Reflector (rear view).

Emitter module (front view).

Emitter module (side view).

Emitter module (rear view).

Battery tube (front view).

Battery tube (side view).

Battery tube (rear view).

Tail cap (front view).

Tail cap (side view).

Tail cap (rear view).