deranged_coder
Enlightened
Just got this little beast this past weekend and beyond a few nitpicks I am very much impressed with this little light.
First, some pics:
Size comparison with a Gerber Infinity Ultra and Inova X1:
The three panels on the sides (one has JetBeam etched on it, another has the TADGear logo and the third panel is blank):
Disassembled (the two O-rings on either end would lead me to believe that the light will easily survive a dunking in water but I have no inclination to test that theory):
With the accessory pack (O-rings, tailcap boot, holster, lanyard):
My own impressions, after having played around with the light a lot over the past weekend:
I like the fact that the light is very bright yet is still small and easily pocketable. The beam has a nice hotspot with a very useable spill. It is really not a thrower though; while walking around outdoors I found it useful to light up the area right in front of you but I felt it could not be used for any long range spotting. The fact that it runs on AA batteries is a nice plus since AA batteries are a lot easier to come by than CR123s. The two O-rings on each end would imply that it is at least weatherproof / splash proof. The accessory pack is a nice bonus.
The strobe mode does seem quite irritating (seems very similar to the strobe of the Gladius) but the fact that you have to click several times to access it from the off position would probably limit its usefulness for LEO use.
Things that irked me are the lack of a momentary on mode and the flow of the switching felt odd i.e. I am more used to something gradually going brighter or going dimmer so the sequence of 65% brightness, 5% brightness then 100% brightness felt odd to me.
Overall, I found it to be a very versatile light. The multiple levels allow you to choose between brightness and runtime and the additional strobe and S.O.S. blink modes could be useful for emergency signaling. Thumbs up from me.
First, some pics:
Size comparison with a Gerber Infinity Ultra and Inova X1:
The three panels on the sides (one has JetBeam etched on it, another has the TADGear logo and the third panel is blank):
Disassembled (the two O-rings on either end would lead me to believe that the light will easily survive a dunking in water but I have no inclination to test that theory):
With the accessory pack (O-rings, tailcap boot, holster, lanyard):
My own impressions, after having played around with the light a lot over the past weekend:
I like the fact that the light is very bright yet is still small and easily pocketable. The beam has a nice hotspot with a very useable spill. It is really not a thrower though; while walking around outdoors I found it useful to light up the area right in front of you but I felt it could not be used for any long range spotting. The fact that it runs on AA batteries is a nice plus since AA batteries are a lot easier to come by than CR123s. The two O-rings on each end would imply that it is at least weatherproof / splash proof. The accessory pack is a nice bonus.
The strobe mode does seem quite irritating (seems very similar to the strobe of the Gladius) but the fact that you have to click several times to access it from the off position would probably limit its usefulness for LEO use.
Things that irked me are the lack of a momentary on mode and the flow of the switching felt odd i.e. I am more used to something gradually going brighter or going dimmer so the sequence of 65% brightness, 5% brightness then 100% brightness felt odd to me.
Overall, I found it to be a very versatile light. The multiple levels allow you to choose between brightness and runtime and the additional strobe and S.O.S. blink modes could be useful for emergency signaling. Thumbs up from me.
