Klarus RS20 Passaround

Klarus has donated a RS20 to the CPF community for a good old fashioned passaround, as was common in the early days of CPF.

Klarus link.



RULES:

0. Do not fill up my PM inbox with questions. I keep a busy schedule. Everything is explained below.

1. You must be a registered member of CPF for at least 6 months AND have 50 posts.

2. You must be over 18 years old to participate.

3. This pass around is restricted to CONUS. You will be expected to ship the flashlight to the next participant using a USPS flat rate priority box with tracking number.

4. Post your interest here, in this thread, and then PM me with: (You will not be put on the list until I receive your PM!)
a. Forum Name
b. Full Real Name
c. Shipping Address
d. Email Address
e. Phone Number

5. You must post a photo of the light here, in this thread, as received. (Protects you.)

6. Keep the light for several days - maximum 14 days. Please feel free to use the light in what would be considered a normal manner. But remember that you are responsible for the light and if you break or damage it beyond what could, or would be normal wear and tear, you own it and replacement WILL be expected. Do not throw the light, use it as a hammer or pry bar, or subject it to any tests that could damage it. Do Not Modify The Light In Any Way!!!

7. Before shipping the light to the next person in line, please clean it up, wipe it off and in general make sure it is in good shape. Also be sure the batteries are not dead. If you run down the batteries, please be kind enough to pass the light on with fresh batteries.

8. Pack the light back up with everything that came with it, as packed by the manufacture for retail sale. PM the next person in line for their mailing address, include MrMom in the PM with shipping details and tracking number, and ship it out via USPS priority flat rate. The last person will return the flashlight to MrMom.

9. Post here in this thread once the package has been shipped - PM the tracking number to MrMom.

10. Remember - once the light is in your possession, it is your responsibility until it leaves your possession. It is also your responsibility to make sure it makes it to the next person in the pass around in a timely manner. I've seen how you guys can eviscerate each other around here for not holding up your ends of bargains - don't be THAT guy that we read about in the Jeers thread!

11. And last, but certainly not least, please take a moment to take some photos and make some comments, reviews and improvement suggestions here in this thread regarding your experiences, impressions and opinions of the light. Good, Bad, Ugly... doesn't matter. We want YOUR feedback!

Are you a budding reviewer? Post your first one here!

We reserve the right to determine who can or cannot participate on a case by case basis. Those which do not follow the posted rules will be BANNED from all future passarounds.

To keep this manageable, let's start of with a first group of ten participants. With up to two weeks play and added ship times, I would expect the first group to take roughly 30 weeks. If all goes well, I'll open it up for a few more.

To post photos so that they will appear directly on the page, not as clickable links, upload them to your free photo bucket account. From photo bucket, copy the URL titled "Direct link", there are four to chose from. On the CPF thread click on the picture icon "Insert Image" then paste the photo bucket URL which you copied.

Members with a CPF supporter subscription don't have to jump through all the URL hoops to post a photo. Your CPF supporter membership includes direct image upload permissions.

Participants:
1. lytumup - No reply to PM for ship address.
2. Str8stroke
3. Les_Garten
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. MrMom

Klarus has not specified the final outcome of the RS20, it has been my intention to give the flashlight light away to a participant in the passaround who has posted a review via a blind draw. Are you in?

During the early days of CPF, passarounds were quite common. They were a great way to play with a flashlight for the cost of postage. I remember the days that manufactures sent prototypes to CPF members as a product development venue as well. Many member suggestions were included in final releases. I still have a few of those beta development lights in my collection.

This passaround opportunity has been up for two weeks now and I am quite surprised that there are no takers. I know that the forum category of passarounds is new to CPF again and that this thread has only 200+ hits at this time.

Please help me understand the lack of interest:
1. Is it because of lack of exposure? Duh, if you have not seen this thread, how would you know? How would you know to respond?
2. Are passaround opportunities diluted with group buys?
3. I'm just not interested in passarounds of any type at this time? Explain.
4. I'm not interested in this particular flashlight?
5. Are passaround rules too restrictive?
6. If I was interested in the flashlight, I would have purchased it instead of waiting for a passaround.
7. There are many expert reviewers here on CPF. I do not feel that my personal review can be up to their standard. (Don't worry, your quick thoughts are always more than welcome.)

Fellow CPF members please offer your input on this matter.

Manufactures are interested in placing their products in expert (your) hands for an honest review and for feedback from your experience. Sarah, a truly wonderful person with Klarus, has generously donated an RS20 to the community. It is in your hands now.

Lack of participation will close the door on future opportunities.

Please share your thoughts here or if needed by PM.

I look forward to putting the Klarus RS20 through the paces in real life mode this summer while camping. Our Buffalo NY deep snow pack has just begun to melt. The camping season will be in full swing in a few months.

Hey MrMom - first of all, thanks for putting together a first rate thread for the pass around. I considered raising my hand, but quite honestly my interest trailed off about rule #7...

Please don't misunderstand - I certainly understand why you are so specific and detailed and applaud you for putting in the thought and effort.

BUT - IMHO, a pass around should be fun and informative, and this kinda turned into an assignment.



That's not to say it's bad - it's just not something I want to get into.

I humbly serve as the staff flashlight writer for TheFirearmBlog.com, and most lights sent to me for review are 'no strings attached.' I abuse them, enjoy them, take lots of photos and either put them into rotation or share them with someone. The manufacturers or distributors who send lights with instructions for return get a far less detailed review. Stock photos, a few tests, opinions, then it goes back. Now I realize that Sarah donated this light and Klarus is to be commended for that, but it still sounds as though the handling must be gentle or one might find themselves having to purchase a $110 light without really wanting to.

Please understand - I don't mind having to send them back, but I do this gratis and for the pure enjoyment of it. Being 'hand-cuffed' as to how much real use/abuse that can be inflicted on the light sorta takes all the fun out of it.

So again, thanks to you and Sarah for putting this together. I hope you get some testers/reviewers! If not, sounds like you'll put it through the paces this summer.

For me, just not a light I am interested in. I buy VERY FEW Non-USA-made lights and seldom keep the foreign stuff for long, so something really has to grab my attention or get a lot of positive comments from others for me to even consider buying. I simply gloss over most thread titles starting with things like Klarus, Thrunite, Eagletac, Imalent, et al. Sorry.

I would be interested as I have the 1st version of the RS20, but I don't meet the 50 post limit. Hopefully someone that has the first version can do a comparison between the two.

I just do not have any interest in this type of light.

I just found this thread a few minutes ago even though I am on CPF quite often, so a bump or two might have made the difference (after even a few hours, threads are buried pretty deep, and not likely to be found unless you are specifically looking for it).

I also agree with run4jc's rationale...the pass-around simply has too many different steps to complete, and doesn't seem like it is worth the effort. If I really wanted a light of this type, I might go for it anyway, but for a casual "try it out" scenario, with no expectation that I would buy it, I can't justify it.

I would want to do at least some basic tests (drops onto carpet, water resistance, a couple runs on turbo, etc.) all of which have the POTENTIAL to damage the light if there is a hidden defect. But the rules seem designed to limit that sort of thing - putting the tester on the hook for the full cost of the light if anything goes wrong.

I want to thank Klarus for the donation nonetheless. I always greatly appreciate it when manufacturers (or distributors) show that they actually care about CPF members/opinions.

Question: is the light eventually going back to Klarus, or is someone going to keep it when the pass-around is over?

If it's any help, I have bought 2 of these RS20 lights and can vouch for there build quality. In my opinion they are better made (heavier construction) than nitecore lights in fact I would go as far as to say some of the best production lights I've used.

Observations:
Beam is tightly focused and not too much spill - I would estimate around 900 lumens OTF but makes up for a little less lumens from the tighter focused beam - compared to a thrunite lynx lynx is brighter.
Tint is cool white.
There is PWM - but not on high.
Wish the buttons were on the tail not on the side as the buttons are hard to find in the dark, and the charge couple on the side (like the TX12 which by the way is a really good tough light I can recommend that one no probs)
Because buttons are on the side, this light is useless in a high stress situation I have found - and one of the main reasons its no good in high stress situations as well is you have to press and hold the on button for 2 seconds to make the light stay on and press and hold for 2 seconds to turn off again - single tapping button does momentary, double tapping button does strobe.
The second button for the flood light works in the same way - you can have both spot and flood on at the same time - the flood light is brilliant and a beautiful tint.
IMO this light would be good for camping/maintenance/dog walks etc where you don't need to keep turning it off and on.
Charger is brilliant - red light around coupling to show charging and green when charged - can charge anywhere from wall wart/computer/cig lighter.

I have now sold both lights to some of my work mates and they love them.

I am on CPF at least 10 times a day, and tonight is the very first time I saw this thread. I participated in a Pass Around about 6 months ago, and really enjoyed it. There were strict rules, but not near as many, and overall the thread had a very "fun" feel to it. There was another pass around for a bike light that I really wanted to do but an injury prevented me from being able to test it the way I wanted to. On that pass around, the light was given to one of the participants as a gift. There has been a lot of good feedback given by other forum members- maybe "relaunch" incorporating suggestions and see if the response is better. Good luck!

Decent little review on the light in case some one is interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7Gtf6M482o

I only own a small Klarus light MiX6, the tiny AAA it is a neat little light. So it would be kinda cool to check out one of their larger lights.

I am down to checking this one out.

PM in bound.

Since the recent re-launch of the passaround forum, and this first new passaround opportunity, several CPF members have offered valuable feedback. In light of such, a new thread has been started looking for your creative input developing passaround rules.

Here is the link: Let's develop some reasonable guidelines for passarounds

run4jc: Thank you for your valuable input. Your points are well taken. Your input partially fueled the start of a guideline thread. If you would like to be included, please contact me.

nbp: Understand. Thanks for your reply.

lytumup: You are in. Please send me your contact information. Great review link you posted.

bladesmith: Thanks for being a CPF sponsor and your reply to this thread.

thedoc007: Thanks for being a CPF sponsor. I think that your tests would seem reasonable and non intentionally destructive. Please participate in the passaround guideline thread. Would you like to be included in this passaround? contact me.

Glenn7: Nice observations. Thanks for posting.

Crazyeddiethefirst: I like the screen name. Klarus has not specified the final outcome of the RS20, it has been my intention to give the flashlight light away to a participant in the passaround who has posted a review via a blind draw. Are you in?

Str8stroke: You are in and on the list.

I only just now saw this thread.

First I want to thank MrMom for the detailed description of the process. I can't think of anything else that could have been said.

I think this sort of passaround is a great idea and I hope it generates more interest.

For me though, this is something I might have been interested in doing when I was younger when I was of more modest means. At this point, having read the description, it sounds like a very capable light for the price and I'm more likely to just buy it outright rather than go to the trouble of the passaround process. I guess you could say Klarus did too good of a job--I'm sold already. And if for some reason I don't like it (highly unlikely--I rarely meet a light I don't like) I have friends who I doubt would spend over $100 on a flashlight who I'm sure would enjoy it. I doubt they know flashlights like this even exist.

Str8stroke, the light has been shipped. Tracking sent PM.

Light has arrived safely. Soon to open it up and check it out.

Have you put the RS20 through the paces?

I am interested in participating in the Pass-a-round.

Les, PM with your shipping information sent to Str8stroke.

Awesome. Got it. I will post thoughts and photos tonight or first thing in the am. And I will get her boxed up and shipped off tomorrow if possible. Its been fun. More info to come.