Multi-stage 1AA Review - Part III: Runtimes, beamshots & more!

[selfbuilt]

Because i find that on my Jet-I IBS rated for (0.7-4.2V) that 100% becomes noticeably dimmer by 1.3V and by 1.2V all modes on my light are about as low as the minimum 5% low and by 1.1V even the 5% low instantly dims down when you turn on the light.

That's sounds pretty normal. I just tried running down my Jet-I IBS on NiMH for you, and noticed max output started to dim as I approached ~1.2V. Note that at this resting voltage (when I first saw a noticeable dip), my ZTS battery tester read zero capacity for the cell.

I gave it a few more mins, while it dimmed rapidly, and pretty soon output wasn't much higher ~5-10% of max (where I normally stop my runs). At this point, my DMM read 1.18V, and my Maha C9000 read the cell as completely discharged.

So your experience sounds fairly typical - there doesn't seem to be a lot juice left in NiMH by 1.2V.

 

[Yapo]

Ah k...Thanks for that! When i read that the new Liteflux LF5XT had a 0.8V cutoff voltage and a low voltage warning at 1.0V it got me thinking...So i guess it wont have much use when running on nimh then or maybe that feature was designed for safety with alkalines?!?

I'll be looking forward to your review on it!:thumbsup:

I ordered a new smart/quick charger from KD 2 weeks ago along with a set of LSD AA's but they still havent shipped out yet:mecry:maybe i should of ordered from DX...its annoying waiting 15hrs for my current 1s to charge at 2 or 4 batteries at a time and also 2 AA's i charged were flat before i even finished using 1 of them.

 

[selfbuilt]

Ah k...Thanks for that! When i read that the new Liteflux LF5XT had a 0.8V cutoff voltage and a low voltage warning at 1.0V it got me thinking...So i guess it wont have much use when running on nimh then or maybe that feature was designed for safety with alkalines?!?

No, I believe its still designed to help protect NiMH ... those cut-off voltages presumably refer to the batteries under load. Resting voltages (which I was referring to in my earlier post, as they are easiest to measure) are bound to be somewhat different.

I ordered a new smart/quick charger from KD 2 weeks ago along with a set of LSD AA's but they still havent shipped out yet:mecry:maybe i should of ordered from DX...its annoying waiting 15hrs for my current 1s to charge at 2 or 4 batteries at a time and also 2 AA's i charged were flat before i even finished using 1 of them.

I know it's pretty steep, but I'm a big fan of the Maha C9000 charger. There's lot info on it here at CPF (and a very good SilverFox review of it around here somewhere). I tend not to trust most of the rapid chargers out there ... at the very least, you might want to consider running them under a cooling fan (batteries can get very hot when charged at high currents).

 

[Yapo]

oh right the voltage under load would be lower...but i think even then the light would probably be noticably dimmer or at least on a highish level anyway. Either way i guess its still a useful function for just incase u leave the light on by accident.

I ordered the soshine charger: http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=4128
For less than $14 it seemed cheap for a smart charger and the advertised spec from the soshine site sound decent enough. As for the "rapid" charging/high current output, i would have preferred something a little less but i plan on charging 4 batteries at a time to minimize the current on each battery. I dont need to have them charged within an hour. All i want is to not wait more than half a day and also remember what time i have to take them off my as well as estimating the amount of power left in them.

Also i just noticed KD sells maha chargers now lol but i dont think i eat through batteries fast enough to invest in one of them. And i also have heard that a fair few people are happy with that soshine one.

 

[LightObsession]

Thanks for the great review.

It looks like the Fenix Rebel would be a better choice than the Q5 if using alkalines to power them.

I think I like the beam of the Q5 better, but like the Rebel runtimes better on alkalines.

Thanks again.

 

[Burgess]

to selfbuilt --


This is a Great review thread !

:twothumbs



Thank you for your time and effort.


Can't wait to see yer' results from the LF5XT.

_

 

[selfbuilt]

Can't wait to see yer' results from the LF5XT.

Likewise. Unfortunately, my order didn't go out in the first batch, and it looks like there will be at least a 2-week delay before the next batch of lights is ready, according to Khoo's latest posts in his dealer's thread.

Once it gets here and di a review, I think it may be time to get a Part IV round-up thread going, since there's a lot of newer 1AA lights that aren't included in the pics.

FYI, I'm also working on a 1x CR123A/RCR round-up review which I would like to get out first. Should be a few more days on that one, as I still have to finalize the write-up and do the beamshot comparisons. But after that, I'll get back to updating the 1AA side of things ...

 

[LightObsession]

Will you be adding the NiteCore D10 to this comparison?

Thanks.

 

[selfbuilt]

Will you be adding the NiteCore D10 to this comparison?

Yes, the NiteCore D10 and LiteFlux LF5XT are both en route to me, and will be added to my 1AA round-up review.

 

[Rzr800]

Yes, the NiteCore D10 and LiteFlux LF5XT are both en route to me, and will be added to my 1AA round-up review.

...now if we could only get a manufacturer, vendor or member to send you a new Jet I Pro IBS... (no R2 and with the new head).

Honestly, selfbuilt...if I could have worked any harder as to getting any advance or even current information on this light...I would have most likely bought one myself and simply sent it to you.

Yet as it stands now?

The D10 and LF5XT win hands down in your excellent reviews...pretty much by default. :shakehead

 

[selfbuilt]

...now if we could only get a manufacturer, vendor or member to send you a new Jet I Pro IBS... (no R2 and with the new head).

Well, the runtime perfomance should be the same for all the IBS models, so what you see for my Jet-I MK IBS should be comparable for all 1AA Jet-I models.

The big question is what throw would be like with the Jet-I PRO head and an IBS circuit. I've no doubt it would be the best throwing 1AA light. But there's plenty of people with light meters around here who should be able to offer some comparative numbers once their replacement modules ship.

 

[Rzr800]

Well, the runtime perfomance should be the same for all the IBS models, so what you see for my Jet-I MK IBS should be comparable for all 1AA Jet-I models.

The big question is what throw would be like with the Jet-I PRO head and an IBS circuit. I've no doubt it would be the best throwing 1AA light. But there's plenty of people with light meters around here who should be able to offer some comparative numbers once their replacement modules ship.

Very frustrating on both potential purchaser's part (not to mention present Pro/Mk owners)...as we were afforded full support on previous models leading to your significant observations on the only (now obsolete MK) AA IBS system revealed:

"...Now this is significant - notice how much longer the tailcap spring is on the shipping version (on the right). I understand now the complaints from some people about not being able to fit some protected 14500 batteries in this light. With the extra spring in the head, that's a lot of tension on the battery (threads are anodized, so you need a full tightness fit of both the head and tail cap to make contact). Cranking it tight thus runs the potential risk of damaging your battery.

It seems like JetBeam is using the more substantial switch spring I noticed in my Jet-II review. But while that spring fits the bigger Jet-II tailcap fine, it is a bit wide at the base for the smaller red plastic retaining ring of the MK IBS. The first rung or two of the spring are jammed under the retaining ring, making it hard to separate the retaining ring from the switch assembly...."

...yet no word whatsoever on legitimate questions raised time and again (over several months now) surrounding the very finished model that you have worked damn hard to 'supposedly' include in this thread when the time came.

This light has become the poster child for what has went south regarding the review process here on CPF and we certainly don't have CPF but only ourselves to blame for not supporting our reviewers more in their never ending and rarely appreciated efforts.

 

[Rzr800]

"Well, the runtime perfomance should be the same for all the IBS models, so what you see for my Jet-I MK IBS should be comparable for all 1AA Jet-I models..."

Question please:

Is the following a reality in all of the other Pro models as well?:

"...As JetBeam has pointed out, the circuit has some efficiency problems at the med/high output range on NiMH. For ex, the Default Hi and "50%" flash level (which are both just slightly lower output than max) have equivalent runtime to max...."

...and what % decrease in output level finally achieves significant runtime gains?

Thanks a lot.

 

[Knighthood]

Very nice reviews !!! Thank you !! :twothumbs

 

[selfbuilt]

Is the following a reality in all of the other Pro models as well?:

"...As JetBeam has pointed out, the circuit has some efficiency problems at the med/high output range on NiMH. For ex, the Default Hi and "50%" flash level (which are both just slightly lower output than max) have equivalent runtime to max...."

...and what % decrease in output level finally achieves significant runtime gains?

AFAIK, this problem is in general for all IBS circuits. Judging from my runtimes in the Jet-I MK review, on NiMH/alkaline, anything over ~75% of max output gives you equivalent or slightly lower runtime than 100% on these batteries.

Certainly, by ~50% max output on NiMH/alkaline (not the 50% pre-level, which is based on 14500 output), you get significant runtime gains. I am afraid I haven't done too many runtimes lower than this yet - low mode runtimes are very time consuming, and my box is tied up with a rash of new lights at the moment.

 

[Rzr800]

"..AFAIK, this problem is in general for all IBS circuits.."

Thanks for the info; as it was getting somewhat confusing in regards to the previous 2 AA versions as to what would be finally 'fixed' and what would not in the final Pro IBS product ("Jetbeam knows about this" seemed to be about all that you were given).

Now with no new model volunteers and seemingly only one or two of us having ordered the pill...perhaps owners will only receive half the story on both of these lights in the end (which would be pretty sad, imo; what with all of the hard work that you have already put in to this class leading light).

I have never witnessed a light with so many groundbreaking features be 'snubbed' nearly as much in my short time up here on CPF.

 

[Rzr800]

"..Now with no new model volunteers and seemingly only one or two of us having ordered the pill...perhaps owners will only receive half the story on both of these lights in the end (which would be pretty sad, imo; what with all of the hard work that you have already put in to this class leading light).

I have never witnessed a light with so many groundbreaking features be 'snubbed' nearly as much in my short time up here on CPF.

Is it looking as if neither the upcoming R2 IBS; the now obsoleted Jet I Pro Q5 IBS (reverse clickie) nor the newest model (forward clickie) will be offered up any time soon to selfbuilt for review?

How about getting an "AA fund" going (for Jetbeam models exclusively) so that this category doesn't die all together (review wise) up here on CPF?

 

[selfbuilt]

Is it looking as if neither the upcoming R2 IBS; the now obsoleted Jet I Pro Q5 IBS (reverse clickie) nor the newest model (forward clickie) will be offered up any time soon to selfbuilt for review?

FYI, JetBeam will be sending me a Jet-I PRO EX V2.0 with forward clicky to review. Not sure of the exact timeframe, though.

 

[Rzr800]

FYI, JetBeam will be sending me a Jet-I PRO EX V2.0 with forward clicky to review. Not sure of the exact timeframe, though.

Thanks for the heads up.

It will be interesting to see if the Jetbeamm AA fans here on CPF are ready to allow all future comparisons to end here in this thread (in favor of the non Lithium-ion "2AA" form factor with reduced output/pocketability)...or forward to you at least one of the above 3 class leading lights yet to be reviewed.

If I can cobble together an IBS pill and/or a forward clickie (if available) for your Jet I Pro when the time comes...let me know...as the only solution that would keep this thread alive in terms of Jetbeam products seems to be parts/pieces or a donated light by somebody else that appreciates your reviews just as much as I do. (and I'm sorry, but after 4 different IBS 1AA model changes and priceless reviews by yourself on half of them ...I simply don't feel that a dime further should come out of your pocket).

 

[Oink]

Yes, the NiteCore D10 and LiteFlux LF5XT are both en route to me, and will be added to my 1AA round-up review.

Thanks, would really like to hear what you have to say about the D10.