JET-I PRO V3 vs D10 vs LD10+

[DowntownDM]

The Fenix seems to have the longest battery life.

The JETBeam works with batteries other than AA.

And the NiteCore just seems solid all around.

What key advantages or disadvantages am I missing?

Out of these three AA LED lights, what would you choose and why?

Thanks in advance.

 

[skyfire]

the nitecore and jetbeam supports 14500 li-on, and makes the light much brighter. so i would go for 1 of those.

the jetbeam throws a narrower beam, thus making it throw best of the 3. you also have the option of neutral tint, smooth or OP reflector, and OD finish. the IBS UI of the jetbeam is great to use, cause you can set your perferred brightness settings. has a 2 way pocket clip, and looks very attractive.

i have the older version D10 with the ramping UI, and from beamshots it has a smoother beam with a wider less-throwy hotspot. its also 3.5 inches which is about half an inch shorter than the jetbeam.

if your looking for a single AA light you might want to consider the quark AA, and the zebralight sc50 as well. which also support 14500 li-ion and have neutral tint option. the quark AA i would say is superior to the LD10 in everyway except for the looks. theres also the tactical version of the quark AA. which has a different interface, and forward clicky.

and the zebralight sc50 is the smallest of the bunch, biggest difference is the switch location. which is not on the bottom of the tailcap, and positioned where your thumb would be if held in an underhand grip.

 

[entoptics]

I have a NiteCore D10 Tribute, so I can only speak directly to that model.

The D10 has no brightness change running 14500 Li-ion batteries, but you will gain a fair amount of runtime (~30% more) using Li-ion or high capacity NiMH (2500+ mAh) over low self discharge 2000 mAh NiMH (eneloops, duraloops, rayovac hybrids, etc).

If the light is going to be an EDC pocket light, the D10 is extremely hard to beat because of its size and beam characteristics. It's very floody, with good center beam intensity but a relatively subtle transition to spill. Essentially perfect for close to medium work (around the house, in closets, under the bed, engine bays, computer cases, etc). It's so friggin bright though, it is also more than adequate for hiking, camping, jogging, etc, though your other choices will likely be a bit better for outdoor of work.

The piston drive takes some getting used to, and will arrive from the factory with sticky, thick lube, which needs to be removed and changed to a thinner lube before it functions nicely. Because of the thinner lube, it will require more frequent cleaning/lubing for proper function.

The grip and knurling are outstanding, and with the pocket clip installed (a very good clip btw), it's about the perfect size and fit for a normal adult hand. The build quality is good, and mine is thoroughly waterproof, and very robust.

 

[fonarik.com]

When did the test, D10 look nice
look and compare http://fonarik.com/test/indexen.php

D10

JET-I PRO

LD10 this is old models. new looks better

 

[JDest]

^While I always enjoy beamshots, I have to question the battery usage in those lights.

 

[entoptics]

I too am surprised that the D10 is showing up that much brighter than the other two. It's a bright little bugger, but to my eye, it's twice as bright as the other two in that picture.

Also, according to every other beamshot I've seen, the JetBeam should have a noticeably brighter hotspot than the D10 and that is DEFINITELY not the case in those pictures.

 

[JDest]

Again, can we guarantee that those beamshot are of a Jet1 pro v.3 with 14500? Because I doubt the results would be similar with that cell.

 

[ky70]

Again, can we guarantee that those beamshot are of a Jet1 pro v.3 with 14500? Because I doubt the results would be similar with that cell.

With there being no mention of a 14500 and based on that beam shot, I think we safely conclude that a 14500 was not used.

What impresses me though is the output performance of the D10 on a NIHM battery. It just really kicks the butt of most lights when running on non lion battery. I would really like to see someone compare the brightness of the d10 on high to the LD10 R4 on high with both on a NIHM. The latest LD10 repotedly puts out 170+ lumens on high and suspect the max output would be very similar when compared to the D10 (as I think the reported 145 max output of the D10 may be understated).

 

[DowntownDM]

thanks for the responses.

no real love for the Fenix... any reason(s) I should be concerned with?

the Quark AA looks interesting, I'd never seen that one before. thanks.

which do you think is the most rugged?

 

[entoptics]

thanks for the responses.

no real love for the Fenix... any reason(s) I should be concerned with?

the Quark AA looks interesting, I'd never seen that one before. thanks.

which do you think is the most rugged?

Fenix is probably the most highly thought of "popular" Chinese light around (in terms of fit/finish and build quality). They also are know for efficiency.

For ruggedness, I'm pretty sure it would essentially be a dead tie. All three lights in your OP and the Quark AA have very good reputations for build. Internals aside (emmitter, circuits, etc), the D10 probably has a very minor advantage due to the piston drive. No clicky to fail, and no rubber boot to wear out.

The D10 pocket clip is also much heavier duty compared to the others, but I actually had one crack lengthwise on mine. NiteCore customer service requested pictures and more info though, cause they'd never heard of that happening before. BatteryJunction.com sent a new clip with zero hassle within a few days of my contacting them.