JETBeam BK135A Overview - Lots of Pictures

[Starchaser]

I have just discovered that the clip of my titanium DST TLR fits perfectly well onto BK135A (screws included 😱oo🙂:

Since I believe that this clip design has already been seen somewhere else, it is conceivable that with some patience it is possible to find out a source. 🙂

Clip looks like a nice fit. :thumbsup:

Thanks... you have given me hope Kilovolt. 🙂

 

[MojaveMoon07]

Here's an excerpt of a post (link) made by Beacon of Light. Did anyone else have similar experiences with the BK135A especially in regards to his opinion that the ramping between levels is too quick ?


"Mostly happy with it, but it does feel cheaper than my Jet-I Pro lights. The switch is touchier which makes it harder to program (to get into program mode specifically) and I'm not keen on the quicker ramping in the program mode. It is hard to get the second and third from dimmest modes programmed in as the ramping goes between levels way too quickly."

 

[Kilovolt]

I agree on the fact that the switch of BK135A is somewhat difficult to operate when you want to perform the three quick half-presses needed to enter the programming mode. OTOH I have clocked a ramping time of 15 seconds which in my view can not be called quick mostly if compared with other cases: my new Nitecore EZ AA R5 ramps up in 7 seconds and that is really quick.

 

[LED_Thrift]

I've had my bk135a for two days and I find that it does ramp past the lowest levels a little too quickly for me. I wish it ramped from low to high and then back down to low. I find that the recessed switch is a bit too firm also.

I really love the beam of this light and the small size.

 

[mellowman]

Well, no reply from dstlights about the clip. I sent email, PMs here and marketplace, nada.

Think I've seen the clip on some other light, only thing I can remember it was titanium. Hmmm...

BTW, the BK135A can do candlelight mode. The top part above the metal ring screws off.

And if anyone knows were to find an XP-G neutral on an 8mm star, let me know.

 

[Starchaser]

As for the brightness, the BK135A is brighter than the ReVo, but not significantly brighter, which is a credit to 4Sevens for producing such a bright light in a small package.

I also compared the BK135A to my Nitecore EX10 which is rated at 145 lumens, and the EX10 is noticably brighter than the BK135A even though there is only a supposed 10 lumen difference between the two.

So either the ReVO's 82 lumen output is exceptional, or the BK135A's 135 lumen output is sub par (not very bright)?

And you say the NiteCore EX10 is noticeably brighter at just 10 lumens more, so I'm wondering now if the BK135A is just weak for its specced 135 lumens.

Does anyone else who owns a JETBeam BK135A, think its not very bright, for its claimed spec of 135 lumens?

 

[Kilovolt]

Does anyone else who owns a JETBeam BK135A, think its not very bright, for its claimed spec of 135 lumens?

On NiMH's my brand new ReVO throws significantly less than BK135A. Unfortunately beams are different and so a lux reading does not mean much, however at 1 m:

ReVO = 5300 lux
BK = 6200 lux

 

[B0wz3r]

So either the ReVO's 82 lumen output is exceptional, or the BK135A's 135 lumen output is sub par (not very bright)?

And you say the NiteCore EX10 is noticeably brighter at just 10 lumens more, so I'm wondering now if the BK135A is just weak for its specced 135 lumens.

Does anyone else who owns a JETBeam BK135A, think its not very bright, for its claimed spec of 135 lumens?

The problem here is that use of the term "noticeably" doesn't indicate how much difference there is between the two. Even differences in lux don't necessarily paint an accurate picture because of differences in beam profile and how the light is columnated by the reflector. "Noticeably" could mean, there is a very small difference but still enough to see, or it could mean a freakin' lot of difference; here there's no way to know.

In a number of SelfBuilt's reviews he states that at least with his equipment, throwy lights tend to measure lower than what their actual output is. I suspect this would be due to saturation of the sensors in a small area because of the greater concentration of the beam. The higher concentration of photons on the sensor can result in some of them being missed by the sensor.

A D10 has a pretty tight beam pattern compared to other lights, so differences in brightness could be because partly because of differences in dispersal as well. Same for the BK compared to the Revo.

 

[Starchaser]

In a number of SelfBuilt's reviews he states that at least with his equipment, throwy lights tend to measure lower than what their actual output is. I suspect this would be due to saturation of the sensors in a small area because of the greater concentration of the beam. The higher concentration of photons on the sensor can result in some of them being missed by the sensor.

Just to clarify B0wz3r... your saying that the stated specs, 82 lumens for ReVO, and 145 lumens for EX10, may in fact actually show higher ouput in "real world use" when compared to the 135 lumen output of the BK135A, because the ReVo, and EX10 have XP-E emitters that are more throwy, and the equipment used may not accurately measure the correct lumen output?

And because of this, for example, even though the numbers say, the EX10 has only 10 more lumens, in reality it is a much brighter light compared to the BK135A, than those extra 10 lumens suggest?

As for the brightness, the BK135A is brighter than the ReVo, but not significantly brighter, which is a credit to 4Sevens for producing such a bright light in a small package.

I also compared the BK135A to my Nitecore EX10 which is rated at 145 lumens, and the EX10 is noticably brighter than the BK135A even though there is only a supposed 10 lumen difference between the two.

I see your point B0wz3r how "significantly and noticeably" can be ambiguous, though it seems he was describing the Bk135A with 53 lumens more as not being "significantly brighter" than the ReVO, and then says, the EX10 is "noticeably brighter" at only 10 lumens more, making it sound like the BK135A is not living up to expectations of 135 lumens, and is not very bright.

I guess all I was wondering after reading his post, was if the BK135's output is in line with its stated spec of 135 lumens compared to other lights of the same, and if it is nice and bright. 🙂

 

[Flashfirstask?later]

Aww man I am so wishing I did not decide to come looking around and see this thread as I now am thinking of wanting to have one $$$.

I do have a Quark Mini AA but the twisty action turns me off a bit. My oldie JetBeam Jet-1 mkII is still my main around house pocket light so I can see this one being of interest.

 

[B0wz3r]

Chaser, sorry if I wasn't clearer. Let me rephrase; two light that output the same lux would probably have different lumen ratings only because of differences in the beam profile, making one appear brighter than the other. I think this is true for floody lights compared to throwers. For example, my two Jetbeams, Pro III ST Q3 and RRT-0 Q3 have different reflectors; smooth in the RRT and OP in the ST. They are rated at nearly exactly the same output, but my ST looks brighter overall because it has a more even and consistent spill area compared to the RRT. On the other hand, the RRT has a brighter hotspot than the ST.

With respect to how much brighter "noticeably" is compared to "significantly", there's no way of knowing. Even if someone should attempt to quantify by making direct comparisons (twice as bright, half as bright, etc.) it still doesn't solve the problem because everyone is going to have slightly different perceptions. So in this situation, the best that can be had in terms of perceptual descriptions is an ordinal scale of measurement/comparison. Dale Jr. might lose to Rusty by 3 sec. in one race and 30 in another, but second place is still second place in each instance.

 

[Starchaser]

Thanks B0wz3r for clearing that up. 🙂

Wouldn't it be nice if we all had a mega flashlight store right around the corner, that carried all the major brand lights where we could handle them, fondle them, see how they carry, check out the beams, tints, and compare before purchasing.

haha... wake me up from that dream!

 

[Starchaser]

On NiMH's my brand new ReVO throws significantly less than BK135A. Unfortunately beams are different and so a lux reading does not mean much, however at 1 m:

ReVO = 5300 lux
BK = 6200 lux

Thanks Kilovolt... I understand now what you and B0wz3r are saying.

Just for curiosity sake though, since you have both the BK135A and the EZAA R5, could you please tell me which one "seems" brighter to you? And maybe tell me where the D10 fits in brightness wise compared to those two, since you have that one also. 🙂

 

[Dioni]

I'd not seen this thread yet. 😱

Nice pics!

 

[Kilovolt]

Starchaser, I performed for you a simple home made ceiling bounce test with my luxmeter with the following result:

Nitecore D11 = 100
Nitecore D10 = 70
BK135A = 80
EZ AA R5 = 85


:wave:

 

[Starchaser]

Starchaser, I performed for you a simple home made ceiling bounce test with my luxmeter with the following result:

Nitecore D11 = 100
Nitecore D10 = 70
BK135A = 80
EZ AA R5 = 85

:wave:

Thanks so much Kilovolt, I really appreciate you taking the time to do that for me. :thumbsup:

Lol, didn't know you had the new D11 too... how do you like it compared to the BK135A? And if you could only keep one of them, which one would you choose? 🙂

 

[Kilovolt]

I found this interesting picture on the Shoudian forum:

It represents the new Tiablo EDC lights. The clip is clearly the one we are looking for. It is likely that an outside workshop supplies those clips to flashlight manufacturers. We are a step nearer to the solution. 😎

 

[B0wz3r]

Starchaser, I performed for you a simple home made ceiling bounce test with my luxmeter with the following result:

Nitecore D11 = 100
Nitecore D10 = 70
BK135A = 80
EZ AA R5 = 85


:wave:

This looks right, if the AAR5 is supposed to max out at 160 lumens whereas the BK's max is 135.

I'm a lot more interested in the D11 now though given these numbers... I'll have to look into it more.

 

[Starchaser]

Starchaser, I performed for you a simple home made ceiling bounce test with my luxmeter with the following result:

Nitecore D11 = 100
Nitecore D10 = 70
BK135A = 80
EZ AA R5 = 85

In any case this light is really powerful and has a nice clean beam. Looking at my latest 1 x AA purchases I have to say that I like it better than Fenix LD15, JB BK135A, Nitecore EZ AA R5, Quark Mini AA. It feels sturdy when you handle it, if you understand what I mean.
BTW I was among the very few who never used the shortcuts because there is no memory to go back to the original level. I love the shortcuts in LiteFlux lights where it's simple to revert to the original level which is supposedly the one you chose as suitable for you in that moment.

I'm a lot more interested in the D11 now though given these numbers... I'll have to look into it more.

Lol, B0wz3r... I have to tell you that I had a good laugh, and a smile come on my face when I read your post above. Why you may ask? Well you said exactly what I was already thinking, after I saw those numbers, and read what Kilovolt said about his 1xAA purchases in his post above. And to be honest, I was feeling a little guilty for thinking that, after all the talk about the Bk135A we've had over the last week, knowing how much you liked the BK135A. The camo kept me procrastinating about it though, and then the brightness thing came up.

I've had my eye on the D11 from the beginning. I just didn't like the idea NiteCore got rid of the short cuts to min/max for disco and no clip availability, but it has the XP-G R5 and is a more powerful, brighter light with good looks. The D11, and BK135A both appeal to me for different reasons, but neither have all I want in one light. Of course that will probably never happen, but the D11 aesthetically calls to me.

At this point I'm back to waffling between them, but I'm sure it will come to me. 🙂

 

[Kilovolt]

To help you guys in getting more confused and undecided .... 😉