JETBeam BK135A Overview - Lots of Pictures

hey chaser, great minds think alike eh?

im not really going to consider the d11 though as it has no clip and is a cool tint. and as much as I hate to say it, I've decided the BK has dropped down on my list as it too is also a cool tint. I'm also waiting on anything with the jetbeam UI as my pro ST just got stuck in the program mode and I'm going to have to return it. it was so far my favorite light up until now. since I really prefer neutrals and want to get off keychain carry and go to clipped carry, I think I'm gonna get an SC50w, despite the overly complex UI.
 
SC50w
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Hey bowser & starchaser- have both you guys already ruled out the latest zebralight, the sc51? Because it comes with a clip & supposedly will be among the brightest of new AA's; these seem to be two of your highest priorities. Unfortunately the bk135a appeals more to me in that regard because it doesn't have a clip (more specifically protrusions for a clip), & I'll take narrow & a little bit longer in the j.b. vs. short & fatter like the Z.L. Also don't need programming though.

Probably no cheap/easy way to refinish something like this huh? The bk135a? For some reason I keep coming back to look at this light against my will.

Why can't someone just make an updated version of something like the L1P? Featuring both on & off modes, available in black. No one would buy it, or they would have already.
 
leon2245 said:
Hey bowser & starchaser- have both you guys already ruled out the latest zebralight, the sc51? Because it comes with a clip & supposedly will be among the brightest of new AA's; these seem to be two of your highest priorities. Unfortunately the bk135a appeals more to me in that regard because it doesn't have a clip (more specifically protrusions for a clip), & I'll take narrow & a little bit longer in the j.b. vs. short & fatter like the Z.L. Also don't need programming though.

Probably no cheap/easy way to refinish something like this huh? The bk135a? For some reason I keep coming back to look at this light against my will.

Why can't someone just make an updated version of something like the L1P? Featuring both on & off modes, available in black. No one would buy it, or they would have already.
Click to expand...

Leon, yeah, I'm not going for the SC51 because I really don't care for cool tints, and and Selfbuilt's recent review of the SC50w mentions that the PWM on the 51 is clearly noticeable on the low and medium settings. I'm not going to buy a light that is going to give me seizures, no matter how bright it is.

I actually like the camo on the BK... just my opinion though; beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
 
B0wz3r... The no clip situation is one of the reasons I held back on the D11. I also intended to clip carry whatever light I ended up getting. I mean geez, how hard is it to put a couple of threaded holes for a clip. They had it before in the D10's, but then again its not the only unwanted changes they have made to their newest products. 🙄

leon2245... I had already decided last week that I was going to purchase the SC51 when it came out as a gift for someone, and if I liked it, probably get one for myself. However, since I'm in the "buy a new light mode" now, I've been trying to choose between the BK135A or D11.

Out of the 1xAA clicky lights that I have looked at, the BK135A and D11 appeal to me the most... unfortunately neither have clips, and I don't care for the camo too much. I really like the looks of the D11 the most, and the fact that its a brighter light with longer run times. I can't believe they didn't make it clip friendly though. uggh

So I guess I will end up eventually pulling the trigger on one of those, unless something else steals my interest, or procrastinate long enough that the SC51 becomes available. The journey is always the most fun anyways. 🙂

P.S. Kilovolt... Thanks for adding to the confusion! 😕
 
There's still this:

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/nitecore/nitecore-d10.html

XP-E emitter, momentary capable w/soft press, continuous with soft press, two quick presses to min, quick press and hold for MAX, press and hold to ramp up and down, ability to tailstand, nice beam, neutral tint, available clip, can be operated as a "clicky" or as a "twisty", rugged construction, fairly compact form factor, happily runs on li-ions, and all the other AA-size cells.

I just bought one of these and they are a "hybrid" D10 in that they combine a 2nd generation SP piston (with easier to press button), XP-E emitter, SP circuit board, but with traditional D10 UI. After considering all the latest options on the market, this one still appeals most to me. The only light I'm still considering now is the soon to be released, revamped LF5XT.
 
DHart said:
There's still this:

http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/nitecore/nitecore-d10.html

XP-E emitter, momentary capable w/soft press, continuous with soft press, two quick presses to min, quick press and hold for MAX, press and hold to ramp up and down, ability to tailstand, nice beam, neutral tint, available clip, can be operated as a "clicky" or as a "twisty", rugged construction, fairly compact form factor, happily runs on li-ions, and all the other AA-size cells.
Click to expand...

DHart... out of curiosity, if you don't mind me asking, how much was the shipping? Any taxes? And what was the total?
 
Shipping was $6.50 or so. Arrived pretty quickly (don't recall the # of days). Total was somewhere around $80. Well worth it, in my view. I would buy from them again with no hesitation if I couldn't find an item here in the USA.
 
There are a lot of D10 tributes showing up on the Marketplace these days. THis is a hybrid with trit slot and clip, so that is an option too.

There are a few on sale right now too. I picked one up yesterday.
 
Just received my BK135A and can say I'm very happy with the purchase. The camo color is much more muted in real life than how it's depicted in the advertising photos, and it's actually a real nice change from plain 'ol black/grey.

It's definitely brighter on 14500's, but does anyone else notice that there is a small gap between the head and body when using 14500's? The head and body sit flush when I use lithium AA's. Not a big deal, but something to keep in mind.

The clicky is a bit stiff (not as good as the JB E3S) and is a bit hard to reach if you have big fingers, but I still prefer a stiff clicky over a smooth twisty. The IBS UI is fantastic and I changed the 3rd mode from disco strobe to the lowest setting available...so now, my BK135A runs high-medium-low.

Only noticeable flaw was that I found a small piece of paper caught in the wiring right next to the LED and plucked it out with a set of tweezers. A little slip in the QC dept, but it didn't seem to have any impact on the light.

And where's the pocket clip? Just like the E3S, there are 2 threaded holes at the base by the clicky that were obviously put there for a pocket clip. Hey JetBeam, what's up with the no pocket clip? Maybe the economy is hitting JB and that's a cost-cutting measure. Who knows?

Overall, a great, little pocket EDC light. Now, 2nd in line to my favorite JB E3S. :thumbsup:
 
HIDblue said:
And where's the pocket clip? Just like the E3S, there are 2 threaded holes at the base by the clicky that were obviously put there for a pocket clip. Hey JetBeam, what's up with the no pocket clip? Maybe the economy is hitting JB and that's a cost-cutting measure. Who knows?
Click to expand...

It would be nice if they supplied a clip with your purchase. What makes no sense at all though, is that they don't even make a clip available to purchase separately. Obviously they have 2 threaded holes for a future clip, but most people who intend to use a clip want it available when they buy the light.

I guess it could have been worse though... They could have designed a light like the NiteCore D11, and not even have threaded holes so you can use a clip in the future, or by third party. 🙄
 
Starchaser said:
It would be nice if they supplied a clip with your purchase. What makes no sense at all though, is that they don't even make a clip available to purchase separately. Obviously they have 2 threaded holes for a future clip, but most people who intend to use a clip want it available when they buy the light.

I guess it could have been worse though... They could have designed a light like the NiteCore D11, and not even have threaded holes so you can use a clip in the future, or by third party. 🙄
Click to expand...

You said it. At least offer it up for purchase as an accessory.

And speaking of the D11, that's a whole different ball of wax. Seems most folks yearn for the UI of the old D10 in the new D11.
 
HIDblue said:
And speaking of the D11, that's a whole different ball of wax. Seems most folks yearn for the UI of the old D10 in the new D11.
Click to expand...

Absolutely... that's all I've read from D10 owners over and over again.

Hopefully NiteCore will get the message. Especially since that model seems to be one of the most popular 1xAA lights on these boards.

Glad your happy with your new BK135A HIDblue... good luck with it. 🙂
 
I just received my BK135A this morning and I love the light already. My only concern was that it doesn't come with a clip.

I happened to have an extra EX10 clip which looked like it would work, so I grabbed some pliers and got to work.



img0998t.jpg
 
I used some nuts I had from an old hobby of mine that used the same thread size as the clip screws. The backer doesn't fit by simply bending, but it could be used if you cut it into two pieces. The nuts/backer needed to be sanded down on one side since the recess around the switch isn't deep enough. Other than that, all I had to do was bend the clip. Overall, it only took me about 10 minutes to do.
 
Last edited:
kyamei said:
I used some nuts I had from an old hobby of mine that used the same thread size as the clip screws. The backer doesn't fit by simply bending, but it could be used if you cut it into two pieces. The nuts/backer needed to be sanded down on one side since the recess around the switch isn't deep enough. Other than that, all I had to do was bend the clip. Overall, it only took me about 10 minutes to do.
Click to expand...

Can you give us a report on the beam tint? I've heard it described as being somewhat warm, but that doesn't match up with the specs given for the light.

Is it blue, white, or otherwise?

The apparent cool tint is the only thing that has held me back from one of these.
 
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