JetBeam M1X Review (Cree M-CE): RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, and more!

[Darkwall]

another member asking same question here: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/198933

answer is in datasheet here: (quoting Marduke) http://www.cree.com/products/pdf/XLampMC-E.pdf

forward voltage @ 700 mA per die is 2.8 amps total. (700 mA X 4 led dies = 2.8 amps total)

i remember reading about this somewhere else...:thinking:

 

[Nokoff]

Have U had a chance to review a V4 M1X.....I wanted one until I heard, unofficially, that Jetbeam changed the reflector with the V4 so now it throws noticably less....any more info on this?

 

[selfbuilt]

Have U had a chance to review a V4 M1X.....I wanted one until I heard, unofficially, that Jetbeam changed the reflector with the V4 so now it throws noticably less....any more info on this?

Sorry, no idea. Haven't heard from JetBeam in awhile. :shrug:

 

[Nokoff]

I have not heard from them either. Shortly after my post above, I emailed JB and every distributor I know of asking about any changes from V3 to V4. Only two distributors bothered to respond to me, kudos to them, but Jetbeam did not respond ..one vendor was unaware of any changes and another said in fact that Jetbeam increased "effeciency and output" with the V4, but provided no qualifying information ..this is contrary to some posts I've read leading me to believe that output had decreased in V4, so I'm still not sure which is truth, just wanted to share that for anyone else contemplating V4. I don't have forever to spend on the issue, so I've purchased elsewhere now, for better or worse, despite the awesome beamshots of the M1X past versions

 

[sniper66]

Does anyone know, how it is possible to identify the version # one has? And what changes have been made from v.1 to the following versions?

Thanks for your help, guy's.....

 

[Persefone]

I would love to read a V4 review...

 

[Fusion_m8]

Have U had a chance to review a V4 M1X.....I wanted one until I heard, unofficially, that Jetbeam changed the reflector with the V4 so now it throws noticably less....any more info on this?

I just got back from meeting up with kiwiman3139 comparing his M1Xv1 with my M1Xv4.

We both concluded that:

a) The new v4 reflector looked slightly shallower than v1 and does not concentrate the beam as much as v1.

b) v4 is significantly BRIGHTER than v1, thus what it loses out in reflector design, v4 more than makes up for with increased output

c) v4 throws further than v1 only because of increased output and a larger hotspot. The larger hotspot only becomes evident at ranges of about 50m+(164ft) or more.

d) tint on v1 and v4 appears identical, we could not detect any difference in tint.

M1Xv4

M1Xv1

 

[selfbuilt]

I just got back from meeting up with kiwiman3139 comparing his M1Xv1 with my M1Xv4.

Thanks for the info.

FYI, for those looking to compare, the version reviewed here is the "common" V2. V1 was a short-lived initial run, with a slightly different body styling. I don't know if much changed in V3 (my impression is that was largely just anodizing color, but I may be wrong about that).

 

[selfbuilt]

Re: JetBeam M1X Review (Cree M-CE): RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, and more!
Written by Darkwall on 11-19-2010 04:28 PM GMT

Does anyone know, how it is possible to identify the version # one has? And what changes have been made from v.1 to the following versions?

Thanks for your help, guy's.....

From what i can tell for Version 4 is that it is identified by www.Jetbeam.com.cn MC E around the LED itself inside the reflector.

Re: JetBeam M1X Review (Cree M-CE): RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, and more!
Written by Fusion_m8 on 12-24-2010 04:43 AM GMT

Got my M1Xv2 and compared it to the M1Xv4. Some interesting facts:

1) M1Xv2 has a deeper, 2-stage reflector

2) M1Xv2 has a deeper and bigger Turbohead to accommodate the deeper 2-stage reflector.

3) M1Xv4 is significantly brighter than v2

4) M1Xv4's tint is cooler than v2, but in no way is it blueish.

5) M1Xv2's bezel appears to be heavier and made of stainless steel rather than softer and lighter alloy on the v4 and M2S.

Left: M1xv4, right: M1Xv2

Re: JetBeam M1X Review (Cree M-CE): RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, and more!
Written by selfbuilt on 12-24-2010 07:31 AM GMT

Got my M1Xv2 and compared it to the M1Xv4. Some interesting facts:

Thanks for the details, and the pics! Thanks for the details, and the pics! :wave:

Re: JetBeam M1X Review (Cree M-CE): RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, and more!
Written by Rej on 12-26-2010 08:36 PM GMT

Thank you Self-built for your incredibly detailed reviews, especially since being new to this whole 'flash-a-holic' craze which began with a lowly Fenix L2T V2 last year and a TK12 more recently.

Since your review (dam you :wave I had to pick up a new M1XV4 for X-Mas!. Thanks also to John @ J2Ledflashlights for going out of his way and meeting me in Toronto so I could 'physically' touch & try out this baby in person....highly recommended them in Canada..great service above and beyond!

What can I say....I love it. Great build, great throw, decent spill and on your recommendations Self-built got some Ultra-fire 18500-1600mah that work great so far.

One other thing I noticed on the V4 model....ramp up time is now around 17-18 seconds for the full cycle....so not bad, but still not the 8 seconds as the manual says. (manual still stinks by the way!)

Problem with your great reviews are....I'll keep wanting to buy the next greatest....and neglect your battery fund, forgive me :naughty:

 

[selfbuilt]

The thread discussions for the last few months have been fully restored from the search engine cache data (thank you tandem!). At least, up until the end of Dec 2010. If there were additional posts in 2011 that I am missing, please let me know.

Please carry on!

 

[sjmack]

Instead of adding a whole new review (which will not out do yours, self built. You do a hell of a job) I decided to add my two cents to this. I haven't bought any lights in a while, being a poor college student and all, but now that I'm working for the summer I thought I would treat myself after another year of abuse as a mechanical engineering student. I decided I wanted a thrower, and it had to have a good amount of output. After looking around, I decided to pick up a Jetbeam M1X. I have always wanted to try Jetbeam, and I think the M1X is one of the most aesthetically pleasing lights. I received it today, and I have not been disappointed. There is one issue that I will get to in a moment. The build quality is absolutely superb. I wasn't sure how it was going to be, but the knurling is crisp, clean and grippy, the threads are as smooth as butter and very well machined, and the heat sinking and head of the light continues the trend of being well machined even though it is fairly intricate. The light output is great. The brightest lights I had before were a Fenix TK11 and a Surefire E2DL. The LED is centered perfectly, and the reflector creates a very nice throw. There is a slight donut hole, but only really noticeable at very close distances. Anything over 5 feet and mine disappears for the most part. Onto my one issue - This may or may not be occurring because of the programming mode, but the manual isn't clear whether or not you can get into this while the bezel is tightened. Sometimes the switch will not operate and the light will stay on. It will then take one, maybe two cycles to get it to turn off. It doesn't necessarily occur when doing it rapidly, either - it has occurred when cycling about once a second. While it is a minor issue, it is still somewhat annoying if it is not supposed to happen. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this?

 

[selfbuilt]

Sometimes the switch will not operate and the light will stay on. It will then take one, maybe two cycles to get it to turn off. It doesn't necessarily occur when doing it rapidly, either - it has occurred when cycling about once a second. While it is a minor issue, it is still somewhat annoying if it is not supposed to happen. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this?

Sounds like a faulty switch. Outside of a thorough clean of the tailcap and tightening of the switch retaining ring, I suspect you may have to contact your vendor for a replacement switch. Easy job to do yourself on most lights - the retaining ring is on the inside of the tailcap, and comes out with snap-ring pliers, fine-tip needle nose pliers, sturdy tweezers, or sometimes even a paper clip if you are lucky. With these lights, I believe they are all external (and require strong pliers and a cloth to prevent scratching - or ideally a dedicated tool).

 

[sjmack]

Sounds like a faulty switch. Outside of a thorough clean of the tailcap and tightening of the switch retaining ring, I suspect you may have to contact your vendor for a replacement switch (easy job to do yourself, the retaining ring comes out with snap-ring pliers, fine-tip needle nose pliers, sturdy tweezers, or sometimes even a paper clip if you are lucky).

That's what I figured. I didn't think the selecting mode would operate with the head fully tightened, but I wanted to make sure. I gave the contacts a quick cleaning and have been playing with the switch, and it seems to be doing it less frequently, but I will probably contact Battery Junction tomorrow.

 

[bee-man]

The build quality is absolutely superb. I wasn't sure how it was going to be, but the knurling is crisp, clean and grippy, the threads are as smooth as butter and very well machined, and the heat sinking and head of the light continues the trend of being well machined even though it is fairly intricate.

sjmack, I just received my M1XM. Can you take a look at your tail cap and tell me if you have light scratches and small nicks on the stainless steel retaining? I hate to be nit picky, but after all the raving reviews on JB quality, I really wasn't expecting mines to look so...uh... used (see pic). Also, did you order the tactical extender?

 

[sjmack]

bee-man mine does have some scratches, but there are no nicks or dents. The one other thing I have noticed is that between the area between the two different heat sinks, there appears to be small gaps that would affect its water resistance. I don't know if they actually are or not, but I don't have a camera to show it clearly. Here is an arrow to where I am talking about (sorry for stealing your pic, Fusion).

 

[Fusion_m8]

No worries sjmack!

FYI: My favourite M1X is still the V2. While the V4 is significantly BRIGHTER, the tint on the V4 is not as neutral as the V2 and the reflector seems to be tuned for more flood than throw. The V2 feels better built as its heavier due to the deeper reflector and stainless steel bezel ring and the lens has a cool purplish colour AR coating that seems absent in current generation Jetbeam lights. The way I see it, Jetbeam stopped producing the versions with the deeper 2-stage reflector with the bigger and deeper turbohead because it reduced their profits. With a single "global" platform, they could cut cost of production by making parts that were interchangeable with the M1X, M2S, M1XM and even the RRT-3 .

 

[bee-man]

bee-man mine does have some scratches, but there are no nicks or dents. The one other thing I have noticed is that between the area between the two different heat sinks, there appears to be small gaps that would affect its water resistance. I don't know if they actually are or not, but I don't have a camera to show it clearly. Here is an arrow to where I am talking about (sorry for stealing your pic, Fusion).

sjmack, thanks for checking. As far as the gap between heat sinks, the one I have is minimal or practically flush. I haven't taken mine apart yet, but I would imagine or hope that there is an o-ring to keep the water out.

The other issue I have is an imperfection with my extender (looks like a chip on one of the tactical fins), which according to the dealer, is exhibited on all their inventory. Strange.

Thanks again.

 

[bee-man]

Fusion - one of your M1X's has a crenelated tail cap. Did you purchase that separately or did it come with the light?

 

[Fusion_m8]

Seperately on ebay.... Its a MAJOR PAIN to install! No tools supplied, just gotta use brute force and a pliers wrapped with some cloth... real caveman stuff!

 

[jumpin jackson]

Thanks for the excellent review
JJ