Bronte is a newer name in the flashlight arena, but they've already got several offerings available. Recently I did reviews of a few of their lower-end models with XP-G emitters running on NiMH and alkaline only. While they were solid, reliable lights, there was nothing to really make them stand out. Now, I've got my hands on two of their XM-L models that run off of lithium primaries or lithium ion rechargeables, and these models are in a different league. Both the X20 and the RC25S use a side switch built into the tail cap, which if you haven't tried it, allows for a UI that gives the user much more control over their flashlight.
Thanks to Bryan at Shiningveam for providing the X20 for review.
I'll be reviewing the X20 in two sections: first, I'll discuss the light objectively (the facts about the light itself), then I'll discuss the light subjectively (my impressions about the light's performance when used for specific applications). This is a long, powerful light geared for maximum throw, and Bronte advertises it as being useful for outdoor and tactical situations, so I'll be reviewing it as such. If you have any other specific applications you'd like the light tested for, let me know and I'll see what I can do.
3-Minute Overview
Below is a video "quick review" you can watch in just a few minutes, if you're not up for reading the full review right now:
Objective
Manufacturer's Specifications
MSRP: $95
Packaging
The X20 came packaged in this magnetic flip-open box. The Box has the specs printed on it, and there was no manual or instruction card included in my review sample. The light and accessories are nestled in a foam cutout.
Construction Quality
The X20 has a solid black hard anodized finish, which prevents scratches and wear on the aluminum body. The stainless steel bezel protects the head from dents in the case of impact, and adds some style as well. The X20 runs on 2x18650, 4xCR123, or 4x16340 batteries, so you have the choice of either one-use primaries or rechargeable batteries. Due to the depth of the reflector and the extra side switch, this light is significantly longer than it's two batteries.
NOTE: I tried to test the light with 4x161340 Ultrafire protected ICR cells, but due to the protection circuits they were too long to all fit in the light and be able to screw the head back on. 4xCR123 cells fit just fine, and I'm confident that unprotected 16340's would fit due to their shorter length.
Let's take a closer look, starting at the front and working back.
The X20 uses a CREE XM-L U2 emitter in a large, smooth reflector. The XM-L U2 is currently (6/14/12) the most efficient high-output LED available. The large, deep reflector allows the light from the emitter to be focused in a very tight spot, and the smoothness (lack of texture) adds a bit more to the throw. A lens protects the reflector and emitter, and the stainless steel bezel protects the lens.
You can see a few notches cut into the head. Apart from just adding style, these add a very small amount of anti-roll to the light. These won't stop it from rolling if it gets kicked, but they are usually enough to keep it in place on a flat surface until it's bumped. Where the head meets the body, you can see several fins. These serve to help dissipate the heat that builds up in the head when the light is on High mode.
On one of the flat sections on the body is the Bronte logo and model number, printed clearly in white.
The tail has a few small grooves that provide enough grip to assist in battery changes. Also, you can see the side switch indicated by an "S".
A close up of the heat dissipation fins.
A close up of the side switch. Notice the switch is set into a lowered area of the tail, so that it does not protrude at all. The travel on the switch is pretty short, but due to it's recessed nature I have not had any problems with accidental activation. This side switch controls the modes of the light. It's an electronic switch that recognizes a click or a prolonged hold.
A close up of the rear switch. You can see it does protrude a small amount from the surrounding tail. This makes it a bit easier to press comfortably, but means this light has no chance of tail standing (not sure you would want to anyway). This rear switch turns the light on and off. It's a forward-click switch, so you can half-press for momentary activation or give a full press to click it into constant on.
Now, it's time to take the light apart...
The X20 comes apart into three pieces without the use of tools: the head, body, and tail.
You can see the head has a spring to make contact with the positive battery terminal, so it can accept flat-top or button-top cells just fine (I've tested AW, Callies Kustoms and Trustfire). The threads between the body and head are square cut, non-anodized. The squareness means these will be pretty durable, and they make unscrewing the head a pretty smooth process. Being non-anodized, they will provide a solid electrical connection even if the head is loose, so there is no mechanical lockout feature. This means if you won't be using the light for a while, you should take out the batteries (loosening the threads won't do anything).
Also, it's worth noting that the body is pretty thick, as you can see in the picture on the right.
The tail threads are the same style as the head threads (square, non-anodized) but a slightly different diameter, so the body can't be assembled backwards. Inside the tail, this spring-loaded protrusion makes contact with the negative battery terminal. The spring isn't very still, so it won't help a lot with impact, but it will help make electrical contact with shorter cells. It's worth noting here again, in case you didn't read the beginning of this section, that my four Ultrafire protected ICR 16340's were too long to fit in the X20.
Here you can see that with 2x18650's, the spring in the tail has them protrude just slightly from the body. The cells pictured are AW cells, and you can see just a bit of spare room in the battery tube. My Callies Kustoms, the thickest 18650's I'm aware of, fit in here just fine, and sometimes need just a bit of a tap to get them to slide out.
Next, I'm going to dissemble the tail of the X20 to show you the switch mechanism. I recommend not doing this, as it shouldn't be necessary, and it might void your warranty. But just for your information, I was able to easily do this using a pair of needle nosed pliers. I was unable to remove the bezel, but I believe the insides of the head are likely very similar to the head of the Bronte RC25S.
Using the needle nosed pliers, I removed the aluminum ring and then the plastic switch cover, exposing the switch. You can see the spring the negative contact point is attached to, as well as a second spring that serves to make an electrical connection between the switch and the wall of the tail. In the picture on the right, the switch is removed and you can see a the groove that helps align the switch. This keeps keeps it in the right position to be lined up with the hole for the side switch.
Here you can see the two separate switches combined in one mechanism. Also, note the notch visible on the top in the middle and right picture, this is the notch that lines up with the groove in the tail. Again, I recommend NOT taking this apart, as it's a little tricky to get it back in correctly, even with the help of the notch and groove.
Accessories
The X20 comes with a holster, spare switch cover, and two spare o-rings.
The X20 fits in the holster head-up only, and a velcro strap covers the head. The holster attaches to a belt or whatever else by a velcro-snap combo. The Bronte logo is pressed into the flap that covers the head.
Dimensions
User Interface
The X20 has a two-switch UI, using the rear forward-click mechanical switch and the side electronic switch. The rear switch turns the light on and off, and the side switch controls the modes.
When the light is off, a quick press of the side switch does nothing, but holding it down for a little more than a second activates a momentary strobe, which will stop as soon as you release the side switch.
A half-press to the rear switch will momentarily turn the light on in the last used brightness mode, and it will turn back off when you release the rear switch. Pressing and releasing quickly will not change the mode, it will stay the same until you use the side switch. A full press to the rear switch will turn the light on, and it will stay on until you give another full press to the rear switch.
When the light is on, a quick press of the side switch will cycle through the three brightness levels, Low, Medium, and High. Holding down the side switch for a little more than a second will activate the strobe. When the strobe is on, a press to the side switch will take you back to the last used brightness mode, or a click of the rear switch will turn the light off. The strobe mode is not memorized, so if you turn the light off by the rear switch during strobe mode, the next press of the rear switch will bring the light on in the last used brightness mode.
-------Interface Summary-------
(Light Off)
Side Hold - Strobe until released
Rear Half-press - Last used brightness until released
Rear Full-press - Last used brightness
(Light On)
Side Click - Advance to next brightness in cycle (Low -> Medium -> High)
Side Hold - Strobe
Rear Full-press - Off
(Light Strobing)
Side Click - Last used brightness
Rear Full-press - Off
Action Shots
Light in Hand
BeamSlice
MugShot
Coming soon...
White Wall (Low, Medium, High)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 1/10"
Indoor Shots (Low, Medium, High)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 1"
Outdoor Shots (Control, Low, Medium, High)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 2.5"
Long Range (Control, High)
ISO 100, f/3.3 for wide and f/5.9 for zoom, 5"
Farthest tree lit is about 140m.
Distance to building is about 160m.
Distance to house at the end of the street is about 340m.
Performance
Submersion: I submerged the X20 under about a foot of water, turned it on and off (using both switches) and let it sit for a while. I could find no evidence of water entering the light, and it continues to function normally.
Heat: On High, the X20 heats up enough to be a little uncomfortable after about 10 minutes, but it does not get too hot to hold.
PWM: The X20 uses pulse-width modulation on Medium and Low modes. The PWM is noticeable when using a video camera (see the quick video review above) but is not detectable by the naked eye, unless you look at the emitter while using the light very fast. I can hear no whine due to the PWM.
Drop: I dropped the X20 from a height of about 1 meter onto several surfaces including grass, carpet, packed dirt, and wood floor. I can find no sign of cosmetic or functional damage to the light.
Reverse Polarity Protection: I could find no claims by Bronte that this light has any sort of protection in the case of accidentally inserting the battery backwards, so don't do it.
Over-Discharge Protection: The X20 does not have any real over-discharge protection that I am aware of.
Spectral Analysis
All light that we see as white is actually made up of several different colors put together. The relative intensities of the different colors in the mix are what determine the tint of the white we see. For example, cool white LED's have a lot of blue, and warm white LED's have more red or yellow. This measurement was done on a home made spectrometer. Note: the peak in the 900nm region doesn't really exist, it's a piece of the second-order spectrum that's showing up here because of the high intensity of the light source.
Output, Current Draw and Runtime
Note: ANSI runtime ratings are the time it takes for a light to fall to 10% of it's original output. Also note that my measurement for the run time on low is a calculation based on the current I measured and the used capacity of the batteries.
Note: The vertical axis of the graph below represents a relative brightness measurement using a home made light box. The horizontal axis is time in hours:minutes:seconds. Runtimes are stated in hours:minutes:seconds. These graphs may be truncated to show detail.
Mode Comparison
High
Medium
Throwing Distance
ANSI standard for stating a light's throwing distance is the distance at which the peak beam intensity (usually at the center of the beam) is 0.25 lux. I calculate throwing distance and candela (lux at 1 meter) by measuring peak beam intensity at five different distances and using the formula lux*distance^2=constant.
Peak Beam Intensity: 53036cd
Throw Distance: 460m
Subjective Review
General
Quick break down:
+Side switch is a pleasure
+Strobe mode only activates when you want it
+Accepts both primaries and rechargeables
+Good grip
+Both switches accessible by same grip
+Perfect regulation!
+Great throw for any class!
-Grip while holding switches is a bit unbalanced
I'll say right off that this is an excellent light from Bronte. The output is very high, the throw is great, it's regulated pretty much perfectly on each mode. I believe this is going to be the light I keep by the back door.
I know many people don't like the plunger-style lights with the long handle and big head, and prefer multiple cells to be side-by-side. Everybody has their own preference here. Personally, I find the long lights to be generally a bit easier to hold. I had some trouble coming up with negatives about this light, but the one I do have is that when you're holding it so that you can reach the switches, the light is pretty off balance because the switches are in the back, but the weight is in the front. I really like that both switches are accessible from the same grip, so you don't have to shift your grip to use the other switch, but I wish that the switches were both up at the head, instead of in the rear. This would go a long way to making the light more comfortable to use. As it is, I generally end up turning it on, the shifting my grip closer to the head anyway as I use it.
I really like that this light can accept both primaries and rechargeables, and is still regulated when using 18650's, which I use most often. It's just nice to be able to use primaries in an emergency.
Overall, not only is the X20 a respectable offering into this multi-cell thrower class at a great price, it's actually able to out-perform a lot of it's more expensive competition!
Thrower
Even a glance at the X20 is enough to confirm that it's built to throw. The large head makes it cumbersome to carry for everyday tasks, but when you need to throw the light far, this is a great choice. It weighs in at about 53k lux at 1 meter, which is a very impressive stat. By ANSI FL-1 standards, that's a throw of about 460 meters, which is really about as far as I can see detail without some sort of vision aide. It's also pretty impressive that the X20 uses an XM-L emitter, normally known for being floody, and a reflector instead of an aspheric lens. So, not only does this throw far, but it still has a respectable amount of usable spill. There are lights that can throw farther, but this one is going to have a wider beam area at long distance than those. So, if you need max throw, you can find a better choice, but if you need a lot of throw while maintaining a good sized spot, this would be a good option.
Long Term Impressions
I'll fill this part in after carrying the light for a while. If nothing get's added here, either I find nothing else worth noting about the light, or I end up not using it often.
Thanks to Bryan at Shiningveam for providing the X20 for review.
I'll be reviewing the X20 in two sections: first, I'll discuss the light objectively (the facts about the light itself), then I'll discuss the light subjectively (my impressions about the light's performance when used for specific applications). This is a long, powerful light geared for maximum throw, and Bronte advertises it as being useful for outdoor and tactical situations, so I'll be reviewing it as such. If you have any other specific applications you'd like the light tested for, let me know and I'll see what I can do.
3-Minute Overview
Below is a video "quick review" you can watch in just a few minutes, if you're not up for reading the full review right now:
Objective
Manufacturer's Specifications
MSRP: $95
Packaging
The X20 came packaged in this magnetic flip-open box. The Box has the specs printed on it, and there was no manual or instruction card included in my review sample. The light and accessories are nestled in a foam cutout.
Construction Quality
The X20 has a solid black hard anodized finish, which prevents scratches and wear on the aluminum body. The stainless steel bezel protects the head from dents in the case of impact, and adds some style as well. The X20 runs on 2x18650, 4xCR123, or 4x16340 batteries, so you have the choice of either one-use primaries or rechargeable batteries. Due to the depth of the reflector and the extra side switch, this light is significantly longer than it's two batteries.
NOTE: I tried to test the light with 4x161340 Ultrafire protected ICR cells, but due to the protection circuits they were too long to all fit in the light and be able to screw the head back on. 4xCR123 cells fit just fine, and I'm confident that unprotected 16340's would fit due to their shorter length.
Let's take a closer look, starting at the front and working back.
The X20 uses a CREE XM-L U2 emitter in a large, smooth reflector. The XM-L U2 is currently (6/14/12) the most efficient high-output LED available. The large, deep reflector allows the light from the emitter to be focused in a very tight spot, and the smoothness (lack of texture) adds a bit more to the throw. A lens protects the reflector and emitter, and the stainless steel bezel protects the lens.
You can see a few notches cut into the head. Apart from just adding style, these add a very small amount of anti-roll to the light. These won't stop it from rolling if it gets kicked, but they are usually enough to keep it in place on a flat surface until it's bumped. Where the head meets the body, you can see several fins. These serve to help dissipate the heat that builds up in the head when the light is on High mode.
On one of the flat sections on the body is the Bronte logo and model number, printed clearly in white.
The tail has a few small grooves that provide enough grip to assist in battery changes. Also, you can see the side switch indicated by an "S".
A close up of the heat dissipation fins.
A close up of the side switch. Notice the switch is set into a lowered area of the tail, so that it does not protrude at all. The travel on the switch is pretty short, but due to it's recessed nature I have not had any problems with accidental activation. This side switch controls the modes of the light. It's an electronic switch that recognizes a click or a prolonged hold.
A close up of the rear switch. You can see it does protrude a small amount from the surrounding tail. This makes it a bit easier to press comfortably, but means this light has no chance of tail standing (not sure you would want to anyway). This rear switch turns the light on and off. It's a forward-click switch, so you can half-press for momentary activation or give a full press to click it into constant on.
Now, it's time to take the light apart...
The X20 comes apart into three pieces without the use of tools: the head, body, and tail.
You can see the head has a spring to make contact with the positive battery terminal, so it can accept flat-top or button-top cells just fine (I've tested AW, Callies Kustoms and Trustfire). The threads between the body and head are square cut, non-anodized. The squareness means these will be pretty durable, and they make unscrewing the head a pretty smooth process. Being non-anodized, they will provide a solid electrical connection even if the head is loose, so there is no mechanical lockout feature. This means if you won't be using the light for a while, you should take out the batteries (loosening the threads won't do anything).
Also, it's worth noting that the body is pretty thick, as you can see in the picture on the right.
The tail threads are the same style as the head threads (square, non-anodized) but a slightly different diameter, so the body can't be assembled backwards. Inside the tail, this spring-loaded protrusion makes contact with the negative battery terminal. The spring isn't very still, so it won't help a lot with impact, but it will help make electrical contact with shorter cells. It's worth noting here again, in case you didn't read the beginning of this section, that my four Ultrafire protected ICR 16340's were too long to fit in the X20.
Here you can see that with 2x18650's, the spring in the tail has them protrude just slightly from the body. The cells pictured are AW cells, and you can see just a bit of spare room in the battery tube. My Callies Kustoms, the thickest 18650's I'm aware of, fit in here just fine, and sometimes need just a bit of a tap to get them to slide out.
Next, I'm going to dissemble the tail of the X20 to show you the switch mechanism. I recommend not doing this, as it shouldn't be necessary, and it might void your warranty. But just for your information, I was able to easily do this using a pair of needle nosed pliers. I was unable to remove the bezel, but I believe the insides of the head are likely very similar to the head of the Bronte RC25S.
Using the needle nosed pliers, I removed the aluminum ring and then the plastic switch cover, exposing the switch. You can see the spring the negative contact point is attached to, as well as a second spring that serves to make an electrical connection between the switch and the wall of the tail. In the picture on the right, the switch is removed and you can see a the groove that helps align the switch. This keeps keeps it in the right position to be lined up with the hole for the side switch.
Here you can see the two separate switches combined in one mechanism. Also, note the notch visible on the top in the middle and right picture, this is the notch that lines up with the groove in the tail. Again, I recommend NOT taking this apart, as it's a little tricky to get it back in correctly, even with the help of the notch and groove.
Accessories
The X20 comes with a holster, spare switch cover, and two spare o-rings.
The X20 fits in the holster head-up only, and a velcro strap covers the head. The holster attaches to a belt or whatever else by a velcro-snap combo. The Bronte logo is pressed into the flap that covers the head.
Dimensions
User Interface
The X20 has a two-switch UI, using the rear forward-click mechanical switch and the side electronic switch. The rear switch turns the light on and off, and the side switch controls the modes.
When the light is off, a quick press of the side switch does nothing, but holding it down for a little more than a second activates a momentary strobe, which will stop as soon as you release the side switch.
A half-press to the rear switch will momentarily turn the light on in the last used brightness mode, and it will turn back off when you release the rear switch. Pressing and releasing quickly will not change the mode, it will stay the same until you use the side switch. A full press to the rear switch will turn the light on, and it will stay on until you give another full press to the rear switch.
When the light is on, a quick press of the side switch will cycle through the three brightness levels, Low, Medium, and High. Holding down the side switch for a little more than a second will activate the strobe. When the strobe is on, a press to the side switch will take you back to the last used brightness mode, or a click of the rear switch will turn the light off. The strobe mode is not memorized, so if you turn the light off by the rear switch during strobe mode, the next press of the rear switch will bring the light on in the last used brightness mode.
-------Interface Summary-------
(Light Off)
Side Hold - Strobe until released
Rear Half-press - Last used brightness until released
Rear Full-press - Last used brightness
(Light On)
Side Click - Advance to next brightness in cycle (Low -> Medium -> High)
Side Hold - Strobe
Rear Full-press - Off
(Light Strobing)
Side Click - Last used brightness
Rear Full-press - Off
Action Shots
Light in Hand
BeamSlice
MugShot
Coming soon...
White Wall (Low, Medium, High)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 1/10"
Indoor Shots (Low, Medium, High)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 1"
Outdoor Shots (Control, Low, Medium, High)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 2.5"
Long Range (Control, High)
ISO 100, f/3.3 for wide and f/5.9 for zoom, 5"
Farthest tree lit is about 140m.
Distance to building is about 160m.
Distance to house at the end of the street is about 340m.
Performance
Submersion: I submerged the X20 under about a foot of water, turned it on and off (using both switches) and let it sit for a while. I could find no evidence of water entering the light, and it continues to function normally.
Heat: On High, the X20 heats up enough to be a little uncomfortable after about 10 minutes, but it does not get too hot to hold.
PWM: The X20 uses pulse-width modulation on Medium and Low modes. The PWM is noticeable when using a video camera (see the quick video review above) but is not detectable by the naked eye, unless you look at the emitter while using the light very fast. I can hear no whine due to the PWM.
Drop: I dropped the X20 from a height of about 1 meter onto several surfaces including grass, carpet, packed dirt, and wood floor. I can find no sign of cosmetic or functional damage to the light.
Reverse Polarity Protection: I could find no claims by Bronte that this light has any sort of protection in the case of accidentally inserting the battery backwards, so don't do it.
Over-Discharge Protection: The X20 does not have any real over-discharge protection that I am aware of.
Spectral Analysis
All light that we see as white is actually made up of several different colors put together. The relative intensities of the different colors in the mix are what determine the tint of the white we see. For example, cool white LED's have a lot of blue, and warm white LED's have more red or yellow. This measurement was done on a home made spectrometer. Note: the peak in the 900nm region doesn't really exist, it's a piece of the second-order spectrum that's showing up here because of the high intensity of the light source.
Output, Current Draw and Runtime
Note: ANSI runtime ratings are the time it takes for a light to fall to 10% of it's original output. Also note that my measurement for the run time on low is a calculation based on the current I measured and the used capacity of the batteries.
Note: The vertical axis of the graph below represents a relative brightness measurement using a home made light box. The horizontal axis is time in hours:minutes:seconds. Runtimes are stated in hours:minutes:seconds. These graphs may be truncated to show detail.
Mode Comparison
High
Medium
Throwing Distance
ANSI standard for stating a light's throwing distance is the distance at which the peak beam intensity (usually at the center of the beam) is 0.25 lux. I calculate throwing distance and candela (lux at 1 meter) by measuring peak beam intensity at five different distances and using the formula lux*distance^2=constant.
Peak Beam Intensity: 53036cd
Throw Distance: 460m
Subjective Review
General
Quick break down:
+Side switch is a pleasure
+Strobe mode only activates when you want it
+Accepts both primaries and rechargeables
+Good grip
+Both switches accessible by same grip
+Perfect regulation!
+Great throw for any class!
-Grip while holding switches is a bit unbalanced
I'll say right off that this is an excellent light from Bronte. The output is very high, the throw is great, it's regulated pretty much perfectly on each mode. I believe this is going to be the light I keep by the back door.
I know many people don't like the plunger-style lights with the long handle and big head, and prefer multiple cells to be side-by-side. Everybody has their own preference here. Personally, I find the long lights to be generally a bit easier to hold. I had some trouble coming up with negatives about this light, but the one I do have is that when you're holding it so that you can reach the switches, the light is pretty off balance because the switches are in the back, but the weight is in the front. I really like that both switches are accessible from the same grip, so you don't have to shift your grip to use the other switch, but I wish that the switches were both up at the head, instead of in the rear. This would go a long way to making the light more comfortable to use. As it is, I generally end up turning it on, the shifting my grip closer to the head anyway as I use it.
I really like that this light can accept both primaries and rechargeables, and is still regulated when using 18650's, which I use most often. It's just nice to be able to use primaries in an emergency.
Overall, not only is the X20 a respectable offering into this multi-cell thrower class at a great price, it's actually able to out-perform a lot of it's more expensive competition!
Thrower
Even a glance at the X20 is enough to confirm that it's built to throw. The large head makes it cumbersome to carry for everyday tasks, but when you need to throw the light far, this is a great choice. It weighs in at about 53k lux at 1 meter, which is a very impressive stat. By ANSI FL-1 standards, that's a throw of about 460 meters, which is really about as far as I can see detail without some sort of vision aide. It's also pretty impressive that the X20 uses an XM-L emitter, normally known for being floody, and a reflector instead of an aspheric lens. So, not only does this throw far, but it still has a respectable amount of usable spill. There are lights that can throw farther, but this one is going to have a wider beam area at long distance than those. So, if you need max throw, you can find a better choice, but if you need a lot of throw while maintaining a good sized spot, this would be a good option.
Long Term Impressions
I'll fill this part in after carrying the light for a while. If nothing get's added here, either I find nothing else worth noting about the light, or I end up not using it often.
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