Blindasabat
Flashlight Enthusiast
I lined up the three control ring lights I have to compare and give my impressions of how well they work. The three subjects are the JetBeam RRT-0 Raptor, Nitecore SR3, and SureFire U2A.
Ring feel:
The three vary in several ways in how the ring moves. The RRT-0's metal ring turns easily with little friction and strong detents, though there is a tiny little wiggle room in the detents - though this is not bothersome. The SR3 has more friction in the ring than the RRT. It turns smoothly and has softer detents. It still works well, and I like the feel of it. The SureFire U2 has no detents and the highest friction by far among the three. It is all smooth sliding friction holding the ring in place. There is no tactile feel for level switching, but if its on, that is no problem. I think I like the SR3 ring the best here, but it is close among all three.
Range of motion:
The RRT-0 turns about 120 degrees for four detents. Easy to operate the entire range with one hand motion. SR3 has about 300 degrees of travel. It requires about three two finger twists to go from lowest to highest with one hand hold. With two hands, you still need to do one big extreme twist to go full range. You need to pretwist your hands to do it, so it takes a try or two the first time to get it right. The detents are useful for pre-setting the level you want, though out of 8 levels I will never remember other than high and low, so the detents are of less value in the middle range. The U2 has just about 120 degrees of motion for six levels. It is still hard to twist the full range since the friction is somewhat high. My earlier LuxV U2 had a little less friction and I could operate that one more easily one handed, but this one is a little tighter and the ring is not as aggressively grippy as the SR3, so it is harder to turn one handed without a firm squeeze. I like the range of motion and number of levels of the U2 best. I just wish it was as easy to turn as my silky smooth first one
Levels:
The RRT-0 has four levels at any one time, with low switchable to a low-low via a quick twist from low (lvl 1) to lvl 2 & back. Regular low is so close to level 2 that I don't know why they didn't make the low-low permanent and make high-high the option. There is a big gap from level 3 (50L) to level 4 (220L, really around 175 OTF to my eyes). It is not a big problem, but it would be nice to have a level between 100-125L for some good performance at better run time. The SR3 is better here with a wide range of levels, probably more than needed since I have yet to use all of them. I would prefer a lower low on all of them. I think the U2 is best here. The levels are evenly spaced visually, there are enough, but not too many.
Mechanics of the ring:
The U2 and SR3 use magnet(s) and sensors, I assume the RRT-0 does too. Only the SR3 can be taken apart so the ring is separate from the driver and LED (easily - by me). The RRT ring is smallest and most compact, but can not be taken apart to look at. Neither can the U2 - at least not by me (see posts below how to, though). The SR3 driver assembly can be easily removed from the ring assembly and re-assemled backwards to swap the positions of the upper and lower four levels. Put it together wrong and you will get levels in this order as you turn the ring: 5, 6, 7, 8, 1, 2, 3, 4. There is no way to tell which way is correct unless you remember the alignment of the printing on the body of the light when you take it apart. Both RRT-0 and SR3 rings are metal while the U2 ring is plastic on the outside with magnet completely hidden.
Quality of operation:
The RRT-0 and SR3 both have issues in normal use. The RRT-0 has a delay turning on that appears to be in the driver, not the switch. It then sometimes flashes briefly at max even when on low. This most often happens when manually strobing but sometimes when I just press it quickly. Not really a ring issue as it does not do it when changing levels. The SR3 has better switch action, though it turns on in low, then immediately goes to the selected level. This is very quick and hard to see, but ti sometimes appears as hesitation like the RRT-0. It does not change levels as smoothly all the time. It sometimes flashes enough while changing modes into or out of max to make it switch into strobe mode, which I hate. I have taken to turning it off before dialing it to max sometimes. The U2 switch works very well and predictably. The levels change abruptly and immediately with dial movement once it has moved far enough which almost catches you by surprise due to the lack of detents to indicate a new level. It operates without any hiccups or unexpected flashes, mode changes, or surprises. The mode change locations are spot-on consistent even without detents. It is almost fluid feeling. It overall shows a higher level of development that takes more time and money but feels awesome to use.
This is really a control ring comparison, but I'll comment on some other factors too.
Beams & Output:
My RRT-0 came with a smooth reflector, so it is very ringy with the XR-E R2. It is very bright with throw about equal to the SR3 with it's bigger reflector, but the hotspot, though small, still seemed to have a slight donut hole I could only see on white walls, but since I don't hunt those, It typically never bothered me. The SR3 beam is smoother with only slight artifacts and rings due to its MOP reflector. But the U2 beam laid them all to waste with an SSC P4.
Output of the RRT-0 an SR3 seem slightly less than advertised - must be emitter lumens. The U2 only claims 100 or 120L, but was almost as bright and has much more runtime (4 hrs), but of course uses twice the battery and is much larger. You can choose your level on all of these based on runtime required anyway, so that is not a huge issue. The U2 will just last longer before needing a battery change.
Ergonomics:
The RRT-0 is OK for the typical overhand carry to turn on-off, but the cigar hold is not to my liking due to the tailcap rim being the only thing to hold onto. It is too close to the tail to be comfortable to hold. The SR3 is bulky for a single cell light, but has enough geometric features to supply good grip anywhere. The placement of the tactical cross grip over 25mm from the tail switch, and it's cross shape makes for good cigar grip. The U2 is good for overhand and underhand carry - feeling great either way. It has a subtle ring around the top of the clip that is in a good place for cigar hold and would be enough if the light was not as long and heavy headed. it's good, but not great. Overall, the U2 is best for it's purpose as a bigger all-around light. The RRT-0 is good for a small light that will more likely be in my pocket - and often is lately.
Value;
I strongly considered the RRT-0 at full price, but ended up getting a used one for slightly less and consider it worth it. The SR3 was not worth list to me so I got it on clearance sale for a good price (before the RRT-0). The U2 (to me) was not worth the almost $300 full list price, but I pieced my 18650 body and U2A SSC head together out of two separate CPF MarketPlace purchases. Cost me about half of retail. Very worth it.
Summary:
We have three different lights with three different control rings that work in similar ways, but are not the same. The size, styling, clips (or lack of), beams, output, and ergonomics are all different. Two have steel bezel rings which help keep from getting dinged so easily - which I like as I have dinged a few bezels in my day. This makes each good for different things, and I like each of them for different uses, but overall I like the RRT-0 the best since I like EDC size lights and this has decent output. It was easy to take apart to drop in a Q3 5A (thanks DaFabricata!), fits HDS bezel rings (see picture (but not all versions since there are many people making or who have made these), has a deep carry pocket clip (very important to me for ease of carry) and I was able to drop in an optic that improved the beam a little for me and softened the spill cut-off that I find distracting moving around in trees, rough terrain, and foliage. The U2 is second because of the excellent ring, 18650 support (mine at least) smooth beam, great overall ergonomics, consistent response of the clicky and ring, solid feel, excellent clip that works even on thin jacket pockets, long runtime even on high, and dashing good looks. I don't carry it because I wear dress pants most of the time, but I did coat pocket carry it daily for the first month or two since it was so nice to use. I can't wait for neutral XP-G's to come out so I can send it out for an upgrade (only because few people can open it) to improve the tint and roughly double it's output to around 300L. It is the best as an all-around the house, farm, car camping, and utilitarian light. The Nitecore SR3 is no slouch and a very cool light, it is just caught in the middle of this trio. Too big for my pants pockets, and seems like it carries a small battery for it's size. It gets some coat pocket carry and is good at what it does. Has plenty of modes with a nice slide-n-click ring to access them. It is easy to open to access the LED too. The big steel bezel was tight, but came off by hand with a rubber pad jar opener. It wasn't glued. The rest of it is even easier to access. It needs a tint upgrade, but I have not yet decided how warm to go.
<edit>: some T1A impressions added in post #11. I only handled it once, so take my impressions for what they are worth.
Some
Ring feel:
The three vary in several ways in how the ring moves. The RRT-0's metal ring turns easily with little friction and strong detents, though there is a tiny little wiggle room in the detents - though this is not bothersome. The SR3 has more friction in the ring than the RRT. It turns smoothly and has softer detents. It still works well, and I like the feel of it. The SureFire U2 has no detents and the highest friction by far among the three. It is all smooth sliding friction holding the ring in place. There is no tactile feel for level switching, but if its on, that is no problem. I think I like the SR3 ring the best here, but it is close among all three.
Range of motion:
The RRT-0 turns about 120 degrees for four detents. Easy to operate the entire range with one hand motion. SR3 has about 300 degrees of travel. It requires about three two finger twists to go from lowest to highest with one hand hold. With two hands, you still need to do one big extreme twist to go full range. You need to pretwist your hands to do it, so it takes a try or two the first time to get it right. The detents are useful for pre-setting the level you want, though out of 8 levels I will never remember other than high and low, so the detents are of less value in the middle range. The U2 has just about 120 degrees of motion for six levels. It is still hard to twist the full range since the friction is somewhat high. My earlier LuxV U2 had a little less friction and I could operate that one more easily one handed, but this one is a little tighter and the ring is not as aggressively grippy as the SR3, so it is harder to turn one handed without a firm squeeze. I like the range of motion and number of levels of the U2 best. I just wish it was as easy to turn as my silky smooth first one
Levels:
The RRT-0 has four levels at any one time, with low switchable to a low-low via a quick twist from low (lvl 1) to lvl 2 & back. Regular low is so close to level 2 that I don't know why they didn't make the low-low permanent and make high-high the option. There is a big gap from level 3 (50L) to level 4 (220L, really around 175 OTF to my eyes). It is not a big problem, but it would be nice to have a level between 100-125L for some good performance at better run time. The SR3 is better here with a wide range of levels, probably more than needed since I have yet to use all of them. I would prefer a lower low on all of them. I think the U2 is best here. The levels are evenly spaced visually, there are enough, but not too many.
Mechanics of the ring:
The U2 and SR3 use magnet(s) and sensors, I assume the RRT-0 does too. Only the SR3 can be taken apart so the ring is separate from the driver and LED (easily - by me). The RRT ring is smallest and most compact, but can not be taken apart to look at. Neither can the U2 - at least not by me (see posts below how to, though). The SR3 driver assembly can be easily removed from the ring assembly and re-assemled backwards to swap the positions of the upper and lower four levels. Put it together wrong and you will get levels in this order as you turn the ring: 5, 6, 7, 8, 1, 2, 3, 4. There is no way to tell which way is correct unless you remember the alignment of the printing on the body of the light when you take it apart. Both RRT-0 and SR3 rings are metal while the U2 ring is plastic on the outside with magnet completely hidden.
Quality of operation:
The RRT-0 and SR3 both have issues in normal use. The RRT-0 has a delay turning on that appears to be in the driver, not the switch. It then sometimes flashes briefly at max even when on low. This most often happens when manually strobing but sometimes when I just press it quickly. Not really a ring issue as it does not do it when changing levels. The SR3 has better switch action, though it turns on in low, then immediately goes to the selected level. This is very quick and hard to see, but ti sometimes appears as hesitation like the RRT-0. It does not change levels as smoothly all the time. It sometimes flashes enough while changing modes into or out of max to make it switch into strobe mode, which I hate. I have taken to turning it off before dialing it to max sometimes. The U2 switch works very well and predictably. The levels change abruptly and immediately with dial movement once it has moved far enough which almost catches you by surprise due to the lack of detents to indicate a new level. It operates without any hiccups or unexpected flashes, mode changes, or surprises. The mode change locations are spot-on consistent even without detents. It is almost fluid feeling. It overall shows a higher level of development that takes more time and money but feels awesome to use.
This is really a control ring comparison, but I'll comment on some other factors too.
Beams & Output:
My RRT-0 came with a smooth reflector, so it is very ringy with the XR-E R2. It is very bright with throw about equal to the SR3 with it's bigger reflector, but the hotspot, though small, still seemed to have a slight donut hole I could only see on white walls, but since I don't hunt those, It typically never bothered me. The SR3 beam is smoother with only slight artifacts and rings due to its MOP reflector. But the U2 beam laid them all to waste with an SSC P4.
Output of the RRT-0 an SR3 seem slightly less than advertised - must be emitter lumens. The U2 only claims 100 or 120L, but was almost as bright and has much more runtime (4 hrs), but of course uses twice the battery and is much larger. You can choose your level on all of these based on runtime required anyway, so that is not a huge issue. The U2 will just last longer before needing a battery change.
Ergonomics:
The RRT-0 is OK for the typical overhand carry to turn on-off, but the cigar hold is not to my liking due to the tailcap rim being the only thing to hold onto. It is too close to the tail to be comfortable to hold. The SR3 is bulky for a single cell light, but has enough geometric features to supply good grip anywhere. The placement of the tactical cross grip over 25mm from the tail switch, and it's cross shape makes for good cigar grip. The U2 is good for overhand and underhand carry - feeling great either way. It has a subtle ring around the top of the clip that is in a good place for cigar hold and would be enough if the light was not as long and heavy headed. it's good, but not great. Overall, the U2 is best for it's purpose as a bigger all-around light. The RRT-0 is good for a small light that will more likely be in my pocket - and often is lately.
Value;
I strongly considered the RRT-0 at full price, but ended up getting a used one for slightly less and consider it worth it. The SR3 was not worth list to me so I got it on clearance sale for a good price (before the RRT-0). The U2 (to me) was not worth the almost $300 full list price, but I pieced my 18650 body and U2A SSC head together out of two separate CPF MarketPlace purchases. Cost me about half of retail. Very worth it.
Summary:
We have three different lights with three different control rings that work in similar ways, but are not the same. The size, styling, clips (or lack of), beams, output, and ergonomics are all different. Two have steel bezel rings which help keep from getting dinged so easily - which I like as I have dinged a few bezels in my day. This makes each good for different things, and I like each of them for different uses, but overall I like the RRT-0 the best since I like EDC size lights and this has decent output. It was easy to take apart to drop in a Q3 5A (thanks DaFabricata!), fits HDS bezel rings (see picture (but not all versions since there are many people making or who have made these), has a deep carry pocket clip (very important to me for ease of carry) and I was able to drop in an optic that improved the beam a little for me and softened the spill cut-off that I find distracting moving around in trees, rough terrain, and foliage. The U2 is second because of the excellent ring, 18650 support (mine at least) smooth beam, great overall ergonomics, consistent response of the clicky and ring, solid feel, excellent clip that works even on thin jacket pockets, long runtime even on high, and dashing good looks. I don't carry it because I wear dress pants most of the time, but I did coat pocket carry it daily for the first month or two since it was so nice to use. I can't wait for neutral XP-G's to come out so I can send it out for an upgrade (only because few people can open it) to improve the tint and roughly double it's output to around 300L. It is the best as an all-around the house, farm, car camping, and utilitarian light. The Nitecore SR3 is no slouch and a very cool light, it is just caught in the middle of this trio. Too big for my pants pockets, and seems like it carries a small battery for it's size. It gets some coat pocket carry and is good at what it does. Has plenty of modes with a nice slide-n-click ring to access them. It is easy to open to access the LED too. The big steel bezel was tight, but came off by hand with a rubber pad jar opener. It wasn't glued. The rest of it is even easier to access. It needs a tint upgrade, but I have not yet decided how warm to go.
<edit>: some T1A impressions added in post #11. I only handled it once, so take my impressions for what they are worth.
Some
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