I won this light in the monthly drawing at www.liotec.com. There were no reviews that I could find, so I thought I would make my first attempt at doing a review.
These are the specs from the web site:
Components:
The light has a very solid feel. The quality of the machining looks good with no flaws or mistakes that I could see. The anodizing is very nice with a finish that leans more to matte. The finish on the Surefire is a little bit more glossy than the Beacon. The tailcap has a forward clicky with momentary function. Press part way for momentary, then further to click on. The switch has a little different feel that what I am used to. There is enough play so that you won't click it on by mistake, but the click is audible, not tactical. I like the feel, and the function is very consistent, it was just something that caught my attention.
I was still impressed with the construction when I took off the head and tailcap. On each end of the body, a rabbit (notch, whatever) was machined, and then a ring was pressed in. When the head and tail screw on, they seat against the rings, so there is very solid electrical and mechanical contact.
The head is a single piece and does not accommodate a p60 type drop-in, however it is easy to remove the bezel ring and take out the drop-in from the front of the bezel. The drop-in is threaded, but does not screw into the head. The glass lens and bezel ring hold it all together. The two pieces of the drop-in unscrew to give access to the emitter on a standard round star. The star is glued to the base, but it looks like a very easy upgrade if desired.
There is an o-ring on each end of the body and one under the bezel ring for water protection. I did not do a dunk test.
I compared the light to a DX Cree R2 single mode drop-in in a Surefire body and bezel with a Solarforce clickie tailcap that is taller than a stock Surefire momentary. On the same battery, the Beacon drew .75a, while the DX R2 drew .51a measured at the tailcap.
The Beacon is on the left and the DX R2 is on the right. My camera does not show the detail of the beams, but the relative brightness is a good representation. The DX R2 has a distinct dark ring around the hotspot, while the Beacon has some shadow, but is a better transition from hotspot to spill. The Beacon has a tighter and brighter hotspot than the DX with a roughly equal spill.
These are the specs from the web site:
Components:
- Beacon Body
- Lanyard Clip
- Ideal for duty belts and holsters
- Aircraft aluminum alloy
- Discharge protected LION Battery
- 220 Lumens output for 150 minutes
- Aircraft Aluminum alloy
- Water proof
- Body diameter: 24 ~ 25.4mm
- Bezel diameter: 32 mm
- Length: 127mm
- Weight with 2pcs of CR123 batteries: 140g
The light has a very solid feel. The quality of the machining looks good with no flaws or mistakes that I could see. The anodizing is very nice with a finish that leans more to matte. The finish on the Surefire is a little bit more glossy than the Beacon. The tailcap has a forward clicky with momentary function. Press part way for momentary, then further to click on. The switch has a little different feel that what I am used to. There is enough play so that you won't click it on by mistake, but the click is audible, not tactical. I like the feel, and the function is very consistent, it was just something that caught my attention.
I was still impressed with the construction when I took off the head and tailcap. On each end of the body, a rabbit (notch, whatever) was machined, and then a ring was pressed in. When the head and tail screw on, they seat against the rings, so there is very solid electrical and mechanical contact.
The head is a single piece and does not accommodate a p60 type drop-in, however it is easy to remove the bezel ring and take out the drop-in from the front of the bezel. The drop-in is threaded, but does not screw into the head. The glass lens and bezel ring hold it all together. The two pieces of the drop-in unscrew to give access to the emitter on a standard round star. The star is glued to the base, but it looks like a very easy upgrade if desired.
There is an o-ring on each end of the body and one under the bezel ring for water protection. I did not do a dunk test.
I compared the light to a DX Cree R2 single mode drop-in in a Surefire body and bezel with a Solarforce clickie tailcap that is taller than a stock Surefire momentary. On the same battery, the Beacon drew .75a, while the DX R2 drew .51a measured at the tailcap.
The Beacon is on the left and the DX R2 is on the right. My camera does not show the detail of the beams, but the relative brightness is a good representation. The DX R2 has a distinct dark ring around the hotspot, while the Beacon has some shadow, but is a better transition from hotspot to spill. The Beacon has a tighter and brighter hotspot than the DX with a roughly equal spill.
Last edited:
