JetBeam Jet-1 First Impressions Thread

I thought I'd take a page from the way we discussed the Fenix and start a thread about the Jet-1.

My Jet-1 IS HERE! and I am very pleased with it on first inspection. I'll give a basic rundown, using the Fenix for comparison since most people who preordered the Jet-1 are most likely familiar with its direct "ancestor" the Fenix.

Note that my Jet-1 is a "basic" model- just green glow paint, and only the AA tube, so I won't be discussing the CR123 and tritium options.

What you get: the packet I recieved contained a small ziplock back with the retail cardboard insert on top. Inside this bag is the unit inside it's holster. The holster is similar to the covered flap versions that used to ship with the Fenix, but perhaps slightly better quality. There is another bag inside that contains the red and orange tailcaps (black is installed) and a nice lanyard (white with a blue/yellow diamond pattern with 2 black cord stops and a metal clip). Note that spare O-rings nor a battery come in this package.

The Jet-1 itself:

Dimensions: This light is just a hair shorter than the Fenix, but the diameter is noticably thinner . This does mean that the two companies accesories won't be compatible.

General differences/observations: the Jet-1 has TWO O-rings sealing the tailcap and two more on the head end. The reflector has a gentle orange peal texture which does seem to be successful at smoothing out the beam. There is almost NO donut hole when held closely to a surface.

Fit and Finish: the overall machine work seems similar to the Fenix, which is to say, very good. The finish does seem to be "true" HA, but I'll leave it up to others to try scratching it with a knife . The threads are superbly machined with no flanges of metal as seen in the Triton. My only qualms are that the lettering is a bit rough looking and that on this particular unit, there seem to be a few dark stains or marks around the bezel area. Its not too bad and is purely a cosmetic observation.

Ergonomics/switch: The more "triangular" profile of the waist provides a solid grip with which to wrap your fingers around. I have small hands, so I like it more than the Fenix, but YMMV. As mentioned in another thread, the tailcap is VERY STIFF and requires SIGNIFICANT pressure to engage. Its hardly insurmountable though, and won't be too hard to get used to. Note that if anyone is still wondering this light uses a REVERSE CLICKY. Like the Fenix, the clicky is LOUD . On the upside, this may be the least-likey-to-turn-on-accidentally-clicky light I have ever seen.

Tint: We all know about the Luxeon Lottery, but for completeness, I'll say that the tint on this unit looks to be a very nice "WO." Very neutral white erring ever so slightly toward the "warm" side rather than the "cool" side.

Beam/output: I need to find 2 new batteries to test both lights side by side, but suffice it to say that the Jet-1 does appear brighter than the Fenix by a small margin. The beam profiles are very similar in terms of overall size and hotspot/spill ratio, but as stated before, the Jet's slightly textured reflector smooths the beam very nicely and eliminates the donut hole. Its just about "Perfect" IMHO. Whether this will effect throw, I'll have to wait for dark and see.

The glowpaint: IMHO, this is more of a novelty than a funtional feature, but its just me talkin here. The paint is recessed into grooves and takes some direct application from another light source to really get glowing much. Perhaps my opinion on this will change when I use the light in real darkness.

Overall: This light truly does seem to take what was great about the Fenix and improve upon it into a similar but more refined package. First impression improvements would be to improve the laser etching/finish irregularities and perhaps to tweak the switch- it will likely be too stiff for some, and many folks will be crying for a "true" clicky with momentary on.

Despite some minor quibbles, I could see this light making an EXCELLENT EDC for most anyone. Now begins the arduous task of waiting for the 2 stage tailcap to be released, which I intend to purchase right away.

I encourage anyone to say anything about this light in this thread, and hopefully, before long someone will come along that can post pictures.

I look forward to reading other "reviews"
Jon

Thanks for your review.:goodjob:

Thanks for the review. I'll post a pretty lengthy review once I get my 2 Jet-Is with tritium and 123 glow tubes. I pretty much got the whole Jet-I package with all the accessories.

ill add pictures as soon as i get mine, Should be in the next couple days.
-bobby

AAHHH!! I can't wait! You guys are killing me. I'm not very concerned about the logo/lettering. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if all that came off. The color variations may just be due to the HCA process variability. I'm hoping the color is as nice as the pics Emilion posted. I also got a 123A tube which I'll likely be using more often than the AA. I just wanted the AA tube so that I had a light that could use a multitude of batteries. This is also one of the main reasons I prefer the Jet1 with 123A tube over the Fenix P1 (the other being I like the look of the Jet1 better). Seems like the east coast is getting their lights first. I wonder how long before us west coasters get them.

I hope the 2 stage clicky switch will have the momentary on function.

Solstice, I couldn't have said it better myself. After playing with mine for a few hours, I can completly agree with your review. I can't think of anything to add, you did a great job!

No joy for me today. Whoever gets the chance first, comparison photos with the Fenix is a must.

Hopefully I'll get mine tomorrow or Wednesday since I'm right smack in the middle of the US.

Thanks for the feedback guys. I have a couple of things to add/correct. First off, about the lettering- on closer inspection, and considering how small it is, it is actually pretty good. The letters are actually "etched" into the surface- that is, the logo is slightly deeper than the surface, like a relief, and not "painted" on. It takes some serious precision to etch something that small, and it will not come off (as jsr suggested ). Also note that there is what I assume to be a tiny serial number etched into the side of the head, but it is virtually unnoticable and doesn't distract from the minimalist look.

One slightly dissapointing thing I forgot to mention regards the ability of the light to tailstand. That is to say, it *can* without help but it is not very stable- less stable than the Triton and Dorcy CR123 1 Watt, which both wobble a bit, and MUCH less stable than the Fenix, which doesn't wobble. Provided the surface is totally flat and doesn't move/shake, you won't have a problem, but the light will fall over otherwise.

Testing out the beam tonight left me very impressed. This thing can throw beautifully and the beam has some real "wow factor" appeal for such a small light. The CR123 version should be even more impressive since the light will be both smaller AND brighter (and I do plan on ording a CR123 body whenever I put in the order for the 2 stage switch).

Overall, from handling the light more and examining it a bit closer, I am very impressed with the quality of this product, especially considering rather reasonable price. There is a great attention to detail. Little things (like "Jet Beam" written under the head around the positive contact spring). The finish feels better than the Fenix and the overall shape feels a bit more refined.

Really, my only qualm of any significance continues to be the stiffness of the switch. I can get used to it, but I don't think I'll ever really "like" it compared to my other lights. I'm hoping that Emillion can keep this in mind when making decisions about the 2 stage version. Especially when multiple clicks may be involved, making the light easy to click becomes all the more important.

I look forward to the next round of impressions by the all the folks that will getting these in their mailboxes tomorrow .

Do you have a 14500 to try it with?

Planterz said:

Do you have a 14500 to try it with?

Click to expand...

Sorry but no. Right now I've got an Energizer e2 lithium in there. If you could recommend a good (and inexpensive) site to get these batteries and a charger, I'd be interested.

As an aside, can you tell me how safe it is to use these batteries in these lights? I know the Jet-I can handle the voltage, but I don't know much about these batteries; are they protected or unprotected? I've read various threads talking about the dangers of using LiOns in lights and that either the light or the battery must be protected, but not both.

Solstice said:

Sorry but no. Right now I've got an Energizer e2 lithium in there. If you could recommend a good (and inexpensive) site to get these batteries and a charger, I'd be interested.

As an aside, can you tell me how safe it is to use these batteries in these lights? I know the Jet-I can handle the voltage, but I don't know much about these batteries; are they protected or unprotected? I've read various threads talking about the dangers of using LiOns in lights and that either the light or the battery must be protected, but not both.

Click to expand...

You can get the batteries and charger from AW, or from lighthound (they look to be AW's batteries there). LH is a bit more expensive, but if you're buying something else from them, it might be cheaper when you consider shipping. You'll get them quicker from LH, but AW is pretty quick even considering it's coming halfway around the world. I'd definitely reccomend going with protected cells, as these are pretty much totally safe, as long as you're not putting them in the fireplace or something.

Thanks Planterz .

Solstice said:

One slightly dissapointing thing I forgot to mention regards the ability of the light to tailstand. That is to say, it *can* without help but it is not very stable- less stable than the Triton and Dorcy CR123 1 Watt, which both wobble a bit, and MUCH less stable than the Fenix, which doesn't wobble. Provided the surface is totally flat and doesn't move/shake, you won't have a problem, but the light will fall over otherwise...

.... Really, my only qualm of any significance continues to be the stiffness of the switch. I can get used to it, but I don't think I'll ever really "like" it compared to my other lights. I'm hoping that Emillion can keep this in mind when making decisions about the 2 stage version. Especially when multiple clicks may be involved, making the light easy to click becomes all the more important.

Click to expand...

Wobbles like the $20 Dorcy 1w?? Stiff reverse clickie?

My 2 cents impression :-

The Jet-I is overall very nice looking and seems to be of fairly good quality. The body thickness is thinner than the L1P, as evident when you open the tailcap to see the insides but still thick enough.

A few things I noticed :-
1) Yes, the clicky is quite tough to press. It is a reverse clickie.

2) It has double o-rings on the tailcap. Good for waterproofing. Makes it a little hard to unscrew and after the 2nd o-ring, the tailcap almost wants to 'pop' and fly out. As in it doesn't unscrew gradually.

3) There is a little bit of epoxy here and there on the body and the glowpaint on mine isn't spread out evenly, but not a major issue.

4) Gets hot REALLY fast (on the 14500) if you hold it by the centre and don't help conduct the heat away from the head.

5) My light didn't turn on initially, and I tightened the head a little and it worked. Head apparently can be unscrewed. But didn't try to mess with the module inside. Double o-rings on head too.

6) The rubber tailcap seems to protrude ever so slightly, although the light can still stand on its end. Opening the tailcap and 'unscrewing' the tailcap mechanism with a tweezer a little brings it in some more for more stability.

7) AW protected 14500 fits very snugly, but only at some angles.

8) The 'triangle' grip design (centre of the body) doesn't do well for holding the light with 2 fingers, but 3 is ok. As in, if you use 2 fingers to to hold the centre of the light, you will never be pressing on 2 flat surfaces at the same time, as they are not directly opposite each other.

9) Lens a little dusty on the inside (can't access it as yet without messing with the module inside) and doesn't seem to have AR coating.

10)There were 2 small 'spots' missing anodisation on the inner-bezel of my light (just outside of the lens). Looks like it might have been clipped there during the anodising process.

Some initial measurements :-
AA (Duracell) - 1.48v resting, 790ma batt draw, 33 lumens (litebox)

AA (e2) - 1.64v resting (slightly used), 880ma batt draw, 37 lumens (litebox)

14500 - 4.06v resting, 1250+ma batt draw, 80 lumens (litebox) (I assume the figures will drop a little when the Li-on settles)
Add : The light output seems to go UP instead when the Li-on settles in (3.8+v resting). I think because it changes from DD to regulated. It ges about 95 lumens. I didn't mention but when I first got the light, I chucked in the uncharged 14500 (3.74v resting) and got 95-100 lumens too.

To double check, I chucked in my spare 14500 fully charged, and yup, output was down about 13 lumens compared to a used 14500. Although weirdly, batt current draw was higher at 1.33A on the full batt and 1.21A on the used batt.

The 14500 is bright, nice and white, but makes it hot super fast, like in seconds and you can start feeling some heat building. That could also mean excellent heatsinking connection to the body. Might do runtime and temp tests in future if not provided by anyone else

Nice light overall! Will replace my L1P. I'll prob EDC it loaded with a 14500 and carry a spare Eneloop. If long runtime is the order of the day, a batt swap will do the trick. Of course, a true multi-brightness light would eliminate the need to do this

Add : I got 2760 max lux from 1m. This is when the light was on a 'used' 14500.

LEDcandle

Those are some pretty impressive numbers you got using your "litebox". What did the Fenix L1P (using Lithiums) get on your litebox? Cause the Jetbeam is pretty damn bright, especially on those 14500 rechargables!!! :rock:

LEDcandle said:

My 2 cents impression :-

14500 - 4.06v resting, 1250+ma batt draw, 80 lumens (litebox) (I assume the figures will drop a little when the Li-on settles)
Add : The light output seems to go UP instead when the Li-on settles in (3.8+v resting). I think because it changes from DD to regulated. It ges about 95 lumens. I didn't mention but when I first got the light, I chucked in the uncharged 14500 (3.74v resting) and got 95-100 lumens too.

To double check, I chucked in my spare 14500 fully charged, and yup, output was down about 13 lumens compared to a used 14500. Although weirdly, batt current draw was higher at 1.33A on the full batt and 1.21A on the used batt.

The 14500 is bright, nice and white, but makes it hot super fast, like in seconds and you can start feeling some heat building. That could also mean excellent heatsinking connection to the body. Might do runtime and temp tests in future if not provided by anyone else

Add : I got 2760 max lux from 1m. This is when the light was on a 'used' 14500.

Click to expand...

14500= 95 lumens? Does this mean that it is as bright as a U2 when running a 14500?:huh:

CroMAGnet said:

Wobbles like the $20 Dorcy 1w?? Stiff reverse clickie?

Click to expand...

Hey man, just tellin' it like it is . Don't panic, there are many, many things to like about this light. In response to LEDcandle, just wanted to say that my light also has the 2 missing spots of annodize inside the bezel- definately look like rack marks.

I disagree about the 2 finger grip (though I get what you mean about the lack of 2 parallel surfaces). I find if place the waist of the light in the crux of any 2 fingers, it is easy to grip with one of the flat surfaces held against the top of the bottom finger and the top finger wrapping over the "hump" on the other side. As the top finger naturally wants to "curl" to grip the light, the 2 angled planes make it easier to do this. If you don't put the light in the crux of the fingers and more toward their tips, then you are right, the design makes clicking the switch harder. Of course, any crip would be easier if the switch weren't so freakin' stiff . YMMV of course.

Got mine today.
I like this light a lot. All the comments previously stated are all relevant and I dont really need to go over them again.

My JetBeam Serial JET-e1.0A000209 has three small blemishes in the finish on the tail cap. These are only cosmetic
and dont bother me as this is now my EDC and not a show piece.

The 11mm glow in the dark o-rings from

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=112635

Fit around the switch




Sorry for the poor image but you get the idea.