Looking for new duty light... Jet III M vs. Olight M20 vs any suggetions

Kinda new to the whole flashlight fetish here, but it's pretty compelling to say the least. I've been eyeballing a few lights, and this all started with picking up a Polytac LED last week. Now I'm thinking I want a bit more, and since looking at the Polytac HP and the rest of these lights, I've been drooling over a few.


The Jet III M and the M20 are 2 I'm deciding between, and unfortunately "both" is not a valid choice here. They both look good, but I've seen so much about both I figured I'd ask about a direct comparison.


There's a few other lights I've been looking at too, the Jetbeam M2S, the Streamlight Stinger LED HP, the Tk40 and Tk30, and some other larger lights for security work, but the smaller lights above are for my EMS job, so I dont need something I need a duty belt to carry it with. Any input would be awesome guys. Sorry about the cliche first post, I've just been reading non-stop for 3 days now and decided to jump in here.

when i got my Jet M lll (warm tint), i sold my M20 R2 a couple weeks later. i like the feel, interface, beam and tint of the jetbeam much more. the M20 is very nice light still, and now has a XP-G emitter, so the beam im sure doesnt have the rings anymore. both are very fine lights, my personal preference goes with the jetbeam.

and for your bigger light, the jetbeam M1X i feel is still superior to the MS2 due to its interface. but if you want a better beam, and more ruggedness you should check out the thrunite catapult, goinggear.com just announced a version 2 model which corrected a couple of problems. i currently have the catapult, and use it at work everyday. and it still makes me smile when i turn it on.

theres also the new jetbeam RRT-3.

also check out the quark line-up of lights, i feel they make the best general carry purpose lights for the price.

The other thing that had me interested in the streamlights was the included chargers and batteries, vs having to get new rechargables and separate chargers. But I'll take all the input I can get, being totally new to this.


THe RRT-3 is a little bit out of my price range though. Was trying to stay sub $200, $250 at the most.

Its hard not to be drawn to Streamlights in public safety work. Easy charging and carry options (holsters) are endless.

I dont have any hands on with the Quarks but keep it simple no matter what you choose.

I have an Eagle Tac T100C as a secondary light on my belt and only charge it once a week. I know finding chargers and whatnot can be a pain but in my case it was worth it. I know some medics in my county dont even carry lights (insane I know).

Good luck

are you looking for a thrower or something with more flood?

i carry a solarforce L2 w/nailbender xp-g 3 mode drop-in in my holster, and in my pocket a quark aa tactical with 14500 to clip on my hat if i need my hands free.

Well I have the Jetbeam III M and I have to say, it is probably my favorite/most used larger light. I say larger because I have a quark AA tactical I EDC which gets used more. However, if I am heading outside near or after dark, I have the Jetbeam III M in my hand/pocket. I love the interface, the output and the beam(I got the warm version).

I also have the TK20(warm version) which is also a great light but I still prefer the III M for every day use.

notsobrite said:

are you looking for a thrower or something with more flood?

i carry a solarforce L2 w/nailbender xp-g 3 mode drop-in in my holster, and in my pocket a quark aa tactical with 14500 to clip on my hat if i need my hands free.

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a good compromise between the two, but leaning more to flood. I have a Streamlight SuperTac that just isnt working out for me at work.




and I guess my other question would be... what's the preference seem to sway... the cooler or warmer LED options?

i don't have one- yet- but the quark turbo would seem to be a good compromise between flood and throw. it uses an xp-g emitter which is more floody than an xp-e, but has a larger head for more throw. also available in a warm white limited edition.

firemedic281 said:

The Jet III M and the M20 are 2 I'm deciding between, and unfortunately "both" is not a valid choice here. They both look good, but I've seen so much about both I figured I'd ask about a direct comparison.

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I'd recommend either the Olight M21 Warrior or the Lumapower D-Mini VX Ultra. They are both about the same size as the Jet III M and the M20, but both use the newer SST-50 emitter that spits out 500 lumens (M21) and 550 lumens (D-Mini). Check out the flashlight review section and you'll see comparison beamshots. Once you see the beamshots of the D-Mini VX Ultra and/or the Olight M21, you won't want the M20 or Jet III M anymore...but that's just my opinion. :thumbsup:

Also, if you're partial to JetBeam, check out the RRT-2 Raptor. It has a solid build and although it only shines 240 lumens, it's a great all purpose light.

I have the M21, D-Mini VX Ultra, RRT-2 Raptor and the M20, but I routinely use the D-Mini VX Ultra the most. Honestly, you can't go wrong with any of the lights that you listed...but definitely check out the review section. The reviews can basically guide you to which flashlight meets your needs for EMS, etc.

Hope this helps.

:welcome:

I chose a Jet-III M over the Olight M20 as I don't like twist-to-level set (Jet III M is tight for bright, loose for second mode (which is ramps from low to bright by fast clicking 5 times)). The Olight is loosen-tighten to advance modes. That was the clincher for me. However, the M20 with XPG would offer a superior hotspot - if the XPG is properly driven (I haven't read any reviews).

I have an EMT friend who I am thinking of buying a 4sevens Quark for, with the XPG. My Quark 123^2 Regular is more easily EDC'd then the 3 M (which is never too far away - I'd holster the 3 M and remove the clip if I had it for a duty light) and has a great UI. My friend prefers AA so it'll probably be a Quark AA instead. Or I might get him a Preon. We'll see.

I received a Malkoff M61 today and it's already become my favorite beam (wide hot spot, bright flood). I'm already shopping to put it into a prettier P60 host. If you just want a bright on-off light or acquire a bright-low tailswitch, I'd also recommend a M61 light for a duty light.

You don't mention how many lumens you are looking for or what kind of run time or batteries you want to use. Just based on your EMT job, I would suggest you take a look at the 5.11 light for life. You could top it off in between runs and it seems to have decent reviews and feedback from those who have used it in it's intended role.

Otherwise, I recommend the Fenix TK30 for your security job. It is super bright!!!:twothumbs I love mine and it has different options for power if you want to go with primary cells (If they give them away at work:naughty or rechargeable 18650. Plus, it is BRIGHT!!! If you prefer the AA option or have them available then I would shift my recommendation right to the TK40. It has the same beam profile with a different switch and UI. Did I mention that it is BRIGHT???? There are great links to threads on both lights. Take the time and check them out. You will be happy.

cant speak about the olight but i have the jet IIIM for duty belt carry & love it. its light. i dont even feel it on my belt. its bright. more then bright enough for building searches. its under $100 from BOG. 20% coupon is on this forum.

i was worried about the whole rechargeable thing also but all u need is 2 rechargable 18650's & carry 1 as a spare. heck carry 2 or 3 spares if u really need it. if u think about it, rechargables like the stingers is no different then carrying spares. had a bad car accident at 4 am today & had the light on for a good time on max output. still going strong without recharging.

Olight M21 would get my vote, I was lent one the other week, now I'm going through some real woes trying to find some money to buy one. came with a nice holster which featured spare battery sleaves.
hth
John

Led Lenser P7 is the way to go.

Here is an informational video via youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHLDR6HAR38

Are Jetbeams OTF lumens?

Hfili said:

You don't mention how many lumens you are looking for or what kind of run time or batteries you want to use. Just based on your EMT job, I would suggest you take a look at the 5.11 light for life. You could top it off in between runs and it seems to have decent reviews and feedback from those who have used it in it's intended role.

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I've played with the 5.11 LfL and I really was not impressed at all with it, especially for it's size.


For lumens and power, I'm looking anything above 200. I really like my SuperTac, but its too spotty work. I'd like something with atleast or close to 2 hours at full power, and will accept rechargeables of some type. I know this is pretty non-specific, but like I said, I'm new to all this. I've been in the reviews section, and I know nothing about the different models, so I'm pretty much going through the entire subforum thread by thread. Its starting to look like I'm just going to have to buy into the disease and get a few lights over the next few months until I find something "perfect" (yeah, right. I'll never get there :green: )

I have an EagleTac T20C2 (old version), which is essentially a clone of the O-light M20. In terms of run times and brightness, it sounds ideal for what you describe.

Here's a link to a time lapse video of the T20C2 on high with an 18650 Li-ion (see video description for other beam shot movies) Burn times are true to manufacturer specs. Mine has the smooth reflector for throw, but the beamshots I've seen for the OP reflector are very nice. The light also comes with a high quality diffuser lens that screws on for EXCELLENT diffuse lighting capability.

The newer MKII versions are supposedly even brighter, but with similar run times.

Anyway, the M20 or M21 lights are very similar to the T20C2, and will provide outstanding brightness/runtime ratios on 18650 batteries. You give up burn times with the M21, but get double the brightness. I can't speak for any of the other lights mentioned in the thread though.

Hi firemedic281,

I sent you a pm. (private message)

Chance

one thing I haven't addressed here was durability. I've seen people with issues from every manufacturer, and if I only had Uncle Sugar's budget for surefire lights... From purely a visual standpoint, the Jetbeam lights seem like, forgive me for saying this, but a damn good SF clone and look a bit more ruggedized. My poor supertac and poly stinger are beat to hell, but they have been excellent lights. Even lost the ST in the sand when we put out our campfire at the beach. 1 year later, still no rust or function issues. I'm looking for about the same, and forgive my constant comparison to my streamlights, they're the only thing I've used.

Personally, I like them both - but am slightly more partial to the Jet-III M interface. It is also more "Surefire-like" in its appearance than just about anything else out there.

FYI, most of the lights listed in this thread (except for 5.11 and Led Lenser) have been reviewed by me. See the master list of reviews in my sig for comparisons of all the lights mentioned.

JetBeam/Olight/EagleTac have acceptable build quality. At the end of the day, I would suggest you choose on the basis of user interface and personal use/style preference.