EagleTac or JetBeam?

I was looking for a flashlight for durability and reliability (and runtime).

I mentioned "Fenix" and as soon as that happened, posters kept mentioning "JetBeam" and "EagleTac". (I've already picked out Olight as one I will be getting).

The last time I got a light it was from Fenix, and as far as I can tell, it's been reliable. Is it a better option to skip Fenix and go for an EagleTac or JetBeam?

Which do you think is better? Are there CPF'ers here who own an EagletTac AND a JetBeam?

I was considering either the EagleTac T20C2, or the JetBeam III Pro ST, or JetBeam III-M. Any thoughts on this? One plus about the EagleTac is the upgradeability with new modules.

One option could be:

Buy OLight M20 Warrior
Buy an EagleTac T20C2
Buy a JetBeam III Pro ST

This would be for bike useage, on handlebars, helmet, etc.
Or would two lights be enough to buy for now, and keep my current Fenix that I have and use that as a helmet light (L2D)?

I almostw ent with Jetbeam, but after digging around here on a lot of old posts, I saw several issues come up a lot - some significant quality control issues.

And, its eems that if your problem is outside of the first 2-3 weeks after you buy it (when you can exchange it directly with your vendor), then getting the light fixed will take months.

I may eventually buy a Jetbeam, just because I like collecting lights, and the 18 I have right now doesn't satisfy my irrational need to collect more... lovecpf

But, I have 4 Eagletacs, and will likely buy more. Great lights.

I have 2 Jetbeams. My Jet-1 Pro V.3 has been flawless since I got it and been my EDC. My Jet III-M R2 had a problem with the switch and Flavio at bugoutgearusa.com sent me a replacement. Great customer service from him.
They have the Jet III-M on sale now for $64.90!!!
I would definitely buy another Jetbeam from BOG.
I will probably buy an Eagletac or 2 for my collection as well. I don't think you can go wrong with either.



Barry

Out of your choices, definitely the T20C2. Make sure to get the LOP version.

Advantages over the Jetbeams you've mentioned:

Killer output: >300 OTF Lumens (on par with the sst-50 m21 (selfbuilt review))

Upgrade potential: Nice screw-in drop-ins means new emitters from ET without having to buy a whole new light. Also, great heat transfer from screw-in drop-in as well as being sprung on both sides of the battery. Also R2 drop-in is now available for even more throw.

Beam: I can only describe it as flawless. Nice hotspot, smooth transition into bright spill. No artifacts.

Batteries: Light is ready to accept Cr123, RCR123, 16760 as well as 18650. Will also work with Aw flat tops with a small mod.

UI: Really user friendly and flexible, not IBS, but you have everything available within a couple twists away.

To me it's not even fair.

Thanks for the posts you guys.

Thanks.

I am still sorta undecided. For one, I really like Fenix, but that is because it was my only experience really with good flashlights. I like the regulation of the TK12. It looks really nice compared to the EagleTac and JetBeam.

For now, I have decided on the OLight M20 Warrior.

But, I will pick up ONE other one. The reason being, I have set a budget on new lights, because I need to pick up some other toys next month.

So, I am stuck now trying to decide between a Fenix TK12, an EagleTac T20C2, or a JetBeam III-M, or JetBeam III Pro ST for the second light. Unfortunately, buying 4 new lights at between $60-$100 is not within the scope of my budget as current.

But, it does not preclude me purchasing two lights now, the "toy" next month ($300), then another...THIRD light, the month AFTER.

ACRbling said:

Out of your choices, definitely the T20C2. Make sure to get the LOP version.

Advantages over the Jetbeams:

Killer output: >300 OTF Lumens (on par with the sst-50 m21 (selfbuilt review))

Upgrade potential: Nice screw-in drop-ins means new emitters from ET without having to buy a whole new light. Also, great heat transfer from screw-in drop-in as well as being sprung on both sides of the battery. Also R2 drop-in is now available for even more throw.

Batteries: Light is ready to accept Cr123, RCR123, 16760 as well as 18650. Will also work with Aw flat tops with a small mod.

UI: Really user friendly and flexible, not IBS, but you have everything available within a couple twists away.

To me it's not even fair.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the post. Must say, you have strong arguments for your case.
I understand the JetBeam can also take 18650s.

Can you explain the mod for the AW? Is it just soldering a drop on?
My solder skills suck. So, do you put the iron on the AW top then put the solder on the flat top where the iron is NOT touching? Maybe my iron is just really bad, or maybe my skill.

Can you explain the differences in UI? Is it that the EagleTac is just push-push-push (to change levels?). Is the Jet Beam like the Fenix? General mode, push push push to change levels, and twist the head for turbo?

For the T20C2, is it the twist-twist for the hidden modes? Low, strobe? But otherwise, it has a tactical setup? General to Turbo with twist-tighten?

With the Jet-III M, when the bezel is tight, you are in high mode. When you loosen the bezel you go into the user mode. You can program this mode to anything you want. A low moonlight type mode, %50 brightness, beacon, or one of the variable speed strobe's that it has. It is only a 2 mode light if you see that as a drawback.


Barry

The EagleTac UI is controlled by the head (twisty)

Tight = Max
Loose = Medium

Once the light is on, a rapid tight-loose-tight or loose-tight-loose will drop it to low mode.

With the disco modes "hidden", repeating the low mode action will advance through the strobe/beacon/sos modes.

You can set it to "tactical" UI by turning it on and off 15 times in 10 seconds. In this configuration, the strobe/sos/beacon modes are accessed from the tailcap by a repeat press. So click once for on (loose = medium, tight = max) click or soft press again within a second or so and it will go to strobe.

From my experience with a buddies jet3m, I couldn't get a 18650 to fit.

To use aw flat tops you have to pry off a small plastic spacer installed around the positive terminal where it contacts the battery. It's there for polarity protection.

Get whatever you want, but if were me, I would get the brightest possible to mount on my bike. 18650's without a doubt.

Depends what you're looking for. I think the Jetbeam M1X is one of the nicest lights I've owned. Obviously Surefire is top of the line, but comparing the M1X to the M3LT, I would much rather spend less than 1/3rd the money. Really great value IMO. In terms of the smaller holster or pocket models I would go with EagleTac. Great value as well, excellent build quality and bright, clean white light.

entoptics said:

The EagleTac UI is controlled by the head (twisty)

Tight = Max
Loose = Medium

Once the light is on, a rapid tight-loose-tight or loose-tight-loose will drop it to low mode.

With the disco modes "hidden", repeating the low mode action will advance through the strobe/beacon/sos modes.

You can set it to "tactical" UI by turning it on and off 15 times in 10 seconds. In this configuration, the strobe/sos/beacon modes are accessed from the tailcap by a repeat press. So click once for on (loose = medium, tight = max) click or soft press again within a second or so and it will go to strobe.

Click to expand...

Does that mean you add a third option for the clicking when you do that last thing?

EagleTacs are renown for being high-output screamers, but Jetbeam is not far behind - the max lumen difference between the two [comparable models] would not be great enough to tell which is which. Once you throw in the Jetbeam's much lower low output, and the IBS interface which allows you to have whatever mode setup you want, the more-basic Eagletac isn't really a fair comparison.

I have EagleTacs, Jetbeams, Fenix, Olight, Nitecore, Quark, Zebralights, etc, etc, blah, blah. Ok. All the brands you are looking at are good. You are looking at very different lights though. I would get only one right now and see what you like and what you don't and get your next light based on the experience with this one. For example, the Olight M21 will be a very floody light without much throw. Perhaps you want a light with more throw next time or maybe you like the floody lights and they suit your needs. Maybe you want one of each. The EagleTac you are talking about uses and XPG LED (their website says otherwise but is incorrect) which has a much bigger hotspot vs a Jetbeam (though the Jetbeam you are looking at is "old" and does not have much throw. The EagleTac XPG does not throw as far as the Maelstrom using the same XPG LED but both throw farther than a TK11 or TK12 using the same (in my experience). What do you want?

What do you like? I like lights that can start out on high or low. For example I don't like lights that start on medium. I don't like reverse clickys. I only like forward clickys (with the exception of my Zebralights). You need to experiment and figure out what you want.

What kind of battery do you like? I enevtually ended up with Eneloops, primary cr123a, rcr123a, 18650 lithium, and 14500 lithium. All have their uses.

Edit: Are you looking at a good deal on a left over? The Jetbeam and M20 are both "old" lights as is the T20C2. Are you talking about the T20C2 or T20C2 MKII.

@CPFbiology:

Based on my experience EagleTac is unreliable flashlight.

I bought EagleTac M2CX4 on clearance by 4seven and I use this light occasionally. One day I use the light for shooting rats. Usually after finish using flashlight I always remove the battery for prevent leaking battery accident, unfortunately somehow I dropped the empty battery tube when I was removing the battery. The floor and table height is less than 1 meter I guess, after that I picked up again the tube and tried to screw back the head.

But It could not, and I found the battery tube thread was dented! After that I contact the EagleTac about this problem and they said I was abuse my flashlight and they suggest me to buy new battery tube. And again the tube was delivered to me about 2 months. After that I told to myself, this is the brand I should avoid in my whole life!

I own Jetbeam M1X, It was also once accidentally dropped but it just fine. Not rattling parts still working until now. If your choice only Jetbeam and EagleTac, if were you I would pick Jetbeam instead of EagleTac. The construction, the feeling it much more comfortable and smooth than my EagleTac.

CPFBiology said:

Does that mean you add a third option for the clicking when you do that last thing?

Click to expand...

Not sure what you mean by "third" option.

In tactical mode, one click or soft press = steady on (medium or high depends on loose or tight head position). A second click or soft press within a second of the first = strobe (regardless of head position).

In "hidden" mode, the tail switch only turns the light on and off and strobe has to be accessed by the repeated twisting motion outlined in my above post.

Hope that clears it up.

StarHalo said:

Once you throw in the Jetbeam's much lower low output, and the IBS interface which allows you to have whatever mode setup you want, the more-basic Eagletac isn't really a fair comparison.

Click to expand...

+1 another happy Jet-III M owner/user here

tre said:

I have EagleTacs, Jetbeams, Fenix, Olight, Nitecore, Quark, Zebralights, etc, etc, blah, blah. Ok. All the brands you are looking at are good. You are looking at very different lights though. I would get only one right now and see what you like and what you don't and get your next light based on the experience with this one.

Click to expand...

There's a lot of good advice in tre's post. :thumbsup:

Most important is to determine what you actually want in a light. Decide what matters most to you - e.g. beam pattern, output levels, user interface, etc. -and work from there. Since it isn't always easy to know ahead of time what you really like, start with your "best guess" and evaluate how that works out before you refine further.

tre said:

I have EagleTacs, Jetbeams, Fenix, Olight, Nitecore, Quark, Zebralights, etc, etc, blah, blah. Ok. All the brands you are looking at are good. You are looking at very different lights though. I would get only one right now and see what you like and what you don't and get your next light based on the experience with this one. For example, the Olight M21 will be a very floody light without much throw. Perhaps you want a light with more throw next time or maybe you like the floody lights and they suit your needs. Maybe you want one of each. The EagleTac you are talking about uses and XPG LED (their website says otherwise but is incorrect) which has a much bigger hotspot vs a Jetbeam (though the Jetbeam you are looking at is "old" and does not have much throw. The EagleTac XPG does not throw as far as the Maelstrom using the same XPG LED but both throw farther than a TK11 or TK12 using the same (in my experience). What do you want?

What do you like? I like lights that can start out on high or low. For example I don't like lights that start on medium. I don't like reverse clickys. I only like forward clickys (with the exception of my Zebralights). You need to experiment and figure out what you want.

What kind of battery do you like? I enevtually ended up with Eneloops, primary cr123a, rcr123a, 18650 lithium, and 14500 lithium. All have their uses.

Edit: Are you looking at a good deal on a left over? The Jetbeam and M20 are both "old" lights as is the T20C2. Are you talking about the T20C2 or T20C2 MKII.

Click to expand...

I meant the MKII edition. I was looking at the JetBeams III-M, since I hear it is popular. Can it be made new with a dropin in the future like the EagleTac?

Ideally, I want reliability, able to work under extreme cold or intense situations, and to handle shock, and being dropped or hit, and runtime on 18650 of at least 2 hours on maximum output. Output around 200-300 lumens otf. Beam pattern, not too concerned with that, but UI not so much of a concern as well.

I am now considering: JetBeam III-M R2, JetBeam RRT-2, Olight M20 Warrior R5

I need to purchase two, so which combination would you go for:
1) JetBeam III-M R2, JetBeam III-M R2
2) JetBeam RRT-2, JetBeam RRT-2
3) JetBeam RRT-2, JetBeam III-M R2
4) JetBeam RRT-2, Olight M20 Warrior R5
5) JetBeam III-M R2, Olight M20 Warrior R5
(will purchase at least one JetBeam)

CPFbiology, I have never owned a EagleTac so can't comment on their lights but my experiences with Jetbeam have been great. I have owned a III Pro IBS, a couple III Military's, and a TC-R3. I have never had any type of issue with any of them and found them to be beautifully styled well built lights.

Between the Military III R2 and RRT-2 I would suggest the Military. I found the TC-R3, (almost same light as RRT-2 but made out of titanium) to be somewhat impractical in most normal uses with an very small bright hotspot with a very ringy beam although most Jetbeams tend to have ringy beams. Also I wish the low level on the raptor was lower, its too bright IMO. The III-M only has two levels and one level is programmable and can go to a nice moonlight mode if desired, or whatever brightness you want. The III-M is also more affordable and smaller than the RRT-2. It has pretty good runtime too, mine got over 2hrs on high.

I have also owned the Olight M20 R2, it was a nice light, well constructed, (but not quite as high quality in my opinion as the Jetbeams) and has pretty good efficiency/brightness. I would assume the R5 edition would be more floody than the R2 edition but haven't seen any beamshots of it yet. I was thinking of trying a M20 R5 as well.

Anyways, I would suggest the Jetbeam III-M R2 and the Olight M20 R5 combo. Jetbeams are typically throwy and the M20 should offer pretty good flood with decent (maybe as good as the Jetbeam) throw.

Fenix TK11 R2 are nice as well, very tough and can run regulated on both primaries and 18650 cells, I believe the R5 version can too. They have good runtime but the biggest drawback is that it only has two levels.

Good luck on your choice.

civic77 said:

CPFbiology, I have never owned a EagleTac so can't comment on their lights but my experiences with Jetbeam have been great. I have owned a III Pro IBS, a couple III Military's, and a TC-R3. I have never had any type of issue with any of them and found them to be beautifully styled well built lights.

Between the Military III R2 and RRT-2 I would suggest the Military. I found the TC-R3, (almost same light as RRT-2 but made out of titanium) to be somewhat impractical in most normal uses with an very small bright hotspot with a very ringy beam although most Jetbeams tend to have ringy beams. Also I wish the low level on the raptor was lower, its too bright IMO. The III-M only has two levels and one level is programmable and can go to a nice moonlight mode if desired, or whatever brightness you want. The III-M is also more affordable and smaller than the RRT-2. It has pretty good runtime too, mine got over 2hrs on high.

I have also owned the Olight M20 R2, it was a nice light, well constructed, (but not quite as high quality in my opinion as the Jetbeams) and has pretty good efficiency/brightness. I would assume the R5 edition would be more floody than the R2 edition but haven't seen any beamshots of it yet. I was thinking of trying a M20 R5 as well.

Anyways, I would suggest the Jetbeam III-M R2 and the Olight M20 R5 combo. Jetbeams are typically throwy and the M20 should offer pretty good flood with decent (maybe as good as the Jetbeam) throw.

Fenix TK11 R2 are nice as well, very tough and can run regulated on both primaries and 18650 cells, I believe the R5 version can too. They have good runtime but the biggest drawback is that it only has two levels.

Good luck on your choice.

Click to expand...

Thank-you for suggestion the Jetbeam III-M and Olight M20 Warrior combo. You mentioned that the Olight was not as well constructed as the JetBeam, have you encountered any problems with the Olight? Any issues with unreliability, or sudden failure? (With the Olight, or with either?)

Since you believe that Jetbeam III-M is of better construction than the Olight, would you recommend getting:

Jetbeam III-M plus a backup Jetbeam III-M as an alternative to:
Jetbeam III-M plus Olight M20 Warrior, would Jetbeam+Olight be okay?