I placed the order last weekend and Bryan shipped it on Monday. I'm out in the sticks and things can sometimes take an extra day to get to me so for the package to arrive on Thursday is about right for shipping. I originally ordered a MG X Thrower as I wanted something to give me more throw than my M20s S2. I changed my mind before Bryan shipped the order and this is what I got instead.
JetBeam BC40
S-Mini XP G R5
iPT C7R
Romisen RV-235 II XP-G R5
The JetBeam BC40 was the most expensive at $69 before the CPF discount. Just a little note. The instructions that come with the light say that the light is a Cree XP G R5 but the box says XM L T6 with is what the light really is.
The other three came in at $33.60, $25.14 and $21.38 respectively after the discount. All within range of most folks looking for budget flashlights. I really wasn't expecting much out of any of the lights with the exception of the JetBeam.
I am pleasantly surprised that I was wrong. I had sort of pre-judged these lights in the quality department, size, weight, feel, brightness and the kind of usable light that I like and was looking for. I didn't let my expectations get very high so that I wouldn't be disappointed if they didn't reach those expectations.
First off, the Jetbeam BC40 was smaller than I expected judging from the videos that I had looked at. I actually like the way it looks and feels in my hand. It's not as heavy as I thought. It feels plenty solid.
The S-Mini was about the size and weight that I expected. The knurling on the light is quite aggressive. I bought this light because of my love for my Xeno E03 and I wanted a similar light that uses 18650 Li/Io batteries. I didn't buy the XM L version because I wanted it to have a little more throw. It looks to have much more throw than the Xeno I'm using for comparison but my eye doesn't pick up much difference in overall brightness. Also it's got a much improved burn time over the little Xeno. I think I'm really going to like this light.
I guess my biggest surprise was the little iTP C7. Fit, feel, finish are top notch. The beam is very tight because of the deep reflector that is 1/2 OP and 1/2 smooth. I love the feel of this light. I also like the UI which allows me to choose brightness levels from 190 to 6 lumens. Very easy to use. It also has strobe which I didn't know it would have when I placed the order. I like the idea that I don't have to scroll through the strobe or SOS modes when turning the light on. I put a 14500 battery in and tested it for runtime. I got 55 minutes which is about twice as long as I get with my Xeno E03 on a 14500 battery. I was also surprised that the light only got warm during this test. My Xeno gets very hot if I turn it on high for more than 5 minutes while using 14500 batteries. Also, there isn't near the drop off in brightness that the Xeno has when I go from 14500 to AA NiMh batteries. I love the feel of this light in my hand. Very solid. This is probably going to be my shirt pocket light.
Lastly, the Romisen RV-235 II XP-G R5. I really wasn't expecting much from this light. I threw it on the order because of the similarities it has with My Klarus P2A and Jetbeam BA20 as far as size, modes and stated output and it was only $21. I also wanted a light that I could use with just one CR123 battery. This light comes with an extra body tube that allows me to use either 2xAA NiMh or one CR123. I don't know how good the internal quality is but the light feels good in the hand. The beam hot spot is smaller than my Klarus or Jetbeam. It has a little larger and deeper reflector that is lightly OP. Without testing it out in the dark, it looks to be just a little less bright than the Klarus P2A or the Jetbeam BA20 and on par with my Quark AA2 Tactical. The low mode seems to be quite a bit brighter than the low on either the Klarus or the Jetbeam. When I set the light up with one CR123 battery, it's a little brighter than the two AA NiMh batteries but not as much as I expected. I just finished a burntime test on two Duracell 2450mAh batteries and got 1 hour and 20 minutes which is about the same as I get from the Quark and 1/2 hour less than I get from the Jetbeam and Klarus. I will do an outside review tonight on all four lights. I didn't want this little review to be too long so I divided it up and will give my outside/night review tomorrow.
JetBeam BC40
S-Mini XP G R5
iPT C7R
Romisen RV-235 II XP-G R5
The JetBeam BC40 was the most expensive at $69 before the CPF discount. Just a little note. The instructions that come with the light say that the light is a Cree XP G R5 but the box says XM L T6 with is what the light really is.
The other three came in at $33.60, $25.14 and $21.38 respectively after the discount. All within range of most folks looking for budget flashlights. I really wasn't expecting much out of any of the lights with the exception of the JetBeam.
I am pleasantly surprised that I was wrong. I had sort of pre-judged these lights in the quality department, size, weight, feel, brightness and the kind of usable light that I like and was looking for. I didn't let my expectations get very high so that I wouldn't be disappointed if they didn't reach those expectations.
First off, the Jetbeam BC40 was smaller than I expected judging from the videos that I had looked at. I actually like the way it looks and feels in my hand. It's not as heavy as I thought. It feels plenty solid.
The S-Mini was about the size and weight that I expected. The knurling on the light is quite aggressive. I bought this light because of my love for my Xeno E03 and I wanted a similar light that uses 18650 Li/Io batteries. I didn't buy the XM L version because I wanted it to have a little more throw. It looks to have much more throw than the Xeno I'm using for comparison but my eye doesn't pick up much difference in overall brightness. Also it's got a much improved burn time over the little Xeno. I think I'm really going to like this light.
I guess my biggest surprise was the little iTP C7. Fit, feel, finish are top notch. The beam is very tight because of the deep reflector that is 1/2 OP and 1/2 smooth. I love the feel of this light. I also like the UI which allows me to choose brightness levels from 190 to 6 lumens. Very easy to use. It also has strobe which I didn't know it would have when I placed the order. I like the idea that I don't have to scroll through the strobe or SOS modes when turning the light on. I put a 14500 battery in and tested it for runtime. I got 55 minutes which is about twice as long as I get with my Xeno E03 on a 14500 battery. I was also surprised that the light only got warm during this test. My Xeno gets very hot if I turn it on high for more than 5 minutes while using 14500 batteries. Also, there isn't near the drop off in brightness that the Xeno has when I go from 14500 to AA NiMh batteries. I love the feel of this light in my hand. Very solid. This is probably going to be my shirt pocket light.
Lastly, the Romisen RV-235 II XP-G R5. I really wasn't expecting much from this light. I threw it on the order because of the similarities it has with My Klarus P2A and Jetbeam BA20 as far as size, modes and stated output and it was only $21. I also wanted a light that I could use with just one CR123 battery. This light comes with an extra body tube that allows me to use either 2xAA NiMh or one CR123. I don't know how good the internal quality is but the light feels good in the hand. The beam hot spot is smaller than my Klarus or Jetbeam. It has a little larger and deeper reflector that is lightly OP. Without testing it out in the dark, it looks to be just a little less bright than the Klarus P2A or the Jetbeam BA20 and on par with my Quark AA2 Tactical. The low mode seems to be quite a bit brighter than the low on either the Klarus or the Jetbeam. When I set the light up with one CR123 battery, it's a little brighter than the two AA NiMh batteries but not as much as I expected. I just finished a burntime test on two Duracell 2450mAh batteries and got 1 hour and 20 minutes which is about the same as I get from the Quark and 1/2 hour less than I get from the Jetbeam and Klarus. I will do an outside review tonight on all four lights. I didn't want this little review to be too long so I divided it up and will give my outside/night review tomorrow.
