fyrstormer
Banned
I check the Jetbeam website every couple months, and I saw the PC25 on the Jetbeam website a couple months ago, but I was busy with other things so I didn't pay much attention to it. I saw it again about a week ago and decided I liked the specs, and it costs $50 less than the RRT-21, so I decided to give it a shot despite the chilly reviews of it on CPF.
I like it. On the one hand, yes, it does show the effects of some obvious cost-cutting -- no knurling, plain black anodizing instead of Jetbeam's normal natural-colored anodizing (I say "natural-colored" because it's obviously dyed for better uniformity instead of being completely natural), and no steel bezel rings on either end. But on the other hand, it works well, it costs less than the RRT-21, and it has more features than the Jet-3 M. I would've liked steel bezel rings on both ends, but then again, what I really want is a titanium version so I can drop it at any angle without noticeable damage, so...in reality, the bezel rings don't matter much.
As has been noted, it runs on 1x18650 or 2x(R)CR123s, and it appears to be a bit more stable when it has the higher voltage of two cells to work with. The 123 cells rattle a bit, being a narrower diameter, but I have an insertable plastic shim from another dual-battery light that fits the PC25 perfectly, so I used that to reduce rattling. Some might find the (very slightly) inferior performance on a single 18650 cell to be annoying, but since I use 123s exclusively, it makes no difference to me.
I like the user interface. The light has five modes, one of which is a random strobe, and the strobe is easily accessible without getting in the way of normal operation. When the light is off, holding the side switch engages the strobe until the side switch is released. When the light is on, the brightness can be changed by tapping the side switch, and the strobe can be engaged by holding the side switch for more than 1 second. Tapping the side switch when the strobe is engaged will return the light to its previous brightness setting. When you turn the light off, it will remember the brightness/strobe setting even after you remove the batteries -- no parasitic drain here.
On an interesting side note: I test-fit the tailcap onto a Surefire G2 and confirmed a suspicion I had -- the PC25 tailcap is C-series compatible, meaning it could be used to add multiple modes to Surefire lights that don't currently have them. That makes for some interesting hybrid possibilities.
Less talk, more pics!
Size comparison with a Fireworm F1, a Surefire G2, and a custom Ti light I assembled from parts:
Posing with the rest of the family:
A Surefire G2 wearing the PC25's tailcap, to prove it really does fit:
So there you have it. Another good light from the only mass-production company that has been able to hold my interest in their products.
I like it. On the one hand, yes, it does show the effects of some obvious cost-cutting -- no knurling, plain black anodizing instead of Jetbeam's normal natural-colored anodizing (I say "natural-colored" because it's obviously dyed for better uniformity instead of being completely natural), and no steel bezel rings on either end. But on the other hand, it works well, it costs less than the RRT-21, and it has more features than the Jet-3 M. I would've liked steel bezel rings on both ends, but then again, what I really want is a titanium version so I can drop it at any angle without noticeable damage, so...in reality, the bezel rings don't matter much.
As has been noted, it runs on 1x18650 or 2x(R)CR123s, and it appears to be a bit more stable when it has the higher voltage of two cells to work with. The 123 cells rattle a bit, being a narrower diameter, but I have an insertable plastic shim from another dual-battery light that fits the PC25 perfectly, so I used that to reduce rattling. Some might find the (very slightly) inferior performance on a single 18650 cell to be annoying, but since I use 123s exclusively, it makes no difference to me.
I like the user interface. The light has five modes, one of which is a random strobe, and the strobe is easily accessible without getting in the way of normal operation. When the light is off, holding the side switch engages the strobe until the side switch is released. When the light is on, the brightness can be changed by tapping the side switch, and the strobe can be engaged by holding the side switch for more than 1 second. Tapping the side switch when the strobe is engaged will return the light to its previous brightness setting. When you turn the light off, it will remember the brightness/strobe setting even after you remove the batteries -- no parasitic drain here.
On an interesting side note: I test-fit the tailcap onto a Surefire G2 and confirmed a suspicion I had -- the PC25 tailcap is C-series compatible, meaning it could be used to add multiple modes to Surefire lights that don't currently have them. That makes for some interesting hybrid possibilities.
Less talk, more pics!
Size comparison with a Fireworm F1, a Surefire G2, and a custom Ti light I assembled from parts:
Posing with the rest of the family:
A Surefire G2 wearing the PC25's tailcap, to prove it really does fit:
So there you have it. Another good light from the only mass-production company that has been able to hold my interest in their products.
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