JetBeam BA10 first impressions

lumenman1776 · Nov 10, 2011

Hey everybody,

I just received my JetBeam BA10 today that I ordered from battery junction and thought I would give some first impressions.

Fit and finish- Seems very well put together on par with my Eagletac P20A2. Threads came pre lubed which is good.

Brightness and beam profile- Using 2450mah nimh rechargeables it is very bright for its size however I do not believe it is 160 lumens. Comparing it to my Maglight xl50 it appears to only be slightly brighter. otf output is probably some ware around 120 lumens. The beam is more floody as one would expect from such a small reflector but it has no problem illuminating objects at 50 yards or so.

Modes and operation- The BA10 only has two modes which is fine but I wish it either had a brighter low mode than 12 lumens or a middle mode of 45 lumens or so. It has a momentary on feature which is also good.

I have not had a chance to check the runtimes but because its going to be an occasional use edc I don't think the short high runtime will be an issue. Also the pocket clip is not reversible which kind of stinks but it's not really a big deal.
This was my first order from battery junction and their service is great got my light in three days. I will definitely do business with them in the future

I will keep you posted as far as how long the charge on these batteries last.

davecroft · Nov 11, 2011

Thanks for that. Mine should be here tomorrow, I guess I will feel the same as you do about it. The 12 lumen low could be an issue, I prefer about 30 lumens for my general EDC use with a 100+ lumens high for the odd occasion checking out the yard etc.

The only single AA, 2-mode light I have found so far which fits my requirements is the Fenix E11 (32 and 105 lumens). I just wish the E11 had a clip. Strangely, the E11 throws quite well considering it has a plastic optic - I haven't done any scientific tests but it appears to outthrow my Fenix LD15 (117 lumens) and my Nitecore EZAA (160 lumens).

I hoped the BA10 might be a bit of a thrower as the reflector looks deeper than any of these.

But at the price the BA10 seems like a well made light and will be my first Jetbeam!

lumenman1776 · Nov 11, 2011

It does have more throw than other similarly sized lights but the only small lights I can compare it to are no ware near as bright so your mileage may vary.

JohnnyBravo · Dec 4, 2011

lumenman1776 said:
Hey everybody,

I just received my JetBeam BA10 today that I ordered from battery junction and thought I would give some first impressions.

Fit and finish- Seems very well put together on par with my Eagletac P20A2. Threads came pre lubed which is good.

Brightness and beam profile- Using 2450mah nimh rechargeables it is very bright for its size however I do not believe it is 160 lumens. Comparing it to my Maglight xl50 it appears to only be slightly brighter. otf output is probably some ware around 120 lumens. The beam is more floody as one would expect from such a small reflector but it has no problem illuminating objects at 50 yards or so.

Modes and operation- The BA10 only has two modes which is fine but I wish it either had a brighter low mode than 12 lumens or a middle mode of 45 lumens or so. It has a momentary on feature which is also good.

I have not had a chance to check the runtimes but because its going to be an occasional use edc I don't think the short high runtime will be an issue. Also the pocket clip is not reversible which kind of stinks but it's not really a big deal.
This was my first order from battery junction and their service is great got my light in three days. I will definitely do business with them in the future

I will keep you posted as far as how long the charge on these batteries last.

I have a LUX meter. When I compare the numbers from a NIMH (1.2V), Alkaline (1.5V), an Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA (more V than alkaline), and lastly a 14500 (3.7V), I noticed different levels. So with the NIMH battery you're using, that might explain why you think it's not 160 lumens. It appears that the NIMHs are lowest voltage AA sized battery to use in a JB BA10.

srtbrazil · Dec 17, 2011

Johnny, do you use a 3.7V 14500 in the Jetbeam BA10? I tought it couldn´t handle this voltage. Is it considerable bright than alkalines?

JohnnyBravo · Dec 17, 2011

Yes. I use an AW IMR 14500. 3.7V printed on it, but of course about 4.22V off the charger. Both JetBeam and Cree responded to me that an XPG-R5 can handle it fine. JB just didn't choose to list the 14500 as an option for it; hence, no stats on that battery etc. Very noticeable difference in brightness, but you'll notice the temperature climb too.

srtbrazil said:
Johnny, do you use a 3.7V 14500 in the Jetbeam BA10? I tought it couldn´t handle this voltage. Is it considerable bright than alkalines?

SashiX · Dec 26, 2011

According to Selfbuilt's review of BC10, run that light with li-on is quite "dangerous". Perhaps 14500 can handle a bit more current, or I'm wrong? Should it be IMR or we can use normal protected 14500 in BA10? Thanks in advance

PS: what about Klarus P1A? Does it have the same driver?

speedsix · Dec 27, 2011

I have the Klarus P1A and just got the P2A. They have 11 and 20 lumins on low respectively. What I have found is you can rotate the head between the low and high mode and get a higher low ( or a lower high mode) than the standard modes. In fact, it is infinitely variable between the low and high modes if you are careful with how much you twist.

I find that I also like 30 lumins or so for most tasks. It is not blinding but still bright enough to be useable. 150 lumins is too bright for up close work and I only use the high mode 10% of the time.

think2x · Dec 27, 2011

SashiX said:
Should it be IMR or we can use normal protected 14500 in BA10? Thanks in advance

I would only use IMR's. My BC10 on an AW protected 16340 pulls 1.8A which is way over the recommended 1.5A max.

SashiX · Dec 27, 2011

Hm, interesting :huh: Thx, speedsix, great little "feature"

Still, I need to decide between two. Someone tried 14500 in Klarus P1A?

EDIT:

think2x said:
I would only use IMR's. My BC10 on an AW protected 16340 pulls 1.8A which is way over the recommended 1.5A max.

How much is recommended for 14500?

think2x · Dec 27, 2011

SashiX said:
Hm, interesting :huh: Thx, speedsix, great little "feature"
Still, I need to decide between two. Someone tried 14500 in Klarus P1A?

EDIT:

How much is recommended for 14500?

14500 and 16340 are rated the same, capacity and discharge rates.

kkeyser · Dec 27, 2011

I was really pleased with my ba10. If you use a 14500, it gives a nice bump, but even with aa's, it's a really neat little light.

I gave away a couple this year as gifts. I think it's really good for non-flashaholics.

I remember trying to explain variable outputs to a friend, and you could tell 2 seconds into the explanation, they didn't understand, nor want to. This is just on/off, high/low. And if they forget high/low, it's just on/off.

And for the price, not bad at all.

JohnnyBravo · Dec 28, 2011

I think the super simple UI of just two modes is so nice. Whether using a 14500 or AA, just two modes is KISS, keep it simple stupid.

JetBeam BA10 first impressions

lumenman1776

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davecroft

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lumenman1776

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JohnnyBravo

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srtbrazil

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JohnnyBravo

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SashiX

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speedsix

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think2x

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SashiX

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think2x

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kkeyser

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JohnnyBravo

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