[Review] Dereelight DBS-T (tactical thrower)

Welcome to my first review
I hope you like it and I also hope that I maybe can help you with your decision which flashlight you should buy.

I have to say sorry for my bad english, I'm from Germany. Hopefully I broke no rules … if so, please let me know!

Specification and combination


Beginners might loose the perspective because there are many possible combinations. My DBS-T for example has "only" 300 Lumens, a XRE-R2 LED for a long beam distance and the 2MT-M pill.
You can chosse between:
300 Lumen: XP-G R5, XRE-R2 neutral-white, XRE-R2 und XRE-R3
700 Lumen: XM-L T6 (cool white), XM-L T6 (neutral warm white) und XM-L T3 (warm white)
By choosing the model with 700lm, you have the chance to buy it with a smooth reflector as well as with a orange peel reflector.


It is possible to upgrade the pill later, but you should chose the right one in the first place.
With the 2MT-S Drop-In the flashlight runs with one 18650 accu, the 2MT-M is more universal and you can chose between using zwo RCR123A, two CR123A, one 18650 (lower output), three (R)CR123A (with extension tube EXT500) and with two 18650 or 16340 with extension tube EXT650.


Cause of the individuality I chosed the 2MT-M Pill. Later on you will see some pictures of the body with or without extender.


Packaging and scope of delivery


The flashlight is packaged in a stylish gift package with golden letters:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6353791605/in/photostream




Those things are in the grey box:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6353791619/in/photostream





It is the torch, a short manual, a battery extender for usage of 2 18650 and a little bag with seven o-rings, one black ring as alternative to the clip and one glow-in-the-dark tailcap.
The manual is not as futile as you might think - switching the running modes is not so easy at first.


Body, machining and more


The anodizing of my exemplar is very well done, but at the back of the body I found two little damaged areas, maybe the lamp hit some hard things. Nothing bad at all!
In general, the Dereelight DBS-T feels very well. It weights 185 gram (without battery), so you've got the impression of a significant flashlight - it is, thoroughly!
Seeing that the head is quite big lets assume that the DBS-T is a good Thrower. The cooling fins are quite effective, I measured the temperature and I can say that they serve the purpose!


I've got one main criticism: The clip that is hinged to the body is very close-fitting. Don't know how you could use it correct.
Thankfully Dereelight gave a free black ring as alternative to the clip, changing it needs approximately one minute.

I even did a second exchange: I don't like te black tailcap so I prefered to use the green silicone glow-in-the-dark tailcap.


The DBS-T is sealed against environmental conditions with overall 7 O-Rings, so it achieves the IPX-8 standard.
I would like a green GITD o-ring between reflector and the front glass, but some chinese shops have fitting rings for a very low price. Maybe I'll change it later on.
The screw threads are greased very well and you won't hear any scratching noise because of that.
The LED is very well centered in the mid of the very good smooth reflector.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6353805541/in/photostream


http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6353791637/in/photostream


http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6353812929/in/photostream



http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6353791653/in/photostream


http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6353805531/in/photostream



Sizes of batteries and extender usage



As said above the user has the possibility to run the torch with two 16340 Li-Ions or one 18650 to have a short lamp or with two 18650s to have the best runtime, but with a longer body.
For comparison see the pictures below.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6353805533/in/photostream


http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6353805547/in/photostream



I do like the short version more, it fits in the jacket bag. With extender you have got a 23cm long body, without it is only 15,9cm long.



Temperature und runtime


The cooling fins are very effective. After running one hour on high mode, the temperature at the head is 4° Celsius higher than before switching on the flashlight. My other flashlights, for example the Lumapower V3+, get much hotter after a few minutes.

With two 16340 protected Trustfire accus it runs only about 30 minutes on high mode. Using one 18650 means that you have light for roundabout 2 hours!

Operation


It is not so easy to use the flashlight for the first time. It is a tactical light ("T" in the name) and it offers a fast switch method between normal and tactical mode.

In fact there are two modes:
The general mode and the tactical mode.
Switching to general mode is easy: Just loose the battery tube a little bit. You are able to chose between three brightness modes (5%, 30% and 100%).
Switching back to tactical mode with 100% brightness is very fast: Just seize the battery tube again.

There is also a mode memory function. The memory remembers the last activated mode and starts at this brightness level.
Pressing the back of the body with your thumb brings temporarily 100 percent of brightness.

Something about the beam


The main business of the DBS-T is just making light!


After looking at the big head and the deep smooth reflector i expected a long beam distance
I compared the DBS-T with the Lumapower V3+ with Turbo Force Head and with the Zweibrüder LED Lenser P7 (zoom).
The tower of our church is about 400 meters away and only one lamp out of the trio is able to enlight it well: The DBS-T!
Sadly I don't own a luxmeter to do objektiv tests.
Betrachtungen des Beams auf weißer Wand lassen folgende Einschätzung zu: Der Spot ist ziemlich klein und recht klar abgegrenzt, insgesamt ist aber ausreichend Sidespill vorhanden, sodass man die Umgebung auch ein wenig aufhellen kann.


For the beamshots I used the Nikon D700 with ISO 500, 2" exposure time, aperture 5 at 28mm and with custom white balance.
The tower is 32 meters away, the camera was at 1,50m and the flashlights at 1,60m. Here I compared Lumapower V3+ (with/without Turbo Force Head), Brynite A10, Ultra Fire mini-T60, UF-2100, LedLenser P7 and Dereelight DBS-T.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6354658957/in/photostream


In this picture I tried to reach the church tower with the beam.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6354658953/in/photostream



Now all three throwers are adjusted to the barn that is about 120 meters away.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6354658949/in/photostream


Conclusion
This small flashlight with only 16 centimeter of body lengh throws up to 400 meters, thats just incredible. The good beam and the high build quality together with the effective cooling and the usage of different batteries could the reason to buy the Dereelight DBS-T.

Re: My first Review: Dereelight DBS-T (tactical thrower)

Thanks for review,
here some pics DBS-T with XM-L T6 3C neutral white led
http://indafoto.hu/autoart/dereelight

Re: My first Review: Dereelight DBS-T (tactical thrower)

Thanks for the review, especially the photos.
I also enjoyed the lapse into Deutch.

Re: My first Review: Dereelight DBS-T (tactical thrower)

Is the Turbo model something new or the same DBS SMO bezel thats been around for years???


Thank you for the review..I always love the way the XR-E R2 does in those big SMO reflectors. 300 lumens never looked so bright!!!!


bigC

Re: My first Review: Dereelight DBS-T (tactical thrower)

Thanks for your comments. I'll make some new beamshots soon …

Re: My first Review: Dereelight DBS-T (tactical thrower)

+

Thanks for the review on the T-series

The DBS' been around for several years and has not outgrown its shape or functionality.
Being able to effectively use several different emitters (just swapping pills) in its deeep reflector,
the DBS just keeps on going...

I like the T-Series for being able to take a 3-mode,, and keep it fixed on High for momentary & signaling,
you then have the best of both worlds.

The 2x18500 option w/ the smaller extension is a good one, the light is a bit more proportionate,
this works well for a duty size XM-L setup.

Outside of P60 lights,
there is not a light available that's as easy to upgrade & switch things around like the DBS,..the original thrower.

Re: My first Review: Dereelight DBS-T (tactical thrower)

Thanks for your comment - I totally agree

Re: My first Review: Dereelight DBS-T (tactical thrower)

Some more detail pictures

http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6353805517/in/photostream


http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6353791629/in/photostream


http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6353805535/in/photostream


http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6353812939/in/photostream

Re: My first Review: Dereelight DBS-T (tactical thrower)

I completely agree.
My DBS platform has evolved with LED development from: XR-E Q5 & R2; to MC-E; to SST50; to XP-G; and currently XM-L
All at minimal investment cost - a real bargain that allow me to experience the latest LEDs in a reliable package.
The only significant change I've made is installing a reverse-clicky for easier mode changing.

orbital said:

+

Thanks for the review on the T-series

The DBS' been around for several years and has not outgrown its shape or functionality.
Being able to effectively use several different emitters (just swapping pills) in its deeep reflector,
the DBS just keeps on going...

I like the T-Series for being able to take a 3-mode,, and keep it fixed on High for momentary & signaling,
you then have the best of both worlds.

The 2x18500 option w/ the smaller extension is a good one, the light is a bit more proportionate,
this works well for a duty size XM-L setup.

Outside of P60 lights,
there is not a light available that's as easy to upgrade & switch things around like the DBS,..the original thrower.

Click to expand...

Re: My first Review: Dereelight DBS-T (tactical thrower)

I hope you have better luck with yours then I did with mine. I purchased the DBS-T about a month ago and it was erratic right out of the box. It wouldn't go into 'tactical' mode all the time and eventually it quit altogether. Rather then send the whole thing back, I emailed the seller and he and I did some trouble shooting. Long story short, here's all that was wrong:

Broken solder connection at tail switch - I resoldered.
Bad pill - seller swapped new pill for old.
Body to head threads stripped out - seller sent new body and head

The seller mistakenly replaced my T body/head with the V3, but I'm ok with that. The twist head never felt smooth and would bind. I think the spring in the head had something to do with that. I had the head off and on 20 or so times trouble shooting and the threads eventually stripped; that never should have happened.

The seller was fantastic helping me out, and I now have a decent 3-mode DBS with a XM-L T3 warm and LOP reflector; nice creamy-white beam. It resides in my tool kit for electrical and plumbing jobs at work.

Re: My first Review: Dereelight DBS-T (tactical thrower)

Thanks for the review! It is always interesting to read someone else's impressions of a light I already own.

I was going through my accumulation of flashlight components and realized I had acquired P60 pills for XP-E, XR-E, XP-G, XM-L, MC-E, all of which will run in the DBS depending on the reflector and battery choice. Just for fun, on sale on Black Friday I bought my 2nd DBS host with no pill at a very reasonable cost, and now I'm having a blast comparing the various pills with two DBSs running the same battery. I find Deerelight to be an exceptional brand and the DBS still gets me excited over build, balance and performance.

Re: My first Review: Dereelight DBS-T (tactical thrower)

Hi Joe, thanks for your comment! It's great that I'm not alone with my opinion about the amazing DBS-T

Re: My first Review: Dereelight DBS-T (tactical thrower)

Thanks for the review herculaneum79. The Dereelight DBS V3 was one of the first lights that I purchased when I started my collection, and it is still one of my favourites. Other than my EDC, I probably use it more than any other light. It is extremly well built, and the ability to use various pills and reflectors is perfect. Regardless of the setup used, it puts out a great light.

Re: My first Review: Dereelight DBS-T (tactical thrower)

Thanks for sharing your opinion!
Today I'm gonna shoot some beamshots with the Fenix TK70, it's so much more brighter than all my other flashlights … But it does not fit in a pocket, the DBS-T does!

Just ordered a DBS-T M, XR-E, aspherical head and 18650 extender. Been researching throwers for a while and this seemed to be a reasonable price/performance point. Thanks for the review.

Well, you'll have fun with it! You might share your experiences with us.

I took some new beamshots. Distance to the tower was about 25 meters.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6500381109/in/photostream/lightbox/


As you can see, the DBS-T has got the smallest spot. Compared with my other lamps only the TK70 reaches a higher distance, but 300lm against 2200lm is not fair anyway

I really like the modularity of this stuff. Amazing. Where all those photos the same shutter speed and ISO?

Yes of course, same ISO, same shutter speed and same aperture

herculaneum79 said:

Well, you'll have fun with it! You might share your experiences with us.

I took some new beamshots. Distance to the tower was about 25 meters.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6500381109/in/photostream/lightbox/

As you can see, the DBS-T has got the smallest spot. Compared with my other lamps only the TK70 reaches a higher distance, but 300lm against 2200lm is not fair anyway

Click to expand...

I have had the Dereelight DBS-T Collimator Head + EZ900 2MT-M pill for around a year now and it is an excellent thrower and can keep up in throw with my Olight SR90, only the Dereelight has a much smaller spot.

It is a terrific thrower if you like a pencil beam at times.

I have another DBS-T body and 2MT-M pill with the XM-L T6 LED with a smooth reflector fitted as well rated at 700 lumen.

I have 2 each of the extensions to make my setup versatile.

What is the exact makeup of the DBS-T in your photo comparisons?

It is strange that we do not hear more about Dereelight as it is a real LEGO style of flashlight the way you can mix and match various parts of these lights when needed.



Cheers :twothumbs

Oztorchfreak said:

It is strange that we do not hear more about Dereelight as it is a real LEGO style of flashlight the way you can mix and match various parts of these lights when needed.



Cheers :twothumbs

Click to expand...

Just a heads up on that topic: