So I have nothing else to do this morning and decide to post this. I have no scientific equipment to measure anything and everything in here is just an end user findings.
First the pictures:
Fully dressed with all the options that came with the light
How the light came in with the tube with no other options installed
Length of the light with optional tail spike but no AA extension
Length of the light with optional tail spike and AA extension
Picture with AA extension and the Nitecore clip
Picture with no extension and the Nitecore clip
Another view of no extension and the Nitecore clip
Picture of the light with no clip, no options installed
Closeup of the body grip
Closeup of the fins and ring
Here are few images to compare. They were all taken at 1/160, F2.8 and white balance set to FL lighting. These are the closest I can get to with what I actually see 5ft from the wall that manage to see the outer spill rings. Interestingly, the lower I set the shutter speed, the more rings I would see and differ from what I actually see. If I set the shutter higher, the outer rings won't show.
This the TCR10
This is the beam shot of a TCR1
This is the beam shot of a rrt01
The above beam shots were taken just to show the different beam patterns among the 3 lights and no way trying to show the brightness.
Now my comments:
Touch and feel. Just like other Jetbeam Ti lights, the cutting is excellent with no visible machining marks. There is plenty of Ti in this light and it does not feel flimsy. It is a bit heavier than the TCR1. It is a bigger light than the TCR1, however. The shinny surface are highly polished but you can still tell they polished it horizontally. I say the polishing is on par with JB's prior Ti lights. The granade style knurling and the patterns on the control ring are cut a little sharp comparing to the TCR1. Some might claim more grippy and some might say too sharp. The control ring does have a little play but so does every single one of my magnetic control ring lights. Mine has less than 1mm of horizontal play when I push it from side to side and that is very acceptable to me. The ring turns with a very secured feel. Not very loose and the detents are very solid that you won't miss. In fact, the ring turning is tight enough that if they smooth out the sharp edge, you will have to grip very hard on the ring so as not to slip. The threading on the body tube uses square threads. Though not as smooth as AL, it is not coarse from a Ti standpoint. I have other Ti lights that sound like you are grinding sand when you turn them. I do like to use with the AA extension. With the size of my hand and the AA extension installed, all the knurlings, including those on the extension, fits on my last 3 fingers gripping the light. Then with my thumb and index to turn the control ring. Using with the AA extension also allows me to quickly swap in any AA sized battery if the 14500 runs out.
Features. The light came preinstalled with a short clip. I am not a clip person and when I took off the clip, there is some binding marks left on the light. Oh well, not much I can do about it. I may be able to polish them away. The light does not tail stand due to that little spike sticking out about 3/8 of an inch. I also don't like how their short clip either rubs against the lower edge of the head and the knurling part of the AA extension when installed. If you try to take off the AA extension from the body with the clip on, you will hear that clicking sound as the clip runs across the knurling. Therefore, with or without the AA extension, I don't like the original short clip. I tried putting the longer Nitecore clip on it to see if anything changes. Not much, difference except is just rubs on a different undesired (by me) parts. You can see from pics above. Now the tail spike. This is probably what I considered the worst feature of the light. The light already comes with a little spike at the end and Jetbeam offers an optional push on/pull off tail spike. The optional spike has an o_ring inside, supposedly to make it stay on the light better but in no way fully secured. If you thread the lanyard to the little spike, the optional spike won't go on. Then the optional spike also has a lanyard hole but I would NEVER lanyard to the optional spike, attach to light and carry. The light will almost gaurantee to come off if you carry it by the lanyard. So how should I carry the optional spike with me so that it is always close to the light, not scratching the light, easy to put on and take off, with or without the lanyard? I still have not figure this after 3 days. Not sure if I ever will.
Lighting and related functions. By now, everyone knows this light does not win the bin prize. It is warmer than the TCR1 and rrt01 with a bit of green tint. Very noticeable if you put the TCR1 and rrt01 side by side to it, though not as bad as the once TCR2 I returned. That one was green color, not tint. At least this one is warmer. Look at the bright side, now your grass can look greener too, not only your neighbors'. The three level brightness are spaced apart very well. Very noticeable brightness from each one. Some may want to have an additional low low like a moonlight mode but that's a personal preference. The red/blue are on the same detent next to off. You toggle between red and blue by going off/turn ring left/off/turn ring left sequence. The color strobe seems to be white/red/red/red/blue/blue/blue in sequence. All I can see is white flashs once, multiple red flashs and multiple blue flashes. Not so keen on the color and color strobes but it is probably a feature carry over from Nitecore. It is there and on the other side of 'Off' so you don't have to turn the ring to that side if you don't like it. At least they design the sequence that way so you can use the 3 brightness levels alone without touch onto those color/strobing features. The spot/spill has a ring or two but not as bad as the TCR1. Consider this is a SMO reflector, it is only slightly behind the rrt01, which has an OP reflector. This light does throw better than the TCR1 and rrt01. Not sure by how much but it does. If I have to estimate, I would say about 20% better. I have a lux app on my Android phone and the numbers reflects that 20% at about 18" away. The lux app on my phone is obviously not as accurate and I only use it to compare relatives.
I think that pretty much covers it for my mini review. If you want to know anything more, I will be happy to tell as much as I can, given if my time allows. Overall, I think this light lives up to JB's usual/historic quality. Whether it is worth $200 is up to anyone's judgement.
This mini review obviously contains facts and personal opinions. If you find my facts wrong, point them out. If you don't agree with my opinions, you can speak up but don't attack me because opinions are just that, opinions. You don't have to agree with me. I won't try to persuade anyone either way.
First the pictures:
Fully dressed with all the options that came with the light
How the light came in with the tube with no other options installed
Length of the light with optional tail spike but no AA extension
Length of the light with optional tail spike and AA extension
Picture with AA extension and the Nitecore clip
Picture with no extension and the Nitecore clip
Another view of no extension and the Nitecore clip
Picture of the light with no clip, no options installed
Closeup of the body grip
Closeup of the fins and ring
Here are few images to compare. They were all taken at 1/160, F2.8 and white balance set to FL lighting. These are the closest I can get to with what I actually see 5ft from the wall that manage to see the outer spill rings. Interestingly, the lower I set the shutter speed, the more rings I would see and differ from what I actually see. If I set the shutter higher, the outer rings won't show.
This the TCR10
This is the beam shot of a TCR1
This is the beam shot of a rrt01
The above beam shots were taken just to show the different beam patterns among the 3 lights and no way trying to show the brightness.
Now my comments:
Touch and feel. Just like other Jetbeam Ti lights, the cutting is excellent with no visible machining marks. There is plenty of Ti in this light and it does not feel flimsy. It is a bit heavier than the TCR1. It is a bigger light than the TCR1, however. The shinny surface are highly polished but you can still tell they polished it horizontally. I say the polishing is on par with JB's prior Ti lights. The granade style knurling and the patterns on the control ring are cut a little sharp comparing to the TCR1. Some might claim more grippy and some might say too sharp. The control ring does have a little play but so does every single one of my magnetic control ring lights. Mine has less than 1mm of horizontal play when I push it from side to side and that is very acceptable to me. The ring turns with a very secured feel. Not very loose and the detents are very solid that you won't miss. In fact, the ring turning is tight enough that if they smooth out the sharp edge, you will have to grip very hard on the ring so as not to slip. The threading on the body tube uses square threads. Though not as smooth as AL, it is not coarse from a Ti standpoint. I have other Ti lights that sound like you are grinding sand when you turn them. I do like to use with the AA extension. With the size of my hand and the AA extension installed, all the knurlings, including those on the extension, fits on my last 3 fingers gripping the light. Then with my thumb and index to turn the control ring. Using with the AA extension also allows me to quickly swap in any AA sized battery if the 14500 runs out.
Features. The light came preinstalled with a short clip. I am not a clip person and when I took off the clip, there is some binding marks left on the light. Oh well, not much I can do about it. I may be able to polish them away. The light does not tail stand due to that little spike sticking out about 3/8 of an inch. I also don't like how their short clip either rubs against the lower edge of the head and the knurling part of the AA extension when installed. If you try to take off the AA extension from the body with the clip on, you will hear that clicking sound as the clip runs across the knurling. Therefore, with or without the AA extension, I don't like the original short clip. I tried putting the longer Nitecore clip on it to see if anything changes. Not much, difference except is just rubs on a different undesired (by me) parts. You can see from pics above. Now the tail spike. This is probably what I considered the worst feature of the light. The light already comes with a little spike at the end and Jetbeam offers an optional push on/pull off tail spike. The optional spike has an o_ring inside, supposedly to make it stay on the light better but in no way fully secured. If you thread the lanyard to the little spike, the optional spike won't go on. Then the optional spike also has a lanyard hole but I would NEVER lanyard to the optional spike, attach to light and carry. The light will almost gaurantee to come off if you carry it by the lanyard. So how should I carry the optional spike with me so that it is always close to the light, not scratching the light, easy to put on and take off, with or without the lanyard? I still have not figure this after 3 days. Not sure if I ever will.
Lighting and related functions. By now, everyone knows this light does not win the bin prize. It is warmer than the TCR1 and rrt01 with a bit of green tint. Very noticeable if you put the TCR1 and rrt01 side by side to it, though not as bad as the once TCR2 I returned. That one was green color, not tint. At least this one is warmer. Look at the bright side, now your grass can look greener too, not only your neighbors'. The three level brightness are spaced apart very well. Very noticeable brightness from each one. Some may want to have an additional low low like a moonlight mode but that's a personal preference. The red/blue are on the same detent next to off. You toggle between red and blue by going off/turn ring left/off/turn ring left sequence. The color strobe seems to be white/red/red/red/blue/blue/blue in sequence. All I can see is white flashs once, multiple red flashs and multiple blue flashes. Not so keen on the color and color strobes but it is probably a feature carry over from Nitecore. It is there and on the other side of 'Off' so you don't have to turn the ring to that side if you don't like it. At least they design the sequence that way so you can use the 3 brightness levels alone without touch onto those color/strobing features. The spot/spill has a ring or two but not as bad as the TCR1. Consider this is a SMO reflector, it is only slightly behind the rrt01, which has an OP reflector. This light does throw better than the TCR1 and rrt01. Not sure by how much but it does. If I have to estimate, I would say about 20% better. I have a lux app on my Android phone and the numbers reflects that 20% at about 18" away. The lux app on my phone is obviously not as accurate and I only use it to compare relatives.
I think that pretty much covers it for my mini review. If you want to know anything more, I will be happy to tell as much as I can, given if my time allows. Overall, I think this light lives up to JB's usual/historic quality. Whether it is worth $200 is up to anyone's judgement.
This mini review obviously contains facts and personal opinions. If you find my facts wrong, point them out. If you don't agree with my opinions, you can speak up but don't attack me because opinions are just that, opinions. You don't have to agree with me. I won't try to persuade anyone either way.
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