Elzetta High Output Bravo Review

Earlier this year Elzetta mentioned on the forums that they were going to come out with a high output light to compete with the slew of high end light makers that have come out with 500 lumen and up lights this year. Well, it's a reality now with their 650 lumen Bravo model and 900 lumen Charley model. Here's what I've found so far with my Bravo model…


Pros:
-The light just screams quality. All the components are top notch as is the fit/finish. All operations are smooth and have positive actuations when used.
-650 lumen output in the 2 cell, 900 lumens in the 3 cell model. The AVS head automatically senses the power source and the output generated corresponds to the power (i.e. 650 or 900 lumens)
-Uses an acrylic lens vs reflectors for softer edges on the beam pattern (see video for a demonstration). The lens is field replaceable without tools and apparently different lenses are in the works (like a larger flood version).
-Cree XM-L2 LED
-Elzetta designs their lights to be interchangeable. So, you can pick the tailcap, to include tapeswitch models) you want. There are several models to choose from though. They also have 2 bezels (crenellated and standard) and two bodies to choose from. If you have the old ZFL-M60s you can just purchase the high output head and get the same performance.
-Fully potted electronics so shock/impact will not have any influence on output or reliability of the light. These lights have a reputation as the toughest lights in the world and I believe it.
-Lights come lubricated/greased where they should be and have o-rings on the head/tail for use in wet environments.
-100% made in the USA.
-Springs are used on the head/tail for shock resistance so you won't have the light flickering under recoil should you mount it on a gun.
-The beam has a bright hotspot. Spill is generous with good flooding as well for peripheral vision (again see video for example).




Cons:
-Really the only one I can think of is Elzetta states not to use 18650 batteries with it and some folks will be very put off by that.
-Price is roughly $190-235 depending on the options you chose. But, as I stated above the quality is top notch.


Here's a video with some shooting, beam comparisons with other lights, a demonstration of the properties of the light, and my overall thoughts on it:

Detailed photos of the HO head can be found in the Elzetta thread.

Elzetta lights don't have a large enough battery tube inner diameter to accept 18650 batteries. 17500 cells fit and run quite well in my Charlie.

Nice review. Thanks for taking the time to do this for us. The host can be bored to accept the larger 18650 cells.

RI Chevy said:

Nice review. Thanks for taking the time to do this for us. The host can be bored to accept the larger 18650 cells.

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What does this boring process involve and who does it? I would think it would void your warranty. What advantage would the 18650 have over the 17500 cells? Can the LED module be damaged using rechargables?

Thanks for your review. The tint looks warm which I prefer

Mrgunsngear, nice job with the photos and the video.

ToneDeath said:

What does this boring process involve and who does it? I would think it would void your warranty. What advantage would the 18650 have over the 17500 cells? Can the LED module be damaged using rechargables?

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1) Boring refers to the act of boring (enlarging) the battery compartment to accommodate a larger diameter battery and is normally performed by a machinist. You can find a good one (and learn more about the process) by visiting this link. I would expect it to void the warranty of any light.

2) A single 18650 can have as much as three times the capacity of a 17500. I haven't tested the Bravo with a single Li-Ion so I don't know what affect the lower voltage will have on output.

3) Any LED module can be damaged if supplied with too much voltage. One li-ion cell (3.7V nominal, 4.2V max) or two li-ion cells (combined 7.4V nominal, 8.4V max) provide a lower voltage than the recommended CR123 lithium primary cells.

Nice review sir! I have been quite happy with the ZFL-M60 which I installed with a Malkoff M61W, and have been considering getting another Bravo to compliment it. Although I have no issues running it on a couple of primary CR123, I am still wondering what sort of output and run time would I be looking at with two IMR 16340. Anyone can comment on this?

Grizzman said:

Detailed photos of the HO head can be found in the Elzetta thread.

Elzetta lights don't have a large enough battery tube inner diameter to accept 18650 batteries. 17500 cells fit and run quite well in my Charlie.

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Good info there. Thank you.

ToneDeath said:

What does this boring process involve and who does it? I would think it would void your warranty. What advantage would the 18650 have over the 17500 cells? Can the LED module be damaged using rechargables?

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880arm said:

Mrgunsngear, nice job with the photos and the video.



1) Boring refers to the act of boring (enlarging) the battery compartment to accommodate a larger diameter battery and is normally performed by a machinist. You can find a good one (and learn more about the process) by visiting this link. I would expect it to void the warranty of any light.

2) A single 18650 can have as much as three times the capacity of a 17500. I haven't tested the Bravo with a single Li-Ion so I don't know what affect the lower voltage will have on output.

3) Any LED module can be damaged if supplied with too much voltage. One li-ion cell (3.7V nominal, 4.2V max) or two li-ion cells (combined 7.4V nominal, 8.4V max) provide a lower voltage than the recommended CR123 lithium primary cells.

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What he said! I couldn't have said it any better.

I did a very unscientific test with my Bravo using 2 Eagletac 16340 750mAh. I ran it in blocks of 5 minutes, I got 31 minutes before the light cut out. The light appeared brighter than when I ran it on the primaries, I was wondering if the voltage has bumped up the output? The difference didn't appear major though. I got about 70 minutes from a 17670 1600mAh before the light dimmed to a level that was no good for me, and the dimming became fairly obvious following the 60 minute mark, if I remember correctly.

pjandyho said:

Nice review sir! I have been quite happy with the ZFL-M60 which I installed with a Malkoff M61W, and have been considering getting another Bravo to compliment it. Although I have no issues running it on a couple of primary CR123, I am still wondering what sort of output and run time would I be looking at with two IMR 16340. Anyone can comment on this?

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matt4350 said:

I did a very unscientific test with my Bravo using 2 Eagletac 16340 750mAh. I ran it in blocks of 5 minutes, I got 31 minutes before the light cut out. The light appeared brighter than when I ran it on the primaries, I was wondering if the voltage has bumped up the output? The difference didn't appear major though. I got about 70 minutes from a 17670 1600mAh before the light dimmed to a level that was no good for me, and the dimming became fairly obvious following the 60 minute mark, if I remember correctly.

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Thanks for sharing. Does it appear dimmer on 17670? When I ran the M61w on my ZFL-M60, I noticed a slight stepping down of output when running on AW 17670. It would go highest output and within a split second from on it would step down a little. It's not that noticeable but still present.

I'd love to see a graph comparing output/runtime of the Bravo on 2xCR123, 2x16340, and 1x17670.

Mrgunsngear said:

100% made in the USA.

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You sure about that?

How many of these components, body, switch, LED, board, optic etc do Elzetta make themselves either?

Phry said:

You sure about that?

How many of these components, body, switch, LED, board, optic etc do Elzetta make themselves either?

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From the Elzetta website . . .

Elzetta.com said:

Elzetta Modular Flashlights and Flashlight Mounts are Made in the USA using American materials, American tooling, and American labor.

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I don't know of anything that would contradict that statement. Is there something that you know that we don't?

Phry said:

You sure about that?

How many of these components, body, switch, LED, board, optic etc do Elzetta make themselves either?

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880arm said:

I don't know of anything that would contradict that statement. Is there something that you know that we don't?

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Precisely! Unless Phry can show us concrete proof of who made whichever part of the flashlight, I would suggest you keep your opinion to yourself. You said the same thing in the Surefire thread (was it the Fury one? I can't remember which one) and you said the same thing here. And in both cases you failed to produce proof to back what you have said. As far as I know, the LEDs are made in the USA. You can check out Cree's website.

pjandyho said:

Precisely! Unless Phry can show us concrete proof of who made whichever part of the flashlight, I would suggest you keep your opinion to yourself. You said the same thing in the Surefire thread (was it the Fury one? I can't remember which one) and you said the same thing here. And in both cases you failed to produce proof to back what you have said. As far as I know, the LEDs are made in the USA. You can check out Cree's website.

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Try reading what I wrote genius. There was no opinion expressed.

pjandyho said:

Thanks for sharing. Does it appear dimmer on 17670? When I ran the M61w on my ZFL-M60, I noticed a slight stepping down of output when running on AW 17670. It would go highest output and within a split second from on it would step down a little. It's not that noticeable but still present.

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17670 seems to put out about the same level of light as 2 primaries, I haven't noticed any type of stepdown after I turn it on. It seems to dim fairly slowly during the course of its run for about the first hour, I think. I just had another play with the light, the difference between 16340 and 17670/primary is certainly noticeable indoors, but it's not a huge difference.

Thanks matt4350. If I do get the Bravo version, I would most likely run it on CR123 but I might try it with 17670 to see how it works runtime wise.

i like that you pointed out the differences with optics compared to reflectors. ive always preferred optics for those reasons.
considering getting the head for lego purposes.

thanks for the good review and video!