Klarus XT1C review

narmattaru

Enlightened
Joined
Mar 6, 2016
Messages
252
Location
Russia
I got this flashlight as review example directly from manufacturer. Here is product page.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Main Features

● Handy size, superb functionality, industry leading patented features
● Latest CREE XP-L HI V3 LED, max 700Lm output, beam reaches 210 meters
● One-handed tactical control: one-touch Strobe / High / Low
● Innovative dual tail switch, easy interface design
● 3 brightness levels, 2 flash modes, 2 programmable settings for multi-purpose use
- Tactical setting ( factory default ): one-touch Strobe / High, versatile in all tasks
- Outdoor setting: one-touch High / Low; SOS, specially designed for the wilderness
● ITS temperature control, real time monitors and auto adjusts output levels to keep crucial component safe
● Waterproof in accordance with IPX-8 ( underwater 2 meters )
● Constant current circuit driver, no flashes and PWM blinking
● Integrated design for efficient heat dissipation
● Dual spring design resists shock and drop damages
● Reverse polarity protection eliminates damage from incorrect battery install
● CNC machined aero-space aluminum alloy body with mil-spec HAIII hard anodizing
● Hardened mineral glass lens with AR coating, scratch resistance

To start with – this spring I had a chance to review XT11S and was so much impressed with its quality and UI. For me this model is best tactical light now (though I must admit that I haven`t tried a lot of other models.). That`s why I enthusiastically took offer to review smaller version of this light. It took me more time to run all the tests and make photos than I expected, but finally here you are.


Flashlight`s package is almost the same as it was with Mi7, typically Klarus-style XT1C comes along with 16340 battery, o-ring, and lanyard (and usual papers of course).
eb2895.jpg


What can I say about XT1C look. Accurate and good-looking. Pics says for themselves.
c45272.jpg

9c54c5.jpg

7f2deb.jpg
9f6986.jpg


As it is a tactical light, XT1C is being run by pair of tail-button and mode switch. And this pair does a lot in matter of convenience of usage.
6a813c.jpg


Pineapple knurling may provide good grip, but for such a size, flashlight simply hides in wrist – and that`s it, no chance to loose it + clip adds a lot to firm grip. Clip is reversible.
2f6525.jpg

3d0912.jpg

4a3527.jpg


Cooling ribs are moved from head to middle, what I find strange for there are a lot of free space on it to place more (more!) cooling ribs.
c0388c.jpg

And as manufacturer states 700 lumens, flashlight of such size obviously must get as much heat dissipation as possible.


Machinery and lubrication are ok.
f6a4cc.jpg



Flashlight has springs at both sides.
de46e9.jpg


c51832.jpg




XT1C has SMO reflector, about 2cm deep which is qite a lot for light`s total size. CREE XP-L HI V3 in the middle is perfectly centered.

1c321c.jpg

235ebc.jpg



And about size – XT1C is longer than any other 16340 lights that I have. That makes it almost AA flashlight. My point of view is that`s a reasonable ergonomic decision. Regular 16340 light with tail button may be ok for EDC use, but tactical light suppose that user can rapidly reach tail button which is unlikely to happen with small flashlight and reverse grip.
489520.jpg

c30d55.jpg

bb411a.jpg


New Opus that i`ve ordered is on it`s way to me, so I can only use usb-tester. In my case charging klarus battery shows 825, that is far away from precise measurements, but this numbers are good.
02bf0f.jpg


UI.
31263997466_bedb28b1fe_b.jpg

It may be tricky judging by this pic. But in reality it is really, really simple and not overloaded with "clicks" and "holds". It takes not a lot of time to figure out everything and get used to what you`ve figured out.
I even managed to switch between tactical and outdoor modes with one hand. )
I can repeat my opinion about XT11S for UI of XT1C – reasonable, convenient and simple , though it may (and believe that it does) seem opposite when you look at this scheme)

XT1C in work
Luxmeter measurements 40\2550\4550.

That is something strange with heat dissipation. I suppose you folk all agree that with such a size, 700 lums must quickly push temperature of flashlight beyond the point when you can hold XT1C barehand.
But what I faced is peak temperature of 50 celcius after about 10minutes, then it fell to 45.
I believe that there is a thermal regulated stepdown. But here are 2 options

  1. Real 700 lumens and bad heat dissipation (I personally believe in this, visually brightness seems to be close to 700), then quick stepdown.
  2. Good thermal regulation which doesn`t allow brightness to get really high.

I couldn`t measure amperage due to form-factor of lights (and my crooked hands -) )

Pencil test hasn`t revealed any sign of PWM shimmering

701e27.jpg


beam.gif

koridor40356.gif
les9840d.gif


ogorod5b0b3.gif


vs.gif


Stepdown from maximum
. I haven`t seen 50 stated minutes, as it could anyone predict.
Obviously brightness quickly fell down, just take a look. 38 minutes and then minimal mode in which it has been working for 3 more hours (even in this mode, there was "sub-stepdown" somewhere in the middle of this period)

Yes, almost 40 min is not that bad, but 40 minutes is not 50 minutes promised, and of cource that is not 40 minutes in turbo. But this happen almost with all stated turbo runtime of any flashlight, so there is no use to point finger to Klarus.

Mid mode stepdown and 3 hours stated.
2.5h in reality, then falling to something dim for next 3 hours, then one more falling for the same time.




OVERALL IMPRESSION
I think that it better choice for activities connected with police\security rather than for outdoor\tourism (in this case i`d better choose 18650 full size light)
Speaking about build quality, brightness and UI – everything is OK (though i`d like to see intermediate mode close to 300lumens + I think that 2-3 seconds for starting strobe from ON in tactical mode is too long)

What about price – regular price for new 16340 flashlight from good manufacturer.
As EDC that it is not best choice for it`s SMO and just 3 brightness. But if anyone looks for extremely compact thrower with instant turbo and strobe, made for reverse grip – I don`t see any other variant but this one.

there is a tradition in russian review website to post photo of author`s cat in conclusion of review. here is mine.

4081aa.jpg
 

Joe Talmadge

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 30, 2000
Messages
2,200
Location
Silicon Valley, CA
Thanks for the review! I'll make similar comments here I made to the other review just posted:

With the re-design of the main switch to be on-off only (no momentary), The XT1C is no longer a tactical light, in any way. There is no school of thought that I know of that finds this type of switch an acceptable choice for tactical use... obviously, if it's all you've got, you find a way to make due, but no one should consciously go out and get this type of UI for this type of usage. Klarus shouldn't be including "tactical light" in their marketing, and I think it's a good idea for trained users to point this out. I think Klarus's lack of understanding of how their XT interface is used, has caused a laughable re-design.

There's a lot to like about the light, bit Klarus just needs to figure out what type of light they're building, understand how it's actually used, and design the switches correctly. It won't please anyone who has tactical use in mind if they've had any training at all -- plain and simple, they found a way to muck up one of my favorite UIs ever. The interface could be really nice for EDC use in Outdoors mode, with instant access to both high and low, but there we will see complaints about lack of a Moonlight mode. I don't know who this light will make happy, which is a real waste, since it's built well and has so much potential.
 

narmattaru

Enlightened
Joined
Mar 6, 2016
Messages
252
Location
Russia
hm, no momentary?
what do you mean? in tactical mode button starts turbo, mode switch starts strobe.
as far as i understand that is what people need in tactical mode

yes, i`m not into any security\military so i cannot be 100% sure. but from my point of view it is convinient to use.
 

Joe Talmadge

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 30, 2000
Messages
2,200
Location
Silicon Valley, CA
narmatturu: Yes, the primary tactic taught by almost everyone (more on this in a moment) is momentary turbo for tasks such as searching/clearing (there are times when constant-on and strobe have their places too, obviously, depending on the problem and where in the solution you are). Keep in mind, in a dark situation, light can attract a bad guy's bullets. So if you don't know where the bad guy is, or whether there even is a bad guy, you flash and move -- for example, flash so he doesn't have time to aim (but you have time to see what's in the room you're clearing), move so that you're gone when the bullets get there, and so he doesn't know where you'll be next. When you see a bad guy, then you might keep the light on to keep him a bit blinded, identify whether he's indeed a bad guy, and more easily be able to watch his hands. The Klarus XT1C can no longer do this -- turbo is a reverse-clickie instant on/off only, which means the primary tactic for a classic scenario can't be used.

That said, right here in the thread "police use of strobe" or whatever it is, we have some very experienced guys proposing "strobe-first" as a tactic. I do believe that this view is still a niche view in the community, but the XT1C CAN do this very well -- momentary strobe from off via the paddle switch.

So, to be more fair, I should say: this is not a tactical light for anyone (that is, most people) who use turbo flash-and-move and who consequently need momentary-turbo. If you're in the strobe-first cult, this light does work for you. For a defensive light that doesn't include tasks such as room clearing, but just "see if that parking lot is empty", "drunk guy is bothering me, flash him in the face and xyz" or whatever, this light works fine.
 
Last edited:

narmattaru

Enlightened
Joined
Mar 6, 2016
Messages
252
Location
Russia
thank for detailed anwer.
now i got what you mean and can agree with this.

i believe that this will require a minor upgrade of main switch, and in next version it`ll be what you expect to see in such a sort of light.
 

LeafSamurai

Enlightened
Joined
Oct 29, 2014
Messages
259
Location
Christchurch, NZ
Thank you for the review narmatturu. Was very keen in the light but the 3 mode only is a dealbreaker. I want a light that can function as an EDC as well and this isn't it.
 
Last edited:

Joe Talmadge

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 30, 2000
Messages
2,200
Location
Silicon Valley, CA
Thank you for the review narmatturu. Was very keen in the light but the 3 mode only is a dealbreaker. I want a light that can function as an EDC as well and this isn't it.

That, I think, helps sum up what I think is the overall problem with this light. I should say up front that I'm not a "hater" -- rather, I absolutely love Klarus and the (old) XT interface... my disappointment with this light (and the XT2C, for different reasons) is more "disappointed true believer" type thing :)

Anyway, here's the problem: Klarus took their XT's best-interface-in-the-world-for-tactical-use (IMO) interface, and changed the primary switch to be a reverse clickie, which now makes it unacceptable for tactical use. Why did they do such an odd thing? Well, they did it because they need the primary switch to be a reverse clickie because they think the awesome feature of adding an Outdoor mode is a big value, and they need the reverse switch in order to do that. Now here's the irony: Most guys who will love the Outdoors mode, will respond exactly like LeafSamurai: just 3 modes, no moonlight, no interest.

In short, they designed an otherwise great light, but broke the interface for tactical mode (losing the interest of tactical usage folks) in order to provide an Outdoors mode that EDC types will not be interested in, either. I don't see there's an easy way out of a blunder this big -- remove Outdoor mode and replace the reverse primary switch with a forward switch (best choice), add a third switch to control mode-changing and then replace the reverse primary switch with a forward switch, or ... ?
 
Last edited:

narmattaru

Enlightened
Joined
Mar 6, 2016
Messages
252
Location
Russia
judging by what i`ve red abouve, i see simpler decision

main switch has to support half-click, so you can make quick short turbo flashes and turn constant turbo on with just one button (half and full click)

and there have to be 1-2 more brightness levels in outdoor mode.

that`s it

what d`u think?

btw. is my english in this review correct? in last 10 years i had no chance to use it until i started writing english version of reviews.
 
Last edited:

Joe Talmadge

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 30, 2000
Messages
2,200
Location
Silicon Valley, CA
Hi narm,

You're suggesting it's possible to do a good momentary with a reverse clickie? I've never seen such a thing, but perhaps I just haven't run into one. Keep in mind that for tactical use, the momentary mode has to be pretty foolproof -- you're using it under extreme pressure, it can't be a matter of "you have to get it just right, if you go just a little too far it will click on" type of thing. It has to be "fairly long throw to turn momentary on, then a fairly long zone of momentary and some clear solid resistance before it clicks on", because under stress you'll tend to lose fine motor skills, tend to mash a bit too hard. I don't think what I just described is possible with a reverse clickie, but I might just lack imagination :)
 

narmattaru

Enlightened
Joined
Mar 6, 2016
Messages
252
Location
Russia
ok, got it

as far as i remember XT11S UI could do everything what was necessary ( in matter of this "instant turbo" topic) with this tailbutton .

so once they did it 11S, they only have to repeat it with smaller one.

of course i`m not an ingeneer, so this "only have to repeat" in reality can be the real challenge.
 

LeafSamurai

Enlightened
Joined
Oct 29, 2014
Messages
259
Location
Christchurch, NZ
That, I think, helps sum up what I think is the overall problem with this light. I should say up front that I'm not a "hater" -- rather, I absolutely love Klarus and the (old) XT interface... my disappointment with this light (and the XT2C, for different reasons) is more "disappointed true believer" type thing :)

Anyway, here's the problem: Klarus took their XT's best-interface-in-the-world-for-tactical-use (IMO) interface, and changed the primary switch to be a reverse clickie, which now makes it unacceptable for tactical use. Why did they do such an odd thing? Well, they did it because they need the primary switch to be a reverse clickie because they think the awesome feature of adding an Outdoor mode is a big value, and they need the reverse switch in order to do that. Now here's the irony: Most guys who will love the Outdoors mode, will respond exactly like LeafSamurai: just 3 modes, no moonlight, no interest.

In short, they designed an otherwise great light, but broke the interface for tactical mode (losing the interest of tactical usage folks) in order to provide an Outdoors mode that EDC types will not be interested in, either. I don't see there's an easy way out of a blunder this big -- remove Outdoor mode and replace the reverse primary switch with a forward switch (best choice), add a third switch to control mode-changing and then replace the reverse primary switch with a forward switch, or ... ?

Well said bro! I love Klarus lights as well but they really blundered when creating this light. I wouldn't mind losing the tactical mode for a better Outdoor mode. On an unrelated note, your English is fine narmattaru. It's understandable and it's definitely better than my Russian.
 

carl

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 2, 2001
Messages
1,483
Location
los angeles
Well, they did it because they need the primary switch to be a reverse clickie because they think the awesome feature of adding an Outdoor mode is a big value, and they need the reverse switch in order to do that.

Just a few questions:

1) Why exactly was it mandatory to have a reverse clicky to obtain an Outdoor mode?
2) Is the main switch still a mechanical clicky?
 

Joe Talmadge

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 30, 2000
Messages
2,200
Location
Silicon Valley, CA
I am making some suppositions here ...

The primary switch is now a mode-changing (or rather "setting"-changing) switch, it no longer has the single purpose of turning the light on and off. And, the setting changes are done by holding down the primary switch for 6+ seconds while the light is already on, and then pressing the auxiliary switch while the primary is still held down.

I'm happy to be shown that I"m wrong and that Klarus could have kept the primary as a mechanical forward clicky even though it is used as a long-press mode-changing switch, I just personally have not seen it done before by anyone (or maybe I have and didn't recognize it, not so hard to fool me :) )
 
Top