unknown001
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2013
- Messages
- 30
The Jetbeam T4 Pro was provided to me by JetbeamStore for review.
Summary:
Summary:
| Battery: | 1x 26650 (Included) |
| Switch: | Electronic Side Switch |
| Modes: | Low - Middle - High - Turbo + Strobe & SOS |
| Mode Memory: | Last mode memorized to a long press from off. |
| LED Type: | XHP-50 (CW) |
| Lens: | AR Coated Glass |
| Reflector: | Aluminum - Orange Peel |
Function / User Interface:
From off:
A long press (1 second) turns the flashlight on in the last used mode.
A double press activates Strobe.
While on:
A single press will cycle to the next mode. Low - Middle - High - Turbo.
A rapid double press will activate Strobe mode. A second rapid double press will activate SOS.
While in Strobe or SOS, a double press will switch to the other special mode (IE strobe to SOS). A single press will change to the last used regular mode.
A long press (1 second) will turn the flashlight off.
The last regular mode used will be memorized.
Parasitic drain through the electronic side switch is negligible at 88.1µA.
Charging:
The Jetbeam T4 Pro features integrated charging functionality through a 5v/2.5A DC port.
When I unpacked the T4 Pro I intially measured the included cell's voltage at 4.02v. The intial charge, using the same setup I noted a 2.21A charge that slowly increased to around 2.4A. For some unknown reason I was unable to obtain that high of a charge rate on subsequent charges.
The following charge took place after a runtime test. The cell was discharged down to 2.97v. The charge current began at 1.24A and very slowly increased to a peak of 1.67A before slowly decreasing as the cell was approaching 4.20v. The terminating current was below 100mAh. The voltage directly off the charger was consistently 4.197v. Total charge time was about 4.5 hours.
There is a small green indicator light above the DC port. It flashes slowly during charging and stays on when charging has terminated.
Approximate Output & Throw:
My measurements vary slightly compared to the specifications. A very low resistance cell (The LiitoKala) appears to have no effect on maximum ouput.
All throw measurements are lux values taken at 7ft and calculated back to 1 meter (Rounded to the nearest hundred). Estimated Max Output (Lumens) values are calculated based on measurements taken 30 seconds after turn on and are obtained through a DIY 'pvc lumen tube' in an effort to achieve diffusion of dissimilar beam profiles. As such, these values should be taken as "rough approximations."
Runtime Tests:
The following tests took place in 65°F Ambient temperature, indoors, with very little air movement. The flashlight sits head facing down on a piece of glass that is recessed inside a 4" PVC pipe. No active cooling was activated during the tests.
The T4 Pro holds it's maximum output (about 2500lm) for the first two minutes and then very slowly decreases for the next 8 minutes. At around 10 minutes the gradual stepdown is complete and the output is about 970lm. This output is maintained until about 130 minutes when the light drops to 330lm. This is maintained for about 10 more minutes until the light suddenly shuts off at 141 minutes total turbo runtime. The regulation is pretty outstanding. Normally there are small fluctuations, but the T4 Pro holds the stepped down output perfectly constant.
Here's a closer look at the first 11 minutes of the Turbo runtime. The T4 Pro has a very gradual stepdown in output.
In high mode the T4 Pro maintains about 1150lm for around 30 minutes. Output then drops slowly to 990lm similar to turbo. This is maintained until about 135 minutes when output drops to 330lm. This is maintained for about 14 minutes when the flashlight ultimately shuts off at about 150 minutes.
The two tests combined for comparative purposes.
Pictures:
The Jetbeam T4 Pro arrived in a small retail box.
Inside the box is another, smaller box.
This box contains all the goodies including the warranty card, manual, certificate of approval...
A nice holster, a Jetbeam lanyard, 5v DC to USB cable, a spare O-ring, and the Jetbeam T4 Pro Flashlight.
The holster has a snap on the back and Velcro on the front.
A 360 view.
From the front, the bezel's edges are slightly sharp. My sample has a few scratches on the bezel.
A close up of that XHP-50 LED.
Nice pink AR coating on the lens.
Apart from some minor machine marks on the bezel, the machining, fit and finish is excellent. As long as you aren't holding the light by the bezel, it is very comfortable. The other edges are smooth. The knurling is not quite aggressive enough, but the slightly wider tailcap helps provide some extra grip.
The button has some ridges, but it's still pretty slick. The button tilts and slants with off-center contact, but even if you press on the very edge of the button the switch will engage. There's no finicky activation angle or precise press required to engage the switch.
There are some fairly deep heatsink fins on two sides.
The DC port is one of the best I've seen in a flashlight. The fitment of the plug is smooth and the port is extremely solid.
The switch just barely sticks up above the flat.
Nice crisp lettering.
The tailcap has some interesting machining. Each 'leg' has a rather large machined oval for lanyard attachment. The center of the bottom of the tailcap is threaded for a tripod mount.
The threads are anodized, square, and very well machined. They came lubed with a very tacky substance. I've never encountered this type of lubricant coating. It seems to work okay though. The O-ring is perfectly sized and seats perfectly. Physical lockout can be attained with a slight twist of the tailcap.
The T4 Pro is shipped with the included 26650 cell installed in the light. The plastic insulator prevents accidental activation during shipment.
Inside the tube. A small button is on the PCB. Flatop cells work well.
... And a quick shot of the front end.
Comparison:
For comparison we've got some similar high output, compacts flashlights, with a C8 in there as well.
From Left to Right: Olight R50 Pro Seeker, Klarus G30, Jetbeam T4 Pro, ThorFire C8, Nitecore EC4S.
The T4 Pro has a more Gunmetal grey color anodization, as opposed to the common black anodization.
Beamshots:
As with all beamshots in my reviews, every shot is taken using the same settings in manual mode.
In this location the central tree trunk is about 50 yards away. The water line is about 35 yards away. The hanging tree limb in the upper left quadrant of the pictures is about 10 yards away.
For beamshots I included similar, high output, compact flashlights.
The Jetbeam T4 Pro has a comparatively very well defined large hotspot. It has a very wide spill.
In person, comparing the R50 Pro Seeker next to the T4 Pro, the output difference doesn't seem to be that massive. The difference in throw is slightly noticeable. The major difference is the size of the R50's very wide hotspot.
Jetbeam T4 Pro modes: Low - Middle - High - Turbo
There is some green in the corona of the lower modes, but in turbo the tint is quite nice in person. While white wall hunting if you really look for it, you may notice a slight dark spot in the center of the beam. It's not noticeable outside.
Conclusion:
The Jetbeam T4 Pro is a very nice high output, compact 26650 flashlight. Good fit & finish, good machining, and a great beam profile.
Personally, I'm not a fan of the UI. I would rather have an instant on or a shorter 'long press' to access regular mode output. I would also love to see a neutral white version.
