Alternatives to the Jetbeam Jet-III M Pro?

fyrstormer

Banned
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
6,617
Location
Maryland, Near DC, USA
The Jetbeam Jet-III M Pro has been around for...what?...a decade now?...and I really like the look of it, as well as the ability to lock it into the maximum setting by tightening the head fully. However, when the head is loosened, the modes change in descending order, from brightest to dimmest, which I think is backwards, and it also has a strobe mode that can't be skipped. I prefer brightness settings to change in ascending order, from dimmest to brightest, and I've never used strobe for any useful purpose. Does anyone know of a light similar to the Jet-III M Pro that has the "tighten for turbo" feature, but has the other brightness modes arranged from dimmest to brightest? If it also omits the strobe feature, or at least has a way to skip it, that would be even better.
 

fyrstormer

Banned
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
6,617
Location
Maryland, Near DC, USA
Cool, thanks. It looks like the ArmyTek Predator fits the bill, but I'm going to read the manuals for the other ones you mentioned too. There must be something different about all of them, and maybe one of the others is slightly better for my needs.

Anyone else have suggestions for me to consider?
 

fyrstormer

Banned
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
6,617
Location
Maryland, Near DC, USA
I'll take another look at it; I don't remember how it works anymore. But as I recall it seemed too complex for my taste when I first checked them out back in the day.
 

StarHalo

Flashaholic
Joined
Dec 4, 2007
Messages
10,927
Location
California Republic
Any mode is accessible from off depending on how you press the power button; if you want to decide what mode you start in, it's worth trying out..
 

CelticCross74

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
4,021
Location
Fairfax Va
I have 4 Zebralights all SC600's. All of them are astonishing. All of them are the highest quality production lights I have yet seen. The fact the electronics are potted and designed as well as they are in such a small package is very impressive. That being said I STILL have never really been able to get into ALL the lights laundry list of capabilities. A two stage switch would help ZL a LOT.

As for alternatives to the Jet III M Pro there actually is the new JetBeam Jet IIIM with a supposed 1400 lumen max. I have this light and am not impressed. The older "antique finish" XP-L HI version is in my opinion still a better light. The new IIIM is like an inch longer. The side switch is not good either.

Thus I agree with the posters above about the Armyteks. I have so many Armyteks I lost count. The current gen Armytek Predators, Dobermans and near any light they make is IP68 rated, have some of the BEST OPTICS and BEST ANTI GLARE COATED lenses I have ever seen in any light at all. EXPENSIVE but worth it.

The current AT Predators. I actually DO have every single variation of it. From XP-L HI Limited Editions to the now 1400 lumen XHP35 HI Predators. I actually prefer the OLDER XP-L HI Limited Edition variants despite the output difference. The Limited Editions are getting much harder to find though. The beam profile out of the XP-L HI Limited Edition Predator Pros is one of my personal favorites. It is very distinct and unique.

The beam profile out of the Limiteds I have read some complaints about on this site. What folks need to know is that ALL the pre-XHP35HI Predator Pros (current gen) put out THAT beam profile by design for a reason. What makes the beam profile so unique is the distinct VERY BRIGHT hot spot has a THICK corona around it THEN very good spill. Some think they are defective or badly designed or "something is wrong with the reflector". No nothing is wrong with the reflector. That THICK corona around the hot spot is by design specifically.

How does that beam profile affect anything? I have found it helps out greatly at the lights max 400 yard range. At the lights LONGEST throw range that THICK corona around the hot spot actually makes the hot spot much easier to pick out and stay on visually.

Dobermann Pro Limited Edition. No it does not throw as far as the Pred Pros and the beam profile is not as wide but it fits into a pocket much easier. They are Armyteks though. They come with the BEST sheaths I have yet to see any production light come with.

New XHP35HI variants are now so BRIGHT that the beam profile despite being nice and wide lost the definition the Limited Editions have.

Armytek Predator Pro XP-L HI "White Light" (cool white). This is the beam profile I am talking about. The current Gen Pred Pros pre XHP35HI will have beam profiles that look like this. Note the thick corona and very good definition profile. Basement new white painted wall test.

IMG_01181_zps8sekhnmb.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

It is actually a lot brighter in person.
 
Last edited:

fyrstormer

Banned
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
6,617
Location
Maryland, Near DC, USA
Any mode is accessible from off depending on how you press the power button; if you want to decide what mode you start in, it's worth trying out..
Ah, so it's a Morse-Code UI. Unfortunately that's one of my least-favorite UIs. Too fiddly.

- - -

Regarding ArmyTek lights: They do look really high-quality. It irritates me that they don't support tailstanding, though. That might be a rarely-used feature on a light this big, but it's still nice to have the option. Plus, I just think shrouded tailswitches look better.
 
Last edited:

CelticCross74

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
4,021
Location
Fairfax Va
Yes I agree about the non shrouded tail cap. I do not know of any current AT accessories such as a tail cap with a shroud. For THAT I would go EagTac. EagTacs are not IP68 rated though. EagTac has a great reputation for having better than average electronics though. Head twist UI just like the AT's for most. Now ET's latest lights have a TWO side switch UI instead of head twist UI. Unfortunately this new two side switch design does NOT have mode memory. No longer head twist UI one cannot pre select the output level before you turn it on.
 

CelticCross74

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
4,021
Location
Fairfax Va
The "tighten for turbo" head twist UI EagTacs are the T series lights that do NOT have the new TWO BUTTON UI. Then on up to M series. The lights in these series that do NOT have the TWO BUTTON UI are the "twist tight for turbo" head twist UI.

Head twist UI lights. Both Armytek and the head twist UI EagTacs. Should you get one of these head twist UI lights you MUST get a couple cans of DeOxit D100 Red. Head twist UI lights MUST be properly maintained by cleaning ALL CONTACT POINTS with DeOxit D100 Red. DeOxit D100 Red is the best electrical contact cleaner for lights. They come in 2 ounce aerosol cans the D100 Red. THOSE are what you are looking for specifically. Use a clean cloth or even Q tips to wipe away excess.

In the HEADS of both AT's and ET's with head twist UI there are contact points in the bottom of the unscrewed head that are what actually changes mode levels. Got to keep them clean. Also have to keep all other electrical contacts in these lights clean. That means the BARE METAL at the ends of the lights seperate parts once unscrewed into their 3 parts head, body and tail cap. No need to go overboard just spray the bare conducting parts of these lights with a bit of DeOxit D100 Red(specifically). Let the DeOxit sit on said electrical conducting parts for about 1 minute.

You will both hear and see the DeOxit "sizzle". This is the DeOxit eating away any dirt, dust etc. that may be present on said contact point. THEN wipe any excess with clean cloth or Q tip. Yes I know this makes both AT and ET head twist UI lights some of the most maintenance heavy lights out there. On the upside there are NO OTHER lights out there that have feature sets like these head twist UI lights.
 

fyrstormer

Banned
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
6,617
Location
Maryland, Near DC, USA
I'm familiar with DeOxIt. It's good for cleaning contacts, but it's not good for lubricating aluminum. Aluminum galls too easily and will wear quickly, even if oiled, from all the microscopic shards of metal torn loose by the galling process. Once the threads and contacts are cleaned, they should be greased to prevent further corrosion and reduce wear. Thereafter, scrubbing from the twisting motion will keep the contacts clean, and the grease will keep the scrubbing from gouging the aluminum.

I will have to reserve my judgement about feature-richness until after I get my hands on either an ArmyTek or an EagleTac light. From what I can tell, they don't offer any modes that can't be replicated by a control-ring light; rather, I'm interested in them simply because of the option to lock the light in the highest output mode, for simplicity of use if I hand the light to someone who doesn't know how to use it and doesn't have the interest to learn.
 
Last edited:

CelticCross74

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
4,021
Location
Fairfax Va
Glad you're knowledgeable about DeOxit. As for the bare aluminum NyoGel 760G for bare threads. CAIG labs that make DeOxit claim that the DeOxit D100 Red also leaves a microfine lubricant of some kind. As for rotary UI lights the unfortunately now discontinued Nitecore SRT6. The bigger SRT6 and SRT7 lights have the best control ring UI I have yet to use really. Made of metal and extremely well designed and built. Very easy to find the big metal control rings in the dark. SRT6 had just strobe, main beam and beacon that was it. No weak multicolor secondary emitters like the SRT7.

The SRT7GT, the latest SRT7, still has the awesome metal control UI that is easy to find in the dark. It also has a UV secondary emitter as well as the colored secondary emitters. The color secondary's in the newer SRT7GT are a lot brighter than the original but their beam profiles are still pretty poor.

With the Armytek and head twist UI EagTacs you have to use both hands to change modes. With the SRT6 or 7 it is very easy one hand UI ring control.
 

fyrstormer

Banned
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
6,617
Location
Maryland, Near DC, USA
Following up on this:

My ArmyTek Dobermann finally arrived, almost a month after I ordered it. Electronically it does exactly what I want; physically it's very nice but has some issues. The anodizing has a really neat feel to it, much like what Elzetta uses; it feels microscopically rough for a non-skid effect. But...

- The tailcap isn't shrouded and has kind of a weird shape to it;
- The threaded interface where the head meets the battery tube is far enough into the handgrip area that my pinky finger interferes with the movement of the head when I want to tighten or loosen it;
- And finally, the snap-on pocket clip is unforgivably chintzy for a light this sturdy. A light like this should have a bolt-on clip, or a clip that slides into a machined slot like Surefire E-series clips do.

- - -

As for EagleTac lights, I opted not to try any of those, because the UI wasn't quite what I was looking for. I want to tighten the head to lock the light into turbo mode, but I want to be able to adjust the mode using just the tailswitch under normal circumstances.

- - -

Maybe I can figure out how to extract the ArmkyTek Dobermann's driver and transplant it into a different host. Alternately, I'm investigating whether I can build a combo from a pair of drivers from the Sandwich Shoppe that will do what I want, and then I can install it into any host I want. I would need to build a circuit that disables the "normal" multi-mode driver when the "tactical" single-mode driver powers-up, though, and I'm not sure how to do that.
 
Last edited:

CelticCross74

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
4,021
Location
Fairfax Va
According to AT this current gen Doberman's driver are encased in an aluminum capsule that has a thick resin inside of it as well. So in other words semi potted. If you go forward with this project by all means keep us up to date..
 

Crazyeddiethefirst

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 13, 2012
Messages
2,005
Location
Southern California
The Jetbeam Jet-III M Pro has been around for...what?...a decade now?...and I really like the look of it, as well as the ability to lock it into the maximum setting by tightening the head fully. However, when the head is loosened, the modes change in descending order, from brightest to dimmest, which I think is backwards, and it also has a strobe mode that can't be skipped. I prefer brightness settings to change in ascending order, from dimmest to brightest, and I've never used strobe for any useful purpose. Does anyone know of a light similar to the Jet-III M Pro that has the "tighten for turbo" feature, but has the other brightness modes arranged from dimmest to brightest? If it also omits the strobe feature, or at least has a way to skip it, that would be even better.

THe Four Sevens G5/MMS/MMX models are designed for use with long guns, and you change modes by tightening the head-ML-L-M-H. The programming can be changed if you want strobe/SOS/etc, but the default is as I mentioned. If interested, PM me for someone who still has several...
 
Top