Let me get the business out of the way first. This light was provide by Banggood.com (link is external) for my consideration and review.
Better news… 20% off code for the SR71 and the trit tailcaps. Code: f4244f
Banggood posted specs:
table(table#posts).
|Product name:| Blackwater SR71 3xCREE XP-G2 USB Mini LED Flashlight|
|Brand:| Blackwater|
|Model:| SR71|
|Emitter Brand| CREE|
|Emitter Type:| XP-G2|
|Material: |Aluminium alloy,BrassTitanium alloy|
|Total Emitters: | 3x|
|Mode: |moon,low,mid,high,turbo+Strobe|
|Lumens: | 1000LM,420LM,100LM,5LM|
|Runtime: | 35min,1h,4h,20h|
|Working volatge:| 2.5V-8.4V|
|Battery Configurations: |1 x 16340 battery (included)|
|Switch Type: |clicky|
|Switch Location:| body side of the flashlight|
|Peak Beam Intensity:| 4915cd|
|Impact Resistant:| 1.5 meters|
|Max Output:| 1000lumens|
|Range: |140 meters|
|Waterproof: |IPX-8 waterproof 2 meters|
|Weight: |40g (without battery)|
|Size: |67mm x 30mm x 22.5mm (length x head x body diameter)|
Features:
Ultilizes 3 xCREE XP-G2 LEDs,lifespen 50000hours.
Maximum output of 1000luemsn,max 140meter beam distance
Broad voltage,intelligent memory and intelligent temperature control circuit
4 brightness levels +strobe/sos mode
Stainless stell one side switch for easy operation and dimming
Tactical momentray-on function(rapid strobe)
Hidden Micro-USB charging interface,1.5hours raprid chaging technology
Uses a rechargeable 16340 li-ion battery (included)
Gold-plated circuitry contact the points
Optical-grafe high efficient lens
Constructed from CNC milled aero-space-grade aluminum alloy
HALL militart grade hard-anodized finish
IPX-8 waterproof,2m submerside
Package included:
1 x Blackwater SR71 3xCREE XP-G2 USB Mini LED Flashlight
1 x 16340 battery
1 x o-ring
1 x flashlight lanyard
UI description:
From off:
Single click/hold will give a burst of turbo. If held longer the light will turn on in the last used mode if the light was left in the previous mode for what appears to be about 5 seconds, otherwise it will start in turbo the next time.
From on:
A single click will cycle in an ascending order through the modes and then loop L/M/H/T.
Special modes:
Strobe can be access at any time by a quick double click. It is a variable rate strobe, very annoying and will get attention.
General thoughts:
The light is extremely compact and fits the hand very well! It does however lack a pocket clip, for me this is required for an EDC. It does not use the standard 20mm Carclo optic, the optic they chose actually allows the LEDs to be spread out a little more and creates a very nice hotspot and tons of flood. The tailcap on this light is equipped with a removable lanyard ring that fits very securely. The lanyard ring includes a slot for a trit, none included. It is also removable and exposes threads that will fit a standard tripod! I like this and will likely use this feature.
The SR71 includes a 16340 battery and a sleeve for proper fitment. With the sleeve removed the light can be used with an 18350. I have tested fit and function with Vappower unprotected cells, Efest 700mAh purple cells, Efest 800mAh V2 button top cells and Xtar 16340 650mAh protected button top cells. All worked as they should.
The SR71 does appear to work better with the high drain 18350 cells. With the stock cell the light draws 2.64 amps at startup and with the Vappower cells it draws 3.23 amps and is noticeably brighter! This light gets very hot if not hand held, I would not suggest leaving it in turbo while using it in candle mode!
The SR71 does offer USB charging. I like their implementation in this light, but it is not without possible issues. I did have issues with mine, the charger would not stay in charge and would indicate full with a discharged battery. To charge the light, remove the head and connect a micro USB cable (not included) and the head end of the light will turn red (very brightly) until fully charged at which time it turns green. The light appears to shut down at 2.6 volts +/- .04 volts. This seams low to me, but it shut down before the Xtar protected cell shut itself down. With the stock cell it took around 1 hour and 35 minutes to charge up to 4.17 volts. The termination voltage was very consistent, so it appears that the charger is safe to use. Overall the charging board and system seem to be well designed!
Initial charging problem:
The charging board sits on a ledge in the head end of the battery tube. It is retained by a nylon screw in retainer. I noticed that the only way I could maintain charge was to hold down on the USB cable, as soon as I released it the light would indicate full charge. I found 2 minor issues that were easy to resolve… First the nylon washer was not tight and did not allow for good ground contact and second the ledge had some oxide that needed attention to allow the good ground to be made! I also think that I will add a tiny amount of solder to the USB shell solder points on the board to prevent future failure, although the nylon ring does provide good down force on the USB shell.
Beamshots… Of course!
This is not really a fair comparison… The first is a completely custom ReyLight Ti Triple that I built with a FET driver and 3*Nichia 219C D260 SW405 emitters. But, as you can see the output is pretty good for a light that was drawing 3.23 amps versus a light that was drawing 11.55 amps from an 18650! The tint is not bad, fairly neutral. The camera settings were identical and both the camera and lights were tripod mounted.
ReyLight
SR71
So, what did I really think?
Pros
- Very good output for a stock light, somewhere around 1000 real lumens.
- Fits the hand very well with the larger head!
- Very attractive and well built body.
- Charging system, after minor repair.
Cons
- Charging system require minor repairs!
- No clip, so not great for EDC.
- No electronic lockout, must loosen tailcap a tiny bit.
- It always provides a burst of Turbo mode at turn on. This will just destroy night vision, very bright!
- Horrible and conflicting documentation with only a minor indication it is in english.
Closing thoughts
I really want to like this light more, but the burst of turbo and lack of a moonlight mode does not make this a good light for use in the middle of the night. The lack of a clip makes it hard for me to EDC. If the driver were corrected to stop the burst of turbo, I would really like this light. If you can live with these 2 things, I think it is a good platform.
