I wasn’t all that impressed when I first opened the shipping box and my eyes fell on the product box containing the Klarus XT2CR. The graphics are decent and the box itself has most of the pertinent information printed on it, but it just didn’t grab my attention in the way some of the other packaging does. It’s odd too, because red is my favorite color and marketing departments the world over know that red is the most effective color for drawing attention – but I’d probably walk right by this package if it were sitting on the shelf somewhere (and I didn’t know a thing about the product itself).
Once the package was opened things took an immediate turn for the better.
The XT2CR itself wouldn’t make it on my list of sexiest flashlights, but the build quality is fantastic and it is clear that the engineers, at Klarus, paid close attention to every detail. I was immediately drawn to the dual tail switches – an arrangement that I had never experienced previously. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel those switches when I ordered the flashlight, but time using the XT2CR has shown me that they work extremely well and I am now very fond of them.
The body itself is very nicely anodized, with no evidence of imperfections anywhere. The main body features small hatching (for grip) and the head of the flashlight is grooved in an interrupted cylindrical manner. On opposing sides are the USB port (covered with a rubber seal that also provides excellent grip) and the “K” indicator light (shows battery status and charging status).
The reflector is smooth and deep, giving the flashlight very good throwing ability considering the small size (1 inch diameter) of the head. The crenelated bezel appears to be made out stainless steel, and is removable.
The included clip is stout – probably a bit too stout for my preferences. It does allow for head-down pocket carry (my preference) but I’d like to see the clip moved back (toward the tail) a bit for deeper carry.
The tail-cap is removable. The threads are well cut, but not anodized; there is no hint of debris or obstruction when removing/installing the tail-cap. Both the tail-cap and the head have springs that appear to be gold-plated.
In the Box
Klarus XT2CR
Wall adapter
Vehicle adapter
USB cable
Holster
Lanyard
Spare O-ring
Clip
18650 battery – Klarus branded, 3600 mAh
Owner’s manual
Features
Cree XHP35 HD E4 LED
Intelligent battery check*
Intelligent, digital, charging
ITS – temperature protection
Reverse polarity protection
Micro-USB charging
One touch Strobe
One touch Turbo
One touch Low
Two user modes – tactical and outdoor
Dual switch tail cap
Hardened, AR coated lens
Polished reflector
IPX8 – waterproof to 2 meters
Impact resistant to 1 meter
Can use CR123A batteries (2 – not included) or 1 18650 battery (included)
5 year warranty + limited lifetime warranty
*When powering on, the “K” indicator will flash (for 5 seconds) to indicate battery capacity.
Green = 70% or more
Orange = 30% to 70%
Red = less than 30%
Flashing red = less than 10% - change/charge battery immediately
Indicator red = charging
Indicator green = fully charged
Indicator yellow = Error
Specs
Head diameter – 1.1 inch
Length – 5.47 inches
Weight – 3.12 ounces (excluding battery)
Modes
Four regular modes (low, medium, high, turbo) and two flashing modes (strobe, SOS).
Two programs – tactical and outdoor (delivered in tactical mode)
The round switch is the primary; the paddle switch is the mode switch (and more).
Low Mode = 10 Lumens, with a run-time up to 200 hours
Medium Mode = 100 Lumens, with a run-time up to 14 hours
High Mode = 400 Lumens, with a run-time up to 4 hours
Turbo Mode = 1600 Lumens, with a run-time up to 1.2 hours
The manual makes no mention of a timed step-down and I haven’t noticed a timed step-down, but the flashlight will step-down when the flashlight temperature reaches a specific point. I do not have the equipment to test that – but have noticed the step-down while using the flashlight.
The head will get warm, but I have not experienced it becoming hot or even too warm for comfort.
User Interface
Tactical Mode - One touch strobe, one touch turbo.
Press the primary switch for momentary light, release and flashlight shuts off.
Press/release primary switch fully for turbo. Press and release primary to turn flashlight off.
Press/hold paddle switch (while flashlight is off) for strobe. Release to turn flashlight off. Press/hold paddle switch for more than 2 seconds to keep strobe on. Press/release paddle switch to turn flashlight off.
With flashlight on – press/hold paddle switch for strobe (more than 2 seconds to keep strobe). Press/release paddle switch to turn strobe off.
With flashlight on – press/release paddle switch to go through modes. Mode cycle is circular – low, medium, high, turbo, high, medium, low,… etc…
Outdoor Mode - one touch turbo, one touch low.
While off, press/hold primary for temporary turbo. Release primary to turn flashlight off.
While off, press fully and release to stay in turbo. Press/release primary switch to turn flashlight off.
While primary switch is off, press/hold paddle switch for temporary low. Release (less than 1 second) paddle switch to shut light off.
While primary switch is off, press/hold paddle switch (longer than 1 second) to keep flashlight in low mode. Press/release paddle switch to change modes. Press/hold paddle switch to turn flashlight off.
When primary switch is on – press/release paddle switch to cycle through modes.
When primary switch is on – press/hold paddle switch (more than 3 seconds) to enter SOS mode. Press/release paddle switch to exit SOS mode.
There is no memory in either the tactical setting, or the outdoor setting.
Changing settings:
Press/hold paddle switch (more than 10 seconds) – indicator light will blink; continue holding paddle switch and press the primary switch to change modes. If the primary switch isn’t pressed before 5 seconds, the flashlight will exit the programming mode. Release paddle switch to exit programming mode.
Beam
Klarus lists a maximum of 240 meters (turbo). In my beam shots, there is a noticeable bend in the road about 250 meters away from the camera. While that curve in the road is outside the claimed measurable distance, I could not detect any evidence that any meaningful light was reaching the bend in the road (even when viewing the pictures while expanded significantly).
I do believe the light made it most of the way – probably somewhere around 175 meters or so. It is very difficult to tell though – as the leaves/trees/etc… reflect a lot of light back.
We did manage to see two raccoon up in a tree. Their eye reflection caught our attention first, but it was clear that they were raccoon – and they were probably a good 130 meters away. Sorry, no pictures of that.
The XT2CR has a definite hot-spot in the center of the beam. It is noticeably brighter than the surrounding spill, which is quite good. To my eyes, the light itself is on the cool side of things – not blue by any means, but certainly not what I’d consider a warm light either. I’d call it just a bit north of neutral. I find it to be a pleasant light that does a great job of illuminating objects near and reasonably distant.
Conclusion
My personal choice would include a moonlight mode, but that’s the only real change I’d ask for. The XT2CR is a very well-made tool and it is clear that the Klarus engineers put a lot of thought into this flashlight. I like the feel of it and the fact that it fits in my pocket. It is probably a bit on the big side of things for a really comfortable, pocket-able, EDC flashlight, but it is doable.
I really like the beam and its combination of throw/flood and I love the ability to change mode settings. I’m really happy that I have the ability to bypass the disco modes; almost as happy as I am with the one-touch low/turbo (I love that). I much prefer the outdoor program – although that probably leaves me in the minority. I find the dual tail switches to be ingenious – I’m now a big fan of that feature.
Before being bitten with the flashlight bug, I would have been perfectly happy if the XT2CR were my only flashlight. It really can do just about anything a person would need a flashlight for. As it is, even with my raging flashlight disease in full epidemic mode, I am extremely pleased with this purchase.