Jetbeam RRT-0 Raptor XM-L2
Reviewer’s Overall Rating: ★★★★☆
Summary:
|
Battery: |
CR123, 16340, AA/14500 w/ stock extender |
|
Switch: |
Forward Clicky on tail and Magnetic Ring |
|
Modes: |
Infinitely variable from 0.005 to 650 lumens, Strobe, and SOS |
|
LED Type: |
CREE XM-L2 |
|
Lens: |
Glass - coated |
|
Tailstands: |
Yes |
|
Price Paid: |
Review Sample (Currently 71.83 USD) |
|
From: |
GearBest.com (http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_22886.html) |
|
Date Ordered: |
23 April 2014 |
This light was provided by gearbest for review. They advertise the XM-L version, but I received the newer model.
I carried this light daily for a week prior to review.
Pros:
-
Magnetic control ring
-
Low voltage indication
-
Build quality
-
Range of output levels
-
Updated LED
-
Battery and voltage flexibility
Cons:
-
Stock clip – it works but looks tacky and scratches the light
-
Size – pretty big for the battery types
-
Delay from standby or standby drain (can’t win ’em all)
Features / Value: ★★★★☆
The packaging was standard but effective. Nothing too showy here.
They included the paperwork, 2 extra o-rings, an extra clicky cover, and the clip.
This light comes as 3 pieces. The head, the AA extender, and the battery tube w/ clicky. The main draw of this and all of jetbeams RRT series is the magnetic control ring. Coupled with a forward clicky, you can turn this light on in any mode at any time, and adjust on the fly to your situation. You can see its pieces with my trusty SRM 763.
There is also hidden SOS mode on this light, which was a fun surprise. You access it by turning the ring back and forth a few times quickly (my guess is around 4 turns in a couple seconds). The neat thing about this is that the output is still adjustable in this mode, so you can have a moonlight SOS going if you want longer runtime.
This light is expensive. It is indeed very nice, but still overpriced in my opinion. It would be a better value at around 40-50ish UDS I think. Minus 1 star.
Design / Build Quality: ★★★★☆
The machining on this light is very nice. The AA extension also reduces the internal radius so that AA batteries don’t jiggle around. The knurling and anodizing are all superb. Threads were lubed, and are kind of trapezoidal or rounded triangle cut. They are not anodized anywhere. The tail clicky is a bit on the firm side, but useable. There were o-rings in the right places. The LED was well centered and the lens was AR coated. It survived a bath.
The biggest weakness is the pocket clip. While it is designed to ride low, it seems like an afterthought add-on. The coloring matches the light, but fitting it on leaves the clip slightly askew and allows it to rotate. This led to some scuffs on the finish. The light has threaded holes on the end, so for the price I think it ought to ship with a screw on clip. Minus 1 star.
Battery Life: ★★★★☆
I did some tailcap readings and on LiFePO4, it pulled from 0.05 to high at 1.17 A. On NiMH it went from 0.20 to 1.18 A. The low value was constant for standby (thought on standby it drops to zero after a second, more on that later) and through low output modes. This would indicate that the longest it could run on an eneloop would be 10 hours and about the same on other chemistries. Not that impressive. Minus 1 star.
I did use it to light up a game we were playing on near high mode on an LiFePO4 14500. It lasted about a 45 minutes before it dropped in output and then it started flashing at me a few minutes later to indicate low voltage. I put the cell on the charger and it was at about 2.8 V. The light heats up fairly quickly on high and there is a bit of mass to it so I would have no concerns leaving it on high. Plus, the LED isn’t driven very hard.
Light Output: ★★★★☆
This light has a cool white XM-L2 with an OP reflector which leads to a nice, floody beam which is well suited for EDC tasks. What the setup lacks in throw, it compensates for with output for a pocketable light.
Based on my integrating bathroom and using my EA4W and T10 as standards, I would ballpark the high on LiFePO4 cells at 3.2 V around 350 lumens. This looks about right between their 650 for RCR123 and 260ish for CR123 levels, so I would trust their output numbers. I couldn’t detect any PWM on any levels.
Occasionally from standby, to a mode very close to it the light takes about 0.5 second before outputting light. I assume that must be to allow some capacitor charge or has something to do with proximity to off. I can only get this to happen when the standby current has dropped from its baseline to zero and then try to turn it on in strobe or very low. Kind of strange, and slightly annoying. Minus 1 star for this.
I would suggest a detent for the lowest low, that would be great. Then, in addition to the off detent, there would be sure access to High (all the way to one side), strobe (all the way the other direction), and lowest low. In fact, if it replaced the off detent that would work for me since the clicky is already there for off and on.
Speaking of low, the low was much lower on NiMH than on LiFePO4. They are all sub-lumen and fine, but just interesting. You can see in the top image of the RRT-0 compared with the T10 (0.09 lumen) both on NiMH. The bottom shows the RRT-0 on LiFePO4 compared to the T10 and Ti.
Summary: ★★★★☆
4’s all around makes this a 4 in general. This is a very nice flashlight, but its somewhat chunky size will probably keep it out of my carry rotation. Here it is in a lineup (EA4W, 502B, RRT-0, SK68 clone, other AA zoomie, T10, Ti, and batts).
For another review with wonderful photography on this light, see this one by FlashLion.
Here are the manufacturer specs from their site:
Features:
Specially designed for Military, Law Enforcement, Self-defense, Hunting, Search& Rescue and Outdoor activities
CREE XM-L2 LED
Max output reaches 650 lumens with an effective range of 150 meters
The Rapid Response Control Ring allows the user to easily select different brightness level
Infinite brightness accessible
Stainless steel rapid response control ring for durability and reliability
Stainless steel bezel protects the head and tailcap from drops and impacts
Newly designed high efficiency broad voltage drive circuit
Tailstand as a candle
Impact-resistant accords with US MIL-STD-810F
IPX-8 standard waterproof (2 meters)
Specifications:
Model: RRT0 XML
LED: CREE XM-L2
Maximum output: 650 lumens
Reflector: Custom-designed aluminum reflector
Lens: Toughened ultra-clear mineral glass with anti-reflective coating
Material: Aero grade aluminum alloy
Finish: HA III military grade hard-anodized
Battery: RCR123*1 / CR123A*1 / AA*1
Switch: Forward clicky
Dimensions: Head diameter 25.4mm, Tube diameter 20.5mm,
Total length 100mm (without extension tube), Total length 116mm (with extension tube)
Weight: 72g (without extension tube) (without battery), 83g (with extension tube) (without battery)
Output & Runtime:
Using CR123 Battery
High Mode 650 Lumens, 50 minutes