For review I have the WK-21 Meteor supplied by Xtar for review .
Product description from Xtar
ANSI Illumination levels: High Mid Low Strobe SOS
Luminance: 500Lm 210Lm 10Lm
Duration: 20mins 55mins 40h
Max Range : 70m
Max Intensity: 1225cd
Impact Resistance: 1m
Water Resistance: IPX-7 ( underwater 0.5m)
Bulb: CREE XM-L T6 LED
Crust Materials: Anodized aircraft 6061 aluminium alloy
Working Voltage: 2.75~4.2V
Battery: 16340
Switch: Head rotary switch
Size: Ø 25.6mm(Head dia)x Ø 24.0mm(Body dia)x 70.2mm(length)
Net Weight : 43g(Excluded battery)
In the above picture you can see the 4 sets of pins , when connected lock out modes .
1 is for strobe , 2 is for SOS , 3 is for Low mode , and 4 is for Medium , you can't lock out high . Mode memory appears to be relatively fast , and for those worried about PWM , its there but its fast , I can make it out , but at least its not wickedly slow .
Initial impressions :
The light comes in a very nice , clean and sturdy little cardboard box , with a really nice foam interior protecting the light , I cant see the light being damaged in transit unless run over by a Tank or something .
The light is well made and finished , the threads are cleanly cut , and the clip works well , Im not 100% sure SOS and strobe belong on a small EDC , at least the option is there to lock them out . [ Which I did almost immediately ]
Also the light is very sturdy in construction [ beefed up if you will ] to handle the XM-L emitter , and there does look to be room [ if some one wanted ] to bore it out for a 18350 , in fact , if Xtar was to do this , and include a plastic sleeve for 16340 , this light would be even more desirable . Now I did take the light for a walk , to see if it would vanish in my pocket as I walked [ become un noticeable ] , and to be honest you always knew it was there [ it does have a little heft to it ] .
Performance :
I'll get the primary out of the way first , on high with a fresh 3v CR123A it did on high about 70L , so maybe not a choice light for use with primaries . Moving onto the 16340 , the light really comes alive :
High - 1.31A - 480L - sags to 440 in a minute , 425 in about 2 minutes and down to 400 in the first 5 minutes or so and from there continues to slowly drop as the battery is drained of current , the better the battery the slower this process will be [ More mAh capacity = longer run time ]
Medium - 0.53A - 197L no heat sag to speak of
Low - 0.02A - 8L
Now if you look at the product description from Xtar you will see these figures are very close to the Xtar performance figures , good to see a Company not fudging numbers , kudos to Xtar .
Locking out Functions:
I touched on this earlier , so now I will describe a simple way of doing it , A Lead Pencil . Yes simply run the pencil over the pins for the function(s) you wish to lock out , and if you wish to undo , simply use a eraser . Just run the pincil over the pins quite a few times , and the softer the lead the better .
Pin set 1 = Strobe
Pin set 2 = SOS
Pin set 3 = Low mode
Pin set4 = Medium mode
I did mention locking out strobe and sos , myself . [ And yes I did it with a lead pencil - an old HB ]
The beam :
Very nice , and with such a small reflector , yes its very floody , but that is something I would want in a EDC , but with 400 and something Lumen on High , it throws plenty for a light this size [ Keep in mind its not meant to be a thrower ] .
Conclusion :
Now , I am impressed with the WK-21 Meteor , I think it meets the requirements that it was designed for , but one thing I didn't like , the placement of the O ring on the battery tube where the threads end , the O ring is right up against the shoulder . I hate to say this , but I would like to see it moved forward a mm or so away from that shoulder .
Other than this one thing , I found the WK-21 Meteor to be a very nice light that performs well .
Well Centered emitter
Glass Lens
Smooth reflector
Tailstands
Has a very nice clip [ Firm ]
Has a magnet in the base [ It sticks to things nicely , but due to the smooth finish , gravity tends to take effect - so when I put it on my fridge , it slid , two smooth surfaces = slide . Placing the light over a fridge magnet , it hung there fine ]
Not really for Primaries
Lock out modes [ with a Lead Pencil ]
Ran it on high for 5 minutes [ the light got warm not hot ] in my hand .
Very slight battery slop when shaken vigorously
Room to be bored out to 18mm
Beams Tonight :