You can see that this is nice case, with many accessories. You get the standard warranty card, manual, lanyard, and O-rings. You also get a nice holster (can be used either way, but designed for head-up carry) with Velcro closure in front, snap for quick attachment/release, a belt loop if you want a more secure hold, and a D-ring. Last, you get a power cord, and adapters for both at-home and in-car use. All of this is held securely with eggshell foam padding, with a cutout for an extra 18650. A nice package!
Out of the box, first impression is good. Anodizing is flawless, machining is good, with smooth threads, and all printing on the light is clear. The stainless bezel is thick, and contrasts well with the black body. For me it was a little strange…many of my lights in this class have tail switches, but the R30 has a side switch only. Makes me wonder how good the interface will be…more on that later. This does mean that it tail-stands very well with or without a lanyard attached. Reflector is thirty-eight millimeters wide, with orange peel texture, and well-centered XM-L2 emitter, so should have pretty good throw - similar to other lights in this class, 15-20kcd (rated for 18,500cd). It also has an anti-reflective coating on the glass window. The charging port is covered by a silicone flap, and seems to seat well with little effort. I like it better than some charging port covers (the Nitecore P25 comes to mind), which can be a little annoying to open and close. It does roll fairly easily…the so-called anti-roll grooves in the head do very little.
The R30 weighs in at 146.5 grams, or a little over five ounces (without battery). It is similar in size (although a tad smaller in most dimensions) and shape to the Nitecore SRT7.
I did my standard fifteen drop tests…a variety of drops of about three feet, from all angles (onto carpet so as not to damage the finish). The R30 did not flicker, and continues to function as normal. Did my basic submersion test also…spend a few minutes in a bowl full of water, cycled through all modes several times while underwater, and left for another few minutes. No problems there either…light was bone dry, all seals seem to be working well.
The switch doubles as in indicator light. I checked the light as soon as the indicator light came on during discharging…3.3 volts. So this gives you plenty of warning, even if you use unprotected cells. When the cell gets very low, it starts flashing…this is the time to charge immediately! The R30 does not seem to have a low voltage cutoff…I’ve discharged cells down to 2.6 volts. Even then it still has four distinct modes, but the brightest is dimmer than the lowest mode at a healthy voltage. Seems the regulation is direct-drive like, at least at lower voltages.
When charging, the indicator light goes solid orange, then turns green when charge is complete. In both cases where I checked voltage after the charge was complete, my multimeter read 4.21 volts, so it is very slightly over-charging. That said, it is not high enough to be a problem, and it is very convenient and easy to use. In the future, it would be nice to see a standard micro-USB connector, so you can use other cables, but since they provide everything you need, this is a very minor issue.
Strobe is accessed by a rapid double-click. Double click again to enter SOS mode. I like that the option is there, but isn’t in the way of normal use.
The light turns on immediately when the switch is pressed (it has a definite tactile and audible click). Single clicking again advances the modes. The light does have mode memory, and last settings are retained even if you lock out the light, which you can do with a quick turn at the tailcap. There are four standard modes…from five lumens (350 hours reported runtime) to 1000 lumens (4.4 hours reported runtime). Obviously it will not actually do 1000 lumens for over four hours…after five minutes in Turbo, it steps down to High mode. Heat is very well managed…this is one of the few lights I have that seems to be able to tailstand for long periods on turbo without overheating, even when bumping it back up after each stepdown. It gets warm, but not uncomfortably hot. Big plus in my book…I don’t want to have to worry about it melting down if I leave it for too long. To turn the light off, you need to hold the switch down. This takes a little getting used to, but I like it MUCH better than lights where you have to hold to advance modes. That method introduces a delay, which always makes a light less pleasant to use (at least for me). Definitely a good idea to come on, and adjust modes quickly, and have a delay only for off. One of the better single switch designs I have encountered.
As you may be able to tell, looking down into the battery tube, the light has a spring at the head, as well as in the tailcap. This means battery size is not likely to be an issue…all the 18650s I have tried fit well. The dual springs should also help protect your cells, if you should drop the light. Note that this light does NOT take 2xCR123 or 2xRCR123…it is designed for use with single 18650 only.
Selfbuilt noticed PWM on the earlier XM-L version, but the R30 is now listed as constant current controlled, and I did not notice any flicker. He also asked for a lower low mode, and this too was part of the update. Seems like Xtar is listening!
*Overall I like the light. It isn’t complicated, but it does its job well, and the on-board charging is a major plus if you are on the go. When you consider the total package, with accessories, it is also a good value.
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