A big thanks to Neal, from Nealsgadget for providing the review sample of today :
Jetbeam RRT01 2019
So, a few topics here and there are emerging to discuss the matter of this new iteration of the magnetic ring controlled EDC light from Jetbeam…
Let’s take a look at a few glamour shots :
Main characteritics
- 18350/16340/CR123A compatible
- XP-L HI
- magnetic control ring : 1-950 lumens
- smooth reflector
- 100g when loaded with a 18350
UI
This one is the most intuitive that you could imagine…
Turn the ring clockwise, the output goes up, turn anti-clockwise and the output goes down.
There’s a detent at the beginning, which indicates that you go from OFF to ON and another one at the end to tell you that you are on Turbo mode.
A quick double UP/DOWN will activate the strobe mode, then you can choose the output by rotating the ring.
A quick triple UP/DOWN will activate the SOS mode, then you can choose the output by rotating the ring.
If you light it OFF, the strobe/SOS is cancelled.
The ramp is really really good, like I’m sure Jetbeam used the average human eye brightness logarithm sensitivity to calibrate the steps.
It’s visually linear, which implies that the current is not linear at all. Only a good manufacturer with solid technical knowledge can achieve that seriously.
The low mode is the lowest I’ve ever seen… like I’m not even sure it’s usable even with night adapted eyes at 3am when you wake up to go pee…
Yet, it still draws 10mA at this level… but we’ll see that later.
Aesthetic considerations and global technical informations
It’s a stubby light, and is built like a tank. The head is mainly brass, a good chunk of it to say the least, and thick aluminum.
The tail is fat, it has some meat to it.
Comparison with a 18350 S2+ :
Three slots are there, to put some trits in them… but as some members already found out they are not standardized
The slots are 2,25mm*11,5mm. It means that the standard 2*12mm tritium vials that you find on FastTech or Mixglo are NOT compatible, unless you use a Dremel to enlarge the slots. Of course, you can use some smaller ones, like 1,5*6mm for example.
The clip is good, it is stiff enough to secure the light on a belt, but it’s a tad too long and somehow interfere with the ring…
I like that the clip is screwed in the light, it’s so much more secure than a clipped clip.
The lightly crenelated bezel is a true beauty, and being Stainless Steel it’s better than aluminum if you drop your precious on the floor.
The machining is perfect, the thread are really smooth and everything is made with tight tolerances.
The only grip tat I have is the magnetic control ring.
It’s an aluminum ring, that rotates on a brass head so it should be smooth with the right amount of grease in between but in fact it’s a bit gritty.
Not THAT gritty, but enough to notice. So I tore it down, and put a good amount of thick machine grease. Now the ring is buttery smooth.
To get 950 lumens, you have to use a good 18350… the stock 16340 USB that was provided only allows 2,6A at max so about 680 lumens. While it’s already a good amount of light for an EDC, it’s still less than advertised.
Now let’s try a KeepPower 1200mAh 18350… the RRT01 does 3,6A and 920 lumens so definitely in the advertised range !
Here is quick Lumens/mA chart for your pleasure.
Note that once you’ve clicked the light ON, the minimum current drain is 10mA as already noted by Djozz…
It’s a shame, because those kind of low modes usually have like A month of autnomy… but this one will drain your 1200mAh 18350 in only 5 days… anyway here’s wonderwall
Beam profile :
Definitely on the throwy side, that’s to be expected with an XP-L HI and a 18mm smooh reflector… good !
Modding potential
It’s not really a budget light, but with the right promo or coupon, some of you might want to own one and more than that : mod it.
It’s not a secret anymore, I don’t have any stock light… From the simplest to the more complex, from the cheapest to the more expensive they end up with at least an emitter swap to have the right tint.
XP-L HI, cold white tint… yeah it won’t last too long before I put a new emitter in this one… or three
Let’s have a look inside, shall we ?
So, to open the bezel (not glued!), you apply it against a rubber surface, you press, and you turn anti-clockwise :
Inside the brass head, we find the 13mm copper MCPCB (DTP), secured with two screws:
An emitter swap is really easy, since nothing is glued. Remove the two tiny screws, unsolder the leads and reflow your 3535 LED of choice on the stock MCPCB.
I chose a 4000K 95CRI SST20, but I’m not really seduced. The beam is good, with only some minor rings around the hotspot but the tint is on the green side…
Anyway, the second mod of choice should be a triple conversion, right ?
Good news everyone, the reflector is 19,4mm in diamter, which means you’ll have some minor grinding to do to fit a 20mm triple MCPCB and a Carclo 10xxx in there !
A quick try :
Yup, it is fit
Of course you’ll need a spacer, and its shape is not a cylinder but it’s definitely doable and the cool factor is real !
If you want to go a bit deeper, you need to unscrew the two parts of the head.
There’s some Loctite in the thread so you have to use a vise with some wooden jaws. I used a leather belt and some good pliers to gently break the thread locker. It unscrews anti-clockwise, no surprise there. Be very attentive not to lose the littl steel ball and the springs.
From here, you can try to replace the stock grease by a thicker on to improve the smoothness of the ring.
When you put it all back together, drop a bit of threadlock between the two parts of the head. I’ve try without, and the risk is to unscrew only the higher part when you want to replace the battery…
CONCLUSION
This light fills a niche in the flashlight market, hence the high price.
I mean, 99% of people are fine with an e-switch or a rear clicky with half presses to changes modes…
But this rotating ring is the most intuitive UI… I handled it to a friend yesterday, it took him only 5 seconds to find the how to light it ON.
The tint is not the niciest, but it’s not that hard to swap the LED. And Jetbeam has to advertise Lumens of course !
The beam has a nice shape to it, it’s throwy, and well defined too. A clean useful beam.
On the bad side, the trit slots are not well designed, and it will be a frustration if you like the trit bling
The control ring could be smoother, it’s bit gritty for a 80 bucks lights IMO
All in all, I consider this light a good EDC candidate !
EDIT : if you’re interested in buying it, Neal porvided me the followong coupon : NDRRT01 for 18% OFF the regular price