3 in 1 review. At the end there will be a summary for those who like only particulars, in each topic I will color the key sentences for those who read a little more, and a long waffling for everyone else. Enjoy!
For VERY large photos: click -> on the photo page right click -> "Open image in new tab"
This flashlight was provided by Jetbeam free of charge, thank you! :-)
Please note that if you don't like me going offtopic and you don't like funny reviews, read only colored things, this way the review looks like it was written by someone normal ;)
Table of Contents:
- General parameters
- Package content
- Appearance, parameters
- UI, runtime and charging
- PWM
- Waterproof
- Light pattern, tint
- Beamshots
- Usage and my experiences
- Nitpicking
- Gallery
- Summary
LED: XHP35
Peak Beam Intensity: 19600cd
Max lumens: 1800LM
Throw: 280m
Modes: Eco, Low, Mid, High, Turbo,Strobe
Lumens: 12LM, 80LM, 360LM, 1060LM, 1800LM
(Modes cycle from Turbo to Eco)
Runtime: 140h, 27h, 6h45min, 2h, 1h55min. /
Battery: 1 x 21700 (included) /20700 / 18650 battery
Impact resistance: 1m
Waterproof: IPX-8 (2m underwater)
Reflector: SMO
Weight: 99.5g
Size: 145mm x 27.1mm x 27mm (length x head x tail)
(I'd add... Forward switch)
Flashlight came in that box
Some important info on the front, more on the back.
And this nice lovely handle
When coming back from work, exhausted and depressed, we don't need to think where to put our box anymore. It's simple that the best way is to hang it.
Maybe in the toilet
Oh, I caught a falling drop
It's like in this review I've caught a fish that was pretending to be a bird. Everyone has dreams...
And during a shower we can hang this box nicely to be with us
Very good idea with this handle, previously when taking a shower I had to hold these boxes all the time, they got wet, uch it wasn't funny.
Flashlight manufacturers seems to think of our needs more :BLUSH:
In the box were:
- Flashlight
- USB C cable
- Lanyard
- spare o-ring
- Clip
- Manual
- Warranty card
- Certificate of approval
Keep in mind that my set is different from what I saw for sale currently. Maybe it's because I've got early batch? I have this rubber ring, not sure how to translate it, but it's this thing already attahed to the flashlight, I have one o-ring instead of two and I don't have spare rubber switch cover.
Certificate: This product was approved for sale. Well, good to know, I guess. ;)
Manual
Mhm, oh yeah, that's what I like
Firstly, you have to read carefully and keep in mind all potential risks and extremely important things
And also the subconscious message of the manufacturer that the flashlight is tactical/military. You see?
Bushes, bushes, bushes everywhere and in the middle Jetbeam
And that information on the bottom:
It is...99.5 of...some kind of...maybe toy helicopters, and in brackets are...an umbrella, like a house with sloping roof, such a window with a hanger and...like a sun shining on the boat with a sail... I know! It is instruction for using this toy helicopter - keep away from rain, can be used indoor or outdoor and on the boat. Yesss
Everything is very clear and understandable.
Weight with a battery : 168.4g
From left to right:
- Aluminium? bezel, nice gray color, the same as a side switch.
After fully screwed there's a gap, that would collect mud and other things (money and rocking chairs)
- AR coated lens, very thick glass
- SMO reflector, and a XHP35 HD LED, cold white
- Side switch, illuminated. Green or red color.
Well made, flat, not rised
and changing modes you can hear a silent and soft "click". The backlight also is a battery indicator:
green: fully charged
flashing green: medium charged
red flashing: low battery
red: battery almost empty
During charging:
flashing red: charging
green: no longer charging
- On the opposite side, a USB type C charging port, secured with a rubber cover.
- Driver
- 21700 battery included, it says 5100mAh, let's...not believe it ;)
But this flashlight can't fit thicker cells, like yellow Liitokala 4000mAh.
- Next we have this rubber thing that isn't mentioned when buying, o-ring (very - I mean VERY thick) and well lubricated square cut threads
This rubber thing works nice with a forward switch, but...is not listed anyway
And I think you will not get it...I'm not sure, if you need one, better ask before buying
- Two lanyard holes
One is enough, but two is even better, on the opposite sides. Finally someone thought about it! It's perfect for hanging your flashlight in a tent or everywhere else, maybe on the tree or in the garage instead of sticking it with a magnet (it doesn't have a magnet).
- Forward switch. Tactical, like the whole flashlight, different, but it's nice to have something different ;)
And it can't tail stand :(
UI
Forward switch, slightly press for momentary on, click for on, click for off, side switch for modes changing. Mode memory
Modes:
Turbo 1800lm
High 1060lm
Mid 360lm
Low 80lm
Eco 12lm
Strobe 1800lm after holding the button for about 1s, with the flashlight is on. Faster and slower flashes alternately - very effective in dazzling. Internet says that from the off position 2 click also gives a strobe, but my version does not have it (so probably in the final version they added it). But an accidental strobe 1800lm from the off position is not something I want. Uch ... but if you buy this flashlight you will have it! : D
I really like the transition in modes - normally it is a hard jump from e.g. Low to Turbo, and here the transition is smooth, the flashlight very quickly (but smoothly) increases or decreases the brightness from e.g. Eco to Turbo. Such ramping lasts maybe 0.2s and it is a nice change from what we got used to.
Runtime
High mode, 1060lm, and also something like that from my measurements
About 3.5h to off, quick brightness drop is due to overheating, it was testing in a cardboard box, so keep in mind it would perform better outside
You can see it was considering giving up
But powering through for about an hour more
Because it's military/tactical flashlight ;)
I ended runtime test and it turned off after couple of minuts. Voltage on the cell was 2.64V, so pretty low. Better turn off the flashlight after first step down.
Tryb Middle 360lm
About an 7.5h to turn off.
Ciekawe, że w miarę rozładowywania tryby są nam zabierane z pętli, tzn. jeśli bateria jest słaba i latarka zmniejszyła jasność do poziomu trybu Middle, to mamy już tylko 3 tryby do wyboru, Eco, Low i Middle. Czyli nie przeskakujemy na High i Turbo które by i tak świeciły tak samo przy tak rozładowanej baterii. Nie wiem, może to normalne w latarkach a tylko mój stale używany modowany Solarforce ciągle daje możliwość przeskakiwania na wyższe tryby o takiej samej jasności...
Charging
Integrated charger with USB type C port, and cable included
Charging indicated by red flashing light
When it's charged, green light is visible
Charging current 0.9A
Discharged to 2,64V cell started charging 0.08A, then 0.9A and charging stopped at 4,21V on the cell.
No, any PWM on the lowest mode
On the side note, it reminds me of this
You see? Exactly as in the movie
Flashlight's falling asteroid. So moving... :((
This review is not sponsored by director of "Your name". But I'm open for cooperation. Ball's on your court, Makoto Shinkai ;)
It says IPX8, so there should be no problem when submerging it on 30cm for 2h, right?
Right?
Well... Not good. Moisture on the lens. I was clicking the side switch when submerged, maybe it's why. But it's a common situation, to change modes during rain or underwater. C'mon, very thick o-ring that is hard to unscrew the tail, and on the other hand leaking somewhere. And I don't know for sure it's because I was clicking.
It works at least
Maybe 30cm underwater for 2h was too much?
So let's say 5cm underwater for 1min
Uch, even worse. Let's leave this topic alone
The dot in the center is the center of the beam (approx.), each line at an interval of 15cm. Nice spill/spot ratio for me for the purpose of this flashlight.
ISO200, t2s, f/3,5 WB: sunlight
Let's light up for a better view
You can clearly see this second pole is significantly shorter and smaller... Maybe they've had a reason for that
My 95% of flashlights using is for hiking in the forest and sometimes in the mountains. I took the flashlight to the forest a few times and what can I say: it will not be my main flashlight into the forest, because the color of the light disturbs me (cold white). I also don't like this mode order, from Turbo to Eco, and for me it makes no sense with High mode, because in fact it is almost no different from Turbo. It should be removed or should have like 800lm. No tail standing, as well as poor water resistance when changing modes underwater (and probably in the rain). But what about positive experiences? I like the forward switch - I like the momentary quiet shining as well as the illuminated side button for changing modes, easy to find in the dark, but not too bright. I liked the light distribution because it throws quite far but not pencil beam like, spill is good as well. Two holes for a lanyard, but in my case would be used to attach this metal handle to hang later on a tree or anywhere. Threads well made, very thick O-ring on the tail. I'm sure it will satisfy those who are looking for a tactical flashlight.
Jetbeam PC20 is a good flashlight. The quality and design are at a good level. The XHP35 HD diode in the SMO reflector gives a good range, but it does not shine like a typical thrower, which I consider an advantage. The tactical tail forward switch and the side switch for modes changing work well together. The green illumination of the side switch is very useful at night, it'd be difficult to locate that switch without an illumination. The only thing that bothered me was the order of the modes, from Turbo to Eco. A cold white tint above 6000K is not my favorite, I'd rather see 5000-5500K here. Water resistance, or rather the lack of it is a problem. Maybe this is the reason of clicking this side switch under water, or maybe my pre-sale version had it underdeveloped but they have already fixed it. (You know, like in this "Fix you" song)
Pros:
+ integrated charger
+ forward tail switch + side switch works well together
+ square lubricated threads, thick o-ring and overall good quality
Cons:
- bad waterproof
- cold white tint
- does not fit thicker 21700 cells
- lack of tail standing
- price in my opinion is too hight for what we get... $79
About host - threads, knurling o-rings and so on
Rating: 7.5/10
About light - UI, tint and so on
Rating: 7/10
1 - very bad flashlight hurts to look at, terrible quality, not worth any (even very low) price
5 - average flashlight, at a reasonable price and for occasional (in its category) use - for the average person "great". Or better flashlight, but overpriced
10 - flashlight meets all my expectations in a given category (e.g EDC, headlamp, thrower), it's durable and neatly made, perfect light tint, worth its (even slightly inflated) price - just pure perfect, so I doubt any light can get a 10 from me
