As promised, here are my lux readings, taken at 8m, luxmeter in Max-Hold mode.
61.3 kcd Small Sun ZY-C10-S aspherical (1.37A)
59.5 kcd Jacob A60 (1.75A)
47.3 kcd UniqueFire HS-802 (1.60A)
40.6 kcd UltraOK Tactical (1.75A)
As expected, the aspherical wins, but not by much and with a smaller hotspot and a less pleasing/useful beam. Note that I kept Jacob's current within reason by using a low-quality battery, as I don't want to overdrive it too much for now. Small Sun, on the other hand, got a Panasonic grey unprotected, and 1.37A is as high as it would go.
UltraOK was not at its best tonight. I already suspected that the original plastic reflector might have been better than the current alu C8 replacement, but didn't switch back yet. Anyway, the difference could only be small, undetectable to the eye in real use.
I apologize if I made the wait for Jacob even harder to some forum friends.
What a bargain this seems to be. I have my thrower needs somewhat covered but seeing this makes me wonder if I should try to mount a XR-E EZ 900 to my X8 and drive it at 1,8 A. Just for the fun of it and to see what Lux readings I can obtain.... Decisions decisions.
Anyway super review. As others mentioned this is potentially bad for the wallet! LOL
This relation remains pretty much unchanged at grater distances.
Jacob's XR-E ringiness is not pronounced, practically invisible at working distances (100-150m for me). There is no corona to speak of, only a nice soft-edged spot. Compared to an aspherical, the outer spill is quite bright, but less so than with any of my XM-L lights. Target image is crisp, there is no haze (the big issue with my X9).
BTW, I applied thermal paste to the pill/head screws, without much effect. The stupid thread anodizing there seems to raise an effective barrier, unless the bottleneck is the emitter star to pill contact. Didn't try to lift the plastic insulator to see how the latter looks.
Ok, I measured my Dongrui All-920 this morning and I got about a 20cm hotspot as well at 3m. Interesting since my Dongrui is just a standard C8 (42mm) sized head/reflector. The reflector in mine is aluminum, but I don't think the pill is solid (haven't verified though). I have run mine just fine for 5 to 10 minutes at a time. The description of yours sounds exactly like mine - no ringiness at all, and a very nice defined well-focused hotspot. I do like the styling of the Jacob A60 better though.
To me, the difference between the Dongrui and the UltraOK seems perfectly normal, as I don't think that all C8 sized reflectors have the exact same profile.
Also, on the UltraOK the hotspot edge isn't defined sharp enough to eliminate all subjectiveness while measuring its size.
I use a thrower daily, as an occasional burst complement to the floodier XM-L walking light. So well does Jacob A60 fulfill what I expect from a midrange thrower that, aware of its soft-spots, I decided for a backup.
At least this time the wait will be an easy one.
Right tonight I found a solution to the issue that the light comes on on Low (i.e. next mode) if it has been resting for less than 5 min. Now, when I'm done spotting, I move to Strobe at full ease and switch off. When I next turn the light on (and it's important that I have the full blast right-away to freeze an animal), it will always start on High, either because the 5 min have passed or because High is the next mode to Strobe. Now, isn't that clever?
Did you see ILF's thread where ezarc posted that DX status is "waiting on supplier"? Might be a long wait again!
I wonder if this is a driver where you can do the "resistor" mod to drop that 5 mins wait down to a few seconds. I never noticed the 5 min wait on my Dongrui (perhaps it's the same). I thought mine always came on in the next mode.
In my case the "waiting for supplier" status endured for 2 1/2 months, until I complained. This time I don't care much, as long as I get it.
I read about the resistor mod when the same behavior of the Small Sun aspherical was discussed. I might look into that once I have the backup, not before. I must admit I'm not comfortable with those microscopic driver components.
With shipping, the UCL alone would amount to more than half the entire flashlight price.