“REVIEW”: XTAR R30 1200 – 1x21700 – USB-C – Powerbank – Sustainable Output

Hi BLF!

This is my review of the XTAR R30 1200 flashlight!

The flashlight was sent for review by XTAR, after being contacted by Hailey/xtarflashlight, to whom I thank for this opportunity. :+1:
There were no other compensations than the flashlight and its accessories.

This is the official flashlight thread on BLF: .

And this is where more information about the flashlight and purchase can be found: XTAR R30 1200 USB-C 21700 Flashlight With Power Bank Function

There are 2 purchase options one with and one without battery. In the Xtar store at AliExpress the first sells for around 83€ and the second for around 69€.

If you want to check some published reviews:

Here is my video review:


GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

  • Body Colour: BLACK
  • Material: Aluminium
  • Emitter: XP-L2 (Cool White)
  • Lens: Glass (non AR Coated)
  • Reflector: Smooth (SMO)
  • Battery: 1 x 21700
  • Switch: Electronic Side Switch
  • Reverse Polarity Protection: Yes (not stated, but tested)
  • Low Voltage Warning: Yes
  • Max runtime: 70hours
  • Max beam distance: 226m
  • Max output: 1200 lumens
  • Candela: 12820 candela
  • Waterproofness: IPX6
  • Impact resistance: 1.2m

OTHERS:

  • Built-in charging: USB to USB-C :+1:
  • Powerbank function: Via USB-C cable :+1:
  • Low voltage protection with cutoff: NO :frowning:

THE PACKAGE, FLASHLIGHT & ACCESSORIES

First of all, this is my first Xtar flashlight, and it is only my second flashlight product, being the first the Xtar PB2 charger/powerbank.

The version I received for review is the “SET”, but there is also a “KT” version (no battery). This package included:
the Xtar R30 1200 flashlight, a user manual, a protected button top 21700 4900mAh 3.6V 17.64Wh battery Xtar branded, an Xtar branded USB to USB-C charging cable, and 1 o-ring.

I suppose that a lanyard is missing but…I guess I can grab one among my 60 ‘laying around’ lanyards… :smiley:

The box in which these are packed has some general information about the flashlight parameters and specifications. Don’t forget to check the back of the box for your “anti-counterfeit” verification code and the warranty/serial number :wink:



First of fall, I learned that Xtar R30 1200 is the evolution of the previous R30 version (reviewed by selfbuilt at CPF). I won’t focus on the previous version, but on the recent one as you may understand.

So, taking a look at the flashlight, what do we have?

Well, this is not a small flashlight, it is not something that you can easily carry in your jeans’ pockets! It can go in a coat pocket, though, or in some cargo pants…on the side pockets of course :wink: Of course, it is a 21700 light, but it is a quite long flashlight. Despite this, it is not very heavy, when in comparison with other - smaller - flashlights.

Overall, it is well built, with no machining or construction flaws, as far as I could see! The shape of the flashlight is done to provide a good handling.

In what concerns the grip, the combination of the anodizing and the knurling pattern seem to be make the R30 1200 a bit slippery. The knurling pattern is made of small rectangles that go along the flashlight tube, not in diagonal, which does not stop the hand from letting the light slip. But, the tailcap is larger than the tube, so it acts as a “natural” stopper in this case.

The flashlight is constituted by 3 main parts: head, tube and tailcap.

- The head has 2 identifiable parts:

  1. the first, in the front, is larger and rounder (with some “petal” indentation outside), and has a un/screwable bezel, glass lens, o-ring, SMO reflector, white gasket and copper MCPCB with the XP-L2 emitter. Thermal paste is abundant below it. The lens is not AR coated, and is quite thick. All the internal materials seem to be of great quality and robustness. Near the bezel there is the logotype engraving on one side and the “hot surface” engraving on the other
  2. the second part is right below the first one, it has some vertical knurling or grooves that can be seen as “cooling fins”, and it is where the driver (held by 2 screws), the side e-switch and the charging port are placed. The parts where the side button and the charging port cover are placed are more flat than the rest, allowing a good opposition between thumb and index (or other fingers, depending on how you hold the flashlight). A bit below the charging port is inscribed the serial number, and bellow the rubber button there is the model number engraved. The silicone cover of the charging port covers it well, has a small tip to pull it out, but seems to be a bit fragile if pulled too hard. As for the silicone button, it is translucent to let the indicator leds shine (RED or GREEN)

- The tube has thing but well anodized square threads, on each side. There is an o-ring on each side, too. The tube is not reversible, and the upper part threads seem to be larger than the bottom ones. As mentioned above, the tube has some knurling outside, without machining flaws.

- The tailcap is slightly larger on the base, making it larger than the tube, but not larger than the head diameter. Outside it has 2 big lanyard holes (paracord lanyard will have no problems to fit here!) and has some knurling too. Inside there is a golden spring not too soft, not too hard. The spring doesn’t seem to be easily removable, as there are no holes in the retaining ring.
The tailcap can be unscrewed to allow power disconnection, which in the case of this flashlight may be a good thing!!!





HEAD

Still on the head:


(yeah, I know, it says XHP35, but it is not, it is a XP-L2 :stuck_out_tongue: )

TUBE

TAILCAP

As seen above, the lines of the R3 1200 flashlight are quite simple but it effective in terms of handling.

Before advancing to some functional aspects, let’s check the dimensions and weight:
As I mentioned, this is not a small flashlight. I just didn’t knew that my calliper would be too small for it :smiley: So I used a ruller. Official length is 158.2mm:

These are the diameters of each part: top of the head > base of the tailcap > tube > lower part of the head.


As for the weight, I have smaller lights weighing more, so this is not a heavy flashlight, despite all!

—————//////////—————

After presenting the structural parts, let’s enter the functional side of this flashlight.

For that, I will start for the switch/button.

The switch will shine or blink RED or GREEN depending on different situations.

- It will be GREEN when:
a) the flashlight is ON and the battery level is between 25% and 100%.
b) the battery is completely charged through the flashlight charging port
c) the flashlight is being used as powerbank and the battery level is within the same levels as above
d) when the flashlight is OFF and the battery level is below 3.1V (then turns to constant RED when the level is even lower)

- It will be constant RED when:
a) the battery level is between 18% and 25% (hard to determine the voltage corresponding to each level)
b) the battery is being charged through the flashlight charging port
c) when the flashlight is OFF and the battery level is below 3.1V (indicating the need to charge the light)

- It will be on a smooth blinking RED when:
a) the battery level is below 18% (approximately below 3.2V)
b) the flashlight is being used as powerbank and the battery level is below that same level
c) when the flashlight is OFF and the battery level is below 3.1V (indicating the need to charge the light)

GREEN & CONSTANT RED while ON

GREEN & CONSTANT RED while OFF (indicating low battery levels)

NOTES
Concerning the battery level indication, I must admit that the XTAR R3 1200 has a somewhat inconstant behaviour. Or maybe I don’t know nothing about this! :stuck_out_tongue:

The first time the switch turned RED due to battery voltage was when it dropped below 3.58V. However, after that, and for most of the times, it turned ON in GREEN. Even with the battery below 3.1V it turned ON in GREEN, and later turned into RED or blinking RED, depending on the use.
If the flashlight is turned OFF and the battery is removed for, let’s say, capacity measurement, when we turn it ON again the switch may be GREEN and stays that way until the flashlight is used again for a while, and only after that it goes constant or blinking RED.

The constant RED seems to “wake” when the flashlight is used on High or Turbo for a period of time and when the battery is, simultaneously, below 3.5V.

The blinking RED was activated for the first time when the flashlight reached the 3.18V and after some continuous use. It continued blinking till the flashlight is turned OFF.

This note is because in other lights with indicator LEDs, when the battery drops below a certain voltage, the flashlight recognizes that and starts alerting accordingly. On the R30 1200, there are different ways and voltages for the switch to activate. I am not sure if the flashlight reads some kind of response from the battery, but it is not completely consistent or constant.

—————//////////—————

The second functional aspect I am focusing is charging and use as powerbank.

First of all, charging is done through the USB-C port the flashlight has in the opposite side of the switch.
As mentioned above, one will know that the battery needs to be charged when the switch turns constant or blinking RED. When charging the switch will be RED, and when charged the switch will be GREEN.

The charging took 4 hours from 2.75V up to 4.16V. I unplugged the cable when the button turned GREEN, and then plugged it back again for some more minutes, but the charging value didn’t change, it remained at 4.16V.

The flashlight can be used while in charge, both with and without the battery, with less levels. Strobe and SOS can also be activated.

Despite this, I would advise not to use the flashlight while charging, nor with nor without the battery. Only in emergency case, of course.

Concerning the use as powerbank, it works this way: plug the USB-C cable into the charging port and the plug the other part, with an eventual adapter for micro USB or USB-C. Then plug your phone or a flashlight or other device to that part of the cable and the discharging/charging starts.

The switch light will shine according to the level of the battery inside, so it can be GREEN, constant RED or blinking RED.

Similarly to the charging process, while being used as Powerbank, the flashlight can be used, but with all the different levels and modes available.

I don’t have ways to measure the charging /discharging current, so please check other reviews for it. :+1:

But I do have the possibility to check that the lack of “Low voltage protection w/ cutoff” led the battery to levels below 2.8V and that was when I stopped my test. (Of course, before of this I had the Low Voltage warnings though the constant and blinking RED!!!)


ACCESSORIES

The accessories included in this SET version of ther Xtar R3 1200 include:

1) A protected button top 21700 4900mAh 3.6V 17.64Wh battery Xtar branded/wrapped. It is longer than an unprotected flat top cell (ex: Vapcell T50, in red), but it is still smaller than other protected 21700 cells, such as the Wuben battery (in blue/black). The SET version has the battery while the KT version does not!

It arrived charged at 3.68V.

Comparing the Xtar with the Vapcell battery, we see that the Xtar protrudes a bit more. Despite this, and given the springs on the driver and the tailcap, the shorter battery can also be used. I am not sure about longer batteries, though, such as those that have charging circuit incorporated.

The included protected button top XTAR battery VS the unprotected flat top Vapcell T50.

2) An Xtar branded USB to USB-C cable with around 60cm length. Seems a good quality cable but there’s not much to say about it, right? :wink: Unless that I need to say that this is not a cable to transfer data, and can only be used for charging purposes!

3) An o-ring, which I will skip in terms of photo :stuck_out_tongue:

4) A user manual written in Chinese and English. The information provided is good although some things are strange, namely what concerns the point “6. Memory function”, according to which the flashlight would have a 3 seconds OFF memory. As you’ll see below in the User Interface part, it has some kind of memory, but not as described. And like many other brands and manufacturers, it lacks information about Reverse Polarity Protection and Low Voltage Cutoff.

( click to see larger photo )

5) A ghost lanyard :stuck_out_tongue: . I have dozens spare that I can use :wink: I believe that the complete SET has it


USER INTERFACE

The Xtar R30 1200 has a simple user interface. Despite this, I confess that – for my taste – it could be improved with a shortcut to the highest level.

To power ON the flashlight, put the battery into and the front LED will blink once when screwing in the tailcap.

There are 4 regular levels (Low, Medium, High, Turbo) and 2 blinky modes (Strobe, SOS). The Strobe seems to be of single frequency, but sometimes there seems to be a gap in the pattern, so I cannot be completely sure

The flashlight has a mix of memory/no memory for the regular levels. The blinky modes cannot be memorized but have direct access through shortcuts.

This is how the R3 1200 can be operated:

FROM OFF

  • Single click: turn the flashlight ON in Low
  • Press & Hold (1.5s): turn the flashlight ON in the last regular level used (independently of the time the light is OFF)
  • Double click: activates Strobe
  • Triple click: activates SOS

FROM ON

  • Single click: advances in the regular levels in the sequence Low > Medium > High >Turbo > Low…
  • Press & Hold (1.5s): turns the flashlight OFF from any level or mode
  • Double click: activates Strobe (double click goes to Low, triple click activates SOS)
  • Triple click: activates SOS (double click activates Strobe, triple click goes to Low)

NOTE
When the battery level is quite low, below 3.1V (eventually), only 3 levels can be used: Medium, High and Turbo. Awkwardly, it is not L, M and H, but M, H and T.
By this time the side switch will be already lit up with the corresponding mood (GREEN, constant or blinking RED). When clicking to turn the flashlight ON it will turn ON, but the lowest mode is not visible, so only clicking further you will have the front LED turned ON. Yes, it is an awkward thing because, since the switch is already turned ON due to low battery, there is no way to know if the flashlight is ON or OFF (in this particular situation).

OPINION
I like that from OFF there is the possibility to go the lowest mode. I wish there was a shortcut to Turbo.


OUTPUT & RUNTIME

I cannot show in graphics how the flashlight behaves in terms of long runtimes. For that I would advise you to check zeroair or FLASHAHOLIC reviews linked above.

However, I did a 10min video showing how the flashlight behaves in terms of output during that time. Also, I measured temperature in several occasions. Keep checking the video (you can chill out meanwhile :D) and my comments start around minute 8.

Here it is:

As for the relation between the different levels and their runtimes, these are the specs from manufacturer.

Low Medium High Turbo Strobe SOS
Lumens 30 300 650 1200 650 650
Runtime 70h 9.1h 3.4h 2.6h / /

CURRENT MEASUREMENTS

This is the place to post some of the current readings.
Please allow some margin of error considering the amateurish when doing the measurements :innocent:

- First, the different modes. It does not exceed the 3A on Turbo, which allows the flashlight to have that constant stable output seem for the 10 minutes, and also a relatively low temperature that prevents the flashlight from being hot.

- Second, when the flashlight is completely OFF (left) or when the side switch is lit up (GREEN or RED) even if the front light is OFF (right).

NOTE: According to these readings, the parasitic drain, or quiescent current, seems to very high, even if this flashlight has a 21700 cell. I would advise to twist the tail cap and disconnect power if the light is stored with the battery inside!


FLASHLIGHT COMPARISON

As always, here are some photos comparing the Xtar R3 1200 and other flashlights of my “collection”!

Vs Convoy S2+ (18650)

Vs Olight M2R Warrior (18650)

Vs Brinyte PT18Pro (18650)

Vs AmuLuxeon :slight_smile: (18650)

Vs Astrolux EC03 (21700)

Vs Wuben T70 (1 and 2 x 26650)


BEAMSHOTS

So far I wasn’t able to take some outdoor beamshots so what I will do here is show some indoor beamshots to show you the beam pattern of this flashlight.

First of all, this flashlight has no visible PWM, even under the camera.

Concerning the beam pattern, knowing that this light has a Cree XP-L2 (cool white) under a smooth reflector (pristine, flawless in terms of machinining, but with an apparent blueish invisible coating!!!), I guess it is more or less guessable… that the beam will have some tint shift! :zipper_mouth_face: And fortunately it is not an AR Coated lens, or it would eventually worsen it.

The hotspot is white, the corona is yellowish, and the spill is a mix of colours, from yellowish, greenish, blueish and white. An XP-L HI Led would have been a much much better choice for this flashlight, and even an XP-L HD could have been better than the XP-L2.

Here’s how it looks like. Please note that the camera settings were changed to better portray the illumination sequence, so the highest outputs are, of course, exaggerated.

This is how the beam looks, and the reflections it makes “outside” de main beam itself!

And here’s a comparison between the Xtar R3 1200 (left) with 2 other lights just to show the differences.

Vs Olight M2R Warrior (XHP35 HD, NW, OP reflector)

Vs On The Road M9 (Nichia 219C 5700K, pebbled TIR)

As soon as possible I will add some outdoor beamshots to this review to show how the flashlight behaves in terms of distance and range illumination.


OVERALL APPRECIATION

Well, I must confess, I have a mix of feelings regarding this flashlight. Some are good, some not so much. I will point out what I consider for each “block”.

Before that, I guess that an important aspect must be emphasized when assessing this flashlight: this is not an EDC light; this is made for sports or camping or outdoor activities .

So, the use of a CW led gives more output and eventually more visibility when using it.
Also, the lack of a lower low level is on purpose, as outdoor situations normally imply higher outputs.

On the other hand, not being a “pocket rocket” nor a “lumen chaser”, i. e., a powerful flashlight in terms of output, it has an excellent runtime on max output which is what people search most of the times for those activities, without burning the hands :wink:

This does not remove the possibility to improve, but it justifies some options on its design, in my opinion.

And now what I think:

What I like

  • the overall machining and construction of the flashlight, and the simple but effective design
  • the output stability on Turbo for at least 10 minutes, without a significant decrease during that time
  • the thermal management of the flashlight specially during those 10 minutes, but that certainly continues further
  • the USB-C charging and the possibility to use it as powerbank
  • the included battery (on the SET version)
  • the relatively high runtime on the different levels
  • the direct access to the lowest level, although it is not a “moonlight” level

Things to be improved

  • anodize the flashlight with a less slippery coating and/or eventually make a different type of knurling pattern
  • utilize a different LED (Neutral White would be better) to avoid tint shifts without compromising efficacy
  • implement a lower Low level
  • implement a shortcut to Turbo
  • avoid long press for OFF!!!
  • implement an effective Low Voltage Protection to stop the cell from dropping below 2.8V
  • implement Low Voltage Warning in a better way so that users know when the battery is below a certain voltage
  • reduce the quiescent current to avoid a big parasitic drain
  • implement a better charging port cover, as the current one seems a bit fragile (over time)

Modding plans?

  • I will probably change the LED for something like an XP-L HI or eventually an Osram W1 or W2, considering that the a) the SMO reflector seems to be good for it, and b) the current is quite good to use these last LEDs.

And this is it! If you have any questions or comments, please leave them here. Later on I will add some outdoor beamshots to show what this light does :wink:

Once again I would like to thank to Hailey and Xtar for this opportunity! :+1:

Stay safe :beer:

Sir, that is likely the most thorough flashlight review I’ve ever seen. Stellar work!!

Thanks for your words, TIFisher :wink:

Well, besides the outdoor beamshots that I will add later, I guess some stuff is missing, like:

- waterproof and dustproof tests

- runtime graphics for each mode

- measuring the charging/discharging current

  • CRI testing (joking :p)

Still, I guess that anyone wanting to have a glimpse of what this light does, can find a sum up here :wink:
Thanks for looking :+1:

thanx for review.

---

I would expect something like this from Brynite or any other brands, that hire "i use only smartphone flashlight" product managers.

flashlight looks so damn cheap. i coulnd believe my eyes when saw it 1st time, thought it was a joke. Damn, even Trustfire managed to make good looking models!

UI is really primitive. who needs this instant sos? what universe Xtar managers do live in? previous initial release of RC2-200 showed that Xtar is far away from releasing something close to user logic.

i believe Xtar would ask like 60USD+ for this piece of aluminium and end up with stocks full of it.

company has been focused on chargers for years and lost understanding of what flashlight users need. so they made ugly and primitive model what would coust unbelievably high, i`m sure.

this is not sweet feedback, but that is exactly what i feel about this flashlight.

Best wishes to Xtar, they deserves better.

Thanks for looking and for your words Lumeniac :wink:

As for your opinion on the flashlight, I have nothing to argue on that, of course, nor will I defend the model or the manufcaturer!
You are a more experienced reviewer than I am and surely have seen and tested different lights from Xtar and other brands, to compare it with those :wink:

I do have something to add, though, that reflects what I said in the review text, concerning the “idea” behind this flashlight: it is not an EDC light, it is a straight forward design, probably not made for experienced flashlight users or flashlight enthusiasts (given it is “basic”), but it seems to be a solid option for outdoor activities and people that need something simple.

Well, the price is probably higher than it should be, but I won’t enter that discussion.

Someone (“regular people”) that needs a flashlight to walk the dog will probably need a light that has stable output for a while and won’t be looking for extremely complicated UIs.
I know the failures and I pointed some, in my point of view, but I see some people using this light for different reasons, being the stability one of those.

Concerning other aspects, you are right, it could be more advanced or, at least, different. The designs of Xtar are not so futuristic as Nitecore or other brands, so maybe they need some upgrade on that level!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this light, and for your work reviewing lights :+1: :beer:

thanx for your words. i dont think that number of revews determines how good u know flashlights. there are bunch of guys at forum who know this field deeper than i do, and they didnt posted any review.

i dont know what target audience xtar chose...ordinary unexperienced users are audience that Fenix works for. not sure they know about Xtar and would be ready to buy it.

i see this model as a sort of OEM, that Xtar simply ordered somewhere. design and simplifed UI looks exactly as evidences.

nevertheles, again, thanx for review. i waited for someone to prove my thoughts, and your text did it

Nothing to thank, it is your work and merit too :wink:

And reviewing flashlights gives, in my opinion, a different perspective when you assess a new flashlight! That is what I meant with my words and I believe that when you saw this one also had in comparison what has been done in this field until now!

Fenix certainly gathers many of those unexperienced users, since it is a more recognized brand online. But maybe Xtar has a more solid market in other places and for those users this may be a good option, I don’t know.

Again, my assumption of the idea behind this flashlight is just that, an assumption to justify the “simple” options made when producing this flashlight. :nerd_face:

I can tell you one thing: my mother would like such a flashlight for when she goes to check the fields around the house and even the animals. She normally turns on the Nitefox UT20 on max to see the snails and the slugs, but it turns hot and the output on max decreases after some minutes, and she normally spends more that half an hour doing that. So, such a light would be great for her :smiley:

And again, thank you for sharing your thought and for your words :wink:
:beer:

I’ll add 2 new posts here:

  • the 1st one has some outdoor beamshots of the Xtar R30 1200 and also some comparison beamshots with other flashlights.

- the 2nd one has the “disassembly” of the head and also the mod of the LED.


Before showing the beamshots, I have some comments:

  1. the range of the different levels (L > M > H > T) are around 10m > 30m > 60m > +160m . (It reaches 200m at least)
  2. this allows to have good illumination outdoor, with some spill and a brighter and whiter center that, in outdoor environment, blends in with it. (so, the green shift is less visible or, at least pronounced).
  3. about the UI…well, in outdoor use the incorporation of a double click to Turbo would make MUCH MUCH better. Also, the long click for OFF is - as said - annoying! This is definitely something that would worth an improvement from Xtar!

And now, let’s see the beamshots in different distances.

16 m

15-20m

30m

60m

90m

120m
Farthest fileld >>>>> Farthest tree

200m > 400m (the house)

Xtar > Odepro B108/TM30 > Zanflare F1 > Olight M2R Warrior > Olight Warrior Mini

Xtar Vs Odepro B108/TM30 (“REVIEW”: ODEPRO B108/TM30 – “Tactical” Flashlight (18650) [PIC HEAVY])

Xtar Vs Zanflare F1

Xtar Vs Olight M2R Warrior

Xtar Vs Olight Warrior Mini

As for the head disassembly, here’s how it is built.
There are 2 screws holding the driver. The inner part of the head has two narrower parts to prevent the driver from rotating and also – maybe – to absorb some heat, despite the driver is not in direct contact.

The MCPCB is copper, it is thick (forgot to measure it :person_facepalming: ), but it has a different shape. It has a “tongue” that fits in a slight “groove” on the head structure (if you have better terms, please let me know :stuck_out_tongue: ) that prevents rotation when the reflector is placed and the bezel/o-ring/lens are screwed in or out .

The shelf is thick, between 2 and 3mm thick, so it absorbs heat well, but given the relative low Amps in which this light works, makes it be far from “hot” even after 10m ON. Awkwardly, the centre of the shelf has a “depressed dot”, so I advise to put some thermal paste there, in case you remove the MCPCB.

The solder in the wires/MCPCB is quite tough, so , have a good iron.

The removal of the XP-L2 was quite easy, and so was the reflow with the XP-L HI led. This improved the beam, with much less tint shifts, probably more throw. Despite, it is not 100% perfect, or course. Still, I prefer it with this “domeless” led :wink:

Vision from top

MCPCB

Driver and inner head structure

After mod


:+1: :beer: