Review: Jacob A60 XR-E thrower (1x18650) Pic Heavy

4.5 out of 5.0


Jacob A60 XR-E

I would like to extend a big Thank you to Aurabuy for sending this light for review. Check out their Website here http://www.aurabuy.com/


Mfr Specifications

Brand: Jacob
Model: A60
Emitter Brand: Cree
LED Type: XR-E
BIN: Q5
Color: White
Number of Emitter: 1
Voltage Input: 3.7~4.2V
Battery Configuration: 1 x 18650 battery (not included)
Circuitry: Digital Regulated 900~1100mA Current Output
Brightness: 310LM
Runtime: 3 hours (manufacturer rated)
Number of Modes: 3
Mode Arrangement: High > Low > Fast Strobe
Mode Memory: No
Switch Type: Reverse clicky
Switch Location: Tailcap
Lens: Glass Lens
Reflector: Aluminum Smooth/SMO
Beam Range: 300m
Strap Included: Yes
Clip Included: No

Dimensions: 6.69 in x 2.17 in x 2.17 in (17.0 cm x 5.5 cm x 5.5 cm)
Weight: 6.88 oz (195 g)

Price: $14.38 inc Free Shipping Now with a 12% discount - use coupon code 37B12off

After some pleasant correspondence with Kevin from Aurabuy, this light was sent out for review. It arrived very promptly, only taking 5 days from China!

The light arrived very well wrapped with 'Plenty' of bubble wrap. I'm happy that Aurabuy make a concerted effort to protect the lights they send.


I can only imagine what state it would have been in if they hadn't used as much protective packaging.

The box itself was quite badly dented (typical postal worker abuse) however, due to the staff diligence at Aurabuy, the light itself was saved from any noticeable transit damage.


Despite the miserable looking box, the light inside had a look of joy and glee when finally allowed to see the outside world once again.



The sun was out so the least I could do was take the light outside for a closer inspection, and to allow the light to bask in some well deserved sunshine!

Here the light sits, elegantly basking in the afternoon sun while being sure to maintain some camouflage I had to remain very very still to get this shot


After checking that the coast was clear, the light does a tailstand to have a look around


But quickly tries to scurry back in to safety by doing a headstand!


So with the niceties and the basking over, I decided to pull this light apart to find out what makes it tick!


The Exterior

As you can see, the light initially comes apart into three mains sections. The Head, the Battery tube and the Tailcap


The Head

Upon inspection of the head, you'll notice that the anodizing is good, with very few marks. Not the best anodizing I've seen but for a light in it's price range, it's more than acceptable.

There is a pattern milled into the head near the bezel. This helps with grip when removing and replacing the bezel if ever you need to gain access to the lens or reflector.


It also helps very well with aesthetic looks. If you were to mount this light on a rifle, it would not look out of place as it bears a strong resemblance to many riflescope designs at the front end.

The bezel also has broad sweeping crenelations. It is definitely a design which is very pleasing to the eye.


At the other end of the head we see the pill (which does actually unscrew) you can see the clear and concise machining of some fairly deep vanes for heat dissipation.

It's also clear to see that the thickness of aluminium at this section of the head is very substantial. It looks and feels very strong indeed.


Again, the anodizing on this section is very good with no missing areas around the corners or edges.

The laser etching (although upside down in the following image) is very clear and concise with crisp text and no bleedout.


The Battery Tube

If we take a closer look at the battery tube, you're able to see the large square checkerboard style knurling. Upon closer inspection, there is a very light texturing for extra abrasiveness on each of the squares.

The design in and of itself does offer a rather secure feel in the hand, and it certainly works well for a light of this size.


You can also see that the threads for the tailcap are square cut and well lubricated. The O-rings were also well lubricated, allowing for a very smooth feel on the tailcap when replacing batteries.


There is no anodizing on the threads at the other end of the battery tube, and these threads are triangle cut, however it's not quite so important as the end which screws into the head will not need to be removed unless practicing maintenance on the pill assembly.


The tip of one end of the battery tube is bare aluminium, this is deliberately designed this way so that when the tailcap is screwed into place, the bare aluminium is able to make contact with the on/off switch retainer ring. This allows current to flow to the LED when the switch is activated.


What I particularly like about this 'somewhat different' design is that it allows the tailcap threads to be lubricated without having any effect on electrical conductivity.

It also allows anodizing of these tailcap threads to help with continued longevity of the thread condition. After all, it is the tailcap threads on many lights which take the most abuse.


The Tailcap

As we can see, the tailcap also has some very good anodizing and some criss cross checkered knurling. While this knurling doesn't offer much grip in itself, The four flattened machined edges, makes the tailcap a breeze to remove and refit, even when wearing heavy gloves.



Also can be seen, the mounting holes for the lanyard. Personally I prefer to use quite a thick lanyard and I never use the metal rings which come supplied.

The lanyard supplied with this light is very short. I struggle to get my chunky hands into it even when fully opened on the grip slider.


If like me you want to replace the lanyard, it should be easy to thread some 'fairly' strong cord though the mounting holes.

Also worth mentioning are the four broad sweeping crenelations at the end of the tailcap. This allows for easy thumb access to the switch when the light is used in an 'overhand' configuration.

If we take a look at the tailcap button, you'll see that it is nicely raised and is a substantial width to allow a good feel if wearing gloves.


The raised pimples on the rubber button give an excellent grip, and while the button is soft and flexible, it does not feel thin and flimsy.

The on/off switching of the light feels very precise with no noticeable sponginess. Despite the switch button being fairly well raised, the light is still able to tailstand with no problems.


The Interior

If we split the head down even further by unscrewing the pill, the back of the reflector is clearly visible.

It's noticeable how far the pill screws down into the top part of the head before it meets the back of the reflector, this means plenty of metal to metal contact area for excellent heat transfer potential.


Let's dig a little deeper into this section of the head.


The Lens & Reflector

Unscrewing the bezel allows easy access to both the lens and reflector. Upon removal of the bezel, it was nice to find square cut, well lubricated threads here too.

The O-ring was also well lubricated and offered just the right amount of resistance you would expect from a good watertight seal.

There is no noticeable pitting in the O-ring and absolutely no grittiness felt from the threads.


The front lens is made of glass and optically isn't perfect (more about that later) also, the lens on the light I received isn't AR coated.

The lens seal is quite a novel idea (novel for me at least), instead of having O-rings for the lens to 'push up' against, this light uses a rubber carrier which the lens 'sits' inside of.


As a result of this, there are no gripping or seal sticking/binding issues encountered when removing and replacing the bezel. (The images below will clarify this better)



Upon taking a closer look at the reflector, it's clear to see that it is quite deep and wide for a light of this size, I measure 'actual reflective' width is 45mm and depth is 50mm.

Optically the reflector (although made from plastic) is very good indeed.

There was no noticeable peeling or bubbling of the reflective coating (as has been reported on occasion in past references to the A60)


There are one or two, what look like very minor sratches but it is difficult to spot and shouldn't affect the overall ability of the light by any perceivable margin.

100% perfectly symmetrical, this reflector certainly isn't, and the beam geometry does suffer marginally but at this price point it should be an easy pill to swallow.



The Pill

Here we can see the pill removed from the head. Again, we can see some nice quality square cut threads with plenty of lubrication and a good quality well lubricated O-ring.

It's clear to see (as mentioned above) how much thread screws into the top section of the head.


The plastic centering ring around the LED serves a triple purpose. It centers the LED perfectly while also acting as a cover over the LED wires to stop any kind of electrical shorting.

Additionally, this plastic ring is an Extremely tight interference fit.

This does an important job of putting plenty of pressure on the LED star PCB, forcing it onto the pill's mounting plate for heatsinking.


I can tell you , it was ahelluva job trying to pry it out to reveal the LED underneath. It could only be done from behind by pushing a tiny amount at a time with a sharp pointy object through the LED wire holes.

With the plastic cover eventually removed, it's clear to see how well the design of this light lends itself to heat management.


The pill's mounting plate for the LED is actually an integral part of the pill. This was indeed a pleasant surprise.

Just about every light in this price range I've seen has had a hollow pill arrangement where the back of the LED star sits on thin air.. very impressive design I like it, a lot!


Not quite so impressive though, was the beautiful shiny back of the star and the pill mounting plate.

I urge you to check this if your light pulls in the higher amps range (personally I would still check this regardless but that's just me) This is easily rectified with some good quality heatsinking compound.


Apologies for the flowery tea-towel my wife insisted I work on..



On a more positive note, NO PLASTIC SPACERS!! , and it was nice to see what looks like good quality Teflon or Silicon coated wire used between the driver and the LED.


The Driver

Looking in from the other end of the pill shows the contact point for the positive battery terminal. This is a hollow pressed brass? contact with a fairly strong spring underneath.

There is a good amount of tension on the spring so connection issues and resistive losses should be relatively minor.

Personally I would remove this but I doubt there will be much of a current draw change, if any by doing so.


Surrounding the brass positive contact is an isolating ring and next to that is the driver retaining ring.

This ensures the driver remains locked into it's position within the pill. By simply inserting some needlenose pliers, this ring can be removed in an anti-clockwise direction to reveal the back of the driver


The driver itself looks to be a fairly standard press fit arrangement. I was able to pop the driver out but short of de-soldering the LED wires (which are short) I was unable to physically turn the driver over to get a peek at the components.


The driver in this light is 20mm in diameter. Despite the press fit nature of the driver, there are no audible buzzing sounds when changing modes or when running on the low mode.

I was unable to detect any noticeable PWM on high or low power. I am doubtful that the driver is fully regulated (I will update this review if I ever decide to check)

It seems like the PWM rate is high enough not to be detected. (I am sensitive to PWM so it must be high)


The manufacturers specifications state that this light is digitally regulated to approximately 900mA to 1100mA. The light I received measures substantially higher.

This driver is specified as having Low-High-Strobe. The reality is it's more like Med-High-Strobe. While not a major problem, I always like to have a genuine low mode personally.


Tailcap Amps Readings were as follows on Low and High (Strobe wasn't measured)

High: 2100mA
Low: 498mA

This particular driver appears to have no mode memory. It always switches on in the next mode. If you're used to the cheap zoomies like me, this will feel normal to you

If you decide to remove the brass positive contact on the back of the driver, it will look like this


The LED

Not much to say about this, other than it's definitely an EZ900 die to be pulling 2.1 Amps. I have 2x direct drive EZ1000 XR-E's and the max either of them will pull is 1.7 Amps.

It's difficult to tell by eye but with a magnifying glass I can see the smaller footprint when comparing with an EZ1000.


I tried several times to take a picture of the die but gave up after 5 or 6 attempts.

Sorry guys my camera just won't cut it at a macro level that low (Cannon EOS 5D donations gratefully received)


The tint is almost certainly a cool white, I would guess at a 1C tint, it doesn't have the blue hue of a 1A


The Tailcap/Switch mechanism

Looking at the back of the tailcap/switch assembly, it clearly resembles the back of the pill. Again there is what appears to be a brass contact with a strong spring beneath.

As with the pill, the spring in the tailcap also provides quite strong pressure to the battery.


One important thing to note. To remove the switch retaining ring, it has to be turned in a Clockwise direction.

This is a deliberate feature to ensure that the switch retainer doesn't work loose when loosening the tailcap.


Shown below are the tailcap/switch components



The switch is mounted on it's own circuit board with a good quality long spring, unfortunately the switch is a reverse clicky.

A forward clicky switch would compliment this light perfectly.



The Size

Before I move on to the beamshots, here are some images to give an impression of the size of this light.


Next to

A TN31


A TN31 again, The marks on the glass lens can be seen here with the light on. I was unable to remove the marks, despite vigorous cleaning


A tin of soup


Being held, nice sized EDC


Comparing lens size with a TN31


Beamshots will follow over the next couple of days.

It's been a case of mist and fog this last week here in the UK. With some luck I may get them done tomorrow.


In the meantime to keep you amused while you wait. Here's a nice artistic shot of the Jacob A60


The Beamshots

First I would like to apologise for the delay in getting these beamshots up. It has been miserable weather for a the last few days.

It is still raining outside but I pushed ahead and did them despite the rain

All beamshots of the Jacob A60 will be compared with three other lights.


XR-E Zoomie EZ1000 Die, directly driven @1700mA

XP-G Zoomie R5 Bin driven @1400mA

TN31 XM-L2 U2 driven @4200mA approx


The TN31 is completely out of the Jacob A60's league, but I firmly believe the Jacob performs so well that it deserves the chance to show an insight of it's capabilities against a top league thrower.


Before I offer the beamshots, I would like to highlight why this Jacob A60 is such a great little perfomer in the throw department.

The Hotspot

With the EZ900 XR-E die with only a 90 degree output angle, coupled with the deep reflector in the Jacob A60, equals a super intense hotspot.

This Jacob A60 just chuckles at all of my zoomies including the 2.8A XM-L U3 (which I used to think was a decent thrower!)


So, let me describe the image below and give you a little insight to what is happening here.

Each photo was taken at exactly 1 meter from a white wall with the camera set to the minimum possible exposure and the white balance turned all the way down.

The images were then stacked up next to each other as you'll clearly see.

No other manipulation was carried out to any of the images, so each individual image is exactly how it came from the camera.


No individual image resizing was carried out until after the final image layout was assembled, at which point I did resize the finished final image.

This means that 'Relative to each other' they are actual size.

I then proceed to cut out the hotspot from the Jacob A60 and superimpose it over the hotspot of each of the other lights.

Mouse Out for original image, Mouse Over for superimposed Jacob A60 hotspot


This helps to emphasize how, with a well designed reflector, the XR-E emitter really does work well for long distance throw.

Ironically it also emphasizes what a good reflector the TN31 has to focus an XM-L hotspot down to the size of an XP-G zoomie!

It's no wonder the TN31mb is a monster thrower.

When looking at the Jacob's whitewall beam profile, you may notice a some ring artefacts but in real world use, these are virtually unnoticeable.

The truth is that outside of the hotspot, the spill is very clear and almost linear.


You'll also notice the hotspot isn't perfectly centred to the rings. Mentioned earlier was the plastic reflector and it not being 100% symmetrical and here it's clear to see.

I played around with it for ages. When aligned to centre the hotspot loses it's defined edge.

This was as good as it gets, though truthfully it's not a perceivable problem at all when in use.


Next up, I wanted to try to highlight the colour rendition of the emitter in this light.

Earlier, I suggested that it could be a Cool White emitter, now I'm not so sure. The results were quite surprising!

After peaking out side at the bushes and the torrential rain I decided to raid the food cupboard

What could I find in there that was colourful enough to visualise the colour rendition capabilities.

Fajitas!!


Delicious they looked so out they came!

After a Mexican dance (while wearing a Cowboy hat) and a lot of fiddling about.. I managed to get a couple of half decent images.

I was surprised indeed at the colour rendition capabilities this light produces.

The first image is taken in 100% natural light, although it was very overcast. Nevertheless, the colours should be a fairly decent true representation.

The second image was taken in a completely blacked out room with only the Jacob A60 as a light source

It's surprising how difficult it was to get a decent clear shot without either being too dark or putting a dazzling spot on the Fajitas.


Mouse Out for Natural Light Fajitas, Mouse Over for Jacob A60 Fajitas


The Outdoor Beamshots

I was determined to get some outdoor beamshots done, so despite the rain and with the help of my son, we soldiered on.

When the weather clears I'm going to add some further beamshots over a greater distance in an attempt to emphasize the Jacob A60's true throwing capabilties.

These aren't the greatest and I apologise. Pretty much everything managed to get soaked including the camera but nevertheless, here they are.


Garden Shots

Distance: 50 meters to metal fence and trees

Control Shot: Iso 3600 so it must be really dark, changed to Iso 400 for the actual shots


XR-E direct drive EZ1000 zoomie @1700mA Vs Jacob A60 EZ900 @2100mA

Mouse Out for XR-E, Mouse Over for Jacob A60


XP-G R5 zoomie @1400mA Vs Jacob A60 EZ900 @2100mA

Mouse Out for XP-G, Mouse Over for Jacob A60


TN31 XM-L2 U2 @~4200mA Vs Jacob A60 EZ900 @2100mA

Mouse Out for Jacob A60, Mouse Over for TN31


Going against the TN31 is somewhat unfair but it represents well what the Jacob A60 is capable of over distance.


I wanted to try to get some zoom shots in but alas, the images were not defined enough to crop from the originals.

Improvisation was the key to success! although less than ideal image quality wise.

I decided to go 'Down Range'

It was getting late and I didn't fancy dressing up in my waterproofs again (I have a story about that involving a lifejacket ) so I will update with better shots when the weather dries out.


Down Range Shots

Not the best but kind of gives more of an idea of the actual brightness difference nearer the target area.


XR-E direct drive EZ1000 zoomie @1700mA Vs Jacob A60 EZ900 @2100mA

Mouse Out for XR-E, Mouse Over for Jacob A60


XP-G R5 zoomie @1400mA Vs Jacob A60 EZ900 @2100mA

Mouse Out for XP-G, Mouse Over for Jacob A60


TN31 XM-L2 U2 @~4200mA Vs Jacob A60 EZ900 @2100mA

Mouse Out for Jacob A60, Mouse Over for TN31

Concluding thoughts

Pros

Well thought out, quality construction

Very Durable

Great heatsinking capacity

No visible PWM

Tailstands

Elegant Styling

Outstanding Performance


Cons

No low mode

Glass lens could be better

No mode memory

No forward clicky


I really wanted to give this light 5 out of 5 because it really is a great light in many respects. The overall design and quality of this light is quite simply outstanding!

For the money, it is right up there with the best of them.

If a great 'bang for your buck' super thrower is what you're after then you really cannot go wrong with the Jacob A60. I would recommend this light to anyone.


Save for the few cons mentioned, it would have been a clean 5 stars, therefore reluctantly, I'm forced to give the Jacob A60 from Aurabuy


4.5 out of 5


Thanks for reading Ladies & Gents

Spas out


Holy smokes Spasmod, this is seriously the best review I have ever seen!

I'm seriously not joking around. This is spectacular!

Thank you guys

And Joe, I’m humbled. Thank you, though I have a long way to go to be in league with some of the great reviewers out there hehe. In my eyes anyhow :smiley:

Cheers

Spas :slight_smile:

I have one coming in from Aurabuy too. Will it accept a 69.4mm cell without crushing in the nipple? What do you think is the maximum allowable length?

I don't remember my A60 reflector being plastic (I'm at work and can't check it now). Are they all plastic???

Great review Spas!

Thanks,
Garry

Excellent review,
The one on mine is plastic!

Imo, the A60 is one of the best deals out there. Amazing throw for such a inexpensive light. The reflector on mine is plastic as well. Great job Spas.

Great review SpasMod! I like the outdoor ‘studio’, mainly because you do not have 12” of snow covering it :wink:
I’ve been staying away from this light, mainly because of the small hotspot. I prefer a larger hotspot, typical of XM-L thrower lights. Awaiting beamshots.
I thought these had aluminum reflectors too; DX has it listed aluminum SMO, not sure if that is reliable though.

That was one excellent review!

Ok, in agedbriar's original A60 thread he states in the O.P. that the reflector is plastic. Perhaps I'm remembering wrong.

-Garry

Great review! Like the outdoor shots with green theme, and personalisation of the A60. Can’t wait for the beamshots :slight_smile:

I’m just wondering why at Aurabuy’s website there isn’t any mention that this is a Jacob A60, and the pictures do not show any Jacob A60 logo. But your pictures clearly show the logo.

I like my flashlights to have logo :bigsmile:

Hi tatasal, I would like to say it will fit but it might not. If it does go in there it’s going to be a very tight fit it looks like. I expect it will put a lot of pressure on the cell tip and most likely crush it.

Sorry I cannot be any more help, though I suspect one of these knowledgeable flashaholics will be able to answer your question.

Thanks for all the kind words guys. If this rain clears and there’s no mist tonight, I will get some beam shots done.

Thank you radiance.

Now you mention it, yes I see what you mean. It never even occurred to me that their images don’t show the logo. It does appear to be a genuine product though, I don’t see any evidence of corner cutting on the workmanship.

Thanks relic,

I have to admit, I also prefer a larger hotspot. So much so that I would take a second floody light with me if I were to take the A60. The spot is a little too tight for general use but if I wanted a light to take for long distance work to keep in a pocket. This is definitely it for sure.

Not too sure on the Aluminium reflectors, does anyone have a DX A60 who can confirm whether it’s Alu ? would be nice to know definitely.

Excellent Review! 8)

Great review spasmod…Im using sanyo protected cells 2600 which measure 69.6mmm give or take …

Nice review and pictures spasmod!

I just saw under Specifications (the one you linked) had “Brand: Jacob”, but it’s weird that the main title did not state and also pictures did not have any Jacob logo.

But I do believe it’s a genuine product though.