Jacob A60 vs. Yezl

So a little ways back I posted the question- What 18650 light will out throw the Jacob A60? Some of the Maxtoch lights were mentioned along with the yezl. Well, I went ahead and picked up the Yezl- not even close. My Jacob absolutely DESTROYS the Yezl. So… I’m afraid to drop $75 on a Maxtoch only to have its buttcheeks violated by the Jacob as well.

This is a stock A60 against a stock Y3 with both using the same battery?

for single 18650 lights, i don’t know of another stock single-18650 light that will out throw the A60. ( at least i haven’t found one yet.)

Pretty amazing for a generations old emitter in a $10 flashlight, isn't it? Every enthusiast needs at least one in their collection.

I have a Jacob A60 on one rifle which reads 58k lux (about average), a stock M24 which reads 82k lux, a dedomed M24 at 179k lux, and a dedomed 2X at 256k lux.

As expected the stock M24 (82k) outthrows the A60, and a stock $75 2X (120k) was better again. But the key difference is the amount of useful light the Maxtochs XML put down range.

As someone else notes above there appears to be no single 18650 batt light to outthrow the A60, though the Maxtoch M12 (single 26650 though) will do it.

Yezl well regarded wee light. There is alot of variation in quality and output these days with HD2010s/C8s/A60s and it is possible you got lucky and bought a very high performing A60. Does happen.

Great wee light. If you want a v long distance thrower for $75 get the 2X and dedome it. Or if beam width/utility doesn’t matter maybe a Dereelight X-Searcher aspheric at $120 or so - limited application though…

Do you recall your own thread here: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/28893?

Me and others spent a lot of time and effort into helping you out there. In post #25, I clearly stated the Y3 is probably under the throw of your A60. Sounds like you got a hot A60 - it definitely happens - mostly dependent on what emitter bin: the EZ900 or EZ1000 - EZ900 is a smaller dye that throws further, but less lumens. You could have gotten a bad Y3 as well. So, you saved money by buying a Y3 vs. what we recommended for a single cell light - the MaxToch M12, and I mentioned it would throw less than your A60.

Hhhmmm..........

I was very late to the party, but I absolutely agree.

While we’re on the subject, where are folks buying the A60 at $10 these days? I see that GB has it for $12.59, is that the best price? TIA!

GB had a code for $9.99, I think. Cereal Killer posted it ~Sept.26(?), can't remember which thread. The 'add to cart' button isn't working @GB for me right now, might be out of stock? I think the code was A60, though.

http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_15296.html

Ah, I didn’t notice that it was out of stock. Thanks. I’m still not convinced I need one.

If you get the good XRE, and it's got a good star mount (no foreign materials under the star Smile), the thing can really throw - it seems to take full advantage of the XRE. It's a very cool tint from what I recall, and that can be deceptive to how bright the hot spot is as closer distances, when compared to typical 1A tints. Not sure, but maybe that's maybe slightly deceptive about the A60's throw. From my experiences, the meters don't lie, comparatively speaking. I've seen how the meter readings track from light to light, then going outdoors and comparing the lights side by side, they always track the same seeing the beams down field as does the meter readings indoors.

+1.

Sometimes hard to pick exact throw distance by watching lights shone say up close on a wall, whereas lux meter picks them precisely and field testing confirms it.

I have had huge output variation in for example C8s - with lux readings varying from 15-32kcd. A60s also made by few companies and its entirely possible this is one very bright A60. Could just be an 80kcd A60, but most appear to be round 60kcd mark. Be good to lux test both your A60 and Yezl.

I like my A60 and have used it as a scope light for years, but if buying a sub $30 thrower now I’d take the Yezl. 10 minutes dedome and zero cost and its over 100+kcd with great throw plus useful beam width. Our pencil beam lights have limited applications.

First let me clarify- please forgive me if it sounded like I’m knocking the advice received on BLF. I definitely don’t mean to disparage any suggestions- quite the opposite, I use this forum because there is probably no better place to go with a flashlight question. I went with the Yezl A. yes it was cheaper and B. Everything I’ve heard about has been very positive. I like it, it looks good, feels good and it does throw well-very well so I’m glad to have one in my collection. I’ve lurked around blf long enough to understand a few things about emitters, and emitter size paired with reflector size so don’t get me wrong, I didn’t expect a $25 or $30 xml light to stomp all over the A60. From what was said by other members and from what I learned with some research, I expected to see the Yezl perform somewhere NEAR the A60. I was not prepared to see it get trounced by it though. And yes, I ran both with a Tenergy L-ion rechargeable 18650. Price is not the issue- I could just buy two or 3 top-end lights and be done with it, but I just plain like flashlights and like having a variety to choose from. The problem is, I’ve got somewhere near 40 and I use maybe 2 or 3 on a regular basis so I’m getting to the point where I’m buying these lights and not using them which drives my wife insane. So it gets harder and harder to justify a $40-$60-$80 light. The Yezl is too fat for my duty-belt and is nothing spectacular so it will most likely sit with the rest of them. Time to start softening her up for the next one. …

Well, let’s be clear about something; the YEZL Y3 and A60 have different beam profiles and throwier for one isn’t the same as throwier for the other, but it’s the same with the XR-E vs a laser. A laser-pointer will reach about 4 miles or longer under the right conditions, but that doesn’t make the laser a better illuminator or “thrower” light—same with the A60 vs Yezl, much less the higher-end lights like the Maxtoch throwers.

When I take out my Forest Tiger 510 (side-switch version of the A60), it throws super tight and is really cool, but it doesn’t put more light down range than the Y3, HD2010, etc. It isn’t as useful a light as the XM-L(2) throwers. So I think it’s the beam profile that is working for you as opposed to actual throw.

Badger - just my 2c worth but given what you’ve got, in your position I’d dedome the Yezl = 100-120k lux throw plus super useful XML beam width. That wd be a fine little package.

Then if you need more get an M24S or 2X and dedome them. That really gives them distance.

Bottom line - you’ve picked good lights to choose from - A60, Yezl, Maxtochs etc. All of them rate well in their config/price category. Going to come down to personal preference - no wrong answer.

Big plus right there. Find out how many pairs of shoes she owns.

Haha you wouldn’t even begin to believe how many…. I’d take a picture and show you but I don’t think my phone has that much memory lol. And unfortunately where I always get tripped up is the typical woman’s ideology that if it doesn’t interest them or if they don’t understand, it automatically becomes “stupid” and no amount of reasoning can crack that nut.

Yeah, you might just be correct there. I hear the term ‘putting more light down range’ used quite a bit and though I understand the concept, I’m not sure that is the result I’m looking for. … For example: I live on a golf course and I use a small white pump-house near the lake as a target for my lights. It is a little over 300 meters from my upstairs balcony. When I put the A60 on it, there is a definitive circle of light that ends up on the white wall. When I put the Yezl (or any other light I own) on it, Yes, there is a larger swath of the fairway lit up and yes, it will illuminate the building but it’s just kind of a loose pool of light at that point. If you were comparing ONLY the wall as the target, the A60 lights it up double maybe triple over the Yezl. So I guess you could say that at 300 meters the Yezl is reaching as far as the A60 and covering a larger area but with 3x less illumination.
I can compare (and I have) every single light I own to my A60 and there is not a single one that will cover or drown out its hotspot when pointed at the same place on the wall. It is smaller and brighter than every single one. That includes a TF X6, Yezl Y3, UF960L, Smallsun zy-t08, and SmallSun zy-T13 to name a few. I’d be curious to know what this A60 is actually putting out. I don’t know maybe I’m just looking for something that doesn’t exist.?

Having experimented extensively with throwers, I’d say this is the case. And it is also the case that more light thrown out to the horizon means more glare and less focus, which you seem to not like. I, too, like a solid focus, but when you start using your light, you get more picky on a select few features (simplicity, build quality, dependability, illuminating power, etc) as opposed to pleasing the optic senses. It is likewise true that after a lot more time using the A60, you will grow on the other lights you have. I tend to be more sold on my namebrand lights now as opposed to the budget brands. Grab yourself an Olight SR51 or 52 and I think the throw and brightness - together with simplicity and user-friendly dependability - will grow on you. But tonight, I am taking out my Maxtoch 2X shooter. 122,000 kcd at 6 meters. Puts a smile on my face every trip. :slight_smile:

Say once again. A60 “pencile” beam is like the 7 blindmen seeing the elephant. All 7 have differing account of the elephant. Another example is shining a tunnel. All A60 sees is empty space while Yezl, for example, sees the face of the tunnel.