./\ … :+1:
But which one throws further?
One reason is that the A6 has a XP-L HD and the Cometa a XP-L Hi.
BLF A6 gets 1600lm, if that, only with tail cap spring bypass.
This is stated at the end of the product description.
Also, as djozz mentioned; the XP-L HD puts out more lumens than the XP-L HI.
This is a zoomie. It does not have a reflector. So quite a bit of the light from a lambertian emitter just bounces around inside the head and is lost, or worse scattered by poor blacking and upsets the beam. Adding the dome changes things a bit, but not fundamentally (Hi vs. HD). The more you zoom it out, the more is lost.
That’s just the nature of zoomies. The tighter you focus them, the worse they perform.
Newer technology (laser-remote phosphor) has the potential to change this utterly.
You could consider the use of a Wavien collar, but there doesn’t seem to have been much progress reported back on that since the recent group-buy. Maybe it is mostly “smoke and mirrors” (literally). And it would put up the price, just a bit 
A bit of Vantablack inside the head might help, if you can source some, or afford it.
And no, the Cometa has nothing in common with the Z1, except for the first batch of lenses, obtained from Jaxman by deception. Which is why The Miller and I subsequently arranged a group buy with Jaxman for the real thing, as a host. Which was a success, as I recall. And why I may still seem a bit obsessive about this, because I still have personal issues with what went on at that time.
You can still buy the real thing, at a very reasonable price IMO, in a variety of configurations, and potentially save yourself from a lot of grief.
I’ve only ordered my $15 Cometa as an experiment in economics, the madness of world trade, the broken-ness of some online payment systems, a test of the honour-ability of a particular supplier (who have always been good to me), and so that I can opine further from a position of knowledge, should that seem sensible, and if it ever turns up. I am curious to see whatever changes may have been introduced, and whether they are part of continuous product improvement, or just for cost-saving. As we say here, you can’t really polish a turd, but you can always roll it in glitter …
Thank you Gentlemen!
By that amount of loss, I'll need to buy a Jaxman with an XH-P 50 to get the 1600!
I can’t imagine spending any real money on one of these much less paying for a Jaxman Z1 . Great light at 16$ but spending 60$ for a Z1 just seems really really dumb . 4 of these outweighs any advantage that a better lems or smoother zoom may add.
Surprised how nice the tint is ... clearly low cri but a really good tint. No green no blue no red pop
people praise the large flood but even the small$2 zoomies modded have floodybeams as big or bigger .. So does the zeusray and supfire f3-L2 ..
I bought this flashlight.
With the zoom I think he sees somewhere at 700-800m.
As power (lumens), it’s an idea under the XHP50 with zoom, but it sees farther than xhp50 with some 150-200m.
Does anyone know how I could upgrade this torch? Shall I give him a mirror? But how?
Or if I do not put aluminum from the kitchen :laughing:
Yeah, that’s a very nice feature. :+1:
Brinyte B158(B) was a better deal.
Discontinued now though, and has some floating driver issues…
Ok so no one figured out the PS? on why the loose Cometa zooming threads are superior prolly even over the Jaxman’s tighter feeling zoomer threads.
The fact is whether you’re zooming in or out at the end of the day from a primarily thrower configured zoomie such as the Cometa, the most important thing is how sharp it focuses the LED when fully unscrewed to its stop. My Cometas at full throw stop align essentially perfectly to the tube threads. This means that the machining done on the head and the tube was precisely done.
And notice that when fully unscrewed (counter-clockwise) that THEN there is absolutely NO RATTLE or slop for that matter. Likewise at full flood mode (full clockwise) the same.
So the Cometa kept it’s “AK47” able to function in a tough environment characteristics while at the same time where it was most critical the precision is where it counts. Point being also that in between full throw or flood stops looseness in the threads there makes little difference other than a “feel” of sloppy machining. It is anything but that.
Personally when I carry the Cometa in my jacket pocket for instance I lock it to its full flood position ( also it’s most compact position). Doing so also helps to preserve the integrity of the threads by the fact that there is no rattling much less acts as an inherent dust/dirt contamination shield.
I see no point in putting ANY kind of grease or o-ring to help dampen this designed-in looseness. All the grease approach ultimately does is attract and imbed grit which will eventually help wear the anodizing and eventually the threads out prematurely. The o-ring approach essentially does the same and depending on how tight of fit you attain also helps to grind/abrade the anodizing much less the aluminum itself.
I was skeptical from the get-go that they messed up zooming thread tolerances that bad when it was sent off to China for manufacture.
This is a VERY high quality light from a structural standpoint. Electronically I can’t say for sure as there were past issues. At $15 it’s one of the top ten flash bargains of all time IMO if not THE top one of all time.
My 2 cents……
Yabbut, they cook almost instantly.
I actually liked my old ’98 on full-flood. But the dreaded “hollow-pill” just would cook the LED, and plugging the hole with shaved-pennies’n’solder just transferred heat to the exterior (as it should), but it would turn into a curling-iron if I pushed more’n 1.0A-1.4A for too long.
I kinda like the Cometa in a dark basement on full flood, running wfo. Lit up everything quite nicely, more’n my ’98 ever did.
Wellp, I hope nobody thinks the “square-cut threads” that’re exposed when the head’s fully unscrewed are actual threads (as I first thought, ’til I looked more closely). They’re just concentric rings, so greasing ’em won’t do anything. The threads are under the head, and the other surface is farther up the rings.
Maybe a thick O-ring on/in the farthest-out cut would not just act as a friction-stop, but also keep any ick from getting inside where the real threads are.
Well regardless (I haven’t yet taken mine apart) it’s obvious there’s a looseness which is designed into the actual zooming threads. You can feel those hidden threads when you rock the head in other than full stop configuration. That looseness helps prevent grit from damaging these threads. Again the important thing is how well the final mating surfaces of the head and tube align when in their respective full stop modes.
They align beautifully.
I do for once agree with 90% of your comment here and I am most definetly in lock step with you regarding what happened, I was in for Jaxman deep, very deep so I am with you and sentiments 100% and I thank you for that,
Wavien to me was just as you worded it IMO as well and there’s been no successful stats to prove other wise than as you said smoke and mirrors perhaps.
Edit: Where I really disagree was that stupid Z1 host fiasco you and The Miller convinced Jaxman into doing, but you did say that the success was as you recall,
I beg to differ with definition of success and I do know those hosts were mostly to get people off his back, hence only 10 for only the experienced
Edit: I am not at all accurate in that last comment so wanted to come back and state that, there was more than just that GB and I think I’m confusing one with another so I won’t comment any further as it’s all very involved and would take a lot of explanation so I’ll just apologize to Tom Tom and hope that’s good…!!
Never mind all that, that was then this is now and to agree with 90% of your post is a huge leap for me from just last week, so this is a great day…
The one thing you and I seriously do have in common is what appears to me as loyalty to Jaxman and that trumps everything and anything else and I’m glad we feel the same on that issue.
Currently Jaxman has the XHP50.2 in CW and I’d definitely suggest to not buy the old XHP50 or the frankly the XM-L2, but what I would suggest since asking for hosts should not even cross your mind, but buy a Z1 with the LED you can use in something else and then do your own thing with the Z1, newer LED’s abound and newer drivers make this a formidable light when built right,
Paul just won’t change what works sadly, I’ve tried to get him to change certain things for years and it’s like beating your head on the wall, the new X1S was the only time I was able to think, well damn, finally, but he still under powered the light and being I received the first one he put up for sale you would never believe what he did with the driver UI, he actually had a breathing LED as a mode, I was stupefied, but I was the only one to get one of those so no one really saw that,
I guess it was actually quit hysterical, I guess… ha ha, driver blew up two days later but it was his first and he still claims the breathing LED was a joke to mess with my mind, he did succeed at that.
Support Jaxman always, the quality is what really stands out, and thanks for the great insight Tom Tom, I do value your opinions, currently …!
Fully agree with the thread comments and surprisingly and I mentioned this the other day, after closer inspection between the real deal and this clone, the clone is about as close to a 1:1 as you can get short of a few missing parts that the original has.
The thread slop is the same in the Z1 IMO,
And I love the AK47 comparison if I’m understanding the term correctly, I’m thinking a real AK47 as compared to a M16, won’t say anymore about that.
Well then disregard my previous comment about if the Jaxman has tighter threads as proof of superiority. Mr. Jax kept those threads loose so obviously he knows his s*it too.
And yes you understand the term correctly. I’m nick naming my Cometas, ‘Mikhail’ btw.
They are the AK47 of zoomies. :sunglasses:
Well, my Brinytes have O-rings between batt tube and head, so it does not rattle and no dust can come between the threads at all.
Also, with less play in the threads there will be useful thermal path to the head.
With the loose threads and lack of O-rings large particles like sand grains can get between the threads.
Other than being able to zoom in and out with one hand, because of the looseness, i see no other benefits of the Cometa’s sloppy zooming mechanism.
It is also far from water proof.
Silt like contaminants will still get into it because rubber o-rings don’t like fine abrasives and liquids. And with tight no rattle threads it will likely eventually grind up surfaces. As far as thermal effectiveness all I can say is as long as there’s any air gap in the threads thermally the gain from tighter threads IMO is trivial in comparison. If it’s able to freely rotate then it inherently has an air gap.
Not saying that the Cometa will do better dunked in water/silt. Just that IMO it’ll be less prone to seizing up and will retain functionality likely better than the Brynte. Outside of direct physical testing though it’s just an educated but not potentially flawless conjecture.
You may indeed be more right than me.