Reviewer's Overall Rating: ★★★★☆
Mouse over for fully zoomed.
Summary:
| Battery: | 1 or 2 x 26650/18650 |
| Switch: | Reverse Tailcap Clicky |
| Modes: | Group 1: High, Medium, Low |
| Memory: | Yes (On-time 3 seconds) |
| LED Type: | 1 x XM-L2 (Cool White) |
| Lens: | AR Coated Glass |
| Tailstands: | Yes |
| Price: | $59.79 |
| Provided By: |
Pros:
Extremely High-quality feel.
Machining is absolutely perfect.
- No sharp edges or machining marks under the anodization.
- Tolerances are tight on all threads
Knurling provides grip, but is not too aggressive.
Matte dark-grey anodization is flawless.
Anodized battery tube threads.
Great thermal management.
Double O-ring seats perfectly.
Very long protected cells (NCR18650B/King Kong 26650) fit as do unprotected flat top cells.
Cons:
Some artifacts in the beam while white wall hunting (Light reflecting off the zooming tube's inner threads).
Zoom functionality is rather noisy (Twist to zoom).
Mode group change functionality can get annoying while in the single mode group.
Function/UI:
Tailcap current (Amps):
| High | Medium | Low |
| 3.25 | .460 | .034 |
(1x Protected 26650 King Kong 4200mAh)
Standard reverse tailcap clicky switch operation.
Click on. Half press for mode change.
To change mode groups:
Switch to lowest mode in the current group and wait (5 seconds) for 2 quick flashes.
A full click or half press during the flash sequence will change to the next mode group.
The groups are in the following order:
Group 1: H-M-L
Group 2: H
Group 3: H-M-L-Strobe-SoS
Pictures:
This beauty was shipped with quite a bit of care. The head was wrapped in tissue paper, several layers of bubble wrap, corrugated cardboard box, and several layers of foam sheet. Unfortunately it did suffer 1 single scratch at some point along its journey or at the factory(The little nick on the edge of the bezel in the picture on the left).
The lettering is very crisp and bright. "JAX Z1" is on both flat machined portions of the battery tube.
Mouse over for fully zoomed (Picture on the right).
Some more close up shots. The knurling has similar feel to that of a Convoy S2+. It provides grip, but is not overly aggressive.
The tailcap has 2 scalloped areas that allow easy access to the firm reverse clicky switch while also allowing the flashlight to tailstand. There are 2 sets of 2 holes machined in the non-scalloped areas of the tailcap that facilitate lanyards with various attachment methods.
The tailcap and the threads it mates to. The threads are anodized, lubed, and triangular cut. Very smooth threading and a firmly seating double O-ring.
Mouse over because why not. :P
Comparison Shot:
JAX Z1, Eagle Eye X6, Convoy C8, XinTD X3.
Mouse over for fully zoomed (I like to think that the Z1 scared away the sun for the mouseover shot. :P ).
Breakdown:
This is the view from the front with the bezel off and the light fully extended. Here we can see the culprit of the artifacts in the beam profile. The threads are very well lubed, but there is still quite a bit of noise when zooming. The second picture is the process of removing the portion that zooms. This zooming piece slides down the tube for disassembly. The zooming threads are square.
Zooming portion removed in the left picture (the shiny marks on the tube are just lube that transferred during disassembly).
Zooming portion next to the bezel.
Here's that beautiful AR lens.
....... Where were we?... Oh yes! Continuing the breakdown we have the XML2 led. The threaded piece that fits over the star and pill prevents light from reflecting off the star and pill. This detail is often ignored, or made worse with the addition of a shiny star/pill cover. The JAX Z1's cover piece is a nice flat grey color that really adds a level of finish I haven't seen in any of my other zoomable flashlights.
With the cover removed we can see the brass pill and aluminum star. The star is really glued in there with some thermal glue compound I have not previously seen.
Threads on the pill are trapezoidal cut and are very smooth just like the other threads. :)
Back of the pill. Small brass retaining ring.
Couple of shots of the driver.
Beamshots:
Here's the lineup:
| Flashlight | Emitter | Tailcap Current (Amps) | Throw (cd) | Estimated Output (Lumens) |
| Sipik Sk68 | XRE | 1.70 | 14500 | 230 |
| Small Sun ZY-C10 | XRE | 1.25 | 43750 | 120 |
| Yupard SK98 | XML2 | 3.11 | 9000 | 650 |
| JAX Z1 | XML2 | 3.25 | 55000 | 890 |
The throw column values are measured via lux meter at a distance of 7 feet and 30 seconds after turn on. The lux value is then converted to cd.
The estimated output values are derived from ceiling bounce numbers compared against a few known flashlights that have been tested in a calibrated sphere and as such these values should only be taken as rough estimates.
The following beamshots are all mouse out / mouse over. The Mouse over is the JAX Z1. All flashlights are in their highest brightness mode.
Sipik SK68 vs JAX Z1
Despite the larger LED in the JAX the beam is very tight, even more so than that of the XRE in the SK68!
Small Sun ZY-C10 vs JAX Z1
The C10 is an absolute pencil beam of a zoomie thrower. The Z1 seems to match the throw while simultaneously providing a larger, more usable hotspot.
Yupard SK98 vs JAX Z1
XML2 vs XML2 at similar current draw. The Z1 absolutely destroys the SK98 in throw with a hotspot roughly half its size. I find the fully zoomed Z1's hotspot to be right in the sweet spot of being small enough to focus the beam for a great amount of throw, but still being large enough to be very usable.
Conclusion:
The JAX Z1 is a high quality zoomable flashlight with a few notable issues.
As I see it, the single mode group is fairly pointless. The quick flashes after 5 seconds will almost definitely cause any user some headache when the mode group is accidentally changed. There are artifacts in the beam while zoomed and the zoom itself is quite noisy.
Apart from those issues the quality is superb. The machining, fit and finish are fantastic. The Z1 boasts above par output with great throw all in a small package. The thermal management is also good, warming up along the entire length of the flashlight. It is topped off by an absolutely breathtaking AR lens.
I rate the JAX Z1 a 4 out of 5.
