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Review3
Jetbeam EC R26 1080 Lumen Flashlight Review
This is a review of the Jetbeam EC R26 flashlight. Thanks to Banggood who supplied the flashlight.
The Flashlight is on sale at Banggood for $33 with Coupon Code: 681c25 from June 12th to December 31st 2016.
JetBeam EC-R26 1080 Lumen Flashlight (Not Aff Link)
Sellers/Manufacturers Specs
Specifications:
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Product name: |
JETBeam EC-R26 CREE XPL LED Flashlight |
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Brand: |
JETBeam |
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Model: |
EC-R26 |
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Emitter Brand |
CREE |
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Emitter Type: |
XP-L |
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Material: |
Aero grade aluminum alloy body |
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Mode: |
Turbo,High,Mid,Low |
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Lumens: |
1080LM,240LM,75LM,2LM (2 x CR123A) |
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Runtime: |
1h,8h,30h,260h |
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Range: |
155 meters |
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Battery Configurations: |
1 x 18650/2 x CR123A battery (not included) |
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Switch Type: |
clicky |
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Switch Location: |
body side of the flashlight |
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Peak Beam Intensity: |
6010cd |
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Impact Resistant |
1.5 meters |
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Lens: |
Toughened ultra-clear mineral glass |
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Waterproof: |
IPX-6 waterproof |
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Color: |
black |
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Weight: |
55g without battery |
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Size: |
106mm x 26mm x22mm(length x head x body diameter) |
First Impressions and Unboxing
It’s a small fand light lashlight in size for a 18650 powered unit. Fits nicely in the hand and pocket.
The flashlight came in a small blue box with little damage.
Unboxing reveals the other components that are included.
- EC-R26 Flashlight
- Operation Manual
- Warranty Card (24 months)
- 2 x Orings + Replacement switch cap.
- Certificate of Quality Approval.
- Short Micro (approx 28cm) USB to Full size USB Charging Cable.
Flashlight Build
The EC-R26 is a compact sized flashlight which is built and designed with quality.
Below is a comparison of the flashlight against two 18650 protected cell 18650 batteries. The electronics within the head to accomodate the driver and charging must be very compact, allowing the overall length of the flashlight to remain quite short.
Below are three other 18650 powered flashlights. From the left we firstly see the Manker Rambler. Next along is the BLF A6, then an Olight S30, and then finally over to the right is the JetBeam EC R26. This is clearly the smallest flashlight in the group. Of the group below the Manker and the JetBeam flashlights are the only units to possess an inbuilt battery charging feature. The R26 packs a lot in a compact design.
Image below of the top of the flashlight showing the XPL LED and smooth reflector. The reflector is quite shallow with a glass lens fitted. The lens does appear to have some form of coating. Beam shots later show that there is a clear hotspot with nice spill.
Tailcap below, revealing the included spring. The tailcap allows for tail standing of the flashlight and lockout is possible.
Another view of the tailcap. Here we see the lanyard mounting hole. Sadly the product does not include a lanyard which is a surprise as it’s such a minor cost.
Finish on the HAII anodisation is excellent. This is a well made product with quality throughout. The threads are all square and came lightly lubed too. O-Rings included that should result in a level of waterproofing. The specs suggest IP6, so it should be able to cope with usage outdoors at times of rain. The body design suggests that there is provision for a pocket clip. The diameter of the recessed section of the body near the tail end is just under 21mm. I’m unsure of a suitable clip that fits, but one may be available. The absence of a pocket clip will annoy some as it’s a common inclusion in many compact flashlights. Personally I’m not a fan of pocket clips so it’s not a big loss.
Below is a photo of the inner section of the head of the flashlight. I was unable to easily dismantle parts here without likely destroying the flashlight. The positive terminal is flush with the plastic disc arrangement. This presents an issue if flat top batteries are used. The design is intended to support button top battery cells. In order to use a flat top a small battery (5mm diameter x 2mm depth) can be fitteed to the top of the postive battery terminal. This overcomes the limitation but is inconvenient. I was unable to remove the top section of the head to enable access to the lens and reflector. The top section appears to be glued in place.
Photo below of the side of the head where the micro USB charge port is fitted. The port is covered by a plastic cover the can easily be removed to expose the port. Well designed again, as the inclusion of the charging feature hasn’t let to an oversized head nor significant extra weight.
The flashlight less battery comes in at under 60 grams.
User Interface
Operation of the flashlight is via the side switch on the head. Turn requires one long press of the main switch (approx 2 seconds), the same applies to change to Off.
To navigate the modes, whilst the flashlight is on, the user simply presses the switch again to cycle through the four modes (Trubo, High, Medium and Low). Whilst on a double press of the switch will cycle to either turbo or Strobe. Last mode memory applies.
User Manual
The manual included has on one side an English version and chinese on the other. Below is a scan of the English section. Well written manual the describes key details.
Current Measurements
The Current measurements on the highest setting were taken using a UNI-T UT204 clamp meter with a 12AWG wire with the tailcap removed. Actual current levels will be lower due to the resistance of the tailcap switch and spring. Figures below represent the peak measured. As will be seen later the Turbo brightness drops off as thermal stepdown occurs.
Inbuilt Battery Charger
The EC R26 has a feature where it can be used to charge a 18650 Battery. With battery fitted simply attach Micro USB end of the supplied cable to the charging port, and the other end to a USB charger. In a trial run the total charge time was approximatley 3hrs. Results below. Good result overall, it did not charge the battery to 4.20V, but was not far off. As a convenient feature that is used occasionally it’s a big plus.
Photo below shows the charging test that occurred at a pont in time where the blue LED contained in the main switch was ON.
Indoor Beamshots
Indoors beamshots were taken. Below are the images from lowest mode to highest. The beam pattern is clean, with a good size hot spot and spill. LED tint is at the cooler end of the scale. Mode spacing is very good. The lowest level being a moonlight mode would suite many, the other 3 modes provide a good spread of high brightness and long runtime.
LOW (2 lumen)
Medium (75 Lumen)
HIGH (240 Lumen)
TURBO (950 Lumen/18650 cell)
Light Output
According to the specifications the flashlight has 4 modes. The output brightness reaching 1080 Lumen when 2xCR123A batteries are used. During testing only 18650 batteries were used so brightness is down on the peak.
Below are my ceiling bounce measurements along with a 10 minute run. The initial brightness measured was higher than expected, but this quickly changed as within around 45 seconds the flashlight stepped down to a lower brightness level. Once it dipped the brightness measurements remain constant for the duration of the test. I didn’t expect the thermal stepdown to occur as soon as it did. Note 2 in the manual indicates that the "EC-R26 would automatically step down slowly till the output is lower than 65% of the turbo brightness when the temperature is too high". This is consistent with my findings. The only disspointment here being the low threshold. The flashight head temperature did slightly exceed 40C after 15 minutes, which suggests that that early thermal shutdown in the environment was needed.
Below is a ceiling bounce test. The results are what would be expected for a flashlight of approximately 1000 lumen, however brightness drops quickly as the thermal stepdown occurs.
A runtime tast on Turbo was attempted. The results measured below highlight the thermal step down. The runtime was still very impressive. The battery fitted to the flashlight was a 2600mAH Samsung 26F protected cell. The brightness from start to the end of the run was very good. The run was stopped after the blue led in the flashlight switch began to flash blue. This indicated less than 10% of battery charge remained. The blue LED indicator of battery charge level is a nice inclusion.
Outdoor Beamshots
All tests perform with the camera settings as F 2.7, Exposure Time 2.5s, ISO 100. The centre of the image is a tree at a distance of approximately 50m from the flashlight. A very good torch for outdoor walking. The throw is good along with the spill. It’s neither a strong throwing flashlight nor does it produce large levels of flood. It’s beam pattern is very usable outdoors.
TURBO
HIGH
MEDIUM
LOW
Summary
Overall I’m very pleased with this flashlight, it’s key strengths render it a very useful flashlight for a range of purposes that should suit many. The restrictions on battery choice which limit to button cells is a minor annoyance but matched with a suitable battery the flashlight performs very well.
The compact size and performance make it a very effective every day carrier. It’s an excellent balance between size and performance.
The inclusion of a charging feature is a big plus as we dont always have access to a battery charger.
The Flashlight is on sale at Banggood for $33 with Coupon Code: 681c25 from June 12th to December 31st 2016. For the price this represents excellent value for an excellent all round compact flashlight.
Link to flashlight listing - JetBeam EC-R26 1080 Lumen Flashlight (Not Aff Link)
Pros:
> Excellent Quality
> Brightness range from Turbo (950-1080 Lumen) to moon light mode (2 Lumen)
> Simple user interface that works well
> Inbuilt 18650 battery charger
> LED warning for low battery levels and indicating charging status
> Can Tail cap lock
> Can utilise 18650 or 2xCR123A/16340 batteries
Cons:
> Doesn’t come with a lanyard
> No Pocket clip
> Can only accomodate button cell batteries.
thanks for your feedback.