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Detailed
Information:
The body of the XM-3 is made of Type II anodized aluminum.
It has a wide ring of checkering around the middle of
the body for grip and a ring of checkering around the
tailcap for ease of use. Elektrolumens has used a macro/micro
principle in order to improve grip as seen on the "smooth"
areas of the body where there are actually very fine
grooves. There are also several deep grooves around
the body. The tailcap is machined and drilled for the
attachment of a lanyard (included).
The head of the XM-3 contains a clear plastic lens
in the front to protect the silvered reflector. The
reflector collects the light from the Luxeon III high
dome LED contained inside. The Luxeon III LEDs are basically
the same as the original Luxeon high dome LEDs except
they tend to be whiter and can handle more current.
The bezel can be easily opened at the front, although
this should never be necessary except to possibly dry
out the unit if water gets inside. These Luxeon LEDs
are essentially impervious to shock and have an extremely
long life so it should never need to be replaced.
Output from this light is in the form
of a nice smooth beam. There is a fairly large central
spot with a wide surround beam of soft light. This is,
in my opinion, is one of the best beam patterns for
all-around use. Beam color is a little yellow from white
which happens to give very good color rendition in the
red end of the spectrum and very realistic colors all
the way around. The beam is permanently focused, so
it is not adjustable.
Runtime Plot: A little shorter than the expected 2
hours...
Runtime
completed with Eveready alkaline AA batteries. More
information on runtime plots is available HERE
The switch is a "clickie" tailcap
switch. Press part way in for momentary use, push all
the way in until it clicks for constant on.
Ergonomics: The XM-3 is small and easy to carry in
the hand. No sharp edges. Activating the light is simple
and requires only one use to master.
For power the XM-3 takes two AA cells. That's right,
two commonly avaiable, easy to find, AA cells. This
is really nice for the user who doesn't want to spend
extra money on 123A cells for a Luxeon light. In addition,
this light is specifically designed to work well with
rechargables. In fact, I used a pair of Energizer NiMH
2300mAh cells in mine for the testing. Since it's regulated
for constant output, you won't notice a drop in light
output when using rechargables vs. alkalines. To install
the batteries, simply remove the tailcap and drop in
the AA cells positive first. Reattach the tailcap and
you are ready to go. These will run the light for about
2 hours with good output.
The entire light is sealed by O-rings to keep the interior
clean and dry.
What I Liked: Water resistant, Tough/impact
resistant, Good output, Easy battery change, Takes AA
cells, No bulbs to blow or replace.
What I Didn't Like: A little long.
Other Things I Noticed: Pocket clip is really
tight.
Conclusions: The Elektrolumens XM-3 is a very
solid, well built, very bright illumination device.
Great Luxeon III light that runs on common AA batteries
and has semi-regulated output. Not as bright as many
other Luxeon lights, but very economical to run.
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