JETBeam JET-Ti M

Provided for review
by the kind folks at:

 
 
5 Stars
Excellent
         

Light Type: Cree XR-E
Light Class: Outdoor / Rough Use / Etc.

The Mark II is the next version of, and replaces, the original JET-I. Since the Mark II has so much in common with the original version, I am not going to repeat the entire review here. Instead, I invite you to please read the JET-I Review, and then apply the updates listed below. Consider this to be "chapter two" in the JetBeam JET-I story.

Quick Recap: The JET-Ti M is a limited run produced by JETBeam which is totally made of titanium from bezel to tail cap. The head of the JET-Ti M is protected by a smooth titanium bezel. It's not removable by hand, but can be unscrewed by means of a special tool available from some JETBeam dealers. Behind the bezel sits a sapphire crystal lens which provides good light transmission. A black rubber o-ring provides a seal between the lens and the smooth metal reflector. The reflector is not totally smooth though, as a small area towards the bottom has a slightly diffused surface finish. The alignment between reflector and LED sitting at the bottom seems to be perfectly centered. Externally the head is slightly tapered to the rear with an overall smooth and clean design. There are shallow scallops machined all around which seem to be mostly for aesthetics as they don't work well as an anti-roll feature. The threads are straight cut with right angled edges instead of the smoother, more common type with rounded edges. A rubber o-ring sits snugly just above the threads providing a good seal. Viewed from the rear we can see part of the PCB and the "+" contact for the battery. The "+" contact is raised, and as such both older flat-topped, and current button-topped 18650 cells can be used without problems

Body: Majority of the battery tube is machined with a bi-directional corkscrew knurling design, with a single flat face machined on where the branding is printed. It feels smooth when gripped around the battery tube, but provides good friction and grip length-wise. There's a hexagonal, nut-shaped design design at the front but it isn't meant to work as an anti-roll feature, more of a design choice for grip. Threads on the tail end, like those on the head, also have the square-cut design, they're smooth and cleanly cut. Another o-ring sits at the tail end for seal as well. The tail cap has a simple design as well with shallow flat faces which somewhat help with grip. There're two wide slots along the edge of the tail cap for lanyard attachments. The tension from the switch is average, clicking and tactile feedback is very positive, though the travel is slightly longer than average. The switch cap is made of titanium as well, it's smooth and sits recesses within the tail cap so the light can tail stand without problems. All surfaces on this light is bare uncoated titanium with a polished finish, I did notice some fine machining lines though not very obvious.

Output: The Hermes JET-Ti M provides a narrow, focused spot and has an almost perfectly white color temperature. There's a bright corona right around the hotspot and dark ring-shaped artifacts as common in most XR-E. Even though the bottom of the reflector cup is a little diffused, it doesn't seem to have helped much with smoothing out the beam profile. The JET-Ti M can be powered by a wide range of battery types including 16340, 18650 and CR123 cells. The color temperature leans slightly towards the cool side, though not by much.

The light can work as a simple high/low interface by either tightening or loosening the head, and it also provides programmable functionality. When the head is in the tightened position, output is set fixed at maximum brightness. The loosened head position can be programmed to any brightness level or strobe/S.O.S. function. By tapping (half-pressing) the switch twice and holding on the third tap, the light goes into the settings menu.

Activating brightness ramping.
The ramping always starts from minimum brightness, up to maximum brightness. As a reminder, the light blinks twice at minimum brightness, twice again at 50% brightness, and thrice at maximum brightness. When the 100% brightness level is reached, it cycles back from minimum brightness. Switch off the light for at least 2 seconds at the desired brightness levels and it will be set. No effects of PWM was noticeable even at the lowest brightness level. There was also no high frequency noise.

Activating strobe modes selection.
While in the brightness ramping mode, tap the switch once. The light will cycle through all the available strobe modes in the following order. As with the brightness ramping, the sequence is cyclical. Switch off the light for at least 2 seconds at the desired strobe mode. Switch off the light for at least 2 seconds at the desired brightness levels and it will be set.

Ramps from 1Hz to 15Hz > Beacon > Double Blink > 100% S.O.S. > 5% S.O.S.

Reset settings.
While in the Strobe selection mode, tap the switch once. The light will turn off although the switch is clicked on. Now, turn off the light for at least 2 seconds.

The electronics and driver used in the JET-Ti M does very well in regulating with all battery types supported. Runtime is also good for the amount of output provided.

Photo Gallery:

In package Body
Head front Head rear
Head side Switch side
Switch front Switch rear


Quick Facts Table:

Item Reviewed.......................... JETBeam JET-Ti M
Review Date ............................. January 2009
Case Material ........................... Type III anodized aluminum
Case Features .......................... Glow in the dark tailcap/bezel, lanyard attachment point, colored switch covers
Case Access Type .................... Unscrew head or talicap
Switch Type ............................. "Reverse" clickie
Reflector Type ......................... Textured aluminum
Lens Type ................................ AR coated sapphire window
Bulb Type ................................. Cree XR-E
Beam Type ............................... Narrow Spot
Beam Characteristics ............... Smooth; visible spot, corona, and spillbeam
Throw (Lux) at 1m (click for description) See chart above
Overall Output (click for description) See chart above
Battery / Power Type................ 1x 18650
2x 16340
2 CR123
Battery Life (test results) ........... See charts above
Environmental Protection ......... Double O-ring seals, rubber switch cap, dunkable
Weight (oz.) with batteries ....... 6.603 oz
7.767 oz with 2x CR123
7.859 oz with 2x 16340
8.226 oz with 1x 18650
Special Items of Note ............... Lanyard, sheath, switch caps included.
Warranty ..................................  
Retail Cost ................................ $240.00 US at time of review at Emilion's Workbench
content, test data and images of this page were referred by light-reviews.com

 

 
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