JETBeam JET-I MK Flashlight Review

The JETBeam JET-I MK flashlight runs one AAA and has a twisty interface. The emitter is a Cree XP-G2. Read on for more thoughts and testing!

JETBeam JET – I MK Official Specs

Here’s a link to the JETBeam JET-I MK flashlight product page.

Small size, convenient for everyday carry, special design for hiking, camping, fixing, and emergency use
Three bright models with memory function, max output to 480 lumens
Max beam distance to 130 meters, max 4200cd
Effective power management circuit, max working time to 100 hours
Battery revised protection function
Waterproof levels to IPX8 (underwater 2 meters)
1-meter impact-resistant

JetBEAM	JET-I MK
LED	Cree XP-G2
Max output	480 lumen
Glass	Toughened ultra-clear mineral glass
Body material	aircraft aluminum alloy
Surface anodise	militarty hard III anodise
Battery	1 AA battery

The above section contains the manufacturer’s descriptions and claims, not my impressions or results.

Short Review

Everything an AA twisty should be! Great features, especially for this (low) price range.

Long Review

What’s Included

JET-1 MK Flashlight
Spare O-Ring
User manual
Lanyard

Quality, Build, and Disassembly

A very well-built light, especially considering the price. The light has a spring on just the tail-end, and an unsprung brass button on the head. Still, batteries are held securely length-wise, and only very minimal side rattle. The square-cut anodized threads are very smooth and come well-lubed.

Package and Manual

The package is just an easy-open blister pack, with a GearBest sticker on the back. Easy to open and very useful – I prefer cardboard for ease of recycling, though. But this would be good for store displays and such.

The manual is one long glossy sheet of paper, with English on one side and Chinese on the other.

Power and Runtime

Just like the Klarus Mi7 I just reviewed, the JETBeam JET-I MK works with AA and 14500. I wasn’t able to find a “working voltage” listing, but the manual states “3.7V Li-ion” is “Usable”. Ni-MH gets a “Recommended” status, though. But Ni-MH, Alkaline, Lithium primary, and Li-Ion all work.

High with an AA is only rated at 150 lumens, however. A 14500 is required to hit the rated 480 lumens.

Runtime Graph on high, with an Eneloop AA, and an EVVA 14500 (thank you /u/tebeve!!). Output is relative, based on the meter I used – the AA read a starting value of 4118, while the 14500 starting value was 13216. Conditions were the same, so I took those as comparable values (and to the eye, it did look significantly different). So while the 14500 is much brighter, it also lasts much less time.

This suggests that the light is regulated with an AA and unregulated with the 14500. Which is to say, that with a 14500, the light becomes basically a direct drive light. Thanks to /u/parametrek for that info!

User Interface and Operation

Twist for on. This has the “good” kind of twisty – it’s not ramping: It requires that you twist the light off to change modes. I have never had a ramping user interface that I liked, particularly the quantum tunneling variety. This kind is just fine for me, provided the threads stay clean and well-lubed.

The knurling on the head also provides great grip for one-hand operation.

The way I read the manual, the light is supposed to revert to Low after… [doesn’t say!]. That’s what I’d want – I never want to get high unless I mean to… er wait a second… anyway. I want to trust a light, and not have to remember what I left it on. But this light seems to – even after long delays – come on in the previous mode (or even in the next higher mode). Either way, I’ve found it frustrating, and that’s really my single complaint with the light.

LED and Beam

The emitter is a Cree XP-G2. Works very well in this little light, and coupled with the smooth reflector gives a nicely shaped beam (see below).

Beamshots

These beamshots always have the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level, and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away.

AA:

A mostly black image with a faint, slightly illuminated center. Text on the left side reads zeroair @ r/flashlight in vertical orientation.

A circular, white light beam with a soft glow in the center fades outward on a dark background. The text zeroair @ r/flashlight appears vertically on the left side of the image.

A circular white beam of light is centered on a dark background, with a gradient transitioning from bright in the middle to dimmer at the edges. Text along the left side reads zeroair @ r/flashlight.

14500:

A dim, circular beam of light is visible in the center of a dark background. The text zeroair @ r/flashlight is written vertically along the left side of the image.

A bright white circular light beam is shown on a dark background. The light is strongest in the center and fades toward the edges. The text zeroair @ r/flashlight appears vertically on the left side.

A bright white circular light appears in the center of a dark background, creating a halo effect. The text zeroair @ r/flashlight is vertically aligned on the left side of the image.

Retention

Comes with a pocket clip installed, but is easily removable. Comes with a lanyard in the package. Comes with a tripod screw thread on the tail end. I love that feature… I have a little Gorillapod; those will be great for use together! It’s not a magnet, but it’s still quite versatile. (In some cases, maybe even better than a magnet!) Here you can see where the pocket clip attaches – just on the tail end. (No emitter-up option.)

The lanyard holes are very easy to access – the “fins” of the tripod screw threads allow such. The holes are also big and serve to get the lanyard installed very easily.

And even though the flat tail area is small, the light will tailstand.

Size

Rated at 19.5mm x 83.2mm, and that’s what I measured too. I like the size for an AA light. A great length, and the girth is about right, too. If you happen to see some pro-product images that are out there, be aware that these are not to scale! :roll eyes: I am not sure why they chose to do that, but it’d be nice if the AA was to scale, like this right here.

Here’s the light on a dollar bill, for a good sense of scale.

Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)

I keep the test flashlight on the left and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right.

Nothing else right now!

Summary

Great AA flashlight with multiple ways to carry and use. One of the highest quality most useful, sub $15 lights I have seen.

Pros

Tripod Screw mount!
The good kind of twisty UI
Good runtimes with an AA
Respectable output with AA
Very nice pocket clip

Cons and Conundrums

No strobe
No magnet

Final Thoughts

I really like this light, and I’m glad I have it in my arsenal. It looks nice, and the performance on commonly available AA batteries is great. The user interface is to my taste, and it rides very comfortably in a pants pocket. I recommend this one!

Parting Shot

Just a few lights.

Notes

This light was provided by Gearbest for review. I was not paid for this review.
This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
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