JETBeam TH10R Tactical Flashlight Review
The JETBeam TH10R tactical flashlight has an interesting paddle switch “seesaw” around the mechanical clicky. Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the JETBeam TH10R tactical flashlight product page.
Versions
I believe there’s just one version of the JETBeam TH10R tactical flashlight.
Price
Flashlightgo.com has the JETBeam TH10R tactical flashlight for $79.99 right now!
Short Review
The TH10R by JETbeam is a solid flashlight offering the usual host of tactical features. The paddle switch that surrounds a mechanical switch is pretty neat. Output from this Cree XHP35 HD is very cool white, though.
Long Review
The Big Table
| JETBeam TH10R Tactical Flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Cree XHP35 HD |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $79.99 at FlashlightGo.com |
| Cell: | 1×18650 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | Both |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | – |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 2000 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1559 (78% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 6.7 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 260 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 407lux @ 5.605m = 12786cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 226.2 (87% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 7300-8500 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | flashlightgo.com |
| All my JETBeam reviews! | |
^ Measurement disclaimer: Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.
What’s Included
- JETBeam TH10R tactical flashlight
- JETBeam 3500mAh 18650
- Charging cable (USB to USB-C (with female USB-A powerbank port)
- Lanyard
- Nylon pouch
- Spare o-ring
- Manual
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The JETBeam TH10R tactical flashlight has a nice, solid feel but also has a good finish. Nothing is rough, and the anodizing feels high-quality.
Below you can see the threads on the tailcap. Despite being unanodized, they’re quite smooth. And check out that beefy spring in the tailcap!
The head has a spring too. Dual springs, perfect for a tactical light.
Size and Comps
Length: 131mm
Head Size: 27.5mm
Weight: 88g (Exclude Battery)
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo). If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that (usually in the fourth photo).
Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. Mine is a custom “baked” edition Nichia 219b triple. A very nice 18650 light!
Also above is the light beside my custom-engraved TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light. I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats.
Retention and Carry
A pocket clip is included with the JETBeam TH10R tactical flashlight, and it ships already attached.
It’s a friction-fit clip and attaches to the tail end. Despite not being a deep carry clip, the balance is fine because of the light’s length.
A lanyard is also included, and the main place to attach it is this hole in the tail.
A nylon carry pouch is included, too. The light can’t be used while in the pouch.
Power and Runtime
Included with the TH10R is a single 18650 cell. It’s a button-top cell, with a rated capacity of 3500mAh.
The cell goes into the light in the usual way – cell positive end toward the head of the light.
Below you can see three runtime tests. Output is below specification, but still fairly high for a single emitter light. Output on Medium is remarkably stable for many hours.
The light does exhibit low voltage protection.
Charging
Built into the head of the TH10R is a USB-C charging port. It’s covered with a press-in rubber boot.
An appropriate cable is included – it’s USB to USB-C. The cable has an out port built in as well – this is one way that the light can be used as a powerbank, but more on that below.
Near the charging port is a charge indicator – below you can see this lit in red, which indicates charging is ongoing. When charging is complete, this indicator turns green.
Charging (via USB or USB-C) is fairly quick, reaching nearly 2A, and completing in around 3 hours.
Powerbank
The USB-C port can be used to discharge the 18650 inside the TH10R. It can do this tin wo ways – by using the included cable and plugging a USB (A) cable into the female port. The TH10R can also be discharged (aka “used as a powerbank”) with C to C. Here’s a test of fully discharging the included 18650. First, a bit of a stress test – output voltage really drops on high output.
But at around 1A, the voltage will stay very steady and maybe a bit lower than the USB specification. Should work fine, though. That bit of blue at the end is nothing to fuss about. My logger was turning the powerbank on and off. Shut off voltage was around 3V; that’s good too.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 2000 | 2.5h | 1559 |
| High | 950 | 3h | 858 |
| Medium | 250 | 7.5h | 209 |
| Low | 40 | 26h | 40 |
Pulse Width Modulation
None of the modes use PWM.
Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor.
Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.
User Interface and Operation
Two switches operate the TH10R tactical flashlight. The main switch is a proud mechanical clicky right there in the center.
The switch is accessible from two sides, and plays at allowing tailstanding (but that doesn’t really work in my experience.) (Not that you’d really want to tailstand this light.)
The second option, and the option you’ll use for mode changes and accessing strobe and the like. This is what I (and most everyone) call a paddle switch.
The paddle switch is an e-switch and can be accessed from two sides.
The switch is a sort of seesaw – that is, it’s hinged in the middle but is one piece – because when you depress on one side, the other side rises.
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click mechanical switch | On (mode memory) |
| Off | Tap mechanical switch | Momentary mode memory |
| Off | Hold paddle switch | Momentary strobe |
| Off | Long hold paddle switch (>3s) | Steady strobe |
| Off | Tap paddle switch | Battery indicator^ |
| On | Click mechanical switch | Off |
| On | Tap paddle switch | Mode advance (LMH) |
| On | Hold paddle switch | Momentary strobe |
| On | Double click paddle switch | Turbo |
| Turbo or SOS | Tap paddle switch | Return to previous |
| On | Click paddle switch 3x | SOS |
^ Battery indicator flashes only in red, and works as follows:
Four flashes: >91% power
Three flashes: 50% power
Two flashes: 25% power
One flash: <10% power
LED and Beam
JETBeam has used a Cree XHP35 HD emitter. It’s coupled with an orange peel reflector.
The bezel has teeth, so light escapes when headstanding.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
There’s quite a bit of tint shift across the beam, which I think you can clearly see in the beam photos below. This CRI and CCT information represents nearly the center of the beam, which is the coolest part. CRI is in the low 70s, too.
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.
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.
I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Conclusion
What I like
- Complete package, including a high-capacity 18650
- Uses standard 18650
- Simple user interface
- Good for tactical duty (two beefy springs)
- USB-C charging (and C to C works fine)
What I don’t like
- Cool white beam
Notes
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