JETBeam Jet 1M Guardian Flashlight Review
The JETBeam Jet 1M Guardian flashlight offers a few white modes along with red and green, and most unusually, can run one 18500! Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the JETBeam Jet 1M Guardian flashlight product page. That’s not actually the official page, but I can’t get the JETBeam link to work. Also, flashlightgo.com sent this light for the review!
Versions
There’s only one version of the JETBeam Jet 1M Guardian flashlight.
Price
The JETBeam Jet 1M Guardian flashlight sells for $82.99, and that includes the 18650 cell you see in this review. That’s a complete package, but you might also wish to pick up one 18500 cell for using the 1M Guardian in fun size! The JETBeam Jet 1M Guardian flashlight is available at flashlightgo.com.
Short Review
I expected to like the JETBeam Jet 1M Guardian flashlight, and I do. Could it be better? Yes! But mainly I wanted to test it because it offers 18500 support, putting it on a very short list of lights with this feature. I don’t love Cree XP-G3. Having red and green in the main mode cycle isn’t great. But just as a flashlight enthusiast, I can easily put all that aside and love the 1M Guardian…without really being able to explain why. One thing I do not love is that the 1M Guardian does not have low voltage protection.
Long Review
The Big Table
| JETBeam 1M Guardian Flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Cree XP-G3 (2) (Cool white) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $82.99 at flashlightgo.com |
| Cell: | 1×18650 |
| High Runtime Graph | Medium Runtime Graph |
| LVP? | No |
| Switch Type: | Mechanical |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | Micro-USB (on cell) |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | – |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1200 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 925 (77.1% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 3.5 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 115 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 177lux @ 4.575m = 3705cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 121.7 (105.8% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 6200-6800 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | flashlightgo.com |
| All my JETBeam reviews! | |
| JETBeam 1M Guardian | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Cree XP-G3 (2) (Cool white) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $82.99 |
| Cell: | 1×18500 |
| High Runtime Graph | Medium Runtime Graph |
| LVP? | |
| Switch Type: | Mechanical |
| On-Board Charging? | No |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1200 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 930 (77.5% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 3.5 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 115 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 165lux @ 4.696m = 3639cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 120.6 (104.9% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 6200-6800 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 Jet 1M Guardian flashlight
- JETBeam 2600mAh 18650
- Charging cable (USB to micro-USB)
- Lanyard
- Spare o-rings (2)
- Switch cover
- Hex driver
- Spare screws (2)
- Manual etc
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
How does the JETBeam Jet 1M Guardian flashlight achieve both 18650 and 18500 support, you might ask? Well it’s by this little extension, which you can see (installed) between the head and body. The extension is the part that has spiraling grooves.
The build quality here is very good, but that’s really no surprise at all from JETBeam. I’m usually impressed with the brand, and this light is no exception. One thing that seems like a bit of a questionable design choice is to have the switch boot cover protrude over the tailcap. This does prevent the 1M Guardian from tailstanding very easily.
With the extension removed, the 18500 size is very compact. I’ll mention 18500-specific aspects below, but primarily just check out this body size, and note how great it is. You might note similarities between this light and the Emisar D4V2, and I think you’d be right. I’m inclined to call the JETBeam Jet 1M Guardian a flashlight for people who don’t want to fool with Anduril or an e-switch or any number of things. Or maybe you (like me) cower in the face of the many choices a D4V2 can be purchased with, and need fewer options.
The JETBeam Jet 1M Guardian flashlight is really that. It offers multiple cell size support (but not 18350), and it has some non-white colors (but not RGB etc, just RG). And it comes with only Cree XP-G3.
Here you can have a better look at the extension. Sometimes I wonder why a light like the BOSS doesn’t have an extension like this, instead of using two very expensive separate bodies for one head to offer “multiple cell support” (which is really just completely separate flashlights). It’s because of the reason you can see below – extensions must add thickness (in diameter) to the body. On a light like this, it works great. This is a quad emitter light, though. On a triple (or single) emitter light, this extra girth would be unwelcome. (Of course, the Emisar D4V2 accomplishes the same thing in a different way – exchangeable cell tubes).
To go from 18650 to 18500 size, just remove this extension! It’s easy, but you’ll probably get thread lube on your fingers. I haven’t sorted out a good way around that.
Inside the cell tube is a spring. The head end does not have a spring though. That’s very usual for JETBeam lights.
Size and Comps
Length: 96mm (for 18650 size)
Head diameter: 27.5mm
Body diameter: 22.5mm
Weight: 75.8g (excluding 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 on the left is a new feature light!! Laulima Metal Craft sent this Todai in tumbled aluminum for some size comparison photos like the ones above. Laulima has a bunch of incredible items. I’ve tested one (the Laulima Metal Craft Hoku) (the official site for Hoku is here) that was a Friend Fund Friday review. I was impressed enough by that Hoku that I bought a Laulima Metal Craft Diamond Slim (also in tumbled aluminum) (review is upcoming!) These lights by Laulima have impeccable build quality and not only that, they’re quite configurable. There are some (great, actually) default configurations, but Joshua Dawson (of Laulima Metal Craft) is open to ideas and emitter options and the like. I haven’t reviewed this Todai, but I have to say, it feels absolutely fantastic and I love it thus far. (Notably, I love how warm and eggy those emitters look through the TIR.)
Retention and Carry
JETBeam uses a fairly standard screw-in pocket clip for the 1M Guardian. The clip attaches to the tail end and allows for only bezel-down carry. It’s a fairly thin and springy clip and does not really allow for super deep carry.
Also included is a lanyard. Because the pocket clip has holes, you could easily attach the lanyard there. But because it’s fairly thin, these holes in the tailcap are a much better choice. I think this ring is threaded and so is removable, but I could not budge it by hand.
Power and Runtime
The JETBeam Jet 1M Guardian flashlight is powered by a single lithium-ion cell. JETBeam includes an appropriate cell – a button top 18650. Broadly speaking, this is a standard 18650.
The cell goes into the light in the usual way – positive end toward the head of the light. The tailcap isn’t really removable, so you’ll install the cell from the head-end.
Here are runtimes for the top two modes, but for 18650 and 18500 both. Output for both is the same since a 18500 cell is generally just as capable as a 18650 cell. One thing that doesn’t please me all that much is that science (or technology, or whatever) hasn’t really focused on 18500 cells. As such, what we have is a fairly low energy-to-volume cell. For example, the one I tested with is around 1100mAh. A much smaller 18350 cell (15mm smaller, to be exact) is available in much higher capacities – at least up to 1400mAh. In very rough math, a 1400mAh 18350 offers 40mAh per mm, while this 1100mAh 18500 offers just 22mAh per mm. At comparable energy density, a high capacity 18500 might offer in the 2000mAh range. And at that capacity, it’d be worthwhile to consider, because you’d have better runtimes. According to a quick search, there are 2300mAh 18500 cells, so as long as you’re using one of those, this 18500 light makes perfect sense!
Charging
JETBeam didn’t put charging on the light itself, but the included cell does have a micro-USB port.
A USB to micro-USB cable is included.
Charging is fairly slow and takes around 4 hours. Of course, the cell can also be charged in a bay-style charger, and you have to remove the cell for charging anyway, so I’d call the on-cell charging fairly superfluous.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | 1200 | 2.9h | 930 | 3.13 |
| Medium | 260 | 6h | 246 | 0.55 |
| Low | 12 | 80h | 12 | 0.03 |
| Red | 140 | 4.2h | – | 0.68 |
| Green | 160 | 6.2h | – | 0.81 |
Pulse Width Modulation
The order below is as above – LMH then red then green. Nothing here is really PWM and isn’t really noticeable while using the JETBeam Jet 1M Guardian flashlight.
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
The JETBeam Jet 1M Guardian flashlight is controlled by a single mechanical switch.
It’s a tail switch, and as you can see below, protrudes just a bit over the tail cap shroud. For tactical applications, and with that metal shroud removed, that’s perfect! But for EDC purposes, that’s less than ideal.
The switch action is good, though, and there’s not much if any play between the switch cover and actual switch.
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click | On (Mode memory) |
| Off | Tap | Momentary on (mode memory) |
| Off | Repeated Tap | On in Mode memory, then mode advance |
| On | Tap | No change |
| On | Click | Off |
LED and Beam
While the JETBeam Jet 1M Guardian flashlight uses a standard quad TIR optic, the emitters are not all the same. There are two white emitters – both Cree XP-G3. Along with those are two color emitters: red and green. They’re both XP-E.
Also included is a glow gasket!
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
CCT and CRI are very “Cree XP-G3” – cool white and low CRI. Red and green are very red and very green, respectively!
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
- Supports a 18500 cell!
- Very simple user interface
- Both red and green are very bright (and quite throwy, really)
- The red is very red (probably photo red or deep red)
- Includes 18650
What I don’t like
- Cree XP-G3 – it’s too cool white, and a sort of crisp cool white that I just don’t like
- User interface. If it at least started in low, we could easily avoid the color modes as well as the strobe mode
- No low voltage protection
Notes
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