JETBeam E26-UV Kunai Flashlight Review
The JETBeam E26-UV Kunai flashlight has white, ultraviolet, and green laser output. It has a tactical tail switch, an e-switch, and a rotary selector. Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the JETBeam E26-UV Kunai flashlight product page at flashlightgo.com.
Versions
There are two versions of the light itself – this JETBeam E26-UV Kunai flashlight and a non-UV version. The non-UV version has two white emitters (in tandem) and offers a fifth mode and higher total output, too. Both have green lasers, and both are available in various body colors: Black, green, and orange.
Price
Flashlightgo.com has the JETBeam E26-UV Kunai flashlight listed for $86.99, and it’s available now.
What’s Included
- JETBeam E26-UV Kunai flashlight
- Charging cable
- Lanyard
- Manual etc
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
Build quality on the JETBeam E26-UV Kunai flashlight is good.
I have no complaints. The orange JETBeam achieves is fantastic, too!
I’ll note that this light is slim, but not on the small side – in size it’s on par with the Nitecore EDC27 Uhi Slim.
Size and Comps
131mm x 32mm x 16mm and 115g
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+. The version you see below is a custom Convoy S2+ host that’s been laser engraved by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full post on an engraved orange host right here! Or just go straight to GadgetConnections.com to buy your Convoy S2+ now!
Also above is the light beside a TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light. I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats. I also reviewed that specific edition, the “Oveready BOSS FT Collector Vintage Brass” 35. I love it!
Retention and Carry
A pocket clip ships already attached to the JETBeam E26-UV Kunai flashlight. The clip uses two TORX screws.
This doesn’t appear to be a standard clip hole spacing, so this light will not hold a steel flame clip or the like. (That’s just fine of course – the real reason you’d need to know this is that if you damaged your stock clip, you’ll likely have to source an OEM replacement from JETBeam.)
A lanyard is included, too. That lanyard attaches through this hole on the tail of the light.
Power and Runtime
JETBeam has put a 1700mAh LiPO in the E26-UV Kunai flashlight. I didn’t check the spec sheets but this seems like a fairly standard capacity battery for this genre of lights.
Output on this UV model is lower than on the dual-emitter option. The claim is 2000 lumens but I didn’t observe close to 2000 lumens even at startup.
Output is nice and flat after the predictable Turbo stepdown, though, which I do appreciate.
I wasn’t able to check the LiPO voltage but the light does shut off, probably with low voltage protection.
Beside the charge port is an indicator. This lights red, orange, or green both when charging and soon after the light is turned on. The indicators are as follows:
Green: 35-100%
Orange: 15-35%
Red: <15%
Charging
The charging port on the JETBeam E26-UV Kunai flashlight is an interesting type. It does not have a cover! Despite that, the light has an IPX-8 rating. It’s great to see these waterproof (coverless) USB-C ports in use on lights.
While charging, the indicator is red and when the charge cycle is complete, the indicator turns green.
JETBeam includes a USB to USB-C cable for charging.
A to C and C to C both work just fine and are quick enough, at around 1 hour. That tracks with the claimed capacity and charging rate of around 1.5A.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 2000 | 1.6h | 1416 (0s) 1327 (30s) |
| High | 700 | 1.7h | 570 (0s) 561 (30s) |
| Medium | 300 | 3.5h | 268 |
| Low | 15 | 65h | 13 |
Pulse Width Modulation
None of the modes use PWM! Yay!
For reference, here’s a baseline shot, with all the room lights off and almost nothing hitting the sensor. Also, here’s the light with the worst PWM I could find. I’m adding multiple timescales, comparing them to the test light will be easier. Unfortunately, the PWM on this light is so bad that it doesn’t even work with my normal scale, which is 50 microseconds (50us). 10ms. 5ms. 2ms. 1ms. 0.5ms. 0.2ms. In a display faster than 0.2ms or so, the on/off cycle is more than one screen, so it’d just (very incorrectly) look like a flat line. I wrote more about this Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight and explained a little about PWM.
User Interface and Operation
The JETBeam E26-UV Kunai flashlight has a few switches. First is this tactical tail switch.
Next, there’s an e-switch on the side. In the photo below, you can also see the third (and most important, probably) means of controlling the JETBeam E26-UV Kunai flashlight. That’s the selector dial surrounding the e-switch. There are four positions: locked, unlocked to white output, unlocked to UV output, and unlocked to green laser output.
Here’s a UI table! In lockout mode, none of the switches do anything. For the two non-white modes (that is, UV and laser), there’s just one mode. The e-switch still controls those, so you can turn those off and on (but that’s it). The tail switch controls only the white output. Ok now on to the table, which is mainly about the white output (unless specifically stated).
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Any | Click tail switch | Turbo (also turns off any UV or laser, if on) |
| Any | Hold tail switch | Turbo (momentary) (also turns off any UV or laser, if on) |
| Off | Double click (or hold) the tail switch | Strobe (or momentary strobe) (also turns off any UV or laser, if on) |
| Off | Hold e-switch | No action |
| Off | Click e-switch | On (Mode memory) |
| On | Hold e-switch | Mode advance |
| On (activated by e-switch) | Click e-switch | Off |
The tail switch more or less overrides all other functions of the light. That makes sense because of its tactical nature.
LED and Beam
Despite what the package, manual, and website say, this version of the JETBeam E26-UV Kunai flashlight uses a Luminus SFT-40 for the main emitter. In this case (the “UV” case) there’s just one white emitter.
Both white and UV have an orange peel reflector.
The bezel also has four ceramic glass-breaking balls embedded therein. Those beads also keep the front of the light off a surface, so some light can escape while headstanding.
JETBeam says this is a class IIIA laser.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
This version of the SFT-40 starts as fairly neutral but gets cool on the highest mode. CRI is low, and Duv is positive (except on turbo which basically feels like a “different category” of negative Duv.)
Beamshots
These beamshots are always with 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. These photos are taken around 18 inches from the door.
I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Summary and Conclusion
I feel silly gushing about the charging port, but I really do like not having to fool with a charging port cover. Sure, there are plenty of fine charge port covers… But since this one is waterproof and I’m not terribly likely to get a ton of dust in there, this is nice. The color is also great! JETBeam really nailed the orange here (probably better in person than the photos would indicate). This UV version could stand to have 5 white modes just like the non-UV. Lower would be fine. Even a middle mode somewhere would be fine. The tactical switch is something I haven’t seen in a slim/flat light like this before, and it seems well-implemented. So in total, this is a very interesting light that’s definitely worth considering!
The Big Table
| JETBeam E26-UV Kunai flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Luminus SFT-40 |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $86.99 |
| Cell: | Internal |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | ? (but almost certainly) |
| Switch Type: | Both |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | All modes |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 2000 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1327 (66.4% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 5.57 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 165 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 250lux @ 5.773m = 8332cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 182.6 (110.7% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 4800-5900 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 I like
- The body color!
- USB-C charging port without a cover is so much easier!
- Tactical switch is nicely implemented and fairly useful
- User interface is intuitive generally
- Rotary lockout works well
What I don’t like
- UV version has only 4 white modes (not 5 like the non-UV)
- Low CRI
- Trends toward cool white
- Battery is not easily replaceable
Notes
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