JETBeam M37 Max Tactical Flashlight Review
The JETBeam M37 Max tactical flashlight uses one Cree XHP70.3 HI emitter for great output and a unique three-switch interface for many possibilities. Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a tracking link to the JETBeam M37 Max tactical flashlight product page at flashlightgo.com.
Versions
There seems to be just one version of the JETBeam M37 Max tactical flashlight. This is at least the third iteration of this line, though. Also available are the JETBeam M37 Pro and JETBeam M37.
Price
The JETBeam M37 Max tactical flashlight sells on flashlightgo.com for $89.99. There’s an orange wand accessory available, too.
What’s Included
- JETBeam M37 Max tactical flashlight
- JETBeam 5100mAh 21700
- Lanyard
- Charging cable
- Spare o-rings (2)
- Tactical ring
- Manual etc.
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The JETBeam M37 Max tactical flashlight is familiar in build quality because of the other two versions (M37 and M37 Pro). Many of those features will be similar – the build quality, for example, is still great on this Max version!
These cooling fins are well-placed.
Both the head and tail have beefy springs.
The cell tube is fully removable but is not reversible.
Below you can see the inner sleeve – it’s thicker on this end to promote better contact to that ring on the head.
The bezel has three glass breaking balls.
Size and Comps
150mm x 41.5mm x 26.3mm and 234g (with battery and clip)
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here. If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that here too!
Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. The version below is a custom laser-engraved Convoy S2+ host by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full post on an engraved orange host right here! Or go straight to GadgetConnections.com to buy your Convoy S2+ now!
In the photo above, you may note that the SRM (standard reference material) flashlight for comparison has changed! I used a TorchLAB BOSS 35 for ages. Now what you can see as the 18350 SRM is the Hanko Machine Works Trident. While I have not reviewed or tested the Gunner Grip version seen here, I have tested a Hanko Machine Works Trident Total Tesseract in brass. I love the Trident, and it’s a striking contrast next to the inexpensive Convoy S2+, which also makes a great standard reference material.
Retention and Carry
JETBeam includes a pocket clip on the M37 Max tactical flashlight. This is surprisingly a friction-fit pocket clip, a bit of a downgrade from the collar-style on previous M37 versions.
A lanyard is also included. It’s most reasonable to attach it through one of the sets of two holes in the tailcap, but you could also attach it to the pocket clip.
A rubber tactical grip is included. It’s soft enough that (once you remove the pocket clip), you can remove it easily too.
Power and Runtime
Included with the JETBeam M37 Max tactical flashlight is a single 21700 cell. It’s a button-top cell, with a rated capacity of 5100mAh.
The cell goes into the light in the usual way – cell positive end toward the head of the light.
Below you can see a number of runtime tests. Output is very high, briefly, and steps down to a very stable output for “a while” on the three tested modes.
Surprisingly, the JETBeam M37 Max tactical flashlight does not exhibit low voltage protection. However, it’s a tactical light, so that’s forgivable.
Charging
The JETBeam M37 Max tactical flashlight has built-in charging.
A USB-C port is hidden behind this collar. It’s a very safe way to cover the charging port!
A USB to USB-C charging cable is included. It’s short! The charging cable also has features related to the powerbank capabilities of the JETBeam M37 Max tactical flashlight.
Charging looks great – the rate with A to C or C to C is around 2A and finishes in around 3.5 hours.
When charging, a little LED indicator near the charging port is red. When charging is complete, the indicator turns green.
Powerbank
The USB-C port is also stated to be powerbank-capable. With the cell having just 5100mAh, you won’t get much more than an emergency charge out of it.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 5000-1800-1200 | 1m+4m+2h37m | 3859 (0s) 3696 (30s) |
| High | 2200-800 | 5m+4h6m | 1726 (0s) 1710 (30s) |
| Medium | 400 | 8h48m | 324 |
| Low | 100 | 32h | 82 |
| Eco | 5 | 240h | 2.8 |
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
The JETBeam M37 Max tactical flashlight is controlled by three switches. One is a traditional mechanical switch (the same as previous M37’s) but there are now two e-switches, too!
The blue one is much like a traditional paddle switch, but is really just an e-switch (which is fine).
The three buttons are named in this way: the center mechanical switch is called the “Tactical Switch.” The blue “paddle” switch is called the “Function Switch.” And finally, the tiny little metal switch is called the “Lock button.”
There are also three groups on the JETBeam M37 Max tactical flashlight: Duty Mode, Daily Mode, and Tactical Mode.
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click Tactical Switch | Duty: Memory Daily: Memory (High or Low) Tactical: Memory (Turbo or strobe) |
| On | Click Function Switch | Duty: Mode advance (ascending direction) Daily: Mode advance (High > Low) Tactical: Mode advance (Turbo > Strobe) |
| Off | Press Function Switch | Strobe (Momentary) |
| Off | Hold Function Switch >3s | Strobe |
| On | Hold Function Switch >3s | Strobe |
| Strobe or SOS | Press Function Switch | Return to the previous mode |
| On | Double press Function Switch | SOS |
| Off^ | Hold Lock button >3s | Lock |
| Lock | Any button input | Battery indicator blinks orange (Yes, battery indicator, which will likely be closed under the screw-down collar.) |
| On | Hold Lock button >3s | Select mode group. Turn the light off with the Tactical Switch while it’s blinking in the group you want, as follows: Duty: Slow blink Daily: Medium blink Tactical: Fast blink |
^ The manual has this wrong. The light must be off to be locked. This also means you can’t use the lock feature to lock on a certain mode.
LED and Beam
The JETBeam M37 Max tactical flashlight has been upgraded with a Cree XHP70.3 HI emitter. This is a very high-output emitter!
The reflector is orange peel and plenty deep.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
CCT is as expected, quite cool, ranging from around 6100-6800K. CCT is also low, at around 70. Neither of those facts are ideal for an EDC light, but this is a tactical light!
CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) refers to the measurement of the color appearance of light, expressed in Kelvins (K), which indicates whether the light is warm (yellowish) or cool (bluish). A lower CCT (below 3000K) is considered warm light, while a higher CCT (above 5000K) gives cooler, bluish light.
CRI (Color Rendering Index) is a measure of how accurately a light source renders colors in comparison to natural sunlight. Scored on a scale from 0 to 100, higher CRI values indicate that colors appear more true to life and vibrant, similar to how they would look under the sun.
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
The JETBeam M37 Max tactical flashlight features a higher-output emitter than previous generations and three times the number of switches! The user interface is interesting, and with three mode groups, you can likely find what you want. That the light features a powerbank is a bit unusual, but at the very least, that won’t get in the way.
The Big Table
| JETBeam M37 Max tactical flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Cree XHP70.3 HI |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $89.99 |
| Cell: | 1×21700 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | No |
| Switch Type: | Both |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | – |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | “with cell: all modes without tailcap: no modes without cell: lowest 3 modes” |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 5000 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 3696 (73.9% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 13.57 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 450 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 1439lux @ 6.117m = 53844cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 464.1 (103.1% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 6100-6800 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 I like
- High output
- Versatile user interface
- Three switches
- Updated charging works well
- Great build quality
- Complete package
What I don’t like
- Brief high output
- Low CRI
- High CCT
Notes
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
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