Preface
I was pretty excited to get this light – it’s one I asked to review specifically. How many lights with built in charging can charge Li-ion and NiMH as well? I don’t know but here’s at least one. So I was interested to test it, and test it I did!
Official Specs and Features
Versions
I see exactly one version of this light; the one being reviewed here.
MSRP
The official price is somewhere in the low to mid $30 price range, but a common street price on this light is more like $15. Or at least with the coupon available here, it’s $15.
Short Review
A pretty cool little light, with versatile charging, and a UI that could be improved. This is a very good carrying light, too (small, comfortable).
Long Review
What’s Included
- JETBeam E10R
- Charge cable
- Lanyard
- Spare o-rings (2)
- Manual
- Other paperwork
Pictures
Here’s the full album, some beamshots, a runtime (14500 and AA included) and a chargetime (14500 and AA included).
Package and Manual
JETBeam packages this light in a blue box fairly normal to JETBeam. There’s a hangtag and a window to see the light. The box has the usual printed information including specs and features etc. And the usual GearBest sticker on the back (right over the features).
The manual is a very nice one. A long piece of paper with English on one side and Chinese on the other. It folds nicely in the middle for great ease-of-use. Just as the box is, the manual is thorough, and has some nice graphics to describe how to use the light.
Build Quality and Disassembly
Anyone who reads my reviews will probably know I’m a JETBeam fan. I can’t think of a light they make that I’ve handled, that I didn’t like. This one is well built in exactly the same way as the rest: they just feel great to use. From the anodizing, to the switch, to the threads – it’s all top notch.
The threads are square cut, and have an appropriate amount of lube. The anodizing is very smooth and just seems like a high quality anno. There’s a bit of knurling on the tailcap – the only place it needs to be – and removing the tailcap is easy
It’s possible to disassemble the light a bit. Since this light has built in charging in the head-end of the body tube, the body tube isn’t open-ended. This setup also means the light is a little long for a single AA light.
Size
As I said, it’s kind of long but quite narrow. It fits great in a pocket… even as a backup light (all my lights are backup lights now, since I carry the brass BOSS 100% of the time.) But the light carries very well. Disappears, even.
The official dimensions are 97.7mm x 19.1mm.
Retention
The pocket clip is JETBeam’s usual pocket clip; a pocket clip which I really like. The mouth on these clips seems to connect so well with where you’re aiming it, and the metal edges are rounded off smoothly (something I can’t say about the BOSS clip). The clip encircles the light and is installed just before the tailcap. The light also looks fine and normal with the clip removed, and works just fine.
Also included is a magnet in the tailcap. This isn’t a tremendously strong magnet; it will hold the light vertically (up or down) but will not hold the light horizontally.
There is a lanyard included, which connects on the tailcap, but could also connect in a couple of spots on the pocket clip.
Power
The E10R will work with AA cells (preferred) and also work with 14500 cells. Flat top or button top will work, and protected or unprotected will work too. In fact the E10R can even charge all those cells! (Yes, Li-Ion and NiMH both!)
I tested the E10R with a red Efest 14500. The runtime (uncooled) terminated at 2.61V (soft shutoff, about 10 lumens). The chargetime for the 14500 was started at this point. 14500 charging terminated at 4.16V.
I also tested the E10R with an Eneloop AA on High (cooled), which terminated at 1.096V. The chargetime was started at this point (and indicator was green while charging!). Charging terminated at 1.367V.
Here’s the runtime, which includes both cells. The output with a 14500 is quite a bit higher than the output with an Eneloop, the Eneloop giving only about 30% of the output. The 14500 drops off very quickly, but has a reasonable and very stable time at around 17% output.
Here are the chargetimes for the respective cells. Charging for the Eneloop (NiMH) worked but shows charging characteristics that are well beyond my expertise to explain. But I can research…. It seems that the E10R is pulse charging the Nickel cell The rests taken (shown in the graph) – the light is likely sampling the cell to check for a voltage drop. Once this value is appropriate, the charging is finished. A smart addition (and feasibly used here) is to add in a temperature monitoring system, to confirm that the cell isn’t getting hot, especially when nearing max capacity. The spreading out of the pulse charges late in the graph indicate this may in fact be done.
Charging of a 14500 Li-ion cell proceeds unceremoniously, and commonly.
Both of these cells seemed slightly under charged when finished charging in the E10R.
User Interface and Operation
There’s a single side clicky on the head of the light, and it’s a small metal switch. It’s an indicating switch, with three color possibilities, too: Red, blue, and green. Clicking the switch puts the light on in the last used mode. The modes cycle H>M>L. Double click gets strobe. There’s no lockout or anything else. To turn the light off, hold the switch until the light goes off.
I did find a (hidden?) lockout mode. Just hold the switch down for a few seconds. The light will begin flashing on low, and when the switch is released, the light is locked out. Hold again to unlock (light comes on in last used mode.)
The switch is actually quite small. Unfortunately the indicating isn’t used for anything except charging indication – there’s no beacon
The indicating of the switch works differently depending on what cell is in the light. When charging and AA NiMH cell, the red and green light both turn on, and when charging is complete, the green light goes off (yes, that’s right.) When charging a 14500 cell, only the red light is on during charging, and the blue light comes on when the cell is charged. I find that to be confusing, but there must be some compelling reason.
Modes
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lux | Measured Amps | Measured Output (lm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 4 | 100h | 75 | 0.011 | 3.15 |
| Mid | 46 | 9h | 857 | 0.102 | 36 |
| High (AA) | 190 | 30m | 3890 | 1.512 | 163 |
| High (14500) | 650 | 30m | 10600 | – | 445 |
LED and Beam
The emitter of choice in the E10R is the Cree XP-L HI. The tiny reflector is smooth, coaxing all the throw out of this emitter it can. The beam profiles is mostly hotspot as to be expected, with a small amount of spill.
Tint vs BLF-348
Beamshots, Runtime, and Lux Measurements
| JETBeam E10R | |
|---|---|
| Emitter | Cree XP-L HI |
| Emitter Notes | – |
| Cell | AA Eneloop |
| Runtime | AA Eneloop |
| Chargetime | AA Eneloop |
| Beamshots [0.3″, f/8, ISO 100, 5000k] | AA Eneloop |
| LVP? | Soft |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 650 |
| Lux (Measured) | 102 |
| At (m) | 4.111 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd | 1723.83 |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 83.04 |
| Throw (Claimed) (m) | 129 |
Random Comparisons and Competitive Options….
There’s really nothing else like this light. Even if you remove the most obscure feature (charging which includes NiMH charging), this light is rare….The next closest is probably the Klarus Mi7, which lacks on board charging, and is still almost as big as this E10R!
Conclusion
What I like
- Charging, particularly mixed chemistry charging
- Beam profile
- UI is very simple
- JETBeam pocket clips are great
What I don’t like
- All the indicating features are underutilized
- Charging terminates a little low
- Soft LVP only
Up Next
Next is the Imalent DT70. I have a bunch of work to do on it, and even though I’ve been slow lately, I may still be a while!! Sorry…. Been catching up on The Flash. Three episodes a night really takes up some free time!
Notes
- This light was provided by GearBest.com for review. I was not paid to write this review.
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.wordpress.com. Please visit there for the best experience!
- Whether or not I have a coupon for this light, I do have a bunch of coupons!! Have a look at my spreadsheet for those coupons.
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