JETBeam M2S
Bought at BugOutGearUSA.com
JETBeam recently released the M2S, their latest and greatest high-powered searchlight. It is very similar to their M1X, with a few differences which will be the focus of this review.
For those who do not know, the JETBeam M1X was the first MC-E flashlight designed to throw, and continues to be one of the quad-core flashlights best suited for long range illumination. In the opinion of this reviewer, the build quality is also quite a bit above average.
Output
The key difference between the two flashlights is that the M2S runs a Luminus SST-50 LED at 4A, while the M1X runs a CREE MC-E LED at 2.8A. The M1X is rated at 700 emitter lumens and 450 out the front lumens, which the M2S bumps up to 1000 and 750. However, it can only run this high for 3 minutes before switching to 480 emitter lumens, and it cannot use smaller rechargeables like 16340s or 17500s. No word yet on 18500s, but 4A is well above the rule-of-thumb max current of 18500s, 3A. To help compensate for this, BugOutGearUSA is including the optional extender for free with all M2S purchases. The SST-50 LED also results in a smoother beam pattern, without any hint of a donut hole.
These flashlights are built to throw, so how do they perform? Very well, to say the least. And yes, the M2S does appear to throw much further, judging by 1 meter lux measurements.
| Lux at 1m | |
| M1X | 24900 |
| M2S | 34500 |
I also took ceiling bounce readings at 10 seconds. The numbers are accurate between flashlights; however, I noticed a fairly steep decline in the first few seconds, so the readings may still be above the level the flashlight stabilizes at. The JETBeams and Malkoff were using the same set of batteries, but the LX2 may have been slightly discharged.
| M2S | 19.7 |
| M1X | 12.8 |
| MD3 | 14.0 |
| LX2 | 4.7 |
Beamshots turned out to be harder than I expected - suddenly I have a new respect for people who post such perfect beamshots. I couldn't even manage to get the two lights pointing at exactly the same place... although my impatience may have had something to do with the century record snowfall on the east coast of the states.
M2S is second.
The results were not what I expected from comparing the beams indoors or the lux readings, and my verdict has been edited accordingly. Even on boost the M2S barely equals the M1X - I would actually say the M1X throws a tiny bit further. The discrepancy was caused by differing rates of divergence; the M2S's beam spreads out faster than the M1X's.
Interface
The M2S is designed to have a two mode, three level interface. With the head tightened it operates as a single mode flashlight, with its only mode being 1000 emitter lumens. After 3 minutes the flashlight will step down to 480 emitter lumens, but this can be overridden by turning the flashlight off then on again. With the head loose, the flashlight rotates through 480 emitter lumens, 80 emitter lumens, and a 1000 emitter lumen strobe when the flashlight is turned on within 1 second of being turned off; greater than that and it remembers the last mode it was used in.
Unfortunately, there seems to be a problem with my flashlight. Namely, the loose-head mode operates exactly the opposite of the description, rotating modes if left off for more than 1 second, and remembering if turned on within 1 second. This is a somewhat major defect, as it means that you are guaranteed to need to switch through two modes almost every time you turn on the flashlight with the head loose. I have contacted JETBeam to see what can be done about this.
Body
The flashlights are very similar aesthetically, with the main difference being additional heatsinking on the M2S. I will admit that I was a bit put off by the pictures; while it still looked great, it seemed to have broken the iconic design of the M1X. However, in person it is much more appealing - I like the short psuedo-head at the very top. I would say that the looks are different, but not necessarily worse, and definitely aid in heat dissipation, which is a big deal for high-powered flashlights like these.
It may be hard to see above, but the M1X's head is a bit deeper. Also, the M2S has ditched the two-part design of the M1X's reflector.
The bodies have a bit more difference than it apparent at first. The M1X is a three part flashlight: head, body, and tailcap. The M2S has four parts, including a light module containing the emitter and electronics. This is a good sign - it means that it will be easy and inexpensive to upgrade to newer technology as it becomes available. However, previous JETBeam models with LED modules have seen few if any updates, so we will have to wait and see if this is really an improvement.
At this point I must reveal that the M2S reviewed here is part of a non-standard limited run, or so I hope.
Verdict
While at first the M2S looks like a beefed up version of the M1X, there is good reason for JETBeam to continue making both. The new model provides a wider and smoother beam at the expense of throw per lumen, a loss which it makes up for with a blistering 750 lumen mode. However, while the M1X runs steady at 450 lumens, the M2S's 750 lumen mode is only a 3 minute boost, after which it actually runs dimmer than the M1X. Once the UI issues are resolved, I would say that the M2S is a less agressive, mainstream version of the M1X.
Update 3-7-2010: JETBeam has elected not to revise the light to fit the manual, but to revise the manual to fit the light. As such, I must conclude that the M2S is user-friendly only as a search light, and cannot be used primarily as a dimmer flashlight due to an impractical interface. There is a workaround to maintain mode memory - turning the flashlight on with the bezel tight then loosening it will switch to the last mode, and avoid scrolling through modes. However, this has the obvious issues of taking a few seconds and forcing the user to turn it on to 750 lumens first, potentially destroying night vision.