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Packaging
Comes packed in an aluminum box with foam inlays keeping the flashlight and accessories in place.

Contents
1x JETBeam JET-Ti M
1x Lanyard with clip
2x Spare rubber o-rings

Construction

The JET-Ti M is a limited run produced by JETBeam which is totally made of titanium from bezel to tail cap. The head of the JET-Ti M is protected by a smooth titanium bezel. It's not removable by hand, but can be unscrewed by means of a special tool available from some JETBeam dealers. Behind the bezel sits a sapphire crystal lens which provides good light transmission. A black rubber o-ring provides a seal between the lens and the smooth metal reflector. The reflector is not totally smooth though, as a small area towards the bottom has a slightly diffused surface finish. The alignment between reflector and LED sitting at the bottom seems to be perfectly centered. Externally the head is slightly tapered to the rear with an overall smooth and clean design. There are shallow scallops machined all around which seem to be mostly for aesthetics as they don't work well as an anti-roll feature. The threads are straight cut with right angled edges instead of the smoother, more common type with rounded edges. A rubber o-ring sits snugly just above the threads providing a good seal. Viewed from the rear we can see part of the PCB and the "+" contact for the battery. The "+" contact is raised, and as such both older flat-topped, and current button-topped 18650 cells can be used without problems.

Majority of the battery tube is machined with a bi-directional corkscrew knurling design, with a single flat face machined on where the branding is printed. It feels smooth when gripped around the battery tube, but provides good friction and grip length-wise. There's a hexagonal, nut-shaped design design at the front but it isn't meant to work as an anti-roll feature, more of a design choice for grip. Threads on the tail end, like those on the head, also have the square-cut design, they're smooth and cleanly cut. Another o-ring sits at the tail end for seal as well. The tail cap has a simple design as well with shallow flat faces which somewhat help with grip. There're two wide slots along the edge of the tail cap for lanyard attachments. The tension from the switch is average, clicking and tactile feedback is very positive, though the travel is slightly longer than average. The switch cap is made of titanium as well, it's smooth and sits recesses within the tail cap so the light can tail stand without problems. All surfaces on this light is bare uncoated titanium with a polished finish, I did notice some fine machining lines though not very obvious.

If you're unfamiliar with any of the terms used in this review, click here for explanations on common flashlight related vocabulary.


Output

The Hermes JET-Ti M provides a narrow, focused spot and has an almost perfectly white color temperature. There's a bright corona right around the hotspot and dark ring-shaped artifacts as common in most XR-E. Even though the bottom of the reflector cup is a little diffused, it doesn't seem to have helped much with smoothing out the beam profile. The JET-Ti M can be powered by a wide range of battery types including 16340, 18650 and CR123 cells. The color temperature leans slightly towards the cool side, though not by much.

The light can work as a simple high/low interface by either tightening or loosening the head, and it also provides programmable functionality. When the head is in the tightened position, output is set fixed at maximum brightness. The loosened head position can be programmed to any brightness level or strobe/S.O.S. function. By tapping (half-pressing) the switch twice and holding on the third tap, the light goes into the settings menu.

Activating brightness ramping.
The ramping always starts from minimum brightness, up to maximum brightness. As a reminder, the light blinks twice at minimum brightness, twice again at 50% brightness, and thrice at maximum brightness. When the 100% brightness level is reached, it cycles back from minimum brightness. Switch off the light for at least 2 seconds at the desired brightness levels and it will be set. No effects of PWM was noticeable even at the lowest brightness level. There was also no high frequency noise.

Activating strobe modes selection.
While in the brightness ramping mode, tap the switch once. The light will cycle through all the available strobe modes in the following order. As with the brightness ramping, the sequence is cyclical. Switch off the light for at least 2 seconds at the desired strobe mode. Switch off the light for at least 2 seconds at the desired brightness levels and it will be set.

Ramps from 1Hz to 15Hz > Beacon > Double Blink > 100% S.O.S. > 5% S.O.S.

Reset settings.
While in the Strobe selection mode, tap the switch once. The light will turn off although the switch is clicked on. Now, turn off the light for at least 2 seconds.

The electronics and driver used in the JET-Ti M does very well in regulating with all battery types supported. Runtime is also good for the amount of output provided.


Conclusion

The Good - Very good fit and finish. Comfortable ergonomics. Complete titanium construction provides improved durability and corrosion resistance. Very good runtime and regulation on all battery configurations.

The Bad - Higher cost due to the use of titanium.

The Relative - Slightly cool color temperature. Is able to tail stand. Uses a forward push button switch. Smooth polished surface.


Gallery (in order of assembly)

Head (front view)

Head (side view).

Head (rear view).

Battery tube (front view).

Battery tube (side view).

Battery tube (rear view).

Tail cap (front view).

Tail cap (side view).

Tail cap (rear view).


JETBeam JET-Ti M
January 25, 2009
Overall
7.8

Construction
    9.0
Output
    8.5
Value
    6.0

Availability
jetbeamasia@gmail.com
Beam Profile
Narrow Spot
Coating
Type 3 Anodizing
Cost
$240
Dimensions
13cm long
3.2cm at widest Ø
Lens
Sapphire Crystal
Light Source
Cree XR-E
Output
1x 18650 2200mAh AW Protected
Max Spot 8460 Lux
Max Spill 151 Lux
Default Low Spot 137 Lux
Default Low Spill 2 Lux
Min Spot 6 Lux
Min Spill <1 Lux
2x 16340 750mAh AW Protected
Max Spot 8460 Lux
Max Spill 151 Lux
Default Low Spot 518 Lux
Default Low Spill 9 Lux
Min Spot 27 Lux
Min Spill <1 Lux
2x CR123 1500mAh e²
Max Spot 8470 Lux
Max Spill 151 Lux
Default Low Spot 348 Lux
Default Low Spill 6 Lux
Min Spot 18 Lux
Min Spill <1 Lux
Power
1x 18650
2x 16340
2x CR123
Reflector
Textured Aluminum
Runtime
1x 18650 2200mAh AW Protected
Max 02:28 to 50%
2x 16340 750mAh AW Protected
Max 01:07 to 50%
2x CR123 1500mAh e²
Max 02:35 to 50%
Switch
Forward Push Button
Weight
187.2g
220.2g with 2x CR123
222.8g with 2x 16340
233.2g with 1x 18650