Jetbeam RRT-3 Flahlight Review

[Phrozin]

I will talk a little bit of my new flashlight,the Jetbeam RRT-3 that I bought on 2010-09-05 from Jacques van Onselen at Jetbeam South Africa.Their site: http://www.jetbeam.co.za/

I received the flashlight in good order and the packaging was sufficient to protect flashlight.
Here is some pics of my flashlight,box it came with,extra "O-rings",rubber button.
http://content.bump.co.za/UploadedIm...5%3A42%3A14+PM
http://content.bump.co.za/UploadedIm...5%3A42%3A12+PM

A little background of myself.I was a prison warder from '94 until '98 where I transferred to Saps and still serves.I've handled a lot of flashlights in the past from the maglites(incandescent to newer led drop-in) ,Xenon,HID's and the new range of leds.

There is a lot of different type of flashlight bulbs out there and each has or had their unique purpose so for the sake of the review I'm not gonna get involved in a wee wee contest in which is the best out there,but rather say why I chose this specific one for my needs.

Firstly this flashlight boast the newest LED namely the SST-50 (rated at 1200Lumens) here pic I took of bulb:
http://content.bump.co.za/UploadedIm...5%3A42%3A10+PM
The older bulbs was the "cree leds" and then came the newer SSC P7 (they did between 400-700 lumens depending on led driver and battery pack)
The only stronger led than this one is the SST-90 led that I know is in a Olight SR 90 Intimidater(rated at 2200lumens),but the sheer size of that is like a spotlight and I can't carry it for my day to day work(heavy and large). Link:
http://www.olightworld.com/product_show.asp?id=174

So the RRT-3 is thicker in diameter but shorter and I can carry it on my hip opposite to my firearm( I will give more detail on that below).

I run it with 3x 18650 Li-Ion cells and can vouch that on high i can do a hour and a half more or less,but must add it will definitely be less with inferior brands as I got 45 min on high with cheap imported batteries,I currently use Jetbeam brand and now get their rated time.

It has a ring dial to the front to let you choose your favourite setting of brightness,there is nine settings from low to high,strobe and beacon mode as well.You turn it off and on with the tactical button at the rear(the way I like it).There is also a pressure switch port on the tail-cap.
You can also get a carry handle as an extra,though I didn't take that option.

There is no current holster for the RRT-3 ,but I found a guy on www.candlepowerforums.com that had a similar problem and he bought a universal holster at http://www.batteryjunction.com/maunflbash17.html .I also bought me one as well and imported it(I paid R320.00-note that the price for vat,duty tax and shipping is the same price as the holster )
I will add a pic of the side as the site doesn't have one:
http://content.bump.co.za/UploadedIm...5%3A42%3A08+PM
This is a awesome holster as it can be adjusted just the way you want it and my RRT-3 fits snugly after my adjustments

Here is some beam shots and comparisons of the RRT-3 against other flashlights on this site,thanks goes to "BIBchen" as I don't have a nice camera:
http://www.messerforum.net/showthread.php?t=85150
I've done some tests myself and have to say at full strength it does give me the feel of a small spotlight but not the big size.I have to add that you will feel it getting quite warm after 15min,but this flashlight has a unique feature built into the LED-Driver and that is when it gets to warm it will set itself to a lower setting to protect itself from overheating the led driver.
I compared my RRT-3 with my friends,Wolf-eyes Boxer 10W-168R (I have to add that this is a HID flashlight rated at 550Lumens).Mine did outshine the Boxer HID,but as you will see it has a lower rated lumens bulb.The reason I did this comparison is that the size of the two flashlight was very similar.Here is link to Boxer review:
http://www.light-reviews.com/we_boxer/

I have used this flashlight more than 5 months now and the only problem I had is that when I received the flashlight it was not working due to a faulty tail-cap switch,which I wasn't surprised as I've read in different forums that there was a batch that came from factory with that symptoms.
Jacques en Chris was very professional and quick to replace it.They gave me top notch service and even gave me a extra battery for the trouble.Such service is rarely seen these days.Here is the link of a guy having similar problem(though Jetbeam remedied the problem in their future releases):
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...d.php?t=280967

Talking of above situation I have to add another reason for me going to Jetbeam was their exceptional warranty noted below:
Warranty commitments
1. 14 days free replacement: We will repair or replace a light within 14 days of purchase if it is afflicted with a manufacturing defect. If the problem of the returned light calls for a replacement, we will replace a same model for customers. If the model has been discontinued, customers will receive a product with similar or better performance.

2. 18 months free repair. We offer free repair within 18 months of purchase if problems developed from normal use. We will provide customers with free parts and repair service.

3. Lifetime limited warranty. After 18 months of free warranty service, JETBeam will provide lifetime limited warranty service. JETBeam will only charge the actual material cost, no additional labour cost.

If want to read more on that go here:
http://www.jet-beam.com/links/support/

The variable settings from high to low gives me the ability to use it in a lot of scenarios as follows:
1.Size makes it that I can carry it day 2 day
2.Strong beam on high lets me use it as search light( I work in rural areas)
3.Lower setting lets me use it for searching in doors(high reflects 2 much,blinds me then)
4.Uses strobe setting a lot on accident scenes and roadblocks,works awesome there.
5.Will add that on strobe and high it will blind a person temporarily and definitely disorientate a person,so good for house penetrations,did that often

I have to add as well that HID flashlights is extremely powerful,but it lacks the variable light settings on these new Led flashlights.So yes you will find stronger Hid flashlights but remember so far they only have one setting,which is "ON" and then it takes 15sec to get to full strength more or less.Leds doesn't have that drawback.

If you need more info and a very professional review where it was measured in every way then go read further here(thanks goes to "HKJ" for his comprehensive review):
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...d.php?t=278573

So my conclusion is that if you want a serious flashlight that will last you for years to come and need exceptional warranty and that will serve you in various situations then this is the flashlight for you.
Oh and I saved the shock for last....I had to fork out R4000 for this baby,but it's every penny worth it for me.If you need a flashlight to go to the bathroom at night then this is not the one for you.

The RRT stands for RAPID RESPONSE TACTICAL so yes this is for serious okes that needs serious light.Jetbeam has smaller and cheaper versions for those that wants only a basic decent light(with same warranty).

Just to clarify some differences between types of globes:
HID=High Intensity discharge-produces light by means of an electric arc between tungsten electrodes
LED=Light emitting Diode
Hope some of you find this review useful(and be gentle this is my first review,decided to do it because I was so impressed)

Jetbeam contact details in South Africa:
Chris Compton-James (Sales)
Cell: +27 (0)82 603 9277
Fax: 0866 110 668
sales@jetbeam.co.za
General Inquiries:
info@jetbeam.co.za

[Teufel Hund]

Thanx for the review Phrozin. Well done.

[Phrozin]

It's a pleasure and excuse my poor spelling for the thread topic,would appreciate it if a mod could fix it for me 'cause for the love of life I can't find the edit post function again.Damn what more proof to show how noob I'm at posting,lol
And for those that buy Magnum magazine there is also a review done by them this month;)

[ikor]

Very nice, well documented and thought out review, Phrozin. Thanks.

I could, I suppose, edit your spelling but I don't think it is all that bad...besides you should hear me murder Afrikaans We're not spelling nazis here...we're much more interested in the review and the product, and you did a very good job of that IMO.

As a retired cop myself (US) I'm curious if you also carry a smaller, 'get out of here' torch in case your big one goes out far from the vehicle? (We always did)

[Phrozin]

Thanks,Ikor;) ,Truth be told since last year I do carry a backup.I was on a accident scene in the wee early hours of the morning when my older SSC-P7 Led torch failed on me.It failed due to LED driver overheating.Well needless to say I looked like a fool(thinking what would've happened during a bust like house penetration gone bad).I did decide to buy myself the RRT-3 from Jetbeam as main flashlight and got this small "UltraFire A10B Cree R2-WC HA-III" as a backup. It's a small inexpensive little flashlight rated at 250 lumens and does real well,bonus is that it uses the same 18650 rechargeable Li-Ion battery.I imported it myself through "DealExtreme" link below:
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/ultrafi...-1-18650-29096
I was able to get the older SSC-P7 to function again by getting parts from DealExtreme(currently in my backpack that I take to work).Here link to my post on Candlepowerforums:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...d.php?t=287688
Awesome guys there at Candlepowerforums;)

[ikor]

When I first started as a cop, we used old 3 'D' cell Sportsman brand torches...thin aluminum, so dim you had to strike a match to see if the damned thing was on! If you hit a bad guy with one, the glass would go one way and the batteries fly out the other. (yes, readers, cops DO sometimes have to react to aggression with whatever is in their hands at the moment)

Later we got Streamlite 20's...rechargable and bright as all heck! Big and heavy, yes, but the difference was like...literally...night and day. Older Streamlight switches sucked so we went with the rechargable Mag Lights...lots of light but still huge. Then came the SureFires and now a flood of really nice eastern torches such as the one you have reviewed.

In the states, SureFire's attention to detail, standardization of thread patterns, switch assemblies, LEDs and such, plus their uber high quality and free replacement / repair for life guarantee, make it still the #1 choice, but we can easily get CR123 batteries here for just over R7 each in bulk.
My new favorite in SA is the Olight 20S Warrior...not as much light as your big torch but hella strong and rugged and priced right too IMO.

The guys at Candlepower forums are great, but just keep in mind they are mostly 'light nerds' who have no real idea how to correctly / best employ the lights they love in more tactical or SD settings.

Check out this old GS article and see what you think. Light / torch technology is progressing faster than working guys can afford to keep up!

http://www.gunsite.co.za/forums/show...actical-lights

[Pivo]

Phrozin, great review!

Why did you have to for out R4,000?

[DS]

Excellent review.

I am a big fan of LI-ion 18650 batteries and the lights that utilise them. Economy, run time, toughness.

[Phrozin]

@Pivo I paid R4000 'cause I took some extras like 6xLi-Ion 18650 batteries with 1x chargers (the rrt-3 uses 3 at a time).Thus I always have 3 fully charged batteries as backup.These batteries also has protective circuit to prevent over charging etc.

@Khumba tes;) me a big fan as well and all my flashlight is changed to the 18650 norm!

@Ikor, your article is well laid out and hits all the important aspects,thanks for link.I myself uses the "Harries" method and will advise it with the RRT-3 as well 'cause of the tactical rear switch and that the rrt-3 has a large diameter(though a person with small hands could suffer with this technique).In the end use the technique that benefits you the most.Liked what you mentioned about the part of too strong light that can reflect of surfaces and blind you.I noticed it first hand when entering a informal settlement home made out of corrugated iron and my flashlight was at 1200 lumens(blinded me as well) and then I had to turn it down to 150 lumens to search the place.

So most important thing to remember:Flashlight or firearm is only good as it's Master...So train..train,train with your equipment.Your life can hang in the balance in a blink of an eye;)
Thanks goes to Ikor for this link demonstrating different techniques: http://www.nrapublications.org/si/HB_handgun.html
I have to agree with Ikor the guys at Candlepowerforums is flashlight junkies and not always looking at a tactical point of view, but damn they do test them to the limits,hence their benchmarks very accurate.