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По умолчанию ReviewTheLight: XTAR R30 (USB Rechargeable)

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XTAR is an up-and-coming flashlight company that has made some impressive lights in the recent past, including lights that I previously reviewed, the S1 and TZ60. Now, XTAR has released a single-cell pocket rocket with a built-in USB charging port, the R30...


Thanks to XTAR for providing the R30 for review.


I’ll be reviewing the R30 in two sections: first, I’ll discuss the light objectively (the facts about the light itself), then I’ll discuss the light subjectively (my impressions about the light's performance when used for specific applications). If you have any other specific applications you'd like the light tested for, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

3-Minute Overview

Below is a video "quick review" you can watch in just a few minutes, if you're not up for reading the full review right now:



Прямая ссылка на видео YouTube


This video is available in 720p HD, but defaults to a lower quality. To select the playback quality click the settings button (looks like a gear) after you've started the video.


Objective

Manufacturer's Specifications

Price: $99 USD




Packaging




The R30 comes packaged in a hard black plastic case with two plastic latches, foam padded on the inside. Included in the case are all the light, accessories, and manual.

Construction



The R30 uses a single 18650 battery, and XTAR specifies NOT to use CR123 lithium or 1640 lithium-ion batteries, because they may damage the circuitry. This may be because of the integrated charging circuit, but I can't tell for sure.



The R30 uses a single XM-L U2 emitter, centered in an medium-sized orange-peel textured reflector. This means that the light is designed more for flood than throw, though the sheer amount of light coming out does make it throw farther than many lights this size.



Between the head and the body (the "neck"), is the side switch and charging port. The switch is marked with a power symbol, and the charging port cover is marked with the XTAR logo. Both are white rubber surrounded by a stainless steel ring. The charging port uses an included cable (round on one end, standard USB on the other). The switch also houses two indicator LEDs, a red and a green. When charging, the switch lights up red until the battery is full, then it lights green. When using the light, the switch lights red as the battery gets low, then flashes red as the battery gets very low.



Lower on the neck, one side has printed the XTAR logo and the other has the model number above what I guess to be a serial number.



Instead of the standard diamond knurling pattern, the R30 has several bands split into rectangles, covered by tiny grooves to give grip to the body.



The tail has no switch, but only a raised ring around a flat section to allow attachment of a lanyard while retaining the ability to tail stand.

Now, let's open it up!



The R30 comes apart into three pieces: head, body, and tail cap.



The head and tail both have large springs to make contact with the battery terminals, so the R30 can accept both flat and button-top cells, and cells of various lengths. The threads are square cut, so they work with a smooth motion and should stand up well to use. I did find some sort of residue on the threads to the head. That portion was very hard to open the first time, so it may have been some sort of threadlocker that I unknowingly broke the seal on
. Either way, you don't necessarily ever need to open the body if you are diligent to keep the battery charged using the built-in charging port.

Update 13 June 2013
: I've confirmed with XTAR that yes, those threads between the body and head are glued together, and thats why residue can be seen on the pictures above. So, don't be dumb like me and force it open at the head! I guess I'll have to be more careful with my strength in the future :shrug:

Dimensions




Accessories



The R30 comes packed in a hard plastic carrying case that includes all the accessories you need: charing port to USB cable, wall USB adapter, car USB adapter, holster, manual, and some spare parts.


User Interface

The R30 has four brightness levels (Low, Medium, High, and Turbo) and two flashy (Strobe and SOS), controlled by a single switch on the side.

A single press to the switch turns the light on in the last brightness mode you used. When the light is on, a single click advances to the next brightness mode in the sequence Low->Medium->High->Turbo. At any time, two quick clicks activates the Strobe mode. Two more clicks activates the SOS mode. To turn the light off, hold the switch down for a couple seconds.


Action Shots

You can click on any of these shots to see them full size.

Light in Hand



White Wall (Low, Medium, High, Turbo)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 1/20"


BeamSlice


MugShot


Indoor Shots (Low, Medium, High, Turbo)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 1"


Outdoor Shots (
Low, Medium, High, Turbo)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 2.5"


Long-Range Shots (
Turbo)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 5"



Performance

Submersion: I submersed the R30 under a foot of water for about an hour, turning the light on and off during that time, with the rubber cover securely in place in the charging port. After, the R30 showed no sign of water entering or damaging the light.

Heat: On Turbo mode, the R30 gets too hot to hold after about 10 minutes.

PWM: The R30 uses pulse width modulation to control the brightness of the High, Medium, and Low modes. I cannot detect PWM on Turbo mode.

Drop: I dropped the R30 from a height of about a meter onto various surfaces, including grass, carpet, packed dirt, and wood. There was no functional or cosmetic damage to the light.

Reverse Polarity Protection: XTAR claims the R30 uses reverse polarity protection. I inserted the battery backwards and tried to turn the light on, and nothing happened. I then corrected the orientation of the battery and attempted to turn the light on, and it turned on, showing no evidence of damage from the reversed polarity.

Over-Discharge Protection: The R30 has built-in low voltage indication, so when the battery gets low the red LED under the switch lights up, then begins to flash, to let you know it's time to recharge or replace the battery.


Spectral Analysis


All light that we see as white is actually made up of several different colors put together. The relative intensities of the different colors in the mix are what determine the tint of the white we see. For example, cool white LED's have a lot of blue, and warm white LED's have more red or yellow. This measurement was done on a home made spectrometer. The plot below the picture is corrected for the spectral sensitivity of the human eye. Note: the peak in the 900nm region doesn't really exist, it's a piece of the second-order spectrum that's showing up here because of the high intensity of the light source.

Output and Runtime


ANSI FL-1 runtime ratings are the time it takes for a light to fall to 10% of it's original output (counting from 30 seconds after turning the light on).

The vertical axis of the graphs below represents a relative brightness measurement using a home made light box. The horizontal axis is time in hours:minutes:seconds. Runtimes are stated in hours:minutes:seconds. These graphs may be truncated to show detail.

Mode Comparison


Turbo



High


Medium



Low Battery Indication

[video=youtube;9PqzPf-G70o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PqzPf-G70o[/video]

When the battery gets low, the red LED first lights up steady, then begins to flash when the voltage is very low.


Throwing Distance

ANSI FL-1 standard for stating a light's throwing distance is the distance at which the peak beam intensity (usually at the center of the beam) is 0.25 lux. I calculate throwing distance and candela (lux at 1 meter) by measuring peak beam intensity at five different distances and using the formula lux*distance^2=constant.

Peak Beam Intensity: 12,345cd
Throw Distance: 222m

Subjective Review

Quick break down:

+ High output
+ Sturdy construction
+ Attention to detail
+ Battery included
+ Charging port built in, still waterproof
+ Charging and low battery indicator
+ Simple user interface
+ Neutral-ish tint
+ Heat transfered to body well

- Easy to press charging port instead of switch
- Can't turn off quickly
- Regulation not quite flat
- Can't use any primary (non-rechargeable) batteries

I believe that with the R30, XTAR is starting to show a lot of maturity as a flashlight brand. This is one of those lights that shows not only attention to detail, but a good grasp on how those details should be done. The grooved rectangles instead of diamond knurling, the stainless steel ring, the tail design, the subtle heat dissipation fins on the head, the springs on either end of the battery tube; all these are things that aren't essential to correct operation but come together to make the light feel right. The light is not perfect, but holding it and using it gives the feeling that it's been made by people who know what they're doing when they make a flashlight.

So, not only is this a flashlight, but it's a sort of portable lighting system. With the included battery, built-in charging port, and included charging cable and adapters, you could buy this flashlight and be ready for full functionality even if you don't already own any other batteries, chargers, etc. The specialization of this light does come with a price--that you can't use CR123's if your battery dies--but I think it's worth it. If you're going to be in a situation where you won't get the opportunity to recharge the battery, you'll have to remember to have pre-charged 18650's ready to swap in. However, with the fact that it uses a USB cable, there aren't many places in the modern world that you won't be able to charge it. The choice of a specialized cylinder-shaped plug on the charging cable over the "standard" mini- or micro-USB does mean the cable isn't as easily replaced or backed up, but in my opinion it's worth it for the extra sturdiness and stability provided by this style of plug (those mini- and micro-USB plugs can be pretty loosey-goosey in my experience). In my testing, the charging system seemed to be a bit slower than my i4 Pro charger or my TR-001, but that would make sense if it charges at 1A like the markings on the light seem to indicate. This is a bit less current than the fastest in the "optimum" range (a 3100mAh battery could handle 1.5A no problem), but my guess is that USB protocol has some limiting factor. Either way, it does charge the battery nicely to approximately 4.2V reliably.

Let's touch on the side switch. Overall, I like the user interface of the R30. I know it's largely a matter of preference between the use of a rear and side switch, but I tend to like the feel of the side switch lights. On the R30, the one drawback is that the side switch can feel pretty similar to the charging port due to their similar placement and cover material, so at first I found myself trying to control the light by pressing that charging port cover. (It didn't work. :shrug The only other drawback I've found is that with the way the UI is set up, you can't turn the light off quickly, but you have to hold down the button for a few seconds. With an electronic switch that only recognizes a single position, you either have to have mode changes or turning off require a hold instead of a click, so there's not much that could be done about it, but it's just something worth noting. At least it doesn't require a few seconds to turn on.

As a quick note, my review sample was not marked in any way to indicate it as a "neutral" tint version, but to my eyes the tint was closer to neutral than to cool white, I'd guess around 4300K.

Overall, the R30 is a great light for someone with a hoard of high-end flashlights, or for someone who's looking for their first one. The built-in charger and low-voltage indication make it fairly easy to use the lithium ion (though I still recommend readying up on safety for them for first-timers), and the attention to detail is going to ensure you enjoy using it. With it's high output and slightly floody orientation, it's good indoors or outdoors up to mid-range distances. If this is what you're looking for, the R30 will not disappoint you.


Long Term Impressions
I'll fill this part in after carrying the light for a while. If nothing get's added here, either I find nothing else worth noting about the light, or I end up not using it often.
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