Beta QR Pass-Around
Prometheus/Dark Sucks Beta QR Brass/Nickle Plated with GP Recyko NIMH AAA cells review.
I have the V1 of the Nickle Plated Beta QR and the first release of the Copper V2 with the new patented QR mechanism.
What I had:
What I received in the mail:
Like many before me, I was impressed by the Quality Control of Jason Hui. Besides owning earlier versions of the lights, I have been able to physically compare my lights to those owned by friends. Each and every light seems flawless. I was excited to receive the passaround package, and I must admit, my high expectations were not disappointed. The threads on the Brass Beta are flawless. I had just recently purchased a Brass Pen from Massdrop and a Brass Cache XL from County Comm. The triad in Brass is awesome.
Add a couple more tiny Brass lights for backup..
A Brass kind of carry day, olive wood pen & toothpick holder created by yours truly...
The lights "claim to fame" originally was it's Quick Release (QR) mechanism. The point of the quick release mechanism was that you could always have your light wherever you need it(being on the keychain, it follows you but with the ability to detach it at a moments notice for use outside of your vehicle. Now there is even a pocket clip that uses the new QR mechanism(more on that later). The original QR mechanism worked just fine, but it did add some length to the light. You can see the difference in the length of the first generation and the second:
The new mechanism adds less length and feels even more secure. The patented spring that makes this possible is seen here:
I was really excited to see on the Prometheus web site that Jason has created a pocket clip with a Brass end button that lets you carry it in your pocket and still tail stand without a problem.
(Photo from Prometheus/Dark Sucks website).
The Nichia 219 seems even warmer than the original. The beam is smooth with a good combination of hotspot and spill.
The Nickel Plated version is also an example of outstanding quality control and attention to detail. I have a titanium battery tube from MBI that houses my backup battery and works with the Nickel finish, shown with the previous mentioned Brass Cache XL:
I am a fanatic for always having a spare cell for whatever lights I carry-I even have plastic adapters that allow me to use my AAA cells in any AA lights in an emergency.
A big part of this passaround package is the NIMH cells & charger from GP Recyko.
The pass around rules require the use of these cells. I will confess I forgot about this and promptly dropped in Eneloop Plus, so that the new lights would have the same cells as my existing Beta QR's. I have to admit that for any of my lights that can't handle 10440's gets fed Eneloops. The downside of the eneloops on a AAA light is that if used on high too long the temp will cause the battery to turn off. Supposedly the new cells handle the heat better, but the Beta's handle heat so well I never reached a thermal shutdown on either battery in any of the lights.
Once I realized the error of my enelooping ways, I changed to the Recyko's, and begrudgingly have to admit they are pretty impressive. The charger did not look all that impressive, but just like it's eneloop charging counterpart, it does its job & actually does it well.
I was not expecting much from the NIMH cells, having long ago fallen in love with Eneloops(all 40 or 50 of them that I have). The packaging was not all that impressive and reminded me of products I have purchased in the past with "added value" of free batteries and charger, usually with some kind of ****fire name. Instead, I found the cells actually matched or exceeded what my precious Eneloops Plus achieved. Once more reminding me of the old adage "Never judge a book by it's cover"...
I figure I will let someone else do the routine beamshots, I thought I would be a little different & grab a handful of triple A lights, put Eneloops in all of them and line them up(note:I used eneloops because I had the ability to use all of the same eneloops cells with the same charge level in all 14 lights). I only received 5 Recyko's, and did not want any light to have an advantage(if any was possible) by one cell or the other.
On low for two mode lights/medium of three mode:
Medium:
High:
In cases of lights with only "hi" and "low" settings, I used low in comparison with "medium" of lights with 3 settings. Although I use moonlight quite a bit, since the Beta's did not have a moonlight setting, I left it out of the shots. The lights from left to right are:
Beta QR V1 Nickel
Beta QR V2 Nickel
Beta QR V2 Copper
New Beta QR V2 Brass
Lumintop Tool, Copper, XP-G2
Lumintop Tool, HA-III, XP-G2
Astrolux A01, Copper, Nichia 219b
L3 Illumination, L08, Nichia 219b
Maratac AAA V3, Nichia 219
Fenix E05, stainless steel, XP-E2
PKDL PL2 Rainbow TI XP-G
Eagtac D25AAA, Nichia219
Surefire Titan Plus
Fenix E99, Ti, XP-E2
Now just the four Beta QR's on high:
Thanks to Jason at Prometheus/Dark Sucks for providing the pass around package. Thanks to Got Lumens for taking the time and effort to host & coordinate this pass around. I was bit by the Copper bug a year ago and then just recently fell in love with Brass. I like the weight, the patina and durability of both copper & Brass. Having seen companies start small, have great products, become successful and all of the sudden Quality Control goes down the tubes and the once durable, dependable products become much less so on all counts. Lucky for us, Prometheus/Dark Sucks is taking the necessary time, effort and money to ensure every product retains the same quality and dependability from their very first product made to the most recent one. Having CPF members, from all walks of life, participate in the pass arounds gives each member the opportunity to voice their likes and dislikes. This encourages discussion and in the end educates us all. I will package up the goodies and ship it out to sgt253 in the next 24 to 48 hours. Sorry I was a little slow on getting my opinions posted, as I had to have another procedure on my back...Such is life when you will do anything to keep walking, hiking and finding ways to stay out in the wilderness after dark so you can play with your toys...(ahem, excuse me, to evaluate the high tech offerings in the endeavor to determine the best choice of illumination for a variety of scenarios)...