REVIEW: Klarus XT2CR Dual-Switch Rechargeable Tactical Flashlight

Bdm82

Flashlight Enthusiast
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May 27, 2016
Messages
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Location
Illinois
The XT2CR is the newest release from Klarus. It's built to achieve 1600 lumens and provide a combination of tactical and outdoor modes using a dual tail switch design. It features the Cree XHP35 HD E4 LED and a runtime between 1.2 and 200 hours.
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Here is a summary of the XT2CR as tested, for those not inclined to read the full review:
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Skip to the commentary section at bottom to read my subjective notes.


Disclaimer: This light was provided free of charge by Klarus for review.



Unboxing

The XT2CR is packaged in bright red, black, and white retail box. The box material itself isn't anything atypical, but the design does have a premium look.

The box front has a sticker noting "Battery Included" in addition to the Klarus logo and XT2CR model information and three-quarter profile picture.
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Klarus identifies this light as a "Compact super-bright Dual-switch Rechargeable Tactical Flashlight"; this is branded on the front as well as one side of the box.
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The other side has the XT2CR's specifications.
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The back of the box explains some of the features and provides a chart of the specifications by mode. Most manufacturers only provide beam intensity and throw distance numbers for peak output mode; it's noteworthy that Klarurs provides them for all modes.
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Inside the box, a plastic tray holds the XT2CR and holster side-by-side. A warning tag is attached to the pocket clip to remind owners to remove the plastic insulator on the battery before use. The charging cable, lanyard, and spare o-ring are tucked inside the holster with the manual underneath.
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All included contents:
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The manual is English on one side and Chinese on the other. The XT2CR has quite a few features and two separate operation modes, so the comprehensive manual is welcome.

It is available here:


Design

The XT2CR is a compact single 18650 flashlight. The light measures 139 mm long, 25.4 mm at the body, and has a weight of 87 g. This is slightly longer and heavier than some similar lights; this is a consequence of the built-in recharging feature.

Here is the XT2CR alongside other single 18650 flashlights.
L to R: Nitecore TM03, Nitecore P16TAC, Zanflare F1, Klarus XT2CR, Convoy S2+, ThorFire VG-15S, Nitecore Concept 1.
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One side of the light has the Klarus name, model information, and serial number on the body tube. Near the head is a backlit battery indicator in the design of the Klarus logo. This indicator will illuminate when the light is first powered on. Green indicates >70% charge, orange for 30-70%, red for <30%, and flashing red for <10% capacity remaining. Cooling fins are small and low-profile. Knurling is not aggressive and the HA III is defect free.
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The non-reversible pocket clip is designed for head-down carry only. It is very strong; both removing and using the clip requires significant force.
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Opposite of the battery indicator is the micro USB charge port. The port is covered by a tight-fitting rubber flap with a double gasket design. It is one of the most confidence inspiring charge covers I've tested; the connection to the light is wide and strong and the flap fits strongly and securely inside the light.
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The head features a crenulated stainless steel bezel screwed into the head. It is not glued down. The crenulations are pocket-friendly. The lens is AR-coated.
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The smooth reflector is fairly deep and overall very good quality. I found one very minor imperfection.
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The XHP35 HD E4 LED is perfectly centered.
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The tail end of the XT2CR has two switches – one paddle switch and one forward-clicky button. These two switches provide direct access to Strobe and Turbo or Low and Turbo, depending on mode.
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The paddle switch is impossible to flip the wrong way. Paddle switch activation is soft and rubbery; near complete travel is required to activate the switch.
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The tail has a small hole for lanyard attachment.
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Inside, the tail has a gold-colored spring. What's unique is there is a second spring inside the larger one and as the tail is tightened on the tube, the larger spring and smaller inner spring are connected.
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The XT2CR is designed as a weapon-mountable tactical light; because of this it has a spring on the head-end as well to absorb shock.
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Threads are square cut, lubricated, and not anodized.
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The XT2CR includes a Klarus-branded 3600mAh battery.
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The included holster holds the XT2CR nicely. It has a belt loop, a hook-and-loop strap, and a D ring so it can be carried a variety of ways.
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Performance


Beam
The smooth reflector produces a defined hotspot. Common with the XHP35 emitter, the hotspot has a yellow tone while the outermost spill has a hint of blue. The crenulated bezel causes the beam to appear hexagonal rather than circular.
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Tint
To demonstrate the relative color balance, here is the XT2CR flanked by lights with emitters of various tints and temperatures.
L to R: Convoy S2+ with cool XM-L U2 1B, Nitecore P16 TAC with XM-L2 U3, Klarus XT2CR with XHP35 HD E4, Nitecore C1 with XHP35 HD E2, Astrolux S41S with neutral 219B, Lumintop Tool with warm 219B.
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Output
Klarus rates the XT2CR on Turbo at 1600 lumens. Tested with the included battery, I registered 1601 lumens at turn on and 1550 lumens at 30 seconds.

The XT2CR has, according to the manual, a "Intelligent Temperature Protection System". In practice, this is the most active temperature management system I've ever tested on a light. With no cooling or active airflow, output began dropping at the 1 minute mark to hit a low of 474 lumens at 2.5 minutes. It then bounced back to 949 lumens at 5.5 minutes before dropping back to 471 lumens at 6.5 minutes.

First 15 minutes:
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It continued this yo-yo effect until output stepped from 363 lumens down to 83 lumens at 164 minutes (2 hours 44 minutes). Klarus rates Turbo output at 1 hour 12 minutes. The XT2CR eventually powered off at about 6.5 hours; the battery's low voltage protection tripped.
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While Turbo runtime of 2:44 exceeds Klarus's 1:12 rating, I repeated the test with a 80mm PC fan on the light (roughly 40CFM) to more accurately reflect real-world use. (A user's hand and natural airflow will keep the light cooler.)

Initial output was the same with output dropping at the 1 minute mark to hit a low of 552 lumens at 1 minute 45 seconds. It then bounced back to 1250 lumens at 6.5 minutes, before dropping back to 681 lumens at just over 7 minutes.

First 15 minutes, fan-cooled:
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Compared to the uncooled test, the light maintained a higher output on peaks high and low – and expended its energy sooner and stepped down at about 1 hour 20 minutes into the test. This still exceeds Klarus's rating, though just.
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Klarus rates High at 400 lumens. I found a close 376 lumens in my testing. Output was extremely flat until 4 hours and 10 minutes into the test when the light stepped down from 365 lumens to 83. It stepped down again at 4 hours 35 minutes before eventually tripping the battery's voltage protection at 7 hours 48 minutes. Runtime of 4:35 exceeds Klarus's 4 hour rating.
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Both Turbo tests and High, graphed together:
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Since the XT2CR can take button or flat top cells of unprotected or protected varieties, I tested with an unprotected LG HG2 cell. Turbo output was a little higher at 1566 lumens. The HG2 cell had a negligible impact on other modes relative to the Klarus battery.


Klarus rates Mid/Medium at 100 lumens. I found 86 when tested. Runtime is rated 14 hours; this was not tested.


Low is rated at 10 lumens. I found 13 lumens when tested. Runtime is rated at 200 hours; this was not tested.



All outputs:
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All tests were completed with an ambient temperature of 78-83F.


Battery Protection
The battery's own low-voltage protection was tripped on all tests. The XT2CR either lacks its own low-voltage cut-off or it is lower than the cell's.

The battery registered between 2.71 and 2.8 volts after resetting the tripped protection.
While the multi-stage, multi-colored side LED does a good job communicating battery health (as would the significant step-downs in output), I would not advise using unprotected cells.

The XT2CR has electronic reverse polarity protection in case a battery is inserted upside down. I confirmed this works as designed; a battery inserted backwards did no harm to the light or battery.


Throw
I tested throw distance at 1.46 meters and the resulting candela was 14,836 - equivalent to 244 meters of throw. Klarus rates the XT2CR at 14,400 candela and 240 meters of throw; my testing supports Klarus's specifications.


PWM
I did not detect PWM with my eyes on Low, High, or Turbo using the "mirror test". However, Medium had PWM that was easily visible. A CMOS camera confirmed significant PWM on Medium as well as very high frequency PWM on Low. Users sensitive to PWM may wish to avoid the use of Medium; coincidentally this is doable by using the "Tactical" mode (which uses 3 outputs instead of 4; see the UI section below).


Parasitic Drain
The XT2CR uses electronic switches, both for the paddle switch and primary button switch on the tail. Because of this, some current will always be flowing to the electronics.
Since the tail assembly was not deconstructed to understand its workings, I measured standby drain both from the end of the battery tube (conventional test) as well as the unanodized threads. I measured 386 microamps at the tail and a very high 4.9 milliamp from the threads. As 4.9 mA would drain the battery quickly (which I didn't notice in a week of testing), I suspect something – whether the dual spring design or something else – is keeping the drain lower. Still, 386 microamps is enough to drain the battery when stored for months – so removing the battery is recommended.
Partially unscrewing the tailcap does keep the light from operating. Whether or not it eliminates parasitic drain I could not test to confirm.


Internal Charging
Klarus rates the XT2CR as charging up to 1A. I measured a peak of .91A using an inline meter. The charging current also starts slow at 0.15A with a dead battery.




Outdoor Beamshots

All photos taken with a Canon SD4000IS camera. 1/4" exposure, ISO800, Daylight white balance, F2.0.
Approximate distances: White deck railing @ 15 ft., white fence in distance @ 75 ft., center of boat @ 100 ft.

Control shot:
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Low:
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Med:
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High:
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Turbo:
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Interface

The interface is quite complex. At first it can be a bit intimidating, but after using it a few days it becomes natural.

It should also be noted that there are two separate modes. To switch between them, hold the paddle switch for 10 seconds, press the primary switch, then release both.

Tactical Setting
From off:
· Short press the paddle switch to activate Strobe momentarily
· Long press the paddle switch to turn Strobe on indefinitely
· Short press the primary button to activate Turbo momentarily
· Long press the primary button to turn Turbo on indefinitely
From on:
· Press the paddle switch to cycle T->H->L…->T…
· Long press the paddle switch to activate Strobe from a steady state mode

Outside Setting
From off:
· Short press the paddle switch to activate Low momentarily
· Long press the paddle switch to turn Low on indefinitely
· Short press the primary button to activate Turbo momentarily
· Long press the primary button to turn Turbo on indefinitely
From on:
· Short press the paddle switch to cycle L->M->H->T…->L…
· If the primary switch has not been pressed, long press the paddle switch to turn off
· If the primary switch has been pressed, long press the paddle switch to activate SOS
· If the primary switch has been pressed, press again to turn off


There is no mode memory, though having direct access to both Low and Turbo while on the Outside Setting mitigates much of the need for mode memory.




Problems

No problems were experienced while testing the Klarus XT2CR




Commentary

This is the first Klarus light I've tested and I didn't know what to expect. After spending a couple weeks with the XT2CR, I'm actually quite impressed. Build quality is good and the anodization is excellent. All of the specifications were validated (within normal tolerance and margin of error); this is impressive in and of itself. Runtimes and outputs are solid.

The dual-switch UI seemed a bit confusing at first, but I soon came to appreciate the nuances and flexibility. While I won't use it on the Tactical setting (providing direct access to Strobe), I'm sure some users will appreciate that and the front+rear spring design to support weapon-mounted use.

Polarity protection works. USB recharging works well. The battery indicator is handy. It works with button top and flat top cells. It's not the smallest, but not too big to be pocket friendly. It comes with pocket clip, lanyard, and holster so it can be carried a variety of ways.

The two things that could possibly turn someone off to the XT2CR are the bouncing output on Turbo (as the changes are noticeable) and the tint of the XHP35. These are of course personal preference items, but some users will prefer regulated outputs and more consistent neutral tints. I would also be happier if the Low mode was 1 lumen rather than ~10, and if the parasitic drain was a bit less.




Lux Meter: Dr. Meter LX1330B
Integrating "sphere": Homebuilt tube-style device calibrated on other known lights and test results. Numbers should be considered relative to each other and my other review figures but accuracy is in no way certified or guaranteed.

Camera: Canon SD4000IS
Multimeter: Craftsman 82170

 
Last edited:

Treeguy

Enlightened
Joined
Apr 16, 2013
Messages
432
Location
Quebec, Canada.
Good review. Thanks. :)

Have to admit, though, I don't like the dual switch design. If it was single switch with a momentary and memory for turbo, it would be a keeper.
 

Joe Talmadge

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 30, 2000
Messages
2,200
Location
Silicon Valley, CA
With only one exception, I think the design of the XT2CR is pretty good! I absolutely love the switch design, it works amazingly well for my usage. I do worry about Klarus's recent quality (or it might just be my perception of their quality, plus a little confirmation bias along the way).
The one design decision I'm not happy with is to make this such a tepid thrower ... in this size light, companies were getting 14kcd with xml2s years ago. For this usage, I like much more throw, especially given that there's so many lumens to spare (that is, even with far higher throw, there's still plenty of spill). You should expect at least 22kcd or more today in this size light -- that is, 50% more throw, their competitors do it -- and within the next few weeks lights this size will be more in the 35kcd+ range, more than 200% more than this light does.
 
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