# Jetbeam EC-R16 Rechargeable (XP-L HD, 1x16340, 1xCR123A) Review



## candle lamp (May 18, 2016)

The EC-R16 is a small rechargeable light, powered by 1x16340 or 1xCR123A, from Jetbeam. The light uses a display packaging with specification and information.
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EC-R16 comes with a spare o-ring, micro -USB cable, spare micro-USB port cover, user manual, and warrant card.
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*Manufacturer Specifications* from Jetbeam's website & manual :
• High strength aero grade aluminum alloy body
• Premium Type III hard-anodized anti-abrasive finish of grey
• Toughened ultra-clear mineral glass with double-sided anti-reflective coating
• Rechargeable with micro usb port
• New circuit design provides double intelligent protections for LED and
battery to maximize their lifespan
• Built-in advanced efficient power management circuit, max runtime endures 100 hours
• Low voltage warning/ power indicator
• Overheating protection for avoiding high temperature of flashlight housing and
ensuring lifespan of led
• Latest high performance optical system, max beam distance up to 150meters
• Memory function
• Side switch for selecting different modes
• Compatible with CR123A and 16340 batteries
• IPX-6 waterproof rating;
• Impact-resistant accords with US MIL-STD-810F (1.5 meters)
• Dimension : 26mm (Head) × 22mm (Tube) × 71mm (Length)
• Weight : 46g (excluding battery)





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The hard(type III) anodizing is an almost matte dark grey-brown color and no flaws or no damage on my sample. Labels are clear against the dark background. Knurling band is present in the middle of the body tube. The light has no tail switch. Fit and finish looks very good.
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The light has 2 parts (i.e., head and body tube). 
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The head has a flat bezel and a black o-ring. The light has a slightly wider head and smooth reflector. There is no pocket clip bundled with light. There's an electronic side switch for on-off and mode changing. The grippy-textured switch cover looks silicone rubber. It is very slightly protruded from the head surface. It means the risk of accidental activation may be increased. But this accidental activation can be prevented by a physical lockout of the light (i.e., you can easily break this current by unscrewing the body tube or head when not in use), thanks to the anodized threads.

Switch feel is about typical for electronic switches, which produces a clicking sound when pressed. The light has some anti-roll indentations on the head and these work well, thanks to head with angled planes and rubberized port cover. 

The charging port is on the opposite side of the switch in the head, and it is protected from water and dust by a small rubber cover.

The light has physical reverse polarity protection to protect from improper battery installation. All my small button-top cells work fine.
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The light uses AR coating lens where the purple hue is reflected on it. The reflector has a smooth pattern. It is well polished with no noticeable finishing flaws and well-centered XP-L HD LED sits at the bottom of the reflector cup. 
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There is a low voltage warning function under the side switch. The blue LED below the switch will blink slowly when the 16340 rechargeable (or CR123A) battery power is between 10%~50%. If the battery power is less than 10%, the indicator will blink rapidly (i.e., you need to charge the cell or change with a new cell). 
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The body tube has slightly aggressive knurling band. The grip is however good, thanks to other elements (side switch, USB port cover, and cooling fins in the head). The light has two ridges on the body tube to allow you to use the pocket clip. But it was not provided by Jetbeam, It seems the clip is bi-directional in its design, if you have it, in my view.

The wall thickness of the body is 2.6mm. The light feel solid for this class. 
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The screw threads are square-cut of good quality. Threads are well machined, and anodized which allows the light to be locked-out when the head is slightly loosened. As supplied, threads are well lubricated. Screw threads action is smooth with no cross-threading or squeaking on my review sample. 
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*User Interface* 

On-Off and output switching is controlled by the electronic side switch. Pressing down (1sec) the side switch will turn the light on, and another pressing down (1sec) turns it off.

When on, a quick press and release (i.e., click) of the side switch will proceed Turbo-> High -> Med. -> Low, in repeating sequence. The light has mode memory, and remembers the last output level used when you turn the light off and back on. 

Note that there's no flashing (strobe, beacon, SOS) modes.
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There is a removable negative spring on the inside of the body end. You will see a tiny hole on the tail side for lanyard (or split ring) attachment. The EC-R16 can tailstand stably.
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The charging device came with the EC-R16 is a 28cm USB charging cable with connector and standard USB plug. 
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You can connect to the USB port of your PC by a bundled micro USB cable (or to your electric outlet by a AC/DV USB adaptor). The adaptor was not supplied from Jetbeam, so I use my Galaxy S4 USB adaptor (output DC5.0V, 2A). The wall adapter or car power adapter is optional purchase.
Note the charging solution is to be used only with 1x16340 (RCR123A) cell. You need to turn the light off in order to enter charging. You can use the light during charging as well. It seems the light uses CC/CV charging concept. 
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A LED indicator under the switch shows you two charging status. It lights up constant blue under normal charging condition. If there is problem during the charging process (i.e., in case battery installed incorrectly or body tube not screwed), the indicator will be off. 

When charging is complete, the indicator will be off.
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*Charging in the light*
I used AW protected 16340 (750mAh) for a charging test, with the USB adaptor (output DC5.0V, 2A). The voltage before, under and after charging are as follows :






I used the Xtar USB Detector "VI01" to measure charging current and input voltage.
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The resting voltage of the 16340 was 2.90V. As shown in the above table, the initial charging and input voltage were respectively 0.89A and 5.33V. This 0.89A was the max. charging current in my test.
After 1hr, the current was down to 0.14A. After 1hr 23mins, charging was completed and the LED indicator on the head went off. The final resting voltage of the cell was 4.24V at this point. It is a bit higher voltage, but quite reasonable for fully charged voltage.

I left the charged cell in the light to see if the light does charge it continuously once fully charged. After 10hrs 23mins, the resting voltage of the 16340 was 4.20V. This means the light will not charge the cell after full charge. 
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*Standby Current Drain*

Due to the electronic switch design, the EC-R16 is drawing a small current when the batteries are installed and the body tube fully connected. This current were fluctuating from 12.5μA to 73.2μA over a period of about 4~5 secs. Taking the average current reading, that would give you about 2 years for a 16340 (750mAh) before it would be fully depleted. This is not a concern. But I would recommend you store the light locked-out at the body tube when not in use for a long period. 
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From left to right, AW 16340 (750mAh) protected, Olight S1 (XM-L2), Olight S10 (XM-L2), Jetbeam EC-R16 (XP-L HD), Olight S10R II (XP-L HD), Spark SF3 (XM-L2), Eagletac D25C (XM-L U2), Fenix PD22 UE (XP-L HD). 
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From left to right, Jetbeam EC-R16, Olight S10R II, Spark SF3, Fenix PD22 UE. 
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*Measured Dimensions*




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It is good size to hold and use, despite the beefy head. It can be used as an EDC light. The entire light's compact design makes it feel comfortable when held in hand. The wall thickness of the body is quite thick (2.6mm), and the light feel solid. *Overall build quality* is very high.
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*PWM*





The light shows no sign of PWM at all output levels. I notice there is no buzzing sound at any levels. 
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*Runtime*










The runtime to fall to 10% of its initial output from 30 seconds after the point the light is first turned on (i.e., based on ANSI FL-1) for Turbo is as above graph.
EC-R16 continues to have a defined step-down on Turbo on both 16340 and CR123A (after 1 mins of continuous runtime). The light steps down gradually, taking about 2 mins to level off at the lower level. This means you are unlikely to notice the step-down on the light. This is a timed step-down feature. 

With the 16340 Li-ion cell, you will get much higher output on Turbo for 2~3 mins, and the light shows a sort of direct-drive pattern after the step-down.

With the CR123A, after 3 mins, the light enters a period of excellent flat regulation. It gives you much longer runtime than 16340. 
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The EC-R16 gives you the brightest output on 16340 and seems to be driven slightly harder on max. on RCR123A. Overall output-runtime efficiency on max. seems reasonable for the class, but there's nothing more. 
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*Beamshot*
1. White door beamshot (about 50cm from the white door) on max. output on AW 16340 (750mAh) protected 
- ISO125, F/8.0, 1/25sec, Auto white balance 














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- ISO125, F/8.0, 1/100sec, Auto white balance














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- ISO125, F/8.0, 1/800sec, Auto white balance














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- ISO125, F/8.0, 1/2000sec, Auto white balance















The light has a larger head than typical for this class, with a smooth reflector. The reflector is slightly deeper than this class, so I would expect both tight hotspot and wide spill beam. The small sized hotspot is well focused and its tint is slightly towards the cool white on my sample. A soft corona surrounding the bright hotspot is slightly greenish yellow. The spill beam width looks a bit larger than others and clean with no noticeable artifacts. The overall beam profile is good. The overall beam tint is a typical cool white.
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2. 3.0m Indoor Beamshot on max. output on AW 16340 (750mAh) protected 
- ISO125, F/2.8, 1/10sec, Auto white balance




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3. 7.0m Indoor Beamshot on max. output on AW 16340 (750mAh) protected 
- ISO125, F/2.8, 1sec, Auto white balance




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The EC-R16 is a throwier than others, with a more defined hotspot. However it also has a wider spillbeam (almost same as the S10R II), and a clearer separation between hotspot and spill. I think the mode spacing seems good. Beam pattern is good. The EC-R16 shows resonable throw for the class.
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*Overall Impressions*

• Build quality is very high
• The light can stably tailstand 
• Anti-roll indentations on the head
• No clip bundled with the light
• Possibility of accidental activation from off may be increased due to a slightly protruded switch
• Small standby current drain (average 43uA) is inevitable, but not a concern 
• Physical lockout function at the body (or head)
• Physical reverse polarity protection function
• True flat-top batteries will not work
• Mode memory for all output levels
• No flashing modes available
• Charging 16340 (RCR123A) in the light seems good
• You can use 1xRCR123A or 1xCR123A
• Gradual timed step-down feature on Turbo
• Output-runtime efficiency is reasonable on 16340 
• Mode spacing seems good
• True Moonlight mode is not available
• Low battery warning indication function (i.e., the blue LED below the side switch will flicker) 
• No sign of PWM flickers at any output modes
• Beam pattern is good
• Overall beam tint is cool white

The Jetbeam EC-R16 provided by Jetbeam for review.


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## Skeeterg (May 18, 2016)

Very well done. You can use the light while charging is a good deal,and I don't think I have seen this feature in a light,but I am sure there are others.


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## Jetbeam5 (May 18, 2016)

Thanks once again Candle Lamp, for a good review and good results. Again we can hold our heads up high. This just shows the world again that our products ARE up there with the best in the market! We may not be perfect in all aspects, but we are striving to become that.....


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## candle lamp (May 19, 2016)

Skeeterg said:


> Very well done. You can use the light while charging is a good deal,and I don't think I have seen this feature in a light,but I am sure there are others.



Yes, most rechargeable lights can be used while charging. You just need more charging time. 



Jetbeam5 said:


> Thanks once again Candle Lamp, for a good review and good results. Again we can hold our heads up high. This just shows the world again that our products ARE up there with the best in the market! We may not be perfect in all aspects, but we are striving to become that.....



My pleasure. Thanks for your providing the light for review. 
There're many big fans of Jetbeam. Keep your head up! :thumbsup:


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## patrickbateman5 (May 21, 2016)

I have the niteye version, this flashlight is fantastic. :twothumbs


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## moshow9 (May 22, 2016)

Nice review! Looking to pick one up. Are there any differences between the two release versions (Jetbeam and Niteye)?


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## candle lamp (May 22, 2016)

moshow9 said:


> Nice review! Looking to pick one up. Are there any differences between the two release versions (Jetbeam and Niteye)?













The shape, brightness, and weight look a little different.


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## mrheosuper (May 22, 2016)

Hello, i have the niteye version
And this _deleted..... Bill...._ is the first and the only flashlight i have used that was on fire
In was on fire after about 1 hour charging( i guess, cause i was sleeping)
Somehow when i waked up accidently it was giving out smoke, very much smoke from the usb port, and very hot(the body was so hot, i can't touch it, guess nearly 100°)
I used it with the jetbeam rcr123 680mah, and anker charger, so i guess i must be a flashlight for this accident
I have changed it for nitecore ec4, i don't trust any flashlight that have usb charging, it's so risky, btw, ec4 is the good flashlight, but it gets hot quickly and can't use with the flat top battery


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## moshow9 (May 22, 2016)

Thanks candle lamp, though the first picture shows a Jetbeam DC-R10 and not the Jetbeam EC-R16 compared to the Niteye EC-R16.


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## recDNA (May 22, 2016)

I wish Jetbeam would build more infinite adjustment wheel flashlights.


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## patrickbateman5 (May 22, 2016)

mrheosuper said:


> Hello, i have the niteye version
> And this _deleted..... Bill...._ is the first and the only flashlight i have used that was on fire
> In was on fire after about 1 hour charging( i guess, cause i was sleeping)
> Somehow when i waked up accidently it was giving out smoke, very much smoke from the usb port, and very hot(the body was so hot, i can't touch it, guess nearly 100°)
> ...




Wow, impressive....i agree, i do not use the usb charging either...:sigh:


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## Jetbeam5 (May 22, 2016)

WOW! Doesn't look good, does it? But then, neither does the fact that you didn't use the original charger cable that was supplied with the flashlight! I shall never say that our products are perfect, but people, use the correct equipment supplied with the product, and maybe the products will last longer! If you drive a Mercedes Benz and use BMW replacement parts(Don't worry, I know they won't fit! This is just a comparison.), your product may or will not work properly AND you forfeit your warranty anyway! Just don't blame this on Jetbeam as being an inferior product!


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## Jetbeam5 (May 22, 2016)

The short answer to this is: No. We are exactly the same company. We only use the two different names in different parts of the world due to past copyright theft. Read our history here:[FONT=&#46027] 

[/FONT]http://www.jetbeamlight.com/AboutUs.asp


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## Jetbeam5 (May 22, 2016)

moshow9 said:


> Thanks candle lamp, though the first picture shows a Jetbeam DC-R10 and not the Jetbeam EC-R16 compared to the Niteye EC-R16.



The short answer to this is: No. We are exactly the same company. We only use the two different names in different parts of the world due to past copyright theft. Read our history here: 

http://www.jetbeamlight.com/AboutUs.asp


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## Jetbeam5 (May 22, 2016)

mrheosuper said:


> Hello, i have the niteye version
> And this _deleted..... Bill...._ is the first and the only flashlight i have used that was on fire
> In was on fire after about 1 hour charging( i guess, cause i was sleeping)
> Somehow when i waked up accidently it was giving out smoke, very much smoke from the usb port, and very hot(the body was so hot, i can't touch it, guess nearly 100°)
> ...






Mrheosuper, we are sorry for the ordeal that you went through with one of our products, but to show you our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, I ask that you contact me so that we can replace the product for you. Unfortunately we cannot supply you with a different (non-USB) product, but if you can accept our offer, please contact me by email as given below.


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## mrheosuper (May 23, 2016)

I appreciate your help, but as i told, i have contacted with the seller, and paid some more money to bring nitecore ec4 home
About the usb cable, your usb cable was too short for me to use it and the cable i used above has been used at least 3-4 months, i used it to charge many things, from my phone(lg g3) to sony a6000 camera, no problem
I'm not sure if my seller bring my flashlight back to the factory, but i have nothing to do with the niteye r16 anymore , i have new flashlight and i'm happy with it
I'm thinking of buying jetbeam mini 1, but the 10180 is still hard to find in my place, so is the charger for them(not micro usb again)


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## mrheosuper (May 23, 2016)

About my seller, Authorized Distributor in Vietnam, jetbeam.vn, you can contact with him for more information


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## Phlogiston (May 23, 2016)

Jetbeam5 said:


> WOW! Doesn't look good, does it? But then, neither does the fact that you didn't use the original charger cable that was supplied with the flashlight! I shall never say that our products are perfect, but people, use the correct equipment supplied with the product, and maybe the products will last longer! If you drive a Mercedes Benz and use BMW replacement parts(Don't worry, I know they won't fit! This is just a comparison.), your product may or will not work properly AND you forfeit your warranty anyway! Just don't blame this on Jetbeam as being an inferior product!



Hmm. 

I see in the review that the light is not supplied with a charger, but is supplied with a charging cable. On that basis, you seem to be telling us that we can use any charger we choose, no matter who made it; in fact, we have to, because you don't supply the charger. However, we can't use an equally random charging cable, despite the fact that both USB chargers and cables are equally standardised. Is that an accurate summary? 

If it is, how does a Jetbeam customer know that their warranty won't be forfeited because someone at Jetbeam didn't like the customer's choice of charger?


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## Jetbeam5 (May 23, 2016)

Phlogiston, in answer to your question, we look at all aspects whenever someone has a warranty claim. Obviously, if we do not supply a charger the customer is free to use his choice of charger. There could be any number of reasons that could have caused this incident, including manufacturing defects. We are in the process of supplying this customer with a replacement, and will continue doing what we as a company consider necessary in order to keep our customers happy. We will honour our warranty, no doubt!


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## somnambulism (May 24, 2016)

candle lamp said:


> When on, a quick press and release (i.e., click) of the side switch will proceed Low -> Med. -> High -> Turbo, in repeating sequence.



Yours has increasing brightness with each click, rather than decreasing brightness?

Also, worth noting that an 18350 battery can also fit in this light.


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## candle lamp (May 25, 2016)

somnambulism said:


> Yours has increasing brightness with each click, rather than decreasing brightness?
> 
> Also, worth noting that an 18350 battery can also fit in this light.



Oh! Thanks for the tip. "Turbo -> High -> Med. -> Low" is correct sequence. I've corrected UI. Also thank you for your feedback on the 18350 cell. :thumbsup:


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## Dubois (May 25, 2016)

I have warmed to these usb rechargeable lights recently, and have a few of the MecArmy PT series. I am, however, pretty careful when I charge them - and check the battery voltage outside the light after the first few uses. With the MecArmy, they all come out at 4.1x, which is good.

I would not be happy with this Jetbeam charging to 4.24v. I'm not surprised mrheosuper had problems with his Niteye version; I don't quite understand how a usb lead could be responsible.


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## candle lamp (May 25, 2016)

Dubois said:


> I would not be happy with this Jetbeam charging to 4.24v.


Normally, li-ion charger's (for example, Xtar, ETC) cut-off voltage is 4.2V±0.05V (4.15V~4.25V). So 4.24V is acceptable, in my view.


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## mrheosuper (May 25, 2016)

Jetbeam has contacted me, update in flashlight electronic


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## moshow9 (May 25, 2016)

Thank you for the clarification Johan! And nice to see mrheosuper taken care of. :twothumbs


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## Alfred143 (May 29, 2016)

How is the color temperature? Is it as 'cool' as the Nite ore EC11s slight bluish tint, I like that &#55357;&#56833;


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## candle lamp (May 30, 2016)

Alfred143 said:


> How is the color temperature? Is it as 'cool' as the Nite ore EC11s slight bluish tint, I like that &#55357;&#56833;



Actually I don't have an EC11, but the hotspot is slightly greenish yellow, and the spill beam is slightly bluish tint on the white wall.


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## somnambulism (May 30, 2016)

Alfred143 said:


> How is the color temperature? Is it as 'cool' as the Nite ore EC11s slight bluish tint, I like that &#55357;&#56833;


Not as cool as the EC11. 

See below, Nitecore EC11 on the left, Jetbeam EC-R16 on the right. Both on their highest output, 'daylight' white balance.


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## Jetbeam5 (May 31, 2016)

moshow9 said:


> Thank you for the clarification Johan! And nice to see mrheosuper taken care of. :twothumbs




Moshow, sorry for only replying now, but you're welcome, and I'm really happy that we can help. Just as I would like to be satisfied when I leave some place after a problem, I would like to see that our customers are also satisfied. I will go out of my way to make sure that our company also do its part in satisfying our customers.


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## JAS (Jun 11, 2016)

First off, thank you to everyone who posted so far. I have looked at this in the past and I am considering a light of this size to clip on my baseball cap. Would this still be too big or too heavy to clip on a baseball cap? Does it come with a suitable clip? What other light in this category should I be considering?


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## snakebite (Jul 30, 2016)

if using a different usb cable causes this type of failure then the design itself is dangerously defective!
even hinting the owner of the light is even a tiny bit at fault for this incident is ridiculous.
micro usb is a standardized connector used by billions of devices.and all it needs to do in a flashlight is carry 5v dc to it.the supply itself is a huge risk.many are downright dangerous.but even if a defective supply kills the charger ic it must always fail safe.as in die and stop charging not short through and overcharge the battery like probably happened here.i hope you get this unit for failure analysis so you know what happened.


Jetbeam5 said:


> WOW! Doesn't look good, does it? But then, neither does the fact that you didn't use the original charger cable that was supplied with the flashlight! I shall never say that our products are perfect, but people, use the correct equipment supplied with the product, and maybe the products will last longer! If you drive a Mercedes Benz and use BMW replacement parts(Don't worry, I know they won't fit! This is just a comparison.), your product may or will not work properly AND you forfeit your warranty anyway! Just don't blame this on Jetbeam as being an inferior product!


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## Trevilux (Oct 24, 2016)

I have many rechargeable lights ....but really always charge it with a external charger like Xtar or nitecore. I am always worried about charge Lithium in a seal tube...


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## richardcpf (Oct 24, 2016)

Jetbeam, funny how you quickly blamed it on the user by not using the original cable to charge. Would you so kindly explain what's so special about your cable that would've prevented a battery from venting?


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## matrixshaman (Nov 30, 2016)

I would say this is more about a defective Li-ion battery than it is the light or charging cable. We all know that a Li-ion battery is by nature of it's chemistry dangerous and a defect can happen once in a while in a battery. I think Jetbeam is being more than generous in offering to take care of a problem that may have been caused by a defective battery. By the way it seems the EC-R16 I just got has a strobe mode whereas the review here says it does not have a strobe mode. Just double click to get strobe mode.


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## Blackbeard (Dec 8, 2016)

do you need an IMR battery with this? and will it increase turbo run time before stepdown occurs?


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## Witterings (Jan 7, 2017)

somnambulism said:


> Also, worth noting that an 18350 battery can also fit in this light.



An old thread and maybe people aren't following it anymore but I received mine today and it won't work with 18350's ... I had some keepower ones and it's just crushed the button top but won't switch on with it all?????


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## swan (Jan 8, 2017)

Witterings said:


> An old thread and maybe people aren't following it anymore but I received mine today and it won't work with 18350's ... I had some keepower ones and it's just crushed the button top but won't switch on with it all?????



I have seen some Keepowers listed at 38.2mm long which is probably to big for this light considering it takes 16340. The EC-R16 has the plastic reverse polarity disc [ around the positive pole] which means it also requires a small button top to make contact. 

If you can look around for a shorter 18350 with the small bt it should be fine.


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## Witterings (Jan 8, 2017)

swan said:


> I have seen some Keepowers listed at 38.2mm long which is probably to big for this light considering it takes 16340. The EC-R16 has the plastic reverse polarity disc [ around the positive pole] which means it also requires a small button top to make contact.
> 
> If you can look around for a shorter 18350 with the small bt it should be fine.



Cheers for that, I spent a bit of time looking up 18350 battery measurements earlier against the ones I think I bought and as you say there is quite a variance ... seems the one's I bought are on the larger side ... I'll ship in some shorter ones and hopefully that'll do the trick


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