A-MAC
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2014
- Messages
- 4,368
These were sent to me by FastTech for review.
Two more winners from Jetbeam. The E20r and E40r would be a great EDC light to add to your rotation. Both are well built and provide pleasing beam patters and tint. They both come packaged similarly with a lanyard, USB charge cord, extra o-rings, instructions and warranty card with the E40r also coming with a nylon belt sheath. Both use the same micro USB charge port built into the head, opposite the electronic side switch they both share. They come in a very cool dark gray color with a blue accent which adds just a little POP! to my mostly black/silver rotation without scaring me too much . Both share the same sturdy pocket clip/lanyard attachment though they attach differently, which I will cover later.
That’s it for the similarities, now onto the differences. Starting with the E20r. Odviously its much smaller, taking a single rechargeable CR123 cell, which Jetbeam provides. To attach the pocket clip to the E20r you unscrew the retaining ring, which is separate from the light and does not open the battery compartment, from the tail end of the light. You slip the clip over the body of the light and reinstall the retaining ring. Normally I am a fan of bolt/screw on pocket clips. A flimsy pocket clip will break a light for me. The method used on the E20r provides a very secure feeling. The pocket clip is sturdy and the method of attachment is sturdy with no negative give or spinning on the body. The UI on the E20r is slightly different than the E40r, and it takes a little getting used to. On the E20 you press the side switch for slightly longer than usual (long press) to activate the light. You do not press and hold until the light activates, doing so will put you in beacon mode. When on a short press advances mode and a double tap gets you to strobe. Double tap from off gets you directly to strobe and the light has mode memory so you have direct access to any mode you want. The E20r also adds a magnet to the tailcap that isn’t present on the E40r.
The E40r is enough different that its worth mentioning. It takes a different battery, its an 18650 light. You get two extra o-rings with the E40, my guess is that is because the pocket clip fits under the tail cap, you need to remove the o-ring to install it and there in lies my problem with the E40. With the pocket clip fitting under the tail cap it allows the cap to spin easily. With the E20r I can position the clip where I want it, which has more to do with being able to position the on-switch where I want while clipped in my pocket, the E40r doesn’t allow me to do that because it moves so easily. The other difference, which might be better, comes when activating the light. With the E40r you press and hold the switch until the light activates, where as with the E20r you just press slight longer than normal. This gives you a definite point of reference, you push until the light turns on instead of just guessing.
The run times for these two are on par with the back of the box with the E40r giving you longer run time due to cell size. It’s kind of weird that the modes (low, medium, high, turbo) aren’t the same between the two lights until you get to Turbo. I would have expected for low, medium and high to be the same with Turbo being at a little higher output for the E40r. Overall though fit, finish and presentation are good. If you are adding it to an EDC rotation you will just need to get accustomed to a slightly different interface then you may be used to but that’s not a big deal. Both are priced similarly, around $60 and for that much you get a complete turn key EDC light package. Everything you need to carry the light and replenish it when the time comes is in one box. Overall either is a great light that will provide reliability and enough light to get the job done.
Two more winners from Jetbeam. The E20r and E40r would be a great EDC light to add to your rotation. Both are well built and provide pleasing beam patters and tint. They both come packaged similarly with a lanyard, USB charge cord, extra o-rings, instructions and warranty card with the E40r also coming with a nylon belt sheath. Both use the same micro USB charge port built into the head, opposite the electronic side switch they both share. They come in a very cool dark gray color with a blue accent which adds just a little POP! to my mostly black/silver rotation without scaring me too much . Both share the same sturdy pocket clip/lanyard attachment though they attach differently, which I will cover later.
That’s it for the similarities, now onto the differences. Starting with the E20r. Odviously its much smaller, taking a single rechargeable CR123 cell, which Jetbeam provides. To attach the pocket clip to the E20r you unscrew the retaining ring, which is separate from the light and does not open the battery compartment, from the tail end of the light. You slip the clip over the body of the light and reinstall the retaining ring. Normally I am a fan of bolt/screw on pocket clips. A flimsy pocket clip will break a light for me. The method used on the E20r provides a very secure feeling. The pocket clip is sturdy and the method of attachment is sturdy with no negative give or spinning on the body. The UI on the E20r is slightly different than the E40r, and it takes a little getting used to. On the E20 you press the side switch for slightly longer than usual (long press) to activate the light. You do not press and hold until the light activates, doing so will put you in beacon mode. When on a short press advances mode and a double tap gets you to strobe. Double tap from off gets you directly to strobe and the light has mode memory so you have direct access to any mode you want. The E20r also adds a magnet to the tailcap that isn’t present on the E40r.
The E40r is enough different that its worth mentioning. It takes a different battery, its an 18650 light. You get two extra o-rings with the E40, my guess is that is because the pocket clip fits under the tail cap, you need to remove the o-ring to install it and there in lies my problem with the E40. With the pocket clip fitting under the tail cap it allows the cap to spin easily. With the E20r I can position the clip where I want it, which has more to do with being able to position the on-switch where I want while clipped in my pocket, the E40r doesn’t allow me to do that because it moves so easily. The other difference, which might be better, comes when activating the light. With the E40r you press and hold the switch until the light activates, where as with the E20r you just press slight longer than normal. This gives you a definite point of reference, you push until the light turns on instead of just guessing.
The run times for these two are on par with the back of the box with the E40r giving you longer run time due to cell size. It’s kind of weird that the modes (low, medium, high, turbo) aren’t the same between the two lights until you get to Turbo. I would have expected for low, medium and high to be the same with Turbo being at a little higher output for the E40r. Overall though fit, finish and presentation are good. If you are adding it to an EDC rotation you will just need to get accustomed to a slightly different interface then you may be used to but that’s not a big deal. Both are priced similarly, around $60 and for that much you get a complete turn key EDC light package. Everything you need to carry the light and replenish it when the time comes is in one box. Overall either is a great light that will provide reliability and enough light to get the job done.
