Disclaimer: Light & additional accessories was won as part of Jason Hui (Prometheus Lights) Instagram Beta QRv2 Giveaway. No compensation was provided.
Packaging & First Impressions
This is what the light will come with as shown below.
- Prometheus logo is perfectly centred (there were previous cases of slightly off-centred ones but those are thankfully of the past).
- Beta signature’s QRv2 (Quick Release) requires more than sufficient force to disengage the split ring from the light and pops back in with ease.
- When attached with the optional Titanium deep carry clip, the clip is thick & sturdy which provides sufficient tension to ensure that the light will stay clipped to any material to prevent the light from falling out.
- The threads and o-rings were lightly lubricated. Threads were smooth and clean (no gritty feeling at all) – perfect for twisty lights.
- Light require firm twists to activate. Any hesitant twisting of the light will result in the light skipping modes.
- Ample threads for a twisty light to remove any likelihood of the head unscrewing off from the body and dropping off by accident.
- Flawless execution of brass material – finishing is shiny without any tool markings (helps that the light is vacuum air-tight in a thick plastic packaging as well) and provides a nice hefty feeling on a small light.
- Battery compartment holds Sanyo/Panasonic Eneloops, GP ReCyKo+, Energiser Ultimate Lithium (L92) and (Energiser and Duracell) alkaline batteries without any fitment issues.
- Ice Blue GITD sticker around the emitter is a nice touch.
Front:
Back:
Box Contents:
Quick Overview (Manufacturer Specifications)
- Body Material: C360 Brass
- QR Material: C360 Brass
- Split Ring Material: SS302 (Stainless Steel)
- LED: Nichia 219B
- LED Specification: High CRI (92+) 4500K
- Battery Format: AAA (1.2V NiMH rechargeable/1.5V lithium primary batteries/1.5V alkaline [not recommended]) ONLY
- Output & Runtime for Exotic Materials (Copper & Brass):
- Low (1 lumens / 70h)
- Mid (15 lumens / 3h 30min)
- High (80 lumens / 45min)
- Output & Runtime for Aluminium (Electroless Nickel & HAIII Black):
- Mid (15 lumens / 3h 30min)
- High (60 lumens / 60min)
- Max Beam Distance: 40m
- Beam intensity: 430cd
- Waterproofness: Weather-resistant
- Impact Resistance: 1m
- Dimension: 74.93mm (length) x 13.97mm (diameter) [88.9mm length with QRv2 attached]
- Weight: 39.69g (excluding batteries)
- Accessories Included:
- 1*QRv2
- 1*Split Ring
- 2*Spare O-rings
- 1*GP ReCyKo+ AAA NiMH rechargeable battery
- MSRP: $69 (Brass & Copper) , $59 (Electroless Nickel & HAIII Black)
UI (User Interface)
UI for this light is great for keychain or pocket duty due to its ease of operation.
Switching ON and OFF is done by twisting the head of the light. Twist the head clockwise will activate the light. Likewise, twisting the head anti-clockwise will deactivate the light.
Mode changing (LOW, MID and HIGH) can be done via the twisting action as above. After the light is switched ON, a quick twist anti-clockwise (till the light goes off) and clockwise again within 1 second will bring the light into the next mode. Repeat till the desired mode is achieved.
All twisty activation of the light can be done with one hand.
No blinky (Strobe/SOS) modes are available.
There is no mode memory, after the light is OFF for more than 1 second; it will reset to LOW.
Form Factor
Ever had to rely on/use your keychain light but chose not to due to the heft of the keys that are attached to the said light?
This light was designed/built around the idea to be a quick release keychain light. With that in mind, this works excellently for that purpose.
The QRv2 prevents the light from dropping off your bunch of keys by requiring a deliberate force to separate the light from the split ring but yet snapping the light back into the QR system is almost effortless. Remove the light from the QR and it tail-stands like a champ.
The light sans QRv2 will disappear in a clenched medium sized hand.
When the QRv2 is swapped with the optional Titanium Pocket Clip Set, the light gets a deep carry clip with the excellent tail-standing retained.
It can be a little slippery to activate with wet hands/gloves due to the mild grooves on the head and would require 2 hands to activate during those instances.
Due to the light being completely made of brass, the light patinas rather quickly over a short period of time. We will be updating this review after a month of usage, to show the patina process.
Beam Style/Beamshots
For this light, the spill, corona and hotspot is somewhat predictable due to the shallow Light Orange Peel Reflector and emitter used. As such, it is a predominantly floody beam light sufficient for most close range duty.
The beam has a slight squarish spill with a wide circular hotspot and the corona blending almost entirely with the spill. It also helps that the Nichia 219B is perfectly centred in this sample. There is a slight ring in the beam when whitewall hunting but not visible in real world usage.
All of the beamshots taken below are done so with the following camera settings (LOW Mode: 6″, F3.5, ISO100, Daylight WB and MID/HIGH Mode: 1/3, F3.5, ISO100, Daylight WB). Some pictures have been adjusted slightly to depict as close as to what is seen in real life. The distance of the light from the door is 4.6m.
Control shot:
LOW (1 lumens):
MID (15 lumens):
HIGH (80 lumens):
Mode (Output) Spacing
Mode spacing appears to be progressively brighter to the eye and the modes are well spaced enough to be able to know which mode one is currently in. With that in mind, TLR tend to view mode spacing as battery life indicators (amount of runtime left) rather than the specific output (lumens).
The highlight of this light, besides the excellent QRv2, would be the 1 lumen LOW Mode which essentially is what most would call a moonlight mode. Perfect for night-adjusted eyes and midnight snack runs. It is a great bedside light besides being on a keychain.
Tint & CRI
The tint is 4500K and is by far one of the preferred colour temperatures for daytime and night time usage on TLR. Not too warm when compared to the sunlight (~5500K to 6500K) and not too cool for night time usage around old skool incandescent lights (~3000K) .
CRI is excellent. Colours are more vivid especially for the reds, which most often for lower CRI leds, would appear washed-out.
In any case, the tint is consistent across the modes due to the high frequency PWM used.
Waterproofness
The light was subjected to warm water submersion, followed by cold water submersion and left under room temperature running water tap whilst running on HIGH.
No signs of water intrusion in the head or body was seen.
Lockout Capability
Being a twisty light, it has no electronic lockout but mechanical lockout is possible as needed.
A quarter turn (anti-clockwise) of the head from OFF will enable mechanical lockout.
Summary
To sum up, we believe that the most important part of any review is if given the chance to purchase the same light for our own EDC or to gift to our loved ones out from one’s pocket (wallet), would we still do it?
For this light, it is a definite YES, especially if Brass or Copper material is your cup of tea.
Its excellent QRv2 keychain attachment is a huge improvement over the QRv1 version, making the light’s overall length shorter; and being able to tail-stand (sans QRv2 attachment) is a very welcomed bonus. It is also versatile enough to be able to switch into a deep carry light with the optional Titanium Pocket Clip Set.
The moonlight mode is a wonderful feature that adds to its accomplishment as a great keychain light.
High CRI 219B LED used is not that common in AAA lights so having them in the Beta was a nice surprise (QRv1 utilizes the venerable 219A) and is a real eye-opener if one has not tried those 90+ CRI LEDs out.
However, as mentioned earlier, we look forward to the day that Jason adds slightly deeper grooves to the head, to aid in the activation of the light with wet hands/gloves.
Lastly, this keychain light would indeed be a nice compliment to the Fenix PD32 2016 reviewed previously.
Stay safe,
The Lite Review
Where to Buy Links
Disclaimer: Purchasing using the affiliate link below will enable TLR to receive compensation from corresponding affiliate companies (Amazon/ShareASale/etc.) directly.
It will NOT cost you anything and is a way to help support the website to keep pumping out reviews like this.
Prometheus Lights Beta QRv2
Amazon:
Various Material Versions: Click Here
Titanium Pocket Clip Set: Click Here
Available Discount Coupon Codes
- Click HERE to view our complete list of discount Coupon Codes.