Preface
The Xtar T2 comes for Xtar’s EDC Series and is made up of the aluminum alloy 6063 (for better thermal conductivity).
Packaging & First Impressions
This is what the light will come with as shown below.
- The tail threads was lightly lubricated. Threads was smooth and clean (no gritty feeling).
- The side electronic switch requires a fairly firm and deliberate press to activate and helps in preventing any unwanted activation of the light.
- Clip is not reversible but is removable where required.
- Magnetic tail cap is able to bear the light’s weight when attached horizontally and vertically (upside down) to a flat ferrous metallic surface.
- Anodizing of the light is uniform without any missing specs.
- The provided lanyard is of a fairly decent quality to be able to support the full weight of the light and should hold up to the test of time.
- The included proprietary battery is nonremovable.
Front:
Back:
Sides:
Box Contents:
Quick Overview (Manufacturer Specifications)
- Body Material: HAIII Aluminum 6063
- Color: Gunmetal
- LED: Cree XP-G3 S4 Bin
- Battery Format: Built-in 10380 battery
- Output & Runtime (with built-in 10380 battery):
- “Moonlight” Mode
- Low (2 lumens / 1day 21h)
- Mid (4 lumens / 1day 6h)
- High (6 lumens / 22h 24min)
- “White Light” Mode
- Low (50 lumens / 4h 12min)
- Mid (130 lumens / 1h 30min)
- High (650 lumens / 26min)
- Strobe (650 lumens)
- “Moonlight” Mode
- Max Beam Distance: Not Rated
- Beam intensity: Not Rated
- Waterproofness: Not Rated (light is not waterproof and should not be splashed or immersed in the water)
- Impact Resistance: 1.5m
- Dimension: 75mm (length) x 14.8mm (width)
- Weight: 29.5g (including battery)
- Accessories Included:
- 1*Built-in 10380 battery
- 1*USB-C wire
- 1*Clip
- 1*Lanyard
- MSRP: ~$46
UI (User Interface)
UI for this light is suitable for Every Day Carry (EDC) as it is rather straightforward to use.
There are 2 main modes (“Moonlight” and “White Light”) and 1 electronic switch on the side of the flashlight to operate the light.
Switching ON and OFF is done by the electronic switch on the side of the flashlight.
Normal Operation
From OFF:
- 2 Presses – Light will switch ON to “Moonlight” option of last used Mode (last mode memory).
- 1 Press – Mode change (light cycles through LOW, MID & HIGH → LOW, MID & HIGH). “White Light” option is not part of the mode change cycle.
- 3 Presses – Direct access to STROBE.
- HOLD – Light will switch OFF.
- HOLD (~2secs) – Light will switch ON to “White Light” option of last used Mode (last mode memory).
- 1 Press – Mode change (light cycles through LOW, MID & HIGH → LOW, MID & HIGH). “Moonlight” option is not part of the mode change cycle.
- 3 Presses – Direct access to STROBE.
- HOLD – Light will switch OFF.
- 3 Presses – Direct access to STROBE.
Electronic Lockout
From OFF:
- 5 Fast Presses: Lockout is activated (3 flashes for side switch indicator)
- 5 Fast Presses: Lockout is deactivated (3 flashes for main LED)
Form Factor
The T2 is considered fairly small, especially for the output it is capable of delivering (650 lumens). It has a great size for EDC, especially with the included pocket clip.
This light can disappear almost entirely in a clenched small-sized hand. Switching between overhand and underhand holding method is easy due to its short form factor. There is no knurling on the light but the recessed grooves on the body helps to provide some “grip”, even with wet hands/gloves.
It is able to tail-stand perfectly, even with the lanyard attached.
Charging Process
Using the included USB-C Cable, the battery was charging at ~0.20A.
The light is capable of operating on all modes even when charging (at the expense of a slower charging rate). However, it is recommended to limit the usage to “LOW” mode only, to ensure that the battery does get charged.
The solid GREEN indicator depicts charging in progress and solid BLUE indicator depicts charging has completed.
Notes:
- Charging will not disable the Electronic Lockout modes.
- The USB-C cover is rather difficult to remove and help prevent accidental opening of the cover.
Beam Style/Beamshots
For this light, the spill, corona and hotspot is somewhat predictable due to the TIR optics. Surprisingly, the LED is not covered under the TIR (Total Internal Reflection) optics. With the LEDs used, the beam is suited for recognizing items in the up-close and near distance only.
The above beam profile is a rough interpretation of what is seen when white wall hunting.
The beam has a somewhat distinct hotspot with some slight corona and a fairly wide (rectangular-style) spill, with most of the lumens output focused into the hotspot. It also helps that the LEDs are perfectly centered in this sample. There are some beam artifacts when white wall hunting but not visible in real world usage.
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:
“Moonlight” LOW (2 lumens):
“Moonlight” MID (4 lumens):
“Moonlight” HIGH (6 lumens):
“White Light” LOW (50 lumens):
“White Light” MID (130 lumens):
“White Light” HIGH (650 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 “Moonlight” LOW mode of 2 lumens is fairly close to what most would call a moonlight mode and is perfect for night-adjusted eyes and midnight snack runs. However all other mode levels in the “Moonlight” option are too bright to be considered a moonlight mode.
Tint & CRI
Xtar did not disclose the tint (color temperature) and/or the CRI (Color Rendering Index) for the LED used in their light. For this light, a guesstimate would be in the 6500K and 70CRI ballpark.
There are tint shifts throughout the beam profile. The hotspot is cool white whilst the corona possess a slight yellowish-green tint; and most of the spill having a slight yellowish-green tint with purple hue.
This is however, not as noticeable in real life.
Waterproofness
No water test was carried out as the light is not rated.
However, we ran the light under light rain conditions and we did not notice any water ingress in the USB-C port area.
Lockout Capability
No mechanical lockout but electronic lockout is possible when needed, like during transportation in a bag.
See above “UI (User Interface)“, on how to activate and deactivate electronic LOCKOUT.
Note: Charging the flashlight will not disable Electronic LOCKOUT.
Scale Comparison (Ruler)
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/usage 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, if the tint shift and beam profile are not an issue for your usage.
The fairly small form factor with 650 lumens max output, usage of better grade aluminum alloy 6063, informative OLED display, and direct access to “Moonlight” and STROBE are all plus points for this flashlight. The built-in battery might seem as a major disadvantage to some but it helps decreases the overall size of the flashlight, when compared with other AA or AAA-sized flashlights.
That said, it would be nice if Xtar has an option of having a Neutral White or even High CRI LED instead.
Here are 2 bonus size comparison pictures with other flashlights.
From Left to Right: Nitecore TINI 2, Foursevens Mini MkIII, Maratac AAA Ti, Xtar T2 and Olight i5T EOS.
As with all gears, two is one and one is none.
Stay safe,
The Lite Review
Disclaimer: Light was provided for by Xtar (manufacturer) for this review. No other compensation was provided.
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