Review - MiX6 Ti

Klarus Light designs and manufactures some of the most innovative torches on the planet. The MiX6 Ti is one of the smallest and brightest AAA flashlights in the world with four different outputs.

The tiny flashlight has a titanium body for corrosion resistance and a solid feel. The user interface is the usual AAA interface with tighten and loosing of the head.

The light has a Textured OP (Orange Peel) reflector with the XP-G led at the bottom.

The head is smooth except for some grooves. The actual light engine is mounted in a brass insert that also has the threads and o-ring. Using brass for threads gives a very good quality threads.

The battery connection in the head is surrounded by a black soft ring, this ring will reduce battery rattle and work as a mechanical polarity protection. This light does not use the standard ring on the circuit board for power connection and on/off, it looks like the switching is done by breaking the battery connection, both at the top and bottom.

The inside of the battery tube, it also has a soft ring. There is no spring, but the connection has some flexibility.

The backend of the light is made for use on a key chain, making it convenient enough for everyday carry. However, because of this the light cannot tail stand.

This light is a solid and well performing keychain light; its titanium body means that it is perfectly built to survive around your keychain.

How to Repair your Flashlight

When your light is no longer working, it can usually be fixed very easily...

However, it is possible that these simple solutions may not fix your problem. If it is an issue with the circuit board of the flashlight, then it would be best to have your light repaired under warranty.

Problem: Your Flashlight Is Shining Dimly

Solution: 

Check your batteries - When you're diagnosing a problem with anything, it's always a good idea to start with the simplest possible solution. If your light is shining dimly, the issue is probably weak batteries. Replace your batteries with a fresh set and you should be good to go!

Problem: Your Flashlight Is Flickering

Solution:

Dirt or grime on contacts - A common solution to flashlight flickering can be dirt or grime on the internal contacts of the light. Unscrew the head and tailcap (if your flashlight has a tailcap) off of the light and clean the contacts where the body touches the head or tailcap. To do this, you can use a damp paper towel. Wipe off any dirt and grime, and then assemble the flashlight again.

If this does not help, then there may be an issue with the circuitry of your flashlight, which should fall under a warranty repair. Most reputable manufacturers will either repair or replace your flashlight at this point.

Problem: Your Flashlight Is Not Turning On

Solution:

Check your batteries (see above)

Dirt or grime on contacts (see above)

Improperly assembled flashlight - Have you disassembled your flashlight and then found that it does not work upon reassembly? It is possible that you disassembled it improperly.

Disassemble your flashlight again. This time, upon reassembly, make sure that all o-rings are properly aligned and any pockets clips or accessories are correctly installed. The head and tailcap of the flashlight should fit snugly. If the head or tailcap are not tightening down all the way, make sure that any o-rings or other possible obstructions are not keeping you from tightening them down.

Leaked Battery - It is also possible that a battery might have leaked battery acid in your flashlight. If your flashlight takes alkaline batteries, this is definitely a possibility.

Disassemble your flashlight and remove your batteries. If there is any sign of corrosion, dispose of those batteries and no longer use them. Look into the body of the light and look for white or rust-coloured discoloration. If you see some, use a wire brush and a slightly acidic solvent to try and scrape any corrosion away.

It may also be necessary to take a file and remove any corroded metal at the base or head of the flashlight body (the area where the head and tailcap make contact with the body). There needs to be bare metal visible on both sides of the body for the flashlight to complete an electrical circuit to work properly.

After cleaning and removing the corrosion from the light, assemble the flashlight and test for functionality. If this does not help, you may try contacting the manufacturer. Although not guaranteed, your flashlight manufacturer may be willing to either replace or fix the flashlight under warranty.

Although not guaranteed to fix your light, always start with these steps to begin your flashlight troubleshooting.

Klarus Light produces and designs some of the best flashlights in the world. For a broad range of flashlights and accessories, contact Klarus today, or visit the website!

How does an LED work?

We've heard all the talk about LED's. How they're the newest and best lighting technology. Well, all of that is true, but how do LED's work?

Let's start by quickly looking at some basic lighting technology. We've all seen incandescent bulbs. They're your average light bulb. They work by heating up a tiny metal filament that glows. These bulbs generate a lot of heat vs. the amount of light produced. This wastes a lot of energy. To the flashlight user, this means that runtimes are shortened drastically and the lights are usually not very bright.

The inefficiency of incandescent bulbs was a problem. When there's a problem, people try and find a solution. Moving forward a few decades, we come to the LED, which stands for Light Emitting Diode. LED's are the brightest, most compact light emitters that are commonly available in flashlights. They are very energy efficient, small and durable and are quickly becoming less and less expensive.

A LED emitter is called a diode, not a bulb. A diode is a device that conducts an electrical current in only one direction. A bulb is not a diode since it will work with an electrical current flowing through it in either way. An LED will only work with current flowing through it in one direction. 

An LED is made up of semiconductors, which are materials that have a varying ability to conduct electricity.

Anyway, when an electrical current is applied to the diode, electrons travel from the N-type side to the P-Type side. When the electrons fall into one of the holes in the P-Type side, they release energy. Think of what happens when you drop a ball into a hole; the energy from the ball is transferred to whatever the hole is in. What can happen when an electron releases energy is really amazing, though. The energy from the electron falling into the hole is released in the form of a photon, which is a particle of light.

This continuous movement of electrons falling into the holes releases light, causing the LED to glow. This phenomenon doesn't create much heat, so it's a lot more efficient than an incandescent bulb.

Not that difficult to understand, right? LED technology is amazing and you can be assured that in the future, the technology will get better and better. 

The future does seem pretty bright, doesn't it? (Pun intended).

Klarus Light designs and manufactures some of the best flashlights in the world - visit www.klaruslight.co.za and place your order today!

The Differences between Military Flashlights and LED Flashlights

If you compare the flashlight industry average with the military flashlights and LED flashlights you will see that these 2 models of flashlights are more advanced than every other flashlight. Although military flashlights and LED flashlights are very different from each other both perform highly.

Military flashlights are becoming very popular lately because of their multiple featured modes that allow all military flashlights to be classified not only as a simple light, but as a multi-functional tool that is useful in every situation. On the other side we have LED flashlights that have been trending for several years now in the flashlight industry as one of the brightest flashlights with the highest battery capacity available on the market.

Although both flashlight models have extremely high performances the big dilemma is which type of flashlight is more convenient for everyday usage?

Military flashlights specifications and features

In order for a flashlight to be classified as a military flashlight it has to fulfil certain conditions. The conditions that a military flashlight should have are: lumen capacity of more than 500 lumens, at least 2 featured modes, battery capacity that can last up to 48 hours and a rechargeable option.

LED flashlights specifications and advantages

LED flashlights on the other hand are very different than military flashlight in every field. In order for a flashlight to be classified as a LED flashlight it has to be upgraded with the latest hardware technology. The latest hardware technology works on a principal where instead of the outdated LED diodes a LED chip is used. LED diodes are known for not transmitting the entire lumen capacity of a flashlight because of their circular body structure. Unlike LED diodes, LED chips have a square body structure that can successfully transmit the entire lumen capacity of a flashlight. 

If you are having trouble choosing a military flashlight or a LED flashlight, take a look at Klarus Light’s wide range of flashlights and flashlight accessories.

Review – XTQ1

Like the RS11, the XTQ1 comes in a store-shelf display packaging. (Check out Klarus Light’s Winter Special for the XTQ1 – 50% discount due to incorrect packaging for the flashlight!)

The hard anodizing is a matt dark brownish gray and consistent throughout with no chips or blemishes. Lettering is not very bright white, but legible against the background.

You can take the light apart without any tools and get three parts. 

The XTQ1 has a stainless steel crenulated bezel ring, which is removable, allowing light to shine through when left placed head down. Like the RS11, the bezel ring is not directly touch the o-ring & lens in the head. There is an inner ring similar to bracket between the bezel ring and lens. This structure seems more shock-resistance.

There is a raised contact spring in the head of the light, so flat-top 18650 batteries should work fine in the light. The light has reverse polarity protection to protect from incorrect battery installation (i.e., the electronics of the XTQ1 has in-built reverse polarity protection).

The light uses toughened ultra-clear lens. The purple hue is reflected on it. The aluminium reflector has a light orange peel pattern. Surface finish on the reflector is nice from visual inspection, and well-centred LED sits at the bottom of the reflector cup.

The battery tube has no knurling. But with all the ridge detail and extra elements around the head and body, overall grip is good. The stainless steel clip-on pocket clip seems to hold on fairly well. It is head-facing, and not reversible. The bundled grip ring is a metal. It can spin even when the tail cap is fully tightened, but it's not inconvenient using the light.

The wall thickness of the body is about 1.9mm, and the light seems reasonably solid.

The screw threads are trapezoidal-cut of good quality. Both male and female threads in the head and tail part are well machined, with being anodized which allows the light to be locked-out when the head or tail cap is slightly loosened. Threads on the both ends of the body mate well with no issues of cross-threading or grinding.

At the tail base, you can see a slightly sunken surface that is very flat. The distinctive aspect of the light is a metal flat switch with no audible click when pressing it. This switch gives you a large contact area and allows the light tail stand perfectly. The switching travel is shorter than average, with average resistance.

There is a brief pre-flash when making initial contact of the tail cap with the battery, and a second pre-flash when fully tightened. There is also a brief pre-flash when the tail cap is fully loosened. There is no pre-flash when activating the light in any mode.

Overall Impressions

• Build quality is very high
• No audible click (i.e., quiet) when pressing the tail switch
• Anti-roll indentations on the body
• The light can tail stand stably
• Electrical reverse polarity protection function
• Standby current drain, but quite negligible
• No mode memory (i.e., always comes on in High)
• True flat-top batteries work fine
• Timed step-down feature on High
• Output-runtime efficiency seems fine
• True Moonlight mode is not available
• Brief pre-flash when making initial contact of the tailcap with the battery and when fully tightened
• The beam tint is typical cool white
• Throw is reasonable for the class

Why you should always keep a flashlight in your car

There is nothing worse than your car breaking down on the side of the road – except for your car breaking down on the side of the road in the dark!

Don’t panic. Keep a flashlight in your car at all times to avoid ever being stuck in an unfortunate situation.

• Self-defense

Getting stuck in the middle of nowhere is dangerous, especially in the dark. Believe it or not, but having a flashlight handy, can save your life.

If you are ever in the situation where your life is in danger, a flashlight can double as a non-lethal weapon. A single blow to the head or bright flash in the eyes can render an attacker immobilized, just long enough for you to escape or call for help.

• Illumination

Have you ever tried looking for an object you dropped in your car? If can be almost impossible, especially if it’s dark. Keeping a flashlight in your glove compartment is absolutely necessary!

• Emergencies

Keeping a flashlight in your car is essential if your car ever breaks down in an unlit area. Changing a tyre or seeing under the hood of your car to address the problem can be almost impossible without the help of a flashlight.

• Signalling for help

Breaking down on the side of the road also means that the other cars on the road may not be able to see your vehicle. A flashlight can double as an emergency light to signal to oncoming traffic that your car has broken down and may be in harm’s way.

Looking for high quality, durable, affordable flashlights and accessories? Klarus Light manufactures some of the best tactical flashlights in the world! Visit the Klarus website today to choose the perfect flashlight that best suits your needs.

Top 5 Reasons why you should always have a Flashlight in your EDC

The items or contents of your Every Day Carry are something that’s very unique according to your personal needs and ability to carry items everywhere you go. If you carry a backpack around then your EDC can be significantly bigger than someone that does not carry one, making this a truly unique setup for every person.

There are key items you should always have in your EDC setup though, a knife/multitool, small notepad, and a flashlight. While most useful and important, a lot of people cut back when coming to flashlight in their EDC setup, leaving it out due to size and weight many other restraints, but the flashlight is a tool that’s not only useful for seeing in the dark, but for self defence and security, too. 

Still not convinced? Well, in case you aren’t, here are 5 reasons why a flashlight needs to be a part of your EDC.

1. GLIMPSING IN THE DARK

One of the most basic uses of a flashlight is for seeing in the dark, and this is by far more important than you think. From changing a tire on the side of the road at night to finding everything that fell out of your pocket in the dark, having a flashlight on hand is pretty useful.

Sure, most phones probably have built-in lights, but what if you’re out of battery life? Then you’re stuck. For safety, having a small tactical flashlight with you all the time is pretty much important.

2. SAFELY PERFORMING SPECIFIC TASKS

Tire changing being at the top of the list, there are quite a few tasks that can cause damage or get you hurt if you can’t see what you’re doing. For example, what happens when you need to jump-start a car in the dark? Hooking the terminals up incorrectly can damage your car or even cause the battery to explode.

If you are out camping, stuck in the woods at night, a flashlight is vital to help you start a fire. Without a source of light, you could not safely achieve either of these. Even hooking up cables to your television is better done with some light. In short, be safe and use a flashlight.

3. IDENTIFY THREATS

Of Course, flashlights are great for glimpsing in the dark, but if you’re in a dangerous situation you can easily use your flashlight to identify a threat. Whether or not it’s an animal or person, being able to see your mark it’s very important.

If you can’t see your mark you can easily end up hurting someone that isn’t a threat or end up getting hurt by an unidentifiable target. Having a light on you at all times helps you to know who’s coming close quickly and easily.

 4. SHOCK AND DISORIENT ATTACKERS

You can actually use your flashlight as an offensive weapon, too. In a dark situation shining a bright light in someone’s eyes will definitely do them harm. Not only will it shock them, but it will ruin their vision for some time after, giving you a chance to attack or get away.

Hitting someone with a bright beam of light will disorient your attacker as he or she spins away from the flash. This turns them around and gives you even more time for fight or flight to kick in.

5. USE AS AN ACTUAL WEAPON

Finally, if you choose a proper tactical flashlight you can use the light itself as a weapon. Many tactical lights have a raised end around the light end, giving you something that can be gouged with.

Most lights are also heavy to an extent, making them perfect for hitting someone with. Both of these combined give you one additional weapon in your arsenal. While not the most effective weapon around, it’s great as a last resort.

Be sure to visit Klarus Light’s website right away, you’ll find a wide range of flashlights, ranging from the 700 lumen FH10 to the 2450 lumen G30. Plus don’t miss out on the amazing winter specials!