Review – Klarus XT12 GT

Are you looking for a tactical torch that can send out a large amount of lumens, but still have a battery that lasts?

The Klarus XT12 GT is a torch that sends out a whopping 1600 lumens of blinding power! Here are a few things that have really stuck out about this light...

Charge your XT12 GT like you charge your MacBook – with a magnetic charging interface that allows the charger to literally jump onto the charging port. When the torch starts charging the light will shine red and a green light will appear when it is complete. Even the light glows brightly enough for you to see if your flashlight is done charging from across the room.

On the tail of the flashlight is a mount which allows it to be attached easily to just about anything, e.g. your jeans, holster or key ring.  There are also great accessories that you can add onto the XT12, such as a remote pressure tail cap and multiple colourful filters.

The XT12 GT is able to work in even the most severe weather conditions with its hard aluminium body and ability to be underwater at depths of up to 2 metres. It is comfortable in your hand when you hold it, plus the charging connector even has a nifty light you can use!

You can buy the Klarus XT12 GT from www.klaruslight.co.za or take a look at the range of other tactical torches and accessories.

Review - Klarus XT30R

Every so often I’m asked to evaluate a working tool that just jumps out from the rest and says “Take my money!”

The Klarus XT30R definitively fits within this category. When I received this well packaged torch, I immediately dove into the packaging to see what there was to fiddle with. Out came a slim, comfortable and well balanced torch that’s apparently suitable for hunting and tactical applications. Personally – I’ve found it to have many more applications than that.

Now it’s no secret I’m a Klarus fan through and through. The packaging is always attractive and well thought out. The contents of the goodie box is logical and practical at the same time. This was no exception. The first thing I noted was the magnetic charging port. With a lifestyle that means I often have to literally grab equipment and run, getting stuck to charging points isn’t one of my favourite passtimes. Much like the legendary Mac chargers, you push the magnetic contact to the torch and that’s it. No need to take batteries in and out at all.

I was patient and gave the batteries a full charge before putting this beast to the test. First off was the garden test. I like to wait till well after dark, then take a wander around the house and see what the usability would be at night in a home environment. To say that this beast and it’s 1800 lumen abilities lit up the garden is an understatement. Bearing in mind that my property is a good 600sq meters it literally lit up the entire side of the house. Dark little corners behind shrubs, the works. I even went as far as to challenge my son to hide in the garden and see if I could spot him – no problem there at all.

The box claimed to deliver 800m plus illumination – being the doubting Thomas that I am, I needed to see this for myself. I set off to the beachfront to get a nice cast of the beam straight down the beach which was in total darkness. Not only was I impressed by the very obvious 800m reach – I was amazed by the depth of illumination and the overall comfort. 

For a torch with a relatively large bulberous shape I was expecting a little clumsiness. Not so, it was well balanced, gripped well and worked exactly as promised. The programmable buttons are typically Klarus quality, 50%, 20%, 10% by my estimation in terms of power output.

I headed home quite impressed with the overall functionality and promptly left it on overnight in the study to drain the battery. Firstly the study was lit up like a beacon, secondly the battery was still holding 6 hours later.

This is definitively my new favourite torch for tactical applications, home use, camping and all manner of applications. A solidly built robust design that delivers on every promise it makes one by one.

Klarus creates some of the most sought after torches on the planet - Visit the Klarus Light website for a range of innovative tactical torches and accessories! 

Review – G20

The Klarus G20 features a CREE XHP70 N4 LED with 4 output levels. This dual switch mini-search light makes it a great choice for throwing in a camping pack in case of emergency situations. With a max output of 3000 lumens, no blind spots, and a wide beam profile, you can't go wrong with the G20. 

The emitter is in a shallow OP reflector, the tail switch is an electronic switch which operates the UI similar to the side switch. The UI for either switch is click for on, and then click to cycle through 4 modes. The tail switch always starts on low, the side switch starts at last mode side switch was turned off at. To turn off is press and hold. Double click from on or off gets strobe, double click again for SOS, single click turns back off or to last mode light was on.

The light comes with an 18650 tube adapter,  the adapter the light runs about half power vs using a 26650 battery.

Overall it seems like a pretty good light. The size and form factor is great, and the UI just takes a little getting used to. The modes are spaced very well with each having a noticeable jump in output. The beam pattern has a very large hot spot with lots of spill due to the shallow OP reflector.

Are you interested in buying the Klarus G20? Visit Klaruslight.co.za and place your order right away!

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.

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

Review - Klarus XT2C

The Klarus XT2C flashlight itself feels high quality, with no sharp edges and good balance and utility. The interface is also much more intuitive than a lot of the tactical flashlights and it seems like this feature puts the XT2C above a lot of others. Like many other high end flashlights, this one is designed for an 18650 li-ion battery or two CR123 camera batteries. You may want to order your flashlight with the batteries and charger from the Klarus Light website; there you’ll find a wide range of durable, affordable and innovative tactical torches.

The switch interface on this flashlight is spot on for the intended application. Mode-less operation means that actions are always the same. A light press on the main button pulls the flashlight up on high, whereas a harder press clicks it down to stay on. That by itself isn’t fantastic; it’s how the flashlight incorporates the strobe functionality that is really usable.

Strobing flashlights are supposed to confuse and disorient targets, but incorporating another mode into a flashlight in an intuitive way is difficult. Most flashlight interfaces are somewhat confusing to use. However, with the Klarus XT2C you can press the “Mode” button to get straight to a momentary full brightness strobe!

With all the buttons on the back and a compact body, this flashlight would be a great candidate for mounting on a pistol or rifle.

The light beam on the XT2C could be described as “floody” and very wide. The reflector is fairly small and uses an “orange peel” style texture rather than a smooth one. When you point it at something, it floods the whole area with light instead of focusing tightly where you aim it. This is perfect for the intended use as a weapon mounted flashlight.

You probably wouldn’t drop your flashlight into a glass of water, but it’s nice knowing that it can handle some water without any problem at all. The flashlight is spec’d at fully waterproof to 2 metres because the o-rings on both sides stop the water from getting past. This light is also impact resistant to a certain height.

All in all, the Klarus XT2C is great value for money. The Cree XM-L is a great LED and really pumps out the lumens in this small flashlight.

Review – Klarus Light XT11

The light itself is constructed of aircraft aluminium with a dark grey hard-anodized finish that is well matched across all parts of the flashlight.

The light is easily disassembled into its component parts – Head, body, tail cap and tactical ring.  All parts thread together very smoothly.  The pocket clip can also be removed without the use of tools. O-rings installed at the head and tail help the XT11 achieve an IPX-8 rating against water ingress.

Here are some other features of the XT11:

>> The head of the XT11 features a finned base and is topped off with the removable crenelated bezel ring.

>> The bezel ring is easily removed by hand allowing the installation of the optional filters or diffuser.

>> Battery contact at the head is maintained, even under recoil through the use of a brass spring.

>> The body is finished with a checkered pattern for improved grip.  The removable pocket clip snaps securely into place and is held in place by friction against the body.

>> Lettering is a slightly off-white colour and is very sharp and legible against the dark grey background.

>> The removable tactical ring installs between the tail cap and body.  The ring also provides an additional lanyard attachment point and is able to rotate freely around the body of the flashlight.

>> Inside the tail cap a brass spring-loaded button is used to make and maintain battery contact.  Batteries may be loaded from either the head or tail.

>> The tail cap houses the two switches and has raised edges which provide a lanyard attachment point and protect against accidental activation.  The main switch protrudes slightly beyond the raised edges meaning the XT11 cannot tail stand.  A flat area is machined into the outer edge of the tail cap to allow indexing the light so that the user’s thumb is properly aligned with the switches.

>> The two tail cap switches have distinct purposes with the taller round switch serving to turn the XT11 on and off and the shorter mode button used to cycle through the operating modes.

>> The main switch is a forward clicky and allows momentary operation with a partial press and constant-on operation with a full press and click.  The XT11 always turns on in high mode first.

>> When the light is on, each press and release of the mode button will advance to the next output mode (High -> Medium -> Low -> Back to High).  Holding the Mode button for 2 seconds will activate the strobe mode.

>> The strobe mode may also be accessed directly while the XT11 is off by pressing the Mode button.

When it’s all said and done, the Klarus XT11’s biggest selling points are going to be its price and feature set.  I do believe it is a little more “tacticool” than “tactical” and it is better suited for general use rather than in a hardcore tactical environment.

To purchase the Klarus XT11 for yourself, all you need to do is visit Klarus Light's website and place your order. If you're looking for something else, there is a wide range of different flashlights and accessories to choose from!

Review – Klarus Light XT12

The Klarus XT12 is a tactical flashlight with a whopping 930 Lumens of blinding power! There are a few things that stick out to me about this light.

The magnetic charging is one of the best features on the XT12. Klarus has been adding their patented magnetic charging interface to lots of their new lights. It works absolutely fantastic and you don't need a cover for the charging port. The magnet is strong, and the charging cord literally jumps on the charging port. A solid red ring will appear while it's charging and a solid green when complete. Even the red/green glow ring glows a decent amount, allowing you see if it is fully charged from across the room. 

A standard 1/4 mount is drilled on the bottom. This makes the XT12 easy to attach to just about anything. Optional accessories for the XT12 are available like a meaner deeper striking bezel, remote pressure tail cap, and multiple filters. 

On the tail-cap is where the dual function buttons are located. One turns on the strobe. You can momentarily turn on the strobe or if you hold down for 3 seconds the strobe will stay on and switch between strobe and SOS. This is a great feature if you were to drop the light and were in need of help. The other button on the tail cap can be used as monetary or a full click will turn the XT12 on straight to its 930 lumens highest setting. Once the light is on you use the secondary switch to go through high, medium, and low. At any time while the light is on you can hold down the secondary button for 2 seconds and the light will enter strobe mode. Once in strobe mode, simply press the secondary switch once and it will go back to the highest setting. 

The XT12 is very comfortable in the hand and has a removable cigar grip for easier one hand operation. It has an IPX-8 water-proofing rating up to 2 meters or 6 feet. You do not need a cap to cover the charger!  

You can buy the Klarus XT12 here or any other Klarus flashlight!

Review - Klarus Light XT20 Tactical Torch

If you haven’t quite figured it out yet, KLARUS makes some truly incredible flashlights. The flashlight that we will be looking at today is the XT20 tactical torch. This torch is advertised to be stealthy and powerful, and it definitely exceeds that role. The XT20 outputs a blinding 2000 lumens and makes an ideal night patrol flashlight and search light.

To purchase your very own XT20 torch, visit Klarus Light and place your order today!

It is surprising how small the XT20 is, many would expect it to be much bigger and heavier. But, no matter what it size is, it is capable of producing wider, more intense beams of light because of the two heads.

The XT20 has a beautifully machined aerospace-grade aluminum body. The torch is hard-anodized in dark grey, for scratch resistance. In your mind the torch probably seemed a lot longer, but it is only 218mm long and 25.4mm wide. The light has an anti-roll and anti-slip body design and it fits your hand comfortably.

Many have said that the rear button on the XT20 can be accessed very easily, even from different positions. Plus it is easy to find in the dark and will be pressed by default when pressing the tail of the light.

There are 4 lighting modes and 1 flashing mode, and they seem very well spaced out, the low mode is just right for reading. There is even a special button that will activate the strobe whether the flashlight is on or off.

The XT20 is a great tactical torch as it can be weapon mounted and used with the Klarus TR10 pressure switch for remote control.

This torch may seem clunky and oddly-shaped, but it is also very comfortable to carry. The torch comes with a Klarus heavy duty holster with a belt loop and a D-ring, which is a nice touch!

If you are looking for an extremely bright and durable tactical torch them the XT20 tactical torch from Klarus may just be the perfect light for you.

What have your experiences with the Klarus XT20 tactical torch been?