An everyday carry (EDC) thrower flashlight with a tint beam profile
and a good balance of throw and flood for outdoor, self defense and home
applications.
The Xtar R30 1200 flashlight weighs 216 grams (with 21700 battery)
and 149 grams without the battery and has an all-aluminum alloy body
construction with a black anodized finish to minimize scratches and
scratches. The R30 1200 flashlight can handle being dropped from a
height of up to 1.2 meters. The battery chamber is big enough for a
single battery cell (21700 or 18650).
The head of the Xtar R30 1200 flashlight is equipped with a smooth peel reflector and a single Cree XPL2-W2 led capable of 1200 lumens output and 220+ meters (12820cd) beam distance. Being a flashlight thrower, the R30 1200 flashlight has a narrow beam with a tint shift profile, which means the beam pattern has a warm yellow hot-spot (in the centre) and a slightly cooler white spill.
The throw distance of the R30 1200 flashlight is adequate, although it is a little on the shorter side compared to what's considered a "long
range throw flashlight", which is between 400 meters and 600 meters.
You can even get thrower flashlights (e.g. GT90) capable of up to 2700
meters beam throw distance.
The Xtar R30 1200 clicky rubber button has a built-in led, which is
designed to
feedback battery status. For instance, the green light indicates
full battery level (between 100% and 25%). Solid red light indicates
battery level between 24% and 18%
and blinking red indicates battery below 18%.
The battery level led
indicator is useful but the range is a bit too wide. It would have been
better if the green light level was between 100% and 70%. Solid red
between 69% and 25% and blinking red below 24%). The led light cannot
be turned off (disabled). The button is made of rubber and sticks out 2mm so, it is easy to locate without looking at the flashlight.
There are a total of 4 brightness levels, the highest being turbo
mode, which can deliver 1200 lumens for 2.5 hours. High mode delivers
650 lumens for 3.4 hours, medium mode delivers 300 lumens for 9 hours
and low mode delivers 30 lumens for 70 hours.
The Xtar R30 1200
flashlight supports two other light modes: SOS mode and strobe mode.
The last one (strobe) is designed for
tactical self-defense to momentarily blind an attacker. The strobe mode
brightness level has been limited to 650 lumens, which is high
enough to disorient a person but higher lumens is always better when it comes to flashlight self defense.
If you plan to use the Xtar R30 1200 flashlight as a self defense tactical strobe light exclusively, it is not the most ideal flashlight for this purpose. This is because the R30
1200 flashlight does not support memory function for strobe mode, which
means the flashlight does not memorize strobe mode when powered off.
The R30 1200 flashlight also doesn't support "momentary function" and
that means you cannot turn the button on
the flashlight into a momentary switch, which is a quicker and more
convenient way to access strobe mode than having to double click which
is
the only way you can access strobe mode on the R30 1200 flashlight. That said, memory function is supported for all 4 brigthness levels, including turbo mode.
The Xtar R30 1200 features a strike bezel on the tail cap, which can be used for tactical purposes
to fight off someone at close range. The tail cap strike bezel also
features passthrough openings to attach the included wrist lanyard, which measures 25cm long. The strike
bezel has a flat base too, so you are able to rest the flashlight upright on its
backside. The tail cap thread comes pre-lubed with grease and there is an o-ring
already per-fitted. The purpose of greasing the
flashlight threads is to help water/dust resistance, as well as to ease
metal-on-metal contact. The battery spring contacts have been gold
plated.
The head of the Xtar
R30 1200 flashlight features ergonomic dimples, which help the twisting
motion when unscrewing the head from the body. The USB-C charging port
is protected by a rubber cover to aid the IPX6 water resistance. The
USB-C has in/out dual purpose functionality so, you can also use it as a
powerbank to recharge external devices at 14.55 watts (4.85V/3A) . The input rate of the USB-C port is 2.5A and supports passthrough charging, which means you can use the R30 1200 flashlight whilst charging it with a powerbank.
While the Xtar R30 1200 flashlight works with a 18650 battery and 21700
battery (including Samsung 40T), it is designed to be used with a 21700
protected battery to prevent long term damage. The flashlight does work
okay with an unprotected 21700 cell. The 18650 battery works but it's a
bit shorter so, it fits a loosely inside the
flashlight and you can hear the battery rattle when shaking the
flashlight. You could buy an adapter
(white plastic ring sleeve) to keep the battery snugly inside.
The R30
1200 flashlight is equipped with a basic UI (user interface) so, you
get fewer features (e.g. no muggle mode, moonlight mode) than a flashlight with the
Anduril UI. You cannot flash the R30 1200 stock UI with any other UI. Accessories include an spare rubber o-ring, a quality 1 meter charging cable (USB-A to USB-C) and a lanyard with spring
loaded cord lock for wrist adjustment. You can buy the R30 1200 flashlight directly from Xtar's website and get 10% off when using GN90 promotional code.
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