Prometheus Lights Ti Beta QR Review
In case you haven’t noticed, I redid the banner links and now include a “Start Here” section for people new to EDC. There you can find my starter articles. In the first one, found here, I laid out the “EDC Formula,” a test used to justify adding tools to your EDC. Here is the quote:
“For me, every piece of kit must pass the “EDC Test.” This test ensures that everything in your carry is pulling its own weight and doesn’t kill your wallet. Here is how it works.
Carry + Cost < Utility
If something is large, heavy, or expensive it needs to be very, very useful. If it is not, then it fails the EDC formula and you shouldn’t carry it. It doesn’t mean you’re barred from buying big or expensive items, it just means that they need to be REALLY good.
In terms of priority I have listed the items in order of most important to least important, though, frankly, the pen and light are about equally important, and one could trump the other based on your life and job. The cutting tool, that’s the one that really is a game changer. Carrying a knife is like owning a truck—all of a sudden you can do all kind of things you didn’t even think about doing without it.”
Lights are generally the least useful “core” EDC tool and I think it is correct to say that only recently, like in the last 20 years, has technology tilted the equation in favor of carrying a torch. For me, I want the smallest light with reasonable runtimes. Lumens don’t really matter, battery format isn’t all that important, I just want small size, decent brightness, superior color rendering, and runtime. That is exactly what you get with the Prometheus Beta Ti. The problem is that is also exactly what you get with the regular Prometheus Beta. The non-Ti version is substantially cheaper and boasts the same specs. How can you justify the increased cost?
You can’t.
This is an expensive light that doesn’t wallop you with lumens or wow you with gee whiz programming. It is unquestionably a great torch, just not a good value. Be sure—this review breaks with my value fever that has infected this site over the past few years. This review is an act of brazen hypocrisy. But, I am huge flashlight fan and I love the 1xAAA format, so I felt like the purchase wasn’t a crazy one. If, however, you are a strict lumens-per-dollar person, you can stop reading now. There is nothing here for you. If you are a higher-proof-doesn’t-make-a-better bourbon person or a doofus that wears a hand wound watch, then sit back and enjoy.
Here is the product page. The Ti Beta QR costs $145. There are two options—a stonewash (which is what I am reviewing hear) and a frosted version that Jason calls velvet. Here is my original review of the Beta QR all those years ago. Here is another review. I paid for this light out of my own pocket.
Finally, here is my review sample:
Quick Review Summary: Simple excellence.
Availability Notes
The Ti Beta is not a normally stocked item. They released in small batches every month or two, usually on a Friday. They sell out in about an hour. Jason drops a warning on his Instagram feed and his email list. The clip and the button, that small metal part that makes the tailcap flush, are almost always in stock.
Design: 2
The original Beta QR, designed to work as a keychain light, does a bang up job running as a pocket torch taking up minimal space. Designwise the Beta Ti is pretty much the same deal, but it is a little less prone to wear, given its stonewashed titanium shell. That meager upgrade is not worth the price of admission for most, but as a true flashaholic, I have a hard time saying “no” to torches that are slim, with high CRI, and can tail stand. As a luxury, this is pretty cool.
It is also remarkably similar to my heavily modified Surefire Titan Plus. When I got that light 7 seven ago, I immediately swapped out the clip. Vexed by its inability to tailstand, I later did away with the lanyard attachment point. Once these two steps were done, I felt like the resulting light of substantially better than any light on the market. Flash forward a few years and viola there is the Beta Ti. Purchasing a few accessories gave me a light that is virtually identity to my modded Surefire, albeit with significantly better color rendering.
Fit and Finish: 2
The aluminum Betas are pretty well made, but this light is just better. The tolerances are the same but the titanium feels nice and is less likely to ding and dent. The extra machining around the head makes for an easy grip and is one small improvement over the original. The stonewashing is especially handsome here, giving the light an instant “worn in” look and muted appearance that none of the aluminum Betas have. Overall, this is a solidly made piece of kit.
Grip: 2
One weird thing about this light—the clip spins relatively freely. I thought this would drive me nuts, but until I started writing this review I had forgotten about it after the first few days it was in my pocket. That aside, the grip is wonderful, with just the right diameter to make for easy on and off and still be nice to handle.
Carry: 2
The light is just slightly larger than a loose AA battery. That makes it about as easy to carry as it gets. What you don’t want is something significantly smaller. In fact, I have my smallest torch, the Veleno 38DD clipped to the 20CV Jester because it was so easy to lose in the pocket. Here, you have enough to find but not enough to burden you. Just perfect.
Output: 1
No one is mistaking the Betas, whether Ti or not, as firebreathers. These are pretty laid back torches with excellent color rendering and beam patterns, but not retina-searing tools. Its not a huge issue, especially for EDC, but you can certainly find cheaper lights that are significantly brighter. My custom Hoku is the same form factor is is six times brighter. But again, this is a luxury.
All that said, you will be surprised what you can get done with 100 lumens. I have done hikes in the woods, outdoor repairs, checks on bumps in the night (or when I ran my wood stove for too long—the CO2 meter) with this light and I have had no problems. If the beam is decent and the color rendering is good 100 lumens will cover about 90% of your flashlight needs. Hence, the 1.
Runtime: 2
Ah the joys of modern flashlights. Thanks to Jason’s wise balance of power consumption, we get decent real world runtimes. On a hike with cool temps and being cognizant of heat dissipation, I have had this light run for well over an hour. It was not on high the entire time, but it was enough light to navigate in the woods and that seems like a good real world test to me. There are real dangers with torches this small that you get a pop of light and then they go down to nothing, but not here.
Beam Type: 2
Thanks a real reflector and not an optic, there is a distinct and well-balanced division between flood and throw. Its a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none beam type but one that is rarer these days as the squashy TIR optics have all but taken over on the lower end of the price spectrum.
Beam Quality: 2
With spot-free circles and beautiful transitions between spill and hotspot, the Betas are all great. High CRI adds to the package, making for a truly top shelf beam. I am a firm believer that good beams can make up for low lumens a lot of the time and the Beta Ti is a perfect example of that.
UI: 2
This is the same twist-twist again UI that is on all of the 47s and Prometheus twisties and while it is not my favorite, I have the muscle memory built up and it does work pretty well. Two really positive attributes of this design are: 1) no accidental activation; and 2) easy tail standing.
Hands Free: 2
Of course the light works well tail standing (with the button, of course). It also is pretty thin and not too jagged or rough. Even though the clip moves, it doesn’t move so easily that it fails to stop the light from rolling away.
Other Considerations
Fidget Factor: Moderate
Nothing special here.
Fett Effect: Very Low
The beautiful stonewash makes this light look great and it will hide wear for years.
Value: Very Low
The light, as equipped is really pricey for what you get. There is no way around that, but you know that going in.
Overall Score: 19 of 20
I am not going to be deceptive here—I have a real fondness for this light that doesn’t square with the numbers or the price. For me, it is just right. The size, the shape, the output, and because it is the Ti version, the look. This just looks like the right thing to drop in your pocket with a timeworn and beloved Sebenza or a cherished Spyderco. It has a timelessness to it that the Power Ranger colored aluminum versions don’t. Of course, none of this is performance, just perception, but I am at the point where I am okay with the fact that this light is my most carried item over the last three months and yet it is nowhere near a good value. It might not be a good value, but it is an excellent light. In the end, that really matters to me even if it might not to you.
Competition
The Surefire Titan Plus is an obvious competitor, but having the Beta Ti side-by-side, it is clear that the Titan Plus, even with its higher lumen count, is not the better light. The tint, the stock clip, and the inability to tailstand make the Beta Ti an easy choice. On a side note, Surefire would be well served upgrading their EDC options. The Titan Plus has been untouched for 7 years now and the form factor is great, but the guts leave much to be desired. Bringing back the original Titan, the T1A, with its potentiometer UI and a modern emitter would be a huge player in the EDC space. Either that or upgrade the existing Titan with a brighter and Hi CRI emitter. The Preon is also a decent 1xAAA, but it can’t tailstand. Compared to the aluminum Beta’s, of course, they perform the same, but as I have mentioned many times, I like the look and feel of this light better. I like the Peak Eiger still, with its QTC pill, though it never seemed to catch on. Reylight’s Mini Pineapple is another good 1xAAA, a bit brighter than the Beta Ti, but the high quality emitter and the lush, true-to-life color rendering put the Beta Ti at the front of the pack. The only light in this form factor that is clearly superior is the Hoku, but that is like $400 more than the Beta Ti. One other 1xAAA light evades the review desk and that is the CWF Micro Arcadian from Charles Wiggins. The availability and space bucks accounts have yet to line up.
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