The light comes packed in a nice flip-top box, inlaid with foam which keeps the parts in place.

At the front end, the head module of the M1-R has a 6-point crenellated bezel which which can be unscrewed for swapping in different reflectors. It also has a band of knurling towards the bottom which helps with grip when unscrewing. The M1-R comes pre-installed with the textured reflector. Manufacturer claims that the lens is AR coated, but hard as I may, I could not detect any AR coating on it. [Update October 02, 2007: A verification from LumaPower indicates that the lens is, in fact, AR coated with a clear type coating.] A GITD rubber o-ring sits between the lens and bezel as a water seal. The reflector itself is held in place by a retaining ring which screws into the bezel. This makes the reflector more secure and doesn't rattle while unscrewing the bezel, however is does mean that you will need a pair of needle nose pliers handy when swapping reflectors. There's a gap around the actual Rebel emitter, the reflector and emitter are slightly misaligned. The head section which holds the emitter module has scallops machined on its external side which look similar to certain SureFire lights. The emitter module houses the driver circuit and the new Luxeon Rebel emitter. As with the reflector, the emitter module also screws into place and is held securely in the head. All the threads in the head module are thick and cleanly cut, I did not experience any cross-threading or grinding. The type 3 anodized coating is pretty even and smooth, upon further scrutinizing I did notice some circular blotches of uneven coloring, but is really minor.

The battery tube of the M1-R feels very comfortable when held in an overhead grip. Right around the middle there's band of diagonal line textured knurling almost 2.5cm wide. It doesn't provide as much grip compared to the more common diamond textured knurling, but still generally adequate. There're 2 flat faces machined on to either sides of the battery tube, each imprinted with the LumaPower/LumaHunter branding logo. Also, its serial number is printed just below the front end where the head screws onto the battery tube. The M1-R comes with an easily removable clip which slots into the battery tube. Its sturdy and provides a tight grip, however it was designed for the light to be carried head-up which might not be ideal in some circumstances. The external coating on the battery rube is similar to that of the head, smooth and even. There were no uneven colored blotches on the battery tube though, but I did find a thin scratch about 2mm long around the neck area. The internal diameter of the battery tube is wide enough to accommodate any flavor of protected 16340 or 18650 cells without problems. The threads on both ends of the battery tube are smooth as well, 2 o-rings at the rear and 1 at the front provides water resistance.

The tail cap has been redesigned from the earlier models of M1 lights, and it can now tail stand of flat surfaces. It does wobble a little, but not too bad. The M1-R comes with the tactical momentary switch pre-installed. With this momentary switch, only the high output level is available. Tap the push button for momentary on, screw down the tail cap for constant on. With a pair of needle nose pliers, you can swap out the momentary switch with the 2-stage one which is included in the package which functions like a regular reverse push button switch. The reverse push button switch has average travel and provides a tactile feedback when clicked. Both switches have average resistance and are easy and comfortable to press on. Again there's a band of knurling almost 1.5cm wide, and also 2 slim wide slots at the end for lanyard attachments. The M1-R comes with 2 rubber switch caps, a standard black, and a GITD one.

The M1-R is powered by the new, tiny Luxeon Rebel LED. Don't be put down by its size though as its able to perform on par with current Cree XR-E emitters. With the 2 stage switch installed, output modes are as follows:

"Off" > "Low" > "High"

The most obvious thing I noticed regarding the output from my sample is that there is a significant amount of tint shift between the low and high levels. I have never experience such a stark difference with any other emitter types. This might be a trait of the Rebel emitter, but I will need to test other Rebel based lights to be sure. At the low level, output tint is more on the warm side. On high output level, the tint shifts to a cool white, with an extremely slight violet tint. As you can see from the runtimes below, the M1-R seems to perform best with a single 18650 cell.

The Good - Nice ergonomics in hand, light is able to tail stand while still providing comfortable on/off switching. Good output and runtime on 18650 cells. All interchangeable parts are held securely held in place, no loose rattling.

The Bad - Short runtime performance on 2x 16340 cells. Anodized coating has some minor blotches. Diagonal line style knurling does not provide the best grip.

The Relative - Tint shifts from a warm white on low output level, to a cool white on high output level. Comes with both momentary and reverse push button switches. Clip is designed for head-up carry.

Head with textured reflector installed.

Head with smooth reflector installed.

Bezel (front view).

Bezel (side view).

Bezel (rear view).

GITD rubber o-ring (lens).

Lens.

Smooth reflector (front view).

Textured reflector (front view).

Reflector (side view).

Reflector (rear view).

Reflector retaining ring.

Emitter module (front view).

Emitter module (side view).

Emitter module (rear view).

Head (front view).

Head (side view).

Head (rear view).

Battery tube (front view).

Battery tube (side view).

Battery tube (rear view).

2 stage switch (front view).

2 stage switch (side view).

2 stage switch (rear view).

Momentary switch (front view).

Momentary switch (side view).

Momentary switch (rear view).

Momentary switch spacer (front view).

Momentary switch spacer (side view).

Momentary switch spacer (rear view).

Black switch cap (front view).

Black switch cap (side view).

Black switch cap (rear view).

GITD switch cap (front view).

GITD switch cap (side view).

GITD switch cap (rear view).

Tail cap (front view).

Tail cap (side view).

Tail cap (rear view).