Do take note that this review is of an engineering sample, the final production version will incorporate some improvements. The Spartanian II is a light designed to provide a far throwing beam. The head is the widest part of the light. It has an in-laid plastic bezel up the front which holds in the lens in place. Behind the lens is a rather deep, smooth aluminum reflector. The aluminum reflector has a very well-polished surface coating which is nice and consistent. The LED which sits at the bottom of the reflector is aligned nicely. The remaining cavity of the head holds the electronics which control the light. On the exterior, the head has a clean smooth design. In addition, there the spring-loaded ring which acts as the switch. My sample of the Spartanian II came in the "Zebra" design which has alternate coatings of natural and black Type 3 anodizing. The ring is completely covered in rough, diamond textured knurling which provides excellent grip. The spring used is somewhat soft for my taste and would have appreciated a stiffer one. On one hand, the ring can easily be twisted with a single finger. On the other hand, it may be accidentally be twisted causing the light to ramp brightness or turn off, depending on how you hold the light while working. Threads between the head and battery tube are fine and cleanly cut. They fit together well without any cross-threading or grinding.

The battery tube is able to fit protected 16340 cells without problems. There is hardly any rattle with the battery inserted. The exterior of the battery tube has a band of knurling about 1cm wide, and also has recessed ergonomics which makes it more comfortable when held in a cigar-style grip. Threads between the battery tube and tail cap are thicker than those on the head. There's also a thick rubber o-ring which sits just after the threads for water resistance. Once again, the threads between the battery tube and tail cap fit nicely with no issues. The tail cap houses the "-" spring contact and a PCB which makes electrical contact with the rear end of the battery tube. Threads on the rear end of the battery tube are anodized which allows the light to be locked-out by loosening the tail cap, thus preventing accidental activation. The tail cap also has knurling all around its exterior for grip. The tail cap sits flat so the light has no problems standing on its tail.

If you're unfamiliar with any of the terms used in this review, click here for explanations on common flashlight related vocabulary.

The Spartanian II has a unique switching mechanism which allows direct access to 2 user-programmable levels instantly from the off position. The spring-loaded ring can be twisted about 45° in either direction. The left twist is designed as a momentary-like switch and will only turn on constantly when held left for over 5 seconds. The idea behind this is that people who use the light momentarily will do so for less than 5 seconds. The right twist is design as a more traditional on switch and will turn on constantly when held right for over 1.5 seconds. When held either way, the light will blink once to indicate that the light has transitioned to a constant on. While constantly on, you can turn off the light by holding right for about 1.5 seconds. Holding left will trigger the battery voltage gauge feature which gives a rough idea of the battery voltage by blinking between 2-6 times with 2 being the lowest and 6 being the highest. Do take note that the left and right positions are independent and you can't switch between them without switching the light off first.

There are 13 discreet output levels to choose from with the Spartanian II. Switching of levels is done by first turning the light constantly on at either left or right position, following which momentarily twisting the ring left lowers output and right increases output. To save a desired level, loosen and tighten the tail cap. If you simply turn off by holding right for 1.5 seconds, it will not save any setting. Further explanation of user interface can be viewed in the video below provided by the manufacturer.

Runtime is decent from a 16340 cell. Do take note that the Spartanian II is not designed to work with 3.0V CR123 cells. Regulation is held extremely well on all output levels which is great. I noticed that the Spartanian II seems to implement separate circuitry for levels 13 to 4, and 3 to 1. While there is no noticeably PWM effects between levels 13 to 4, there is some present between levels 3 to 1. Incidentally, levels 3 to 1 are also the the ones which provides extremely long runtimes as shown in the second runtime graph. The beam profile produced is a narrow spot which does a good job of throwing a beam of light at long distances. Beam color is nice and white with no noticeable tint, when compared to daylight it is slightly cooler. The beam profile does have some artifacts such as a skewed corona just around the hot spot and also a dark ring in the spill beam. All these do not affect practical usage.

The Good - Good output for its size. Easy and sensible user interface as compared to click-based interfaces. Good range of output brightness levels. Holds great regulation on all levels.

The Bad - Spring loaded ring feels slightly loose, could do with a bit more tension.

The Relative - Light output has an almost pure white tint. Some beam artifacts in the corona and spill region. Is able to tail stand. Runs only on 3.7V 16340 cells.

Some images have been masked at the request of the manufacturer as they reveal proprietary functional/design elements.

Head (front view).

Head (side view).

Head (rear view).

Ring (front view).

Ring (side view).

Ring (rear view).

Battery tube (front view).

Battery tube (side view).

Battery tube (rear view).

Tail cap (front view).

Tail cap (side view).

Tail cap (rear view).