Good question. Tried it just now, and yes. Pulled the head off like changing batteries, put it back on, was still in the same mode.

So it must have a little non volatile memory that stores the settings.

Have access to a 3d printer? I made one up to accomplish the same thing here - https://ufile.io/r65xp9oz

My man!

Has anyone seen a comparison of the KIJI vs. The Luna?

I have a Luna and about to order KIJI.

Quick 3 degree KIJI comparison against a Surefire M300V. Photos taken in a public park in one of the darkest parts of a big city (San Antonio), lots of ambient light/light pollution.

Area is a small-medium baseball field. My estimate of distance from fence to fence is about 65 yards


Photo description above each

1: Shows outdoor lighting conditions. Edited to most closely represent what I am seeing unaided. Sky looks brighter than what it actually is in person however.

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2: What the area looks like without illumination using my Omni 7 pvs14 with gain all the way up.

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3: KIJI with 10 degree diffuser at max power

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4: M300V

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5: KIJI without diffuser at max power

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Worth noting that I swapped the heads around on the bodies  of Surefire & KIJI without issue. Each head worked with the other brands body and tailcap. Figured I would mention that since I heard at least one person claiming they had an issue.

BE Meyers KIJI vs Surefire Vampire vs Full Power Illuminator Performance Comparison
Fantastic comparison of the kiji ^

Pretty interesting. I expected to not see so much beam diffusion/scatter. The PEQ seems to be much better in comparison. Even with the laser octopus in the pattern.

Ok, but then we have:

KIJI vs MAWL

That bldg on the hill is ~600yds away, IIRC from another LAM video. Why is it every time I see a vid by that Hop kid, it's always different from other vids, and also what I see in real life, for gear I own? He should have clicked the KIJI through the power modes, so we can see that it actually is at 150mW.

It looks like the spill issue that he had with the KIJI may have been due to the fact that you can't adjust its zero.

Where the laser is zeroed is at the top of the circle of illumination. So when you have the zero laser on your target at 350 yd most of the illuminator is actually below that, hitting the ground in between you and the target producing the flood spill problem that we saw in this video.


I think if you were able to zero the Kiji it would help a lot in keeping the illumination on target and not wasting as much or creating issues by illuminating the foreground so much.

Apparently B.E. Is doing just that… making a add on part that allows the KIJI to be zeroed. Should only be another $600
Kidding about price, hopefully.

You can see in the photo below how dramatic a elevation adjustment could be. Yet the KIJI still outperforms IMO (with the peq15 not sufficiently lighting up the trees at all [below])

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Considerations when people talk about flood/spill on illuminators…

    Illuminators like the peq15, perst, dbal etc emit illumination in a circular pattern. A perfect circle of IR illumination looks awesome. It’s crisp, and nice to look at. Not to mention they punch out at distance really well when you narrow them. They provide a very narrow and focused area of illumination.

My thoughts:
    Is that perfect circle of light more effective at shooting or tracking a target (especially a moving target)? Is there an advantage to be gained by something that provides more flood at distance?
Which would give the most situational awareness: something like the KIJI or a more traditional circular illuminator? Mind you, the KIJI is still pretty well focused…

Serious questions.

I do think there are some diminishing returns when you have to adjust a peq15 style illuminator so tight at distance to adequately light an area that they provide no awareness around the target area.
   An example…. I want more than a couple yards of illumination at 300 yards, much like I don’t want a tiny FOV on an optic or LPVO.

And if this discussion is at all going to be brought into a realm of real offensive/defensive fighting scenario, I’m just not sure how much time you will have to adjust your beam divergence to get it perfect for your situation. Maybe a shitload of light on target at distance would be a warm welcome.

Using that video as an example…
The KIJI still provides a focused area of illumination, while flooding the area with light. It’s power/output is greater than the peq15, and I was able to see significantly more area with the flood. Is that bad?

Now it’s worth noting that overpowering flood is a bad thing at close distance with NV. It generally gates your tubes and doesn’t really punch out at distance like one would like, especially when trying to focus on a target that may present itself in a narrow opening. This is one reason why the really powerful IR Modlites are pretty great at one application, and terrible at most others.

Based on my own limited testing with KIJi 3:
    It is very focused at closer distances, and with the quick toggle of the other power level (I’m using setting 31 which is PL2 & PL4), there is no issue with gating or too much flood at closer distances like what would be experienced with powerful LED illumination.
Also, there is a strange quality of light that these illuminators produce. It is strange in that the light is powerful, yet not harsh and doesn’t trigger autogating like other illuminators I have used. It is void of any artifacts as well.

I’m still in the process of testing the one I have. Based on initial impressions however, it’s extremely versatile with the toggled PLs and diffuser. Small footprint as well, and compatibility with Surefire bodies obviously brings advantages to the table.

***For what it’s worth, I’ve owned a clean FP Peq15. There’s really no comparison as far as usefulness of illuminators, the KIJI wins easily. Thats with me really, really wanting/trying to like the peq15 (because I like the fact they are light weight)***

I think you are right. The pointer is aiming way above the center of the cone.

I never had that issue, using both OTAL's and LS117IR's in conjunction with a Vampire.  Maybe the mount set up could be juggled around to get the illum up?  Maybe something like an Arisaka mount with multiple hole options?

I'm very happy with my KIJI-3 but really wish there were more reliable buttons on the market. It seems that all the dual leads that would go well with a KIJI and designator are made by the same company and people have issues with every model. My Mod Button Dual has been quite a PITA.

It would be great if BE Meyers came out with a solution of their own for the KIJI + laser.

What's the issue with the dual lead mod button I was going to buy one for a second upper?

My taps switch works fine I assumed the mod button would as well.

Your mileage may vary as there are plenty of satisfied customers, but I hear of a lot of issues that break into either the button or the crane connector.

The common two and are the two I have issues with are: intermittent presses and the connectors don't seem to follow a standard and plugs often don't fit or fit loose on different devices.

The first seems to be an issue with buttons and the latter with the plugs.

I thought it was just me, but apparently not:



Comments loaded with similar problems.


I really couldn't care less about the drama and just want stuff that works. The KIJI itself has presented new button requirements for a lot of people like myself.

My modbuttons are great. No issues working with KIJI or anything else.

The crane plug issues are mainly a Steiner issue. Ton of Steiners crane plug ports are too tight

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Nice setup.

Be nice if Unity would release the dual lead Hot Button. I've got a single lead and it's great just needs a crane lead ???????

They seem to be listed at Kenzie's but I haven't seen them in stock yet.

Hopefully we'll see em released after SHOT

There are a number of other options that offer the same technology but in different wavelengths
e.g. 940nm or 850nm plus 2 to 3x magnification and 500mW along with a rheostat control.

500 mW VCSEL - 850nm/940nm

I do like the VCSEL technology as it provides excellent cut through and the KIJI 3 degree does a lot with 150mW.  However the above has the ability to be focussed and therefore may have the ability to kill two birds with one stone e.g. produce a diffuse source when needed and a highly focussed source cable of significant reach when needed plus variable brightness.  

PS the NOHD is 3 and the ED50 is 1 (e.g. the beam divergence is > 3 degs).

Odd comparison on many different levels

Why? same technology but with a head that can be focussed and with variable power levels - lot to like about that.   It is larger but equally its 1/3rd the price.  

The KIJI has a fixed beam with 3 degrees of divergence plus 4 power levels (although it can be programmed).  

I suspect the Brit unit when focussed down will punch out well beyond six hundred meters and will have a broader case use (inc. 940nm which speaks to a lot of LE digital technology).  

Anyhow, I'm getting one and will post up against the usual suspects - its certainly worth a look

The things I like about the KIJI 3 are
(1)  VCSEL
(2)  Size
(3)  Access to the "surefire" ecosystem
(4)  Simplicity

Lots to like about the KIJI but also lots to like about other options too.  

Interesting, and a lot cheaper!

For the same reasons I wouldn’t expect to see a serious comparison of a 1.5lb 10,000 lumen Amazon flashlight and a Surefire or Modlite scout light.

Different customer base, different size, different weight, different design, different expectations as far as durability, and different appropriate use cases. Nothing about them is meant to compete with one another.

Generally speaking, it’s a given that modern large lights should outperform modern small lights. There are a ton of IR lasers or lights with higher and better managed output than the KIJI. It doesn’t grant reasonable justification for comparison however.

There is a reason why duty type rifle lights/lasers are a separate category or niche.

As always: IMHO, not looking to put anyone down or be condescending

Not sure where you're getting your info from - the device I was referring to weighs 285 grams, not 750 grams.  The KIJI weighs about 3oz ~100 grams.  As a reference point my old M952 unit with KM3 head weighs ~250 grams.  

If you want light weight with punch - get the LUNA it weighs 120 grams, can be focussed, has variable power, can punch out to a kilometer or more and can be adjusted for windage and elevation.  

Its not VCSEL but theres nothing magic about VCSEL - its simply a method that distributes the emission source vertically as opposed to edge emission (e.g. conventional LED).  The primary advantage of VCSEL is it can cut through light barriers with less power (and produces a very well controlled circular beam).  

I do not see the KIJI 3 as a mil/leo tool (the KIJI 10 will work as a helmet mounted short range illuminator) - they will simply use a MAWL (XYZ). The KIJI 3 is basically a budget illuminator for the civilian market - nothing wrong with that and a sensible idea.  Real world kinetic, you use a MAWL or something similar.  LEO and other surveillance you'll use a 940nm device where possible.  

At the end of the day it comes down to case use narrow Vs broad - professional Vs non-professional

Fair point.


I do think the KIJI in conjunction with a laser of choice bridges a gap and is much closer towards the side of  “kinetic” usage, something that your linked product can’t fulfill (such as simultaneous activation with laser being possible and expected).

Once again though, I am starting to understand your viewpoint better I think.

As far as a hunting item, I think you are spot on with your suggestion of a alternative. If that’s your use case, then my apologies for a somewhat harsh first comment.

When can we expect to see FDE versions?

You can get Tan/FDE surefire bodies and tail caps and for the Kiji head, you can just paint the crowling as they are plastic halves that can be removed: https://youtu.be/QoYGOIGzwD0?t=202. Or just wait for BEM to release one.

Hmm, I imagine BEM will eventually make FDE options considering how many colors they offer for the MAWL alone.

Has anyone tried the KIJI 10 as on a helmet? Wondering how it compares to something like the M340V

I have the KIJI 10/40 on my helmet rig and it is leaps and bounds better then the IR Surefire head it replaced. The power is obviously incredible but it’s the quality of the light with no distortion or artifacts is what impressed me most. It’s such a pure/perfect light source if that makes sense. It has plenty of throw for a helmet light outside and is unbelievable for umbrella lighting when in any indoor spaces. Also the view of red IR glow with the naked eye is far more minimal then the Surefire IR heads or similar.

Agreed

A comparison between the kiji and luna you say?

Also agreed - when I get my KIJI- 3 back I'll do a photo based comparo (through NODs and Pro) at specified distances (100m, 200m, 400m, 800m 1000m - measure by LRF) on flat ground against a backdrop of 50m plus trees.  I'll chuck in a cpl of OOB options to add a bit of spice :)

So funny!

 
LOL it is - I'll add the LUNA to the list