HighlanderNorth
Flashlight Enthusiast
I just finally got in my new Eagletac D25A and D25C today. The D25A runs on 1 - AA battery(or 14500) and the Eagletac D25C runs on 1 - Cr123 or RCR123. First thing I noticed is how thin they are, especially towards the battery compartment. Next thing I noticed is how short the threads are on the rear tailcap. You turn it around like 2 times and thats it, its tight. But, the pocket clip gets in the way, because it pushes up against the body of the light when you are trying to get the tailcap back on after installing the battery, per instructions, so it causes the tailcap to want to go on crooked since it pushes against one side of the body.
The threads are poor, and feel very rough as you turn the tailcap or the head back in place. It feels like there is some grit in the threads or something! There was absolutely no lubrication on the threads, so I added a little. It helped just a little but not a lot.
Next, when you remove the tailcap, per instructions when installing the battery, you find that the switch is not connected to the tailcap, it just sits inside the battery compartment, so you must pull it out, and theres a washer that falls out of the tail cap as well. The switch on my D25A DID NOT fit back into the battery compartment well. Its too tight. It kept going in crooked, which causes the tailcap to try and cross thread itself, which would strip the thin, shallow threads. So I had to "modify" the sides of the switch a little to get it to fit in properly. But the tailcap still doesnt want to go on straight every time(or most times) on either the D25A or the D25C.
So after I dealt with that, I then decided to check and add lube to the threads on the heads of both lights. It was then that I discovered that the threads on the heads are deeper, longer and slightly better than the tailcap threads, and better still, you can install the batteries right under the head after you remove it! There is no washer or switch that may fall out, and the head screws back on easier without cross threading or stripping. There's no pocket clip to get in the way of it. So I'd recommend installing your batteries by removing the head instead of the tail cap. I dont want to ever have to remove the tail caps again, because I'm worried that they will strip after not so many times screwing them on and off. But I think its good to lube the threads everywhere with appropriate lube. That will probably extend their life by making it easier to screw them on and off.
The switch: The switch seems light and cheap to me. You can see it because it must be removed when you remove the tail cap, and it looks like the type of switch you'd buy for $1.75 at Radio Shack. It doesnt look very durable, but hopefully I am wrong about that. I guess that since it is so easy to remove the switch, maybe they sell spares, so maybe its a good idea to get a few spares just in case!
The circuit seems pretty good, and it has lots of modes, with lots of different strobes, SOS, etc. It does not have a momentary switch, you press it til it clicks, then it comes on after you release it. You lightly press to switch modes, or twist the head for more modes.
All in all, this is an example of "You get what you pay for". I was wondering why the Jetbeam and Sunwayman Ti lights of the same specs were nearly 3 times the price, and now I know! These lights are thin, and semi-cheap feeling. Since they are made of Ti, they shouldnt need to be too thick, but its not so much the thickness I worry about, its the threads, the switch, etc.
I got the neutral versions of both lights, and they are WARM colored. They are pretty yellow. They are warm colored and will probably render colors well. They are more yellow than my iTp light with MC-E which was previously the 'warmest' light I owned, but not anymore! They seem to have nice beams, and even with standard Cr123 and standard 1.2V NiMh AA, they are fairly bright on their high settings. With higher voltage batteries, they will supposedly run on direct mode and be much brighter! But I can tell you after only about 10 seconds on high, the D25C was starting to warm up already, so it will probably get HOT on turbo with a 3.7V battery in direct mode. I will have to wait til tonight and see just how yellow these lights are after dark.
All in all, its a mixed bag. I love my Eagletac G25C2, and if I had to grade these lights, I'd give them both C's. I will keep them. I like the beam, the color is 'OK', the Ti, the modes, etc. But I question the durability of it over time. I wonder if maybe I should've bought 1 Sunwayman V10R Ti+ or Jetbeam TCR1 instead of 2 of these lights......... We'll see.:thinking:
The threads are poor, and feel very rough as you turn the tailcap or the head back in place. It feels like there is some grit in the threads or something! There was absolutely no lubrication on the threads, so I added a little. It helped just a little but not a lot.
Next, when you remove the tailcap, per instructions when installing the battery, you find that the switch is not connected to the tailcap, it just sits inside the battery compartment, so you must pull it out, and theres a washer that falls out of the tail cap as well. The switch on my D25A DID NOT fit back into the battery compartment well. Its too tight. It kept going in crooked, which causes the tailcap to try and cross thread itself, which would strip the thin, shallow threads. So I had to "modify" the sides of the switch a little to get it to fit in properly. But the tailcap still doesnt want to go on straight every time(or most times) on either the D25A or the D25C.
So after I dealt with that, I then decided to check and add lube to the threads on the heads of both lights. It was then that I discovered that the threads on the heads are deeper, longer and slightly better than the tailcap threads, and better still, you can install the batteries right under the head after you remove it! There is no washer or switch that may fall out, and the head screws back on easier without cross threading or stripping. There's no pocket clip to get in the way of it. So I'd recommend installing your batteries by removing the head instead of the tail cap. I dont want to ever have to remove the tail caps again, because I'm worried that they will strip after not so many times screwing them on and off. But I think its good to lube the threads everywhere with appropriate lube. That will probably extend their life by making it easier to screw them on and off.
The switch: The switch seems light and cheap to me. You can see it because it must be removed when you remove the tail cap, and it looks like the type of switch you'd buy for $1.75 at Radio Shack. It doesnt look very durable, but hopefully I am wrong about that. I guess that since it is so easy to remove the switch, maybe they sell spares, so maybe its a good idea to get a few spares just in case!
The circuit seems pretty good, and it has lots of modes, with lots of different strobes, SOS, etc. It does not have a momentary switch, you press it til it clicks, then it comes on after you release it. You lightly press to switch modes, or twist the head for more modes.
All in all, this is an example of "You get what you pay for". I was wondering why the Jetbeam and Sunwayman Ti lights of the same specs were nearly 3 times the price, and now I know! These lights are thin, and semi-cheap feeling. Since they are made of Ti, they shouldnt need to be too thick, but its not so much the thickness I worry about, its the threads, the switch, etc.
I got the neutral versions of both lights, and they are WARM colored. They are pretty yellow. They are warm colored and will probably render colors well. They are more yellow than my iTp light with MC-E which was previously the 'warmest' light I owned, but not anymore! They seem to have nice beams, and even with standard Cr123 and standard 1.2V NiMh AA, they are fairly bright on their high settings. With higher voltage batteries, they will supposedly run on direct mode and be much brighter! But I can tell you after only about 10 seconds on high, the D25C was starting to warm up already, so it will probably get HOT on turbo with a 3.7V battery in direct mode. I will have to wait til tonight and see just how yellow these lights are after dark.
All in all, its a mixed bag. I love my Eagletac G25C2, and if I had to grade these lights, I'd give them both C's. I will keep them. I like the beam, the color is 'OK', the Ti, the modes, etc. But I question the durability of it over time. I wonder if maybe I should've bought 1 Sunwayman V10R Ti+ or Jetbeam TCR1 instead of 2 of these lights......... We'll see.:thinking:
Last edited: