Nitecore Explorer Series (EC1, EC2, EA1, EA2)

[andrewnewman]

So I ended up with an EA1 which I generally like excepting two issues (one bigger than the other).

1. The low on mine is MUCH brighter than 2Lm. I'd peg it subjectively at more like 8-10 Lm although the smooth reflector can make a visual assessment difficult.

2. Mine didn't come water tight. The light came a few days ago while I was travelling and sat in the mail pile until I got home. When I did, I noticed that there was stray grease all over the body. I rinsed the light under some cool water with a little dish soap. An hour later I noticed the glass window was fogged. Yikes! I got most of the fog out with a hair dryer and leaving the battery tube open overnight. An examination of the bezel reveals that the steel retaining ring wasn't fully seated on one side over the window / o-ring. I took a small drift and mallet and seated it fully. I haven't tried washing it again, however...

 

[Phil Ament]

So I ended up with an EA1 which I generally like excepting two issues (one bigger than the other).

1. The low on mine is MUCH brighter than 2Lm. I'd peg it subjectively at more like 8-10 Lm although the smooth reflector can make a visual assessment difficult.

2. Mine didn't come water tight. The light came a few days ago while I was travelling and sat in the mail pile until I got home. When I did, I noticed that there was stray grease all over the body. I rinsed the light under some cool water with a little dish soap. An hour later I noticed the glass window was fogged. Yikes! I got most of the fog out with a hair dryer and leaving the battery tube open overnight. An examination of the bezel reveals that the steel retaining ring wasn't fully seated on one side over the window / o-ring. I took a small drift and mallet and seated it fully. I haven't tried washing it again, however...

Actually a few people had been asking whether the retaining ring was screw in or press fit, so I am hoping for your sake that you have just discovered that it was most likely press fit. May I ask what brought you to that conclusion.

 

[andrewnewman]

Actually a few people had been asking whether the retaining ring was screw in or press fit, so I am hoping for your sake that you have just discovered that it was most likely press fit. May I ask what brought you to that conclusion.

I'm pretty sure it is press in. My conclusion was based upon a couple of observations.

1. There were no visible threads nor any clear way to apply rotational force to the ring.

2. Mine was crooked and became straight(er) when I applied some modest taps with a drift and mallet.

Not conclusive by any means and as I stated I haven't verified it to be water tight after the surgery.

 

[Phil Ament]

I'm pretty sure it is press in. My conclusion was based upon a couple of observations.

1. There were no visible threads nor any clear way to apply rotational force to the ring.

2. Mine was crooked and became straight(er) when I applied some modest taps with a drift and mallet.

Not conclusive by any means and as I stated I haven't verified it to be water tight after the surgery.

Thanks for the reply Mr Newman , and now that you mention it I noticed straight after receiving mine that the retaining ring on one of my EC1's is also not sitting quite evenly, however due to the fact that it is faulty and has to be returned I didn't want to mess with it at all.

 

[fyrstormer]

Well phooey. I wonder if it's possible to loosen the ring by heating or freezing.

 

[rambo180]

Disgruntled Nitecore Owner
Should Have Purchased Another Brand

That sucks. FYI for everyone else, in australia (at shops) we have a wide range of LED LENSER and MAGLITES to choose from. Apart from that, we can also look at LENSERS, MAGS and sometimes even LENSERS.

200+ lumen flashlights at a shop in australia do not exist. Online is the only way for those 'down under'.

 

[jhc37013]

Just got my EC2 shipping notice many days earlier than I thought, should have it Monday.

 

[Perrinsf]

I got the EA2 yesterday from LightJunction and I'm pleased with it, to be honest the first time I held it I thought it felt kind of cheap but that is mostly due to it's small diameter and length, it had some to do with the type of knurling used which is not aggressive to say the least and a little slick but that's ok because the way my hand wraps around the light and clip I don't really need much knurling.

I don't normally comment on the reflector but this one is nice, very clean and shiny. I tested the red light for an hour and the light was still cool to the touch so I don't have a heat issue with this sample.

I asked LightJunction if they could check that the emitter was well centered before sending it out and Jeff took care of that for me so no issues their either. I like everything about it so far and if you think the EA2 might be something your after then go for it.

I do wish it had shortcuts to Hi and low instead of strobe and SOS, it could have been hold the On button for more then 1 second for low and hold the mode button for more than 1 second for high. Oh well it's nice to have something that's not a twist to turbo or loose for general, I tend to like that old school UI with a reverse clicky but it's always more of the same and nice to have something different.

I thought I would share my EC1 experience. Bought and received one over 1 week ago. Worked great for 5 minutes, then the UI began to malfunction. Got stuck in low and would not cycle through the modes. Sent it back and got a new one yesterday. This one works fine, but I did notice that the LED is slightly off center. Does not seem to impact the beam, so I am content with the replacement. My favorite EDC up to this point has been the Fenix PD20, so I tend to use that as my frame of reference.

Even though the EC1 has a bigger head, it is still a very compact light. Very short in length. The knurling pattern is definitely different, but not bad from a grip perspective and is does add a nice design look. Reflecter is big, smooth and deep, which is why this thing throws like a beast. Super bright for its size and covers long distances. Definitely a tight, concentrated hot spot, but there is a surprising amount of useful spill which makes it a great light overall. Sits fatter in the pocket or in the holster, but the reward is a superb, useful multifunctional light. I do like the interface and the way it sits in your hand given the button configuration. The light will blow you away on how bright and pure white the light is. I agee with an earlier comment that the clip is pretty weak. It does the job, but needs improvement.

Overall I love the light. Super high tech and a small powerhouse coming in at 280 lumens. It will be my new EDC for a while to come. Highly recommend.

 

[Phil Ament]

I thought I would share my EC1 experience. Bought and received one over 1 week ago. Worked great for 5 minutes, then the UI began to malfunction. Got stuck in low and would not cycle through the modes. Sent it back and got a new one yesterday. This one works fine, but I did notice that the LED is slightly off center. Does not seem to impact the beam, so I am content with the replacement. My favorite EDC up to this point has been the Fenix PD20, so I tend to use that as my frame of reference.

Even though the EC1 has a bigger head, it is still a very compact light. Very short in length. The knurling pattern is definitely different, but not bad from a grip perspective and is does add a nice design look. Reflecter is big, smooth and deep, which is why this thing throws like a beast. Super bright for its size and covers long distances. Definitely a tight, concentrated hot spot, but there is a surprising amount of useful spill which makes it a great light overall. Sits fatter in the pocket or in the holster, but the reward is a superb, useful multifunctional light. I do like the interface and the way it sits in your hand given the button configuration. The light will blow you away on how bright and pure white the light is. I agee with an earlier comment that the clip is pretty weak. It does the job, but needs improvement.

Overall I love the light. Super high tech and a small powerhouse coming in at 280 lumens. It will be my new EDC for a while to come. Highly recommend.

Firstly I can only imagine that any off centering (if that is a word) of the LED would have to affect the output to some degree, however I could be wrong about that as I certainly don't claim to be an expert in this particular field. One thing that I would really like to say though is that if anybody is going to be ordering one/some, and especially if it is going to be arriving from another country, that I would very strongly recommend that they should ask the seller to not only check just to make certain that it actually works properly first, but to also verify that the LED is centred correctly prior to them being sent. Doing so could end up helping you to avoid experiencing any disappointment and the added expense that would be associated with having to return a faulty light!

 

[Perrinsf]

Firstly I can only imagine that any off centering (if that is a word) of the LED would have to affect the output to some degree, however I could be wrong about that as I certainly don't claim to be an expert in this particular field. One thing that I would really like to say though is that if anybody is going to be ordering one/some, and especially if it is going to be arriving from another country, that I would very strongly recommend that they should ask the seller to not only check just to make certain that it actually works properly first, but to also verify that the LED is centred correctly prior to them being sent. Doing so could end up helping you to avoid experiencing any disappointment and the added expense that would be associated with having to return a faulty light!

Now that you mention it, I do believe there is a difference in the beam in the EC1 I just got versus the one I had originally received. The edge of the hotspot on the first one I got was super crisp. Very sharp and distinct edge of hot spot versus spill. My replacement light that is slight off center, has a more diffused, softer edge to the hotspot leading out to the spill. Probably not hugely noticeable to the untrained eye, but a memorable difference nonetheless. I actually like the diffused edge better, but hope the off center issue does not impact throw or overall performance. Would hate to hassle with another return if there is not a great difference......

 

[Bigmac_79]

My review of the EA2 is available here:

Nitecore Explorer EA2

:thumbsup:

 

[jhc37013]

My EC2 has a narrow dark spot in the hotspot, I think it's because their appears to be a little scratch under the lens in the AR coating. I don't think it's a general donut hole but I'd be interested to see if any other EC2 owners have a dark spot in the hotspot.

Again it does not look like a typical donut hole but rather a dark line (spot), if other members report the same thing I'll keep this one but if not and it comes more apparent it's because of the small mark in the ARC under the lens then I'll send it back, just need some input from other owners. If anyone has a Fenix TK35 then the dark spot I'm talking about reminds me of that.

Just a note and maybe it's been mentioned but I have a EA2 as well and the reflectors are different, the EA2 has kind of a hybrid reflector while the EC2 is completely smooth. The EA2 has some slight artifacts in the hotspot but nothing that bugs me unlike the EC2.

 

[Bigmac_79]

My EA2 has no visible dark spot, but when measuring the lux I found that the peak beam intensity is actually a bit outside the center, which is a little unusual.

Sent from my mobile device. Please excuse brevity and typos.

 

[Phil Ament]

My EA2 has no visible dark spot, but when measuring the lux I found that the peak beam intensity is actually a bit outside the center, which is a little unusual.

Sent from my mobile device. Please excuse brevity and typos.

Is it at all possible that this particular phenomenon could be caused by the emitter failing to be perfectly centralised within the reflector.

 

[jhc37013]

My EA2 has no visible dark spot, but when measuring the lux I found that the peak beam intensity is actually a bit outside the center, which is a little unusual.

Sent from my mobile device. Please excuse brevity and typos.

I don't really see a complete dark spot in my EA2 hotspot just some slight differing in intensity here and there, it's my EC2 that shows a real dark spot dead center at a slight 12 o'clock position inside the hotspot.

While I wait for other EC2 owners to chime in I sent a message to LightJunction asking if they could check some other samples, I don't want to send it back if they are all like this. It's nothing terrible and would not keep me from enjoying it but still I don't want the spot if I don't have to have it.

 

[Bigmac_79]

Is it at all possible that this particular phenomenon could be caused by the emitter failing to be perfectly centralised within the reflector.

That is certainly possible. However, when I was measuring the lux, it seemed to have the peak beam intensity in a fairly regular ring around the center. This suggests to me that the emitter may be "centered" in the reflector, from a top down view, but possibly not quite at the optimum depth in the reflector, like in a Mag light that you've twisted out of focus. I can't see any of this by eye, so it's hard to say for sure, but that's my best guess.

 

[antoninodattola]

Hi guys!
Sorry for my English!
I wanted to know my history with the EC1! : Devil:
I place the links of CPF Italy:

http://www.cpfitaliaforum.it/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3012&start=80

Ciao!

 

[NiteShift]

Hi guys!
Sorry for my English!
I wanted to know my history with the EC1! : Devil:
I place the links of CPF Italy:

http://www.cpfitaliaforum.it/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3012&start=80

Ciao!

Eeek, those photos sure make the E series look cheaply made.

These aren't available in the UK yet - they were supposed to be available last month but got pushed back and slated for mid July. Well that's been and gone so I'm hoping these delays means that Nitecore is ironing out some the the issues I've been reading about before a UK/EU release - or perhaps I'm just day dreaming :shakehead

 

[fyrstormer]

The E series aren't super-durable, but they're not garbage. I'd prefer if they had buttons like Zebralights have, instead of membrane switches with stick-on plastic covers, but for light duty they're fine.

Interestingly, the reflectors on the E series are much better than I expected. Normally I can't stand smooth reflectors, but this one actually has no significant beam artifacts.

 

[antoninodattola]

Other pic.. IP-X8 bad!!!!

http://db.tt/2g3E0gZL

http://db.tt/Nqjsh0j8


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