NiteCore EZ AA-W (Warm tint) Comparison Review

[smithman]

hmm...

okay If we would stay on AA's in a very compact size (like the EZs size)
Which could be recommend to get such a 'WoW-Effect' ?

Furthermore If we would stay on warm LED, which lights are available under these criterias ?

 

[kaichu dento]

hmm...

okay If we would stay on AA's in a very compact size (like the EZs size)
Which could be recommend to get such a 'WoW-Effect' ?

Furthermore If we would stay on warm LED, which lights are available under these criterias ?

There are two basic categories of wow. One is for flashaholics and one is for the general public and the EZAAw is definitely capable of eliciting astonishment from the latter group and when you look at this tiny sliver of a light that at first and second glance both, appears to be a AAA sized light, it still blows me away.

When I show it to someone they always note how bright it is, at which point I turn it to high!

 

[smithman]

Thanks kaichu dento,

btw, is this the only lamp with a tripod hole ?

 

[kaichu dento]

Thanks kaichu dento,

btw, is this the only lamp with a tripod hole ?

All of the EZ series has them and there is also a light by PhotonFanatic? that first came with the threaded hole.

The two EZ's I have are the AAw and the CR2w. Though not really extravagant, they do what they do to perfection and for me the 5B tint is a large part of what I like about them, in addition to the super slim body.

 

[smithman]

Thanks kaichu dento, I have ordered one.
Your wise advises help me a lot. :thumbsup:
I will send a picture when I got it.

I think its a a good start to buy a nitecore product as my first light.

BTW, I needed the tripod-hole for maintaining my PC while the flashlight is mounted on a tripod.

lovecpf

 

[smithman]

So here's my new flashlight.
I like it very much, Its very compact and good for using it as an EDC.
The fact that its a little thrower is also very cool.
Just a pocketrocket, as I needed. :candle:

I have a few question regarding this light:

1. Is the battery physically removed from the light electronics, when twisting it to off, or will it still consume power?

2. Comparing it to my old Mini-Mag AA (Non-LED) the EZ-AAw seems to have a very cool tint, is this normal ?

3. Is there anywhere (at CPF) a Diffusor-Mod available for this light ?

4. Is the tripod-hole good enough for daily-usage (what about the color in the hole, will it get off) ?

5. What are these two rings for ?

Thanks in Advance...

 

[kaichu dento]

So here's my new flashlight.
I like it very much, Its very compact and good for using it as an EDC.
The fact that its a little thrower is also very cool.
Just a pocketrocket, as I needed. :candle:

I have a few question regarding this light:

1. Is the battery physically removed from the light electronics, when twisting it to off, or will it still consume power?

2. Comparing it to my old Mini-Mag AA (Non-LED) the EZ-AAw seems to have a very cool tint, is this normal ?

3. Is there anywhere (at CPF) a Diffuser-Mod available for this light ?

4. Is the tripod-hole good enough for daily-usage (what about the color in the hole, will it get off) ?

5. What are these two rings for ?

Thanks in Advance...

Smithman,

Thanks for letting us participate in your choice and I've got to say I'm relieved to hear we didn't steer you wrong! :thumbsup:
By the way, I just checked the dimensions of your first shot, and at 2592 x 1944, if it's not the biggest I've ever seen here, I think it's at least in the top 10!
Can you re-size to the max allowed 800 x 800?

The battery has no parasitic drain when the light is off.

Even a warm tinted LED will look cool compared to incan unless you get up into the 6x or 7x ranges.

Not sure what anyone else is using for a diffuser, but most of the time people will experiment with different container caps until they find one that fits well.

The threaded adapter will last a long time, but you should expect chips in the anodization to start showing up, although it is a very durable finish.

And lastly, you've got spare o-rings!

 

[UnknownVT]

So here's my new flashlight.

Thank you for posting your pics -
BUT they are huge - way too big - and causes unnecessary horizontal scrolling.

Can you please edit your post and resize them to no more than 800 pixels width?

1. Is the battery physically removed from the light electronics, when twisting it to off, or will it still consume power?
2. Comparing it to my old Mini-Mag AA (Non-LED) the EZ-AAw seems to have a very cool tint, is this normal ?
3. Is there anywhere (at CPF) a Diffusor-Mod available for this light ?
4. Is the tripod-hole good enough for daily-usage (what about the color in the hole, will it get off) ?
5. What are these two rings for ?

1) as far as I know there is no power drain when the light is off.

2) the LED is a Neutral White Cree XR-E Q3 5B color temperature = 4300K - this is cooler/bluer than a standard incandescent which is closer to 2700K (US daylight is 6500K) - this is mostly a good thing since incandescent normally is too yellow/amber and has difficulties distinguishing navy from black and seeing yellow on white. The Neutral White does not have that problem.

4) the tripod hole is still all metal and the anodizing is HA-3 which is as hard and durable as one can get for anodized aluminum - but it really depends on how much you use the tripod hole to its wear.

5) those are spare o-rings to help seal the flashlight from moisture and water ingress.

Please resize those over-sized pics.

 

[smithman]

I came from outside and took some photos.

First of all, here are my beamshots.
(Tried my best using the same high ISO-Level w. Night-Mode)

MiniMag AA (Non-LED) vs. Nitecore EZ-AAw (low mode)

MiniMag AA (Non-LED) vs. Nitecore EZ-AAw (high mode)

Random Gallery Paint MiniMag AA

Random Gallery Paint Nitecore EZ-AAw (low)

Outside Nature Shot MiniMag AA

Outside Nature Shot Nitecore EZ-AAw (low-mode)

Outside Nature Shot Nitecore EZ-AAw (high-mode)

Nitecore EZ-AAw mounted on a regular Tripod

Outside shots:
(Attention: I modified only these two photos to match the real experience)

Nightcore EZ-AAw outside house distance-shot (high-mode)

Nightcore EZ-AAw outside tree distance shot (high-mode)

Smithman,
...By the way, I just checked the dimensions of your first shot, and at 2592 x 1944, if it's not the biggest I've ever seen here, I think it's at least in the top 10!

I'll take this as a compliment. :twothumbs

Please resize those over-sized pics.

Resized them.

...
5) those are spare o-rings to help seal the flashlight from moisture and water ingress...

How can I use them ? Do I need them right now or is this just an extra thing ? Sorry for the noobie-question.

...
2) the LED is a Neutral White Cree XR-E Q3 5B color temperature = 4300K - this is cooler/bluer than a standard incandescent which is closer to 2700K (US daylight is 6500K) - this is mostly a good thing since incandescent normally is too yellow/amber and has difficulties distinguishing navy from black and seeing yellow on white. The Neutral White does not have that problem....

Thanks for this Information. Somebody pointed out earlier that the flashlight has a ugly brown tint. I dont think so. :thinking:
It is very fresh and bright, well-made for all kinds of general-usage.

In the end I want to say that I searched over a year for a flashlight, and now I am very very happy.

 

[UnknownVT]

First of all, here are my beamshots.
(Tried my best using the same high ISO-Level w. Night-Mode)

Did you have your camera on AWB (Auto White Balance)?

If so, try taking the pics with Daylight/Sunny white balance -
that way it will show how yellow/amber the incandescent MiniMag is and the NiteCore EZaaW should show a yellow/brown color. (Using Daylight/Sunny white balance shows how the beams deviates/compares with natural daylight).

How can I use them ? Do I need them right now or is this just an extra thing ? Sorry for the noobie-question.

Both kaichu dento and I said those were spare o-rings -

Somebody pointed out earlier that the flashlight has a ugly brown tint. I dont think so. :thinking:
It is very fresh and bright, well-made for all kinds of general-usage.

Glad you're pleased with the tint/color -
you should always trust your own eyes -
and that is the reason I post comparison beamshots as in the opening post - and I take care over the white balance - did those look dirty brown?

 

[smithman]

Did you have your camera on AWB (Auto White Balance)?

If so, try taking the pics with Daylight/Sunny white balance -
that way it will show how yellow/amber the incandescent MiniMag is and the NiteCore EZaaW should show a yellow/brown color. (Using Daylight/Sunny white balance shows how the beams deviates/compares with natural daylight).

I'll will try to post them again with Sunlight Settings.

Both kaichu dento and I said those were spare o-rings -

Ok, but I still dont know the usage of this. :shrug:

Glad you're pleased with the tint/color -
you should always trust your own eyes -
and that is the reason I post comparison beamshots as in the opening post - and I take care over the white balance - did those look dirty brown?

No, it dont look dirty. However, your pictures look different from what I seems to see, but I dont know why...

 

[UnknownVT]

Ok, but I still dont know the usage of this. :shrug:

OK if you unscrew the head - like when you put in a battery can you see an o-ring in place at the (top) end of the threads?

You have two spare ones for if, and when, that one wears out

No, it dont look dirty. However, your pictures look different from what I seems to see, but I dont know why...

Our eyes behave differently at different light levels and in different comparative environments.

Does the EZaaW look almost pure white (if not a tiny bit blue when compared to the MiniMag or near a standard soft white household light bulb? That's because our eyes see differences and are influenced by our environment.

Now try the same on a sheet of white paper out in the noon-day sun (but watch the dazzle) - does the EZaaW still look white (even slightly blue-ish)? - it's more likely to look slightly yellow/brown possibly similar to my beamshots.

My beamshots in theory should be like comparing the flashlight beam to the noon daylight. Notice how the cool-white LEDs sometimes have slight variations toward blue or even green - the camera can be more revealing as it does not automatically adjust like our eye/brain combination (unless one is using AWB) -
how we see tints of white is a whole debate/subject matter.

Perhaps you'd like to check out the long thread I referenced in the opening post:

Puny LED flashlights (Not!) + COLOR RENDITION Comparison

do come back and ask more, or post in that thread -
but I suggest after you have read that entire thread please,
and understood the Kruithof curve and The Color of White

 

[ninemm]

I might have missed it in the recent posts, but where did you order the EZAAw from? I haven't been able to find it on any vendors webpages. Thanks for the help!

 

[smithman]

Sent a PM

 

[UnknownVT]

Sent a PM

Good man :thumbsup:, that's what I was hoping you would do.

 

[ninemm]

Thanks for the help guys. Unfortunately the conversion rate kills the price for me. I did however find a seller with some stock on the Marketplace. Now just to convince myself I need the EZAA. :devil:

 

[smithman]

@ninemm: Yeah the conversion rate is very extreme, especially if you're ordering from the US.

@ALL: I've these questions:

1. I've heard that I can also use some special (protected) batteries with the EZ-AA, would you recommend such rechargeable 14500 Li-ion batteries ? Is it worth the extra power, or should I stay on Eneloops ?

2. In this Video there is someone who shows three output modes on a EZ-AA, how is this possible ?!, is this a mod which I can use ?

3. I'm looking for a holster (little thing like a bag), where can I get such a holster, or is there a selfmade around at CPF ?

4. I am still wondering if anybody found out a nice way to make a diffusor mod, :huh: ?

Thanks in Advance.

I am currently trying to make a headband mod because their is only a official headband for the D10 (Maybe I can buy a original and use it, should be not so difficult, what do you think ?

BTW: @Vincent: Thanks for the nice article (I mean the link you posted).
To be honest, I think that I've to read the whole text twice, to get all the scientific informations :shrug: , but I'll try to solve the puzzle (which you gave me).

So far, I can just say that I got with my order also a little keychain LED-light (Maybe as a gift ?!).
Compared to my EZ-AAw, the keychain-light has very blue & colder tint. Maybe the reason is a lower K-Value, as you mentioned in your post.
The EZ-AAw looked (for the first time) for me like a warm LED light. Compared to my Mag-Lite I didn't notice that effect.

I dont know what kind of battery is inside or which kind of LED is used, but I was very excited to see such a decent amount of light from such a little thing.
Here is a picture:

Greetings
Smithman

 

[UnknownVT]

1. I've heard that I can also use some special (protected) batteries with the EZ-AA, would you recommend such rechargeable 14500 Li-ion batteries ? Is it worth the extra power, or should I stay on Eneloops ?

I believe that the EZaaW can support a 3.7V Li-Ion Rechargeable 14500 - and it probably will give more output -

but I still wonder if the circuit is truly a Buck/Boost - boost to bring the voltage up to the Vf of the LED - Buck to safely regulate the voltage down to Vf - I doubt it.

So I think one runs the risk of gradually deteriorating the LED over the long term -

Whether any gains in brightness overcomes the slight risk of deterioration can only be the user's decision.

3. I'm looking for a holster (little thing like a bag), where can I get such a holster, or is there a selfmade around at CPF ?

Look for a holster for another flashlight - I think the ones for the Innova X1 might be OK. But probably better to try make one for yourself.

There are also Sack-Ups the 4" ones for knives probably be a good fit.
Sack-Ups 805

Thanks for the nice article (I mean the link you posted).
To be honest, I think that I've to read the whole text twice, to get all the scientific informations :shrug: , but I'll try to solve the puzzle (which you gave me).

The important aspect is the understanding that we see differently at different light levels the two main articles that help this understanding are:
Kruithof curve and The Color of White

So far, I can just say that I got with my order also a little keychain LED-light (Maybe as a gift ?!).
Compared to my EZ-AAw, the keychain-light has very blue & colder tint. Maybe the reason is a lower K-Value, as you mentioned in your post.
The EZ-AAw looked (for the first time) for me like a warm LED light. Compared to my Mag-Lite I didn't notice that effect.

There you go - direct personal experience - where you can easily see the yellow/brown tint of the Neutral white LED when compared to a more Blue-White LED -

so which tint is right?
mostly white when you compared it with the MagLite
or mostly yellow/brown when you compared it with the little white LED flashlight?

It obviously depends on the ambient conditions and any other light sources one could compare to.

Like I said my beamshots attempt to show how any light looks when compared to sunny daylight - and for the neutral white LED I compare them to the regular "cool-white" LEDs so that one can easily see the yellow/brown tint.

I dont know what kind of battery is inside or which kind of LED is used, but I was very excited to see such a decent amount of light from such a little thing.

these normally have 2x CR2016 (3V) lithium coin cell batteries -
they are what we fondly call Fauxtons (nicknamed/cloned from Photon the most famous and originators of the microlight).

They really are great value for money and so tiny that they could ride on one's keyring almost "not there" so they become a supplemental/back up light.

However because of how they are carried they probably end up getting used more - so the "main" flashlight - our pride and joy - really then becomes the supplemental light!