Object/Subject Review: Niteye EYE15

[cyclesport]

Re: Object/Subject Review: Niteye EYE15 [In Progress]

New camera arrived, beamshots added, review complete!

Great final review Bigmac...very well done! The new camera's pics are great as well...just stay out of meteor showers from now on!

 

[RBWNY]

Re: Object/Subject Review: Niteye EYE15 [In Progress]

Has anyone tried 18350's in this light? Do we know if it would supply similar (turbo) lumens to the "10"? I just got the Eye15 today...and already have the Eye10, where I use a 18350 exclusively. I could try 2 18350's but don't want to burn it out by mistake. Would be very cool if it can handle `em :naughty:.

 

[Bigmac_79]

Re: Object/Subject Review: Niteye EYE15 [In Progress]

Has anyone tried 18350's in this light? Do we know if it would supply similar (turbo) lumens to the "10"? I just got the Eye15 today...and already have the Eye10, where I use a 18350 exclusively. I could try 2 18350's but don't want to burn it out by mistake. Would be very cool if it can handle `em :naughty:.

The specs on the EYE15 list a working voltage up to 8.4V, which means it ought to be able to handle 2x18350. However, the documentation I got didn't list 2x16340 or 2x18350 as possible battery configurations for this light, so I sent Niteye an email asking about this, but haven't heard back yet.

I don't have any 18350s, but when I get the chance to give 16340s a try I'll let you know what happens.

 

[RBWNY]

Re: Object/Subject Review: Niteye EYE15 [In Progress]

The specs on the EYE15 list a working voltage up to 8.4V, which means it ought to be able to handle 2x18350. However, the documentation I got didn't list 2x16340 or 2x18350 as possible battery configurations for this light, so I sent Niteye an email asking about this, but haven't heard back yet.

I don't have any 18350s, but when I get the chance to give 16340s a try I'll let you know what happens.

Haven't read the booklet yet, but find it odd they don't mention 16340!! -- but recall they strongly advised against using a 18350 in the "10"...or at least in very limited use on turbo. I have the cells anyway, so I can give it a careful try.

 

[RBWNY]

Re: Object/Subject Review: Niteye EYE15 [In Progress]

On second thought....IMR's in series might not be a good idea with the "15". They have no protection and the cell closest to the head would probably discharge quicker, so they'd have to be checked every few minutes to avoid any possible problems. Don't know if the light itself has discharge protection or not. I'm sure 16340's would be as fine as in any other 18650 light.

 

[sspc]

Thanks for the detailed review! Greeat pics and info.

Is is confirmed that the low is around 5 lumens? I pocket carry a Eagletac D25LC2 twisty and love the smallish form factor (apprx 109mm long). My only dissapointment with the ET is the low appears to be around 10-20 lumens. The eye15 looks like a great alternative but I don't know if I would get the eye15 if the low is over 10 lumens like the ET.

 

[sspc]

Is is confirmed that the low is around 5 lumens...I pocket carry the Eagletac D25LC2 twisty...The eye15 looks like a great alternative but I don't know if I would get the eye15 if the low is over 10 lumens like the ET.

Bump

 

[RBWNY]

I like this light. As the OP said, the PWM isn't noticeable under normal usage. I've been using a 18650, and it's been working very well. True, that it doesn't come on until about the third click, and doesn't go as low as the Eye 10, (but unless it's pitch black [indoors] it's not much of an issue). As the poster above asked, I'm certain the lowest low is lower than 10 lumens. That setting only "seems" bright in the middle of the night.

 

[Bigmac_79]

I don't have a way to accurately measure outputs in lumens yet, but it does seem to me about half as bright as standard keychain lights that are accepted to be in the 10-12 lumen range, so I would guess the low mode to be about 4-6 lumens on a fresh 18650.

 

[sspc]

Thanks guys

 

[RBWNY]

True, that it doesn't come on until about the third click,

Well actually, it turns on at the 2nd click...and remains at the same (lowest) level for the next 3 clicks! - until it advances again. That's really kinda strange..which I hadn't noticed before.

 

[sspc]

Well actually, it turns on at the 2nd click...and remains at the same (lowest) level for the next 3 clicks! - until it advances again. That's really kinda strange..which I hadn't noticed before.

That is interesting.I re-watched the video (nice vid Bigmac) and I do see that the output doesn't change for click positions 2,3 and 4. The output then increases on click position 5 and so on.

 

[Bigmac_79]

Actually, when I measured the output at the lowest positions, there really is a tiny bit of increase in output. However, it's not enough for me to detect by eye alone, even in a dark room.

You can decide for yourself the value of an output increase not visible to the human eye in a dark environment

 

[peterscm]

I have both Eye10 and Eye15. Confirmed both head unit are interchangable.

I tried 2x 18350 (Ultrafire) on Eye15 but cannot detect (using naked eye) any different in max brightness as compare using 1x 18650.

 

[Bigmac_79]

Thanks for that info peterscm!

 

[BlackhawkB]

I am looking for an "infinitely variable" light using 18650, so I am getting interested in this light.

Is there a way to open the light and access the reflector, and even better the driver ?
Or is everything glued together ?
I wonder if it is possible to mod a bit this light for more output, because 500 lumens is barely 1.4A draw...

 

[Southpaw1925]

Niteye is a relatively new flashlight brand, owned by a company that has been around for a while. For a time, JETBeam lights have been distributed by SYSMAX, but due to a recent disagreement, that partnership has ended. From this disagreement, the company previously producing JETBeam lights began producing lights under the Niteye brand. In the past few months, we've seen quite a variety of lights from Niteye, from small single-cell lights to large multi-emitter lights. Now, Niteye has produced a light very similar to their popular EYE10 model, the EYE15.


Thanks to Niteye for providing the EYE15 for review.

I'll be reviewing the EYE15 in two sections: first, I'll discuss the light objectively (the facts about the light itself), then I'll discuss the light subjectively (my impressions about the light's performance when used for specific applications).

What batteries do you recommend to get the highest output? 2 16340s, or 18650? I read somewhere that an eye10 reached over 600 lumens on an imr. I was hoping this would be the case for the eye15.

 

[Bigmac_79]

I am looking for an "infinitely variable" light using 18650, so I am getting interested in this light.

Is there a way to open the light and access the reflector, and even better the driver ?
Or is everything glued together ?
I wonder if it is possible to mod a bit this light for more output, because 500 lumens is barely 1.4A draw...

I'm not much of a modder so I can't say for sure how easy it will be. The bezel seems glued down, but inside the head a small screw holds the pieces together.

(screw at the bottom right)

It's not a standard phillips or hex, looks like a sort of star shape. I think I have a bit that can get that open, I'll give an update when I find it and give it a try.

What batteries do you recommend to get the highest output? 2 16340s, or 18650? I read somewhere that an eye10 reached over 600 lumens on an imr. I was hoping this would be the case for the eye15.

I never got a confirmation from Niteye if the EYE15 could handle two 16340's or 18350's, so I never tried them. Peterscm posted up above that he tried them and couldn't tell any difference.

I also have seen others report that the EYE10 does get brighter on an IMR, but I don't yet have any IMR cells to test in the EYE15. I do know that the driver for the EYE15 is different than the driver for the EYE10 TIC I'm currently reviewing, so I can't say if they will behave the same with an IMR cell.

 

[turkeylord]

Bump...

Bigmac - did you ever succeed at dissasembling the head?

Anyone heard if they intend to update to XM-L2? I'd love a XM-L2 neutral EYE15, especially if they removed the level click-stops.

 

[Bigmac_79]

Bump...

Bigmac - did you ever succeed at dissasembling the head?

Anyone heard if they intend to update to XM-L2? I'd love a XM-L2 neutral EYE15, especially if they removed the level click-stops.

The screw came out easy enough, but below that metal and plastic ring is a circuit board that's loose enough to wiggle but attached to something on the other side, my guess is the wires to the LED. Because the attachment is on the far side, you can't get it at with a solder gun. I'm pretty sure they screwed the circuit board in with that ring, then soldered it from the far side, then glued down the bezel on top.

I haven't heard anything at all from Niteye recently, but I agree that an Eye15 without and the stops (and an updated emitter of course) would be excellent. My EYE10 is still one of my favorites because it doesn't have the stops and thus goes lower than any other light I own.