ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

selfbuilt

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UPDATE January 20, 2012: Olight discontinued their ITP brand of budget lights a few months ago, and released new versions of the old ITP A-series lights (now known as the Olight i-series). See my recent comparison review of the new Olight i3 here.

UPDATE August 4, 2011: I recently bought a new XP-G R5 version of the ITP EOS A3. Comparison beamshots, runtimes, and PWM testing for this new version is presented at the very end of this review.

Reviewer's Note: The ITP A3 EOS lights were provided for review by GoingGear.com. Please see their sales thread in CPFM for more info. The Maratac AAA lights were provided for review by CPF user StandardBattery.

Warning: very pic heavy!

Combined ITP A3 EOS specifications, condensed from GoingGear's website:
  • Cree 7090-XP-E Q5
  • Operating voltage: 0.9V - 3.0V
  • Uses 1 x AAA, 1 x Rechargeable NiMh AAA, or 1 x 10420 (10420 batteries are not recommended).
  • Dimensions: Length: 66.5mm , Diameter: 14 mm
  • Color: Black
  • Weight: 9 g without batteries and keychain
  • Standard Edition: Single output level – 80 lumens (55 minutes runtime)
  • Upgrade Edition: Three output levels - Medium 18 lumens (4 hours) -> Low 1.5 lumens (50 hours) ->-High 80 lumens (55 minutes)
  • Superior heat sink that disperses heat to protect LED and electrical components
  • Orange peel reflector.
  • Mil-spec: MIL-STD-810F
  • MSRP: ~$20 (price varies depending on specific make/model and supplier)
This review is of the much-discussed and highly-anticipated ITP A3 EOS and Maratac AAA keychain flashlights. :party:

The ITP EOS comes in two flavors, a Standard single-stage version and an Upgraded multi-level version. The Maratac AAA comes in a multi-level version that is widely believed to be identical to the Upgraded ITP EOS (scroll down to find out ;)). All lights come in a choice of anodizing finishes - black or natural gray.

EOS-1.jpg

EOS-7.jpg


Packaging for the ITP EOS lights is the same for both versions. They come in a fairly basic box with the light, attached keychain ring, removable pocket clip, spare o-rings, and user manual. Both lights included the same manual which has both sets of instructions for the Standard or Upgraded versions.

Maratac-1.jpg

Maratac-2.jpg


The Maratac lights are even more minimalist. Here all you get is the light with attached keychain anchor point, pocket clip, one page manual card, and spare o-rings - all in a clear sealed pouch. Clearly, the Maratac version is meant to be more of a budget offering.

For all compilation pics below, the ITP EOS Standard version will be shown first, followed by the Upgraded version, and then finally the Maratac AAAs.

EOS-13.jpg

EOS-14.jpg

Maratac-4.jpg


EOS-16.jpg

From left to right: Duracell AAA, ITP EOS Standard (Black), ITP EOS Upgraded (Nat), Maratac (Nat), Maratac AAA (Black), Fenix L0D, LiteFlux LF2XT, Lumapower Avenger GX.

Note that the anodizing difference between the Natural finish on the ITP EOS and Maratac samples is not as great as it appears above (although the ITP version does seem a bit more brown).

As you can see, the Standard ITP EOS is about 3 mm shorter than either the Upgraded EOS or the Maratac lights. This is likely due to the simpler circuit needed in the standard single-level light.

Dimensons: (weights are all with no keychain attached, but with pocket clip installed)

ITP EOS Single-stage: Weight: 10.3g, Length: 66.6mm, Width: 14.0mm (bezel)
ITP EOS Upgraded: Weight: 11.6g, Length: 69.7, Width: 14.1mm (bezel)
Maratac 1xAAA: Weight: 10.9g , Length: 67.5mm, Width: 14.1mm (bezel)

Overall weight and size are remarkably low for all models – they are not that much bigger than an AAA battery. :eek:oo: Despite the small scale, battery tube wall thickness feels sturdy enough.

The main differences between the Maratac and ITP EOS offerings are in the external styling and keychain attachment point.

EOS-2.jpg

EOS-3.jpg

EOS-8.jpg

EOS-9.jpg

Maratac-5.jpg

Maratac-6.jpg


The Maratac lights use fairly aggressive knurling on both the body and head to help with grip. The ITP EOS lights have grooves running along the length of the body/head. Personally, I find the Maratac versions to be "grippier".

EOS-4.jpg

EOS-10.jpg

Maratac-7.jpg


The keychain attachment point on the Maratacs is a removable piece of metal around the tailcap region (which frankly seems a little thin and fragile to me).

In contrast, the ITP EOS lights have a built-in split-ring attachment point on the tail of the light, and come with an included chain and keychain ring (note the actual large keychain ring portion can be quickly removed from the rest of the chain). While this is definitely sturdier on the ITP versions, the attachment point does prevent tailstanding.

Otherwise, all the details of these lights are identical. They all seem to use the same emitter in reflector combination. The heads and bodies of the lights are interchangeable for all the members (i.e. you can put the Maratac head on the EOS body, and vice versa). Even the pocket clips are identical between all the models!

EOS-5.jpg

EOS-11.jpg

Maratac-8.jpg


The positive contact board in the head seems to be the same on both the Upgraded ITP EOS and Maratac lights. In keeping with the smaller head (and simpler function), the Standard EOS contact board is slightly different.

Screw threads are anodized on all lights, which of course is necessary to ensure lockout (i.e. lights are only activated when the head is screwed fully down).

Maratac-9.jpg

Maratac-10.jpg


Internally, all lights have a simple spring at the bottom of the battery tube that can be manually removed (a sample from the Maratac is shown above).

Getting a strong feeling that the Maratac and ITP lights are one of the same? ;)

The lights come in two finishes: black and natural gray (although my Upgraded EOS sample seems a bit more brown). Personally, I'm a fan of natural finish on keychain lights, as they survive abuse better (i.e. dings and scratches are less noticeable). According to the specs, these lights use a type III hard anodized finish.

Fit and finish are excellent on all my samples, with no chips or marks. The lettering is clear and sharp on all samples.

EOS-6.jpg

EOS-12.jpg


The lights use the new smaller Cree Q5 XP-E emitter, in a premium white cool tint. For more information on tints and color perception, please see my Colour tint comparison and the summary LED tint charts found here.

XP-E emitters tend to have fairly smooth beams with minimal Cree rings, even with smooth reflectors. In this case, there seems to be a fairly mild orange-peel texturing to the reflectors. Combined with the fairly shallow depth, you get a reasonably wide beam with smooth transition from spot to spill (see below).

Comparison Beamshots

All lights are on Hi/Max on Sanyo Eneloop (NiMH), about 0.5 meters from a white wall.

1AAA-Beam25-1.jpg

1AAA-Beam25-2.jpg


1AAA-Beam100-1.jpg

1AAA-Beam100-2.jpg


1AAA-Beam800-1.jpg

1AAA-Beam800-2.jpg


As you can tell, there is no real difference between the EOS/Maratac samples. Overall beam pattern is fairly similar to the Fenix L0D. Note that the camera is accentuating the tint differences a bit in the first panel, but the Fenix L0D (older Cree P4 model) does indeed have a slight bluish cool white tint. The Avenger GX is on the warm end of cool white (maybe a WG-WH tint), and the LF2XT is not as orange as the pic above suggests – a lot more yellow (4C neutral tint).

All four of my EOS/Maratac samples have a premium cool white tint. :cool:

User Interface

The user interface of the ITP EOS Standard single-stage light is extremely simple: twist the head tight against the body to activate the light, loosen to turn off. :kiss:

The Upgraded ITP EOS and Maratac AAA lights use an identical interface to the Fenix L0D. When first activated, the light comes on in Medium. Do a rapid twist off-on and the light advances to low. Do another rapid off-on twist and the light advances to Hi. Wait a few seconds before re-activating the light after turning off, and it returns to default Medium.

This cycle continues indefinitely - keep doing off-on twists to run through all the sequences in order again. There is no strobe or SOS mode on any of these lights.

FYI, I noticed that performing a too-rapid switch on my ITP EOS Upgraded sometimes didn't advance the level (i.e. it didn't seem to register the off mode). You may need to go a little slower to reliably switch levels.

Pulse-Width-Modulation (PWM)

The Standard ITP EOS does not use PWM for its lone output mode, and neither do the Upgraded ITP EOS or Maratac AAA lights on their Hi mode.

On Medium and Low, the ITP EOS Upgraded and Maratac lights both use 200 Hz PWM, on all battery sources.

ITP-PWM.gif


While still visible, this is better than the 100 Hz PWM of the original Fenix L0D :rolleyes:. Note that later model Fenix L0D/LD01 lights used a much higher and undetectable PWM frequency.

Throw/Output Summary Chart:

1AAA-Summary-1.gif


Note in the comparison above that my Fenix L0D is an early edition with a Cree P4. Based on a 350mA drive current (where Cree Output bins are determined), a Cree Q5 emitter would be expected to be ~30% brighter on average, for the same drive current.

As expected, there was relatively little difference in output or throw between all the Maratac and ITP samples. This makes the Maratac and ITP lights the brightest 1xAAA lights on standard batteries in my collection at the moment (though likely close to what a Q5-equipped LD01 would produce).

The real difference between these lights comes out the Lo/Med levels – here, the EOS/Maratac lights have a lower Lo than the Fenix L0D, but a higher Medium. See runtimes below for more information.

I've also included basic Min and Max lightbox numbers for a couple of these lights on 1x10440 Li-ion. I have not included detailed throw numbers for reasons I will discuss in the detailed conclusions of this review.

Output/Runtime Comparison:

EOS-HiEne.gif

EOS-MedEne.gif


EOS-HiL92.gif


EOS-HiAlka.gif

EOS-MedAlka.gif

EOS-LoAlka.gif


As you can see, there is remarkably little variation between the various Maratac and ITP samples on Hi. The output/runtime performance is virtually identical on all samples, including the single stage ITP EOS.

Similarly, on Medium, output and runtime are remarkably similar on my samples. It thus seems clear to me that the ITP EOS Upgraded and Maratac AAA lights use the exact same circuit.

In terms of performance, I think the ITP EOS/Maratac lights do quite well at all levels on standard batteries. When matched for output, runtimes seem comparable to the LiteFlux LF2XT, which is my best performing1xAAA light to date. :thumbsup:

For 1x10440 Li-ion, here are the results of the Medium level run:

EOS-Med10440.gif


Here you can see runtime performance is acceptable, although certainly not as impressive as my LiteFlux LF2XT. :caution: I would note that only the LiteFlux light is officially rated to accept this higher voltage battery source. Regardless, I do not recommend running an unprotected Li-ion in any light without a circuit that has built-in cutoff protection features (e.g. LiteFlux LF2XT). If you over-discharge a Li-ion cell below ~2.7V (which typically occurs as soon as the output begins to drop), your cell will be damaged and should be discarded.

I don't plan to do runtimes on Hi on 10440, but here's a graph showing you the comparison to the initial value I observed:

EOS-Hi10440.gif


Simply put, I do not recommend running such small lights at this output level on a Li-ion battery. It seems to me that the heat generated from this output level could be sufficient to potentially trigger a thermal runaway that could destroy the emitter.

Moreover, given the runtime performance of the L0D on Hi (which had a >4C discharge rate!), I doubt my 10440 would last for very long if I kept doing these tests. That sort of discharge rate is damaging to a Li-ion battery, and I don't think that is something you want to do. If you really want to use a 10440 cell, please avoid the Hi mode and avoid over-discharge.

Potential Issues

The 3-mode ITP EOS Upgraded/Maratac lights use visible 200Hz PWM on their Medium/Low levels. There is no PWM on Hi, or on the single-stage ITP EOS.

The keychain clip attachment point on the Maratac seems a little flimsy. The built-in attachment point on ITP EOS versions is better, but prevents tailstanding.

One of my Maratac lights occasionally experienced some flickering upon activation in the default output mode (i.e. Med). Cycling through all the levels and back to Med invariably solved the problem, although I'm not sure why. :shrug:

General Observations

I can see why these lights have generated so much interest here. They have a very compelling feature set – and even more compelling price (~$20 or so). :eek:oo:

First off, I can confirm that circuit performance of the Maratac AAA and ITP EOS Upgraded edition are identical. :) Basically, the choice between them comes down to the build differences (and local availability).

Physically, the lights are actually interchangeable – you can put the Maratac head on either of the ITP bodies, and vice versa (although the Standard ITP EOS head is shorter than the multi-level Upgraded/Maratac versions, likely due to the simpler circuit required for single-stage). It all comes down to styling preference – scroll back up the review for some detailed comparison pics and comments.

Thanks to the XP-E emitter and shallow OP reflector, the beam profile is fairly pleasant for a keychain light, IMO (i.e. broad and diffuse hotspot, fairly wide spillbeam, minimal rings). For the multi-level lights, the output levels are well spaced – Medium (i.e. default on) seems to be set higher than the Fenix L0D, and Lo is even lower. Max output is one of the highest in my collection for this class. :thumbsup:

Although not officially supported, 10440 Li-ion seems to work in the Maratac/ITP EOS – and with greater output at all levels, as expected. :caution: But I DO NOT recommend you run these lights on Hi on 10440. Output was extremely high on Max – and there is no way that amount of light (and heat) is going to be good for the emitter OR the battery in such a small shell. I have not done runtimes at this level, and I suggest you don't try either. You don't want your Li-ion going :poof:.

My only real issue with the lights is the visible PWM on Med/Lo (200Hz in my testing). Clearly, there is a lot of individual variability in detecting and/or being bothered by PWM. But I would strongly encourage ITP to raise the PWM freq to undetectable levels (i.e. >1 kHz), as I personally consider these lights only minimally acceptable at their current level. Of course, your experience may be different (and count yourself lucky if it is :green:).

One last minor point – I never really got the point of the Med-Lo-Hi sequence on 1xAAA lights :thinking: I presume the reasoning is that Med is likely to be used the most, but the sequence is just not intuitive. Lo-Med-Hi would be the most useful when having dark-adapted eyes. After all, it's not like anyone would use a 1xAAA keychain for "tactical" purposes. :rolleyes:

But these are minor points. Fundamentally, the combination of multi-levels, excellent efficiency, good beam, small size, and unbelievably low price makes these lights an incredible deal. I'm not surprised by the warm welcome they have received here. As for me, I will be loading up on these as gifts for friends and family. Now to go and find a good deal on Energizer L92 lithiums to bundle with them …

UPDATE August 4, 2011: ITP has made significant upgrades to this light since it was first released. To start, the mode sequence has been changed to Lo > Med > Hi, and PWM frequency has been increased to visually undetectable levels (2.45 kHz in my testing):

EO3-2-PWM1.gif


The emitter has been upgraded to a XP-G R5, which produces greater output. Here are some recent comparison beamshots:

X6-Beam001.jpg
EOSA3-XPG-Beam001.jpg

ReVo-Beam001.jpg
IlluminaTi-Beam001.jpg


X6-Beam002.jpg
EOSA3-XPG-Beam002.jpg

ReVo-Beam002.jpg
IlluminaTi-Beam002.jpg


X6-Beam003.jpg
EOSA3-XPG-Beam003.jpg

ReVo-Beam003.jpg
IlluminaTi-Beam003.jpg


X6-Beam004.jpg
EOSA3-XPG-Beam004.jpg

ReVo-Beam004.jpg
IlluminaTi-Beam004.jpg


Here is how this new version compares to other 1xAAA lights for output and runtime:

AAA-FL1-Summary.gif


X6-HiL92.gif


X6-HiEne.gif

X6-MedEne.gif


X6-HiAlka.gif

X6-MedAlka.gif

X6-LoAlka.gif


As you can see, these are significant upgrades to the light. :thumbsup:
 
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selfbuilt

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

P.S.: As an aside, Marshall from GoingGear.com included a couple of his signature aluminum keychain items along with the ITP review samples. Fairly basic but solid construction, and they seem to work well (e.g. the whistle is fairly loud, and the pill bottle has an o-ring, etc):

EOS-17.jpg


P.P.S: I would like to extend a nod to StandardBattery for running his International group buys for the Maratac lights. He generously supplied the two Matatac review samples used here at his own cost. :bow:
 
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njet212

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

As alaways, you do a good review selfbuilt =)
Good job.
 

davidt1

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

Good stuff! Thanks.

And thanks for bringing up that dumb m/l/h sequence.
 
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adirondackdestroyer

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

Thanks for another great review!

I've had my EOS for a few days, and couldn't be more impressed. These lights are amazing for the price, and hopefully will be improved upon in the future.
 

kramer5150

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

Great work and another incredible review. You covered all bases and I am left speechless as I just sit here and nod my head in agreement.

FWIW, my EOS-Upgrade model has a very yellow tint. I don't mind it at all, as I find colder tints harder on the eyes.

I find the PWM on med-low noticeable but not bothersome.;)

Great review, and heres mine on a surefire neck lanyard.
dscn5773.jpg


LEFT=Fenix E0-Dart
RIGHT=A3 EOS-low
dscn5775.jpg


LEFT=Fenix E0-Dart
RIGHT=A3 EOS-Medium
This is a more accurate portrayal of the color tint differences.
dscn5776.jpg
 
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Woods Walker

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

Great review. Been EDC my iTP. The PWM is only an issue if I shake the light pointed at my head. Something most normal people don't do. :eek: The only flicker I get is if the head is not screwed down enough for the twisty, a little more twist clears that up and so far it has not been a real issue. Thinking about the SS iTP but will hold off some for others to get one as I heard of more (few) issues with the SS CC light on the Maratac thread.

Edit. Yea Low-med-high would be better. Still it is a nice light and very bright.
 
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nakahoshi

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

Great review, I love my single stage EOS, No PWM and classic Fenix L0P style switching. Just ON and OFF. Great backup light. Very bright.
-Bobby
 

applevision

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

Bravo!

Wonderful as always Selfbuilt! Thank you!

:thumbsup:
 

AFAustin

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

selfbuilt, you have us all spoiled! Another top-notch review, confirming what many of us have felt---these are tremendous bang-for-the-buck lights!

Thanks again for all you contribute to this forum.

Cheers,

Andrew
 

Black Rose

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

As usual, great review.

Just what I've been waiting for to help decide whether to order.
 

StandardBattery

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

Hi Selfbuilt, as many have already said another great review!

Clearly shows all the lights have the same heritage and essentially only sample variations separate the multi-mode lights from Maratac and iTP.

I'm glad I could help in a small way this time. Everyone on CPF knows how valuable your reviews are, CPF would be much less without your many contributions. You've help countless find the right EDC, or that next light.

Thanks for the all the time, thought and effort!
 

selfbuilt

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

Thanks for the support everyone - it's appreciated! :grouphug:

I find the PWM on med-low noticeable but not bothersome.;)
The PWM is only an issue if I shake the light pointed at my head. Something most normal people don't do. :eek:
I'm sure most people will find this level of PWM to be acceptable for everyday use. While I would certainly prefer undetectable PWM, I could probably live with this level.

I may be more susceptible than most, but I see it constantly when using the light (i.e. more as "out-of-the-corner-of-your-eye" sort of thing). I suspect this has more do with the fact that our eyes are always darting around in saccades. A freq of 200Hz means every 5 msecs, which is in the range for the minisaccades.

I'm glad I could help in a small way this time. Everyone on CPF knows how valuable your reviews are, CPF would be much less without your many contributions. You've help countless find the right EDC, or that next light.
And I am sure the members here all appreciate you providing the Maratacs - being in Canada, I wouldn't have been able to get them directly from Country Comm. Thanks again to a fellow "SB"! :thumbsup:

And thanks for bringing up that dumb m/l/h sequence.
Yea Low-med-high would be better. Still it is a nice light and very bright.
:whistle:
 

Toohotruk

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

Yet another great review! :twothumbs

I just got my ITP Upgraded EOS natural today and I now wish I had given one of these to my little brother, instead of the LD01 I did give him for his Bday...it was much more than he deserves IMHO. :whistle: One of these babies would have been perfect for such a gift...in fact, I can foresee giving a few of these out come Xmas time. Excellent value for the money!

The only thing the LD01 really has over one of these (besides the higher freq PWM), is the great guarantee if you buy one from 7777...but then, for what you pay for one of these, if something happens to it, it's really no biggie, just buy another. :shrug:

And I'm just one more with the opinion that the levels should start at the bottom with low and work up to high...that's the only reason I never got a P1D.

Anyway, thanks for your tireless efforts! You ROCK!!! :rock::rock::rock:
 

Beacon of Light

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

Good stuff! Thanks.

And thanks for bringing up that dumb m/l/h sequence.

+1, that is one of the few nitpicks I have of the Maratac/iTP EOS
 

greenLED

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

:twothumbs: selfbuilt!

What's the finish like (HA, Type II)?
 

Toohotruk

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

It's supposed to be HA and it definitely looks like it is to me. :thumbsup:
 

adirondackdestroyer

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

+1, that is one of the few nitpicks I have of the Maratac/iTP EOS


Mine as well. These lights would be even better if they went low,med,high! My other really small complaints is that he lanyard hole is so small that only the smallest (and not very sturdy) split rings can fit in it. That and they could have put a few more threads after the o ring, so that the head can be unscrewed a bit further before the o ring is visible.

Other than those small nitpicks, this thing is virtually perfect. The beam is smooth as butter, and the PWM doesn't bother me at all.
 

selfbuilt

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

The only thing the LD01 really has over one of these (besides the higher freq PWM), is the great guarantee if you buy one from 7777...but then, for what you pay for one of these, if something happens to it, it's really no biggie, just buy another. :shrug:
Actually, I believe 4sevens is now only offering the standard Fenix manufacturer warranty (i.e. repair or replace within 2 years of purchase, and only if bought at 4sevens/fenix-store.com), beyond their policy to accept returns within the first 30 days. At least, that is what's posted on their warranty page (effective as of July 16, 2009).

From the ITP insert, it seems they offer something similar - unconditional replacement of defective lights within 30 days from the dealer you bought it from, repair or replacement within 2 years of purchase by ITP. Beyond 2 years, ITP will still cover labour but you pay for the parts (Fenix offers this too).

So, on paper, the warranty process is the same. Of course, I'm a big believer in dealing with reputable dealers here! :thumbsup:

Still, methinks it may be time for Fenix to consider lowering the price of the E01 and LD01, given the new competition ... :whistle:

What's the finish like (HA, Type II)?
They claim it's HA, and so far, I have no reason to think otherwise. We'll see how it holds up ...

These lights would be even better if they went low,med,high! My other really small complaints is that he lanyard hole is so small that only the smallest (and not very sturdy) split rings can fit in it.
That's a good point - while the ITP attachment point is better than the Maratac, it still leaves something to be desired (as you say, you can't put a very large split-ring on there).

Something much better is what my old JetBeam Jet-µ has - a solid flat attachment point next to an angled down area, with still over half the base flat to allow stable tailstanding, FYI, I notice the VersaTi has something similar to the Jet-µ (and yes, I will be reviewing that light too - but it will likely be a couple of weeks from now).

+1, that is one of the few nitpicks I have of the Maratac/iTP EOS
The Med/Lo/Hi issue seems to have struck a chord with people here! :tinfoil:

I can only guess ITP decided to emulate the Fenix L0D/LD01, given its general dominance in this category. But this is one time when I think they would have been better served going back to basics and thinking through what uses would probably actually like the most.
 
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Beacon of Light

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Re: ITP A3 EOS & Maratac AAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS & more!

The Med/Lo/Hi issue seems to have struck a chord with people here! :tinfoil:

I can only guess ITP decided to emulate the Fenix L0D/LD01, given its general dominance in this category. But this is one time when I think they would have been better served going back to basics and thinking through what uses would probably actually like the most.

Indeed. I posted a thread/poll where 76 people voted low/med/high, and only 10 voted medium/low/high. 9 people voted high/medium/low.
 
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