Xeno E03 (1xAA, 1x14500) - XP-G R5 Neutral White - Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS +

[selfbuilt]

Written by MichaelW on 02-21-2011 08:17 PM GMT

I would love to see how it handles the 3 volt primary cell, 14505.

Below is a table showing INITIAL output in estimated lumens from my lightbox, on various battery sources:



As you might expect, the TI 3V 14505 primary lithium cells perform intermediate to the other approved battery sources.

As an aside, these new AA-shaped primary lithium cells are designed for lights where the same circuit is used in the 1xAA and 1xCR123A models. That way, you can predict their output by looking at how the CR123A runs.

In AA-sized lights where there is no 1xCR123A data to compare to - yet 3.7V Li-ion is officially supported - you would expect intermediate output levels, as shown here. But you are also taking a calculated risk in using a battery source that has not been officially approved by the light manufacturer.

[Kyle K]

Thanks, Selfbuilt! I bought this light in neutral white based on your great review and I really like it. I also ordered some Titanium 14505's to try.

Kyle

[GunnarGG]

May I add some more observations during the last days.

I did drop it today, it got a little scratched on the alu bezel ring but that protected against chipping of the HA. I have some other lights that didn't have that protection...

The small LED on my computermouse turned red telling me the batteries was low, 2 IKEA alkaline.
I put one of the batteries in the Xeno E03 and the hi didn't work, it was about the same brightness as med, maybe these were dimmer than med with fresh batteries.
Well, I put the light in low mode and it has run for almost 1,5 hours, still running.
I think it can be good to know how for how long you can get some light after you have gotten an indication that your battery is getting low.

[Lighthouse one]

I bought 2 lights based on your review, and I am very satisfied with these lights. THe diffuser is excellent. Spend the extra bucks for one- you won't be sorry.

[geckoblink]

I just wanted to say that I've been using a Fenix LD10 clip with my Xeno and It's worked out well so far. There isn't a perfect place to seat the clip, but below the tail cap works relatively well. There is very little play and the LD10 clips is very stiff.

[rickypanecatyl]

I've been looking for a while for a colored AA light as my little girl really, really wants her own flashlight like Daddy! I ordered 2 of them, hid one and gave her the other one. She was so excited as I was when I found out about them.

She dropped it from about 2' and it broke. I tried the other lights tail cap but that wasn't it. At that point I realized wow - this thing is pretty locked up. Not much you can do except take the tail cap off. My girl was broken hearted that Daddy's special present for her broke so fast. I couldn't get it going and my wife wanted to try dropping it. She dropped it and it worked - intermitently for a few days! I just gave her the other one and she was thrilled. I was sure it was a fluke. She has it tied with a lanyard around her beltloop and riding her bike it must have swung into her handlebars or something and now the 2nd one doesn't work. Sorry to be so frank, but


this light is a total piece of crap!!!

[jasonck08]

I've been looking for a while for a colored AA light as my little girl really, really wants her own flashlight like Daddy! I ordered 2 of them, hid one and gave her the other one. She was so excited as I was when I found out about them.

She dropped it from about 2' and it broke. I tried the other lights tail cap but that wasn't it. At that point I realized wow - this thing is pretty locked up. Not much you can do except take the tail cap off. My girl was broken hearted that Daddy's special present for her broke so fast. I couldn't get it going and my wife wanted to try dropping it. She dropped it and it worked - intermitently for a few days! I just gave her the other one and she was thrilled. I was sure it was a fluke. She has it tied with a lanyard around her beltloop and riding her bike it must have swung into her handlebars or something and now the 2nd one doesn't work. Sorry to be so frank, but


this light is a total piece of crap!!!

The LED supplier screwed up with the reflow solder job on a few of these lights. Xeno does not reflow solder the XP-G's onto the MPCB, but they should have caught it.

All the LED's in the new batch were properly reflowed, and I've literally done about 200-300 drops on a couple dozen of these lights from 3ft without a failure in the latest batch.

Instead of flaming on the forum, couldn't you just try to contact me so I can resolve the issue? I'll pay for shipping both ways. It's as simple as replacing the light engine (which I will do for you) then ship them back, and you'll never have this issue again.

Here is a link to a test that Xeno did with the latest batch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZrH2...er_profilepage

Email me at: admin (at) tacticalhid (dot) info

[rickypanecatyl]

Instead of flaming on the forum, couldn't you just try to contact me so I can resolve the issue? I'll pay for shipping both ways. It's as simple as replacing the light engine (which I will do for you) then ship them back, and you'll never have this issue again.

Jason thanks for the kind offer! You are right - I should've contacted you first - sorry for the rant!

As I don't have a lot of confidence in the Malaysian postal system and one of the lights is working intermitantly I think I'll hang on to that one and send in the one that doesn't work at all.

I got the warm tints by the way and they are amazing compared to the typical cooler tints how they bring out color and help with depth perception. They look almost just like an incandescent w/ the efficiency of LED.

[jasonck08]

Hey Ricky, why don't you send me an email and I'll send you some basic instructions for removing the light engine. Then you can just mail that part back.

[cave dave]

Got my two a couple days ago and overall I am really pleased. They seem like a great light for the money. I got a Warm and a Neutral. I think these will make Gift lights, although they would be better with L-M-H sequence.

Some additional comments:
- Knurling is the most aggressive I have seen. A bit too aggressive in my opinion. I would prefer it wasn't so sharp.
- I also would prefer it was Low - Med - High with no memory. There was a poll on CPF about sequence preference and the vast majority preferred L-M-H, with H-M-L in distant 2nd and hardly anybody preferring the "non-sequential" sequences.
- Neutral Tint is a bit cooler than my Neutral Quarks but warmer than my Neutral Rominsen and S-Mini.
- Threads came unlubed. A bit of lube makes it much smoother to replace the tailcap at battery changes.
- I would prefer the Lens retaining ring was stainless steel for better durability.
- I dropped one of the lights on carpet from about 3 feet with no ill effects.
- Low (called ultra-low in paperwork) is rated for 10 lm. Since it is about half the brightness in a bounce as a Fenix E01 I would say it is more like 5lm.
- Glow button lasted a lot longer than expected. I figured this was a gimmick but it was still visible at 5am after getting charged up at 1030pm when I went to sleep.

Issues:
Right off the bat I had to do some minor surgery because one of the lights had two tailsprings twisted together under the retainer. I thought I could just leave it as is but the extra force actually dented the back of an eneloop battery. Trying to untwist the springs was like one of those metal challenge puzzles but in miniature. I took me 20 min to figure it out. This should have been caught by the assembler or the QC person.

[Dooner51]

I would just like to thank you for all the hard work that you put into your reviews. I'm new here and have learned a great deal from your reviews. Its great to read information instead of opinion. Thanks again.

[EngrPaul]

I found the two grooves strangely located, seems like those sort of features should be near the head for increased thermal transfer to the atmosphere. The good thing is there is not a separate head and body, so the heat can travel directly down the tube and be dissipated by the entire body, not just the head.

I found a good use for the grooves. 5/8" GITD O-rings drop right in and sit flush with the body.



Even the flashlight approves!

[selfbuilt]

FYI, Xeno has upgraded the E03 line to now include Cree XM-L emitters.

Although I haven't directly tested the new XM-L version, my experience of XM-L vs XP-G lights to date lets me draw a couple of tentative conclusions:

First. you should reasonably expect greater output for equivalent runtime on Max with the XM-L, especially on 14500 Li-ion/14505 lithium. However, due to the floodier beam of the XM-L, this may not appear too noticeable at a distance (i.e. will be more noticeable at close/confined distances - where you are frankly unlikely to be using Max).

Lower levels are likely to be the same efficiency as the XP-G emitter. I don't know whether output will be increased compared the XP-G version, but the difference isn't likely to be huge, in either output or runtime (but will again be less throwy on the XM-L).

Although hard to say more without directly testing both, I would recommend you choose between the XM-L and XP-G versions on the basis on the beam pattern (i.e. flood vs throw, respectively).

[AlexLED]

Thanks, once again, great review !

Sorry if this has been asked already, does this light have a reverse polarity protection ??

[selfbuilt]

Sorry if this has been asked already, does this light have a reverse polarity protection ??

Not that I know of. Note that there is a spring on the positive contact plate in the head, to allow use of flat top cells - so there is certainly no physical reverse polarity protection. Would have to check with the dealer to see if they know about any circuit feature.

[Animalmother]

What's the OTF on Eneloops with this? Anyone know? I am thinking about getting one.

[silverglow]

What's the OTF on Eneloops with this? Anyone know? I am thinking about getting one.

In my E03 V2 XM-L (I have the warm white version) manual it says the following (for the Cool White version):

Using NiMH battery: Low (150 mA - 45 lms - 4 hrs), Ultra Low (20 mA - 20 lms - 20 hrs), High (350 mA - 120 lms - 1 hr)
Using Li-ion battery: Low (1A - 280 lms - 45min), Ultra Low (300 mA - 80 lms - 2.5hrs), High (1.5 A - 430 lms - 20 Min.)

[thedeske]

I found the two grooves strangely located, seems like those sort of features should be near the head for increased thermal transfer to the atmosphere. The good thing is there is not a separate head and body, so the heat can travel directly down the tube and be dissipated by the entire body, not just the head.

I found a good use for the grooves. 5/8" GITD O-rings drop right in and sit flush with the body.



Even the flashlight approves!

Great Idea - Love the Black/Purple Blue set. Very tempting.

[Tuikku]

Nice review, thanks! Not too much discussion on this light here!

Seems like this is quite a bargain, if you are searching a 14500-capable somewhat powerful EDC.
Maybe manufacturer will make those low-modes better for next editions. I´m sure many will skip this because of that

[Alfred143]

Greetings,

I've been trying to read everything about he amazing Xeno 03 xm-l.

So far it looks and sounds amazing. But , I wanted to ask all your professional opinions on how it will compare to my fenix e21.

I don't have any experiences with any other led flashlights, as this is my first expensive light I own. Ive only had it or a week and find myself playing with it everyday. So I think I'll have a blast with the Xeno.

On paper I looks to be much more powerful (with 14500s) than my fenix e21, but will I be blown away in person?

Thanks for your input cheers

[Alfred143]

Guess I'll find outs, When my new Xeno E03 XML cool white arrives

[silverglow]

Guess I'll find outs, When my new Xeno E03 XML cool white arrives

I just saw a new posting in the Xeno E03 sales thread on cpfmarketplace.com where user ernsanada posted three comparative pics of the three levels of a Xeno E03 CW using a Black AW 14500 3.7V 750mAh Battery. I've only used my Xeno E03 WW with Eneloops so far so I haven't been able to help you, but I'm very much looking forward to my ordered 14500s now as the output is really impressive! But look for yourself :

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/sho...WW!%29/page17&

[Alfred143]

I just saw a new posting in the Xeno E03 sales thread on cpfmarketplace.com where user ernsanada posted three comparative pics of the three levels of a Xeno E03 CW using a Black AW 14500 3.7V 750mAh Battery. I've only used my Xeno E03 WW with Eneloops so far so I haven't been able to help you, but I'm very much looking forward to my ordered 14500s now as the output is really impressive! But look for yourself :

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/sho...WW!%29/page17&

Very nice silverglow! Thank you

[saypat]

[QUOTE=silverglow;3684561]I just saw a new posting in the Xeno E03 sales thread on cpfmarketplace.com where user ernsanada posted three comparative pics of the three levels of a Xeno E03 CW using a Black AW 14500 3.7V 750mAh Battery. I've only used my Xeno E03 WW with Eneloops so far so I haven't been able to help you, but I'm very much looking forward to my ordered 14500s now as the output is really impressive! But look for yourself :

Hey Silverglow. How do you like your Xeno running on the Eneloops?
Let us know how the 14500's work for you. Yes, that pic was very impressive!

patrick

[cave dave]

I use Eneloops exclusively with my 3 E03's, It compares favorably in brightness to other single AA lights on Nimh and all the levels are usable. I use Med (~40-60 lm) the most followed by low (~4lm) and then max the least.

The Xeno E03 on 14500 is great for showing off but the lack of a real low and med are usability killers. Nobody would design a light with those levels on purpose, its more like "hey it didn't blow up so let's sell it as a feature!" Its better than those Fenix where you loose all lower modes, but its not as good as a proper buck driver like on the Quarks.

[silverglow]

I just saw a new posting in the Xeno E03 sales thread on cpfmarketplace.com where user ernsanada posted three comparative pics of the three levels of a Xeno E03 CW using a Black AW 14500 3.7V 750mAh Battery. I've only used my Xeno E03 WW with Eneloops so far so I haven't been able to help you, but I'm very much looking forward to my ordered 14500s now as the output is really impressive! But look for yourself :

Hey Silverglow. How do you like your Xeno running on the Eneloops?
Let us know how the 14500's work for you. Yes, that pic was very impressive!

patrick

Hi Patrick,

I haven't been using my E03 (Warm-White) extensively so far, but even on Eneloops I'm already very satisfied with it regarding brightness. For a single AA light, is has respectable output, only my AA Zebralights do better in that regard. But I really like my blue E03 WW for the purplish blue color of its anodization as well as the the very nice warm white tint. overall form and quality is very good, too.

Regarding use with 14500s, I received my very first 14500s only today, a pair of Trustfires. I haven't charged them yet because unfortunately, one of them was already dead with 0.00 Volt resting voltage, only the other one was alright with 3.77 Volt. But after what I read about those xxxfire brands' quality in the past days here on CPF, I'm not even sure I will use them now at all for safety reasons because after I ordered these Trustfires, I luckily found a German seller of Sony 14500s (Li-Mn, unprotected) and I'm expecting the delivery of my order tomorrow.

I'll post my opinion about this and maybe also do a beamshot of it (if it works out well with my camera) soon though.

[silverglow]

I use Eneloops exclusively with my 3 E03's, It compares favorably in brightness to other single AA lights on Nimh and all the levels are usable. I use Med (~40-60 lm) the most followed by low (~4lm) and then max the least.

The Xeno E03 on 14500 is great for showing off but the lack of a real low and med are usability killers. Nobody would design a light with those levels on purpose, its more like "hey it didn't blow up so let's sell it as a feature!" Its better than those Fenix where you loose all lower modes, but its not as good as a proper buck driver like on the Quarks.

Yes, performance with Eneloops is already satisfying and the loss of a real low is the biggest weakness of this light on 14500s. I intend to use my E03 primarily with 14500s though on Med and Low for extended runtime and because I think it's nice to have that impressive boost power available and as I carry 4 extra Eneloops with me most of the time, I could still switch to them if necessary. I agree that the E03's body is probably not large enough to handle the heat with 14500s for more than a few minutes without risk of damage to the emitter, but that's enough most of time I think.

[Swedpat]

Today I the very first time became aware of this little light. The performance with the new XM-L model makes me the first time to be interested in using 14500 batteries. The options of neutral and warm tints I think is maybe the best thing, however. Also the price is very attractive. Would like to see runtime charts with the XM-L emitter at the three modes.
I am tempted to order a blue, or maybe two of them, would be interesting to see how it performs compared to my Fenix LD10 R5.

Regards, Patric

[selfbuilt]

Would like to see runtime charts with the XM-L emitter at the three modes.

FYI, a local CPF member has loaned me a EOS Neutral XM-L for output/runtime testing. I should have the results up by this time next week.

[MojaveMoon07]

FYI, a local CPF member has loaned me a EOS Neutral XM-L for output/runtime testing. I should have the results up by this time next week.

After the conclusion of your evaluation, may I ask if you could post also your impression of the tint ?

tactical_hid said (link) that the tint of the Neutral White XM-L is 3C.

Since 3C (link) is around 5000K, I thought that meant that the tint should be pure white which is the case for a 5000K CFL that I have.

But two people commented that their NW XM-L is yellow.

(link) "My nw xeno e03 xml is yellower thou, but nothing close to an incan."

(link) "I have what is supposed to be the Neutral White Zeno, but I can't imaging a light being any warmer than mine is. It is rather nice, I like the warm beam, but it is pretty yellow, far from being neutral white."

During my limited experience with flashlights, my favorite tint is the tint of our Maglite 2D incandescent. To my eyes, it's not pure white, but it's also not as warm as an incandescent light bulb. So I'm hoping that the Xeno XM-L NW is comparable in tint based on the above two comments.