herculaneum79
Newly Enlightened
Dear Board Members,
today I'm gonna present you a short english review of my newest flashlight, the Niteye EYE-30.
My german review is well-known and many users said thank you.
I do not have any connections to Niteye and I'm just a customer from Germany. Of course I like writing reviews, you can find some more of them (english and german) on my Facebook Page.
Now let's come to the point.
There were some pictures of this flashlight posted in December. The light looks interesting, but the company is new and nobody knew their products.
Short information
A grip, four 18650 batteries, a car charger and a flashlight that has got a interesting design, a battery indicator, three XM-L U2 LEDs and a selector ring to choose whether you want to have 60, 300, 1000 or 2000 Lumens.
Similar products
There are not so many similar products with that high power.
Fenix TK70: Three XM-L and 2200 lumens, but the lamp is huge and heavy
EagleTac M3C4 triple XM-L: sadly "only" 1000 lumens
JETBeam RRT-3 Raptor: Three XM-L, 1950 lumens and a selector ring, but high price.
Nitecore TM11: 2000 lumens and the DRY 2500 lumens flashlight.
Package and scope of delivery
The package is quite good, it's not a carton, but a hard metal case.
There's a user manual on the back side.
In the case you'll find a car charger, a holster and a grip.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634081721/in/photostream/lightbox/
I'll test the car charger in the next few days, so far I can say that there's no balancer built in and so you should not charge the flashlight always in your car!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634122869/in/photostream/lightbox
The grip is interesting, because as far as I know no other comparable flashlight has got a similar grip.
You mount the grip on the little screw thread on the head that it normally closed with a screw.
I didn't get a user manual delivered with, but as far as my dealer knows, there'll be a user instruction in future. Sadly there are no second O-rings in the case.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634081739/in/photostream/Lightbox
Body and quality
The appearance of the EYE-30 is quite nice I think. Because of the three single reflectors it looks interesting.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634116231/in/photostream/lightbox/
In general the flashlight is short and fat, but it is very handy. The knurling is good and anti grip style. The dark-grey HA-III anodizing is nice and I like it more than a black anodizing.
EVen with the grip the style of the lamp is nice - the grip is good designed and stable. It is possible to mount the grip without special tools with just using your hands or a coin.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634116227/in/photostream/lightbox/
Easy to handle with gloves, I used the fire fighter Seiz Supporter.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634116233/in/photostream/lightbox/
On the top of the flashlight you can find three reflectors with LEDs. Also on the head there are three main contents of this lamp, one on every side. The most interesting thing is the battery indicator which has got four orange LEDs. Switching on the flashlight brings these LEDs to glow - if all four light, your batteries are full.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634116221/in/photostream/lightbox/
On the next side of the head there's the thread mount for the grip.
It would have been great if they'd installed a ¼" thread so the lamp can be mounted on a camera tripod, but they didn't.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634122839/in/photostream/lightbox/
On the third side you can find the access for the 12V car charging cable.
Sadly there is no silicone plug, I think the waterproofed fact is not shire because of that!
Charging the flashlight in a car needs about 8 to 9 hours.
The most important thing is the selector ring. It is mounted nine centimeters above the back end of the body. With this ring the flashlight is switched on and off and you change the modes with it.
My Exemplar has got good cutted screw threads and there's almost to much fat ;-) One red O-Ring is appropriate for the IPX-8 waterproof.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634116219/in/photostream/lightbox/
Unscrewing the head, in the middle of the body there is a battery cage. There is no balancer.
The user puts four 18650 batteries/accus in it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634122861/in/photostream/lightbox/
A few measured data to the size …
From top to bottom the EYE-30 is 14.8 centimeters ling, the head's got a diameter of 62 Millimeter.
The back end has got a diameter of 50mm and the rings of the reflectors are 30mm big.
I measured a circumference of 53mm on the part where you grap the light.
Without the batteries, the lamp is approx. 400 grams heavy.
LEDs, Driver und batteries
Niteye built in three actual Cree XM-L LEDs with a theoretic power of 666 lumens each. Of course it would be possible to get much more power, approx. 900 lumens per LED would have been possible but they decided to limit the power so that there is a longer runtime and longer lifetime.
You can choose from these six modes:
I recommend to use very good batteries! I use Spark Batteries, but also recommend the well-known AW's accus!
Please do only use batteries of same age, capacity, voltage and manufacturer!
"http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634122867/in/photostream/lightbox/"
Temperature and runtime
I measured the temperature with an infrared thermometer on two points.
"indicator" is a point next to the battery indicator, "logo" is the niteye logo on the body. I switched the EYE-30 on and let it run in turbo mode for ten minutes.
temperature on the beginning:
Indicator: 24,5° Celsius
Logo: 24,8°
after 5 minutes:
Indicator: 40,4°
Logo: 31,1°
after 10 Minutes:
Indicator: 48,6°
Logo: 36,5°
I use the data from Niteye for the runtime:
Low: 55 hours
Middle: 12 hours
High: 3 hours
Turbo: 2 hours
Using the selector ring
Using the selector ring is very easy:
Turning clockwise, cruise warning mode is activated. Turning it of (one turn against clockwise) and switching it on again activated strobe. A third turn clockwise activates the battery indicator.
Against clockwise there are the normal modes: low, middle, high and turbo.
In low first one LED is activated, in mid two, in high three and in turbo all three on highest brightness.
I recorded a short movie concerning the modes:
Brightness comparison and beam
The beam is quite nice if all three LEDs are activated. Of course it is not so perfect with one or two LEDs, but not too bad at all.
On the left: Spark SL6S.800cw which has a great beam, Niteye on the right:
"http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634565805/in/photostream/lightbox/"
Naturally whitewall shots are not the best for a high power flashlight, her home is outside! It is a flooder because of the small reflectors.
Let's show you some pictures.
Low, middle, high and turbo.
25 Meters distance, D700, 28mm, 1,3", ISO 320 and f5,6.
"http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634157461/in/photostream/lightbox/"
110 Meter distance, D700, 75mm, 1,3", ISO 320 and f5,6.
[URL="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634157447/in/photostream/lightbox/"
flashlight against car's automobile headlight, who wins? the house is 100m away.
D700, 75mm, 2", ISO 320 andf5,6.
"http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634157455/in/photostream/lightbox/"
Conclusion
I do really like the Niteye EYE-30 because it is a small high power flashlight. The new company made a good product, but there are a few points for bettering, for example the missing cap for the car charge access, but in general the EYE-30 is a good flashlight!
If I'd have the chance to decide between EYE-30 and Fenix Tk70, I'd take the EYE-30 again because it fits in every jacket pocket! The grip is also useful and handy. The wide beam is good for my fire fighter actions or for going for a walk.
I hope you liked my review. Thanks for reading.
today I'm gonna present you a short english review of my newest flashlight, the Niteye EYE-30.
My german review is well-known and many users said thank you.
I do not have any connections to Niteye and I'm just a customer from Germany. Of course I like writing reviews, you can find some more of them (english and german) on my Facebook Page.
Now let's come to the point.
There were some pictures of this flashlight posted in December. The light looks interesting, but the company is new and nobody knew their products.
Short information
A grip, four 18650 batteries, a car charger and a flashlight that has got a interesting design, a battery indicator, three XM-L U2 LEDs and a selector ring to choose whether you want to have 60, 300, 1000 or 2000 Lumens.
Similar products
There are not so many similar products with that high power.
Fenix TK70: Three XM-L and 2200 lumens, but the lamp is huge and heavy
EagleTac M3C4 triple XM-L: sadly "only" 1000 lumens
JETBeam RRT-3 Raptor: Three XM-L, 1950 lumens and a selector ring, but high price.
Nitecore TM11: 2000 lumens and the DRY 2500 lumens flashlight.
Package and scope of delivery
The package is quite good, it's not a carton, but a hard metal case.
There's a user manual on the back side.
In the case you'll find a car charger, a holster and a grip.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634081721/in/photostream/lightbox/
I'll test the car charger in the next few days, so far I can say that there's no balancer built in and so you should not charge the flashlight always in your car!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634122869/in/photostream/lightbox
The grip is interesting, because as far as I know no other comparable flashlight has got a similar grip.
You mount the grip on the little screw thread on the head that it normally closed with a screw.
I didn't get a user manual delivered with, but as far as my dealer knows, there'll be a user instruction in future. Sadly there are no second O-rings in the case.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634081739/in/photostream/Lightbox
Body and quality
The appearance of the EYE-30 is quite nice I think. Because of the three single reflectors it looks interesting.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634116231/in/photostream/lightbox/
In general the flashlight is short and fat, but it is very handy. The knurling is good and anti grip style. The dark-grey HA-III anodizing is nice and I like it more than a black anodizing.
EVen with the grip the style of the lamp is nice - the grip is good designed and stable. It is possible to mount the grip without special tools with just using your hands or a coin.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634116227/in/photostream/lightbox/
Easy to handle with gloves, I used the fire fighter Seiz Supporter.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634116233/in/photostream/lightbox/
On the top of the flashlight you can find three reflectors with LEDs. Also on the head there are three main contents of this lamp, one on every side. The most interesting thing is the battery indicator which has got four orange LEDs. Switching on the flashlight brings these LEDs to glow - if all four light, your batteries are full.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634116221/in/photostream/lightbox/
On the next side of the head there's the thread mount for the grip.
It would have been great if they'd installed a ¼" thread so the lamp can be mounted on a camera tripod, but they didn't.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634122839/in/photostream/lightbox/
On the third side you can find the access for the 12V car charging cable.
Sadly there is no silicone plug, I think the waterproofed fact is not shire because of that!
Charging the flashlight in a car needs about 8 to 9 hours.
The most important thing is the selector ring. It is mounted nine centimeters above the back end of the body. With this ring the flashlight is switched on and off and you change the modes with it.
My Exemplar has got good cutted screw threads and there's almost to much fat ;-) One red O-Ring is appropriate for the IPX-8 waterproof.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634116219/in/photostream/lightbox/
Unscrewing the head, in the middle of the body there is a battery cage. There is no balancer.
The user puts four 18650 batteries/accus in it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634122861/in/photostream/lightbox/
A few measured data to the size …
From top to bottom the EYE-30 is 14.8 centimeters ling, the head's got a diameter of 62 Millimeter.
The back end has got a diameter of 50mm and the rings of the reflectors are 30mm big.
I measured a circumference of 53mm on the part where you grap the light.
Without the batteries, the lamp is approx. 400 grams heavy.
LEDs, Driver und batteries
Niteye built in three actual Cree XM-L LEDs with a theoretic power of 666 lumens each. Of course it would be possible to get much more power, approx. 900 lumens per LED would have been possible but they decided to limit the power so that there is a longer runtime and longer lifetime.
You can choose from these six modes:
- Cruise Warning (blinking with break)
- Strobe (with two automatically changing frequencies!)
- Low (60 lumens, 55 hours runtime)
- Middle (300 Lumens, 12 hours runtime)
- High (1000 Lumens, 3 hours runtime)
- Turbo (2000 Lumens, 2 hours runtime)
I recommend to use very good batteries! I use Spark Batteries, but also recommend the well-known AW's accus!
Please do only use batteries of same age, capacity, voltage and manufacturer!
"http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634122867/in/photostream/lightbox/"
Temperature and runtime
I measured the temperature with an infrared thermometer on two points.
"indicator" is a point next to the battery indicator, "logo" is the niteye logo on the body. I switched the EYE-30 on and let it run in turbo mode for ten minutes.
temperature on the beginning:
Indicator: 24,5° Celsius
Logo: 24,8°
after 5 minutes:
Indicator: 40,4°
Logo: 31,1°
after 10 Minutes:
Indicator: 48,6°
Logo: 36,5°
I use the data from Niteye for the runtime:
Low: 55 hours
Middle: 12 hours
High: 3 hours
Turbo: 2 hours
Using the selector ring
Using the selector ring is very easy:
Turning clockwise, cruise warning mode is activated. Turning it of (one turn against clockwise) and switching it on again activated strobe. A third turn clockwise activates the battery indicator.
Against clockwise there are the normal modes: low, middle, high and turbo.
In low first one LED is activated, in mid two, in high three and in turbo all three on highest brightness.
I recorded a short movie concerning the modes:
Brightness comparison and beam
The beam is quite nice if all three LEDs are activated. Of course it is not so perfect with one or two LEDs, but not too bad at all.
On the left: Spark SL6S.800cw which has a great beam, Niteye on the right:
"http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634565805/in/photostream/lightbox/"
Naturally whitewall shots are not the best for a high power flashlight, her home is outside! It is a flooder because of the small reflectors.
Let's show you some pictures.
Low, middle, high and turbo.
25 Meters distance, D700, 28mm, 1,3", ISO 320 and f5,6.
"http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634157461/in/photostream/lightbox/"
110 Meter distance, D700, 75mm, 1,3", ISO 320 and f5,6.
[URL="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634157447/in/photostream/lightbox/"
flashlight against car's automobile headlight, who wins? the house is 100m away.
D700, 75mm, 2", ISO 320 andf5,6.
"http://www.flickr.com/photos/vogelbetrachter/6634157455/in/photostream/lightbox/"
Conclusion
I do really like the Niteye EYE-30 because it is a small high power flashlight. The new company made a good product, but there are a few points for bettering, for example the missing cap for the car charge access, but in general the EYE-30 is a good flashlight!
If I'd have the chance to decide between EYE-30 and Fenix Tk70, I'd take the EYE-30 again because it fits in every jacket pocket! The grip is also useful and handy. The wide beam is good for my fire fighter actions or for going for a walk.
I hope you liked my review. Thanks for reading.