Eagletac D25A and D25C Titanium lights: Advice and quality...

HighlanderNorth

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I just finally got in my new Eagletac D25A and D25C today. The D25A runs on 1 - AA battery(or 14500) and the Eagletac D25C runs on 1 - Cr123 or RCR123. First thing I noticed is how thin they are, especially towards the battery compartment. Next thing I noticed is how short the threads are on the rear tailcap. You turn it around like 2 times and thats it, its tight. But, the pocket clip gets in the way, because it pushes up against the body of the light when you are trying to get the tailcap back on after installing the battery, per instructions, so it causes the tailcap to want to go on crooked since it pushes against one side of the body.

The threads are poor, and feel very rough as you turn the tailcap or the head back in place. It feels like there is some grit in the threads or something! There was absolutely no lubrication on the threads, so I added a little. It helped just a little but not a lot.

Next, when you remove the tailcap, per instructions when installing the battery, you find that the switch is not connected to the tailcap, it just sits inside the battery compartment, so you must pull it out, and theres a washer that falls out of the tail cap as well. The switch on my D25A DID NOT fit back into the battery compartment well. Its too tight. It kept going in crooked, which causes the tailcap to try and cross thread itself, which would strip the thin, shallow threads. So I had to "modify" the sides of the switch a little to get it to fit in properly. But the tailcap still doesnt want to go on straight every time(or most times) on either the D25A or the D25C.

So after I dealt with that, I then decided to check and add lube to the threads on the heads of both lights. It was then that I discovered that the threads on the heads are deeper, longer and slightly better than the tailcap threads, and better still, you can install the batteries right under the head after you remove it! There is no washer or switch that may fall out, and the head screws back on easier without cross threading or stripping. There's no pocket clip to get in the way of it. So I'd recommend installing your batteries by removing the head instead of the tail cap. I dont want to ever have to remove the tail caps again, because I'm worried that they will strip after not so many times screwing them on and off. But I think its good to lube the threads everywhere with appropriate lube. That will probably extend their life by making it easier to screw them on and off.

The switch: The switch seems light and cheap to me. You can see it because it must be removed when you remove the tail cap, and it looks like the type of switch you'd buy for $1.75 at Radio Shack. It doesnt look very durable, but hopefully I am wrong about that. I guess that since it is so easy to remove the switch, maybe they sell spares, so maybe its a good idea to get a few spares just in case!

The circuit seems pretty good, and it has lots of modes, with lots of different strobes, SOS, etc. It does not have a momentary switch, you press it til it clicks, then it comes on after you release it. You lightly press to switch modes, or twist the head for more modes.

All in all, this is an example of "You get what you pay for". I was wondering why the Jetbeam and Sunwayman Ti lights of the same specs were nearly 3 times the price, and now I know! These lights are thin, and semi-cheap feeling. Since they are made of Ti, they shouldnt need to be too thick, but its not so much the thickness I worry about, its the threads, the switch, etc.

I got the neutral versions of both lights, and they are WARM colored. They are pretty yellow. They are warm colored and will probably render colors well. They are more yellow than my iTp light with MC-E which was previously the 'warmest' light I owned, but not anymore! They seem to have nice beams, and even with standard Cr123 and standard 1.2V NiMh AA, they are fairly bright on their high settings. With higher voltage batteries, they will supposedly run on direct mode and be much brighter! But I can tell you after only about 10 seconds on high, the D25C was starting to warm up already, so it will probably get HOT on turbo with a 3.7V battery in direct mode. I will have to wait til tonight and see just how yellow these lights are after dark.

All in all, its a mixed bag. I love my Eagletac G25C2, and if I had to grade these lights, I'd give them both C's. I will keep them. I like the beam, the color is 'OK', the Ti, the modes, etc. But I question the durability of it over time. I wonder if maybe I should've bought 1 Sunwayman V10R Ti+ or Jetbeam TCR1 instead of 2 of these lights......... We'll see.:thinking:
 
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Jimbo75

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I am kind of surprised that they recommend battery installation from the tail....?

I received a AL version D25A that I instinctively installed the battery from the head(I don't read instructions:eek:) and noticed they do not anodise the threads(due to SF/legal reasons), after a few twisting mode changes checked the threads and there was noticeable build up of AL dust mixed with oil. Cleaned it all down and tried again, same results. Came to the conclusion that AL rubbing on AL was not the best thing for torch longevity and sent it back(also had quite a bit of missing ano on the knurling, QC issue..).

Being both thin and light made it feel a little cheap but had it's obvious advantages, in the pocket it was hardly noticeable and was a very nice size in the hand(compared to my normal EDC's, AAA size lights). I also had the neutral led, it was the nicest neutral I have used so far, slightly cooler than my ZL SC51w and the floody beam of the xml was just what I wanted, large diffuse hotspot with generous spill.

Umm, I got off track and wrote a mini review...I can understand your concerns of quality and with the AL version I decided not to live with it, had it had fully anodised threads and well anodised body it would be a keeper, as the rest of the features ticked all the boxes. I know that Ti is prone to galling and that is probably what you are feeling in the threads, but am not sure if this means it will wear prematurely? Someone with solid Ti light experience might be able to chime in on that.
 

saypat

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Jul 12, 2011
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wow. I was all excited about ordering one of these. This is the first bad news I have heard. Guess I'll wait and see what the others have to say who are just now receiving their lights. That's BIZARRE about the tailcap things, BIZARRE! And the instructions say to insert the battery from the tailcap end??? Makes no sense. Looking for more to chime in with their 2 cents....

patrick
 

af112566

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Jan 23, 2012
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got my ti d25c and love it.i always load batteries from the head in my small lights so cant comment on the switch.the threads are a bit gritty but that is normal for a ti light like this.just clean and lube it an it will get a little better.all in all a very nice ti light at a great price!!by the way,i got the cool white and love it.
 

selfbuilt

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The threads are poor, and feel very rough as you turn the tailcap or the head back in place. It feels like there is some grit in the threads or something! There was absolutely no lubrication on the threads, so I added a little. It helped just a little but not a lot.
This is actually "normal" for titanium lights, unfortunately. Galling of the screw threads is a common complaint. Lubrication will help, but the threads will always feel somewhat gritty compared to aluminum.

Next, when you remove the tailcap, per instructions when installing the battery, you find that the switch is not connected to the tailcap, it just sits inside the battery compartment, so you must pull it out, and theres a washer that falls out of the tail cap as well.
No, you are NOT supposed to dissamble the switch assembly to get the batteries in.

The generic D25 clicky series manual provided by Eagletac unfortunately says "unscrew the tailcap and insert new batteries ..." - but the included picture clearly shows you are supposed to unscrew the head of the D25A and D25C from the battery tube. It is only on the D25A2 and D25C2/D25LC2 where the tailcap opens from the battery tube as well as the head (again, look at the illustration, which shows you what they want you to unscrew). I agree the wording is ambiguous, but in the context of the D25A/C, the "tailcap" refers to the entire body/tail.

Certainly, disassembly of the actual switch assembly is to be avoided on these small lights. It is meant solely to replace a malfunctioning switch.
 

HighlanderNorth

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This is actually "normal" for titanium lights, unfortunately. Galling of the screw threads is a common complaint. Lubrication will help, but the threads will always feel somewhat gritty compared to aluminum.


No, you are NOT supposed to dissamble the switch assembly to get the batteries in.

The generic D25 clicky series manual provided by Eagletac unfortunately says "unscrew the tailcap and insert new batteries ..." - but the included picture clearly shows you are supposed to unscrew the head of the D25A and D25C from the battery tube. It is only on the D25A2 and D25C2/D25LC2 where the tailcap opens from the battery tube as well as the head (again, look at the illustration, which shows you what they want you to unscrew). I agree the wording is ambiguous, but in the context of the D25A/C, the "tailcap" refers to the entire body/tail.

Certainly, disassembly of the actual switch assembly is to be avoided on these small lights. It is meant solely to replace a malfunctioning switch.



I had no idea the switch wasnt connected to the tail cap, and was separate, until I removed the tail cap. I've never seen a light with a separate, unconnected switch.

You know how this goes.... I used to not even bother reading instructions, but now, in my early 40's, I have started reading them just to be safe. But....I am still always in a hurry to "get it done" so I can check out the new toy, so although I did read the instructions, in this case, i ignored the pictures for the most part. If I would have looked at the pics, maybe I wouldve installed the batts through the head from the start. But at least I did figure it out after seeing how difficult it was to deal with the tail cap, switch, washer, etc.


As far as the switch, I have already emailed Eagletac asking for them to hook me up with spare switches for both lights, because they wont make these forever, and that usually means they will NOT have parts in stock for very long, so if the switches go bad in the future, I'll be S**t out of luck! I just had Olight/ iTp send me a spare battery container for my iTp A6, which is no longer produced, because it may break some time in the future because its a bit thin, and the new one is redesigned and thicker. It was the last one they had too! Just in time.......
 
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GordoJones88

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So I'd recommend installing your batteries by removing the head instead of the tail cap.

LOL man. You "unscrewed" the tailcap!

I have noticed a bunch of mistakes in their literature.
It specifically shows Moon->Low->Med which is does not do sadly.
Don't just lube the threads (LOL again), clean them with a cloth.
I was gonna tell you the XMLU2 has a really nice tint,
so no need to get the Neutral-White version.
Oh man, Post Of The Year for Highlander!
Where do we vote?
 

biglights

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May 13, 2012
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LOL man. You "unscrewed" the tailcap!

I have noticed a bunch of mistakes in their literature.
It specifically shows Moon->Low->Med which is does not do sadly.
Don't just lube the threads (LOL again), clean them with a cloth.
I was gonna tell you the XMLU2 has a really nice tint,
so no need to get the Neutral-White version.
Oh man, Post Of The Year for Highlander!
Where do we vote?

So what you are saying is that the cool tint is close to the neutral? Because I have the neutral version is awesome!!!!
 

HighlanderNorth

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LOL man. You "unscrewed" the tailcap!

I have noticed a bunch of mistakes in their literature.
It specifically shows Moon->Low->Med which is does not do sadly.
Don't just lube the threads (LOL again), clean them with a cloth.
I was gonna tell you the XMLU2 has a really nice tint,
so no need to get the Neutral-White version.
Oh man, Post Of The Year for Highlander!
Where do we vote?


Yeah, I guess you knew not to unscrew the tailcap right from the 1st time you ever saw one of these, even though the instructions said to do so(Right) You got bionic eyes or something? Jeez louise.....

Like I said in the OP, the instructions specifically said to "unscrew the tail cap to install the batteries". A tail cap is a cap on the tail end of the light. Thats what I unscrewed. If they meant to unscrew the head, maybe they should have said "unscrew the head"... Plus, the pictures show a light that appears black. Well, this light isnt black, its the opposite of black. There are several D25 models, so the picture wouldve seemed to be a different model than the ones I got. Turns out, reading the instructions was the worst thing to do here! I would have been better off not reading them in this case. But there's other mistakes in there too. I have heard some people say to lube the threads, and 1 guy says not to lube the threads, but I decided it would be better to do it, because these threads are tight, and thin, so they need all the help they can get! I've been working with metal for about oh, say 28 years now, and I can tell you that lubricating metal doesnt hurt it...


Anyway, After having taken the time to check both of these lights out in the dark, and mess around with their UI's, I think they are pretty good lights! I gave them a grade 'C' earlier, but now I'd say they get a B- or so. Their UI is pretty cool, and they have LOTS of settings, including some pretty bad a$$ strobe and SOS modes. Theres like 5-6 of them! Theres one that switches automatically from fast to superfast every few seconds. It would be cool to set the light on a shelf somewhere, on that particular setting during a party. There are other slower strobes, and others that switch between speeds. I havent seen another LED light that does all that.

The beam tint IS pretty yellowish, at least on the ones I got. But the D25A(AA version) seems to be a little more yellowish than the D25C. I have other T6 lights that have very different, more neutral tints than these 2 do. I've read other posts where some people say they dont want a yellowish light, but I dont have a big problem with it, and I like having some versatility with my lights, so I like having different color tints. I just dont want any blue or green ones, and I've gotten lucky there, except for the D Mini Ex 2 I returned.

These 2 lights are pretty bright too. The Cr123 D25C is brighter obviously than the AA D25A, but I was surprised that it was as bright as it is with only one 1.2V Eneloop AA battery. Both lights can be run on higher voltage batteries for direct drive mode, and the D25C will supposedly run up to 750 lumens then! But it'll get hot I'm sure.

They seem to be worth the $60 I paid for each(after $10 coupon).
 
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GordoJones88

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I have heard some people say to lube the threads, and you say not to lube the threads, but I decided it would be better to do it.

Sorry, I meant I clean off all the gunky crap on the threads first, then some lube.
My D25C aluminum had a ton of greyish-color grit that soiled a small cloth.
I did the male threads on the head, and the female threads inside the body too.

Oops, I forgot to clean the tailcap threads. (sorry man, I had to)
 

GordoJones88

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So what you are saying is that the cool tint is close to the neutral? Because I have the neutral version is awesome!!!!

I have some very greenish-tint XMLT6 lights like Quark Turbo X and Olight i1.
My D25C XMLU2 cool-white has just a little yellowish-tint in the corona around the hotspot,
but the beam quality and tint overall is really nice.
 
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