In Progress
Previously known as JETBeam, Niteye announced their new brand name earlier this year after a disagreement with their distributor. Since that time, Niteye has continued to push forward with high-quality lights of all sizes. One of their most recent offerings is the EYE10 TIC, a classy materials upgrade to their well-received EYE10 model (plus a few other improvements). An infinitely variable CR123 or 16340 sized control ring light, with output from 0-500 lumens, the EYE10 is now available in a titanium/carbon-fiber body.
Thanks to Niteye for providing the EYE10 TIC for review.
I'll be reviewing the EYE10 TIC 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). If you have any other specific applications you'd like the light tested for, let me know and I'll see what I can do.
5-Minute Overview
Below is a video "quick review" you can watch in just a few minutes, if you're not up for reading the full review right now:
This video is available in 720p HD, but defaults to a lower quality. To select the playback quality click the settings button (looks like a gear) after you've started the video.
Objective
Manufacturer's Specifications
Price: $170
Coming soon...
Packaging
The EYE10 comes in a simple cardboard box with the Niteye logo on the top. Upon opening the box, you find the EYE10 TIC nestled in a foam cutout covered in fancy yellow-gold colored cloth. Also included in the box are the user manual and warranty card, and accessories.
Construction
The EYE10 TIC uses a sing CR123 lithium or 16340 lithium-ion battery, so it's very small. Using a CR123 will get you up to a max of 260 lumens, while using a 16340 will get you a full 500 lm. This light is made mostly from titanium, with a carbon fiber tube at the body section. Being made from titanium, the TIC is not anodized because it doesn't need to be.
Now, lets take a closer look at the light, starting at the head and working back.
The TIC uses a Cree XM-L U2 emitter, known to be floody, high-output, and high-efficiency. The emitter is centered in a lightly textured reflector, which serves to smooth out the beam pattern and prevent and beam artifacts. The use of an XM-L in such a small reflector guarantees a very floody beam.
As you can see, the reflector of the TIC is fairly shallow, lending even more to flood and keeping the overall length of the light short. Where many lights have a stainless steel bezel to protect the light from impacts to the head, the bezel is of the TIC is made from titanium, just like the rest of the light, so it should prove to be very strong. In the middle of the head, three grooves are cut to increase the surface area and improve heat dissipation, which is crucial for such a small light with such a high maximum output. Behind the heat dissipation fins is the control ring, which is the only piece used to turn the light on/off and choose the brightness (there is no switch anywhere on the light).
One notable upgrade from the EYE10 aluminum model is grip on the control ring. On the aluminum model, the "bumpy" portion was on one half of the ring, with the other half smooth. On the TIC, there are three bumpy sections , each about 1/6 of the circumference of the ring. Another notable upgrade is that the TIC model does not have any "click-stops" on the control ring, so you can easily choose any desired output level and are not confined to preset values.
Behind the control ring is the Niteye brand name and the model number, printed clearly in black. This is the only writing on the light.
The body section has a tube of carbon-fiber outside of a titanium shell. The carbon fiber is black with a sort of cross-hatched appearance, and is known for very high strength with a very light weight.
At the tail of the light, the optional clip can be attached by two allen screws. Opposite the clip is a hole cutout as a lanyard attachment point, making it easy for the light to tail stand even with a lanyard attached (my review sample did not include a lanyard). At the tail, the TIC has an attachment point compatible with a standard camera tripod. (The aluminum model had a lanyard attachment post here.)
Now, let's take the light apart!
Without the use of tools, the TIC comes apart into two pieces: the head and the body/tail.
Inside the head, a small post serves as the electrical connection to the positive battery terminal. The white plastic ring surrounding the post acts as mechanical reverse-polarity protection, by preventing the flat negative terminal of a battery from contacting the post. The protects the circuit in the light from being damaged if the battery is accidentally inserted backwards. The only downside of this is that flat-top cells will be unable to work in this light. This isn't too big of a deal, because all CR123 and 16340 cells I know of have a button-top. However, many 18650 cells do have flat tops, but I'll discuss that later.
The threads of the TIC are small, but being made from titanium, I have no doubt that they will stand up well to wear over time. An orange o-ring maintains the waterproofness of the light. Inside the body, a spring makes electrical contact between the negative battery terminal and the body of the light. This spring is not actually attached to the body of the light, but is held in place by it's tension. I haven't had a problem with it coming out during battery changes.
The TIC can do a stable tail-stand. Also, it's worth noting that the clip extends just beyond the edge of the body section, but not up to the control ring. Some other lights in this class have trouble with their clips getting in the way of using the control ring, but that is not an issue on this light.
Dimensions
Coming soon...
Accessories
The EYE10 TIC comes with just a few accessories: a clip, two allen screws, an allen wrench of the appropriate size, and a spare o-ring.
The clip can be attached using the screws and wrench provided to the two holes at the tail of the light.
User Interface
The UI of the EYE10 TIC is very possibly the simplest of any light with more than a single output level. It is controlled only by a control ring, with no switch. With the light pointing away from you, turning the ring all the way to the right will increase the output, and turning the ring to the left will decrease the output. When the ring is all the way to the left, the light is off.
For those that desire, the TIC has hidden strobe and SOS modes. To access the strobe, start from a level less than max and turn the ring to the max, then down a bit, then to max again (quickly). To access the SOS, do the same thing but with an extra time down then back to max. Once the strobe or SOS is activated, you can the modes's brightness by turning the ring to the right or to the left. The TIC will remain in the special mode selected until the light is turned off, then it will come back on in constant brightness mode.
In summary:
Off - all the way to the left
Increase Brightness - turn right
Decrease Brightness - turn left
Strobe - max, down, max
SOS - max, down, max, down, max
Action Shots
You can click on any of these shots to see them full size.
Light in Hand
White Wall (arbitrary levels up to Max)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 1/20"
BeamSlice
MugShot
Indoor Shots (arbitrary levels up to Max)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 1"
Outdoor Shots (Max)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 2.5"
Long Range (Max)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 5"
Performance
Submersion: I submersed the EYE10 TIC in about a foot of water for an hour, turning the light on and off using the control ring during that time, and the light shows no sign of water entering or damaging the light.
Heat: When using a 16340 on max brightness or near-max, the EYE10 TIC gets hot very quickly, and in about 15 minutes or so will get too hot to hold comfortably. When using a CR123 heat is not an issue.
PWM: I cannot detect any pulse-width modulation on any brightness level of the TIC.
Drop: I dropped the EYE10 from a height of about 1 meter onto various surfaces including grass, packed dirt, carpet, and wood. The light shows no cosmetic damage and still functions normally.
Reverse Polarity Protection: The EYE10 TIC has mechanical reverse polarity protection, so if you accidentally insert the battery backwards it will not turn on and the light will not be damaged. See the Construction section for more details on how this works. This also means that flat-top batteries do not work with this light, but most CR123 and 16340 cells do have button tops.
Over-Discharge Protection: I can find no evidence for any over-discharge protection built into the EYE10 TIC, so if you're going to use li-ions, I recommend using cells with protection circuits built in (especially due to the low capacity of these cells).
Spectral Analysis
All light that we see as white is actually made up of several different colors put together. The relative intensities of the different colors in the mix are what determine the tint of the white we see. For example, cool white LED's have a lot of blue, and warm white LED's have more red or yellow. This measurement was done on a home made spectrometer. The plot below the picture is corrected for the spectral sensitivity of the human eye. Note: the peak in the 900nm region doesn't really exist, it's a piece of the second-order spectrum that's showing up here because of the high intensity of the light source.
Output and Runtime
Coming soon...
ANSI FL-1 runtime ratings are the time it takes for a light to fall to 10% of it's original output (counting from 30 seconds after turning the light on).
The vertical axis of the graphs below represents a relative brightness measurement using a home made light box. The horizontal axis is time in hours:minutes:seconds. Runtimes are stated in hours:minutes:seconds. These graphs may be truncated to show detail.
Mode Comparison
Coming soon...
Throwing Distance
ANSI FL-1 standard for stating a light's throwing distance is the distance at which the peak beam intensity (usually at the center of the beam) is 0.25 lux. I calculate throwing distance and candela (lux at 1 meter) by measuring peak beam intensity at five different distances and using the formula lux*distance^2=constant.
Peak Beam Intensity:
Throw Distance:
Subjective Review
Quick break down:
+ Wow.
+ Shiny
+ Extremely strong body materials
+ High output from a small package
+++ Lowest low I've ever seen
+ Head fits on the body of the EYE15
+ Very stylish
+ Perfect resistance on control ring
+ Smooth beam, warmer tint than most cool whites
+ Hidden strobe and SOS with adjustable brightness
+ Very small
+ Tripod attachment point
- Clip pressure could be stronger
- Control ring grip could still be improved
Let me just say that this is one of the most impressive lights I've reviewed. Aside from being Titanium (plus carbon fiber!), it's got the absolut best output range for a small light that I've ever seen, and the control ring ramps perfectly.
First, I'll get the negatives out of the way. The only two things I'd like to see improved on this light are these: 1) the clip needs a bit more pressure to hold to a pocket firmly, and 2) the control ring needs just a little more grip.
So, now to the positives. I've been looking for a long time for a light that is suitable for use in low-light conditions. The EYE10 TIC is that light. It has the ability to get up to 500 lumens, so it has as much light as you'll ever need at close range. If you need a lot of throw, you need a bigger light, but indoors or at close ranges outdoors (such as in the woods or on a trail), the TIC will give you plenty of light. And the best part is, the TIC goes from the 500 lumens down to 0, and for all practical purposes, it hits every output in between. To test it, I went into a windowless room at night with all the lights off, and let my eye adjust to the darkness. I then proceded to turn the light on as slowly as possible, and it was impossible to tell exactly when the light turned on. It is capable of such a low output, that even with it right up next to my eye in the dark the light is barely perceivable. This means that you can make it absolutely as low as you want it at night, and no brighter, so that you have exactly the light you want and don't have to worry about ruining your night vision, waking a sleeper, or drawing unwanted attention to yourself. For those of you searching for an ultra-low low, you need search no more. And then, if you want a higher output, just a quick twist can light up the room.
The resistance on the control ring is pretty much just what I would have it be. It's smooth enough that it's easy to turn when you want to, but has enough resistance that I've never had it move in my pocket. This is pretty important, as the control ring is the only means of controlling the light. So, when the control ring turns, the light will turn on.
I really like the beam of the TIC also. The tint isn't quite what I would call "neutral", but I think it's closer to neutral than cool, and it's definitely warmer than your average cool white tint. The beam pattern is pretty much what you would expect from a head this size: floody, with a smooth hot spot in the middle. I haven't been able to find any beam artifacts.
One thing I've really liked about the EYE10 TIC is this: there is a manufacturer-made 18650 tube available! Niteye doesn't advertise this, most likely because they didn't think of it, but I've found that the head of the EYE10 TIC fits just fine on the body of the EYE15, which uses an 18650. Now, the TIC head doesn't quite cover the o-ring on the EYE15 body all the way, but it does cover it enough to maintain waterproofness. It also looks a little funny (the titanium head on the grey aluminum body), but it's great for the extra capacity of the larger battery. I should probably note also that the head of the EYE15 extends a bit too far for it to work with the EYE10 TIC body, so you only end up with one working light when you do this.
So, one thing that's bound to come up is how it compares to another very similar light, the Sunwayman V10R/V11R. Now that the EYE10 TIC version doesn't have click-stops (and both are available in titanium), this is a very similar comparison. Here are the main differences I can see: the V10R has a switch and the EYE10 TIC has a tripod attachment point, the V10R has a visible limit to it's low and the EYE10 TIC does not. Also, the EYE10 TIC has the option to run on the EYE15 18650 battery tube. For these reasons, the EYE10 TIC on the EYE15 body has replaced my high-CRI V11R as my EDC.
In conclusion, if you're looking for a small control ring light that's infinitely variable over a range from 0-500 lumens, this is currently an excellent choice. Due to being made from Titanium, the price is noticeably higher than comparable aluminum lights, but you'll find that for a Titanium light the price is actually quite reasonable.
Long Term Impressions
I'll fill this part in after carrying the light for a while. If nothing get's added here, either I find nothing else worth noting about the light, or I end up not using it often.
Previously known as JETBeam, Niteye announced their new brand name earlier this year after a disagreement with their distributor. Since that time, Niteye has continued to push forward with high-quality lights of all sizes. One of their most recent offerings is the EYE10 TIC, a classy materials upgrade to their well-received EYE10 model (plus a few other improvements). An infinitely variable CR123 or 16340 sized control ring light, with output from 0-500 lumens, the EYE10 is now available in a titanium/carbon-fiber body.
Thanks to Niteye for providing the EYE10 TIC for review.
I'll be reviewing the EYE10 TIC 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). If you have any other specific applications you'd like the light tested for, let me know and I'll see what I can do.
5-Minute Overview
Below is a video "quick review" you can watch in just a few minutes, if you're not up for reading the full review right now:
This video is available in 720p HD, but defaults to a lower quality. To select the playback quality click the settings button (looks like a gear) after you've started the video.
Objective
Manufacturer's Specifications
Price: $170
Coming soon...
Packaging
The EYE10 comes in a simple cardboard box with the Niteye logo on the top. Upon opening the box, you find the EYE10 TIC nestled in a foam cutout covered in fancy yellow-gold colored cloth. Also included in the box are the user manual and warranty card, and accessories.
Construction
The EYE10 TIC uses a sing CR123 lithium or 16340 lithium-ion battery, so it's very small. Using a CR123 will get you up to a max of 260 lumens, while using a 16340 will get you a full 500 lm. This light is made mostly from titanium, with a carbon fiber tube at the body section. Being made from titanium, the TIC is not anodized because it doesn't need to be.
Now, lets take a closer look at the light, starting at the head and working back.
The TIC uses a Cree XM-L U2 emitter, known to be floody, high-output, and high-efficiency. The emitter is centered in a lightly textured reflector, which serves to smooth out the beam pattern and prevent and beam artifacts. The use of an XM-L in such a small reflector guarantees a very floody beam.
As you can see, the reflector of the TIC is fairly shallow, lending even more to flood and keeping the overall length of the light short. Where many lights have a stainless steel bezel to protect the light from impacts to the head, the bezel is of the TIC is made from titanium, just like the rest of the light, so it should prove to be very strong. In the middle of the head, three grooves are cut to increase the surface area and improve heat dissipation, which is crucial for such a small light with such a high maximum output. Behind the heat dissipation fins is the control ring, which is the only piece used to turn the light on/off and choose the brightness (there is no switch anywhere on the light).
One notable upgrade from the EYE10 aluminum model is grip on the control ring. On the aluminum model, the "bumpy" portion was on one half of the ring, with the other half smooth. On the TIC, there are three bumpy sections , each about 1/6 of the circumference of the ring. Another notable upgrade is that the TIC model does not have any "click-stops" on the control ring, so you can easily choose any desired output level and are not confined to preset values.
Behind the control ring is the Niteye brand name and the model number, printed clearly in black. This is the only writing on the light.
The body section has a tube of carbon-fiber outside of a titanium shell. The carbon fiber is black with a sort of cross-hatched appearance, and is known for very high strength with a very light weight.
At the tail of the light, the optional clip can be attached by two allen screws. Opposite the clip is a hole cutout as a lanyard attachment point, making it easy for the light to tail stand even with a lanyard attached (my review sample did not include a lanyard). At the tail, the TIC has an attachment point compatible with a standard camera tripod. (The aluminum model had a lanyard attachment post here.)
Now, let's take the light apart!
Without the use of tools, the TIC comes apart into two pieces: the head and the body/tail.
Inside the head, a small post serves as the electrical connection to the positive battery terminal. The white plastic ring surrounding the post acts as mechanical reverse-polarity protection, by preventing the flat negative terminal of a battery from contacting the post. The protects the circuit in the light from being damaged if the battery is accidentally inserted backwards. The only downside of this is that flat-top cells will be unable to work in this light. This isn't too big of a deal, because all CR123 and 16340 cells I know of have a button-top. However, many 18650 cells do have flat tops, but I'll discuss that later.
The threads of the TIC are small, but being made from titanium, I have no doubt that they will stand up well to wear over time. An orange o-ring maintains the waterproofness of the light. Inside the body, a spring makes electrical contact between the negative battery terminal and the body of the light. This spring is not actually attached to the body of the light, but is held in place by it's tension. I haven't had a problem with it coming out during battery changes.
The TIC can do a stable tail-stand. Also, it's worth noting that the clip extends just beyond the edge of the body section, but not up to the control ring. Some other lights in this class have trouble with their clips getting in the way of using the control ring, but that is not an issue on this light.
Dimensions
Coming soon...
Accessories
The EYE10 TIC comes with just a few accessories: a clip, two allen screws, an allen wrench of the appropriate size, and a spare o-ring.
The clip can be attached using the screws and wrench provided to the two holes at the tail of the light.
User Interface
The UI of the EYE10 TIC is very possibly the simplest of any light with more than a single output level. It is controlled only by a control ring, with no switch. With the light pointing away from you, turning the ring all the way to the right will increase the output, and turning the ring to the left will decrease the output. When the ring is all the way to the left, the light is off.
For those that desire, the TIC has hidden strobe and SOS modes. To access the strobe, start from a level less than max and turn the ring to the max, then down a bit, then to max again (quickly). To access the SOS, do the same thing but with an extra time down then back to max. Once the strobe or SOS is activated, you can the modes's brightness by turning the ring to the right or to the left. The TIC will remain in the special mode selected until the light is turned off, then it will come back on in constant brightness mode.
In summary:
Off - all the way to the left
Increase Brightness - turn right
Decrease Brightness - turn left
Strobe - max, down, max
SOS - max, down, max, down, max
Action Shots
You can click on any of these shots to see them full size.
Light in Hand
White Wall (arbitrary levels up to Max)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 1/20"
BeamSlice
MugShot
Indoor Shots (arbitrary levels up to Max)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 1"
Outdoor Shots (Max)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 2.5"
Long Range (Max)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 5"
Performance
Submersion: I submersed the EYE10 TIC in about a foot of water for an hour, turning the light on and off using the control ring during that time, and the light shows no sign of water entering or damaging the light.
Heat: When using a 16340 on max brightness or near-max, the EYE10 TIC gets hot very quickly, and in about 15 minutes or so will get too hot to hold comfortably. When using a CR123 heat is not an issue.
PWM: I cannot detect any pulse-width modulation on any brightness level of the TIC.
Drop: I dropped the EYE10 from a height of about 1 meter onto various surfaces including grass, packed dirt, carpet, and wood. The light shows no cosmetic damage and still functions normally.
Reverse Polarity Protection: The EYE10 TIC has mechanical reverse polarity protection, so if you accidentally insert the battery backwards it will not turn on and the light will not be damaged. See the Construction section for more details on how this works. This also means that flat-top batteries do not work with this light, but most CR123 and 16340 cells do have button tops.
Over-Discharge Protection: I can find no evidence for any over-discharge protection built into the EYE10 TIC, so if you're going to use li-ions, I recommend using cells with protection circuits built in (especially due to the low capacity of these cells).
Spectral Analysis
All light that we see as white is actually made up of several different colors put together. The relative intensities of the different colors in the mix are what determine the tint of the white we see. For example, cool white LED's have a lot of blue, and warm white LED's have more red or yellow. This measurement was done on a home made spectrometer. The plot below the picture is corrected for the spectral sensitivity of the human eye. Note: the peak in the 900nm region doesn't really exist, it's a piece of the second-order spectrum that's showing up here because of the high intensity of the light source.
Output and Runtime
Coming soon...
ANSI FL-1 runtime ratings are the time it takes for a light to fall to 10% of it's original output (counting from 30 seconds after turning the light on).
The vertical axis of the graphs below represents a relative brightness measurement using a home made light box. The horizontal axis is time in hours:minutes:seconds. Runtimes are stated in hours:minutes:seconds. These graphs may be truncated to show detail.
Mode Comparison
Coming soon...
Throwing Distance
ANSI FL-1 standard for stating a light's throwing distance is the distance at which the peak beam intensity (usually at the center of the beam) is 0.25 lux. I calculate throwing distance and candela (lux at 1 meter) by measuring peak beam intensity at five different distances and using the formula lux*distance^2=constant.
Peak Beam Intensity:
Throw Distance:
Subjective Review
Quick break down:
+ Wow.
+ Shiny
+ Extremely strong body materials
+ High output from a small package
+++ Lowest low I've ever seen
+ Head fits on the body of the EYE15
+ Very stylish
+ Perfect resistance on control ring
+ Smooth beam, warmer tint than most cool whites
+ Hidden strobe and SOS with adjustable brightness
+ Very small
+ Tripod attachment point
- Clip pressure could be stronger
- Control ring grip could still be improved
Let me just say that this is one of the most impressive lights I've reviewed. Aside from being Titanium (plus carbon fiber!), it's got the absolut best output range for a small light that I've ever seen, and the control ring ramps perfectly.
First, I'll get the negatives out of the way. The only two things I'd like to see improved on this light are these: 1) the clip needs a bit more pressure to hold to a pocket firmly, and 2) the control ring needs just a little more grip.
So, now to the positives. I've been looking for a long time for a light that is suitable for use in low-light conditions. The EYE10 TIC is that light. It has the ability to get up to 500 lumens, so it has as much light as you'll ever need at close range. If you need a lot of throw, you need a bigger light, but indoors or at close ranges outdoors (such as in the woods or on a trail), the TIC will give you plenty of light. And the best part is, the TIC goes from the 500 lumens down to 0, and for all practical purposes, it hits every output in between. To test it, I went into a windowless room at night with all the lights off, and let my eye adjust to the darkness. I then proceded to turn the light on as slowly as possible, and it was impossible to tell exactly when the light turned on. It is capable of such a low output, that even with it right up next to my eye in the dark the light is barely perceivable. This means that you can make it absolutely as low as you want it at night, and no brighter, so that you have exactly the light you want and don't have to worry about ruining your night vision, waking a sleeper, or drawing unwanted attention to yourself. For those of you searching for an ultra-low low, you need search no more. And then, if you want a higher output, just a quick twist can light up the room.
The resistance on the control ring is pretty much just what I would have it be. It's smooth enough that it's easy to turn when you want to, but has enough resistance that I've never had it move in my pocket. This is pretty important, as the control ring is the only means of controlling the light. So, when the control ring turns, the light will turn on.
I really like the beam of the TIC also. The tint isn't quite what I would call "neutral", but I think it's closer to neutral than cool, and it's definitely warmer than your average cool white tint. The beam pattern is pretty much what you would expect from a head this size: floody, with a smooth hot spot in the middle. I haven't been able to find any beam artifacts.
One thing I've really liked about the EYE10 TIC is this: there is a manufacturer-made 18650 tube available! Niteye doesn't advertise this, most likely because they didn't think of it, but I've found that the head of the EYE10 TIC fits just fine on the body of the EYE15, which uses an 18650. Now, the TIC head doesn't quite cover the o-ring on the EYE15 body all the way, but it does cover it enough to maintain waterproofness. It also looks a little funny (the titanium head on the grey aluminum body), but it's great for the extra capacity of the larger battery. I should probably note also that the head of the EYE15 extends a bit too far for it to work with the EYE10 TIC body, so you only end up with one working light when you do this.
So, one thing that's bound to come up is how it compares to another very similar light, the Sunwayman V10R/V11R. Now that the EYE10 TIC version doesn't have click-stops (and both are available in titanium), this is a very similar comparison. Here are the main differences I can see: the V10R has a switch and the EYE10 TIC has a tripod attachment point, the V10R has a visible limit to it's low and the EYE10 TIC does not. Also, the EYE10 TIC has the option to run on the EYE15 18650 battery tube. For these reasons, the EYE10 TIC on the EYE15 body has replaced my high-CRI V11R as my EDC.
In conclusion, if you're looking for a small control ring light that's infinitely variable over a range from 0-500 lumens, this is currently an excellent choice. Due to being made from Titanium, the price is noticeably higher than comparable aluminum lights, but you'll find that for a Titanium light the price is actually quite reasonable.
Long Term Impressions
I'll fill this part in after carrying the light for a while. If nothing get's added here, either I find nothing else worth noting about the light, or I end up not using it often.
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