Sunlite Eagle 8W Far Projection - Review - With Outdoor Beamshots

[Ryanrpm]

Edit: Beamshots added on Post #2 - 01/03/09 - Husky 4W vs Eagle 8W.

Also see the review of the Sunlite Eagle 16w Far Projection....




Thank you all for visiting this review and giving me and everyone your thoughts. I just want to say from the start, that I love this new light to death, but I promise I will be objective as I can during this review. This review will mainly consist of pictures of the light itself, its functionality, comparisons of other lights I have, and a few indoor beamshots.

For technical information, please visit their site at http://www.powerledlighting.com/

I gathered more information from them regarding this far projection light by asking questions on their site forum. Go here for that: http://www.powerledlighting.com/bbs/...c.php?f=1&t=12

To see the instruction sheet, go to this link:
http://img32.picoodle.com/img/img32/...nm_7c566f3.jpg


Let's roll right into some pictures:






Here you can see that it is not a large light. It has a 35mm diameter reflector, yet throws very well. It is much lighter than my Fenix T1.


Tailstanding next to the T1.





Here you can see the emitter. Sunlite LED's are not packed in a 5mm dome, therefore the reflector sees a 1.5mm x 1.5mm light source, enabling it to produce a tighter beam. All that is coating the chip is some thermal epoxy. In an email correspondence with Sunlite, they said that the emitter is driven at 1.5a.


This is the bottom of the 8w head. This is the trademark Sunlite head interchangeable system. And also allows for future upgrade ability. These heads are not able to be modified as it will void the lifetime warranty. But if you got an extra $50 and know how to get past some locktite, feel free. Notice the cooling fins...


Here is the body threads where the head attaches.


Side reverse clicky. This is the standard mode-producing 200(?) lumens.


Recharge port. Oh, did I mention this is the rechargeable model?


Accessories: Instruction/info page, belt pouch, wall charger(3hr recharge time), lanyard. The lanyard came attached, but I removed mine.


Closeup of charger. The red light turns green once fully charged. The output of the charger is 4.6v. The battery is 4.2v when fully charged.


Belt pouch and Lanyard. The holster section is hard...probably lined with stiff plastic...


Size comparisons: Fenix T1 and Eagle 8w.



From left to right: Husky 4w, Sunlite Slim, Romisen RC-N3, Eagle 8w, Fenix T1.


Here is the tailcap and a comparison of the 2 batteries: left one is 2600mAh, the right is 2200mAh. (This light comes with the 2200mAh battery. I bought the 2600mAh separately) Does anyone know what the markings on the tip of the battery mean?


Headstand...also notice the flat areas on the cooling fins. There are 3 locations on the head that are flat for anti-roll purposes.



Now for some indoor beamshots.....
They are 7ft from the ceiling. Yes, I had to do the ceiling, because my wife has almost all the walls in our house painted some other color.




The order is: Top-Eagle 8W on standard, Middle-Husky 4W, Bottom-T1 on Turbo.


Stepped down 1.....



Stepped down 1, Eagle in Turbo....



Stepped down 2.....


Stepped down 2, Eagle in Turbo...


20 ft from the wall, stepped down 2. Husky on Left, Eagle-Turbo on Right. They look green because our wall is painted light green.


This is it for now. I'll post some outdoor beamshots when I can. This light is very promising!! I may have been crazy to plunk down $150 to this not well known company, but hey, this is how we make them known, right?

Hope you enjoyed the small review.

[Ryanrpm]

Here is one shot of an outdoor swimming pool located 996' away. I apologize for the images as I was not using a tripod at the time.


Control:



At 996' away:



Google Earth:





EDIT 01/03/09

Added more outdoor beamshots...."Long Shot" [BTW: These were done with no tripod for the flashlights. So the beam was not as intense as it could have been. Sorry about that! There are better long range shots in the following pages.]

These are a comparison of the Husky 4W and the Eagle 8W. There were two distances chosen: 900' and 1100'.

I apologize if these aren't that visible....I will take more shots of a lesser distance in the future. BTW, it was very cold out tonight and I about froze my fingers off. The desert loses all of its heat come nighttime. I'll get a daytime shot and Google Earth shot up soon so you guys can see what I see.

The 900' shot is at a tree on the right hand side of the lights. The 1100' shot is at another tree on the left hand side of the lights. Again, these are a little hard to see.


Daylight view:

Zoomed out:


Zoomed in:



Control:



Husky 4w @ 900':



Eagle 8w @ 900':



Husky 4w @ 1100':



Eagle 8w @ 1100':


Thanks for looking. I was dealing with some extreme distances there.

[richardcpf]

Nice review. With 1.5a to the emitter, it should be way more than 200 lumens.

Personally I think that for the price they should have come up with better design. But it is just me...

[Ryanrpm]

Originally Posted by richardcpf

Nice review. With 1.5a to the emitter, it should be way more than 200 lumens.

Personally I think that for the price they should have come up with better design. But it is just me...

The light is advertised at over 300 lumens, which I believe based upon their technology. I forgot to mention it or post a picture of it, but the tail cap has a momentary on button for turbo mode, or can be twisted tight for full time turbo on.

As far as design, maybe you could elaborate on what you see lacking. I personaly like everything about it. One thing I would change, if I could, would be to focus more light into the hotspot. It is blindingly bright as it is though. Outdoor beamshots will show this.

[ernsanada]

The first 2 pictures fooled me size wise. I thought this was a big long light but the 3rd picture of you holding the light shows the actual size .

[Ryanrpm]

Originally Posted by ernsanada

The first 2 pictures fooled me size wise. I thought this was a big long light but the 3rd picture of you holding the light shows the actual size .

You're right, it really isn't a large nor long light. I'm amazed by the throw from its 35mm reflector. I don't have a DBS, A10, or Spear, but I believe that this Eagle 8w is comparable in many ways.

[Ryanrpm]

BTW, its ability to be upgraded once better emitters come out is a plus, just like DBS. Only, you have to stay with Sunlite LED's, which according to them, have much better thermo management and can therefore be driven at higher current levels.

Their next upgrade is a far projection head that has a 16w LED with a 45mm diameter reflector. This, I am confident to say, may be the new king of throw among stock LED's.

[Ryanrpm]

Just wanted to share a few more pictures of the head broken down. The bezel ring is glued on, but after I let it get hot from being on Turbo mode for awhile, I was able to get it loose. My main purpose for taking it apart was to clean the lens better.












This reflector only looks weird in this shot. It has no wrinkles. There must have been some kind of reflection of the camera or something.






And here is one of my favorite parts.........with these Sunlite heads, they are all interchangeable! So now my Sunlite Slim becomes a Far Projection light, and vice versa.






Thanks for looking!

[adirondackdestroyer]

Nice looking beam, but it looks pretty cheap in terms of build quality. If I didn't know any better I would have guess it was from DX/Kai and cost under $50.
What LED does it use? I've never see anything like that before.

[kramer5150]

My thoughts.

Tight looking beam... waiting for outdoor beamshots
Heat from the emitter looks like it has a good thermal path to the body.

Excessively light weight and thin walls are a in my book. One drop and you'll dent it.
It would have been more effective to heatsink the top part of the body tube around the light engine, as well as the bezel.

Charge port looks susceptible to moisture & rain.

Looks like the + and - terminal is on the same end of the cell. If that is the case, a standard 18650 cell would have been better.

I prefer Clean / aggressive knurling over rubber hand grips.

Is it just me or does the color tint look excessively green compared to the Fenix, and even the sunlight slim?

[Ryanrpm]

Originally Posted by adirondackdestroyer

Nice looking beam, but it looks pretty cheap in terms of build quality. If I didn't know any better I would have guess it was from DX/Kai and cost under $50.
What LED does it use? I've never see anything like that before.

Kaidomain and DX can't get a hold of the technology in this flashlight, nor would they ever be able to sell them as a dealer.

You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned the emitter. Read through the info on their site and you'll see why they are indeed different. The premier difference being that they have better thermal management than any other LED manufacturer. The chip is 1.5mm x 1.5mm and NOT packed in a 5mm dome, so the light point source is smaller, and able to handle higher current.

Build quality? I have an excellent Fenix T1 that exhibits supreme build quality. This Eagle 8W is not near as heavily built, but it is carefully machined and totally custom made by the people at Sunlite. I for one appreciate the build quality of this light. (Actually, I think I'm the only one on this forum who has one...)

[Ryanrpm]

Originally Posted by kramer5150

My thoughts.

Tight looking beam... waiting for outdoor beamshots
Heat from the emitter looks like it has a good thermal path to the body.

Excessively light weight and thin walls are a in my book. One drop and you'll dent it.
It would have been more effective to heatsink the top part of the body tube around the light engine, as well as the bezel.

Charge port looks susceptible to moisture & rain.

Looks like the + and - terminal is on the same end of the cell. If that is the case, a standard 18650 cell would have been better.

I prefer Clean / aggressive knurling over rubber hand grips.

Is it just me or does the color tint look excessively green compared to the Fenix, and even the sunlight slim?

Well, resisting water is not in question in my book:



They say why they used a rubber grip instead of knurling: It is for gun mounting. This light is mainly being used for tactical applications. Sunlite even sells the pressure switches for this 8W.

Can you tell me why a standard 18650 cell is better?

The Slim does have a bluish tint to the beam....whereas the 8W has a warmer rendition. The shot of them on the wall is a bad one to judge color. The wall is painted light green. In comparison to the T1, the 8W is cooler. Personally, I've never seen a better looking color from any other light than from my T1.

I'd do some destructive testing on this light for you if I had the spare cash to pick another up as a replacement. As it stands, yes, aluminum is softer than concrete and will bend when dropped. My goal is to take care of it and make it last a long time.

Thanks guys for the critiques, I appreciate your thoughts.

I have a Spear clone from KD coming soon, so I'll wait until that arrives to post some outdoor beamshots. I don't expect it to outthrow it, but perhaps to match it. The reflector is only 35mm in diameter. I'll see what I can post until the clone arrives.

[Ryanrpm]

Just in case I do damage the the light from dropping it, I can get replacement parts for a small cost:

Endcap-$8
Bezel Ring-$5
Lens-$2

[TITAN1833]

Interesting I may just have to put this on my B/DAY wish list especially the 16w version

[Glenn7]

Well I have gone and ordered an eagle 8W rechargeable - so I can compare it to the DBS, a regalight snipe (with the old pill that works fine with 14500's - no ramping) and it kills the DBS no probs, and against a DEFT

So when it comes I will report - if anyone is interested?

[BMF]

Originally Posted by Glenn7

Well I have gone and ordered an eagle 8W rechargeable - so I can compare it to the DBS, a regalight snipe (with the old pill that works fine with 14500's - no ramping) and it kills the DBS no probs, and a DEFT

So when it comes I will report - if anyone is interested?

Yes, please!

I can't wait for your report of this Eagle 8W. The DBS has been killed by A10 so if this will do the same that's no surprise, but DEFT????? I hope you're wrong.

[Ryanrpm]

I highly doubt this Eagle 8W will kill the DEFT. And I'm unsure it will even kill the DBS v2, but may come close. With the future 16w/45mm head, I am confident it will surpass it. Sunlite has a really good foundation to build upon with their excellent heat removal and LED chip manufacturing.

I'll be getting a light meter soon to be able to at least post lux readings for you all.

I also added 1 outdoor beamshot for you all on post #2.

[TITAN1833]

I'm pretty sure Glenn7 was just throwing the DEFT in there for fun/joke,Ok Glenn haha!

right now about the SE 8w this will be my next light for sure it's not just about throw but the many options you can get for this light great versatility IMO what I hope to achive with this is a head for throw 300 lumens,one for EDC 220 lumen,a head lamp maybe a slim head? and a UV light head all from the same body kinda 4 in one light,but with so many options I may have to have more than one B/Day this year hehe, oh yeah I want the 16w head when that comes out too

[Glenn7]

yes I know it wont beat the DEFT - I only said I will try it against the DBS/Regallight snipe/DEFT for a comparison thats all - as I don't even have one yet (its coming) in the first place to even make any claims.
but I like the options that come with these lights

[Glenn7]

BTW here is a good link with a youtube video that shows their versatility http://www.uniquetitanium.com/Sunlites.htm

[Ryanrpm]

Originally Posted by kramer5150

Charge port looks susceptible to moisture & rain.

I have been in contact with Fong Suo from Sunlite. After reviewing this thread, she had some additional info about the charge port. I'll quote verbatim:

"There was a post expressing concern on the charge port. Here I would like to add that the charge port is electrically and physically isolated. The flashlight still works probably even if the charge port filled with water. However you cannot charge it when there is water inside."

I took a bold leap earlier when I submerged the Eagle 8w and the Slim in a sink filled with water. They worked fine and are still working fine. So their claim that this Eagle 8w is moisture resistant holds true.....even in the charge port.

Hopefully this will ease the minds of some of you who thought his may have been a weakness.

Come on, invest in this light.......you won't regret it.

[Ryanrpm]

More beamshots added under post #2.

900' and 1100'.

Hard to see, but they are there.

I compared the Husky 4w to the Eagle 8w.

[Glenn7]

I cant see much in those shots maybe 900' is to ambitious? - or your settings on your camera need tweaking

I would do the test @ 100 meters to start with - and if they work - then go up from there.

just my 2 cents worth

[TITAN1833]

You have to give credit to sunlite,they only mention up to 600 feet so anything over that is a bonus in my book,that said I can see it will throw further than that so for its size that is very good.

[Ryanrpm]

What would you guys recommend for camera settings? I don't know a lot about taking nightime shots, but I know our camera can do it.

I'm using a Nikon D70. Here are the settings I used: The Dial was set on 'M' Looking in the eye piece here is what I saw: 3" f5.6 iso auto [r 17]


I'll also start posting beamshots in the latest thread from here on out.

[Glenn7]

hey Ryanrpm - its because of you I am getting one of these thanks - you wet my apatite.

raise your iso to 1600 and use an appiture of F5.6 and take a few shots @ 3 seconds - 4 seconds and so on till you get a good exposure - oh and use a tripod or a something to rest the camera on - the same with the eagle 8W - also use (if you can) the timer on the camera -to stop any shakes

[Ryanrpm]

I will try to get some beamshots tonight at lesser distances. My purpose was to show you the outer limits of the range of this light. I can see that range better with my own eyes than the pictures can show...at the moment. I am really surprised that it reaches 1100'. Maybe we can see it go further when there is no ambient light and cars driving all around. That's one reason why I about froze half to death was because I was waiting until no cars headlights were in view. Seems like everyone was out for a Saturday night drive. They would have been better off if they were out casting beamshots in 0 degree weather like me.

I've also added daylight shots so you can see how far away these trees really are.

I will also set up the lights on a tripod. Thanks for the tips.

[Ryanrpm]

While waiting for sundown...........I took a few more whitewall shots. I had these stepped down and I really tightened up the aperture speed. I don't quite remember what they were....but the last one was at 6000.


Husky 4w, Eagle 8w, and T1 on turbo are in view.


Stepped down again......


And, even further.....


Please notice....the hotspot of the Eagle appears to be about the same size as the Husky in the 1st two pictures. The 3rd really reveals the size. Also notice the bluish tint . Oh well, the brightness makes up for it.

[Glenn7]

good work buddy - beam shots are hard to capture at the best of times - cant wait till mine comes

[276]

I had just order the slim version with the 100 lumen led head.