Phaserburn
Flashlight Enthusiast
Ok - my camera is on the fritz right now, so I can't take beamshots right now... sorry. :thumbsdow
Got my 25W Xenide recently. I had the PL24 and traded up for the Xenide. These impressions are comparison based. I am just going to spew here, and get more granular later, perhaps.
Build: I like the Xenide build quality better in just about all aspects. It has more detail, feels better and looks better too. The battery compartment is a seperate module that screws into the rest of the light. It's got knurling on it for better grip, too, making having an extra one and changing it in the field a snap. One of the big draws for me was what AE did with size. It's shorter, thinner, and lighter than the PL24. It's around the same weight and length as a stock Magcharger (32oz, 13"), albeit a little thicker. To me, what's the point of 2 hours runtime/chg if you are uncomfortable toting a 4-8 lb HID light around?! Who cares how long a 7 lb light runs? Anyway, the Xenide comes with two removeable rubber endcaps for drop protection, same as the PL24. It also comes with a pushbutton switch in the "Mag" postition near the head. I like this feature alot better than the twist on, but feel the button is too easily pressed for my taste, a trifle. But, it allows very easy one handed operation. The Xenide comes with a carry strap, and has two rings for it to hook into situated on the top of the light at the ends. The entire light came in a good quality plastic carrycase, an nice accessory to be included in the price (the PL24 had it as an option).
Output: As expected, it seems similar in overall output to the PL24. Not sure exactly why, but it does give the impression of being brighter than the PL24. Changes in the reflector seem designed not to remove artifacts (as the reflector is still smooth mirror) at all. It's designed to increase useful throw! And it does. But what I like about this is that it creates a decent size brighter corona right around the hotspot to mitigate tunnel vision. I like this setup better than hotspot+spill. It allows medium range use better. I also got the diffuser lens, which fits externally beneath the rubber lens cap. This extra is great because it makes the Xenide an extremist: monster throw or monster flood. When diffused, there is a bright hot area, not spot, and 180 degrees of great floodlight. If you're walking in the woods, this would be super handy as you'll get your full field of vision, bright enough to see detail.
I'm going to assume (oh boy) that the runtime and discharge curve will be the same as the PL24; absolutely flat regulated output for the full two hours.
From what I've read, AE is using premium components for bulb, ballast and matched, high quality li-ion cells.
Finally, a MC size/weight light with the output to back it up. Versatile in beam pattern (I find that FAR more useful than a multitude of brightness levels), good quality, warranty and user replaceable parts. The whole point of this light for me is a quality HID that looks, acts and can be used as a regular 3 cell Mag could (at around 20+ times the output). Oh, and it's watersealed too, with the only weak point being the charging port in the tailcap (although it's rubber sealed). I wouldn't hesitate to use this light in any storm, but wouldn't leave it submerged for more than a moment.
Sorry for the lack of formatting here; I just wanted to get all this down quickly before a few more days went by...
Got my 25W Xenide recently. I had the PL24 and traded up for the Xenide. These impressions are comparison based. I am just going to spew here, and get more granular later, perhaps.
Build: I like the Xenide build quality better in just about all aspects. It has more detail, feels better and looks better too. The battery compartment is a seperate module that screws into the rest of the light. It's got knurling on it for better grip, too, making having an extra one and changing it in the field a snap. One of the big draws for me was what AE did with size. It's shorter, thinner, and lighter than the PL24. It's around the same weight and length as a stock Magcharger (32oz, 13"), albeit a little thicker. To me, what's the point of 2 hours runtime/chg if you are uncomfortable toting a 4-8 lb HID light around?! Who cares how long a 7 lb light runs? Anyway, the Xenide comes with two removeable rubber endcaps for drop protection, same as the PL24. It also comes with a pushbutton switch in the "Mag" postition near the head. I like this feature alot better than the twist on, but feel the button is too easily pressed for my taste, a trifle. But, it allows very easy one handed operation. The Xenide comes with a carry strap, and has two rings for it to hook into situated on the top of the light at the ends. The entire light came in a good quality plastic carrycase, an nice accessory to be included in the price (the PL24 had it as an option).
Output: As expected, it seems similar in overall output to the PL24. Not sure exactly why, but it does give the impression of being brighter than the PL24. Changes in the reflector seem designed not to remove artifacts (as the reflector is still smooth mirror) at all. It's designed to increase useful throw! And it does. But what I like about this is that it creates a decent size brighter corona right around the hotspot to mitigate tunnel vision. I like this setup better than hotspot+spill. It allows medium range use better. I also got the diffuser lens, which fits externally beneath the rubber lens cap. This extra is great because it makes the Xenide an extremist: monster throw or monster flood. When diffused, there is a bright hot area, not spot, and 180 degrees of great floodlight. If you're walking in the woods, this would be super handy as you'll get your full field of vision, bright enough to see detail.
I'm going to assume (oh boy) that the runtime and discharge curve will be the same as the PL24; absolutely flat regulated output for the full two hours.
From what I've read, AE is using premium components for bulb, ballast and matched, high quality li-ion cells.
Finally, a MC size/weight light with the output to back it up. Versatile in beam pattern (I find that FAR more useful than a multitude of brightness levels), good quality, warranty and user replaceable parts. The whole point of this light for me is a quality HID that looks, acts and can be used as a regular 3 cell Mag could (at around 20+ times the output). Oh, and it's watersealed too, with the only weak point being the charging port in the tailcap (although it's rubber sealed). I wouldn't hesitate to use this light in any storm, but wouldn't leave it submerged for more than a moment.
Sorry for the lack of formatting here; I just wanted to get all this down quickly before a few more days went by...
Now that's what I call a long-lasting, low-weight (just over 2 pounds), compact (just over a foot) high powered HID light!:rock: I just ordered this battery from the company, so I'll definitely post the results ASAP.
