Tekno_Cowboy
Flashlight Enthusiast
For submission to the Reviews section.
Click on the pictures for higher resoultion images.
Backstory:
I've been itching to see how the XP-E does in a flashlight from the second I heard about them. When I saw that the P100C2 used an XP-E, I just had to get my hands on one.
I pre-ordered one from Pacific Tactical Solutions, and it showed up on my doorstep on 3/9/2009.
Manufacturer Specifications:
The manufacturer states that either CR123A or RCR123A batteries may be used with the light. I also tested the light with a 17650 Li-ion cell for a few seconds. The light seemed to work fine, but I sent an email to EagleTac to make sure this is safe. They replied back saying that while safe, the runtime would be reduced compared to lithium primaries or RCR123 rechargeables.
Packaging:
The light comes in an attractive box. If I saw this on a shelf, I'd definitely stop to take a look. There's your typical reassuring "mission statement" type of message on the back. The light looks like it was meant to be held in place, but the knurling on mine was aggressive enough to eat away at the packaging.
Included Accessories:
Inside the box was a manual, two spare o-rings, and a lanyard ring.
The manual lists information on runtime, materials used in the constructions, the parts used in the light engine, compatible batteries, warranty, and instructions on the use and care of the light.
The o-rings were just that, and require no further description.
The lanyard ring is far from great, but I suppose it's what you should expect to see with a budget light.
The Body:
The light feels very nice in my hand. It has a nice, sleek form factor for a 2xCR123A light.
The knurling reminds me very much of the knurling found on Nitecore lights, but in a diamond shape rather than Nitecore's square shape. It's very grippy, but not so aggressive that it should eat away at something like your pocket.
The light is made of 7075 aluminium, so it should be nice and sturdy.
The light came lubed, but I wasn't a big fan of the thick lube that was used, so I cleaned the threads and added a couple of drops of Krytox 50/50 from the Shoppe. The threads work much smoother now.
The taicap spring looks like it should be easy on batteries. I've had a few lights where the spring likes to cut a hole in the battery. The clicky is firm and gives a satisfing click when pressed. There's no guessing whether you've locked the switch on or not. There's no tailstanding with this light though. The rubber boot sticks out much too far for it to be possible.
There were some spots of missing anodization on my light. A few chips here and there don't bother me, but I was a little put off by the flakes missing from the head end of the body.
Head end:
Tail End:
Head:
The head uses a ring similar to that of the Nitecore Piston Drive series, but with a bit simpler function. The ring only switches beween high and low. I would prefer that the low "general" setting would be selected by fully tightening the head, the reverse of what it actually is.
The light engine is glued in, so I wasn't able to get pictures of the inside. The contacts look like they should hold up to a bit of abuse though. There is a secondary ring for reverse polarity protection, which should work with most batteries.
According to EagleTac, the light uses C850 regulation, which drives the LED at 850mA. This is 150mA over the 700mA XP-E LED's are rated at, according to Cree.
The P100C2 uses a smooth reflector to direct the light from the Cree led. The lens is coated with Syntax I AR scratch resistant coatings.
The LED in my light is off-center, but is only slightly noticable in the beam.
The crenelated bezel makes it harder to set you light down bezel-down and forget to turn the light off.
Beamshots:
I took some beamshots from about 8-10ft away. The smooth reflector works well with the tiny XP-E LED, but I think that the beam would be even nicer with a LOP coating. The tint is as seen in the shots below, on a cream-colored wall. The beam is far too cool for my tastes, but that's a matter of opinion. To my eyes, there is a slight greenish tint in the corona.
The reflector is definately designed for throw, and has a very small hot spot. The hotspot is considerably more intense than the hotspot of my Wolf-Eyes Raider (w/R2-WC LED module)
Any rings seen in the beam are not visible to my eyes.
The first picture shows the hotspot as bright as it is seen by my eyes, but does not capture all of the spill. The spill is very wide, but not very bright.
ISO=80, f=2.7, 1/10s
ISO=80, f=2.7, 1/100s
Conclusion:
All said and done, I think that this is a great light for the money. The negative points, such as the missing anodization and the offset led are far overshadowed by the very smooth beam, the pleasant form factor, and the easy-on-the-pocketbook price.
I don't think that this will replace any of my favorite lights any time soon, but it should make for a great gift light for the non-flashaholic.
Click on the pictures for higher resoultion images.
Backstory:
I've been itching to see how the XP-E does in a flashlight from the second I heard about them. When I saw that the P100C2 used an XP-E, I just had to get my hands on one.
I pre-ordered one from Pacific Tactical Solutions, and it showed up on my doorstep on 3/9/2009.
Manufacturer Specifications:
- Type III (Hard) Anodization
- C850 Current Regulation drives the LED at 850mA
- Cree XP-E Q5-WC LED
- Beam optimized for throw
- Brightness selected by twisting head
- IPX-8 WaterProof (underwhelming spec)
- 2 hours runtime at 220 lumens on high (using 2 123A batteries)
- 14 hours runtime at 55 lumes on general (using 2 123A batteries)
- Forward Clicky
The manufacturer states that either CR123A or RCR123A batteries may be used with the light. I also tested the light with a 17650 Li-ion cell for a few seconds. The light seemed to work fine, but I sent an email to EagleTac to make sure this is safe. They replied back saying that while safe, the runtime would be reduced compared to lithium primaries or RCR123 rechargeables.
Packaging:
The light comes in an attractive box. If I saw this on a shelf, I'd definitely stop to take a look. There's your typical reassuring "mission statement" type of message on the back. The light looks like it was meant to be held in place, but the knurling on mine was aggressive enough to eat away at the packaging.
Included Accessories:
Inside the box was a manual, two spare o-rings, and a lanyard ring.
The manual lists information on runtime, materials used in the constructions, the parts used in the light engine, compatible batteries, warranty, and instructions on the use and care of the light.
The o-rings were just that, and require no further description.
The lanyard ring is far from great, but I suppose it's what you should expect to see with a budget light.
The Body:
The light feels very nice in my hand. It has a nice, sleek form factor for a 2xCR123A light.
The knurling reminds me very much of the knurling found on Nitecore lights, but in a diamond shape rather than Nitecore's square shape. It's very grippy, but not so aggressive that it should eat away at something like your pocket.
The light is made of 7075 aluminium, so it should be nice and sturdy.
The light came lubed, but I wasn't a big fan of the thick lube that was used, so I cleaned the threads and added a couple of drops of Krytox 50/50 from the Shoppe. The threads work much smoother now.
The taicap spring looks like it should be easy on batteries. I've had a few lights where the spring likes to cut a hole in the battery. The clicky is firm and gives a satisfing click when pressed. There's no guessing whether you've locked the switch on or not. There's no tailstanding with this light though. The rubber boot sticks out much too far for it to be possible.
There were some spots of missing anodization on my light. A few chips here and there don't bother me, but I was a little put off by the flakes missing from the head end of the body.
Head end:
Tail End:
Head:
The head uses a ring similar to that of the Nitecore Piston Drive series, but with a bit simpler function. The ring only switches beween high and low. I would prefer that the low "general" setting would be selected by fully tightening the head, the reverse of what it actually is.
The light engine is glued in, so I wasn't able to get pictures of the inside. The contacts look like they should hold up to a bit of abuse though. There is a secondary ring for reverse polarity protection, which should work with most batteries.
According to EagleTac, the light uses C850 regulation, which drives the LED at 850mA. This is 150mA over the 700mA XP-E LED's are rated at, according to Cree.
The P100C2 uses a smooth reflector to direct the light from the Cree led. The lens is coated with Syntax I AR scratch resistant coatings.
The LED in my light is off-center, but is only slightly noticable in the beam.
The crenelated bezel makes it harder to set you light down bezel-down and forget to turn the light off.
Beamshots:
I took some beamshots from about 8-10ft away. The smooth reflector works well with the tiny XP-E LED, but I think that the beam would be even nicer with a LOP coating. The tint is as seen in the shots below, on a cream-colored wall. The beam is far too cool for my tastes, but that's a matter of opinion. To my eyes, there is a slight greenish tint in the corona.
The reflector is definately designed for throw, and has a very small hot spot. The hotspot is considerably more intense than the hotspot of my Wolf-Eyes Raider (w/R2-WC LED module)
Any rings seen in the beam are not visible to my eyes.
The first picture shows the hotspot as bright as it is seen by my eyes, but does not capture all of the spill. The spill is very wide, but not very bright.
ISO=80, f=2.7, 1/10s
ISO=80, f=2.7, 1/100s
Conclusion:
All said and done, I think that this is a great light for the money. The negative points, such as the missing anodization and the offset led are far overshadowed by the very smooth beam, the pleasant form factor, and the easy-on-the-pocketbook price.
I don't think that this will replace any of my favorite lights any time soon, but it should make for a great gift light for the non-flashaholic.
Last edited:
