Emisar D3AAti, not for me?

[nbk327]

I got a new Emisar D3AAti from Hank a few weeks ago and I'm not sure it's for me. It's a beautiful light, but I find myself struggling with it usage wise and burning through battery life. For reference it's got 3 domed 519A 4500Ks and the stock 10511 optic, running on a Vapcell H10 battery.
I EDC a small flashlight and use it regularly at work in the early mornings when it's dark. I'd been using an EagTac D3A ti for maybe 6 or 7 years before getting this Emisar D3AAti to try.
I've realized I primarily use my EDC light in a hammer grip held up near my head looking down onto/into things, and I'm often wearing gloves, which makes a rear clicky far easier to use than a side button light. I haven't found a good way to adjust the brightness on the D3AAti while in a hammer grip, it's very inconvenient and I've nearly dropped it several times in handling.
Also, with such a diffuse hot-spot, I find myself using far more battery than I would with my EagTac to illuminate stuff to my liking. I never use the EagTac on turbo, high is plenty of light for everything I do, but I find myself using turbo on the D3AAti quite often.
I get 4 or 5 months of regular usage out of my EagTac D3A ti from an 1100mAh protected Orbtronic or 1250mAh unprotected Vapcell F12. I've only carried the D3AAti for a week and I'm already down to 3.98V with regular usage. At this rate I won't get more than 4 or 5 weeks out of it, and that's without using the aux LEDs at all.
I don't care for Hanks pocket clip on this light either and already have a Skilhunt m150 on the way to see if I like that better. I also ordered a 10507 optic and while I do like that a lot better I'm not sure it'll help any with battery life.
I bought the light originally to have a higher lumen output option in a small 14500 form factor light. Thing is even though it's really small, I still notice it in the pocket whereas I don't notice my EagTac D3A ti at all. Could be the shape, the weight, the way the clip holds it in the pocket, or a combination of all those things. And if I know I'm going to need a higher powered flashlight the D4K I keep on my nightstand is small enough to pocket anyway. So it leaves me luke warm regarding this D3AAti. I really want to love this light, but it's not going well so far.
It's a beautiful light and would be great simply as an addition to my collection.....but I don't really have a collection as of yet, lol. All of my lights have a place and a purpose and this was the first flashlight that could be considered a duplicate. In the end I'm still looking for a more modern/powerful upgrade to my Eag Tac D3A TI, currently eyeing a Convoy T3 Ti Cu with 5amp driver....but anyway. I just wanted to share my thoughts, vent a little, and see if you folks had any input on the matter. Thank you for your time

 

[jacobd]

Definitely a flood vs throw issue. Like you said, it just takes more juice to illuminate things to the same intensity as a reflector based light.

Not all lights suit all people, and that's okay.

FWIW I prefer the 1.5A driver from Convoy, less max output but the 5A gets hot in a little Ti light anyways

 

[nbk327]

Definitely a flood vs throw issue. Like you said, it just takes more juice to illuminate things to the same intensity as a reflector based light.

Not all lights suit all people, and that's okay.

FWIW I prefer the 1.5A driver from Convoy, less max output but the 5A gets hot in a little Ti light anyways

And I've got an old D4S and a newer D4K, so I should've known better what to expect. Good to know about the driver, honestly I'd ideally like something inbetween lol. 3A would be great

 

[jon_slider]

3A would be great

you can run your D3AA at 3A by using level 7, and not using Turbo which uses 5.6A..

but if youre having to use such high outputs, Im guessing youre outdoors.. and imo the D3AA is only suitable for close range, as the beam is wide and does not reach very far forward. Its a fools errand to turn up the light brighter, when the beam is too wide and short.

Definitely agree with your compare and contrast, the D3A is slender, the D3AA is Chonky. The D3A uses less battery because of the small hotspot, while the D3AA lights a much wider area, so it uses more power.

Otoh, the D3AA offers a different UI than the D3A, but its a matter of personal preference. I gave away my D3A and use my Red aluminum D3AA for EDC..

I sold my TiCu D3AA.. too heavy for my taste, and tail magnet too weak for the weight

I also like to use the warmer LED the most, lately. The red one is my Goldilocks light.. "just right" ;-)

youre definitely working with some great options.. enjoy the quest for your Goldilocks.. I enjoyed reading your thoughts..

 

[nbk327]

you can run your D3AA at 3A by using level 7, and not using Turbo which uses 5.6A..

but if youre having to use such high outputs, Im guessing youre outdoors.. and imo the D3AA is only suitable for close range, as the beam is wide and does not reach very far forward. Its a fools errand to turn up the light brighter, when the beam is too wide and short.

Definitely agree with your compare and contrast, the D3A is slender, the D3AA is Chonky. The D3A uses less battery because of the small hotspot, while the D3AA lights a much wider area, so it uses more power.

Otoh, the D3AA offers a different UI than the D3A, but its a matter of personal preference. I gave away my D3A and use my Red aluminum D3AA for EDC..

I sold my TiCu D3AA.. too heavy for my taste, and tail magnet too weak for the weight

View attachment 76912
I also like to use the warmer LED the most, lately. The red one is my Goldilocks light.. "just right" ;-)

youre definitely working with some great options.. enjoy the quest for your Goldilocks.. I enjoyed reading your thoughts..

Very interesting. There's so much use case and personal preference involved it's amazing. I do use my work light outdoors and in large commercial rooms, though usually at distances of less than 10 meters. Thing is the hot-spot of my Eag Tac D3A ti on high is brighter than the output from my D3AAti on Turbo, at least with the 10511 optic, and I'm typically only trying to light up an analog gauge or display no larger than my hand. I just picked the wrong light for my use case. Question now is whether I decide to keep it, or try to sell it towards the purchase of something else.
The Eag Tac D25A/D3A have been my favorite small EDC lights for over a decade now. I've owned a few myself and have purchased several more for other people who like my little flashlight. Most recently was the current model MKII with a Nichia 519A 4500K that I bought directly from Illumination Gear. The light output was beautiful, the build quality was great as always, but I was disappointed that it didn't seem like they updated the driver at all over the past decade. I would've thought they'd have gone to something regulated with more output or run time by now. Though I'm glad I found that out buying an aluminum version for someone else rather than another titanium version for myself.
So yeah my Goldilocks search continues. One thing nice to see was that the most recent D25A I bought with that 519A had a larger hot-spot than my old 219C variant, with similar brightness and maybe slightly brighter spill. That emitter in a Convoy T3 Ti Cu with 5 amp driver just might be the ticket.

 

[jon_slider]

it didn't seem like they updated the driver

agree.. still the same driver..

519A had a larger hot-spot

agree..
otoh, the SST-20 beam is more focused and wastes less power than the wider hotspot of the 519a

10 meters. .. to light up an analog gauge or display no larger than my hand.

excellent description of your application..

definitely agree the D3AA is not a good match for that distance and target size.. because it lights up too wide an area and does not project far enough forward..

the 10507 optic is slightly better than the 10511.. but imo still wrong tool for distance.. because it still wastes power by spreading light sideways, where it is not needed for your application

Agree a tight beam from a reflector suits distance applications better.. Ive not tried a Convoy but agree its worth a try, because it has a Single LED in a Reflector, not a floody multi LED beam

Multi LED lights, by their nature, spread light sideways, which is only good for close range and wide field of illumination

otoh, multi LED lights produce a more useful field of light to illuminate a painting at close range
Single LED in Reflector, vs Floody triple:

Note the reflector hotspot is too intense for the application

As far as resale of your TiCu D3AA, it may have slightly better value after the Tariffs raise the prices of new lights.. (after May 2nd)

 

[Dark_Hater]

The D3AA gets so much praise that you would almost expect it to be the holy grail. Mine is with the DD 519a 5700k and the spot optic. The beam 1’ from a white wall is not pretty but it is great in use. Sadly I don’t carry it much. With the lack of a good clip and the head shape/dimensions it’s never going to be a go to edc even though it is so small.

However my D25C with the SFT-40 5000k is an amazing light and one of my favorites. Very good throw for a light this size. Also honorable mention to my D25A. Love those two Eagtac lights.

 

[dc38]

The D3AA gets so much praise that you would almost expect it to be the holy grail. Mine is with the DD 519a 5700k and the spot optic. The beam 1’ from a white wall is not pretty but it is great in use. Sadly I don’t carry it much. With the lack of a good clip and the head shape/dimensions it’s never going to be a go to edc even though it is so small.

However my D25C with the SFT-40 5000k is an amazing light and one of my favorites. Very good throw for a light this size. Also honorable mention to my D25A. Love those two Eagtac lights.

The head design IS a little wonky, I'll admit...but the size is kind of necessary for a triple.

As far as the clip...i agree. Needs a good 2 way clip.

 

[nbk327]

The D3AA gets so much praise that you would almost expect it to be the holy grail. Mine is with the DD 519a 5700k and the spot optic. The beam 1’ from a white wall is not pretty but it is great in use. Sadly I don’t carry it much. With the lack of a good clip and the head shape/dimensions it’s never going to be a go to edc even though it is so small.

However my D25C with the SFT-40 5000k is an amazing light and one of my favorites. Very good throw for a light this size. Also honorable mention to my D25A. Love those two Eagtac lights.

I'd forgotten about the D25C! I believe that was my first Eag Tac, back when everything I ran used 123s. I got away from them because they were expensive and the rechargeables they had at the time were terrible. I used what Surefire recommended which were batteries and a charger from K2 Energy (which looked EXACTLY like what Surefire recommends now just with different branding) but they didn't last. I don't recall the number but I know 14500s at the time were over 800mAh and that was significantly more than what you could get from a rechargeable 123, so I switched over to a D25A and gave someone my D25C. I'm sure I still have the old charger and probably have some of those old K2 Energy rechargeables in my battery disposal bucket, I should go check when I get home

 

[jon_slider]

I agree the D3AA form factor is out of balance, chonky and unrefined. I tolerate it because I get my choice of LEDs and I love Anduril UI. I also really like the D3AA driver design because it has NoPWM.. and the ability to use multiple fuel sources..

After my intro to flashlights, using AAA batteries, and later Eneloop, I also went through a phase where most of my lights were CR123a/16340/18350: mainly Jetbeam Rotaries, and Sunwayman Rotaries.. The Jetbeam has the best pocket clip, and most intuitive UI.

Lately Ive been shifting to AA/14500.. mostly because of the Wurkkos TS10, and now the D3AA. The TS10 has by far my favorite form factor, but the driver uses PWM.

 

[nbk327]

For as large as the head is on a D3AA the body might as well be bigger and maybe accommodate a larger battery, though at that point you'd basically have an entirely different size/type light.
I love every Eag Tac I've ever owned, main problem I have with them now is their price point. They come in at roughly double the price of other Chinese imports, and don't bring anything special to the table. And the specs of each particular light and build are super fuzzy; most of the 'manufacturer' data is from old models with older emitters and they're not forthcoming about drivers, amps, output, etc.
I left 123s for 14500s, but eventually whittled everything down to the Eag Tac D3A with Nichia 219C 4000K that I've been carrying daily for 6 or 7 years now. The Emisar D3AA is the only other 14500 light I own. So I've got half a dozen different 14500s laying around, lol. From older Orbtronic 840mAhs to their newer 1100mAh versions, plus the usual H10s and F12s and I think even an old Nitecore USB rechargeable 14500

 

[Dark_Hater]

For me size/shape is more important for carrying/edc. I want it to be like my wallet or my knife. Always have it without knowing it’s there till I need it.
Light quality/UI is more important when I have a light on hand that I can place on a table, glovebox etc.
If I’m forced to carry the D3AA without a good clip I might as well bring the Zebralight.
EDC during daylight working hours the Thrunite gets the nod.
If I know I’ll be out after darkness arrives the Eagtac goes in the pocket.

The D3AA is a great light no argument from me and I’m really glad to have it. I’m just struggling to find the best use for it in what I need a light for. As a nightstand light in order to get firefly level it has to be in ramp mode. I prefer stepped mode so it’s brighter at its lowest output than I need.
I’ll eventually find the best use for the D3AA. If not it will be a shelf queen. A very nice one.

 

[jon_slider]

I prefer stepped mode so it’s brighter at its lowest output than I need.

true, stepped mode is set to a higher floor

the floor can be changed to be lower.. the procedure may seem daunting, but might be worth learning

1. IF the light is in Simple UI: From Off, do 10H to switch to Advanced UI
2. Turn the light On in stepped ramping mode, then
3. Do 7H and release immediately at first flash, the light will start flickering
4. Clic 1 time to set floor to lowest level
5. Do nothing else, when the light finishes flickering youre done

however, that only lowers the floor for Advanced mode stepped ramping..

if instead you want to change the floor in Simple Mode do this:
1. If the light is in Simple UI: From Off, do 10H to switch to Advanced mode
2. Leave the light off
3. Do 10H and release immediately at first flash, the light will start flickering
4. Clic 1 time to set floor to lowest level
5. Do nothing else, when the light finishes flickering youre done programming
6. From off do 10C to switch back to Simple mode. Now both floors will be set to minimum.

here is a flowchart that includes those steps (see the Ramp Config menu):

 

[nbk327]

For me size/shape is more important for carrying/edc. I want it to be like my wallet or my knife. Always have it without knowing it’s there till I need it.
Light quality/UI is more important when I have a light on hand that I can place on a table, glovebox etc.
If I’m forced to carry the D3AA without a good clip I might as well bring the Zebralight.
EDC during daylight working hours the Thrunite gets the nod.
If I know I’ll be out after darkness arrives the Eagtac goes in the pocket.

The D3AA is a great light no argument from me and I’m really glad to have it. I’m just struggling to find the best use for it in what I need a light for. As a nightstand light in order to get firefly level it has to be in ramp mode. I prefer stepped mode so it’s brighter at its lowest output than I need.
I’ll eventually find the best use for the D3AA. If not it will be a shelf queen. A very nice one. View attachment 77008

I'm in the same boat, struggling to find a need/use case. My nightstand light is a D4K. You can't get firefly in stepped mode? I didn't realize that. I thought the lowest output was the same and the secondary output was the lowest floor you'd set. But I'm not SUPER familiar with Anduril, I'm mostly a rear clicky guy. And the fact that my first Anduril light was a D4S that is COMPLETELY different than my D4K and D3AA doesn't help lol

 

[jon_slider]

You can't get firefly in stepped mode?

by default Advanced smooth floor is set to level 1 of 150 which produces less than 0.01 lumens, while Advanced stepped floor is set to level 10 of 150, 0.1 lm.
In Advanced, smooth ramping and stepped ramping have Independently set floors.

Simple smooth floor and Simple stepped floor are both set to level 10 of 150 by default (and they both get set by a single programming function)

 

[nbk327]

by default Advanced smooth floor is set to level 1 of 150, while Advanced stepped floor is set to level 10 of 150
In Advanced, smooth ramping and stepped ramping have Independently set floors.

Simple smooth floor and Simple stepped floor are both set to level 10 of 150 by default (and they both get set by a single programming function)

I'll remember you if I have Anduril questions!

 

[dc38]

by default Advanced smooth floor is set to level 1 of 150, while Advanced stepped floor is set to level 10 of 150
In Advanced, smooth ramping and stepped ramping have Independently set floors.

Simple smooth floor and Simple stepped floor are both set to level 10 of 150 by default (and they both get set by a single programming function)

***NVM, Stepped and Smooth have turbos independent of each other.***


I found an issue (hole) with anduril 2 on the d3aa...maybe it has been mentioned before, but the driver I have actually has 2 channels, so when i 3c, it goes to a subchannel that bypasses the turbo off limit, and there is no way to disable channel 2 because the channel menu isn't programmed into the channel config...it goes from 1, then colors, indicating 1, 6+, skipping 2-5.

 

[jon_slider]

it goes from 1, then colors, indicating 1, 6+, skipping 2-5.

sounds normal,

since the D3AA driver is not dual channel, 2-5 are not active.. However, ch 6 and above can be set to use Aux as a channel.. however, imo it is useless to do that since there is no output adjustment possible for the AUX, and the AUX do not produce a useable beam

IF you fiddled with the Channel Mode Config menu.. and may have enabled an Aux channel.. you could revert by either disabling it.. or use Factory reset to clear out All changes you made to All the defaults

> when i 3c, it goes to a subchannel that bypasses the turbo off limit

not sure if you fiddled with the Misc Config Menu.. not sure which option is the correct default, as I dont change that menu on my D3AA.. Factory Reset will revert to defaults...

 

[dc38]

sounds normal,

since the D3AA driver is not dual channel, 2-5 are not active.. However, ch 6 and above can be set to use Aux as a channel.. however, imo it is useless to do that since there is no output adjustment possible for the AUX, and the AUX do not produce a useable beam

IF you fiddled with the Channel Mode Config menu.. and have enabled an Aux channel.. you could revert by either disabling it.. or use Factory reset to clear out All changes you made to All the defaults

***NEVER MIND, Sammy figured it out. The stepped mode is independent of the ramped mode.

Could you try to 3c while on with the d3aa and let me know what you get?

It might blink once indicating a channel switch, then 2c to go to "ceiling". It might jump to turbo so be quick on the 2c...

 

[jon_slider]

Could you try to 3c while on with the d3aa and let me know what you get?

For me 3C switches from smooth to stepped ramp

If you enabled a second channel, the 3C switches channels and you need to use 6C to switch ramping style.

Suggest, if you fiddled w Ramp Config, you should disable any channel except #1. Or do factory reset