Help - E01 is too bright

[spaceconvoy]

Yes, making the light dimmer is the most obvious solution, but that's just a waste. I was hoping to find something with half the E01's brightness and twice the runtime. Looks like the Mako would be perfect if it were available, 1/3rd of the price and made of aluminum :(

Also, I was poking around the EDC forums and saw a suggestion about using a chapstick top to fit over the E01... why didn't I think of that. I'm going to try that since it seems like the sturdiest solution, at least until someone mass produces the Mako. Thanks guys.

 

[Moonshadow]

+1 on the Scotch tape suggestion - that's your quickest and easiest option.

Did that to mine because I couldn't stand the horrid purple splotch, and I now have a beautiful white flood - no good for any distance but great for close-up work, finding keys etc. (mine's actually on fusebox duty).

I wouldn't describe it as a 'waste' as such: mostly what you're doing is spreading the light over a wider area rather than blocking any of it off. Plus it's free - gotta be worth a try !

 

[kramer5150]

You can use some ~400 grit sand paper and frost the LED dome, it floods out the beam and eliminates the center hot spot. It also blends the blue hot spot with the yellow flood for an overall whiter tint. I did this with my inova X1 and like it a lot more now. Although the inova at ~10L is way to bright for fully night adapted vision.

The fenix E0 dart is a good suggestion but many times I find it still too bright. I think its around 5-6 lumens.

This lighthound keychain light is dimmer than the E0, I think its around 3 Lumens
http://www.lighthound.com/Lighthound-Keychain-Flashlight-Black-Body-White-LED_p_967.html

The photon freedom can be adjusted for a really low output.

 

[Marduke]

I think the 11 hours regulated is Fenix's number. In tests IIRC it was more like 8 - 9 hours regulated on Alkalines, but still very impressive. The size, runtime, build quality and brightness of the E01 are more than enough to justify buying 1 (or 3). :)

It depends on your cell choice. On L92's, you get over 15 hours of regulation. Some people have tested it and found total runtime to be over 40 hours.

 

[Zatoichi]

It depends on your cell choice. On L92's, you get over 15 hours of regulation. Some people have tested it and found total runtime to be over 40 hours.

Wow, I missed that part. I guess it's worth buying a pack of AAA lithiums then!

 

[Lynx_Arc]

first thing... unless the E01 has a larger head than the E0 then the chapstick cap will fall off. As for the scotch tape isn't the LED bare with no lens? how about trying something like fingernail polish or whiteout on the LED itself.
I think the biggest issue to be resolved is... HOW dim do you really want it? most single 5mm LED keychain lights that are white are only so dim period. If you are wanting it dimmer than the weakest you will have to compromise.

 

[ryts100]

You could try buying a diffuser?

 

[Ice]

Also you could try using a little sand paper on the led to get a rough, frosted surface. That way the light should be a little dimmer, considerably more floody and with a better beam tint as well.
Of course I won't take any responsibility if you damage your light!!! :grin2:

Edit: Doh, looks like kramer5150 allready suggested that. Sorry!!!

 

[Jarl]

first thing... unless the E01 has a larger head than the E0 then the chapstick cap will fall off.

E01 is bigger than the E0. Not sure by how much, but there's definitely a difference.

 

[regulator]

For a really low light I like using the Photon ReX. It is great for middle of the night navigation on the lowest setting and even lower than my LF2X. It can start up ramping from low to high or high to low. It is great for when overnight in a hotel and doesn't ruin night vision. Its easy to find on a nightstand by the glowing button.

If you intend to use it for lower output setting, it can run suprisingly long on a recharge. At below EO1 settings, it could probably run for 4-6 hours or more.

 

[burntoshine]

i love my nitecore ex10. it has the best user interface for everyday carry in my opinion. super easy to use. you can set it for 3 lumens simply by pressing the button twice quickly. and it stays at that level forever (even after changing the battery), until you change it yourself. perfect EDC. i carry mine in a fenix L1D/P1D holster on my belt; perfect fit. i don't know if that's too big for you to carry or not. maybe you should just carry the maglite solitaire if that was working for you. that was my first every day carry light before i found LED lights. i hate that thing now.

 

[Black Rose]

Gerber Infinity Ultra M

If it's like the regular GIU, the E01 and the GIU actually have about the same level of brightness.

The GIU has more spill so it may not seem as bright.

When going to bed at night, I place my finger over the end of the E01 or GIU and let a bit of light out just so I have just enough light to see where I am going.

 

[Backpacker Light]

first thing... unless the E01 has a larger head than the E0 then the chapstick cap will fall off.

Just tried a chapstick cap on my E01, and it fits. It makes it's it slightly harder to turn on and off, but not too bad.

Using the cap along with Armed Forces idea of using the moon mode will be your cheapest option.

 

[WadeF]

I was pretty amazed with the E01's run time on a single AAA akaline battery. Sun mode seems to vary from E01 to E01, and battery to battery. I think it was NASCAR who tested a bunch of them and on akalines I think he was getting run times between 8 and 13 hours? Some GS LED's maybe slightly more efficient than others, and some batteries may have more or less juice than others. In a low drain light like the E01, that could turn into hours of difference.

Mine kept putting out light for some 40 hours. The funny thing is, say after 30 hours, if I turned it off for a few hours and turned it back on, it would be fairly bright again before dimming back down.

So even if you use mostly dead batteries, it may start up initially bright (not necessarily full sun mode brightness) before dimming down, which could defeat the purpose.

Photon Rex seems to have the lowest low out of my lights.

 

[mbw_151]

Find yourself an old CMG Infinity, the origional model not the Ultra. These output about 1 lumen. It's a AA light and it seems to run forever. I use mine a "don't wake up the wife light". Another option in a different form factor is a Photon Freedom. These ramp up from off to really low levels.

 

[Blue72]

I made this red lens cover for under a $1 from parts at home depot. you can substitute the red with a piece of white plastic if you want dim white light.

Here is the link how I made it.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=197768&highlight=lens

 

[rockz4532]

How easy would it be to turn the head of an E01 with that on?

 

[Woods Walker]

If you turn the twisty almost to the point of being off it drops to a very low level and stays that way but a good shake etc can upset it.

 

[Blue72]

How easy would it be to turn the head of an E01 with that on?

very

 

[hoongern]

For reading star charts while stargazing, what I did was the chapstick diffuser trick, but in addition took some thin paper, colored it red, and lined the inside of the chapstick with it. Voila - red diffuser! For a more permanent solution, I'm probably going to find some red paint and paint the inside.

Come to think of it, I should get a couple E01s and paint different colors on the diffusors and get lots of colored lights!! =D