Lumens factory EO-9

[Inova his head]

Hi all,

I was talking about this in my previous thread but figured it was sufficiently off the title subject that it may not get seen so I thought I'd ask here too. I'm looking at a lumens factory EO-9 for my new Surefire C3 Centurion. I see the impressive lumens rating but wondered if this actually translated to a significantly brighter hot-spot than the P91 I have in it at the moment.
Also, I'd be interested if anyone can tell me how long the batteries should last with it in, and any other feedback on it for that matter.

Many thanks,
Tom

 

[DM51]

As a generalisation, Lumens Factory LAs are excellent for throw, and their Surefire equivalents have good throw but more flood.

You can use 3 x CR123A or 2 x 17500 Li-Ions in your C3. 17500s will not perform well or have a long cycle life if driven at more than 2A. The EO-9 draws 2A, so is about the limit for 17500s.

The P91 draws ~2.5A, which is too much for these cells - the beam will quickly go yellow and you won't get more than maybe 20-25 mins run-time.

I would therefore recommend the EO-9, or the slightly less powerful HO-9 if you want more runtime.

There is a great deal of information about matters such as this in Mdocod's guide, which I would recommend as essential reading if you have not already seen it.

 

[cernobila]

Did some beamshots just a few days ago which included some of the lamps mentioned here, have a look and decide;

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=173535

 

[mdocod]

comparing the P91 and the EO-9 is tough, because depending on how they are driven, many various things can happen. On CR123s or 17500s I would suggest the EO-9 because it makes much better use of available power and is safer for the li-ions. If you have a large body (2x18650) the P91 will overpower the EO-9 in overall output, but the EO-9 will tend to out-throw the P91. If you were to compare the P91 on CR123s to a EO-9 on 17500s, the EO-9 would very likely match or beat it in total output..

If you slap an extender on your C3, and run a pair of 17670s, then you can safely run either lamp, I would suggest buying both and going with the one that you like best. (CPF motto, buy BOTH!)

Another things worth mentioning, is that as you increase in power level but keep the reflector the same size, you tend to loose throw, in my experience, the HO-9 throws as well as the EO-9, because the HO-9 probably has a slightly smaller filament, so the hotspot is a bit more concentrated. The P91, at ~2.7A on li-ion, is a total flood monster, often described as the wall of light.

 

[Bryan]

I use a 9P with Wolf Eyes 150B cells and switch off between the EO-9 and the P91 lamps. I really like the EO-9 for its perfectly round beam and throw, but some days I feel like having the excellent flood that the P91 provides. Runtime is better with the EO-9 although I feel the WE cells provide excellent runtime with the P91 as well. I am going to bore my 9P to accept Wolf Eyes 150A cells for a little more runtime and possibly slightly better output. I like the length of the 9P so adding the extender is not an option for me.

I think the EO-9 would be better if you plan on using CR123a's and the P91 would be better suited for rechargeables. The P91 really eats through primaries. I highly recommend the Wolf Eyes 150B cells if you want to keep the length of your C3 and not have to bore it out. They light up both lamps with a single click even when they are close to needing a charge (they are protected too!). I haven't really done runtime comparisons but maybe I'll have to give it a try.

 

[Inova his head]

Well, I must admit some of that went rather over my head. I was planning on just using Surefire lithium cells. Does this mean it would be unsafe to use a lumens factory bulb (or the P91 for that matter)?

Presuming I can use them, having looked at the Lumens Factory info page I don't think battery life will be an issue, which basically means I'm down to one thing. I'm after the brightest possible hot-spot possible. Cernobila's screenshots were very useful but I can't really tell about hot-spots from them, especially because I don't know what effect the different batteries would have I'm also intrigued by mdocod's point on the HO-9. Anyone compared the two?

Thanks again,
Tom

 

[Outdoors Fanatic]

Well, I must admit some of that went rather over my head. I was planning on just using Surefire lithium cells. Does this mean it would be unsafe to use a lumens factory bulb (or the P91 for that matter)?

Presuming I can use them, having looked at the Lumens Factory info page I don't think battery life will be an issue, which basically means I'm down to one thing. I'm after the brightest possible hot-spot possible. Cernobila's screenshots were very useful but I can't really tell about hot-spots from them, especially because I don't know what effect the different batteries would have I'm also intrigued by mdocod's point on the HO-9. Anyone compared the two?

Thanks again,
Tom

Stop being cheap and buy everything you can! LOL

 

[FlashKat]

Definitely get the Lumens Factory EO-9 and 17500 batteries. The EO-9 is brighter than the HO-9 all around. Surefire P-91 looks impressive in the comparison shot by Cernobila.

Well, I must admit some of that went rather over my head. I was planning on just using Surefire lithium cells. Does this mean it would be unsafe to use a lumens factory bulb (or the P91 for that matter)?

Presuming I can use them, having looked at the Lumens Factory info page I don't think battery life will be an issue, which basically means I'm down to one thing. I'm after the brightest possible hot-spot possible. Cernobila's screenshots were very useful but I can't really tell about hot-spots from them, especially because I don't know what effect the different batteries would have I'm also intrigued by mdocod's point on the HO-9. Anyone compared the two?

Thanks again,
Tom

 

[Bryan]

Well, I must admit some of that went rather over my head. I was planning on just using Surefire lithium cells. Does this mean it would be unsafe to use a lumens factory bulb (or the P91 for that matter)?

Presuming I can use them, having looked at the Lumens Factory info page I don't think battery life will be an issue, which basically means I'm down to one thing. I'm after the brightest possible hot-spot possible. Cernobila's screenshots were very useful but I can't really tell about hot-spots from them, especially because I don't know what effect the different batteries would have I'm also intrigued by mdocod's point on the HO-9. Anyone compared the two?

Thanks again,
Tom

We all started the same way, using primaries (non rechargeable CR123A'a) so by all means go ahead and buy the EO-9 and/or P91! It just gets old real quick when runtime isn't great multiplied by the fact that you want to use it ALL THE TIME because it is so bright

Plus, it's not just one cell, it's three, so that can get costly. I have nothing against Surefire cells, other than I feel that they are greatly overpriced. You might want to look into experimenting with other cells, such as BatteryStation's version (which only cost $1 per cell!). I was going through a new set of cells almost every other day so it just got too costly to keep primaries around. I always keep a good supply on hand for emergencies, but other than that, their shelf life will be put to the test :laughing:

 

[Inova his head]

EO-9 on the way. Thanks all!

Tom

 

[santza]

My EO-9 is not that throwy at all.. I'm very disappointed by the floody beam. My cheapo 1.25amp measured dx offers better throw in less power. What should I do? Ask for replacement? This certainly does not meet product description in lumens factory site.

 

[DM51]

What cells are you using, santza? It needs 2x 18500, 17670 or 18650. It will under-perform with smaller-capacity cells.

Another possibility (bearing in mind your location) is that you could try scraping all the snow off the lens, lol.

 

[santza]

What cells are you using, santza? It needs 2x 18500, 17670 or 18650. It will under-perform with smaller-capacity cells.

Another possibility (bearing in mind your location) is that you could try scraping all the snow off the lens, lol.

LOL middle of summer here

2X18500 in Leef body, all contact points checked so that should be ok. The bulb looks like it's frosted in a quite bad way, is it supposed to be?



It arrived looking like this:thinking:

 

[mdocod]

that looks kind of strange, I'd contact Mark@LF and see what he thinks, maybe they can help you out.

 

[cernobila]

This may not have anything to do with your problem but one thing I know from using my EO-9 in a Leefbody is that you need to use the Surefire large spring with the lamp just as if you are using a SF lamp. Without the spring the lamp did not work in my Leef light.....then again, you may already know this ....btw, I cant remember what my EO-9 looks like, don't have it with me.

 

[Glen C]

Santza, that is standard to have a frosted tip on an EO9, below is a photo I have just taken which shows the frosting on one. More information may be helpful, as asked what batteries are you running and do you have any beamshots with comparisons?

 

[mdocod]

maybe it's just the picture messing with my eyes, it appears almost, carbon clouded or something, like dark, but then looking at your photo there Glen, it doesn't look much different, my EO-9 is lightly frosted, but doesn't have the "darkened" appearance that the pictures are portraying, I think it's just the effect of the camera and the picture then, and not what it looks like to the naked eye.

 

[Swagg]

yeah my EO9 is frosted and I'm using a leef 2x18500 with aw 18500 cells and it is freaking bright! Its not really usable indoors...something must be wrong, maybe in the tailcap switch?

 

[Glen C]

Mdocod, I think you are right, the biggest problem I find taking photos of globes and reflectors is you tend to get a fair reflection of what is outside the pic, so if you take the photo with a white wall you get that, take it with a busy dark background and that is reflected.

 

[santza]

Santza, that is standard to have a frosted tip on an EO9, below is a photo I have just taken which shows the frosting on one. More information may be helpful, as asked what batteries are you running and do you have any beamshots with comparisons?

It looks just like yours, so that suggests it would be ok. Probably i just have to wait when it gets dark, that should happen here in the end of August i think :shakehead

Batteries and contacts should be ok, I have 2X AW 18500 in a Leef 2X18500 And Leef Mclicky. I checked all the contact points with multimeter and there was not too much resistance.

I will post outdoor beamshots then, there is no idea to photograph any kind of outdoor beamshots when theres no darkness.

Maybe i'll try some indoor photos tonight so that you can see some hint of the beam profiles.