Nitecore Explorer Series (EC1, EC2, EA1, EA2)

[Phil Ament]

Hey there JD

Look I am not really sure if you will even get to read this particular post before you were to commence testing tonight, but I had been thinking that wouldn't it be far better to test it during the day when you would still be awake to see it finally give up the ghost, as opposed to possibly waking up in the morning and finding out that it is already off and then wondering when the hell did that happen. I am not certain if you had actually planned on staying up all night to monitor it or not, but it was just a thought that I had anyway and you are more than welcome to totally disregard it if it sounds really stupid for any particular reason that I hadn't really thought of!




P.S. Only 3 more posts till I achieve flashaholicalismness!

P.P.S. I know that it doesn't appear to display my post count anyway. I just knew that I shouldn't have paid for a subscription!

 

[jeremyuy]

The Red LED draw on my EC1 is 60ma. This is on a RCR123 battery. I am going to do a led test tonight and see how long it lasts. I am not sure how the AA and CR123 versions relate as far as regulation of the red led, but this thread could get very interesting.
I have only used my red led for about 20 minutes straight and i have had no heat issues.

JD

Would love to see your results. At 60ma, I believe you will run out of juice in twelve hours or so at that rate. This would be similar to my experience with the AA EA1.
Let us know how it goes!

 

[Bigmac_79]

This has got me curious. I'm trying to find my measurements for the solid red LED mode on the ECA2. I remember the blinking and off modes were just a few micro amps.

 

[JudasD]

I tried a red led runtime test last night on an EC1 with a AW RCR123 battery. My current draw was measured at 60ma. The led stayed lit for 6 hours and then it shut off. My light was room temperature after this 6 hours. I removed the battery and it measured 3.45v. At this voltage i was still able to use the light. I'm not quite sure why things had shutoff. Tonight i will try it again. This time when it shuts off, i will turn the red led back on again and continue my timer.

JD

 

[moshow9]

I received my replacement EC1 today. The issues that were present on the faulty light are not present on the new one.

 

[Jaiofspam]

just got an ec1 in today... haha this thing is tiny! not sure if i should invest in the ec2 as i already have a zebralight s60w (just seems redundant). havnt experienced any bugs yet. will update after a few days of use

 

[marinesoup]

Now if there was only an even "good" 16340" to use in
it. Tried xtar and fandyfire and cr123
Ordered Trustfire flame and Solarforce.
Hard to even try to compare runtimes of 18650 and 16340 comparatively.

I love the ec1 torch though

P.S. Someone plz. develop a half decent 16340 with good run times

 

[fyrstormer]

AW makes the best 16340 batteries.

 

[biglights]

AW makes the best 16340 batteries.

Thats what I have been using in mine.

 

[fyrstormer]

I hope someone can eventually confirm whether the bezel ring is removable without damaging the light. Hopefully it's not press-fit.

 

[bobjane]

There's a post somewhere where the owner has disassembled his explorer. There weren't any details on whether it came apart at the bezel or battery end though.

 

[noctralucent]

My thoughts on the new Nitecore Explorer lights. I bought the EA1 and EA2 and have been using them everyday for more than a week. There are many Great things to point out and very few complants. First the positive perfact fit and finish, nice threads, high vis o ring, nice tint and i am very picky, beam battern is very smooth i wuld have prefered a op reflector however the spill is bright and the throw is excellent for a pocket light. Ths UI is super fun I have alwas prefered side switch lights and this does it right instant turbo from any level and the constant on red led is useful. Very near a hall of fame light for me. Negitives the buttons with gloves could take some getting used to and the clip is a total disaster
could it hook on to your pocket? yes but with no retention the metal it is made from is so soft its twangy and reminds me of a mouth harp. It is made so bad I can slip multiple sheets of printer paper in the slot you would put the fabric of your pocket and the paper could slide freely through without touching either side of the clip so no clip retention at all. The clip seems like i could break it by bending with just tip of the finger pressure. So I thought I would try to remove it on the EA2 the phillips head screws are very accessable the problem is that they would not budge and even after buying a new set of presission screw drivers they both striped . no reply from Nitecore yet. However because of the nice tine and fun UI I still seem to love the light . I just want a real clip and a OP reflector .
Just my 2 Cents

 

[marinesoup]

My thoughts on the new Nitecore Explorer lights. I bought the EA1 and EA2 and have been using them everyday for more than a week. There are many Great things to point out and very few complants. First the positive perfact fit and finish, nice threads, high vis o ring, nice tint and i am very picky, beam battern is very smooth i wuld have prefered a op reflector however the spill is bright and the throw is excellent for a pocket light. Ths UI is super fun I have alwas prefered side switch lights and this does it right instant turbo from any level and the constant on red led is useful. Very near a hall of fame light for me. Negitives the buttons with gloves could take some getting used to and the clip is a total disaster
could it hook on to your pocket? yes but with no retention the metal it is made from is so soft its twangy and reminds me of a mouth harp. It is made so bad I can slip multiple sheets of printer paper in the slot you would put the fabric of your pocket and the paper could slide freely through without touching either side of the clip so no clip retention at all. The clip seems like i could break it by bending with just tip of the finger pressure. So I thought I would try to remove it on the EA2 the phillips head screws are very accessable the problem is that they would not budge and even after buying a new set of presission screw drivers they both striped . no reply from Nitecore yet. However because of the nice tine and fun UI I still seem to love the light . I just want a real clip and a OP reflector .
Just my 2 Cents

I agree with most but the threads.
It felt like I had lubed the threads and then dropped it in the sand.
That's rough!

 

[jhc37013]

I got the EA2 yesterday from LightJunction and I'm pleased with it, to be honest the first time I held it I thought it felt kind of cheap but that is mostly due to it's small diameter and length, it had some to do with the type of knurling used which is not aggressive to say the least and a little slick but that's ok because the way my hand wraps around the light and clip I don't really need much knurling.

I don't normally comment on the reflector but this one is nice, very clean and shiny. I tested the red light for an hour and the light was still cool to the touch so I don't have a heat issue with this sample.

I asked LightJunction if they could check that the emitter was well centered before sending it out and Jeff took care of that for me so no issues their either. I like everything about it so far and if you think the EA2 might be something your after then go for it.

I do wish it had shortcuts to Hi and low instead of strobe and SOS, it could have been hold the On button for more then 1 second for low and hold the mode button for more than 1 second for high. Oh well it's nice to have something that's not a twist to turbo or loose for general, I tend to like that old school UI with a reverse clicky but it's always more of the same and nice to have something different.

 

[bobjane]

Looks like we lost a few replies.

Using an AW RCR123 in my EC1, the current draw in standby (red blinky) mode fluctuates between 0.2 to 4 milliamps.
I started with the RCR123 charged to 4.18V and left it in standby mode for 24 hours, after this the battery measured at 4.15V.

Only real complaint I have about this light is that the threads are terrible. There are jagged edges and patches of anodizing chipped off on both the body and tailcap. The jagged parts will likely eventually wear through the anodizing until lock out is eventually compromised

 

[fyrstormer]

There's a post somewhere where the owner has disassembled his explorer. There weren't any details on whether it came apart at the bezel or battery end though.

Link? Username? Something specific I can search for?

 

[fyrstormer]

Looks like we lost a few replies.

Using an AW RCR123 in my EC1, the current draw in standby (red blinky) mode fluctuates between 0.2 to 4 milliamps.
I started with the RCR123 charged to 4.18V and left it in standby mode for 24 hours, after this the battery measured at 4.15V.

Only real complaint I have about this light is that the threads are terrible. There are jagged edges and patches of anodizing chipped off on both the body and tailcap. The jagged parts will likely eventually wear through the anodizing until lock out is eventually compromised

Looking at the tailcap design, it looks like the outer shell of the tailcap doesn't conduct electricity at all -- the electricity flows through a circuit board inside the tailcap, and when the tailcap is loosened, the circuit board is pulled away from the end of the battery tube and breaks the circuit. I don't think it matters at all whether the threads are anodized.

I'd really like to see a Ti EC1, with a textured reflector and a silver-colored sticker on top of the switches. That would be super-cool.

 

[bobjane]

I looked through both this thread and selfbuilt's review thread, couldn't find it.

Also replied here stating such but it disappeared. Maybe the post I saw was lost too :shrug:.

Edit: yes I believe you're right about the tailcap. The roughness still annoys me though.

And a moonlight mode would be on my wish list.

 

[fyrstormer]

The roughness might be improved by rubbing the threads with a Scotch-Brite pad, and then washing off the loose debris with automotive airflow sensor cleaner. I prefer wheel-bearing grease for anodized aluminum threads, in case you have any of that available.

 

[bobjane]

I used a flat blade jewelers' screwdriver like a mini chisel to go over the rough spots. This has taken most of them out except at the start of the threads where it's so thin you need to careful not to demolish them altogether.