Niteye EYE30

[LeviGSmith]

Hello,
First off, let me say I'm a new user to candlepowerforums, though I have browsed posts in the past. I also wouldn't consider myself a flashlight expert by any means, though I do enjoy them. I think the best light I had was the Fenix L1P which somehow is still sitting in a drawer waiting for repair.

Anyway, apparently there is a new company called Niteye who have offered to send me their new EYE30 model for review.

The light looks pretty impressive to me from what I can see. Up to 2000 lumens via 3 Cree XM-L T6's, waterproof, replaceable rechargeables(4 18650's) with battery gauge and built in option for car recharging.

Here are some pictures they sent me that I haven't yet seen on the site.

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this one. And assuming I do actually get a model to review, just what you'd like to know?

Thanks!
Levi

 

[swan]

Gday Levi, looks interesting- the battery tube and ui looks like the nitecore tm11, the top looks like a triple klarus xt20. The easy charging set up and battery indicator look good as well as the size-looking forward to more info- thanks.

 

[mohanjude]

Love the built in charging function and battery indicator. Not released for sale yet?

 

[bigchelis]

The Niteye does look like it has the Mass to cool those 3 LEDs. The 4X18650 cells is an awesome and likely allows the light to be a whole lot brighter because each cell will be drained at a much more conservative sub 3A. Less cell sag more performance.

Good info and very nice pictures. That Leica camera is making me drool.

bigC

 

[duro]

Greetings Levi. If you don't mind me asking, how did they know to contact you? Do you sell flashlights?

 

[LeviGSmith]

Re: Niteye EYE30 for sale

Love the built in charging function and battery indicator. Not released for sale yet?

I haven't seen any prices yet. From what they are telling me they're just finishing up some final testing now.

 

[LeviGSmith]

Greetings Levi. If you don't mind me asking, how did they know to contact you? Do you sell flashlights?

To be honest, I'm not really sure how or why they contacted me. I believe I've bought something from the company before...

 

[Craig K]

Interesting light it looks like the Nitecore TM11 I also like the built in charging system.

 

[Drywolf]

To be honest, I'm not really sure how or why they contacted me. I believe I've bought something from the company before...

They have just two lights and a pen on their site. This light that you a "new member" to CPF wants feedback from us and the other light which is a knock off of the Spy 007 a design stolen from Data and Cool Fall. Maybe you have a little closer relationship with them then you are stating here, maybe not. Kinda funny, just saying.



.

 

[LeviGSmith]

I agree, this strikes me as rather odd and I'm still waiting to see how it plays out. What I was referring to is that their initial e-mail starts off with:
"We are manufactuer of high end LED flashlight from Shenzhen, one friend advise us you are on the market of our products."
I've bought a number of items from China off ebay in the last couple years (though I think a decently powered/standard sized led light for my bike is the only light I can think of) and Shenzhen sounded like one of the companies... Though I just did a search on my gmail and the result I get for Shenzhen is for tracking as a package went through Shenzhen, China. So I'm not sure if Shenzhen is a company or just a city.

So... Yeah, I agree, this in all seems rather odd to me. I initially just replied with "I would be happy to review your EYE30 flashlight." I was rather surprised when the e-mails continued seemingly legit... But I'm still waiting for the tracking# they're hoping for next week and the light to actually show up...

I'll also say that my other thought was that they would have carpet-bombed people with this e-mail, but searching the forums, I could find no mention of this light... So apparently I'm either the only one crazy enough to respond or there is some other reason beyond my understanding that they have chosen me.

I'm on one hand trying not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but without a light in my hand, I'm not counting my chickens till they are hatched...

We shall see!

They have just two lights and a pen on their site. This light that you a "new member" to CPF wants feedback from us and the other light which is a knock off of the Spy 007 a design stolen from Data and Cool Fall. Maybe you have a little closer relationship with them then you are stating here, maybe not. Kinda funny, just saying.



.

 

[calipsoii]

You're pretty new here LeviGSmith, so my suggestion would be to approach this situation with caution. If you say you're not here to sell it to us, then I'll believe you.

I would be very wary dealing with this company. I think you and I can both agree that this light looks VERY similiar to the Nitecore TM11. Looking at your pictures, I see:

a) the body of a Nitecore TM11
b) the knurling of a Jetbeam RRT-0 on the control ring
c) the head of a Klarus

Add to this the fact that Niteye has just announced a light that is a blatant copy of the SPY series by Cool Fall (created and sold by well-respected forum member Data).

I would be concerned if a company that had no problem doing all of the above stuff contacted me and offered to ship me something free. Personally I would not want to get involved with them.

My 0.02 cents

 

[blackfly]

You're being offered a free flashlight to do a review? The company you have mentioned is shamefully trying to profit from someone else's original idea/hard work. Their attempt to copy the Cool Fall Spy is so obvious that they must have just crossed their fingers & hoped no one would notice. It's amusing because their website credits their own engineers with the design. I will say that, even if they actually send you this light to review, it doesn't validate them as a respectable business.

 

[monkeyboy]

If this is another sister company of Jetbeam/Nitecore/Klarus then this would explain things. It does look like a nice light with a good UI. The beam pattern should be nicer than the RRT-3 due to the individual heads and it doesn't have the needlessly complicated UI of the TM11. I don't like the built in charging port though. Not only does it affect waterproofing but it's a dangerous and ineffective way to charge li-ion cells (I'm pretty sure it won't balance charge). You can get away with it if you balance the cells by removing from the light and charge individually every few cycles, but most people are not going to bother doing that.

@LeviGSmith, I'm having trouble believing that they would send a prototype for testing on CPF to a random person with no links to the company and who also is a brand new user to CPF. I look forward to your review nevertheless.

 

[LeviGSmith]

No dispute here, I have trouble believing they'd send me a light out of the blue as well.

I've done a bit more searching on the forums for the other models mentioned here.

Based on the wording and mention of Shenzhen, as well as the spy light I'd sooner agree that it looks like a Chinese company making clones. Well, at least with the spy light. The EYE30 doesn't look identical to the TM11, but I agree, quite similar. Though the battery gauge and charging also differentiate it.

And as far as all that goes, that's pretty much politics in my mind. Not sure what I feel in terms of someone seeing something and making one themselves and selling it. I would have to say that I agree, that I wouldn't want someone saying it was their idea if I made it first and it was about 90% identical...

So, at this point, if I get a light in hand, I think the question I have is what you'd like to know with that in mind. Keep in mind, just like I said, I enjoy flashlights, but I've never been quite to the level to have been a member here, nor do I have equipment for testing. For that matter, I'm not sure what I'd expect out of a $260 light like the TM11, so I'm not sure I'd know what to look for in terms of comparison to the EYE30.

In short, if I get the light, you tell me as a more or less novice what you'd like to know and I'll do my best to answer it.

 

[Mr. Shawn]

I also received the same email on 12/13 to review the light, but I am not interested.

 

[duro]

Interesting. Their website is down. Scams and flams....

 

[owner]

The website is up again and it seems that all references to the imitation have been removed. Does it mean that they completely abandon it?

 

[mohanjude]

Oh no.... I was looking forward to this ...

 

[LeviGSmith]

Just got a reply from Niteye. They are definitely reading this thread. And the fact that they're replying to me about it, definitely gives me a warmer feeling that they actually care.

This is difficult to do exactly... But I think the best option is for me to paste the bulk of their e-mail and I'll adjust it to make it easier to read.

<<

We are a reputable LED flashlight manufacturer in Shenzhen. We can make perfect flashlights and are willing to make the products most wanted by customers.
​

The EYE30 is our innovative high end car charged LED flashlight. The power indicator, charging system and handle are our unique design. It doesn't have copyright issue with Nitecore TM11. The craftsmanship of this flashlight is also of the top level in this field.

The Unfinished Zip20 is one of our flashlights for evaluation, aiming to improve from similar products so as to make it more perfect and welcomed by more flashlight fans. Of course we won't release products which have copyright issue with others. Be sure we have the ability to make the best flashlights based on good ideas from our partners and customers.

As for some of the unfriendly words from CPF, we understand as we are a new brand. We believe more customers will like our high quality products and support us.
>>

 

[CarpentryHero]

Politics aside, this light interests me. Questions I have for when you review it are:

How disassemble-able is this light?
Runtimes on turbo and the lowest mode?
What are the accessories?
Beam shots compared to your other lights?
Do the batteries rattle?
Whats the led tint like?
Will warm tint XML be available?
How warm does it feel to the touch after 5 minutes?