Dances with Flashlight
Flashlight Enthusiast
PEAK's EIGER 10180 could be described as a tiny little mountain of a light.
For those unfamiliar with PEAK LED SOLUTIONS lights, let me briefly describe the construction of the lug-bodied 10180 Eiger. On the outside it is somewhat similar in appearance to the ARC AAA and has a very simple body tube with a key lug on the tail and two wide bands of tasteful knurling covering most of the length of the body. The knurling is not at all aggressive, but adequate for all except the greasiest of hands. The head has six milled flats in a stylish pattern. My Eigers are brass and quite beautiful. Workmanship is superb and the brass polishes up very nicely. Threads are silky smooth. An O-ring provides a snug fit to seal the battery compartment which holds a single battery, positive terminal facing forward. The negative contact is machined into the tail end of the case and is surrounded by a small foam washer to prevent battery rattle.
Operation is simple: twist on, twist off.
This Eiger uses the miniscule 10180 rechargeable battery which is 10mm in diameter and 18mm in length. The overall size of this Eiger variation is easy to describe - the whole thing (including a key lug) is smaller than an AA battery (14mm X 50mm).
It will actually fit entirely inside any other standard light which uses a common AA battery.
In the pocket version (available in either brass or stainless) the Eiger 10180 will fit in a teaspoon. Incidentally, the wide beam variation described below uses a shorter reflector set into a head which is shallower and therefore shorter (similar to that of the 5mm ARC AAA), further reducing its already tiny size.
A size comparison with a number of other lights also helps illustrate just how very small this Eiger 10180 really is.
The LED used is a 0100 bin Rebel available in either a natural (fairly warm) or a cool tint. Three beam profiles are offered: wide, medium or narrow. The medium uses a collimating optic while the wide and narrow versions use reflectors. All are covered with a lexan window.
The circuitry, like that of all PEAKS, is potted for protection against shock and moisture in a heat-transferring epoxy, and it is the same circuitry PEAK has used in all its Pacific and Baltic P4 lights. The positive terminal is a very solid gold-plated brass button.
Because the Eiger head can be utilized with any PEAK Matterhorn body, the casual user or twisted Flashaholic can choose from a dizzying array of available body and tube configurations. These include the 2 X AAA, AAA, 10280 and 10180 bodies, in either HAIII, Brass or Stainless, and in either keychain/momentary, lug or pocket styles. The 10180 body is produced only in lug and pocket styles. The product line-up sticky in the Peak Sub-Forum describes these Matterhorn variations in great detail. And, of course, you can order extra battery compartments in different sizes for the Eiger.
The Eiger is manufactured and can be ordered in one of eight different power levels. At Level 1, light output with a 3.7v LiIon 10180 is about equal to that of the ARC GS. Level 2 produces around 18 lumens at the same voltage. Level 8, the highest, is rated to produce about 100 lumens with a 3.7v LiIon cell.
Performance is nothing short of phenomenal!
The Level 8 light output from the Lilliputian 10180 Eiger equals that of a 3D incandescent MagLight, or that of the P1D on medium. The first time I lit it up outdoors I was stunned! I really hadn't believed it possible to get so much light out of such a small package.
But sadly, performance at such a high level comes at a price. The capacity of the 10180 LiIon cell is just too limited (only about 90mAH) to produce a very useful runtime at 100 lumens. At any of the higher power levels, the current from the cell very quickly drains it. And if drained too far, battery life suffers. But on the positive side, it isn't possible to run it long enough to generate more heat than this tiny light can handle. I've since swapped out my Level 8 Eiger over to an AAA Matterhorn body and have loaded it up with a 10440 which with about 320mAH has enough capacity to take advantage of the potential of this phenomenal little light at the higher power levels. Although the 10180 cell, at 3.7v, can really produce a WOW effect, it really isn't practical so I would not recommend Level 8 with the 10180. Even the 10280 would not likely support that power level long enough to be worthwhile for most users. The higher levels should probably be reserved for Eigers with either an AA (10440) or a 2 X AAA configuration.
My 10180 brass body now sports a Level 2 head. This is where the Eiger 10180 really shines - at the lower power levels. Here, output is still great, significantly exceeding that of the venerable and much larger ARC AAA, and runtime is dramatically improved over the Level 8, enough to be practical.
Others have previously posted beamshots of the Eiger so I'll not clutter things up here with more of the same (I'm not much of a photographer anyway). But one thing that immediately becomes clear from observation of Eiger beams - whether outdoors or against white walls - is that they are very, very clean. No ugly artifacts, no distracting rings, no unevenness, nothing at all to detract from the useable light downrange. They are, in fact, the nicest beams I've seen on any lights, period. This applies equally to the natural (warm) tint and the cool. Honestly, I'm not the best judge of tints (having even been called a fool for preferring nice blue tints on my old 5mm's), but the natural is too warm for me, though others will no doubt have their own preferences. The cool, on the other hand, could not appear more perfect to my tired, old eyes. It's totally subjective, but I can't see any tint at all in the cool.
To briefly summarize, PEAK LED SOLUTIONS new Eiger 10180 is an incredible little light. Beautifully made with many build and performance options, this is a light for every keychain or pocket. Quite simply, the 0100 bin Rebel in the Eiger has in my opinion stuck another nail in the coffin of 5mm LED's, allowing for amazing performance levels in ever smaller packages. This isn't your Father's old flashlight.
For those unfamiliar with PEAK LED SOLUTIONS lights, let me briefly describe the construction of the lug-bodied 10180 Eiger. On the outside it is somewhat similar in appearance to the ARC AAA and has a very simple body tube with a key lug on the tail and two wide bands of tasteful knurling covering most of the length of the body. The knurling is not at all aggressive, but adequate for all except the greasiest of hands. The head has six milled flats in a stylish pattern. My Eigers are brass and quite beautiful. Workmanship is superb and the brass polishes up very nicely. Threads are silky smooth. An O-ring provides a snug fit to seal the battery compartment which holds a single battery, positive terminal facing forward. The negative contact is machined into the tail end of the case and is surrounded by a small foam washer to prevent battery rattle.
Operation is simple: twist on, twist off.
This Eiger uses the miniscule 10180 rechargeable battery which is 10mm in diameter and 18mm in length. The overall size of this Eiger variation is easy to describe - the whole thing (including a key lug) is smaller than an AA battery (14mm X 50mm).
AA, Eiger 10180, 10180, AAA
It will actually fit entirely inside any other standard light which uses a common AA battery.
AA, Pacific AA, Eiger 10180, 10180
ARC AAAP, Eiger 10180
2 AAA Eiger, AAA Keychain Eiger, AAA Pocket Eiger, 10280 Eiger, 10180 Eiger, 2 AA
The LED used is a 0100 bin Rebel available in either a natural (fairly warm) or a cool tint. Three beam profiles are offered: wide, medium or narrow. The medium uses a collimating optic while the wide and narrow versions use reflectors. All are covered with a lexan window.
The circuitry, like that of all PEAKS, is potted for protection against shock and moisture in a heat-transferring epoxy, and it is the same circuitry PEAK has used in all its Pacific and Baltic P4 lights. The positive terminal is a very solid gold-plated brass button.
Because the Eiger head can be utilized with any PEAK Matterhorn body, the casual user or twisted Flashaholic can choose from a dizzying array of available body and tube configurations. These include the 2 X AAA, AAA, 10280 and 10180 bodies, in either HAIII, Brass or Stainless, and in either keychain/momentary, lug or pocket styles. The 10180 body is produced only in lug and pocket styles. The product line-up sticky in the Peak Sub-Forum describes these Matterhorn variations in great detail. And, of course, you can order extra battery compartments in different sizes for the Eiger.
The Eiger is manufactured and can be ordered in one of eight different power levels. At Level 1, light output with a 3.7v LiIon 10180 is about equal to that of the ARC GS. Level 2 produces around 18 lumens at the same voltage. Level 8, the highest, is rated to produce about 100 lumens with a 3.7v LiIon cell.
Performance is nothing short of phenomenal!
The Level 8 light output from the Lilliputian 10180 Eiger equals that of a 3D incandescent MagLight, or that of the P1D on medium. The first time I lit it up outdoors I was stunned! I really hadn't believed it possible to get so much light out of such a small package.
But sadly, performance at such a high level comes at a price. The capacity of the 10180 LiIon cell is just too limited (only about 90mAH) to produce a very useful runtime at 100 lumens. At any of the higher power levels, the current from the cell very quickly drains it. And if drained too far, battery life suffers. But on the positive side, it isn't possible to run it long enough to generate more heat than this tiny light can handle. I've since swapped out my Level 8 Eiger over to an AAA Matterhorn body and have loaded it up with a 10440 which with about 320mAH has enough capacity to take advantage of the potential of this phenomenal little light at the higher power levels. Although the 10180 cell, at 3.7v, can really produce a WOW effect, it really isn't practical so I would not recommend Level 8 with the 10180. Even the 10280 would not likely support that power level long enough to be worthwhile for most users. The higher levels should probably be reserved for Eigers with either an AA (10440) or a 2 X AAA configuration.
My 10180 brass body now sports a Level 2 head. This is where the Eiger 10180 really shines - at the lower power levels. Here, output is still great, significantly exceeding that of the venerable and much larger ARC AAA, and runtime is dramatically improved over the Level 8, enough to be practical.
Others have previously posted beamshots of the Eiger so I'll not clutter things up here with more of the same (I'm not much of a photographer anyway). But one thing that immediately becomes clear from observation of Eiger beams - whether outdoors or against white walls - is that they are very, very clean. No ugly artifacts, no distracting rings, no unevenness, nothing at all to detract from the useable light downrange. They are, in fact, the nicest beams I've seen on any lights, period. This applies equally to the natural (warm) tint and the cool. Honestly, I'm not the best judge of tints (having even been called a fool for preferring nice blue tints on my old 5mm's), but the natural is too warm for me, though others will no doubt have their own preferences. The cool, on the other hand, could not appear more perfect to my tired, old eyes. It's totally subjective, but I can't see any tint at all in the cool.
To briefly summarize, PEAK LED SOLUTIONS new Eiger 10180 is an incredible little light. Beautifully made with many build and performance options, this is a light for every keychain or pocket. Quite simply, the 0100 bin Rebel in the Eiger has in my opinion stuck another nail in the coffin of 5mm LED's, allowing for amazing performance levels in ever smaller packages. This isn't your Father's old flashlight.
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Ohhh....I get it alright!!?!! Just standing next to a Starbucks makes me feel warm andy fuzzy....no wait....that's my Eiger cooking my leg!
