Wattnot
Enlightened
Wolf Eyes has done it again! Introducing the Explorer. It's the evolution of the P7 Sniper so think of it as the MC-E Sniper. It is very similar to the P7 Sniper I reviewed last year in many ways except it's leaner, meaner, smaller and a little brighter. (P7-Sniper review)
Manufacturer's features and specifications (from WE's site):
- Features a Cree MC-E LED Emitter
- Up to 580 lumens of brightness when powered by 1 x LRB168A battery
- 2 modes function:
Default mode: Maximum brightness (100%) -> 30% brightness ->lowest brightness (2%)
Concealed mode: Strobe -> SOS-> Beacon signal
- MC-Explorer bezel is compatible with wolf-eyes sniper and defender, explorer series flashlight
- Aerospace-grade Aluminum body, HA III Military grade hard anodized in black
- Lanyard attached and candle function, it can stand up on a flat surface as a candle
- Waterproof: IPX-8 standard
Runtime: full brightness stage:1 hour with regulated output ; 2 hours with unregulated output.
Reflector: High temperature processed, layers of alloy coating films.
Finish: Low temperature (-20C) hard - anodized (HA) finish treatment.
Lamp: Cree MC-E LED Lamp Assembly 3.7-6.0V
Switch: Rapid switch between Morse-on and lock-on with over 50,000 times life cycle.
O-ring sealed: Splash proof.
Beam: flood beam with good combination of throw
Weight without battery: 167g
Length: 150mm
Body diameter: 25.4mm
Head diameter: 42mm
Operation Temperature: -25C to 60C
Color: Tactical black
Package: gift box
Initial Impressions:
Wolf Eyes provides the some of the nicest boxes I've seen yet but hey, the important stuff is on the inside so I won't dwell on that. The light has the typical Wolf Eyes nice, solid feel. The size is awesome. Not quite a summer EDC but I can see myself sticking this in my coat pocket in the winter. The lanyard is HUGE! It seems to be designed for around the neck carry and I kind of liked it for that. It will get in the way for any other type of carry but it comes with a quick detach clip. WE should have included a normal sized wrist lanyard as well, just to make things complete. The build quality and finish exude the high grade quality and craftsmanship any Wolf Eyes owner is used to. If you're NOT familiar with Wolf Eyes by now, they are virtually on par with Surefire.
The Explorer is HAIII hard anodized and has a forward clicky with an identical UI to the Sniper. My sample did not contain any extra O-rings or clicky covers or anything else. Just the light and the jump rope . . uh, I mean lanyard. Finish wise, the only difference I noticed when comparing this to the P7 Sniper was the lack of sheen on the Explorer. It's more of a matte finish. I was surprised by the small form factor of last year's P7 Sniper and this light bested it. The smaller head puts it more in proportion with itself. Unlike the P7 Sniper, the Explorer's head seems just as thick and solid as the main body and the balance is excellent. It tail-stands even with the 17" lanyard attached. It appears rugged enough for "defender" duty but the scalloped head is not aggressive in look or feel. The output is of course nothing short of WOW !!
UI:
None of the functions of this light are programmable. I don't find that to be a negative because they made some good choices for you. The three preset intensities are very diverse and I feel most people will be pleased. The SOS, strobe and beacon are contained in the "hidden" menu and I'll get to those below. This light has a forward clicky with a great feel and is well suited for tactical use however, rapid signaling will cause it to change intensities followed by entering the hidden mode. If you grab the light and turn it on, it comes on HIGH. You get all 580 paint peeling lumens. If you want it to come on medium or low, you have to half press (or full press fast enough, if you're into that) until it arrives at your mode, then fully click to lock it on with the chosen intensity. If you subsequently want to change the mode while it's on you would need to turn it off then either half press or just turn it on and off repeatedly within two seconds. Wolf Eyes has come up with an excellent system to please both the SOS/STROBE lovers AND haters alike! It would be extremely difficult to accidentally end up with the strobe, sos or beacon (this light has all 3). To enter the "hidden" menu, as they call it for strobe/sos/beacon, you have to press/cycle 7 times. For example if you want strobe from the light being off you would half press through TWO cycles of HI-MED-LO then the seventh press would give you strobe. Once you do this you are now locked into the hidden menu and it will cycle STROBE-SOS-BEACON instead of HI-MED-LOW. At this point the ONLY way back to the other world is to shut it off for 2 seconds.
Top: P7 Sniper - Bottom: Explorer
Logistics:
The instructions explain all of the features and functions well enough but they didn't specifically mention you could use CR123s. It does list a working voltage of 3.7v to 6v but I would suggest listing the exact battery types for those non-flashaholics out there. There is no clip. This is too bad because now with the smaller head, I can see myself carrying this bezel down with a sturdy clip. Of course you can wear this around your neck and I got used to that pretty quick but neck carry isn't suitable for all situations.. The Explorer can easily tailstand with decent stability. The IPX8 rated Explorer has single O-rings all around, the threads are VERY smooth and came well greased (almost TOO well!). The reflector is deep, highly polished and has a light OP finish. The LED seems well centered. There is only about an inch worth of knurling and it's mostly for looks as it's fairly smooth. However, with all of the fins and ridges the light won't try to leave your hand on it's own. All of my 18650 brands fit and I was surprised to find NO RATTLE at all with CR123's.
Explorer left - P7 Sniper right
Current draw:
2.0 amps on a fresh 18650 and 2.1 amps on fresh CR123s.
In the hands of "babes:"
This is the part of the review where I take the light over to my neighbor Joe and get his "I don't care about flashlights the way you care about flashlights" opinion. He is a highly skilled mechanic and has an impressive array of tools but to him a flashlight is a good old stock Mag. I've been slowing converting him but there's no "passion" as with our group so this makes him the perfect subject. I handed him the light and the first thing he said was he liked the small size and solid feel. He said it exuded quality (okay, he doesn't really talk like that . . I'm paraphrasing). I had to help him find the concealed mode but he managed to find the 3 levels on his own. He preferred the reverse clicky of the Pilot Whale I just reviewed over the forward clicky of the Explorer. In fact he said it seemed like too much pressure was required to lock it on. He also didn't like the sometimes confusion choosing a level with half presses, then locking it in. He had to go "around twice" a couple of times but felt he could get used to it quickly if he owned it.
The beam and white walling:
The beam is great. Nice white tint with a barely perceptible quad core donut hole in the center. I had to keep moving the light to see it or else my ceiling seemed to make it disappear. There were no rings as it went right from large hotspot to spill. Nice job Wolf Eyes. White wall hunters will be pleased for sure and good luck finding that miniscule donut hole out in the wild.
Explorer
Left: Explorer - Right: P7 Sniper
PWM:
Using my highly scientific method of pointing the light into a fan, I detected PWM in use on medium and low.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>*<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Now we'll move on to what you've all been waiting for . . . the BEAMSHOTS! First a little disclaimer for all of the pictures in this thread: The day/night I took these was the same day I had to pack up and ship my camera. I sold it to a member here in the Marketplace section so the shots were a little hurried. I have a new one on the way and I might take these over as I have new everything coming, lenses and all. Sorry these aren't perfect. On all shots with more than one light on the house, the Explorer is on the LEFT and all shots are on that light's highest output setting.
Explorer at 50'
P7 Sniper 50'
Explorer/Sniper 50'
Explorer/Fenix TK40 50'
Explorer 100'
P7 Sniper 100'
Explorer/Sniper 100'
Explorer/TK40 100'
Explorer 150'
P7 Sniper 150'
Explorer/Sniper 150'
Explorer/TK40 150'
Shots beyond this distance were pretty much a "flood-fest."
Conclusions:
This light has it all. It's SMALL and runs on a single 18650 or 2 CR123s. It gives the TK40 just a little run for it's money while nearly being able to fit inside that lights BATTERY TUBE! I don't know if I should classify it as a thrower or a flooder because it's kind of a hybrid of the two. The P7 Sniper is more of a flooder and the Explorer is more of a thrower but both lights do both. They follow the characteristics of the emitter. The Explorer's hotspot is huge and the spill is usable and the throw is great out to 150 feet and then some.
This is yet another very impressive offering from Wolf Eyes. I like the P7 Sniper's size but now that the head has been shrunk to a nice proportion, I can say I LOVE the Explorer's size. If you're the type who doesn't mind a slightly larger EDC, you should put the Wolf Eyes Explorer at the top of your list. What a (coat) pocket rocket this thing is with 580 "free" lumens from a single 18650 for more than an hour! I wish it had a clip but that and the lack of a small lanyard are going to be the only negative things that I found. The curiously large lanyard is very well made but a brisk walk will start it swinging. I found that on high, there is enough reflection, even off of dark carpet, that I can let it hang from my neck and do whatever I had to do in the dark room. The output is truly incredible for it's size.
So I say BUY IT! But then I aways say that. Here are my ratings: Overall I give it a 9. The output is a 10 (11 if you're a Spinal Tap fan because this one does go to 11). The fit and finish gets a 9.5. The UI gets an 8 (forward clicky with modes can be tricky). It has all of the loved (and hated) "bells and whistles" so for features I'll give it a 9. Perceived durability gets a 9.
There are many fine retailers for this light but I recommend www.PTS-Flashlights.com for great prices and great service. CPF members who set up an account receive special pricing on everything they sell.
Manufacturer's features and specifications (from WE's site):
- Features a Cree MC-E LED Emitter
- Up to 580 lumens of brightness when powered by 1 x LRB168A battery
- 2 modes function:
Default mode: Maximum brightness (100%) -> 30% brightness ->lowest brightness (2%)
Concealed mode: Strobe -> SOS-> Beacon signal
- MC-Explorer bezel is compatible with wolf-eyes sniper and defender, explorer series flashlight
- Aerospace-grade Aluminum body, HA III Military grade hard anodized in black
- Lanyard attached and candle function, it can stand up on a flat surface as a candle
- Waterproof: IPX-8 standard
Runtime: full brightness stage:1 hour with regulated output ; 2 hours with unregulated output.
Reflector: High temperature processed, layers of alloy coating films.
Finish: Low temperature (-20C) hard - anodized (HA) finish treatment.
Lamp: Cree MC-E LED Lamp Assembly 3.7-6.0V
Switch: Rapid switch between Morse-on and lock-on with over 50,000 times life cycle.
O-ring sealed: Splash proof.
Beam: flood beam with good combination of throw
Weight without battery: 167g
Length: 150mm
Body diameter: 25.4mm
Head diameter: 42mm
Operation Temperature: -25C to 60C
Color: Tactical black
Package: gift box
Initial Impressions:
Wolf Eyes provides the some of the nicest boxes I've seen yet but hey, the important stuff is on the inside so I won't dwell on that. The light has the typical Wolf Eyes nice, solid feel. The size is awesome. Not quite a summer EDC but I can see myself sticking this in my coat pocket in the winter. The lanyard is HUGE! It seems to be designed for around the neck carry and I kind of liked it for that. It will get in the way for any other type of carry but it comes with a quick detach clip. WE should have included a normal sized wrist lanyard as well, just to make things complete. The build quality and finish exude the high grade quality and craftsmanship any Wolf Eyes owner is used to. If you're NOT familiar with Wolf Eyes by now, they are virtually on par with Surefire.
The Explorer is HAIII hard anodized and has a forward clicky with an identical UI to the Sniper. My sample did not contain any extra O-rings or clicky covers or anything else. Just the light and the jump rope . . uh, I mean lanyard. Finish wise, the only difference I noticed when comparing this to the P7 Sniper was the lack of sheen on the Explorer. It's more of a matte finish. I was surprised by the small form factor of last year's P7 Sniper and this light bested it. The smaller head puts it more in proportion with itself. Unlike the P7 Sniper, the Explorer's head seems just as thick and solid as the main body and the balance is excellent. It tail-stands even with the 17" lanyard attached. It appears rugged enough for "defender" duty but the scalloped head is not aggressive in look or feel. The output is of course nothing short of WOW !!
UI:
None of the functions of this light are programmable. I don't find that to be a negative because they made some good choices for you. The three preset intensities are very diverse and I feel most people will be pleased. The SOS, strobe and beacon are contained in the "hidden" menu and I'll get to those below. This light has a forward clicky with a great feel and is well suited for tactical use however, rapid signaling will cause it to change intensities followed by entering the hidden mode. If you grab the light and turn it on, it comes on HIGH. You get all 580 paint peeling lumens. If you want it to come on medium or low, you have to half press (or full press fast enough, if you're into that) until it arrives at your mode, then fully click to lock it on with the chosen intensity. If you subsequently want to change the mode while it's on you would need to turn it off then either half press or just turn it on and off repeatedly within two seconds. Wolf Eyes has come up with an excellent system to please both the SOS/STROBE lovers AND haters alike! It would be extremely difficult to accidentally end up with the strobe, sos or beacon (this light has all 3). To enter the "hidden" menu, as they call it for strobe/sos/beacon, you have to press/cycle 7 times. For example if you want strobe from the light being off you would half press through TWO cycles of HI-MED-LO then the seventh press would give you strobe. Once you do this you are now locked into the hidden menu and it will cycle STROBE-SOS-BEACON instead of HI-MED-LOW. At this point the ONLY way back to the other world is to shut it off for 2 seconds.
Top: P7 Sniper - Bottom: Explorer
Logistics:
The instructions explain all of the features and functions well enough but they didn't specifically mention you could use CR123s. It does list a working voltage of 3.7v to 6v but I would suggest listing the exact battery types for those non-flashaholics out there. There is no clip. This is too bad because now with the smaller head, I can see myself carrying this bezel down with a sturdy clip. Of course you can wear this around your neck and I got used to that pretty quick but neck carry isn't suitable for all situations.. The Explorer can easily tailstand with decent stability. The IPX8 rated Explorer has single O-rings all around, the threads are VERY smooth and came well greased (almost TOO well!). The reflector is deep, highly polished and has a light OP finish. The LED seems well centered. There is only about an inch worth of knurling and it's mostly for looks as it's fairly smooth. However, with all of the fins and ridges the light won't try to leave your hand on it's own. All of my 18650 brands fit and I was surprised to find NO RATTLE at all with CR123's.
Explorer left - P7 Sniper right
Current draw:
2.0 amps on a fresh 18650 and 2.1 amps on fresh CR123s.
In the hands of "babes:"
This is the part of the review where I take the light over to my neighbor Joe and get his "I don't care about flashlights the way you care about flashlights" opinion. He is a highly skilled mechanic and has an impressive array of tools but to him a flashlight is a good old stock Mag. I've been slowing converting him but there's no "passion" as with our group so this makes him the perfect subject. I handed him the light and the first thing he said was he liked the small size and solid feel. He said it exuded quality (okay, he doesn't really talk like that . . I'm paraphrasing). I had to help him find the concealed mode but he managed to find the 3 levels on his own. He preferred the reverse clicky of the Pilot Whale I just reviewed over the forward clicky of the Explorer. In fact he said it seemed like too much pressure was required to lock it on. He also didn't like the sometimes confusion choosing a level with half presses, then locking it in. He had to go "around twice" a couple of times but felt he could get used to it quickly if he owned it.
The beam and white walling:
The beam is great. Nice white tint with a barely perceptible quad core donut hole in the center. I had to keep moving the light to see it or else my ceiling seemed to make it disappear. There were no rings as it went right from large hotspot to spill. Nice job Wolf Eyes. White wall hunters will be pleased for sure and good luck finding that miniscule donut hole out in the wild.
Explorer
Left: Explorer - Right: P7 Sniper
PWM:
Using my highly scientific method of pointing the light into a fan, I detected PWM in use on medium and low.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>*<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Now we'll move on to what you've all been waiting for . . . the BEAMSHOTS! First a little disclaimer for all of the pictures in this thread: The day/night I took these was the same day I had to pack up and ship my camera. I sold it to a member here in the Marketplace section so the shots were a little hurried. I have a new one on the way and I might take these over as I have new everything coming, lenses and all. Sorry these aren't perfect. On all shots with more than one light on the house, the Explorer is on the LEFT and all shots are on that light's highest output setting.
Explorer at 50'
P7 Sniper 50'
Explorer/Sniper 50'
Explorer/Fenix TK40 50'
Explorer 100'
P7 Sniper 100'
Explorer/Sniper 100'
Explorer/TK40 100'
Explorer 150'
P7 Sniper 150'
Explorer/Sniper 150'
Explorer/TK40 150'
Shots beyond this distance were pretty much a "flood-fest."
Conclusions:
This light has it all. It's SMALL and runs on a single 18650 or 2 CR123s. It gives the TK40 just a little run for it's money while nearly being able to fit inside that lights BATTERY TUBE! I don't know if I should classify it as a thrower or a flooder because it's kind of a hybrid of the two. The P7 Sniper is more of a flooder and the Explorer is more of a thrower but both lights do both. They follow the characteristics of the emitter. The Explorer's hotspot is huge and the spill is usable and the throw is great out to 150 feet and then some.
This is yet another very impressive offering from Wolf Eyes. I like the P7 Sniper's size but now that the head has been shrunk to a nice proportion, I can say I LOVE the Explorer's size. If you're the type who doesn't mind a slightly larger EDC, you should put the Wolf Eyes Explorer at the top of your list. What a (coat) pocket rocket this thing is with 580 "free" lumens from a single 18650 for more than an hour! I wish it had a clip but that and the lack of a small lanyard are going to be the only negative things that I found. The curiously large lanyard is very well made but a brisk walk will start it swinging. I found that on high, there is enough reflection, even off of dark carpet, that I can let it hang from my neck and do whatever I had to do in the dark room. The output is truly incredible for it's size.
So I say BUY IT! But then I aways say that. Here are my ratings: Overall I give it a 9. The output is a 10 (11 if you're a Spinal Tap fan because this one does go to 11). The fit and finish gets a 9.5. The UI gets an 8 (forward clicky with modes can be tricky). It has all of the loved (and hated) "bells and whistles" so for features I'll give it a 9. Perceived durability gets a 9.
There are many fine retailers for this light but I recommend www.PTS-Flashlights.com for great prices and great service. CPF members who set up an account receive special pricing on everything they sell.
Last edited:
G
