Upgraded an old CR123a light with a new EagTac D25C MkII... wow!

[desmobob]

Several years ago, a friend gifted me a JETBeam RRT0 SE. At the time, I didn't have any high-end LED lights so I was pretty impressed with it at first. Right away, I thought it could have been a lot more size efficient but its performance kept me happy. Until I tried CR123a and AA primaries instead of the RCR123 or 14500... Sad. Very sad. Only an RCR123 went into that light from then on.

Years passed and I accumulated a bunch of other LED lights, from AAA to 4x18650 size.

Fast forward to this fall, when I decided to start buying some EDC lights to stash in my winter jackets, hunting packs, etc. These included lights like the Lumintop Tool AA 2.0, Wowtac W1, Thrunite T1, EagTac D25A MkII and D25C MkII.

I love the little AA/14500 lights from EagTac and Lumintop but also wanted to try some newer 16340 and 18350 lights. The Wowtac W1 seems to be an incredible value and I plan to buy one or two more. The Thrunite T1 is an impressive light but I'm not a fan of the ramping type brightness control. If it had conventional stepped brightness adjustments, it would be a favorite.

The EagTac D25C MkII is just wonderful! I chose the model with a Cree XP-L Hi Domeless LED. The flashlight has a refined, high-quality look and feel and its performance with a CR123a primary is as impressive as with an RCR123. It has some programable features that allow me to tailor it to my needs/preferences. This light will not get stashed away somewhere but will become my EDC, at least in the winter months.

I have to say, this exploration into EDC lights really got me excited about flashlights again and exposed me to some brands and styles of lights and to some newer features, like USB-rechargeable batteries. I ended up ordering a bunch of lights to give as Christmas gifts this year.

 

[desmobob]

Forgot to mention one thing about the D25C MkII...

It won't function properly with my Orbtronic RCR123 batteries; they're just a hair too long to allow the D25C's head to be screwed down for Group 2 operation. I had the same issue with my D25A MkII and the 14500 batteries I had. I wish EagTac would allow for another 1mm or so of battery length in their lights!

 

[regulator]

I recently bought the D25c mkii with Osram LED and like the light a lot. Nice size and good programmable feature.

 

[desmobob]

I recently bought the D25c mkii with Osram LED and like the light a lot. Nice size and good programmable feature.

I have two of the D25A MkII AA-size lights (one with the Cree XP-L Hi Domeless and one with the Cree XM-L2). These lights are very nice! I was hesitant to try the D25C MkII, thinking the 16340-size light might be a little too large for comfortable pocket EDC.

That's not the case for me. The D25C is a little larger in diameter than the D25A but is also shorter. Someone who is handy with their math skills could compute the volume of the lights... I bet they are darn close to having the same volume and take up pretty much the same amount of space in a pocket.

Having the ability to program the lowest brightness modes is a nice feature that accommodates those who would rather have a moonlight setting or a brighter low. Being able to toggle the memory mode is a nice plus as well.

I can see that there is a very good chance I'll purchase the titanium version of these two small EagTac lights in the future... great lights.

 

[Buck91]

I have a pair of ti d25c lights. I liked the first one so much I packed it up as part of a "emp bin." Ya know... just in case...

My only gripe is that despite their small size they are still only barely smaller than the much more versatile zebralight sc64w, the that one can't run off a single primary.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

Forgot to mention one thing about the D25C MkII...

It won't function properly with my Orbtronic RCR123 batteries; they're just a hair too long to allow the D25C's head to be screwed down for Group 2 operation. I had the same issue with my D25A MkII and the 14500 batteries I had. I wish EagTac would allow for another 1mm or so of battery length in their lights!

Just run naked IMR 16340s and don't fret over grenading.

That's what I do with my D25C Ti. Clicky and I still have most of my fingers.

Chris