VersaTi ET10 - anyone have one of the new ones yet?

[Dan FO]

I read where they have changed the design since this review was done. http://light-reviews.com/versati_et10/

If you have one, please give comments on it. :twothumbs

Thanks in advance.

 

[Marduke]

I had one identical to the one reviewed. While in concept it was a great light, in practice the light itself sucked.

Where is this info on an updated design? If they fixed the problems I might have to check it out again.

 

[Dan FO]

I had one identical to the one reviewed. While in concept it was a great light, in practice the light itself sucked.

Where is this info on an updated design? If they fixed the problems I might have to check it out again.

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=198792

 

[Marduke]

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=198792

Well that sucks, they made it even worse...

 

[Dan FO]

Well that sucks, they made it even worse...

How so?

 

[Marduke]

XR-E instead of XP-E, and high then low, instead of low then high.

No mention if they changed, but the threads on the XP-E version sucked a big one, and would cross thread and bind, and not reliably function.

 

[berry580]

ah well, they saw @ $59, it was a bargain, so they decided to up the $$

don't know whats wrong with Horus. Do you ever see Google change its name? hahaa

 

[Haz]

I thought it would be more logical to have it low, then high, considering activation of both modes is by one continuous turn of the head. It's not that much harder to activate high, since it's still part of the same motion. But now to get low, you need a flash of high before low is activated, which will ruin night vision.

I just wonder if anyone actually prefers high, then low in the VersaTi setup?

 

[berry580]

I just wonder if anyone actually prefers high, then low in the VersaTi setup?

No, it actually is high first and then low. They [Verstai] did that based on the feedback of other dealers (not me). Most of my customers have actually told me that they prefer lights to go into high first, so they probably did the right thing based on the majority of purchasers. I need to update the description based on their new specs...

 

[Dan FO]

I received mine in the mail today.

First impressions:

The machining on the light is first rate and the knurling is some of the best out there. The LED is absolutely centered in the titanium reflector. The beam is Mule like and flawless (no artifacts at all) with a beautiful tint. The hole for the split ring is oval in shape and not round (nice touch). This little light has a brass pill housing for the heat sink so it is not going to over heat the LED (thoughtful). 5 O-rings and a split ring come with the light but no battery is included, I am using a L92 lithium battery for power.

There was no lube on the threads so I cleaned them and applied some SuperLube. Some mention had been made about grittiness and cross threading. Mine are pretty smooth and the resistance is caused by the spring in the battery tube but overall I like the feel of the operation. The high comes on first but I can twist right thru it to low in one motion if needed or I can just cup my hand over the head while turning it to low if necessary. This light easily tail stands but I did take some 1000 grit sandpaper to remove the tiny machining tit in the center of the tail to make it rock steady when tail standing (took about 60 seconds).

The sapphire window is a nice touch for a light that will be in a pocket with keys and other items thus preventing scratches to the window. I will put a 1.5X5mm tritium vial in the tail slot in about a week. They say this one is waterproof to 10 meters and I believe it after looking at the construction ... bombproof! This light is the shortest AAA light I have now, about the same as my Mako.

 

[greg c]

They need to put the low first then high. Ludicrous to flash the brights before the lows.

I still want one but the programming needs to be changed!

Thanks for the review Dan.

-G

 

[Dobbler]

:thumbsdow No 10440 support

 

[toby_pra]

looks very neat...:twothumbs

 

[Kilovolt]

I am rather happy with my new VersaTi ET10

The threads are smooth and the finish very good.

It is true that I would have liked better a low/hi switching sequence but the low is actually so low that it is useful only in the dead of the night. In all other cases you need the high level so this is not really a problem for me. I don't use this ET10 for raiding the fridge at night but I EDC it during the day.

The beam is very similar to the Orb Wee's one but you have a runtime that is four times longer in a light that is not even twice the size.

 

[monanza]

The light is solid and I can confirm that it has a very nice flood with a hint of a hot spot that is noticeable only when I sweep the light. I do have a couple of 'complaints' though.

The first complaint is that it takes very little to go from off to high and then quite a bit to get to low. On a related note if the head is not sufficiently tightened to off the light will flicker on if, when it swings on the keychain, it bumps against my leg.

The second complaint is that they elected to use XR-E when XP-E would have made more sense (lower Vf). Also an R2 would have been preferable. I really don't 'get' why for this form factor manufacturers still insist on using Q5. I want the extra few percent efficiency from the highest available bin for the tint of choice (Q3-4 for warm and neutral, R2 for cool). :thinking:

Also note that some of the edges are a tad sharp; not cuttingly so but noticeably for sure.

Regardless, the light is nice and solid and although I do not key-chain carry it anymore, I do use it for night strolls and I am pleased overall. :thumbsup:

 

[litetube]

I guess R2 bin Crees are still hard to obtain. I am betting the Q5 is easier for Cree to make and thus more cost effective for them so they focus on larger volumes of that bin and as such most mass produced lights still use it becasue is is cheaper and easy to obtain.

I was gonna get one of these but it seems like it needs a bit more refinement in a few areas and for the price I dont want to compromise.

 

[Kilovolt]

Now with a yellow trit by Bart:

Few people realize that the ET10 is smaller than a Fenix E01: oo:

 

[Dan FO]

I like this light so much I bought a second one in case these were a limited run.

 

[post tenebras]

You may now order either High first

or Low first http://goinggear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_31&products_id=351

 

[greg c]

The sample I received had very thin threads and a seemingly oversized head chamber to the point that even when the head was screwed 3/4 of the way down (albeit without a battery in place) it had a LOT of vertical and horizontal wobble. In addition, the O-ring did not seem to undergo much compression by the head- very little resistance was felt when screwing it down.

Worst of all when I screwed the head on with an AAA in place the head immediately cross threaded with eccentric wobbling as it screwed down.
I even "backwound" the head (pressing it down lightly and "unscrewing" it) until I felt it engage on the threads before screwing it down, a habit I've gotten into due to the sometimes finicky screwdown crowns on diving watches.

I'm not sure if I got a bad one (although I hope this is not how they are typically machined). Mine was a "low first" sample from going gear. Have contacted them for an exchange.

Can any other owner report on if their light has a good compression of the O-ring by the head, and if there is a lot of play in the head to body fit?