fenix e01 vs maglite mini 2aa?

hi guys. i've been lurking these forums for a little while now. i haven't gotten any led flashlight outside of an inova microlight (keychain light) that was given to me as a gift. i have had a maglite mini 2xAA flashlight for several years now and was looking to replace it. it's rated as 5.3 lumens with a 5.5-6 hrs of runtime on any 2 standard alkaline AA batteries.

reading about all of the amazing lights here, i've been curious about the fenix e01, for i think i would benefit the most from it. it would appear as though the e01 is twice as bright, more than twice as small, has a twice as long output (sun mode), so i'm tempted to jump on the band wagon and order a couple.

does anyone have any beamshots comparing the two? some complain about the low output of it relative to its bigger brothers -- the L0D, etc, but i was satisfied with the output of my maglite mini. are the lumens misleading? also, how long did it take for you guys to receive your order from the fenix store from the time of order to when you received it? i was planning on moving to a new apartment in a couple weeks and didn't want to risk not getting it on time.

thanks in advance...

i think you should be quite happy with a Fenix E01! The E01 is fully regulated so you'll be getting about 8hrs on regular alkalines or i think 14hrs from energizer E2 lithium AAAs at at about 8ish? lumens whereas with the maglight it isnt regulated so its output drops 50% within 1hr of use and then slowly drops to 0 in the next 4hrs or so...

so either way the E01 will be brighter and run longer and you could probably fit it inside the minimag! the only downside is you lose the focusablilty

As of ordering from fenix-store, if you live in the US i think you should get it in a week or less and maybe a couple days more elsewhere...but i think they may still be filling backorders so i'm not sure if it'll be shipped within a day as usual. it would be best to check with them by email...theyre friendly and reply fast!

oh i see. thanks for the quick response. i don't mind losing the ability to focus the beam as long as it has somewhat of a beam in the center. it seems to be characteristic of led flashlights, so i think i will be satisfied with it.

i was just wondering if the lumens were misleading -- because the maglite mini 2xaa uses an incandescent bulb whereas the fenix uses an led. will i perceive the incandescent to be brighter even though it's rated lower?

i understand that it is regulated to run at 10 hours (sun mode) and 11 hours (moon mode). i think that i've read most of the reviews on this forum about it. does anyone have any beamshots/descriptions on what the much lower output moon mode looks like?

it looks a bit like the arcaaa, but i was wondering if there was a glass lens covering the led -- or is it like the arcaaa, which doesn't have a lens covering the led.

also, i was wondering about how long it took for you guys to receive your orders from fenix-store. i'm on the east coast in the us.

thanks in advance...

I think these 2 E01 reviews should help you:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/196078 by this_is_nascar

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/196564 by UnknownVT

there is no glass lense like the arc AAA just a bare aluminium reflector with the nichia GS LED in the middle of it. the beam is slightly oval shaped and not perfect but if you've been happy with your minimag for so long it should be no problem at all.

from what ive read the moon mode isnt actually that long...its just the light thats draining out the last juice in the battery when it falls out of regulation(sun mode) and then dims down to just a dim glow...maybe enough to read or look at something a few cms away(not quite sure)

as for the comparison to the minimag or shipping time to US east coast maybe others can help you more on that! i havent used a minimag since i discovered leds

tennisplyr3 said:

also, i was wondering about how long it took for you guys to receive your orders from fenix-store. i'm on the east coast in the us.

thanks in advance...

Click to expand...

I live in Kentucky and ordered one on Wednesday of this week and received it on Friday. You will get great service and fast shipping from the Fenix Store. The only color they have in stock currently is black, so if you want a different color it will take longer.

Lumens can be somewhat misleading. Your eye doesn't respond linearly, so twice the lumens will only seem a little brighter, but it's noticable.

The Minimag's ability to focus means that you can shine light farther than with a typical LED of similar power, so if you're used to utilizing the light on the tightest focus, the Fenix may seem "less powerful" in that regard.

However, if you're using the light for mainly close-up work (like less than 10 feet) then the Fenix will seem whiter/bluer (this is typical of all LED's compared to incans) and you won't see the same kind of rings/artifacts in the beam that you normally would with your minimag - combined the Fenix will seem significantly brighter because there aren't any dark spots or shadows in the beam.

Another item I'd recommend is the Nite-Ize 3-LED insert for your minimag. It's about the same brightness as the stock minimag (i.e. Not that bright) but for up close it's perfectly fine, and you'll get a ridiculously long runtime (11 hours, I think?) - a good way to feel like you're not throwing away your retired Minimag.

Hope that helps!

tennisplyr3 said:

i was just wondering if the lumens were misleading -- because the maglite mini 2xaa uses an incandescent bulb whereas the fenix uses an led. will i perceive the incandescent to be brighter even though it's rated lower?

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lol. The E01 is brighter than the E0- pretty much no-one is disputing this. Comparing my E0 to my 2xAA MM one two fresh batteries, there is no contest. The E0 has a smoother beam, more output, more flood with the MM on flood mode, more throw with the MM on throw mode, is smaller, lasts longer on less batteries, is fully regulated, no changing output depending on how the light is held, and far far tougher (i.e, throw it and it'll still work) with a better surface finish. Oh, and the bulb never burns out.

Yapo said:

there is no glass lense like the arc AAA just a bare aluminium reflector with the nichia GS LED in the middle of it. the beam is slightly oval shaped and not perfect but if you've been happy with your minimag for so long it should be no problem at all.

Click to expand...

Oops ! The Arc AAA never had a glass lens - it's a bare LED just like the Fenix E01.

:welcome:

Get the E01, you will not regret it!

Also I second the idea of replacing your incandescent bulb with the Nite-ize LED drop-ins.

I know exactly where you're coming from when you say the Maglite is bright enough. I thought the same thing, but now that I've owned the Leatherman Monarch (my first CREE) and my Fenix L2D Q5, my maglite is only used as a pure backup light (which is not very often LOL).

The great thing about the brighter LEDs are their ability to switch to several levels. I like the lower levels for close up work, medium and high / turbo for looking at things further away.

Pretty soon you'll wonder how/why you got along with just the maglite.

Enjoy!!

The moon mode is every bit as long as stated, but most people are confusing the transition between sun and moon mod as the actual moon mode. If you look at TIN's graphs, you can see that the output again levels off after the transition has taken place, and it will put out light for a long while longer.

Wyeast said:

Another item I'd recommend is the Nite-Ize 3-LED insert for your minimag. It's about the same brightness as the stock minimag (i.e. Not that bright) but for up close it's perfectly fine, and you'll get a ridiculously long runtime (11 hours, I think?) - a good way to feel like you're not throwing away your retired Minimag.

Click to expand...

You lose focusing ability with the Nite Ize 3-LED insert.

You'd need to use the Nite Ize 1-watt LED upgrade kit if you want to retain focusability.

I put the Nite Ize 1-watt LED upgrade kit in all my minimags and it made them usable again.

thanks for the replies. =) i just ordered two. haha...

Let us know how you like 'em.


And how they compare to yer' Mini-Maglite.


:candle:
_

they just came today! ordered on saturday -- processed on monday and shipped out monday or tuesday...

they're really nice... so tiny. never knew a flashlight this small could be this bright. the light is slightly tinged blue, but not noticeable enough. it's bright enough that if i look at the light for less than a second, it hurts my eyes. in a darker environment -- not pitch black, but darker -- the brightness definitely stands out. it's bright enough that i'm very satisfied with it.

compared with my maglite, the maglite has a much yellower light. the maglite is slightly brighter, but that's only because of the tightly focused beam. the spot is a lot smaller, but i still prefer the whiter, more evenly spread beam of the e01. now if only they would do something about the efficiency rating of the e01 -- which according to this (http://www.light-reviews.com/fenix_e01/review.html) is less than 50%. but a fairly bright light that lasts for 7 hours on a standard alkaline aaa? pretty awesome if you ask me.

the two that i ordered are gifts, but i'm tempted to get one myself. the only question is, what color should i go for?

i have a feeling that the e01 is more than 50% efficient....even if not its way ahead of any of its competitors in that department

you NEED to get yourself a fenix L2D no matter what, in fact here for sale in B/S/T for cheap or get one new for like $10 more at fenixstore

and use energizer e2 lithiums in E01 for best regulation ,alkalines suck

I think you would like the Q5 modded L2D. $45 is a good price too.

As for the E01, alkalines seem to work decently in the E01.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1105

stick one of these in the minimag for an interesting conversion..

it wont fit thru the reflector, so just take the reflector out

and if you think the E01 is bright, try the L0D or a Liteflux LF2X..

Crenshaw

Hello Crenshaw --


Just looked at the link you provided.


The mfr. specs say: Forward Voltage 3.2V MIN


Doesn't that mean a pair of AA alkalines won't be sufficient voltage ?


Or does it still emit some light ?


How does it compare to the stock incand. bulb ?


and . . . .

(one last question, i promise)


By any chance, did you take a Current Reading at the tailcap ?



BTW, these aren't actual Nichia's are they ?

(OK, that was my final question)


Thank you for your help and info, Crenshaw.

:twothumbs

_

i dunno, but im running one in a minimag, although i dont use it much. It works really well with a single 10440/14500 though.

it does still emit light, but i am not sure how it compares to the E01, cos i dont have it yet..as for how it compares, well, its much neater of a beam, its, brighter...althoguh thats probably more of because the the stock bulb being dim.

ill take the reading tonight....if you can tell me how exactly..

Crenshaw