A good all-around inspection light? EagleTac P10A2?

gof · Jan 15, 2009

I've been lurking a bit to find a good LED light for use as an equipment inspection light (I'm an engineer by trade, Dad by profession :huh

. Imagine you wanted a light to poke your nose into motors, engines, tunnels, etc. But, I wanted something where batteries would be easy to come by in a pinch.

So it looks like the EagleTac P10A2 fits the bill pretty well, but I wanted to confirm it with some of the experts around here. I can't guage the brightness too well. I had an older single primary surefire from about five years ago which was "bright" but literally ate the 123's if used on constant. I like the >1 hour bright runtime in bright mode, and >7 hours on "dim" (how is the low mode compared to an old surefire?)

Another option would be the P10A. It's not as bright, but nicely smaller. easy to leave in the laptop bag for everyday availability. In either case I'd problem run the with eneloops.

Finally, what's the best place to pick up three of these (if they are in fact a recommended choice)? I saw a reference to the Eagletac-store and a CPF8 code.... If they accepted a PO that would be a bonus :twothumbs

waddup · Jan 15, 2009

there s a bunch of really bright really cheap really good lights here,

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/215569

carrot · Jan 15, 2009

The Eagletacs are nice. A lot of people really like Fenix and Nitecore too. I have a hard time keeping track of all the new model numbers that keep getting thrown around but I got to handle a whole lot of Eagletacs and they are all nice, bright lights. That said you may like the Fenixes or Nitecore D20 as they are a little thinner and maybe not so bulky as most of the Eagletacs.

There's a lot of criteria to judge a light on... just remember you do get what you pay for.

Outdoors Fanatic · Jan 15, 2009

carrot said:
The Eagletacs are nice. A lot of people really like Fenix and Nitecore too. I have a hard time keeping track of all the new model numbers that keep getting thrown around but I got to handle a whole lot of Eagletacs and they are all nice, bright lights. That said you may like the Fenixes or Nitecore D20 as they are a little thinner and maybe not so bulky as most of the Eagletacs.

There's a lot of criteria to judge a light on... just remember you do get what you pay for.

EagleTacs are bulky? The "bulkiest" EagleTac model is the T10C2, and it is more compact than its closest competitors: 6P/C2/T1/TK10/TK11/Dereelights, Wolfies, etc. Only the SF E series are more compact than that.

With that said, I do love the D20, but the perfomance and the KISS action of the P10A2 can't be beat.

etc · Jan 15, 2009

did they resolve the issue where the lense brakes if you drop it just right?

Outdoors Fanatic · Jan 15, 2009

etc said:
did they resolve the issue where the lense brakes if you drop it just right?

I went camping with mine and dropped it several times-- incluse on rocks. Didn't get a scratch.

etc · Jan 15, 2009

Thanks.

There was that thread a few weeks ago, where a lense broke, because it was against the metal.

On paper, it looks like the lite I want, real nice. AA, dual mode, simple UI. According to tests, it is the brightest 2AA you can get at 180 de facto lumens.

Toaster · Jan 15, 2009

The P10A2 is a nice light and would work well for you. However the low mode is really more of a medium mode and may be too bright for up close work. If that's an issue you may want to consider Nitecore D20 instead.

etc · Jan 15, 2009

Any comments on this? I am not spending $60+ without the confidence that this is still an issue. Especially considering that Fenix does not break like this (It has a driver that likes to burn out)

Short and Round said:
I had my Eagletac for a few weeks and dropped it on the floor at work and the lens shattered. My friend dropped his and his lens shatters so bad the lens more or less fell out. Not to impressed with this. I love the brightness of the light but I am not happy about The lens breaking. :mecry:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/208255

moldyoldy · Jan 15, 2009

gof said:
I've been lurking a bit to find a good LED light for use as an equipment inspection light (I'm an engineer by trade, Dad by profession :huh. Imagine you wanted a light to poke your nose into motors, engines, tunnels, etc. But, I wanted something where batteries would be easy to come by in a pinch.

So it looks like the EagleTac P10A2 fits the bill pretty well, but I wanted to confirm it with some of the experts around here. I can't guage the brightness too well. I had an older single primary surefire from about five years ago which was "bright" but literally ate the 123's if used on constant. I like the >1 hour bright runtime in bright mode, and >7 hours on "dim" (how is the low mode compared to an old surefire?)

Another option would be the P10A. It's not as bright, but nicely smaller. easy to leave in the laptop bag for everyday availability. In either case I'd problem run the with eneloops.

Finally, what's the best place to pick up three of these (if they are in fact a recommended choice)? I saw a reference to the Eagletac-store and a CPF8 code.... If they accepted a PO that would be a bonus :twothumbs

For 1xAA and 2xAA lights, I have the P10A and P10A2 and the Fenix L1D and L2D. I had an LD10 and gave it away. I did not like the beam pattern of the LD10 - too tight compared to the L1D. Some users want much more throw at the expense of spill. not me. For looking around at short distances, consider the throw vs spill tradeoffs.

I personally like the size of the 1xAA or 1xCR123 lights. The 2x something lights are certainly brighter, but not as easily EDC'd. Although the output is lower, the EDC-size is unbeatable - the 1xAAA format. Examples are the LD01 or L0D. Liteflux also has a good 1xAAA light.

Regarding where to purchase. The EagleTac store that I have used is: http://www.eagletac-store.com/ They have the CPF8 discount and free shipping. This the same company (and discount) as https://www.4sevens.com/ and the older version https://www.fenix-store.com/. 4Sevens is the owner, is present on CPF, and provides excellent support!

carrot · Jan 15, 2009

Outdoors Fanatic said:
EagleTacs are bulky? The "bulkiest" EagleTac model is the T10C2, and it is more compact than its closest competitors: 6P/C2/T1/TK10/TK11/Dereelights, Wolfies, etc. Only the SF E series are more compact than that.

With that said, I do love the D20, but the perfomance and the KISS action of the P10A2 can't be beat.

They are bulkier than the P-series and L-series Fenixes too.

Gunner12 · Jan 15, 2009

You can also try the Fenix L2T V2.0 if you would like to stick with AA batteries(or TK20 if you want more throw in and a more incan like light). Fenix Store/4sevens/EagleTac Store can all accept the "CPF8" coupon. The P10A2 should do pretty well.

Keep in mind that the Normal 2D light is around 15 lumen and 800 lux at 1 meter. But it takes a 60 lumen light of the same beam pattern to appear 2x as bright as a 15 lumen light. 4x more output for a perceived 2x increase in output.

:welcome:

Mjolnir · Jan 15, 2009

I have dropped my Eagletac T10L from about 3 feet off the ground onto a tile floor, and it barely damaged it at all (the tailcap anodizing is the most "chip prone" because of its small surface area, so that is most likely to be damaged). I am pretty sure that the P series have the lenses on the head the same way, so I don't think they would be any more crack prone than mine is.

etc · Jan 16, 2009

Thanks for the report

A good all-around inspection light? EagleTac P10A2?

gof

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waddup

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carrot

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Outdoors Fanatic

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etc

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etc

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Toaster

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etc

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moldyoldy

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carrot

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Gunner12

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etc

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