Xeno E03

jamie.91 · Dec 17, 2011

Ok, so im still waiting on my E03 XM-L T5 NW, i have an AW 14500 ready to go in, but... the more i read about these lights it appears that the tailcap clicky is the weak part, so my question to cpf

Has anyone modded one yet? and if not why not ?

Also are the modes controlled by the tailcap? i would like to convert mine to a forward clicky.

BTW this will be my first neutral tint light and my first light focused on flood, all my other lights i like to be more throwy and cooler, although i am considering ordering a warm aswell as ive never owned a warm tint either

Also completly off topic but is there anywhere i could send a light and have it re anodised grey? similar to a surefire look grey if that makes sense lol

Thanksyou in advance cpf
Jamie

jamie.91 · Dec 18, 2011

Nobody?

papageorgio · Dec 18, 2011

All modes are controlled by the tailcap, and yes the switch is garbage. I replaced my first one with the spare and now the spare is going wonky. I am not impressed..

american · Dec 18, 2011

Had mine few weeks no probs yet the me has a nice yellowish tint to it

jonnyfgroove · Dec 18, 2011

Mine started flickering again, and after swapping switches around it still did the same thing. I got annoyed, took the whole light apart, and found all kinds of debris in/on the threads of the brass pill that threads into the body. :ohgeez:

I cleaned everything up with some Deoxit, and the light has been working perfectly since. This would probably be worth trying if replacing the switch doesn't do the trick. Now I'm finally able to enjoy the outstanding tint, beam, and brightness the E03 is capable of.:thumbsup:

kreisler · Dec 18, 2011

jonnyfgroove said:
took the whole light apart

you got a wrench for it?
i wasnt able to remove the bezel. i am still not able to remove the bezel.

wow. that was clear English by me haha.

jonnyfgroove · Dec 18, 2011

kreisler said:
you got a wrench for it?
i wasnt able to remove the bezel. i am still not able to remove the bezel.

wow. that was clear English by me haha.

I was able to do the whole job with a small pair of needle nose, but it was not pretty. Maybe some small snap ring pliers would work better. The stainless ring unscrews, then the reflector can be worked out, and then there are two little divots in the brass pill to get it out of the body.

ETA: There is a great picture in this review by cpf user chenko.

kreisler · Dec 18, 2011

jonnyfgroove said:
I was able to do the whole job with a small pair of needle nose, but it was not pretty. Maybe some small snap ring pliers would work better. The stainless ring unscrews, then the reflector can be worked out, and then there are two little divots in the brass pill to get it out of the body.

ETA: There is a great picture in this review by cpf user chenko.

Thanks for the info!
i dont have "a small pair of needle nose" (not even knowing what that is lol) nor a "snap ring pliers" (again not even knowing what ..etc.. lol).
The pictures are quite nice.

I am wondering.

The OTF light output should be a little higher WITHOUT the glass lens, am i right? (So why bother with the lens. the E01 doesnt have a lens either ha!)

recDNA · Dec 18, 2011

I had an occasion to run mine on an alkaline battery the other day. I cannot believe how bright it is on a single alkaline. Probably would have ruptured the battery eventually but its pretty amazing how much light comes out of this thing.

Bigmac_79 · Dec 19, 2011

I've had three E03's (one in each tint) for quite a while now, and no problems with any of the switches. Maybe I'm just lucky.

Bronco · Dec 19, 2011

kreisler said:
Thanks for the info!
i dont have "a small pair of needle nose" (not even knowing what that is lol) nor a "snap ring pliers" (again not even knowing what ..etc.. lol).

Needle nose.

Bronco · Dec 19, 2011

Hot linked image removed - Norm

Chidwack · Dec 19, 2011

I was impressed with my Xeno E03 when I first got it. I really didn't have other lights in it's class to compare it to.
Shortly after I got the light, I started having problems switching modes and I sent an email to Taticalhid and was told to change switches. I did that and it started working just fine again. Fast forward 3 months. I am now having problems with flickering. Sometimes it works ok but lots of times it flickers and again it's having trouble switching modes. I no longer use the light as I have lights that fill the same spot in my flashlight lineup that work better for me. I liked the Xeno best when when using 14500 batteries but the battery burn time is not very long and the low mode when using 14500 batteries was just about useless. The light doesn't give me the performance that I want when using AA batteries. I guess for $30 it not a bad light and I know lots of folks like theirs but for just a little more money ($5) I bought a Shinginbeam S-mini. I have the XP-G R5 version. It's only about 1 inch longer than the Xeno, it is just as bright, it throws better, it's been way more reliable for me, comes with a holster, comes with a pocket clip, battery runs for 5-6 times as long before recharging and it covers every base that the Xeno did. I'm keeping the Xeno just in case I have to lend a light out to someone and I don't really care if it comes back or not.

One thing I did do for my Xeno E03 was buy an extra S-mini pocket clip from Shiningbeam. It fits perfectly on the Xeno and it's only about $2.50.

kreisler · Dec 19, 2011

Thanks Bronco!!
Now i know what to look for

Havent seen such tools in our house so i will have to ask a neighbor or something haha

davyro · Dec 19, 2011

Chidwack said:
I was impressed with my Xeno E03 when I first got it. I really didn't have other lights in it's class to compare it to.
Shortly after I got the light, I started having problems switching modes and I sent an email to Taticalhid and was told to change switches. I did that and it started working just fine again. Fast forward 3 months. I am now having problems with flickering. Sometimes it works ok but lots of times it flickers and again it's having trouble switching modes. I no longer use the light as I have lights that fill the same spot in my flashlight lineup that work better for me. I liked the Xeno best when when using 14500 batteries but the battery burn time is not very long and the low mode when using 14500 batteries was just about useless. The light doesn't give me the performance that I want when using AA batteries. I guess for $30 it not a bad light and I know lots of folks like theirs but for just a little more money ($5) I bought a Shinginbeam S-mini. I have the XP-G R5 version. It's only about 1 inch longer than the Xeno, it is just as bright, it throws better, it's been way more reliable for me, comes with a holster, comes with a pocket clip, battery runs for 5-6 times as long before recharging and it covers every base that the Xeno did. I'm keeping the Xeno just in case I have to lend a light out to someone and I don't really care if it comes back or not.

One thing I did do for my Xeno E03 was buy an extra S-mini pocket clip from Shiningbeam. It fits perfectly on the Xeno and it's only about $2.50.

I agree with Chidwack,the Xeno isn't the best performing small edc for the small price tag.My Jetbeam BC10 was about the same price & it's a much better option for me.
It feels & performs much better,what the Xeno is good for is showing how bright a small light can be to people who know only a little about such things.That is if it's got
a 14500 inside.

rickypanecatyl · Dec 19, 2011

The Xeno also has poor quality soldering to the emittor - that can also cause it to flicker as if the switch was bad.

jondotcom · Dec 19, 2011

rickypanecatyl said:
The Xeno also has poor quality soldering to the emittor - that can also cause it to flicker as if the switch was bad.

Not on the V3. Flicker= lube or replace the switch 99.9% of the time. It's no big deal, and even a caveman could do it. :dedhorse:

kreisler · Dec 19, 2011

jondotcom said:
Not on the V3. Flicker= lube or replace the switch 99.9% of the time. It's no big deal, and even a caveman could do it.

+ 1

confirmed. it's none of a big deal for us flashies. the flickering stems from debris either in the tail or in the head. do a disassembly, clean the individual parts, lube with electromagnetic lube, reassemble, and not more probs!

the spare clicky is only for those who BREAK the original clicky or for those who are too lazy to clean the contacts/individual parts.

Runtimes with Protected flamed Trustfire 14500's are (until the PCB kicks in), my own measurements:
39-41min on High@430lm WTF,
56-61min on Med (so-called "LOW")@280lm WTF,
3h24min-3h30min on Low (so-called "ULTRALOW")@80lm WTF

Because of the unusual spacing of the brightness levels, for an EDC i would have preferred L-M-H (instead of the M-L-H). As an EDC i dont see any much sense in feeding Eneloops (for better runtimes) into the E03. To me, the 14500's return acceptable runtime results, e.g. the ~3.5hrs at blazing 80 lumens WTF.

For 1/3 of the price of a Quark, you get a top-machined high quality and proven robust alternative to the Quark. I own both the E03 and the Quark, and while the Quark is "better" .. it's also 3x as pricey ha!

tsask · Dec 19, 2011

nice work. my E03 flickers at times but seems to get better with a fresh 14500 cell.

jonnyfgroove · Dec 19, 2011

jondotcom said:
Flicker= lube or replace the switch 99.9% of the time. It's no big deal, and even a caveman could do it.

:fail:

Spraying the switch with WD40 was not going to correct the problems with my E03.

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