End User Comparison of EagleTac D25A Clicky XM-L U2; LC3 Illumination L10 XP-G2; Olight S15 Baton XM L2 and Solarforce Z2 XP-G2 R5.
Please note right away that you won't find any beam shots, lumens box readings, runtime graphs or any of the technical data that top reviewers have in their reviews. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE THOSE REVIEWS and I read them and use them all the time! I just don't have the capabilities to do that. My comparison is based solely on my observations and preferences as a flashaholic and end user of flashlights. This comparison started out as my search for a single AA replacement in my EDC rotation. I hope that my "end user" perspective might be useful to someone.
These were the "Final Four" that my research and personal preference lead to. I know there are many other worthy options for single AA lights, but for one reason or another, whether it be price, reviews written by others, available modes, my UI preferences or mere chance, all others eventually fell by the wayside in my search.
So now let's get right to it without further ado!
First Impressions:
Olight S15 Baton: The S15 comes in a plastic windox box. Included inside the box are a split ring, two o-rings, a replacement disc in case you want to remove the magnet in the tailcap, a wrist lanyard and a small instruction sheet. A reversible pocket clip is attached. Fit and finish are excellent. The threads were smooth and pre-lubed on arrival. Does tailstand, even with split ring attached. Has side switch with two mode groups: Group 1 has High and Moon modes (with memory). Group 2 has Moon – Low – Medium – High in that order (no memory, always comes on in Moon in Group 2). In Group 2, double clicking the side switch activates strobe mode. XM-L2 U2 emitter.
Eagletac D25A Clicky: The D25A comes in a cardboard window box that includes a nice belt holster, wrist lanyard with a small biner clip, small instruction manual and an o-ring. Pocket clip is bolted on, thus non-reversible. Excellent fit and finish. Threads were pre-lubed and smooth functioning. Does tailstand, even with lanyard or split ring attached. There are two mode groups: Group 1 (head tightened) comes on in Turbo, half click activates strobe. Half clicks then toggle between Turbo and strobe modes. Group 2 (head loosened) comes on in Low and cycles: Low – Med-Hi-Low-Med-Hi-Strobe-Fast Strobe-SOS-Fast SOS-Beacon-Low Beacon (starts over at Low). XM-L2 emitter.
LC3 Illumination L10: This one arrived in a two-piece transparent plastic box not much bigger than it is. The only items included in addition to the L10 were in a small ziplock: two o-rings and a split ring for attaching to a keychain if desired. A basic instruction sheet was included in the package. The color of my example is "Natural", which is to say, gray. Fit and finish are very good, especially considering the price! The only thing that concerned me on first impression is that the bottom of the head where the positive end of the battery makes contact is surrounded with a black rubber (or foam) ring. This is to make mode changes smoother feeling and more stable, but I am concerned with the long term durability of this design. Threads were already lubed and smooth on arrival. No pocket clip was supplied with the L10. I declined to purchase one as an option ($3). Does tailstand, unless split ring is attached. This one has an XP-G2 emitter. A basic instruction sheet was included in the package. Twisty 3-mode UI: Low-Medium-High. Always comes on in Low mode.
Solarforce Z2: The Z2 arrived in a cardboard window box. Included in the box were a black wrist lanyard and two O-rings (no split ring included for attaching to a keychain). A reversible pocket clip came attached. Color of this example is black. Fit and finish are very good. Threads functioned, but were pretty dry and a little gritty from the factory. I'm glad this is a rear clicky, because even after cleaning and a small amount of Super Lube, the threads were not as smooth as I would have liked. My example will not dependably tailstand even though the clicky is recessed! It sticks out just enough to make it unstable. Basic specs and instructions are printed on the back of the box in very small print. One line there states: "Stands upside down stably." As noted, my example does not. XP-G2 R5 emitter. Forward clicky 4-mode UI: High-Medium-Low-Moon. Always comes on in High mode. There is a GITD ring inside the bezel.
Beam Spotting (also known as "My Totally Subjective, Eyes Only Opinions"):
I took all four lights on an outdoors walk at night and these are my subjective observations. All four lights were in the same ballpark, in terms of brightness, throw and spill. Yes, there are noticeable variations, but not enough to put them in different classes or categories based on those three factors. Outdoors at night, the D25A and the Solarforce seemed to offer the best color rendition, followed closely by the L10. The S15 looked slightly greenish to me, but not annoyingly so, at least not to me. If you hate greenish LEDs, then this S15 might have annoyed you.
At night, outdoors, the D25A seemed to have the best throw, but the S15 was very close. At first I thought the EagleTac had considerably more throw, but then I realized that the color rendition of the EagleTac was fooling my mind into thinking it had more throw. When I concentrated on WHAT I could see, and factored out the slightly greenish tint that the S15 was throwing, I realized they were very close in throw capability, still with a slight advantage to my eyes to the D25A. The L10 was right behind the S15 in terms of throw, and the Z2 was not far behind it. None of these are throwers – for single AA EDC lights, flood is usually more important.
There wasn't a strong difference in perceived brightness and spill between these four outdoors, but I would again rank them in the order: D25A, S15, L10, Z2. Again, the difference between the brightest/best spill D25A and the Z2 was noticeable, but the incremental rankings in between were so close they were at times difficult to distinguish.
Indoors for white wall hunting and perceived brightness from ceiling bounce. The D25A won out here again, but the S15 was a very close second, and again the slight green tint may have skewed my perception as it did in my outdoor testing. The L10 was a close third, and the Z2 was again fourth, but not by too much.
All four had fairly smooth beams during white wall hunting indoors, I'd put them all in a close group except that the Z2 was again just outside that inner circle.
The D25A and the L10 had the most pleasing tints indoors to my eye – the most accurate color rendition - followed by the Z2 with a very slightly pinkish tint. The S15 had the least pleasing greenish tint.
User Interface
Let's get my personal preferences out on the table first: I like simple UI's with at LEAST two modes (High and Low) and preferably at least three (High, Low, Moon). Strobe is fine – or not – but if it's there, I prefer it to be 'hidden'. I prefer for the light NOT to come on in High mode.
With those parameters, the simple "Low-Med-High" twisty UI of the L10 wins out, followed by the Z2 with it's forward clicky "High-Med-Low-Moon" simplicity – even though I don't like the start in High mode. The D25A and the S15 UIs are both more complicated than I would prefer, but I do like the fact that they both enable you to start in either High or Low. That can be a great advantage, once you learn the UI and become familiar with it. For me, I'll probably have to EDC one for a little while before I'm fully comfortable with either interface. It's a really tough decision for me for third place in the UI department, because while I actually prefer the way modes work on the S15, I don't necessarily like the side switch placement. All those extra strobe, SOS and beacon modes on the D25A are a little annoying. It may be lame, but I'm going to call a tie for third in the UI on the S15 and the D25A because I'm not particularly fond of either one.
Price
The Z2 is the clear winner on price, followed closely by the L10, both of these falling into the category of "budget lights" – but they sure don't look, feel or perform like some of the "budget lights" most of us have experienced (and sometimes returned or trashed) in the past. These are both worthy contenders for purchase, gifts and even EDC. The Olight S15 comes in a distant third in price, but still less than the EagleTac D25A at around $50. You can get both a Z2 and an L10 for about the same price as an Olight, and for less than you'd pay for the D25A. But don't underestimate the value of these premium lights. As well made as the Z2 and the L10 appear to be for the price, the S15 and the D25A will likely, in general, outlast and outperform them. It's no accident that the EagleTac and the Olight earned consistently high marks in my ratings, generally speaking. For my part, I tried hard to put aside any personal bias. I honestly didn't have a favorite brand or model coming in.
Conclusion
Buying lights is a personal choice, and all four of these are worthy contenders, especially when you factor in price. Here is a summary of my ratings:
First Impressions:
1st: Olight S15 and EagleTac D25A (tie)
3rd: Solarforce Z2
4th: L3 Illumination L10
Outdoor Color Rendition:
1st: EagleTac D25A and Solarforce Z2 (tie)
3rd: L3 Illumination
4th: Olight S15
Throw:
1st: EagleTac D25A
2nd: Olight S15
3rd: L3 Illumination L10
4th: Solarforce Z2
General Outdoor Brightness/Spill:
1st: EagleTac D25A
2nd: Olight S15
3rd: L3 Illumination L10
4th: Solarforce Z2
Perceived Brightness Indoors (ceiling bounce):
1st: EagleTac D25A
2nd: Olight S15
3rd: L3 Illumination L10
4th: Solarforce Z2
Indoor Color Rendition/Tint:
1st: EagleTac D25A and L3 Illumination L10 (tie)
3rd: Solarforce Z2 (slightly pinkish)
4th: Olight S15 (greenish)
User Interface:
1st: L3 Illumination L10
2nd: Solarforce Z2
3rd: EagleTac D25A and Olight S15 (tie)
Price: (lowest to highest)
1st: Solarforce Z2
2nd: L3 Illumination L10
3rd: Olight S15
4th: EagleTac D25A
Size: (smallest to largest)
1st: L3 Illumination L10
2nd: EagleTac D25A
3rd: Solarforce Z2
4th: Olight S15
(note: I ranked the S15 fourth in size because it is considerably wider thru the head than the other lights, even though the Solarforce Z2 is slightly longer. my reasoning was that the slight extra length would not be as noticeable in a pocket carry situation as the extra width of the S15)
Please note right away that you won't find any beam shots, lumens box readings, runtime graphs or any of the technical data that top reviewers have in their reviews. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE THOSE REVIEWS and I read them and use them all the time! I just don't have the capabilities to do that. My comparison is based solely on my observations and preferences as a flashaholic and end user of flashlights. This comparison started out as my search for a single AA replacement in my EDC rotation. I hope that my "end user" perspective might be useful to someone.
These were the "Final Four" that my research and personal preference lead to. I know there are many other worthy options for single AA lights, but for one reason or another, whether it be price, reviews written by others, available modes, my UI preferences or mere chance, all others eventually fell by the wayside in my search.
So now let's get right to it without further ado!
First Impressions:
Olight S15 Baton: The S15 comes in a plastic windox box. Included inside the box are a split ring, two o-rings, a replacement disc in case you want to remove the magnet in the tailcap, a wrist lanyard and a small instruction sheet. A reversible pocket clip is attached. Fit and finish are excellent. The threads were smooth and pre-lubed on arrival. Does tailstand, even with split ring attached. Has side switch with two mode groups: Group 1 has High and Moon modes (with memory). Group 2 has Moon – Low – Medium – High in that order (no memory, always comes on in Moon in Group 2). In Group 2, double clicking the side switch activates strobe mode. XM-L2 U2 emitter.
Eagletac D25A Clicky: The D25A comes in a cardboard window box that includes a nice belt holster, wrist lanyard with a small biner clip, small instruction manual and an o-ring. Pocket clip is bolted on, thus non-reversible. Excellent fit and finish. Threads were pre-lubed and smooth functioning. Does tailstand, even with lanyard or split ring attached. There are two mode groups: Group 1 (head tightened) comes on in Turbo, half click activates strobe. Half clicks then toggle between Turbo and strobe modes. Group 2 (head loosened) comes on in Low and cycles: Low – Med-Hi-Low-Med-Hi-Strobe-Fast Strobe-SOS-Fast SOS-Beacon-Low Beacon (starts over at Low). XM-L2 emitter.
LC3 Illumination L10: This one arrived in a two-piece transparent plastic box not much bigger than it is. The only items included in addition to the L10 were in a small ziplock: two o-rings and a split ring for attaching to a keychain if desired. A basic instruction sheet was included in the package. The color of my example is "Natural", which is to say, gray. Fit and finish are very good, especially considering the price! The only thing that concerned me on first impression is that the bottom of the head where the positive end of the battery makes contact is surrounded with a black rubber (or foam) ring. This is to make mode changes smoother feeling and more stable, but I am concerned with the long term durability of this design. Threads were already lubed and smooth on arrival. No pocket clip was supplied with the L10. I declined to purchase one as an option ($3). Does tailstand, unless split ring is attached. This one has an XP-G2 emitter. A basic instruction sheet was included in the package. Twisty 3-mode UI: Low-Medium-High. Always comes on in Low mode.
Solarforce Z2: The Z2 arrived in a cardboard window box. Included in the box were a black wrist lanyard and two O-rings (no split ring included for attaching to a keychain). A reversible pocket clip came attached. Color of this example is black. Fit and finish are very good. Threads functioned, but were pretty dry and a little gritty from the factory. I'm glad this is a rear clicky, because even after cleaning and a small amount of Super Lube, the threads were not as smooth as I would have liked. My example will not dependably tailstand even though the clicky is recessed! It sticks out just enough to make it unstable. Basic specs and instructions are printed on the back of the box in very small print. One line there states: "Stands upside down stably." As noted, my example does not. XP-G2 R5 emitter. Forward clicky 4-mode UI: High-Medium-Low-Moon. Always comes on in High mode. There is a GITD ring inside the bezel.
Beam Spotting (also known as "My Totally Subjective, Eyes Only Opinions"):
I took all four lights on an outdoors walk at night and these are my subjective observations. All four lights were in the same ballpark, in terms of brightness, throw and spill. Yes, there are noticeable variations, but not enough to put them in different classes or categories based on those three factors. Outdoors at night, the D25A and the Solarforce seemed to offer the best color rendition, followed closely by the L10. The S15 looked slightly greenish to me, but not annoyingly so, at least not to me. If you hate greenish LEDs, then this S15 might have annoyed you.
At night, outdoors, the D25A seemed to have the best throw, but the S15 was very close. At first I thought the EagleTac had considerably more throw, but then I realized that the color rendition of the EagleTac was fooling my mind into thinking it had more throw. When I concentrated on WHAT I could see, and factored out the slightly greenish tint that the S15 was throwing, I realized they were very close in throw capability, still with a slight advantage to my eyes to the D25A. The L10 was right behind the S15 in terms of throw, and the Z2 was not far behind it. None of these are throwers – for single AA EDC lights, flood is usually more important.
There wasn't a strong difference in perceived brightness and spill between these four outdoors, but I would again rank them in the order: D25A, S15, L10, Z2. Again, the difference between the brightest/best spill D25A and the Z2 was noticeable, but the incremental rankings in between were so close they were at times difficult to distinguish.
Indoors for white wall hunting and perceived brightness from ceiling bounce. The D25A won out here again, but the S15 was a very close second, and again the slight green tint may have skewed my perception as it did in my outdoor testing. The L10 was a close third, and the Z2 was again fourth, but not by too much.
All four had fairly smooth beams during white wall hunting indoors, I'd put them all in a close group except that the Z2 was again just outside that inner circle.
The D25A and the L10 had the most pleasing tints indoors to my eye – the most accurate color rendition - followed by the Z2 with a very slightly pinkish tint. The S15 had the least pleasing greenish tint.
User Interface
Let's get my personal preferences out on the table first: I like simple UI's with at LEAST two modes (High and Low) and preferably at least three (High, Low, Moon). Strobe is fine – or not – but if it's there, I prefer it to be 'hidden'. I prefer for the light NOT to come on in High mode.
With those parameters, the simple "Low-Med-High" twisty UI of the L10 wins out, followed by the Z2 with it's forward clicky "High-Med-Low-Moon" simplicity – even though I don't like the start in High mode. The D25A and the S15 UIs are both more complicated than I would prefer, but I do like the fact that they both enable you to start in either High or Low. That can be a great advantage, once you learn the UI and become familiar with it. For me, I'll probably have to EDC one for a little while before I'm fully comfortable with either interface. It's a really tough decision for me for third place in the UI department, because while I actually prefer the way modes work on the S15, I don't necessarily like the side switch placement. All those extra strobe, SOS and beacon modes on the D25A are a little annoying. It may be lame, but I'm going to call a tie for third in the UI on the S15 and the D25A because I'm not particularly fond of either one.
Price
The Z2 is the clear winner on price, followed closely by the L10, both of these falling into the category of "budget lights" – but they sure don't look, feel or perform like some of the "budget lights" most of us have experienced (and sometimes returned or trashed) in the past. These are both worthy contenders for purchase, gifts and even EDC. The Olight S15 comes in a distant third in price, but still less than the EagleTac D25A at around $50. You can get both a Z2 and an L10 for about the same price as an Olight, and for less than you'd pay for the D25A. But don't underestimate the value of these premium lights. As well made as the Z2 and the L10 appear to be for the price, the S15 and the D25A will likely, in general, outlast and outperform them. It's no accident that the EagleTac and the Olight earned consistently high marks in my ratings, generally speaking. For my part, I tried hard to put aside any personal bias. I honestly didn't have a favorite brand or model coming in.
Conclusion
Buying lights is a personal choice, and all four of these are worthy contenders, especially when you factor in price. Here is a summary of my ratings:
First Impressions:
1st: Olight S15 and EagleTac D25A (tie)
3rd: Solarforce Z2
4th: L3 Illumination L10
Outdoor Color Rendition:
1st: EagleTac D25A and Solarforce Z2 (tie)
3rd: L3 Illumination
4th: Olight S15
Throw:
1st: EagleTac D25A
2nd: Olight S15
3rd: L3 Illumination L10
4th: Solarforce Z2
General Outdoor Brightness/Spill:
1st: EagleTac D25A
2nd: Olight S15
3rd: L3 Illumination L10
4th: Solarforce Z2
Perceived Brightness Indoors (ceiling bounce):
1st: EagleTac D25A
2nd: Olight S15
3rd: L3 Illumination L10
4th: Solarforce Z2
Indoor Color Rendition/Tint:
1st: EagleTac D25A and L3 Illumination L10 (tie)
3rd: Solarforce Z2 (slightly pinkish)
4th: Olight S15 (greenish)
User Interface:
1st: L3 Illumination L10
2nd: Solarforce Z2
3rd: EagleTac D25A and Olight S15 (tie)
Price: (lowest to highest)
1st: Solarforce Z2
2nd: L3 Illumination L10
3rd: Olight S15
4th: EagleTac D25A
Size: (smallest to largest)
1st: L3 Illumination L10
2nd: EagleTac D25A
3rd: Solarforce Z2
4th: Olight S15
(note: I ranked the S15 fourth in size because it is considerably wider thru the head than the other lights, even though the Solarforce Z2 is slightly longer. my reasoning was that the slight extra length would not be as noticeable in a pocket carry situation as the extra width of the S15)
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