Small EDC: Worthwhile upgrading from a 2013 Eagletac D25A Clicky?

jk037

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Hi all.

Just idly pondering if LED tech and EDC lights in general have progressed enough that it might be worth an upgrade from my long-standing EDC?

I bought an Eagletac D25A Clicky, with neutral white XM-L2 U2 emitter, just over 7 years ago. (Datasheet here: http://www.eagtac.com/html/d25arc/specs.html )

It's been my EDC ever since, and I still like it a lot. I've definitely had my £32-worth out of it over the years, and no doubt it will carry on for good few years more if I don't find a worthwhile upgrade.

Criteria for my EDC are...


  • 1xAA form factor
  • Slim and straight body for pocketability (no lumpy bumpy crenelated horrors)
  • Neutral or warm white emitter (hate the harshness of cool white)
  • Clicky switch
  • Moonlight mode
  • Flashy-flashy modes either non-existent or "hidden" in UI
  • Ability to run on both NiMH AA and 14500 Li-Ion cells
  • Significantly improved performance (output and/or runtime) vs current XM-L2
  • Price £50 or less
  • Prefer not to buy from outside the UK

Cheers!
Jonny
 

Chicken Drumstick

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Improved performance in what way? And do you mostly use it on AA or 14500?

I have a Ti D25A clicky. I forget which year, bought it 3/4'ish years ago maybe. Has an XP-L HI emitter.


It's a nice enough light I guess. I find I don't EDC it very much though, although sometimes keep it under my pillow. Performance on AA is lame (or is that tame???). On a 14500 output is pretty good, but it gets hot too quickly and runtimes are comically low. I also find the moonlight mode is more of a low, not really a "true" moonlight.

But it's the runtimes that I have issues with mostly. Which is true for pretty much any 14500/16340 light I've tried.

I'd much rather EDC an 18560 light. I tend to EDC by clipping it in my trouser/jeans pocket. I find I can tell almost no difference between most 18650 lights and AA ones this way, in terms of size/bulk. But 18650 lights have so much more runtime and even better output and throw.

I think if you want the ultimate 1xAA light, then the Zebralight probably has the best specs. Although I don't know what runtime is really like vs 14500 lights.



Personally, I do have another EagleTac light, this one I do EDC a lot. It still hasn't got a moonlight mode. But it is way better than the D25A in every regard (IMO).

It's a D25LC2. Which I accept is a twisty, not a clicky. But it works just as well in this regard. I have often thought of buying the clicky version of the light, although whenever I've looked, the clicky doesn't have the deep carry pocket clip, so I've never bothered.




Here is my D25A, demoing how 'bright' it's moonlight mode is compared to some of my other lights:
C52dcolh.jpg



And here is a size comparison against the D25L2C:
27Xesjmh.jpg



And also with an 18650 Zerbalight:
xq6YXhPh.jpg





Therefore my vote/suggestion would be to consider some 18650 lights. :)
 

jk037

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Improved performance would be in terms of either LED efficiency (i.e. longer runtimes than my existing light at similar outputs), or a notably more powerful maximum output.

I'm not keen on 18650 or CR123 lights though. I find them a bit bulky for carrying in a pocket (whereas my D25A slides neatly into a jeans pocket alongside my phone). I tried a Marsfire T6 (1x18650) a few years ago and, although very powerful, it was uncomfortably bulky in the pocket as well as lacking an actual low mode. Does make a good bike light though!

Interesting comparison with the moonlight mode, I do agree that it's more of a "low" than true moonlight, but I find it a useful level of brightness for poking around in electrical panels at work.

Looks like I'll be sticking with my faithful D25A for a while longer!
 

Chicken Drumstick

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You didn't say if you used AA or 14500 mostly?


In terms of LEDs. The XM-L2 is still a current emitter. EagleTac do offer a few choices. You can get an XP-L HI these days. The XP-L is basically an XM-L2 but with a footprint akin to an XP-G2. The 'HI' version has no dome, so performs like a de-domed LED. This will give more throw, slightly duller spill beam and a more defined hotspot. So it'll light stuff up further away, but up close the light won't be so even.

EagleTac also offer the Nicia219C as a high CRI option. Less output, but generally a nicer tint than the CREE LEDs.

However in terms of efficiency or output. I don't think much as really changed. Certainly the options EagleTac offer won't dramatically perform differently to your current one. There are other emitters, such as the XHP35/50/70. But these are generally rare to find in 1xAA lights. And many of the more premium torch makers are generally slower to adopt. These are larger LEDs for more output, but would throw less than an XM-L in a small Aa light. Osram have some interesting small LED's which would be great for throw. But I've not seen them in 1xAA lights yet. Most are cool white though.


If you want more output and runtime. There are still options.

The D25C for instance. This is about the same size as the D25A, shorter, but fatter. However the CR123a does outperform a regular AA battery in terms of output. Although if you are already using 14500's, then the 16340 of the D25C offers almost identical specs.


Ultimately I don't think you are going to find anything dramatically different in the 1xAA format to what your current D25A does.

The Zebrlight SC5w Mk II is probably the only one I know of. 475-550 lumens depending on if you go high CRI or not. High lumen on a light using an AA, not a 14500. Driver is also meant to be efficient too. But I doubt it would be a huge leap from what you have now.


And the AA Zebralight is the same length as their 18650 pretty much, just a tad slimmer. So I'd still go 18650 in this instance. (as per my photo above, my Zebralight is only a little fatter than my D25A).


If you wanted to consider a half-way house. EagleTac do have another option.

As pictured above, I have the D25LC2. This is wide enough to fit an 18650. However EagleTac do also offer a D25C2. It looks very similar, but the body tube is designed for CR123a's and is the same diameter as the tiny D25C. You'd run this on either 2 x CR123a (or 16340) or a single 16650 Li-ion.

These are only offered with the XP-G2, so output isn't massively higher than an XP-L D25A. But you'd have way better runtimes, especially at high outputs. If tint was really important, you could always look to swap out the LED.

Indeed my own D25LC2 was originally a cool white XP-G. But it now sports a neutral white XP-G2.



Other than the above. No, I don't think you'll find a direct 1AA replacement to significantly beat your current one. :)
 

Chicken Drumstick

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Just thinking out loud.

The only other options that cross my mind are some 18350 or even 18500 powered lights. Both would be a bit fatter than your D25A, but would be about the same length. However both batteries offer more potential output and runtime. The only real snag is, there are not many lights that support these setups.
 

Climb14er

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I have the Ti version of the Eagletac, 2013. Nice light. I prefer the ZL SC52 where I run 14500's, Eneloops, Energizer Lithiums, and in a pinch Duracells. Great light by ZL.
 

aznsx

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Looks like I'll be sticking with my faithful D25A for a while longer!

Not yet mentioned here, but you may want to check out the current MK2 version of the D25A, as it offers several improvements over the previous version which are not insignificant, while maintaining most / all of what you like about your current one.
 

jk037

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Thanks for all your replies - in particular Chicken Drumstick, very detailed!

I generally use a 14500 in my D25A, do like to have the option to use an AA NiMH or alkaline battery though. I keep a few packs of spare AAs in my work tool kit (as my insulation tester and one of my modern fancy multimeters tend to chew through them at a rate!) and it's handy to be able to use one of these if I neglect to charge the 14500...

It's proving really hard to find another AA/14500 light that's as slim as the D25A. Even the 1xAA Zebralights are 5 or 6mm larger in diameter; the D25A is only 17.5mm at its widest point, so it's actually slimmer than an 18xxx cell. And the slimmest dimension I could find for an 18650 light was an Akoray at 20mm, which again is bulkier than I'd like in an EDC.

I'm quite tempted to try one of the MkII versions of my D25A. Possibly the neutral white Nichia version as I'm not overly concerned about absolute maximum output, nor "throw" (if I need to illuminate, say, the top of a 180ft transmission tower, I've got a Nitecore EA41 which is much better suited to the task).
 

MaxAll8

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I have an older D25A that I like. What has changed in the MkII version? Is it worth the upgrade?
 

admiralburns

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I'm in a similar situation. I've EDC'd a D25A for probably 5+ years. I'm interested in going to the Ti version. This light is just so slim. For me, I wear jeans to work some days and suit pants other days, so a slim light is choice, and the D25A is no more obtrusive than my Streamlight Micro USB.

It checks almost all the boxes for me:
- Instant access to high or turbo
- Strong deep carry clip
- Clicky
- SLIM
- Reliable, Eagtac may not be the absolute most reliable manufacturer, but I've owned three of their lights and they have all been reliable for me.
- Excellent output with 14500's, but I can use Eneloops or disposables when I'm traveling and don't have time to charge up.

If only that deep carry clip were a reversible / two- way clip, it would be near perfection for my needs.

One question for you guys: if I update to the latest and greatest model, I could use your help on the LED choice. I tend to be happy with my SC700 and other lights in a similar temp range (4000-5000k). So with that, do you have suggestions on which of the following LED choices I should favor, considering output vs. rendering?

- XM-L2 Neutral (output not listed, but is 286 OTF for regular XM-L2 U4).
- OSRAM CSLPM1 (310 Lumens, 3000 LUX)
- Nichia 219c (4000k) (195 lumens OTF, center LUX 2050?)
- Luminous SST20-R9 (4000k, about same output as above?)

I wish it were clearer how each of the choices above impacted output and other specs, and what the temp range the OSRAM and XM-L2 Neutral fell into, but it just is not clear from the websites I've reviewed. Also, output is just not provided anywhere for the XM-L2 Neutral.

Thanks for any input you have, I see no specs at all listed for the XM-L2 Neutral. It seems like going to the Nichia or Luminous is a big sacrifice in output...but I'm only an entry-level flashaholic so thanks for any input you have!

Burns
 

SCEMan

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I picked up the D3A upgraded D25A Ti and it's a big improvement from my older D25A Ti. Almost as bright on eneloops as a 14500 in the older model, brighter on 14500 and fully compatible as well.


Not yet mentioned here, but you may want to check out the current MK2 version of the D25A, as it offers several improvements over the previous version which are not insignificant, while maintaining most / all of what you like about your current one.
 

aznsx

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Thanks for any input you have, I see no specs at all listed for the XM-L2 Neutral. It seems like going to the Nichia or Luminous is a big sacrifice in output...but I'm only an entry-level flashaholic so thanks for any input you have!
Burns

My best suggestion is to say that the folks at IlluminationGear have always been very responsive via e-mail to my questions regarding these lights. Don't know where you are, but they're U.S. based. If you come up with any info beyond what's at the ET site on their product pages and 'technical specifications' docs, and the info IG puts on their site, by all means please pass it along. I, and I imagine others would be interested. Of the several emitters I have between several 'A's and 'C's, the 'XM-L2 Neutral' is not one, so I can't comment on what that one looks like. The reason I have several D25 series lights is specifically because I wanted a decent, useful, usable light that I at least somewhat liked, which was orderable directly from shelf stock with several different emitters I wanted to evaluate, from a reliable U.S. distributor. There were few choices meeting those criteria, but the D25s have met that need well. I've been using them all, but am definitely not a 'collector'.
 
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