Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

[N8N]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

Just got my D25C Ti 219 today...

1) I can't seem to get mode memory to work, not that I really care about such... I want it to start on moonlight all the time anyway.

2) The U-shaped cutout on the tail end for the split ring/lanyard is f'ing SHARP. Already cut the crap out of the back of my middle finger reaching into my pocket.

I'm assuming that this is solid TI and I should be able to knock a chamfer on it with a small diamond file?

Have not tried it with RCRs yet, gotta shuffle some cells around but seems to run great on a Surefire primary.

Edit: OK, now I'm a little disappointed. With an RCR, I seem to have moonlight, turbo, turbo, and turbo (on, click, click, and tighten.) Is this normal or should I contact EagleTac?

Edit2: remembered that I had LFPs for my Night Com UV... Tried one of those, better but modes not as distinct as on a primary. Why is it so hard to find lights that are fully compatible with li-ions?

 

[Lithium466]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

I think the light is pure Ti, not Ti alloy of some sort. Should be softer than Stainless steel unfortunately.
I notice the same thing on mine with RCR, so should be normal unfortunately.

 

[bhonder]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

Have you ever tried to cut the Batman's signal, stick it on the crystal, and project it with a magnifying lens?
I did it and it's fun. Try with a big lens and a d25lc2, when the clouds are low...
It works also well with d25a2 because the beam is less flooded.

Have fun!

 

[radiopej]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

Hehe.

 

[radiopej]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

I found that some batteries I used didn't give me mode memory. Might be a sizing issue.

 

[guthrie]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

I now have a D25C2, thanks in part to this review and comments, so thank you to everyone who contributed.
I find the tint to be a little more yellow than I expected for a neutral LED, but it is a nice tint and I have no problems with it. Moreover the hot spot, although smaller than my 4sevens quark mini AA is complemented with more light outside it, so it is an easy to use torch that lights things up enough.

 

[ScottJD]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

Hello, first time posting so be a little nice.
so I ended up buying some cheap Cree mini flashlights as gifts. I miss my stream light AA that I lost.
one thing I noticed was all the different ones I received, differences in LEDs and pills and so on. They were bought from multiple amazon stores. Anyway this got me on a LED light kick to read and learn, identify the different LEDs, tail cap loads, amd drivers amd so on........

Now I ran accross the D25A and I'm thinking this will be a good replacement for my stream light AA EDC I lost. But will all the obsessiveness in reading about this light I can't seem to locate conformation on a few questions I have. I plan in running 14500 protected cells. so my questions are:

Will I loose the different modes with a 14500 direct drive on the D25A clicky, or was this only for the older models? I've already located a place that has the 2014 versions in stock.

Or do I need to buy Ti to keep the mode changes?
I know I'll loose the map mode, no big loss since I've never had it in the past. Not worried about stones either. But my understanding is the Li-Ion will push these up about %40 and I would still like to have at least low-meduim-high.

Now about the LED options. Taking I to consideration the direct drive or increase in lighting with the Li-ions I was considering on getting it with the Nichai LED. But I'm having a hard time envisioning the amount of difference. My old streamlight was a 70lm. The Cree mini 7W sipik clones I bought make that old stream light look like the difference between a star and the sun. And these were only $5 to $8 flashlights. Even with an alkaline AA these cheap lights are brighter then the one I lost.
So I know the XM-L2 will be the most, with the Nichai being the least. I'm thinking with the extra battery power it wouldn't make a difference to me unless I had to move to a AA as a backup. But I also read that despite the nice look and color of the Nichai it also consumes more power. Is this correct?

If the Nichai does take more then I may want to look for a XP-G2 as a happy middle.

Any comments and feedback is welcomed.
And if anyone has compared a Cree mini to this flashlight is would be great to hear how they compare and the LED you are running in the D25A. The brightest mini I received had a nice brass looking reflector and the LED I think was a Cree Q5 XL-E type. The best was to describe it is the LED had a bass ring around it, I beleive maybe silicone filled that rind over the diod and then a little dome lens on top that was sealed to the metal ring.
Because of this lens in the led I was able to make out the famouse Cree square and the wire leads, it consisted of three rectangles in the square with two of the corners cut out.


Thank for for taking the time to read and help, a lot of great information on this site and great reviews,
Scott

 

[selfbuilt]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

I will have to let someone else comment on the current D25A versions and 14500, as I don't have one.

As for emitter, go for the Nichia if the tint matters to you (and you like a more neutral white appearance). If you like the cool white tint on the other LEDs you've seen, stick with XP-G2 or XM-L2. XP-G2 is more "throwy" (focused hotspot), and the XM-L2 will have higher max output a wider hotspot with brighter spill.

There is not really a huge efficiency difference between them, but the XP-G2/XM-L2 do have a bit of an edge there. But tint and beam pattern matter a lot more in practice.

:welcome:

 

[ScottJD]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

Thank for the reply. At this time battery life would be more important to me than the tint so I'll be looking for a XP-G2 or XM-L2. The XM-L2 is easier to find especialy when looking at the titaniums.

Now I just need to decide if I need a Ti for the better driver and possable modes or if the clicky standard also has mode capability when running a Li-Ion.

I also have some good NiMh cells and read some posts about the D25 not being able to run on NiMh after using the Li-Ion. I see these post but they have no specifics as to what version or year he light was.
Does anyone know if this driver damage on the standard D25A?
Or were these D25A ones that were 2012 or 2013 models? (Before eagletac officialy supported Li-Ion batteries)
The above reasons are additional reasons to maybe get the Ti with the better driver.

On one hand I prefer the black over the TI that seems to scratch easier, but all want to get one that will last. Also I just read that the lens is not replaceable in the Ti (stated as one peice) and although I've only broke one EDC in years it's also a nice option to replace the lens if needed.

I guess when it comes down to buying my next EDC it can be the little things between models like lens replacement and one big thing like stability of drivers with different battery chemistries. Of course the driver would take priority over the lens replacement.

 

[ScottJD]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

I asked EagleTac directly regarding some of my questions and these are the answers I received with my communications.

On Tue, Jan 6, 2015 at 6:57 PM, Scott email address removed wrote:​

Email Subject: 2014 D25A Clicky

Hello, I am interested in buying the d25A Clicky standard or maybe the titanium.​

I've read some comments about people not being able to use NiMh batteries after running Li-Ion batteries.
I'm not able to confirm if this issue was seen on the standard clicky or the titanium version. My understanding is the TI runs an upgraded driver that will also support most modes changed with the Li-Ion battery.

Have you had any returns or warranty work for this issue? If so was this noticed on the Clicky standard or the Ti version. I may get the Ti for the updated driver hoping it won't experience this issue.
Would an issue like this covered under warranty?

Also I see that the Ti version does suport modes with Li-Ion not including the moon. Does the standard version also support the same modes when using a Li-ion or does it cut back to only 2 levels like the older ones?

Thank you,
Scott

On Jan 9, 2015, at 12:31 AM, EagleTac Sales email address removed wrote:
Hi Scott,

The circuit on D25A clicky and D25A TI Clicky is the same. Both of them work with 14500 or AA battery.

We will handle warranty for the lights that work incorrectly.

Cheers,

Christina
Customer Service Specialist

On Sat, Jan 10, 2015 at 11:04 PM, Scott email address removed wrote:​

H Christina,
Thank you for your reply.
So since the circuit on D25A clicky and D25A TI Clicky is the same, can you confirm that the D25A also supports the circuit with dimmable output with li-ion?
This is the main feature I'm looking for but prefer the black over the titanium.

Thank you,ScotT

On Jan 17, 2015, at 4:12 AM, EagleTac Sales email address removed wrote:

Hi Scott,​

Yes, the function is the same.

Cheers,

Christina
Customer Service Specialist

 

[ScottJD]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

Hello selfbuilt,
I wanted to thank you for your great reviews and taking the time to answer some of my questions.
After a lot of research I had narrowed down my decision to the EagleTac D25A, Olight S15R and the ZebraLight SC52W.
the Olight R version was for the improved switch to prevent accidental turn ons in the pocket, but I already have chargers.

As of now I think I'm going to order the SC52W. It seems to support all my wants and needs. Has voltage cutoff, does not use PWM and supports low moon modes even with Li-Ion batteries.

I did see EagleTac released some TAC 2015 models recently and kind of want to hold off to see what they do with the D25A in the 2015 line, but I'm guessing they won't improve on the moon modes with running Li-Ion since it's never been a strong point and lower modes still may be PWM driven. I'll wait a week or two and see if they release anything new.

But I'm %95 sure I'll end up with the SC52W

 

[selfbuilt]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

But I'm %95 sure I'll end up with the SC52W

It's a nice light.

 

[DigMe]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

I recently purchased the D25C XM-L2 to replace a Thrunite Ti2 as my pocket light. What an upgrade! This post was very helpful in helping me decide on this light. Thanks for that. It's quite a value.

Question - What is the difference in output and performance of the XM-L2 vs. the XM-L originally reviewed?

Also, a question for anyone who may have insight - I wanted the neutral version but Amazon only showed to have cool. I ordered it with Amazon gift cards. When it came there was a sticker on the box from Eagletac that said neutral. The label applied by the seller with a bar code said cool. It definitely seems less cool than other LEDs that I have. Anyone else order the cool from amazon that was labeled as neutral and have thoughts on this?


thanks,
Brad

 

[ScottJD]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

Hi Brad,
I'm new on the site and also to LED lights but spent a lot of time researching in the last month and hope my answers are correct, if not maybe someone can correct me. From what I know the XM-L2 is about %20 brighter and a little warmer than the XM-L.
Ive seen posts were vendors use up old boxes when releasing new versions for LED changes and that would explain the sticker making what light is really in the box. So what you recevied may be the Cool but inky the seller could really confirm this. You state that it "seems less cool" than other lights just may be because of the difference in LEDs and would also depend on what LED you comparing it to and if it's also a cree or another manufacture of LED.
If your comparing it to a cree Q5 or older then the XM-L2 would be warmer but still considered the "Cool" LED for this years offerings that you had to choose from.

I hope some of this makes sense and was able to help.

 

[brightsteve]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

Just got what i believe to be a 2014 D25C Ti, with nitecore CR123A I appear to get everything, low med high x2 disco modes, memory and moonlight. Mode 1 turbo dims after 200secs ish. With AW's RCR's no mode 1 :-(. Ordered and waiting for some Nitecore RCRs to hopefully get full functionality.

Steve

 

[Chicken Drumstick]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

Just got what i believe to be a 2014 D25C Ti, with nitecore CR123A I appear to get everything, low med high x2 disco modes, memory and moonlight. Mode 1 turbo dims after 200secs ish. With AW's RCR's no mode 1 :-(. Ordered and waiting for some Nitecore RCRs to hopefully get full functionality.

Steve

Have you thought of speaking to the place you purchased it from, or even EagleTac directly?

 

[cyclesport]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

Just got what i believe to be a 2014 D25C Ti, with nitecore CR123A I appear to get everything, low med high x2 disco modes, memory and moonlight. Mode 1 turbo dims after 200secs ish. With AW's RCR's no mode 1 :-(. Ordered and waiting for some Nitecore RCRs to hopefully get full functionality.

Steve

Sadly, you'll essentially loose medium (Moolight/Low-Turbo-Turbo X2-and normal flashing modes) using any Li-ion, whether 3.7v or 3.2v. EagleTac's D25c Ti, whether a 2012, 13, or 14 model only retains a true medium with 3v primaries.

 

[brightsteve]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

Not sure why I'm losing turbo and strobe with AWs, too long? Although they're under the max dimensions

 

[cyclesport]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

Not sure why I'm losing turbo and strobe with AWs, too long? Although they're under the max dimensions

Not sure about that...could be a battery fit issue? Of the roughly 6 various iterations of the D25C I've had, all modes are retained with any 16340 Li-ion brand or chemistry, except medium *(you get two turbo modes instead).

 

[brightsteve]

Re: Eagletac D25 Clicky Series Round-up Review (D25C, D25A2, D25LC2 - XM-L & XP-G)

Ok, I'm a bit confused. RCR123's I've seen 3v and 3.7v. The D25c specs says operating voltage upto 3.2v. Now I'm even more confused. Which do I buy and use.