3/19/2015 - Scout24 has added another player! HERE
3/11/2015 - Final Results of Rayovac test HERE
3/8/2015 - "Tumbler of Death" test complete HERE
3/6/2015 - "Late entrant added HERE"
Test is all done. Final results HERE
I really don't know where this is going – or where it will end up. All the talk about the E01 sparked interest in other 5mm LED lights. Scout24 and I have talked about it quite a bit.
So I decided to pick up 1 of each of the true competitors. What's a competitor? 5mm LED, AAA battery, 1 level twisty, $10-15. Thought about adding the Thrunite Ti (I have some unopened 2 level 3/60 lumen versions) but honestly don't think a Ti would survive the kind of abuse these may see. Plus a run time comparison would not be apples to apples, and the output/beam/etc. is different with the XPE emitter behind a true reflector.
Thought about adding the Nitecore Tube but I doubt it would survive any of the torture tests. Ordered a cheap Rayovac "Value Bright" AAA for $4.99, but, alas, it was backordered.
So here's the line up:
Sunwayman R01A – price paid: $12.80
Klarus Mi02 – price paid: $11.95
Nitecore T0 – price paid: $11.90
Fenix E01 (new) - price paid: $9.85 (after discount)
Incidentally, the Fenix is the only one of the four to include a battery. Cerealand got around 37 hours (I believe) out of the included cell on his E01.
The Nitecore and the Klarus both came in a small box – the Sunwayman and the Fenix both came in a blister pack. All 4 lights included a split ring and an o-ring as well as rudimentary instructions. And as already mentioned, the Fenix came with a battery.
I installed identical batteries in each one and weighed them - the weights in grams/ounces:
The Sunwayman seems to have Acme type threads...maybe overkill on a key ring light? The Klarus and the Fenix have similar deep threads. The Nitecore has a stainless head and very shallow threads....I have to wonder about how robust this set up is...shallow threads with stainless coupling to aluminum. Time will tell.
I've come to really appreciate the hex treatment on the head of the Sunwayman - makes it easy to grip and operate one handed and it seems to have the smoothest out of the box threads. Also nice that it doesn't roll away when placed on a flat surface.
The Nitecore and the Sunwayman have similar tails/split ring holes. Neither will tail stand under any circumstances. The Klarus will certainly tail stand without a split ring installed. The Fenix has the best tail set up (IMHO) because it is set up to allow tail standing even with a split ring attached. YMMV.
My initial impressions - you'll see the initial outputs below, but they all have the typical purple spot out to varying shades in the spill. The Klarus and the Nitecore have the beams that are the 'least offensive' to me.
These 4 photos give you an idea of the (un-modified) beams to one another (L-R - Sunwayman, Klarus, Nitecore, Fenix)
Run time tests come first – I started with 4 batteries from the same batch of USA made Duracells – expiration date 2018 – that lasted around 42 hours in another E01. At 14:45 minutes the Sunwayman and Klarus had already given up. I'm actually not certain how long they lasted since they were both showing their 'low battery indicators' when I got up at 4:30 in the morning after the test started the previous night. The Klarus and the Fenix were still chugging along nicely – measurements are shown in the table below.
Since I didn't measure the voltage of the batteries before beginning the run time test, I thought maybe it would be a good idea to start over – this time with a fresher batch of Chinese made Duracells – expiration date 2020. The voltage of each cell is shown in the table. The table will be updated with run times, voltages, etc., as each light finally gives it up.
As of the writing of this text, the Klarus and the Fenix are still chugging along with the Klarus at .22 lumen and the Fenix at .72 – both providing enough light to navigate a dark room
After the run time tests are completed, fresh batteries will be installed and the abuse will begin. My belief is that scout24's abuse of an E01 set the bar very high – kudos to scout for taking that one for the team. These 4 lights probably won't see that level of abuse, but they will be abused beyond what might happen in "real life." We'll see what happens.
I'll start with a little bit different method. A 20% discount coupon for Harbor Freight was more than I could resist – decided to pick up a rock tumbler and some ceramic abrasive media (see photos). Maybe this will simulate a great deal of pocket wear with keys, coins, etc., in a "slightly accelerated" way…
So stay tuned! Updates will be posted after the Klarus and the Fenix finally give up. There will be some abuse beyond the rock tumbler as well. this crazy curiosity has cost around $100 so far so hopefully it will be useful to my sisters and brothers in the CPF community.
3/11/2015 - Final Results of Rayovac test HERE
3/8/2015 - "Tumbler of Death" test complete HERE
3/6/2015 - "Late entrant added HERE"
Test is all done. Final results HERE
I really don't know where this is going – or where it will end up. All the talk about the E01 sparked interest in other 5mm LED lights. Scout24 and I have talked about it quite a bit.
So I decided to pick up 1 of each of the true competitors. What's a competitor? 5mm LED, AAA battery, 1 level twisty, $10-15. Thought about adding the Thrunite Ti (I have some unopened 2 level 3/60 lumen versions) but honestly don't think a Ti would survive the kind of abuse these may see. Plus a run time comparison would not be apples to apples, and the output/beam/etc. is different with the XPE emitter behind a true reflector.
Thought about adding the Nitecore Tube but I doubt it would survive any of the torture tests. Ordered a cheap Rayovac "Value Bright" AAA for $4.99, but, alas, it was backordered.
So here's the line up:
Sunwayman R01A – price paid: $12.80
Klarus Mi02 – price paid: $11.95
Nitecore T0 – price paid: $11.90
Fenix E01 (new) - price paid: $9.85 (after discount)
Incidentally, the Fenix is the only one of the four to include a battery. Cerealand got around 37 hours (I believe) out of the included cell on his E01.
The Nitecore and the Klarus both came in a small box – the Sunwayman and the Fenix both came in a blister pack. All 4 lights included a split ring and an o-ring as well as rudimentary instructions. And as already mentioned, the Fenix came with a battery.
I installed identical batteries in each one and weighed them - the weights in grams/ounces:
Light | Grams | Ounces |
Sunwayman R01A | 26 | .917 |
Klarus Mi02 | 25 | .882 |
Nitecore T0 | 34 | 1.2 |
Fenix E01 | 25 | .882 |
The Sunwayman seems to have Acme type threads...maybe overkill on a key ring light? The Klarus and the Fenix have similar deep threads. The Nitecore has a stainless head and very shallow threads....I have to wonder about how robust this set up is...shallow threads with stainless coupling to aluminum. Time will tell.
I've come to really appreciate the hex treatment on the head of the Sunwayman - makes it easy to grip and operate one handed and it seems to have the smoothest out of the box threads. Also nice that it doesn't roll away when placed on a flat surface.
The Nitecore and the Sunwayman have similar tails/split ring holes. Neither will tail stand under any circumstances. The Klarus will certainly tail stand without a split ring installed. The Fenix has the best tail set up (IMHO) because it is set up to allow tail standing even with a split ring attached. YMMV.
My initial impressions - you'll see the initial outputs below, but they all have the typical purple spot out to varying shades in the spill. The Klarus and the Nitecore have the beams that are the 'least offensive' to me.
These 4 photos give you an idea of the (un-modified) beams to one another (L-R - Sunwayman, Klarus, Nitecore, Fenix)
Run time tests come first – I started with 4 batteries from the same batch of USA made Duracells – expiration date 2018 – that lasted around 42 hours in another E01. At 14:45 minutes the Sunwayman and Klarus had already given up. I'm actually not certain how long they lasted since they were both showing their 'low battery indicators' when I got up at 4:30 in the morning after the test started the previous night. The Klarus and the Fenix were still chugging along nicely – measurements are shown in the table below.
Since I didn't measure the voltage of the batteries before beginning the run time test, I thought maybe it would be a good idea to start over – this time with a fresher batch of Chinese made Duracells – expiration date 2020. The voltage of each cell is shown in the table. The table will be updated with run times, voltages, etc., as each light finally gives it up.
As of the writing of this text, the Klarus and the Fenix are still chugging along with the Klarus at .22 lumen and the Fenix at .72 – both providing enough light to navigate a dark room
After the run time tests are completed, fresh batteries will be installed and the abuse will begin. My belief is that scout24's abuse of an E01 set the bar very high – kudos to scout for taking that one for the team. These 4 lights probably won't see that level of abuse, but they will be abused beyond what might happen in "real life." We'll see what happens.
I'll start with a little bit different method. A 20% discount coupon for Harbor Freight was more than I could resist – decided to pick up a rock tumbler and some ceramic abrasive media (see photos). Maybe this will simulate a great deal of pocket wear with keys, coins, etc., in a "slightly accelerated" way…
So stay tuned! Updates will be posted after the Klarus and the Fenix finally give up. There will be some abuse beyond the rock tumbler as well. this crazy curiosity has cost around $100 so far so hopefully it will be useful to my sisters and brothers in the CPF community.
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