# The new little NiteCore: "EZAA" Part 2



## EngrPaul (Mar 28, 2009)

_[continued from __Part 1__]_

:hairpull: <<< Icon because we are addicts and need the info! 

There's a new AA light from NiteCore that is almost as small as a AAA light. 

How did they do it? Alien technology. :naughty:

No available for preorder.

There is now an official 4sevens announcement now.

Knowns:
Called the "EZAA". 
Twisty operation.
Uses AA cells.
83.0 x 16.6 mm (3.27 x 0.65 in).
Weighs 20g without cell (0.7 oz).
Has two modes, off-low-high twisty (same UI as lummi raw?)
Anodized black HA-III and typical NiteCore knurling.
Will have a slick rechargeable feature.
Meant to be a Keychain light, 
-Has holes in the tail for split ring,
-A swivel clip for keychain attach will be provided.
-No pocket clip planned, but there are two "extra" holes for it 
1/4" tripod mount in the tail.
Has a cool white Cree XR-E LED
-Some warm whites (100 lumen) can be ordered (with delay)
Head will be sealed (not easy to change emitter)
Brass heat sink
130 lumens for "up to" 90 minutes
15 lumens for "up to" 20 hours
Current Regulation - No PWM
IPX-8 Water Resistance
2V maximum voltage input
Not polarity protected
-wrong insertion can lead to permanent damage.
Preorders ship around 4/7/2009


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## shadeone (Apr 8, 2009)

here are important links of interest for everyone:

*General Threads*

pre announcement thread:
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=192929 (locked)

official announcement thread:
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=193180 (locked)
continued:
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=193474

previous version of this thread:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/227316 (locked)

Vote for your clip or etc:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/233143

*First Batch Reviews*
(first batch reviews will be moved down to "second batch threads" if the reviews are updated with the new version)

csshih's pre-review:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/228102&highlight=1xaa

Bruiser's review:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/228618

* First Batch Recall Threads *

FIRST BATCH RECALL THREAD:
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=193730 (locked)

Official Nitecore Recall Announcement:
http://www.nitecore.com/News/news7.html

Regulator's recall thread:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/229103

* Second Batch Threads *

HKJ's beam shoot comparison:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/232958

HKJ's Beamshoot comparison to 4Sevens Quark AA/123:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/234102

UnknownVT's Comparison Review:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/232954

UnknownVT's Warm Tint Comparison Review
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/233122

Anyone safely using 14500 in EZAA? 
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/233496

AardvarkSagus's review:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/228525

Light Reviews Review:
http://light-reviews.com/nitecore_ez_aa/

selfbuilt's review:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=228281

csshih's EZAA Comparison Review:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/234023

Custom body for the EZAA?
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/234056

Nitecore EZ AA shootout with the old timers:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/234090

EZ AA 3-Mode Glitch, anyone else has it?:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/234532

EZAAw Runs Hot:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/234896

What have I done to my EZAA?!:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/235356

EZAA or QUARK 1AA:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/235650

Battery scraping in Nitecore EZ AA:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/237296


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## selfbuilt (Apr 8, 2009)

shadeone said:


> here are important links of interest for everyone:


Good link summary shadeone.

FYI, I have just updated my EZ AA review with the Lo mode alkaline run results.


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## loanshark (Apr 8, 2009)

Great job on the review selfbuilt, as usual. I was wondering what light is represented by the light purple line on the Lo mode alkaline run?


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## mighty82 (Apr 8, 2009)

loanshark said:


> Great job on the review selfbuilt, as usual. I was wondering what light is represented by the light purple line on the Lo mode alkaline run?


They are all listed. The light purple line seems to be the Jetbeam E3P.


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## loanshark (Apr 8, 2009)

Thanks mighty82, I got mixed up looking at the runtimes. I couldn't understand why there wasn't one that was shorter than the EZAA. Now I realize with the sharp initial drop, the EZAA makes it down to 50% first. Even though it still runs a bit longer than the Jetbeam E3P below 50%... I expect to make a full recovery someday!


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## Southernlight (Apr 8, 2009)

Dont forget the link to Nitecore's official site, with a page on the EZ AA

http://www.nitecore.com/products/ezaa/


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## Perfectionist (Apr 9, 2009)

Would love to see a pic of the EZ next to the LRI Proton and Fenix AAA !!


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## AardvarkSagus (Apr 9, 2009)

By the way, My review is up HERE and HERE.


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## EngrPaul (Apr 9, 2009)

In case anybody else hasn't been informed, *I just found out they won't ship until 4/14. *

If you're like me, you may not have gotten notification by email. :sick2:


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## qip (Apr 9, 2009)

didnt you check the sale thread, they have the nitecores but not the secret usb thingy so if you want your light now let them know and they will ship now but you lose the power source


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## Crenshaw (Apr 9, 2009)

I'm waiting for the Warm Whites anyway....so as long as i get one in warm white, not to worried about the waiting time...

Crenshaw


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## selfbuilt (Apr 10, 2009)

*UPDATE: NITECORE ANNOUNCES EZ AA PRODUCT RECALL*

I have been in contact with NiteCore (aka EDGETAC) throughout the review process, and have shared with them my results regarding the apparently reduced output on the EZ AA Lo mode (and corresponding reduced output/runtime efficiency). They have advised me that they are issuing a product recall for the first batch of lights.

Full details available here:
Notice of Official Recall of NiteCore EZ AA Flashlights

I will keep you posted of any updates I receive from NiteCore regarding a replacement/revised model for re-testing.

:wave:


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## AardvarkSagus (Apr 10, 2009)

Wow, I heard they were doing something, but I didn't know it was this major. That's some serious action. I'm intrigued to see this level of dedication to quality.


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## swiftwing (Apr 10, 2009)

Woah, this is excellent news, from a customer service perspective. Not so excellent from a light addict waiting for his next hit perspective of course.


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## Flying Turtle (Apr 10, 2009)

I guess we can assume 4Sevens will hold off on any mailings of the pre-orders next week. Now I'm really not sure what to do. I'd almost convinced myself I liked the idea of a lower low, even with the poor efficiency. Hard to imagine NiteCore would send out a faulty first batch of a highly touted new light.

Trying to think positively. 

Geoff


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## sabre7 (Apr 10, 2009)

A faulty first batch implies poor quality control. I wonder whether it is actually a recall, or emergency redesign in an attempt to salvage rapidly diminishing interest and sales?


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## swiftwing (Apr 11, 2009)

sabre7 said:


> A faulty first batch implies poor quality control. I wonder whether it is actually a recall, or emergency redesign in an attempt to salvage rapidly diminishing interest and sales?



Doesn't really matter to me, it shows that they care enough about their reputation to do something about the issues raised. That's more than can be said for alot of companies out there.

Everybody makes mistakes, that Nitecore is stepping up and fixing this one of theirs speaks well of them.


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## Sgt. LED (Apr 11, 2009)

AWESOME!

I am so glad it is being recalled. Now I can look forward to it and a new review all over again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I might go ahead and order again! After this I KNOW they are not going to let this light out into the world without being just right.

:twothumbs


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## jslappa (Apr 11, 2009)

^^^^I Agree with SGT LED and other positive thinkers. For those who think this is an emergency redesign or an attempt to peak consumer interest, I'm pretty sure that's not the issue. Although I only have a bachelor's degree in business management, I can tell you that missing a release date is something NO company wants to do. Too many consumers are quick to order a similar light by the competition. Furthermore, this complete and total recall is going to cost Nitecore a bunch of money. The money is going to come directly from their cash-on-hand and directly affects their bottom line numbers. Even with a great launch, first quarter will not look they projected, and that throws off the rest of the year's projections, too.

Clearly, Nitecore cares about their reputation, and sees their viability in the marketplace for years to come. That's why they are taking steps now to fix a problem before it reaches consumers. I salute them and hope they can fix the issues soon. 

While I did cancel my preorder, I ordered another D10, clip and slotted piston. When the EZ AA's are available and the reviews are favorable, I'll pick one up for sure.


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## Axion (Apr 11, 2009)

sabre7 said:


> A faulty first batch implies poor quality control.



Not necessarily, it could be a design error. As an engineer I can tell you design errors are easy to make when you're under pressure to release a design now so production can start.

I am glad to see that Nitecore is listening to our feed back.


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## sabre7 (Apr 11, 2009)

Axion said:


> Not necessarily, it could be a design error. As an engineer I can tell you design errors are easy to make when you're under pressure to release a design now so production can start.



"There was an issue involving the circuit in the NiteCore EZ AA model which produced lower efficiency in the low mode than we had expected. The efficiency in the production run did not meet the same specs as in the pre-production pieces."

NiteCore has never been known to have any issues with design errors from rushing new models into production or quality, but it looks like this production run was released without simple random sampling and testing of those units. Nobody's perfect, so no matter what the reason is for the recall, at least they are flexible enough to correct the issue and possibly recover some of the lost sales from canceled orders. Lessons learned about pre-ordering new models before they are reviewed.


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## Ble (Apr 11, 2009)

Great news.

I canceled my order, but I'll be the first to buy one that meets the specs.


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## JJV (Apr 11, 2009)

OF COURSE they recall them...as soon as I get mine!!!! Argh. 

I actually like this one, so I am torn. I hate waiting!!


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## Jedi Knife (Apr 11, 2009)

I think I'm going to recall my decision to buy one these, if and when they ever become available. Liteflux it will be


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## mr.snakeman (Apr 11, 2009)

I almost canceled, now I´m glad I didn´t. It seems a lucky twist that 4sevens had problems getting the usb batteries that caused shipping delays with the pre-orders so that 4sevens can now wait until the new lights arrive without having too many send/resend issues. Kudos to NiteCore for taking this problem seriously and for all the cpf members that have worked on this.:twothumbslovecpf


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## AardvarkSagus (Apr 11, 2009)

Yeah, this to me is definitely a case of "Nobody's perfect". A faulty product was released, but the good thing is that Nitecore is doing the right thing and making it good for us at their own expense. That's a sure sign of a stand-up company.


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## loanshark (Apr 11, 2009)

Only makes me more loyal to 47s and NiteCore!!


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## Beamhead (Apr 11, 2009)

JJV said:


> OF COURSE they recall them...as soon as I get mine!!!! Argh.
> 
> I actually like this one


I intend to keep mine.


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## Marduke (Apr 11, 2009)

Anyone else see the irony here? The EZAA was released with one mode being a bit off, and it's a "design flaw", or "incorrect specs", or "bad QC" etc. The E2DL was released with an entire mode MISSING, and it was a "collector's item" :thinking:

I personally think a missing mode is a hell of a lot easier for QC to pick up on than a mode being of the wrong brightness.


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## JJV (Apr 11, 2009)

Marduke said:


> Anyone else see the irony here? The EZAA was released with one mode being a bit off, and it's a "design flaw", or "incorrect specs", or "bad QC" etc. The E2DL was released with an entire mode MISSING, and it was a "collector's item" :thinking:



I'm glad someone else was thinking that...I didn't know about the E2DL story, but the general tone definitely struck me :devil:


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## rayman (Apr 11, 2009)

It's not really great that something like this happens but it can happen. So it's a great move from Nitecore to recall the EZAA. I really like Nitecore for its good flashlights and I preorder the EZAA in warm-white so I am really looking forward to get the EZAA (v1.1) :huh:.

rayman


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## shadeone (Apr 15, 2009)

cant believe this thread is on page 4... 

Anyways, someone in a thread elsewhere mentioned that teh amoutn of turns required to get the high mode was quite a bit but was easily remidied using a different foam from a blister/corn pad or something... 

to those who have the light, would that make the battery rattle around ni there at all or si there still a spring pressure on it?

shade


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## Kilovolt (Apr 16, 2009)

Very compact!


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## Moonshadow (Apr 16, 2009)

Thanks for posting that pic, kV:

Very interesting - for those of us that already have a D10, I just don't see that the slight reduction in size is worth having, in return for the less versatile interface.


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## Zeruel (Apr 16, 2009)

After they've fixed the regulation, it will make a nice back-up of my back-up's back-up. :thinking:


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## PhantomPhoton (Apr 16, 2009)

Zeruel said:


> After they've fixed the regulation, it will make a nice back-up of my back-up's back-up. :thinking:




That's what I always tell myself when I buy a new light. Cause, 'ya know, what if the other 60 fail?

Personally I have greater respect for a company who voluntarily recall a product to make it better. Nightcore took care of an issue I had in the past with no questions asked or strings attached. They stood by their product for me in the past and so I'm willing to give them a bit of slack.


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## kaichu dento (Apr 16, 2009)

Moonshadow said:


> ...for those of us that already have a D10, I just don't see that the slight reduction in size is worth having, in return for the less versatile interface.


I can understand how many will feel this way, but I see the smaller size and foolproof UI as justification for buying these for many of our friends and family members. I'd also gladly replace my D10 with one of these if they had three levels instead of two, the high/low being the same as on the D10 and a medium just a bit below mid way. 

Still really looking forward to getting mine!


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## Kilovolt (Apr 16, 2009)

Moonshadow said:


> Thanks for posting that pic, kV:
> 
> Very interesting - for those of us that already have a D10, I just don't see that the slight reduction in size is worth having, in return for the less versatile interface.


 

Slight? In length, maybe. As to overall size just try both of them alternatively in the same pocket and you will notice the difference.


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## regulator (Apr 16, 2009)

Kilovolt said:


> Slight? In length, maybe. As to overall size just try both of them alternatively in the same pocket and you will notice the difference.


 
I agree and that's why I limit how much I carry my D10 now. To me, AAA lights are great for there slimmer profile and pocket carry when EDC. The slim profile of the EZAA and extra capacity that the AA offers are attractive features. It looks as if the EZAA is almost half the volume of the D10.


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## konut (Apr 16, 2009)

As per the previous 2 posts, this is a likely candidate to dethrone my LODCE (pronounced LOD-key) keyring light. Watching closely the saga of the EZAA (pronounced EEZ-ah).


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## Thujone (Apr 16, 2009)

konut said:


> LODCE (pronounced LOD-key) EZAA (pronounced EEZ-ah).



Thanks for the official pronunciation key.. :laughing:


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## H.Roark (Apr 16, 2009)

konut said:


> As per the previous 2 posts, this is a likely candidate to dethrone my LODCE



Really? I sure like my LOD-CE. The small amount I need to recharge it's Eneloop does not have me lusting after higher capacity.


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## erlon (Apr 16, 2009)

I really would like to know why Nitecore did not use the CREE XP-E in this flashlight.


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## AardvarkSagus (Apr 16, 2009)

erlon said:


> I really would like to know why Nitecore did not use the CREE XP-E in this flashlight.


Yeah, that to me would have been an incredible bonus. I really am taken with what those little LEDs can do. Quite nice as far as a beam goes.


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## Thujone (Apr 16, 2009)

It did seem like a perfect candidate for the XP-E, I can only presume that it has to do with the fact that they likely have a huge supply of the standard crees on hand.


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## IceRat (Apr 17, 2009)

I just saw on the 4sevens site that the pre-orders ship 5/12. I guess I'm going to wait a little longer:mecry: 

I can't wait to get it I lost my E01(with an enloop) out of my tool bag and this was going to be it's replacment.


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## Flying Turtle (Apr 17, 2009)

I hope we soon get more specifics about performance. Should I assume it will come close to matching the original specs? Or, will we get a lower, but longer running low level, and maybe a lower high, too? 

Curious flashdorks want to know.

Geoff


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## AFAustin (Apr 18, 2009)

Flying Turtle said:


> I hope we soon get more specifics about performance. Should I assume it will come close to matching the original specs? Or, will we get a lower, but longer running low level, and maybe a lower high, too?
> 
> Curious flashdorks want to know.
> 
> Geoff


+1. It's gotten mighty quiet on the EZAA front......


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## Beamhead (Apr 18, 2009)

I am getting crazy runtime on my non recalled EZAA with alkaline using my high only mod. It puts out usable light in 5-10 minute bursts with dead cells. If I twist off then on nothing but if I wait a couple minutes bam back on for another 5-10 minute burst. The current cell is going on 200+ minutes in this fashion, not bad for an AA. As I have stated elseware I will not be returning it for the recall fix.


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## IceRat (May 11, 2009)

Did anyone receive thier updated EZAA yet? My order from 7777's says it was shipped. I hope it's in today's mail.


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## dagored (May 11, 2009)

Not till the 12th according to the site.


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## loanshark (May 11, 2009)

If 4sevens sent him an email saying it was shipped. I'd bet money it has... I wonder if our reviewers have received theirs??


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## regulator (May 11, 2009)

I am very interested in seeing how the fixed version does. I hope the efficiency is up to par and meets the runtime and output specs.

The two main characteristics to me are the compact size and potential efficiency. A simple constant current driver with limited voltage range (AA batteries only) should provide top efficiency for a single AA light. The Fenix is towards the top in this regard. Fingers are crossed.


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## AardvarkSagus (May 11, 2009)

loanshark said:


> If 4sevens sent him an email saying it was shipped. I'd bet money it has... I wonder if our reviewers have received theirs??


I have an email out to Nitecore questioning the ETA. I haven't heard anything yet. It looks like everyone might have theirs in hand before the revised version gets reviewed.


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## loanshark (May 12, 2009)

Have those that ordered the warm tint received a shipping notice? How about those that ordered the regular version?


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## IceRat (May 12, 2009)

loanshark said:


> If 4sevens sent him an email saying it was shipped. I'd bet money it has... I wonder if our reviewers have received theirs??


 
I didn't get an email that it was shipped, the status of my order on their website says it was shipped. I don't think it said that last time I was on there.


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## DanTSX (May 13, 2009)

If they get this running to-spec, I'm getting one

Otherwise, it is an LD01


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## chibato (May 13, 2009)

I saw on the marketplace that the EZAAs were in "route". 4seven's site now says pre-orders ship the 19th, not the 12th or 13th. :shakehead This is really reminiscent of the delays with the NDI when they were at tadgear.com. Really has taken the sail of the EZAA for me, it is a shame because I really like Nitcore and 4sevens is top notch. Anyone else have any more info?


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## sygyzy (May 13, 2009)

Thanks for the update. I sort of forgot about this and purposely haven't followed up. It's like when you don't track a package, and just get surprised when it appears. I agree, totally not excited about it anymore.


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## guam9092 (May 13, 2009)

chibato said:


> I saw on the marketplace that the EZAAs were in "route". 4seven's site now says pre-orders ship the 19th, not the 12th or 13th. :shakehead This is really reminiscent of the delays with the NDI when they were at tadgear.com. Really has taken the sail of the EZAA for me, it is a shame because I really like Nitcore and 4sevens is top notch. Anyone else have any more info?


 
I saw that too so I emailed them to cancel my order for my replacement bezel and my money refunded. I don't believe it will be shipped on time.


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## applevision (May 13, 2009)

Wow, I can't believe how much I agree!

I too feel sort of deflated after having been so excited for this light!

What a mess. They had built up the hype so beautifully--masterfully!--and then this...

Oh well, hopefully it will be a fantastic light and will RE-create the hype!

:twothumbs


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## 4sevens (May 13, 2009)

Hi everyone,

Believe me we have been inquiring with them EVERYDAY. We have so much capital tied up with them for so long. It's hurting us so much more.

I just got a reply back and their said they will ship to us next monday 
At least there is some update. I wish I had better news and more details.

-David


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## IceRat (May 13, 2009)

4sevens said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> Believe me we have been inquiring with them EVERYDAY. We have so much capital tied up with them for so long. It's hurting us so much more.
> 
> ...


 Thanks for the update, I know it's not your fault. It's not like I am sitting in the dark.


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## qip (May 13, 2009)

_" I wish I had better news and more details"_

 now you know what it feels like to go through the waiting game  now how bout some bonus info for your other goodies


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## DoctaDink (May 13, 2009)

Do I understand correctly that they will be shipping to YOU on the 19th? Or, do you expect to start shipping to US on or about the 19th? 
If they are being shipped to you on the 19th, then how long does it normally take for them to get to you?...processed, then to us?
My 4Sevens Account says: "Shipped". I assume that that is an error...right?


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## 4sevens (May 13, 2009)

qip said:


> _" I wish I had better news and more details"_
> 
> now you know what it feels like to go through the waiting game  now how bout some bonus info for your other goodies


In time. in time 



DoctaDink said:


> Do I understand correctly that they will be shipping to YOU on the 19th? Or, do you expect to start shipping to US on or about the 19th?
> If they are being shipped to you on the 19th, then how long does it normally take for them to get to you?...processed, then to us?
> My 4Sevens Account says: "Shipped". I assume that that is an error...right?


Hm... that shouldn't be. Please email us your order number and mention you are doctadink


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## DoctaDink (May 14, 2009)

[QUOTE Hm... that shouldn't be. Please email us your order number and mention you are doctadink [/QUOTE]

Oops, my bad...I looked at my Order History incorrectly. The "Shipped" indication was for my previous order. Not the EZAA pre-order. 

Sigh.....


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## skeefu (May 14, 2009)

Does anyone know if the lumens that Nitecore is stating for the EZ-AA: 130 on high and 15 lumens on low are OTF lumens? Also,does anyone have an idea what the runtime would be on the corrected units using an Energizer E2 lithium AA? Any and all input is greatly appreciated !


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## dagored (May 14, 2009)

From 4Sevens site:

Modes & Runtimes

Low Mode: 15 lumens for up to 20 hours 

High Mode: 130 lumens for up to 1.5 hours


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## skeefu (May 15, 2009)

I am aware of the numbers on 4 Seven's website but it still doesn't tell us if they are OTF lumens or "bulb lumens":thinking::thinking:. Also, the stated runtimes are with alk. batteries, not Energizer E2 lithium.....


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## ruriimasu (May 18, 2009)

i know a lot of us here do not heed the warnings on the instruction manuals.. so when nitecore said do not use li-ion on the ezaa, i was wondering how many of those who got the recalled batch actually popped a 14500 into it. was there any damage to the light?


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## loanshark (May 18, 2009)

So, I wonder if 4sevens is still expecting to receive these today?


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## Flying Turtle (May 18, 2009)

The latest report in MP says they're expecting them on Wednesday.

Geoff


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## wingnutLP (May 18, 2009)

Is there any news on when the the warm version will be available?


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## rayman (May 18, 2009)

There supposed to be shipped to 4sevens tomorrow.

rayman


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## loanshark (May 18, 2009)

It looks like they're expecting the warm version to show up on Thursday or Friday...

To Skeefu, I think those are OTF #s on the lithium primary...


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## skeefu (May 18, 2009)

Thanks Loanshark, now if we only had a runtime chart on Energizer lithium E2's......Bueller......Bueller....Bueller.....Fry.....Fry....Fry....


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## IceRat (May 18, 2009)

I just saw on 7777's web site that they should be in stock 5/25. If they went through all of this delay to make the product perfect, I think it should be worth it. Now I am really climbing the walls waiting to get it. Too bad it is going to miss my Memorial Day weekend camping trip.


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## dagored (May 18, 2009)

Nothing is going to ship or be shipped on 5/25. That is Memorial Day. What happened? Over on the MP Peter said they hope to start shipping SOME of the EZAA's by Wednesday.


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## ruriimasu (May 18, 2009)

guys.. i think most of us are worked up because you are excited about receiving the new light but it just has not shipped out. 4sevens is just a dealer, like us he has no control if nitecore procrastinates. nitecore on the other hand, initiated a recall of the mis-programmed lights so we would not be short-changed. something is wrong about the long time taken to re-program the lights, im guessing they may have lost the original codes hence the mis-programmed ezaas, and they may be trying to re-write the codes again.
that said, most of you just WANT the new toy.. so lets wait patiently. i had emailed to nitecore about the warm tint and they said to expect by the end of month.. so im guessing the normal tints should be done around that time as well. so lets give nitecore till the end of month before we stage a riot :devil:


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## loanshark (May 18, 2009)

I'd be very surprised if all they had was a "programing" issue. I was under the impression they had a component that didn't perform to spec. Did nitecore tell you something we don't know?


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## ruriimasu (May 18, 2009)

loanshark said:


> I'd be very surprised if all they had was a "programing" issue. I was under the impression they had a component that didn't perform to spec. Did nitecore tell you something we don't know?



the other thing they told me was warm tint was Q3 5A.. which i had been trying to get 4sevens to clarify.. but no comments from him yet.


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## JJV (May 18, 2009)

I still have my original "defective" model and like the performance. I saw no reason to return it. 

I will warn everyone in advance that the ano has completely worn off around the opening of the bezel-it's starting to get a two-tone look about it. Doesn't affect the output of course, but I know a lot of you are particular about that sort of thing. 

I hope everyone takes it easy on 4-7s if their expectations are not completely exceeded. Sounds like he's in the dark as well.


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## ruriimasu (May 18, 2009)

JJV said:


> I hope everyone takes it easy on 4-7s if their expectations are not completely exceeded. Sounds like he's in the dark as well.



guess 4sevens' sales and credibility will be hit by this issue which really is no fault of his if we just take a step back and look at the whole picture. maybe 4sevens can liaise with nitecore for some kind of discount vouchers towards the next nitecore purchase for those early batch of guys who pre-ordered. that will douse some fires for sure! :devil:

(** vouchers to be provided by nitecore not 4sevens, so dont 4sevens provide any vouchers out of your own pockets for a fault which isnt started by you. we know you are innocent! )


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## loanshark (May 19, 2009)

Sounds like you've decided a bunch of people are gonna be disappointed already. I think it's way to early to make that call...



ruriimasu said:


> guess 4sevens' sales and credibility will be hit by this issue which really is no fault of his if we just take a step back and look at the whole picture. maybe 4sevens can liaise with nitecore for some kind of discount vouchers towards the next nitecore purchase for those early batch of guys who pre-ordered. that will douse some fires for sure! :devil:
> 
> (** vouchers to be provided by nitecore not 4sevens, so dont 4sevens provide any vouchers out of your own pockets for a fault which isnt started by you. we know you are innocent! )


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## ruriimasu (May 19, 2009)

loanshark said:


> Sounds like you've decided a bunch of people are gonna be disappointed already. I think it's way to early to make that call...



no no.. u misunderstood me. im referring to the lot who are starting to get impatient and starting to blame anyone because they arent getting their NEW TOY sooner.  you know, people here always comment they had to get "something else" to tide them over while waiting for an item to come in.. so throw them a sweet or something. they just WANT a NEW TOY to play with, any toy! 

but im sure if nitecore sorted out the issue with the 1st batch of lights, the recipients of the fixed lights should be satisfied. the problem is that people may be sceptical to pre-order hypes from a reputable dealer such as 4sevens due to this issue in future. so i think 4sevens can get some proofs of a list of pre-order sales and show to nitecore and maybe get some goodwill gestures from them, such as discount coupons towards the next nitecore product purchase for the very early batch of CPFers who signed up for the pre-order. dont get me wrong, i've cancelled my order for the ezaa and am getting nothing out of this suggestion so i dont benefit from this at all.

but, my main point is, people are getting grouchy because they WANT a NEW TOY but aint getting it as soon as they would like.


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## Kilovolt (May 19, 2009)

JJV said:


> I still have my original "defective" model and like the performance. I saw no reason to return it.


 
So do I. The low level is just about perfect for night duty at home and if the battery lasts a couple of hours less than expected I simply couldn't care less.


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## ruriimasu (May 19, 2009)

ruriimasu said:


> i know a lot of us here do not heed the warnings on the instruction manuals.. so when nitecore said do not use li-ion on the ezaa, i was wondering how many of those who got the recalled batch actually popped a 14500 into it. was there any damage to the light?



so anyone who got the 1st batch did any test with 14500s?


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## Flying Turtle (May 19, 2009)

I'm hoping the new low level is still lower than originally expected. Think I'd actually prefer that. Increased runtime will be expected either way.

Geoff


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## Phredd (May 19, 2009)

ruriimasu said:


> no no.. u misunderstood me. im referring to the lot who are starting to get impatient and starting to blame anyone because they arent getting their NEW TOY sooner.  you know, people here always comment they had to get "something else" to tide them over while waiting for an item to come in.. so throw them a sweet or something. they just WANT a NEW TOY to play with, any toy!



I hate to point this out, but your posts are a bit condescending. There is no impending riot and we don't need placating. Perhaps you should speak for yourself. Most of us are being perfectly patient waiting for the repair, which aside from your sheer supposition, is not just a programming issue and we're happy to wait for Nitecore to get it right.


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## ruriimasu (May 19, 2009)

Phredd said:


> I hate to point this out, but your posts are a bit condescending. There is no impending riot and we don't need placating. Perhaps you should speak for yourself. Most of us are being perfectly patient waiting for the repair, which aside from your sheer supposition, is not just a programming issue and we're happy to wait for Nitecore to get it right.



i didnt really mean riot as in riot. i was just exaggerating to tease the fellow CPFers here. i made the comments after seeing some rather jumpy posts in ezaa related threads and thought i just pointed out that those who were getting pushy with 4sevens were actually NOT annoyed with their services, but rather they were annoyed that they were not getting a new toy earlier. seemed my post could be interpreted as something bad.. i had better shut up then.

Apologise if i cause any misunderstandings or unhappiness.


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## Jedi Knife (May 19, 2009)

ruriimasu said:


> guess 4sevens' sales and credibility will be hit by this issue which really is no fault of his if we just take a step back and look at the whole picture. maybe 4sevens can liaise with nitecore for some kind of discount vouchers towards the next nitecore purchase for those early batch of guys who pre-ordered. that will douse some fires for sure! :devil:
> 
> (** vouchers to be provided by nitecore not 4sevens, so dont 4sevens provide any vouchers out of your own pockets for a fault which isnt started by you. we know you are innocent! )



Hey I've just got to chime in here and say that as far as I'm concerned, _*nothing *_has even come close to changing the high esteem in which I hold the 4sevens team. Those folks have without fail given me the highest service I could expect, repeatedly.
I know we don't want this to become a dealer-oriented thread but I just had to put that out there and I pretty sure everyone here echoes that. 
But, that being said- I'm really needing a solid, _reliable _keychain sized light for work and the sooner I get one, the better it will be for me, toys be damned. Anything I wear on a belt is prone to hanging up in tight places (which there are a lot of), and uniform work pants don't allow for loading up pockets without chafing my legs when walking (which there is also a lot of). So yes, Nitecore guys, see if you can get the good stuff out ASAP; it would be much appreciated.


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## LEDninja (May 19, 2009)

Saw the video. Works just like my MillerMods 2 stage Arc AAA mod. May have to get one.

Note my MillerMods cost twice as much as the EZAA.

Now 47s need to come up with an EZAAA.


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## Flying Turtle (May 20, 2009)

Looks like Fri. or Sat. I'll have one these to play with. Got the email from 4Sevens saying "shipped". And then there's that cold fusion power source.

Geoff


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## StandardBattery (May 20, 2009)

I hope the light arrives, performs to spec, customers are happy and Nitecore is happy, then they close the door and make a 3 level twisty with a ultra low and make even more people happy.

I'm still thinking this light will be great for gifts, and I'll be happy if I can get a few additional Neutral tint ones to give away. 

However, right now I'm thinking my pocket EDC is going to be changing from NT 120P to LiteFlux LF2XT very soon. The EZ-AA though will be very nice to have around.


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## Flying Turtle (May 20, 2009)

I think my normal level of anticipation has been damped by this long delay, and the overriding thoughts about the LF2XT, which seems more interesting. I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised by the EZAA.

Geoff


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## kaichu dento (May 21, 2009)

StandardBattery said:


> I hope the light arrives, performs to spec, customers are happy and Nitecore is happy, then they close the door and make a 3 level twisty with a ultra low and make even more people happy.


I will buy several right away if they do! :twothumbs


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## chibato (May 21, 2009)

EZAA arrived today from 4sevens.com all safe and sound. I must say, I feel it will live up to the original hype. Brightness and tint very similar to the D10. It might be a terrific pocket light. Low just a tad brighter than my LD01 on low, maybe 12 lumens?, but perfect if it will give 20 hours. 

Also, the extra USB cell is pretty nifty, a blue led lights up when charging and goes off when charged, seems durable.

If the runtimes come out as promised, the EZAA should back to the top of the list.

Thanks Nitecore/4sevens.:candle:


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## Badbeams3 (May 21, 2009)

Great to hear this. I sort of have my sights set on the TK-40...but $$$ wise this might be a more realistic goal. I will wait for one of our run time test members to give it the green light.


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## regulator (May 21, 2009)

Thanks good to hear that the brightness is a bit brighter than the LD01 on low. 12 lumens should be nice. It was bit bit disappointing to hear that the original release was no brighter than on E01 - so this is good news so far. I need to reorder one.


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## Flying Turtle (May 22, 2009)

Just got my delivery today!! Two days from Atlanta! Not bad.

Initial impression was, "that's really small for a AA". Popped in an Eneloop and was very impressed. The beam has a tight uniform hot spot, as is the spill. Neither quite as wide as an L0D. Not ringy in any disagreeable way. I've only been able to do some ceiling bounce comparisons. Like Chibato said it's a bit brighter than the L0D on low. Much brighter on high. In fact, on high it matches my LF3XT very closely. This EZAA is has a cool emitter. Right now I've got an old worn out AA in there that shows no difference between low and high. Still a useable beam and it fires up again after shut off, so this may prove to be a good battery drainer, if you are so inclined (like me).

Operation is better than I expected. To go from low to high only requires maybe 100 degrees of turn. Not at all like that video that seemed to show a full turn or more. With the Eneloop it's showing a good bit of the brass collar in the just off position. Maybe they are tall batteries. This is not a problem, but perhaps a cosmetic issue for some. 4Sevens' little USB charged AA gift is definitely shorter. I'll give it a try as soon as it's charged up.

It's a good looking light, and the knurling is great. The four holes and a slot in the tail should be very accommodating for your personal keychain/lanyard setup.

Finally, here's some pics of what's in the box and a size comparison pic with a few other well known lights. I'm looking forward to the real reviews.












Geoff


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## StandardBattery (May 22, 2009)

Thanks for the pics Geoff!

I had forgot how small this AA was. Looks great! Someone else posted in the MP forum that they appear to have corrected the long travel required between modes. This is really good news.

Looks like they do have a winner. Hopefully they will work on an update with 3 levels and a clip. I ordered in March, but canceled the standard cool-tint order, so I'm anxiously waiting for them to start shipping the neutral tint orders.


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## dagored (May 22, 2009)

Geoff,

Thanks for the comments and picts. I wondered if the gap was normal. On the rechargeable battery. I have had it plugged in for 3 hours. Any idea how long it takes to charge?


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## Beacon of Light (May 22, 2009)

Flying Turtle are you one of the beta tester guys? I didn't think 4-7s was getting the EZAAs in until after Memorial Day. You got yours earlier than I expected them to get it.


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## Flying Turtle (May 22, 2009)

No, I'm not a Beta tester. Just got lucky. 4Sevens started sending out the first batch, I guess to pre-order folks, on Wednesday. 

Btw, dagored, I've had the USB battery plugged in now for almost 3.5 hrs. and the light is still on, so I guess it's still charging.

Geoff

Edit: The USB battery did get charged, but I missed the finish. Best I can say is it was done sometime between four and eight hours.


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## Beacon of Light (May 22, 2009)

Good news. Well I hope I'm still on the pre-order list. Time will tell I guess. Didn't see any gift from the postman today though. Forgot if he ships USPS or UPS.


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## chibato (May 22, 2009)

I pre-ordered on 3/30/09, and guess i was fortunate enough to be in the 1st batch 4sevens received. I also live in Atlanta, so it only took Mr. Postman one day to deliver. It took long enough, but I am glad I didn't cancel. I think Nitecore got it right.


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## Benson (May 22, 2009)

Beacon of Light said:


> Good news. Well I hope I'm still on the pre-order list. Time will tell I guess. Didn't see any gift from the postman today though. Forgot if he ships USPS or UPS.



He ships USPS. I didn't think it'd get here till this afternoon (when I needed to be at work), so I headed in at 0800. You can imagine my frustration when I checked USPS tracking 10 minutes later and it said "Delivered -- 08:03".  So I sat at my desk thinking about it all morning, instead of playing with it all morning. But I have it now, and I like it. :twothumbs: Guess you should get a shipping notification pretty soon.


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## regulator (May 22, 2009)

Nice size comparison Flying Turtle. Next to the Fenix L1T, it makes it look like the EZAA and L1T can't be using the same battery - but they are!


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## richardcpf (May 22, 2009)

Nice shots.. still impressed how can a AA fit in there. I would love to see how much better does the revised version perform... but 10 lumens for 20 hours still sound like not enough, compared to a fenix L1D.


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## Flying Turtle (May 22, 2009)

Just tested the throw off the deck, and it does a fine job. Again it seemed to be about equal to the LF3XT. Both of these come up a bit short compared to the L1, but not by much. I eagerly await reports on low runtime. It seems to be a nicely chosen level.

It is hard to imagine there's a AA in this light. Here's one more pic of it next to my other smallest AA, that's now looking a bit chubby.






Geoff


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## Burgess (May 22, 2009)

Just checked 4Sevens website,

and it STILL sez:



*Low Mode: 15 lumens for up to 20 hours *



Is this statement no longer accurate ?


If so, they'd better change it on their website.


 _ :huh2:

_


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## Flying Turtle (May 22, 2009)

This rating may be fairly accurate. It's definitely somewhat brighter than my L0D Q4 on low. It is rated at 11 lumens, so 15 could be close.

Geoff


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## Burgess (May 22, 2009)

Thank you, Flying_Turtle.


:wave:

_


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## Muddquez (May 23, 2009)

I have to say I'm very happy with the two levels on this little light. The low is Just a bit brighter than my LD01 on low and the high is almost identical to my D10 on high. I really would like a clip for this one. I think the weight of the battery is going to keep this off my keys.


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## Benson (May 23, 2009)

Isn't the E01 supposed to be a solid 10lm reference? My EZ-AA (cool white, so rated at 10 by Nitecore), running on an Eneloop, matches the E01 as near perfect as I can tell in a ceiling bounce. IMHO, no way it's 15 lumens.

High was a little disappointing at first -- then I remembered when I got it out of the box, I had grabbed the first AA that came to hand (an alkaline, and a partly used one at that) just to fire it up. Found a charged Eneloop, popped it in, and now bright is brighter. 

For another reference point on the brightness of high: it's brighter than an Akoray K-105's high from NiMH, but dimmer than the K-105's high on LiCo. (My K-105 will go substantially lower; although I've heard reports that some K-105s only go down to about 15lm, I think it's an issue with programming technique. The high is programmable separate from the ramp, so it should be a solid reference.) I find the Akoray a convenient comparison because it's beam profile is the most similar (almost _identical_, even though it uses a substantially larger reflector), reducing any potential variations in ceiling bounce.

Cool thing about it: the head knurling is grippy enough to use momentary-on by twisting it _just_ off, holding the light against your palm with the head between thumb and forefinger, and pulling it down to take up the slack in the threads. Better yet, you can pull the same trick with high, by twisting it _just_ down to low, and using the same technique (a little more forcefully, since the foam is more compressed). For some reason, I find walking around with it on low and randomly giving momentary-high bursts rather entertaining.


EDIT: One more thing, on mine, there's about 2/3 of a turn from off/low to low/high. Not bad, although it could be less -- it's easy to feel the increasing pressure just before it goes high, so there's _no_ way one of these is going to have accidental overruns into high, even if it had only 45 degrees.


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## Axion (May 23, 2009)

I just got me EZAA today and in light of a full review I'll post my quick thoughts.

* High and low settings are well spaced. Low is about equal to the 8 lumen low on my Ra CGT which is about the same as the "12 lumen" low on my L2DQ5. The high is also about the same as the 100 lumen high on my Ra Clicky. Note that it's hard to make direct comparisons because the beam patterns are so different. My raw is pure smoothness with great flood, the EZAA seems to have more throw.

At this point I'd like to point out that in every day use I either use the high or the low on my ra clicky, so I'm happy with these settings.

* Beam pattern is not so great, there is quite the dark ring around the center spot. I guess this should have been expected with a XR-E and such a small reflector. I wish they would have went with the XP-E.

* Tint is leaning towards violet which I am personally okay with as far as cool tints go. All in all I'm VERY glad I ordered one neutrual tint for EZAA for myself (this on is for the lady).

*It is nice and compact, would make a great EDC if it had a clip, not sure if it's small enough to replace my LOD on my key chain though. Time will tell when I get mine.


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## Axion (May 23, 2009)

Benson said:


> Isn't the E01 supposed to be a solid 10lm reference? My EZ-AA (cool white, so rated at 10 by Nitecore), running on an Eneloop, matches the E01 as near perfect as I can tell in a ceiling bounce. IMHO, no way it's 15 lumens.



Most lights are not valid reference points except the Ra Clicky, which is why I made reference to the levels on my clicky. Still it's hard to tell because the beam patterns are so different.


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## DHart (May 23, 2009)

curious to see how this will compare to the soon-to-be-released LF2XT (AAA).


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## Axion (May 23, 2009)

DHart said:


> curious to see how this will compare to the soon-to-be-released LF2XT (AAA).



As am I. Although I must add that I'm not buying any more lights that aren't neutral tint. So if they'd release a Q3 LF3XT I'd have bought in long ago.


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## AFAustin (May 23, 2009)

I received my EZAA today---thanks very much to 4sevens & crew for the very fast ship. 2 days from Atlanta to the outskirts of Austin, Texas---not too shabby.

My experience playing with this little light has so far been an unusual one. The first thing I did was promptly break the USB charged AA cell (the 4sevens pre-order bonus gift). I (clumsily, it would seem) pushed the + end over to expose the USB plug, and it broke apart instead, about 5mm below where it is supposed to, exposing the circuit board. For good measure, the plastic wrap around the cell rather easily began to unravel as well. I will take blame for not being as careful as I should have been, but at the same time I've got to say I'm not impressed with the construction of this cell. It really seems awfully flimsy. 

But, oh well, I wasn't expecting much from the novelty cell anyway, and it was a free gift---and a nice gesture from 4sevens---so NBD. On to the light.

The main attraction has been the diminutive (for an AA light) form factor, and the EZAA doesn't disappoint. It is very slim, yet long enough to provide a good gripping surface for 4 fingers at least, and it feels very good in the hand.

Likewise, the knurling is excellent, as is the case with most Nitecores that I have handled. I wish the band of knurling on the head were a tad wider, but that is a small quibble as there is still plenty for a good twisty grip.

I opted for the standard issue tint, and I must say I am very pleased. I am not a warm tint fanatic, but likewise don't care for anything overtly cool. The tint on my EZAA is what I would describe as a very nice neutral---neither yellow warm nor cool blue to these old eyes, and I find it very pleasing. A big :thumbsup: on this aspect.

As for output, high is very strong---on an eneloop it is maybe a hair less than my EX10 on max (on an RCR123A cell). Low is probably right around what Nitecore said it is in the revised version---10 lumens---judging by the fact that its overall output, based on a quick ceiling bounce test, is close to my EO1, which is rated at 10 lumens as Benson points out above. The very great difference in the two output levels concerns me, and I don't yet know exactly how I will use this light.

I did a quick informal runtime test, and got about 45 minutes on high on an eneloop. This was a bit less than the 50 minutes given by Nitecore, although I don't believe they said what kind of cell was used to arrive at that number. However, output appeared to be quite flat during that entire time.

Well, I said my early experience with the EZAA had been unusual, and I didn't mean just as to the USB AA cell. I soon discovered that mine, unlike some of the other revised models already received, required about 85% of a full 360 degree rotation to get from onset of low to high, as had been reported for the original version. A fast, easy way to change levels is a necessary feature for any multi-level light, IMO, so I was not a happy camper. 

Long story short is that I began to fool around with the spring on the head, trying to tweak it so that the low to high twisting would be shortened, and I managed to break it off. So, I started playing around and fashioned a small tin foil disc that I placed on the head where the spring had been, held down by sliding its edges under the hard foam pad. Well, the result is a much shorter travel distance from low to high. I don't know if this is a satisfactory permanent solution, but I definitely prefer it to the original scheme in my light.

All in all, I don't know how I will feel about the EZAA after using it for a few days, but it will be fun finding out. The size, feel, and beam are all excellent, and that makes me want this nice little light to succeed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Updates:* I did a second informal runtime test earlier today, and tried to pay a bit closer attention to how the EZ maintained its output on high. It probably helped that this morning I was drinking coffee, as opposed to some good Dos Equis beer last night. 

As before, I used a fully charged eneloop. The first 30 minutes, output was flat. At 40 minutes, there was discernable dimming, but it was still quite bright. At 45 minutes, it remained about the same. At 50 minutes, there was more noticeable dimming, but there was still significantly more output on high than on low. At 55 minutes, there was now only the slightest difference between high and low. At that point, I concluded the test and so don't know how long the tail will last.

Secondly, as to the "long twist" issue, I decided to try and improve on my tin foil disc fix from last night. This time, I fashioned a new spring, or maybe "coil" is a better term because it is fairly flat, from thin wire. I was careful to have a small piece in the very middle so as to make contact with what I am assuming is the contact point for high in the middle of the head. I made the coil just wide enough so as to fit snugly against the sides of the cushion inside the head, so that it will stay put. 

I had good luck with this, and after only a couple of attempts was pleased with the results. This is a more stable fix than tin foil, and I can now access high within about a quarter turn from off. 

I am happy with my "twist fix", and the EZ is definitely easier to use with a shorter turn to access the levels. The only thing that concerns me is that while I, an admittedly unhandy guy, could so significantly improve the UI in about 30 minutes of trying, I would've preferred that the experts at NiteCore pay a bit more attention to this issue, particularly in light of the wide variations that appear to exist in the finished product. I'm not bashing NiteCore here, and in fact, I am a big fan of their innovation and their products. Just wondering. :thinking:


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## Lite_me (May 23, 2009)

AFAustin said:


> The very great difference in the two output levels concerns me, and I don't yet know exactly how I will use this light.
> 
> ...about 85% of a full 360 degree rotation to get from onset of low to high, -- A fast, easy way to change levels is a necessary feature for any multi-level light, IMO, so I was not a happy camper.


Thank you for your thoughts and experiences with the EZ, Andrew. 

The two quotes above are the main reasons why I think I'm gonna take a pass on this one. These have been my thoughts all along so don't go thinking you talked me out of it. :ironic: :wave:


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## AFAustin (May 23, 2009)

Lite_me said:


> Thank you for your thoughts and experiences with the EZ, Andrew.
> 
> The two quotes above are the main reasons why I think I'm gonna take a pass on this one. These have been my thoughts all along so don't go thinking you talked me out of it. :ironic: :wave:



Hi there, Dennis. Great to hear from you. Yep, I haven't made up my own mind yet on the EZAA, but time will tell.....

Cheers,

Andrew


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## dagored (May 23, 2009)

AFAustin said:


> I received my EZAA today---thanks very much to 4sevens & crew for the very fast ship. 2 days from Atlanta to the outskirts of Austin, Texas---not too shabby.
> 
> 
> Well, I said my early experience with the EZAA had been unusual, and I didn't mean just as to the USB AA cell. I soon discovered that mine, unlike some of the other revised models already received, required about 85% of a full 360 degree rotation to get from onset of low to high, as had been reported for the original version A fast, easy way to change levels is a necessary feature for any multi-level light, IMO, so I was not a happy camper.
> .



I must be one of the lucky ones. In an informal measurement, with the Nitcore name in front of me, I only need to twist the head about 30 degrees for low and another 50-60 for high. About a quarter of a turn or 90 degrees in total, if my math is correct. 

That is with the USB battery. It is the same with an Energizer Lithium battery.


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## swiftwing (May 23, 2009)

AFAustin said:


> As for output, high is very strong---on an eneloop it is maybe a hair less than my EX10 on max (on an RCR123A cell). Low is probably right around what Nitecore said it is in the revised version---10 lumens---judging by the fact that its overall output, based on a quick ceiling bounce test, is close to my EO1, which is rated at 10 lumens as Benson points out above. The very great difference in the two output levels concerns me, and I don't yet know exactly how I will use this light.
> 
> I did a quick informal runtime test, and got about 45 minutes on high on an eneloop. This was a bit less than the 50 minutes given by Nitecore, although I don't believe they said what kind of cell was used to arrive at that number. However, output appeared to be quite flat during that entire time.



I believe Peter has mentioned on the marketplace therad that the 50min runtime on max is rated for 2700mah Nimhs, given that you are getting 45 minutes out of a 2000mah eneloop, it seems that they have been conservative with their rating. I wonder how straight the regulation is.


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## Flying Turtle (May 23, 2009)

Sorry to read of your bad luck with battery and light, Andrew. It's not real obvious how that battery top opens. I may have come close to doing the same thing. To future recipients, pull up on the cap and you'll see how the elastic bands hold it on. Hope your light fix holds up. I guess the QC on NiteCore's spring adjustments was not completely consistant.

Geoff


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## StandardBattery (May 23, 2009)

The new specs for low of 10lm for 20Hrs, if true should be OK as far as efficiency, but I think with two levels they just could not make everyone happy and decided to please those that wanted a pretty low low on this light. For general purpose however it makes the low:high ratio 1:13 which is rather high (true output measurements might reduce it a bit). 

Still looking forward to having the neutral-tints shipping next week for testing. The size of this light does look attractive.


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## lrp (May 23, 2009)

Good info on that light!! I like my D10 R2 a lot and it's a very nice light and would be hard to beat for the money imo!


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## Peter Atwood (May 23, 2009)

Well I did the same darned thing. Thought the black bands were a hinge and promptly snapped off the head on the cell. No biggie as I have two lights and therefore a second cell which is charging right now.

Anyhow, this light is quite nifty. Form wise it compares very well with the old fashioned Arc AA light but it's actually even thinner. Mine goes from low to high in about 1/2 turn and I'm quite happy with that. Even if it were a bit more it wouldn't bother me in the least.

On low with an alkaline I'd say we're talking Arc AAA strength light. Beam is just a tad ringy but certainly within the realm of acceptable. Very good tint. On high it's a serious torch!

Bottom line, I love the simplicity of two levels and for me the settings are terrific. The build quality is fantastic and the light looks sharp with the crisp matte black ano and the bright brass accent of the heat sink. Wonderful size. I really like this light and may pick up a few more as gifts and to stash around the house and vehicle.


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## oldpal (May 23, 2009)

Why is there, as reported in this thread, so much variation in rotation of these lights when switching from low to high?

Hugh


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## Bullzeyebill (May 23, 2009)

As an EDC light it would be nice if the high was a real 60 lumens for longer runtime as a work light. I wish they would forgo the "wow" high lumens for the one cell AA or AAA lights. :naughty: Would be nice to be able to use it for 2-3 hours on a decent high setting, and being so small it could be carried on a neck lanyard for instant always ready to use for whatever. Maybe we will be able to access the driver for some mods. 

Bill


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## regulator (May 23, 2009)

Bullzeyebill said:


> As an EDC light it would be nice if the high was a real 60 lumens for longer runtime as a work light. I wish they would forgo the "wow" high lumens for the one cell AA or AAA lights. :naughty: Would be nice to be able to use it for 2-3 hours on a decent high setting, and being so small it could be carried on a neck lanyard for instant always ready to use for whatever. Maybe we will be able to access the driver for some mods.
> 
> Bill


 
I agree. I like to have at least around 2 hours runtime on high. I am also a bit disappointed that they changed the specs to match the light rather than make the light correct to the 15 lumens output. 

10 lumens is easy to do with an AAA cell light with decent runtime and there are several out there. 15 lumens would cut runtime short with an AAA cell - and is why a 15 lumen EZAA would be perfect. I am on the fence about the EZAA. I really like the size and overall concept - just not the output levels. Decisions.


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## Beacon of Light (May 23, 2009)

My EZAA came in today. Glad it is on the cooler side of the light spectrum. I like it. Simple and convenient. I can see this being a useful EDC for a lot of people. Low seems low enough and the high is about as high as I ever need. 

Thanks to 4-7's and Nitecore for a nice light. They handled the revised versions in a timely manner which is a good thing to see in this day and age. USB Cell was a nifty touch too.


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## Benson (May 23, 2009)

oldpal said:


> Why is there, as reported in this thread, so much variation in rotation of these lights when switching from low to high?


Well, mechanically, there's a conical spring that makes initial contact (low) and is collapsed down flat to contact the center of the PCB (high); the exact set of the spring and any variations in soldering it are critical, and there's less than one turn in all cases reported, which is IMHO quite close lengthwise. Of course, I'd have liked a coarser and/or multi-lead thread, which could have reduced this, but given the thread choice, I can't see controlling the spring gap much tighter than this.

If anyone's bothered by it... build up the center pad with solder. With a needle-tip iron and steady hands, you should be able to do it directly, but I wound up removing the spring, building up the pad, and replacing the spring. Mine's now down to 1/3 turn from off/low to low/high -- could be a little less, but I can now twist between off and high in one motion.


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## AFAustin (May 23, 2009)

Benson, thanks for that insight on the spring/twist issue. If a clumsy solderer, like me, attempted this, and bled solder between the center (high) contact point and the perimeter (low) contact points, would that result in losing the low level? At any rate, that was my concern, and so, not being skilled with a soldering iron, or even owning a needle tip iron, I went at it a bit differently.

I've updated my Post #122 above regarding this, and added a bit more runtime info.


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## StandardBattery (May 23, 2009)

AFAustin said:


> *...much-clipped... *I am happy with my "twist fix", and the EZ is definitely easier to use with a shorter turn to access the levels. The only thing that concerns me is that while I, an admittedly unhandy guy, could so significantly improve the UI in about 30 minutes of trying, I would've preferred that the experts at NiteCore pay a bit more attention to this issue, particularly in light of the wide variations that appear to exist in the finished product. I'm not bashing NiteCore here, and in fact, I am a big fan of their innovation and their products. Just wondering. :thinking:


 
I think it might be harder for Nitecore to be consistent in this because of a variation in battery lengths. It is also likely a small difference at the tail, or mounting of the spring in the head may produce a big rotational difference given the amount of distance to play with for a 1/4" turn. You also want to be sure that when off, slight pressure on the head won't activate the light due to play in the threads.

Try it with another battery type and see how it goes, I'm not sure if the biggest issue is tolerances in assembly, battery length, or both.

Nice to know that it may not be too difficult for us to tweak it to our personal preference.


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## Benson (May 23, 2009)

AFAustin said:


> Benson, thanks for that insight on the spring/twist issue. If a clumsy solderer, like me, attempted this, and bled solder between the center (high) contact point and the perimeter (low) contact points, would that result in losing the low level? At any rate, that was my concern, and so, not being skilled with a soldering iron, or even owning a needle tip iron, I went at it a bit differently.


Well... the real problem is if you attempt to build up the pad without removing the spring, and your iron is too fat or jitters too much (I think both were factors with me) you'll wind up soldering the spring to the center pad. This will eliminate the low mode, and is a royal pain to recover from -- took me about a half hour.

If you take the spring off, there's basically no way you could accidentally bridge the contacts on the PCB, and supposing you somehow did, it would be easily fixed with desoldering wick. Just make sure the center pad is domed to the height you want and the outer pad is almost completely devoid of solder before you put the spring back on, then a little heat, a touch of solder, and it's stuck back down. I got it stuck back down _centered_ on the second try, and I'm no great solderer. I do really need to get a finer iron if I'm gonna make a habit out of this SMD spring stuff.


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## DHart (May 23, 2009)

Bullzeyebill said:


> being so small it could be carried on a neck lanyard for instant always ready to use for whatever.Bill



Bill, I carry my LD01 that way around the house and I'm amazed at how oftern I am able to find a use for the light which helps just a bit more than without a light... things which in the past I would not have bothered finding a flashlight to help illuminate. I love the neck lanyard carry with the LD01!

I'm curious to know how close in size this light comes to the LD01, which is a phenomenal light, especially on a 10440.


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## Flying Turtle (May 23, 2009)

DHart said:


> I'm curious to know how close in size this light comes to the LD01, which is a phenomenal light, especially on a 10440.



Check out my post #102 in this thread for a size comparison pic. That is a L0D, but I think it's the same size as the LD01.

I know it's risky (battery leakage), but the EZAA seems to perform way above par on dead batteries. I finally checked the voltage on the one I'd initially tried and commented about. It's a cheap alkaline and reads 0.80 in the test mode on my multi-meter. No problem firing up, and it's nearly as bright as the normal low level. This battery won't do squat in the Fenix and only lights the red LED in the Proton. Makes this light a good candidate for emergency kits. And don't forget it'll work about as well with a AAA. Just pop a wad of aluminum foil in the tube to make it fit.

Geoff


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## DHart (May 23, 2009)

Flying Turtle said:


> Check out my post #102 in this thread for a size comparison pic. That is a L0D, but I think it's the same size as the LD01.



Thanks Geoff; it's surprising how close to the size of the L0D this light is. And, as you indicate, the ability to run so well on a depleted cell could come in very valuable as an emergency light.


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## AFAustin (May 23, 2009)

Flying Turtle said:


> Check out my post #102 in this thread for a size comparison pic. That is a L0D, but I think it's the same size as the LD01.
> 
> I know it's risky (battery leakage), but the EZAA seems to perform way above par on dead batteries. I finally checked the voltage on the one I'd initially tried and commented about. It's a cheap alkaline and reads 0.80 in the test mode on my multi-meter. No problem firing up, and it's nearly as bright as the normal low level. This battery won't do squat in the Fenix and only lights the red LED in the Proton. Makes this light a good candidate for emergency kits. And don't forget it'll work about as well with a AAA. Just pop a wad of aluminum foil in the tube to make it fit.
> 
> Geoff



Geoff, that is good to know---EZAA as vampire! I like it.


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## 4sevens (May 23, 2009)

It's actually smaller than the Arc AA (this particular one has a royal blue)


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## Peter Atwood (May 23, 2009)

The tint on both of mine is excellent and fairly neutral. I was just testing it outside and it compares very well to several other lights. I had the latest Aeon, brand new Drake, Nitecore D10 R2 and the EZAA. Honestly all of them are astounding if you think about where we were even just a year or two ago.

One thing no one has mentioned but the brass heat sink on the EZAA makes for some silky smooth threads. Even with the donut in there this thing turns as smooth as glass.


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## Flying Turtle (May 23, 2009)

Peter Atwood said:


> One thing no one has mentioned but the brass heat sink on the EZAA makes for some silky smooth threads. Even with the donut in there this thing turns as smooth as glass.



+1 on that. Brass threads seem to get gunked up less when they are being used for conduction, too. At least that appears to be so with my brass Peaks.

Geoff


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## tygger (May 24, 2009)

I wouldn't recommend it if you don't like battery rattle, but I removed the foam retaining ring and now the twisting action is buttery smooth.


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## oldpal (May 24, 2009)

Benson said:


> Well, mechanically, there's a conical spring that makes initial contact (low) and is collapsed down flat to contact the center of the PCB (high); the exact set of the spring and any variations in soldering it are critical, and there's less than one turn in all cases reported, which is IMHO quite close lengthwise. Of course, I'd have liked a coarser and/or multi-lead thread, which could have reduced this, but given the thread choice, I can't see controlling the spring gap much tighter than this.



Thanks, Benson for this information. I didn't know what mechanism was used.

Hugh


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## D.B. (May 24, 2009)

Hi guys, I posted this in the Market Place EZAA thread, but thought I would chime in here too. I apparently received a bad light. Mine has a horrible beam pattern, and takes about a 320 degree twist to go from low to high. I wasn't sure there was anything wrong until I checked my emitter close up. I thought maybe I was just being finicky, but no. It appears the dome on the emitter had been crushed, which would explain the horrible beam pattern that I was seeing. If not for these two problems, I'd be quite happy with my light. Hopefully I'll be getting it replaced soon because of these issues.


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## andrew123 (May 24, 2009)

Wow! I wonder how that could have happened.


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## AFAustin (May 24, 2009)

Well, as much as I like this little light, it is testing my modest DIY bag of tricks. After using the EZAA the last couple of days with an eneloop, I can see that it is hard on those cells. The two I have used in it are getting scruffed up quite a bit, especially around the upper and lower outside edges. They are obviously experiencing a lot of friction from the twisting action.

If I'm seeing this much scraping after only a couple of days of use, I am worried that these cells will really take a hit long term. I am going to try a paper wrap with a clean eneloop and see if that helps.

Anyone else having this problem?


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## Flying Turtle (May 24, 2009)

It's no wonder you were having artifact/ugly beam troubles, D.B. Also sounds like NiteCore may be having some Q.C. issues. I think your light definitely fell through the cracks. Bummer. I'd bet 4Sevens will be firing out a new one for you as soon as he can.

I've not seen any wear and tear on my Eneloop or the USB battery. Both slide in and out quite easily, and turning on and off is very smooth.

After a couple days now this light is really starting to grow on me. And it doesn't seem too heavy/large in the pocket, which was a major concern.

Geoff


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## applevision (May 25, 2009)

Got my EZAA yesterday, finally got around to playing with it today. Acutally got two units--very similar in all respects... one sample has a tiny donut hole in the beam--only noticed because the other doesn't. There is some variability in terms of turning; one unit requires 2 short finger-thumb twists to go from low to high; the other requires 2 and 1/2...not a huge difference, but slightly annoying... the 2 and 1/2 feels just over the limit of comfortable but is still acceptable. I like the feel of it much more than the Aeon. 

The beam is very nice and the tint on both is identical--very neutral, tending towards slightly blue. My favorite tint in the world is on my LD01 SS which is exactly the tint on my Fenix TK11--those guys are more yellow/warm, but this is a nice color, I'll keep it for sure.

The only thing is that the output on high is not that much greater than the LD01... man did Fenix do a doosey with the LD01--so hard to beat! But I know runtimes are much better here and that certainly counts for something. 

Compared to the NiteCore D10 (another fave of faves) it does a good job of holding up. Very similar output on high, much smaller formfactor overall and seems to be a solid build. If I had to pick one, I'd probably go with the EZAA since it is so much smaller and more pocketable, but the D10's amazing piston interface does mean a lot and it's really not THAT much bigger when you step back a bit.

Overall, a very good light, but I think that if the hype surrounding it was brilliant and fueled a lot of excitement. Personally, I was expecting something insanely bright for its size--a breakthrough with the AA bat--but I suppose they've done a good job overall and we've just become terribly hard to please...


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## DHart (May 25, 2009)

applevision said:


> The beam is very nice and the tint on both is identical--very neutral, tending towards slightly blue. My favorite tint in the world is on my LD01 SS which is exactly the tint on my Fenix TK11--those guys are more yellow/warm, but this is a nice color, I'll keep it for sure.
> 
> The only thing is that the output on high is not that much greater than the LD01... man did Fenix do a doosey with the LD01--so hard to beat! But I know runtimes are much better here and that certainly counts for something.



No kidding... the LD01 is a mind boggling little light... especially on a 10440! In my ceiling bounce tests, the LD01 on 10440 performed on par with the output from a 6P w/R2 lamp! No joke. A formidible competitor in the small light arena. It quickly because my EDC due to the tiny size, three levels, and incredible output. Still can't decide whether I like it better with a Microstream body/clicky switch or stock twisty... I keep going back and forth on that choice.



applevision said:


> Compared to the NiteCore D10 (another fave of faves) it does a good job of holding up. Very similar output on high, much smaller formfactor overall and seems to be a solid build. If I had to pick one, I'd probably go with the EZAA since it is so much smaller and more pocketable, but the D10's amazing piston interface does mean a lot and it's really not THAT much bigger when you step back a bit.



Yeah, the D10 is an awesome light as well (you just happened to mentioned two of my favorite lights in your post, the LD01 & D10, as comparison lights to the EZAA). I had been a little less than happy with the required piston pressure on my D10 R2, until I tried it with an Eneloop. It seems that with a protected 14500, the required piston pressure is noticibly greater than with an Eneloop... presumably due to the difference in cell length. I like the switch response a LOT better with an Eneloop in there. In any event, if the size difference between the D10 and the EZAA isn't really significant, I'm not sure I'd trade away a D10 for an EZAA... but I'm tuned in to this thread for sure.


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## regulator (May 25, 2009)

Hi applevision. Thanks for your observations. Do you have an Aeon and how is the brightness of the EZAA on low compared to the Aeon? I am still trying to decide on this light and will most likely end up getting one.


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## mr.snakeman (May 25, 2009)

DHart said:


> No kidding... the LD01 is a mind boggling little light... especially on a 10440! In my ceiling bounce tests, the LD01 on 10440 performed on par with the output from a 6P w/R2 lamp! No joke. A formidible competitor in the small light arena. It quickly because my EDC due to the tiny size, three levels, and incredible output. Still can't decide whether I like it better with a Microstream body/clicky switch or stock twisty... I keep going back and forth on that choice.
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, the D10 is an awesome light as well (you just happened to mentioned two of my favorite lights in your post, the LD01 & D10, as comparison lights to the EZAA). I had been a little less than happy with the required piston pressure on my D10 R2, until I tried it with an Eneloop. It seems that with a protected 14500, the required piston pressure is noticibly greater than with an Eneloop... presumably due to the difference in cell length. I like the switch response a LOT better with an Eneloop in there. In any event, if the size difference between the D10 and the EZAA isn't really significant, I'm not sure I'd trade away a D10 for an EZAA... but I'm tuned in to this thread for sure.


I´ve tried both AWs 14500 (anode-cathode length 50.96 mm.) and a Vanson NiMH (a-c length 49.9 mm.) and felt no real pressure difference on my D10, must be the luck of the draw. A tip: if you are going to measure battery lengths using metal calipers, cover the measuring faces with thin tape to prevent short circuiting the battery during measuring. Total tape thickness is usually about 0.08 mm. for standard cellophane tape. For digital calipers, just reset to zero, for analog dittos just subtract tape thickness.


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## applevision (May 25, 2009)

regulator said:


> Hi applevision. Thanks for your observations. Do you have an Aeon and how is the brightness of the EZAA on low compared to the Aeon? I am still trying to decide on this light and will most likely end up getting one.



Hey *regulator*, playing with both now; fresh batt in the Aeon, fresh Eneloop in the EZAA.

On low, the Aeon is a bit brighter. On high, I think that the hotspots are very similar (favoring the EZAA a bit) but the spill of the EZAA is significantly greater in my samples. Overall, sweeping and area or lighting up a room with ceiling bounce test, the EZAA clearly wins. 

Other observations:
1. EZAA is longer but thinner
2. The twisting from low to high is MUCH better (= shorter) on the EZAA. I just feel like I have to do something like 4 finger-thumb-turns to get to high on the Aeon...
3. My Aeon has a crummy tint IMHO--it's greenish which grates at my nerves. The EZAA is fairly neutral-tending towards blueish. Overall, a much nicer light on the eyes.

If I had a choice, I'd take the EZAA in a heartbeat, and would also save some $$$ doing so!


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## Nake (May 25, 2009)

Comparing my Aeon to the EZAA; with fresh batt, just under a half a turn from low to high for both. Using a light box, for low the Aeon shows 340 overall lux, while the EZAA 488.


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## Bullzeyebill (May 25, 2009)

Nake said:


> Comparing my Aeon to the EZAA; with fresh batt, just under a half a turn from low to high for both. Using a light box, for low the Aeon shows 340 overall lux, while the EZAA 488.



What are the numbers for lux at one meter comparing the two lights?

Bill


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## regulator (May 25, 2009)

Thanks Applevision and Nake for the info. I like the comparison because the Aeon is a great light and has a lot of similarities to the EZAA. The compact size of the EZAA is very appealing to me as well as the simple UI. I will most likely end up getting one because it offers a few things that my other lights do not and fills a "nitch". 

BTW - it interesting that Applevision's Aeon's low is a little brighter but Nake's EZAA may be a bit brighter. Could be typical sample variations.


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## qip (May 25, 2009)

has there been runtime tests on this new updated version


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## Nake (May 26, 2009)

Bullzeyebill said:


> What are the numbers for lux at one meter comparing the two lights?
> 
> Bill


 
My Aeon shows 1330 lux, the EZAA 1610.


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## Bullzeyebill (May 26, 2009)

Thanks Nake, how about lux at one meter on low, both lights?

Bill


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## Nake (May 26, 2009)

Bullzeyebill said:


> Thanks Nake, how about lux at one meter on low, both lights?
> 
> Bill


 
On low the Aeon shows 72 lux and the EZAA 123.


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## Flying Turtle (May 26, 2009)

Hey, Nake. Thanks for the measurements. Since there has been some debate, could you compare the EZ AA on low to an E01 and maybe an L0D/L01 on low and/or medium, if you have those other lights? Thank you, again.

Geoff


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## Nake (May 26, 2009)

Flying Turtle said:


> Hey, Nake. Thanks for the measurements. Since there has been some debate, could you compare the EZ AA on low to an E01 and maybe an L0D/L01 on low and/or medium, if you have those other lights? Thank you, again.
> 
> Geoff


 
All I have is an LD01. Low's overall lux is 214, spot 84 lux. Med. is 1325 overall, 581 spot.

No more readings, I'm going to have "the big one" going up and down the stairs.


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## applevision (May 26, 2009)

Hee hee, interesting!

Sorry about all the walking, *Nake*!

I wonder if I have a bright Aeon or a dim EZAA on low... I will confess that it's hard as heck to tell smaller variations given the tremendous difference in tint and beam pattern (the EZAA has a much brighter spill).

It's a good little light!


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## Flying Turtle (May 26, 2009)

No more requests. Thanks, Nake. My EZ AA seems to be (by ceiling bounce) equal to or slightly brighter that the L0D on low, both running on rechargeables. Just normal differences, I suppose.

Geoff


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## loanshark (May 26, 2009)

Anyone get shipping notice on their warm version yet?


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## Burgess (May 26, 2009)

Has it been "officially" determined 


just *which bin* is used in these Neutral-Warm emitters ?




Please let us know what we're getting.





:thanks:
_


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## StandardBattery (May 26, 2009)

loanshark said:


> Anyone get shipping notice on their warm version yet?


 
Still waiting. As per the cfp-MP thread, I think they are overloaded with Memorial-Day sales. I have a very early order date for the Neutrals (I don't call them warm any more, maybe warmer), and I have not got a shipping notice yet. It could still happen today, they seem to be working late these days. I guess now that I've waited this long it's easy to wait a little longer. Lots of good toys to play with right now. Time to write up the next B/S/T add.


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## Flying Turtle (May 26, 2009)

This little EZ AA is very close to what many of us have been wanting for a long time. Super compact AA with a twistie and long runtime. Maybe not quite as bulletproof and long running as a AA E01 might be, but certainly a nicer beam and the high is just icing on the cake. As much as I like variable output with all the bells and whistles (still salivating over the prospect of the LF2XT), I can find almost no faults with this light. A pleasure to use.

Geoff


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## regulator (May 26, 2009)

Thats good to hear Flying Turtle. I broke down and ordered one today. My real concern is whether the low mode will be bright enough for general task use. I am hoping it is at least as bright as my Peak Pacific HP with older lux emitter. I think it will be good if it is close to true 10 lumen out the front. We shall see. I'm looking forward to receiving it.


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## Flying Turtle (May 26, 2009)

I think you'll find the low quite useful, regulator. So far, with really pretty limited use, I've hardly needed the high, except for grins anyway.

Geoff


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## liam_995 (May 26, 2009)

Just placed my order! 

Here`s hoping that mine has NO problems and gets here quickly...


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## applevision (May 26, 2009)

Flying Turtle said:


> This little EZ AA is very close to what many of us have been wanting for a long time. Super compact AA with a twistie and long runtime. Maybe not quite as bulletproof and long running as a AA E01 might be, but certainly a nicer beam and the high is just icing on the cake. As much as I like variable output with all the bells and whistles (still salivating over the prospect of the LF2XT), I can find almost no faults with this light. A pleasure to use.
> 
> Geoff



Geoff, I really appreciate the positivity here; I'm worried that the setback has broken the spirit of this little light. I agree... the more I play with it the more I like it. It's a nice light, a victim of overhype that's all. I have to say that something about it makes me want to pick it up even more than the D10--and that's saying something! I'm still trying to figure out how to use it... for many months I've carried my LD01 SS on my keys... recently broke down and now carry the Drake which is a powerful and versatile little light! So now it will be hard to go back to a heavier and longer light (both longer and heaver still than the LD01!)... but I may have to try...



regulator said:


> Thats good to hear Flying Turtle. I broke down and ordered one today. My real concern is whether the low mode will be bright enough for general task use. I am hoping it is at least as bright as my Peak Pacific HP with older lux emitter. I think it will be good if it is close to true 10 lumen out the front. We shall see. I'm looking forward to receiving it.


*regulator*, let me allay your fears: the low mode on this light is plenty bright for close up work and for general tasks. It's a bit dimmer than the LD01's medium to be sure, but it puts out a comfortable amount of light, no doubt.


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## regulator (May 27, 2009)

I am putting more scutiny on the EZAA than necessary because I already have several lights that I think are great. By itself, the EZAA is a very nice and unique light. I still like my Peak Pacific with pocket tube for its very compact AA format. It is outdated and approximately 4 years old. The output is around 10 lumens and is enough light for most tasks. The EZAA has so much over the Peak at this point. 

I had been searching for a light very similar to the EZAA for some time. I wanted a good AA light who's main design goal was focused on compactness. Well, the EZAA is the best out there right now that I know of. 

Heck - I wouldn't even mind an alternative EZAA with a 3 mode memory UI similar to something like the Bitz. The switching would be different than is currently employed but that would be ok. You would need to turn the head to change modes. I just like the super compact and slim size of the EZAA for pocket carry. **It would also still have to have a very efficiently constant current driver to keep the best efficiency as possible.

EDIT - I meant 4 mode. Super low, low, medium, high. Man that would be the almost perfect AA light. And something like this would be so easy. They already have the lphysical design of the light. Just change the driver a bit. Maybe Nightcore is reading this and already in design.................


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## Flying Turtle (May 27, 2009)

I wouldn't mind seeing a three mode with a lower low. Guess that's what I meant saying "almost no faults". This would complicate the switching, however. It's pretty nice to not have to do anything more than continue twisting for more light. I'm confident we'll be seeing something even better before much time passes. That's what makes this hobby fun.

Geoff


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## StandardBattery (May 27, 2009)

I'd like to see a new design that uses the micro switches employed in the new Malkoff two-level retaining ring. They could have 3 levels with precise rotation/switch points.


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## Beamhead (May 27, 2009)

I am glad to see some are generally pleased with the updated version, my non updated version has been doing great, its a very nice light.


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## StandardBattery (May 27, 2009)

loanshark said:


> Anyone get shipping notice on their warm version yet?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


*Shipping! :twothumbs*


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## Badbeams3 (May 27, 2009)

I wonder if there`s a R-2 EZ in the works.


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## Thujone (May 27, 2009)

StandardBattery said:


> *Shipping! :twothumbs*


Ditto!


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## sygyzy (May 27, 2009)

Got my shipping notice (warm).


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## loanshark (May 27, 2009)

Shipped baby! Can't wait for my warmy...


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## Spence (May 28, 2009)

*EZAA arrivals?*

Has anyone begun receiving their EZAA's yet?:shakehead:candle:


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## Marduke (May 28, 2009)

*Re: EZAA arrivals?*



Spence said:


> Has anyone begun receiving their EZAA's yet?:shakehead:candle:



Check the thread in the MP.


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## Beamhead (May 28, 2009)

*Re: EZAA arrivals?*

I have had mine for over a month.


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## StandardBattery (May 28, 2009)

*Re: EZAA arrivals?*

Many Yes: See this Thread


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## Badbeams3 (May 28, 2009)

*Re: EZAA arrivals?*

Has anyone got the warm white one`s yet?


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## Burgess (May 28, 2009)

*Re: EZAA arrivals?*

My "neutral-warm emitter" model has been shipped. :thumbsup:


Hope to get it by Saturday. 

_


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## lightdoc (May 28, 2009)

*Re: EZAA arrivals?*

Also expecting a warm white- ?maybe on Friday


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## StandardBattery (May 30, 2009)

I have an EZ AA w in hand. 

The first thing I thought when I saw it was ... this does look more like an AAA sized light. *A+ on sizing*, thiner than the Aeon as reported early. The knurling feels pretty good, but not as good as BitZ, but good enough for the size of the light. The Aeon does feel tougher and of higher quality, but this is obviously pretty subjective.

The low, is pretty low, good for looking at the back of computer or other close range stuff. Basically the same as my Aeon I think accounting for tint. I think *the level is probably right* for the intended purpose of keychain light. I wonder how different it is from the early models before the recal. Hopefully when the reviews hit there will be a side by side. 

Definetly *glad I got the Neutral/Warm*. I like my Aeon, but it can't compete with the warmer tint of the EZ. I'll have to try not to use them side by side too often.

The annodizing is good, the lazer engraving a little light , but I like it that way. The engraving has *"EZ AA w"* included, so the neutral emitter versions have specific engraving. I think that is a Flashlight History first. I believe this signals the main stream popularity of the warmer Neutral tints. OR just a very nice thing for Nitecore to do.

Mine requires *~200-210deg turn from low to high*, however when I twist it ON I could over twist it if I though I might be changing modes so the remaining twist to high would be less.

I'm tempted to keep one that I was planning on giving away, but I think I'll just see if I can order more.

This will certainly be a great gift flashlight.

Thanks NiteCore! And Thanks to 4Sevens for working out the issues, and getting a Neutral (warmer) tint run organized.

:twothumbs 



*Update:* on my second sample; the engraving is cleaner and clearer, the tint slightly warmer.


----------



## cave dave (May 30, 2009)

*Re: EZAA arrivals?*

Got my Warm White in the mail today.

Did a bounce test against Ra100WW.

Using Ra numbers as a baseline I estimate:

EZAAw high = around 71 Ra lumens
EZAAw low = around 3.8 Ra lumens

Note: Keep in mind the Warm Whites were supposed to have 30% less output than the regular models.


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## loanshark (May 30, 2009)

*Re: EZAA arrivals?*

I just got my Warmy a few minutes ago... Bring on the night! 

Dave, 3.8? Did you just get your eyes calibrated? Not 4, not 3, 3.8 lumens. 

Sorry, all in good fun.


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## cave dave (May 30, 2009)

*Re: The new little NiteCore: "EZAA" Part 2*



loanshark said:


> I just got my Warmy a few minutes ago... Bring on the night!
> 
> Dave, 3.8? Did you just get your eyes calibrated? Not 4, not 3, 3.8 lumens.
> 
> Sorry, all in good fun.


I see some threads were merged, so I reverted my title.
I kept the two significant figures from the Ra chart. The bounce brightness was somewhere between 3.2lm and 4.5lm settings on my Ra. It seemed closer to the 3.2 setting but I just took the midpoint and dropped off the 0.05

Low is dimmer than the Nichia CS LED lights I have like the ArcAAA and Fenix E0. Beam is much more pleasant though. I'd prefer if low was about 3 time brighter only because I can see many situations where ~4 lm just won't cut it and I'll have to use the battery draining max when I just need 12-20 lm.

PS: In actuality if I need 20lm I'll pull out another light. I'm intending the EZAAw to be a high end replacement for the CMG Infinity. Basically a nice small AA spares carrier that can also produce light.


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## loanshark (May 30, 2009)

I don't have an RA, mostly because they don't have an AA model. I have heard they are conservative with their ratings. My warm EZAA with an eneloop is dead on my EO1 running a E2 lithuim... I wouldn't think it less than 6 lumens. I could be wrong though...


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## TooSharp (May 30, 2009)

No EZAA warm beam shots yet? Anyone want to volunteer?


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## regulator (May 30, 2009)

*Re: The new little NiteCore: "EZAA" Part 2*



cave dave said:


> I see some threads were merged, so I reverted my title.
> I kept the two significant figures from the Ra chart. The bounce brightness was somewhere between 3.2lm and 4.5lm settings on my Ra. It seemed closer to the 3.2 setting but I just took the midpoint and dropped off the 0.05
> 
> Low is dimmer than the Nichia CS LED lights I have like the ArcAAA and Fenix E0. Beam is much more pleasant though. I'd prefer if low was about 3 time brighter only because I can see many situations where ~4 lm just won't cut it and I'll have to use the battery draining max when I just need 12-20 lm.
> ...


 
Boy that does not sound right that an older CS 5mm light is brighter than the EZAA first stage. I wonder if you got a defective unit. I hope that this is not a pattern. I have a regular tint one en-route and will report my findings when I get it. 

At this point I am concerned that the "fixed" EZAA is not any brighter than the one first reviewed. From emails I received from Nitecore, they were to have "corrected" the light to meet the specs of 15 lumens. But later they revised the figure to 10 lumens AFTER the lights were shippped! I don't understand what that was all about. 10 Lumens is still very acceptable and I hope to be pleasantly suprised. I have been pleased with my D10 and know they can put out a very good product.


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## shadeone (May 30, 2009)

needed:

comparison shots:
Fenix E01 vs EZAA low mode
Nitecore D10 vs EZAA high mode

hopefully this light can replace both of the above lights for me for EDC...

shade


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## Solstice (May 30, 2009)

*Re: The new little NiteCore: "EZAA" Part 2*

Still waiting on mine (regular, not warm). I for one am glad that the "low" ended up at 10 lumens rather than 15, given that there are only 2 settings on this light. If it is a true 10 lumens, I know what to expect as I had an HDS Basic 60 back in the day and, for those that remember, the "primary" setting was accurately calibrated at 10 lumens and made for a nice utility level.


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## regulator (May 30, 2009)

shadeone said:


> needed:
> 
> comparison shots:
> Fenix E01 vs EZAA low mode
> ...


 
There are two reviews in the reviews section which provide these. It appears the low of the EZAA is comparable to the E01 and high is very close to the D10.

I could live with a true 10 lumens low setting. That 10 lumen primary mode of the HDS was determined to be a very good all around value for general use and is a good setting. I believe the Novatac is similar (or was it one of the settings for the RA twisty???)


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## AFAustin (May 30, 2009)

*Re: The new little NiteCore: "EZAA" Part 2*



regulator said:


> Boy that does not sound right that an older CS 5mm light is brighter than the EZAA first stage. I wonder if you got a defective unit. I hope that this is not a pattern. I have a regular tint one en-route and will report my findings when I get it.
> 
> At this point I am concerned that the "fixed" EZAA is not any brighter than the one first reviewed. From emails I received from Nitecore, they were to have "corrected" the light to meet the specs of 15 lumens. But later they revised the figure to 10 lumens AFTER the lights were shippped! I don't understand what that was all about. 10 Lumens is still very acceptable and I hope to be pleasantly suprised. I have been pleased with my D10 and know they can put out a very good product.



My regular tint EZAA (which is a nice neutral tint, IMO) is equal to, or maybe a hair brighter than, my EO1, per ceiling bounce.


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## Muddquez (May 30, 2009)

Here is a couple of comparison shots of the EZAA and EZAAwarm 

First is the EZAA EZAAwarm on low and E01 f/5 1/20 sec.






Here is the EZAA EZAAwarm And D10 all on High f/5 1/20 sec.





All lights with fresh Nimh


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## TooSharp (May 30, 2009)

Muddquez said:


> Here is a couple of comparison shots of the EZAA and EZAAwarm
> 
> First is the EZAA EZAAwarm on low and E01 f/5 1/20 sec.
> 
> ...



Muddquez,
Thanks for the beam shots. Can't wait to get mine.


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## Burgess (May 31, 2009)

Received my Warm-Emitter EZAA today (Saturday), as well.


Mine takes about *300 degrees of rotation* to go from

"Low just comes on" to "High comes on".



But, hey, that doesn't really bother me.



What DOES bother me:



The Big Brass Gap. 



Regardless of battery type, i can *barely* screw down

the flashlight head enough to cover the rubber O-ring,

before Low Mode comes on. :sigh:


I fear it's gonna' compromise my "IPX waterproof" rating,

if i can't get a good seal. Dirt and Dust, too.


The Big Brass Gap is (to me) very problematic. :sigh:



Anyone else experience this ? ? ?



Oh, yeah . . . .



I compared it to my (Fenix) Civictor V1, for length.


As the publicity photo shows, the EZAA is indeed < or equal in length.


*BUT . . . .*


Not if you have a Battery Installed ! ! !

:sigh:


With a cell installed, it's several mm. Longer than Civictor.



Perhaps something is wrong with my sample ? ? ?





Anyone else ?

_


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## holeymoley (May 31, 2009)

Muddquez said:


> Here is a couple of comparison shots of the EZAA and EZAAwarm
> 
> First is the EZAA EZAAwarm on low and E01 f/5 1/20 sec.
> 
> ...



Thanks for these. I got my warm EZAA today and dropped in a half-charged Eneloop (note to self: remember to charge some batteries when you have a new light coming). I was hoping the warm bin emitter on this light would give a low that was roughly equivalent to an E01. I think they are close, but the tint is obviously superior to the purplish hue on the Fenix.

One thing I noticed is that the tint on low is a little 'red-purple' but when you crank it up to high mode you get a relatively even yellow-red tint. Anyone else noticed this? Overall I'm pretty happy with this light, it's my third Nitecore and I will definitely continue to buy them.


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## holeymoley (May 31, 2009)

BTW. Does someone want to start registry thread for this light?


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## HKJ (May 31, 2009)

*Re: The new little NiteCore: "EZAA" Part 2*



regulator said:


> Boy that does not sound right that an older CS 5mm light is brighter than the EZAA first stage. I wonder if you got a defective unit. I hope that this is not a pattern. I have a regular tint one en-route and will report my findings when I get it.
> 
> At this point I am concerned that the "fixed" EZAA is not any brighter than the one first reviewed. From emails I received from Nitecore, they were to have "corrected" the light to meet the specs of 15 lumens. But later they revised the figure to 10 lumens AFTER the lights were shippped! I don't understand what that was all about. 10 Lumens is still very acceptable and I hope to be pleasantly suprised. I have been pleased with my D10 and know they can put out a very good product.




The low mode on the EZ AA is about the same as the low mode on Fenix LD01 and LD10. Here is a ceiling bounce measure of some lights and the different output modes:


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## Zendude (May 31, 2009)

Burgess said:


> Received my Warm-Emitter EZAA today (Saturday), as well.
> 
> 
> Mine takes about *300 degrees of rotation* to go from
> ...



Seems to me there is a lot of variances in the length and/or position of the spring in these lights. If its stretched out too far it turns on too soon and you end up with that gap when the light is off. This would also explain why you have to turn it 300 degrees to get to high. 

Maybe you could try compressing the spring or shortening it somehow. I read that somebody built up a solder pad to shorten the gap from low contact to high but that wouldn't help with the gap when the light is off.:shrug:


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## Solstice (Jun 1, 2009)

Zendude said:


> Seems to me there is a lot of variances in the length and/or position of the spring in these lights.



Hi guys, I need a little help and decided to try this thread before I start my own or try to send the light back to 7777. I just received this light today. The problem with my light is that it takes WAY too much turning to get to high, and too much pressure. In fact, I cant achieve high with one hand at all, and by the time I get there (using two hands) I think I'm probably crushing the battery. I could try to pull out the spring a bit with some needle-nosed pliers, but I wanted to get someone's opinion here first before I go mucking around in there: I'm not very technically savvy and I'm not even sure this will address the problem. Thanks in advance,

Jon

ps. Otherwise, the light looks good and they were nice enough to include one of those USB rechargables in my order even though I wasnt part of the original preorder list.


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## AFAustin (Jun 2, 2009)

Solstice said:


> Hi guys, I need a little help and decided to try this thread before I start my own or try to send the light back to 7777. I just received this light today. The problem with my light is that it takes WAY too much turning to get to high, and too much pressure. In fact, I cant achieve high with one hand at all, and by the time I get there (using two hands) I think I'm probably crushing the battery. I could try to pull out the spring a bit with some needle-nosed pliers, but I wanted to get someone's opinion here first before I go mucking around in there: I'm not very technically savvy and I'm not even sure this will address the problem. Thanks in advance,
> 
> Jon
> 
> ps. Otherwise, the light looks good and they were nice enough to include one of those USB rechargables in my order even though I wasnt part of the original preorder list.



Jon,

I had the same problem and it really took the enjoyment out of this nice little light. I'm not technically savvy, either, but went ahead and started messing with it. 

I began just as you suggest, by trying to pull the spring out a bit, but the solder gave way and it snapped out. Rather than trying to solder it back, I simply made a new spring (really, more of a flat spring or coil) out of thin wire. The diameter was just wide enough to fit snugly in the foam donut. I made sure the end piece of the wire in the middle was bent so it was directly over the contact point for "high" in the middle of the PCB. 

I got lucky---I can now get from off to low to high in a bit less than a quarter turn. I've used my EZAA quite a bit for several nights since, and this fix continues to work just fine. If I ever start having problems with it, it should be easy enough to just pull out my spring/coil, and slightly adjust it back to the proper shape.

You might have good luck as well by returning it. Maybe if you ask, 4sevens' guys will check the replacement before sending it out, to make sure you get a "short twist" model. I was just a bit impatient and wanted to try and do it myself, and this time at least, I'm glad I did.

Hope this helps.

Andrew


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## Zendude (Jun 2, 2009)

Solstice said:


> Hi guys, I need a little help and decided to try this thread before I start my own or try to send the light back to 7777. I just received this light today. The problem with my light is that it takes WAY too much turning to get to high, and too much pressure. In fact, I cant achieve high with one hand at all, and by the time I get there (using two hands) I think I'm probably crushing the battery. I could try to pull out the spring a bit with some needle-nosed pliers, but I wanted to get someone's opinion here first before I go mucking around in there: I'm not very technically savvy and I'm not even sure this will address the problem. Thanks in advance,
> 
> Jon
> 
> ps. Otherwise, the light looks good and they were nice enough to include one of those USB rechargables in my order even though I wasnt part of the original preorder list.


 
Stretching the spring would only increase the amount of turns nessasary to to go from low to high mode. 

The only thing that would offer resistance to twist to high would be the foam pad. Maybe your cell has a short + nipple and the spring is not making contact with the high current path on the board. I think that was why another member built up a solder pad, to shorten that gap.

But you know what, you *shouldn't* have to do that IMHO. 4sevens has has a good reputation and I'm sure they'll take care of you. You paid good money for that light.


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## Phredd (Jun 2, 2009)

Solstice said:


> The problem with my light is that it takes WAY too much turning to get to high, and too much pressure.



I got mine yesterday and I'm having exactly the same problem. I have to turn very hard to get it on high or it will flicker between low and high. If I turn back, it's a very short turn back to low, then a very long turn back to off.

My guess is that the spring is supposed to snap forward after turning a bit, but some springs are too flat to snap properly. From all the posts here, it seems the spring design is very much hit or miss. I even wonder if it will degrade after long term use.

I'm very disappointed with this light's mechanics and I don't even know if I want a replacement or just a refund.


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## Bullzeyebill (Jun 2, 2009)

Phredd said:


> I got mine yesterday and I'm having exactly the same problem. I have to turn very hard to get it on high or it will flicker between low and high. If I turn back, it's a very short turn back to low, then a very long turn back to off.
> 
> My guess is that the spring is supposed to snap forward after turning a bit, but some springs are too flat to snap properly. From all the posts here, it seems the spring design is very much hit or miss. I even wonder if it will degrade after long term use.
> 
> I'm very disappointed with this light's mechanics and I don't even know if I want a replacement or just a refund.



The Mako is similar to what you are talking about in reaching high from low. Takes a purposeful twist to attain high, but it will not accidentally come on either, and I can live with that. The EZAA seems to have a similar type of spring setup to move from on, to low, to high.

Bill


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## Bullzeyebill (Jun 2, 2009)

Zendude said:


> Stretching the spring would only increase the amount of turns nessasary to to go from low to high mode.
> 
> The only thing that would offer resistance to twist to high would be the foam pad. Maybe your cell has a short + nipple and the spring is not making contact with the high current path on the board. I think that was why another member built up a solder pad, to shorten that gap.
> 
> But you know what, you *shouldn't* have to do that IMHO. 4sevens has has a good reputation and I'm sure they'll take care of you. You paid good money for that light.



If the foam pad is causing resistance then trim it a little. My Mako which has a similar foam pad and spring was a little difficult to turn easily so I beveled the pad, and shortened it, a tiny bit. Works much better. I do not own the EZAA, but what you are talking about is a design feature of the pad and spring, and the foam pad provides some reverse polarity protection and reduces battery rattle, very similar to my Mako. I do not think that it is really a warranty issue. Besides flashaholics like to fix things the way they want them, and part of the fun of owning our lights.

Bill

Bill


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## IceRat (Jun 3, 2009)

I got mine yesterday:twothumbs. What a wonderful light!!! I used mine in the backyard last night while watering the garden (an excuse to play with my flashlights) and I really like the beam. It has a nice wider spot and a brighter spill that is very useful. I was comparing it to my L1T v2 and it seems the low on the EZAA is lower than the L1T and the L1T high was brighter. The spot on th L1T was smaller so it might have seemed brighter. The beam on mine is on the warmer side. The low on the EZAA was alot brighter that the E01 and the spot was alittle bigger. 
This little light lit my whole backyard. It's a keeper. 

On my EZAA the head threads on 4 turns till low comes on, than a quater turn till high (perfect!). 

Thank you 4Sevens and Nitecore!!


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## ecallahan (Jun 3, 2009)

I received my EZAA warm last Friday. I really like this light. The only problem I am having is the same that has been posted, going from low to high. I really have to twist hard to get to High. I'll live with it. Maybe once the foam pad looses some stiffness it'll improve.

I don't ever plan on using my camera mount, so I epoxied a 1.5 x 5mm green trit in there. It fit in just right, snug against the bottom of the opening, a little epoxy added - and it is protected and in place. 

Great little light.


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## Zeruel (Jun 3, 2009)

ecallahan said:


> I received my EZAA warm last Friday. I really like this light. The only problem I am having is the same that has been posted, going from low to high. I really have to twist hard to get to High. I'll live with it. Maybe once the foam pad looses some stiffness it'll improve.



Someone mentioned trimming the foam at the edge to make it bevelled. I did it to my EZ AA. It helps a bit.


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## loanshark (Jun 3, 2009)

ecallahan said:


> I received my EZAA warm last Friday. I really like this light. The only problem I am having is the same that has been posted, going from low to high. I really have to twist hard to get to High. I'll live with it. Maybe once the foam pad looses some stiffness it'll improve.
> 
> I don't ever plan on using my camera mount, so I epoxied a 1.5 x 5mm green trit in there. It fit in just right, snug against the bottom of the opening, a little epoxy added - and it is protected and in place.
> 
> Great little light.


 
You know we wont believe you until we see the pics... Also where did you get your trit?


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## ecallahan (Jun 3, 2009)

loanshark said:


> You know we wont believe you until we see the pics... Also where did you get your trit?



I'l get some pics up in an hour or two. Trit was bought from Bart's sales thread.


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## loanshark (Jun 3, 2009)

ecallahan said:


> I'l get some pics up in an hour or two. Trit was bought from Bart's sales thread.


 
:twothumbs


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## ecallahan (Jun 3, 2009)

ecallahan said:


> I'l get some pics up in an hour or two. Trit was bought from Bart's sales thread.


 
I'm no cameraman, I took these with one of my kids cameras, but they should show well enough. The trit fits in just right. If viewed from directly behind, a small portion of either end of the trit is hidden, but it works out great. You could probably still screw it to a mount, as long as you didn't tighten too much.

The scratches that you see, and excess epoxy are from my first try. My first thought was to fill the void with epoxy, then lay the trit on top near the end of the opening. I'm new to messing around with this stuff, and I mixed the epoxy to much and it wasn't drying clear. So I dug everything out with a screwdriver and cleaned up with mineral spirits. Then I figured there was no reason not to just lay it against the bottom of the void, and put a little epoxy on top. It really stands out at night.


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## Solstice (Jun 4, 2009)

Thanks for the feedback guys. I've decided to use the light as is for a while. The foam and threads have been softening up a bit, my attitude as toward typical use has shifted a bit, and as a result, I find myself really liking the light. 

Here's my philosophy: I mostly need a low/general light for 90% of tasks. The "primary" on the EZAA fills this need perfectly. The small size of the light allows for it fill the niche of "keychain" light while still using the prefered AA battery over AAA.

I like the fact that there is virtually zero chance the light will come on on its own, and absolutely ZERO chance it will come on high (as had happend before with both the LRI Proton and Nitecore D10 I used to carry). 

Given that hi is both very bright and fairly thirsty, (50 min runtime gets expensive with the lithium primaries I'm using for weight, dormant longevity, and cell crushing reasons) perhaps it is for the best that it isn't so easy to activate. I could hand this light to any non-flashaholic, and the odds are that they will simply twist it on, be satisfied with "low" and stop there- no wasting my battery. Hi is there for the rare occasion that i really need it, and it is easy enough to get there quickly by turning with two hands.

Criticisms: I still do think there is a little too much turning once the light is on low, but clearly this is a fixable issue. I appreciate the simplicity, but sometimes I do miss some little extras like an accessible strobe mode or a lower low. And lastly, I think the light is priced a little high for how basic it is. 

Even so, I look at this light as a sort of spiritual successor to something like an Arc AA; a fairly basic and arguably overpriced light, but with unparalleled compactness and a utilitarian directness in its use that makes it worth owning. Of course, these days we can appreciate much longer runtimes with a brighter, better quality beam, and have a really bright blast of light hidden in there if needed.


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## TooSharp (Jun 4, 2009)

In the battery tube of the EZAA there seems to be a little pedestal of metal that the battery sits on. The machine depth of this pedestal could also effect how many turns it takes to turn the light on.


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## Zeruel (Jun 4, 2009)

For any who wishes to have a clip for EZ AA, please vote here.


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## cave dave (Jun 4, 2009)

Warm White EZAAw testing results:

I did an informal eyeball runtime on high. It got about 1hr of what seemed to be pretty steady high, then from about the 1:00 to 1:12 it dropped pretty quickly and I turned it off and they tried to turn it back on but it wouldn't start up. I let it rest for 2 min and it turned back on with high being about twice low but dimming quickly so I stopped the test.

I also measured the current at the battery on low at 136mA. That would give a runtme on low of about 15hrs using an eneloop.

As mentioned before I'd be willing to bet that it is putting out less than 5lm of light OTF (Warm White). 5lm for 15 hrs doesn't seem all that impressive, but I like the tint and the interface so I think she's a keeper. I would gladly 1/2 the low mode runtime for twice the low brightness, but even the <5lm is pretty darn useful and a bit too bright for dark adapted eyes. Too bad I can't reprogram it.

I have about a 190deg rotation from low to high. Resistance at high is just about perfect.


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## mr.snakeman (Jun 5, 2009)

I received my warm tint EZAA yesterday and found the threads feel much smoother than on my neutral tint ditto. Even so, it took a few times twisting back and forth to get it to turn on high, with a gritty feeling when it got there (only with a battery inserted-without a battery it will screw all the way closed nice and smoothly). The twisting angle is just slightly less than the nt (app. 270 degrees as opposed to app. 320 degrees for the nt). As to the tint, I´ve eaten salmon that had a cooler tint than this light! What I was hoping for was a tint that would be about the same as putting both the nt and wt centering over each other. A well, one can´t have it all. Another thing that I`ve noticed is that the seam on my NiMH rechargeables is so sharp that they are chewing up the foam on my nt light (I`ve had a few more days to play with it than I`ve had with the wt). This might be the cause of that gritty feeling on high that I mentioned earlier. All in all, mixed feelings about these lights. The neutral tint is well and truly just about the most neutral of all my lights, nice, but the threads really do need some smoothing out - I`m going to try using some ultra, ultra fine diamond powder that I used to use for polishing my goldsmithing tools to lap the threads. If that works, I`ll let you know.


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## Gary123 (Jun 5, 2009)

To clean gritty threads, I purchased an inexpensive tin of rubbing compound ($4?) at an auto parts store. I slab this onto the threads, screw the ends together in and out a few times and done. Clean and relube.


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## TooSharp (Jun 5, 2009)

mr.snakeman said:


> Even so, it took a few times twisting back and forth to get it to turn on high, with a gritty feeling when it got there (only with a battery inserted-without a battery it will screw all the way closed nice and smoothly).



The gritty feeling is the battery twisting and rubbing on the bottom of the battery tube. I taped some 800 grit sandpaper to the bottom of a battery, reinserted the battery, installed the head and twisted back and forth a hundred or so times and that cleaned up the feeling.


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## AFAustin (Jun 5, 2009)

TooSharp said:


> The gritty feeling is the battery twisting and rubbing on the bottom of the battery tube. I taped some 800 grit sandpaper to the bottom of a battery, reinserted the battery, installed the head and twisted back and forth a hundred or so times and that cleaned up the feeling.



Great idea. Thanks.


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## mr.snakeman (Jun 5, 2009)

AFAustin said:


> Great idea. Thanks.


 + 1 for me too.


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## cave dave (Jun 5, 2009)

TooSharp said:


> The gritty feeling is the battery twisting and rubbing on the bottom of the battery tube. I taped some 800 grit sandpaper to the bottom of a battery, reinserted the battery, installed the head and twisted back and forth a hundred or so times and that cleaned up the feeling.



Agreed, its not the threads. I added just the slightest amount of DeOxit contact cleaner to the bottom of the battery, which acts as a lubricant and makes it super smooth. I've wiped the battery clean a few times and the small amount that continues to remain on the neg tube contact is all that is needed.


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## AFAustin (Jun 5, 2009)

cave dave said:


> Agreed, its not the threads. I added just the slightest amount of DeOxit contact cleaner to the bottom of the battery, which acts as a lubricant and makes it super smooth. I've wiped the battery clean a few times and the small amount that continues to remain on the neg tube contact is all that is needed.



Another excellent idea. Thanks, cave dave. Looking forward to trying out one or both of these methods to eliminate that unpleasant grinding.....


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## wingnutLP (Jun 5, 2009)

I have a D10 which I think is lame but I have to say I am really impressed with the EZAA warm I have just recieved. 

The tint is great 
The size is fantastic

The change from low to high would be better if it was less of a turn and easier 
The beam profile is off teh pace especially when compared to liteflux

Overall I am really impressed with the light and I think it is a great change of direction for nitecore...


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## AFAustin (Jun 5, 2009)

Well, a few hours ago I tried cave dave's DeOxit remedy for the battery grinding problem, and I am happy to report it worked like a charm for me.  I just put a dab on the negative contact itself, wiped the battery a few times as c/d suggested, and voila'---smooth as silk! I think I'm good, but TooSharp, your solution is likewise very clever, and I'm keeping it in reserve....

So, I really have had an interesting EZAA experience to date, and have performed a lot of, albeit elementary, fixes for this cool little light, to wit:

1) I believe I have solved the "too much twisting" issue with my homemade coil/spring: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2960892#post2960892 (post #122---see: "*Updates*")


2) The "scruffing up my eneloops" problem has indeed been resolved with a simple paper wrap in the tube: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2962040#post2962040 (post #150)

3) And, finally, the annoying "grinding sound effects" issue has been put to bed by cave dave's DeOxit trick.

Man this is a great little light, but it makes you do some work! :sweat:

One thing that is still unresolved for me, is that I am not yet comfortable with the levels---a low that feels too low, and a high that feels too high (short runtime and it gets a little warmer than I like). Frankly, though, that could just be me getting used to using a light configured this way. It is truly for a situation where you need either just a little light---or a lot---and I really haven't figured out yet how best to use this light. :thinking:

All that said, though, I confess that I am having a hard time putting this light down. The svelte size and overall feel are terrific. The EZ keeps reminding me of the feeling I had when the JETBeam C-LE came out---it had its flaws, and I remember having to go through some similar fixes to remedy its battery crusher and other shortcomings, but, doggone it, I just liked that little light----it was simple, strong, great knurling, great feel in the hand. The EZAA is all of that---but with the benefit of a very severe diet---it is also slim and sexy! :kiss:

In sum, it has its issues, but it's a keeper.....


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## applevision (Jun 6, 2009)

AFAustin said:


> All that said, though, I confess that I am having a hard time putting this light down. The svelte size and overall feel are terrific. The EZ keeps reminding me of the feeling I had when the JETBeam C-LE came out---it had its flaws, and I remember having to go through some similar fixes to remedy its battery crusher and other shortcomings, but, dogonnet, I just liked that light----it was simple, strong, great knurling, great feel in the hand. The EZAA is all of that---but with the benefit of a very severe diet---it is also slim and sexy! :kiss:
> 
> In sum, it has its issues, but it's a keeper.....



Well put, *AFAustin*! I totally agree!


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## AFAustin (Jun 6, 2009)

Thanks, applevision. I had the EZAA in my pocket all day today doing a variety of chores---it is a pleasure to use and it carries so lightly. And I can't believe what a nice difference cave dave's DeOxit fix makes---no more grinding! :thumbsup:


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## Bonky (Jun 7, 2009)

Can this light be hacked so as to turn on only in the high mode?

It's just what I've been looking for, 'cept I was looking for a 1-mode that had a runtime of ~2-3 hours (at what, maybe 80 lumens). This is only 45 mins at 120 but I could live with that if I could skip the low which is too low for my purposes.

thx


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## Kilovolt (Jun 7, 2009)

Bonky said:


> Can this light be hacked so as to turn on only in the high mode?


 
I think it is enough to pull out with a pair of pliers the tiny spring soldered to the central contact in the back of the head and resting in the hole of the sponge. In this way the battery top will touch the said central contact and activate directly the high mode.


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## StandardBattery (Jun 7, 2009)

Bonky said:


> Can this light be hacked so as to turn on only in the high mode?
> 
> It's just what I've been looking for, 'cept I was looking for a 1-mode that had a runtime of ~2-3 hours (at what, maybe 80 lumens). This is only 45 mins at 120 but I could live with that if I could skip the low which is too low for my purposes.
> 
> thx


 
*It should be fairly easy.* Like Kilovolt said do away with the flat spring is one way. For a better positive contact with a longer life I would leave the spring there and bridge the center contact and the surrounding ring with a bit of solder. One High Mode!


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## Bonky (Jun 7, 2009)

so I assume if the battery + is touching only the spring it's in low mode and if it's touching the center recessed contact it's in high?

If so, does it need to be touching both the spring and the high contact or no?


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## Kilovolt (Jun 7, 2009)

Bonky said:


> so I assume if the battery + is touching only the spring it's in low mode and if it's touching the center recessed contact it's in high?


 
Yes.




Bonky said:


> If so, does it need to be touching both the spring and the high contact or no?


 
I don't think so, the central contact should be enough.


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## Zendude (Jun 7, 2009)

I'm curious, when its in high mode its using both current paths right? If you take away the low current path would it lower the output on high? :thinking:


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## Crenshaw (Jun 7, 2009)

I got my EZAA w (warm tint) yesterday, and very VERY mixed feelings about it.

On the one hand, the beam is perfect！love the colour, its spot on perfect.

im not so thrilled about the light itself.

Firstly, by spring contact was not very good. I had to tighten it very far (battery crushing territoty) before it would engage high. Cleaning contacts didnt work either. So i pulled out the spring (heart breaking thing to do) and replaced it with a cutdown minimag spring, and soldered it down (in the process burning some of the foam ring). That took a few hours to get right. After much trial and error with spring length, finally got a workable condition light. Now the threads were very gritty. VERY. So i gave it a rest fot the night. This morning woke up and gave it a thorough cleaning with alcohol, and then it was quite smooth, but the threads are still small enough that i had to be careful not to cross thread it. 

Now, the problem is that it turns the battery as well, and i think the pedestal at the bottom is scartching it battery, because everytime i turn it WITH the battery, the battery turns along, and gets scraped. So its VERY hard to turn with one hand. 

Its sad, but i had such high hopes for this light. The beam is perfect, but the iffy contact, spring issues, and the rough edges (on the threads, and the pedestal) are disappointing. If it was cosmetic flaws that did not affect use, i would be able to live with it, but these fairly serious issues, that make this light NOT live up to the name "EZ"




EDIT: after reading some posts, i did the sand paper thing. I attached it to a AA battery spacer, and taped two AAs together, and sanded the pedestal down. I have sanded it quite abit, and its not ALOT smoother.

This is a great fix! although i must say it would have been good if that was done at the factory instead of us having to do it.

Crenshaw


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## Beamhead (Jun 7, 2009)

Bonky said:


> Can this light be hacked so as to turn on only in the high mode?
> 
> 
> thx


Take the foam ring off and install it on the bottom of the battery, I did this and mine is now high only and with minimal effort to twist. The foam ring needs to break in a bit IE soften from repeated compression, the nice thing is if you don't like this simple mod you can easily reverse it by putting the foam ring back on the bezel or the top of your cell. It also solves the battery twist/scrape issue.


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## StandardBattery (Jun 7, 2009)

Look above for several recomendations on solving the grinding, I've never experienced it myself. The foam does compress a bit after usage. The size of the battery in the tube seems to make a noticeable difference. the small USB rechargables that 4Sevens was including seem pretty good for fit/function. I'm running an eneloop in one and USB in another, both are not too bad.

I had very mixed feelings, but it's growing on me. I have issues with the levels chosen and possible effciency. I actually tried a regular one just to see how it compares to the neutral tint in output. No big difference on mine, I'll use the neutral more, keep white simply for comparisons and/or future mods. I would like a nice clip. I'm going to sell 1 white and 1 neutral, but I have a stack for gifts. So far non-flashaholics are digg'n' it.

Hopefully you can resolve the mechanical issues enough, because it's definetly a nice light to have a round.


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## Crenshaw (Jun 7, 2009)

anyone else think that perhaps it would do better with a spring instead of an Arc-like pedestal？

Crenshaw


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## Bonky (Jun 7, 2009)

I was thinking of that but the spring would have to be perfectly tensioned to NOT push the batt up into the contacs until it's tightened down just the precise amount. So it couldn't be too weak a spring or it would never turn on, couldn't be too strong or it would be on all the time. Too little room for error for a mass produced thingy, I would guess.

However, if all I need is the center contact (for high), I could put some softer foam at the top and a spring at the bottom and then just unscrew till it was far enough out that the foam could push back enough on the spring.... could work.

I'm thinking that folks here could bend the very tip of the coiled spring up toward the center contact. This would make it contact the 'high' contact a little earlier and therefore you wouldn't have to twist it so much between low and high.


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## DHart (Jun 7, 2009)

:thinking: I'm starting to wonder if this light's attributes (smallish for a AA & simple 2 mode output) is great enough to overcome the issues and custom tweaks seemingly needed to improve functionality? It would seem that Nitecore will need to address these issues at the factory if they want user satisfaction and sales to really zoom.

I love my Nitecore D10, but gotta wonder if the slightly smaller form factor and two output simplicity of the EZAA is significant enough to displace the D10...:thinking:


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## Bonky (Jun 7, 2009)

If a resistor were soldered from the tip of the spring to the "high" contact would you have a light that turned on only in "high" but with a lower high and a longer runtime?


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## Beamhead (Jun 7, 2009)

EZAA reversable single mode high mod.


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## 4sevens (Jun 7, 2009)

Beamhead said:


> EZAA reversable single mode high mod.


NICE! :thumbsup:


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## cave dave (Jun 7, 2009)

Beamhead said:


> EZAA reversable single mode high mod.



Could somebody describe it for those of us who don't run windows media player.


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## dagored (Jun 7, 2009)

cave dave said:


> Could somebody describe it for those of us who don't run windows media player.



The video shows the small donut(ring) on the back of the head being removed and then being placed on the bottom of the battery. The battery in installed in the tube, and the head is replaced, but the light only has a high setting when turned on. 

The donut is then returned to the back of the head and both low and high still function.


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## Zendude (Jun 7, 2009)

Bonky said:


> If a resistor were soldered from the tip of the spring to the "high" contact would you have a light that turned on only in "high" but with a lower high and a longer runtime?



I was thinking the same thing but(depending on the resistor value) the voltage drop would not have the proper Vf for the LED... I think. I'm sure one of the more knowledgeable folks will have the answer.


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## csshih (Jun 7, 2009)

Beamhead said:


> EZAA reversable single mode high mod.




re-NICE! :thumbsup:


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## Zeruel (Jun 7, 2009)

Beamhead said:


> EZAA reversable single mode high mod.



Ingenious. Simple and effective. :thumbsup:


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## Beamhead (Jun 8, 2009)

Zeruel said:


> Ingenious. Simple and effective. :thumbsup:


Thanks, I'll go with simple.
I stumbled across it when my EZAA was having battery grind from the foam donut so I put it on the bottom of the cell and it stopped the battery grind and then I discovered the high only effect.
If I turn it real slow I can sometimes catch low but it usually flickers so I stick with the quarter twist to high mode.
The foam donut creates enough of a spacer when on the bottom of the cell to prevent the low spring from engaging until it is compressed into the high pad.


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## victor01 (Jun 8, 2009)

Crenshaw said:


> Firstly, by spring contact was not very good....
> Now the threads were very gritty. VERY......
> the threads are still small enough that i had to be careful not to cross thread it.....
> the pedestal at the bottom is scartching it battery.....
> ...




Thank goodness, I have come very close to ordering this light for its unique minimalist design. Guess I'll be sticking with my D10 and Gerber Infinity Ultra. Looking forward to the review of the new 4sevens' quark.


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## Crenshaw (Jun 8, 2009)

victor01 said:


> Thank goodness, I have come very close to ordering this light for its unique minimalist design. Guess I'll be sticking with my D10 and Gerber Infinity Ultra. Looking forward to the review of the new 4sevens' quark.



i will have to say though, that it IS a nice light....it just takes quite a fair bit of tweaking before you get it to work exactly like you want it to.

Today i figured out what was causing the gritty feeling even after i sanded down the battery pedestal. The foam donut is pushing down on the battery,and causing the head to be pushed up, and in turn pushing the threads against each other, creating more stress, resulting in gritty. I lessened this effect by cutting down the donut s tiny bit with a very sharp blade. 

Its not so bad now, but the donut looks abit messy...

oh well, it works better...

Crenshaw


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## Crenshaw (Jun 8, 2009)

Bonky said:


> I was thinking of that but the spring would have to be perfectly tensioned to NOT push the batt up into the contacs until it's tightened down just the precise amount. So it couldn't be too weak a spring or it would never turn on, couldn't be too strong or it would be on all the time. Too little room for error for a mass produced thingy, I would guess.



i guess so...oh well, cant have everything i guess. it would be nice if it worked along the same principle as fenix P3D/P2D light,s and what im guessing is the new quarks lights as well, there are two seperate pathways for the current, one is in the middle of the head (in this case, inside to donut) and the other is on the outside (the brass heatsink area). I think that would make for a more reliable 2 mode switching.

:thinking:

Crenshaw


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## Bonky (Jun 8, 2009)

it certainly would.. it would also add to the cost and weight I'd imagine.

The current configuration is a bit of a kludge in my opinion. It's almost, by necessity, going to need some tinkering for it to work right.

I wish they'd just gone with a single mode 70-80 lumen output that runs for 2-3 hours. For an EDC that's really all one needs IMO, and the EZAA has one thing going for it: its ability to replace AAA EDCs.


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## StandardBattery (Jun 8, 2009)

I'm a worried that putting the foam on the bottom means that any battery movement is causing the head of the battery to impact the PCB. 

Should the light suffer a fall with direct hit on the tail or bezel it could cause the battery to hit with enough force to crack the PCB. 

I think this configuration could shorten the life of the head.


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## Zendude (Jun 8, 2009)

Bonky said:


> it certainly would.. it would also add to the cost and weight I'd imagine.
> 
> The current configuration is a bit of a kludge in my opinion. It's almost, by necessity, going to need some tinkering for it to work right.
> 
> I wish they'd just gone with a single mode 70-80 lumen output that runs for 2-3 hours. For an EDC that's really all one needs IMO, and the EZAA has one thing going for it: its ability to replace AAA EDCs.



I for one actually really like this style of two stage light. 

Not so much the battery crush(I'd prefer a spring on top and bottom) but the very simple two stage contact without a clicky switch(clickies are always a weak link IMHO). Even if the spring were to come off(say if....someone tried to stretch it with pliers) its possible to do a field repair. That is something I highly value.

If I hadn't just got the ld01 ss I would have already ordered.


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## Crenshaw (Jun 9, 2009)

Bonky said:


> it certainly would.. it would also add to the cost and weight I'd imagine.
> 
> The current configuration is a bit of a kludge in my opinion. It's almost, by necessity, going to need some tinkering for it to work right.
> 
> I wish they'd just gone with a single mode 70-80 lumen output that runs for 2-3 hours. For an EDC that's really all one needs IMO, and the EZAA has one thing going for it: its ability to replace AAA EDCs.


 
Today, i find that the small increase in diameter/height of a Nimh makes it alot harder to get High mode...im finding new things abotu this light everyday! (thats not a good thing)

I wouldnt have minded paying slightly more for a more reliable system of switching. I do however, like the two mode thing... the low mode is pretty perfect for any dark situation, with just enough light to get around.

Zendude, if the spring were to come off (perhaps someone decided to stretch it with pliers 
how do you propose a field repair be done?


Crenshaw


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## Bullzeyebill (Jun 9, 2009)

Zendude said:


> I for one actually really like this style of two stage light.
> 
> Not so much the battery crush(I'd prefer a spring on top and bottom) but the very simple two stage contact without a clicky switch(clickies are always a weak link IMHO). Even if the spring were to come off(say if....someone tried to stretch it with pliers) its possible to do a field repair. That is something I highly value.
> 
> If I hadn't just got the ld01 ss I would have already ordered.



Trim a little of foam off the top. Should not be as hard to compress.

Bill


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## Beamhead (Jun 9, 2009)

StandardBattery said:


> I'm a worried that putting the foam on the bottom means that any battery movement is causing the head of the battery to impact the PCB.
> 
> Should the light suffer a fall with direct hit on the tail or bezel it could cause the battery to hit with enough force to crack the PCB.
> 
> I think this configuration could shorten the life of the head.


 
Correct me if I'm wrong but the purpose of the foam ring is to reduce battery rattle and provide some backlash so the low spring can be engaged, not for PCB protection.
In fact no matter where the foam ring is the body of the light contains the negative stand off which in turn forces the cell forward into the PCB on high at least so a drop while the light is on and in high mode won't protect the PCB.
FTR I have dropped other more expensive lights only to have the thick Pyrex window crack so I do my best not to drop any lights.


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## sabre7 (Jun 9, 2009)

Crenshaw said:


> I got my EZAA w (warm tint) yesterday, and very VERY mixed feelings about it.
> 
> On the one hand, the beam is perfect！love the colour, its spot on perfect.
> 
> ...



$52 for a nightmare piece of garbage like this? I would be outraged!! Fifty Two Dollars? Fifty Two Dollars?


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## StandardBattery (Jun 9, 2009)

Beamhead said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong but the purpose of the foam ring is to reduce battery rattle and provide some backlash so the low spring can be engaged, not for PCB protection.
> In fact no matter where the foam ring is the body of the light contains the negative stand off which in turn forces the cell forward into the PCB on high at least so a drop while the light is on and in high mode won't protect the PCB.
> FTR I have dropped other more expensive lights only to have the thick Pyrex window crack so I do my best not to drop any lights.


 
I think it provides considerable PCB protection when the light it is the OFF state since it takes a fair amount of force to compress the foam which dispates the energy as well as distributes it over a wider area of the PCB.

You're right though, should the light be dropped in the ON state (even with the foam at the top), then the battery crusher design becomes a PCB crusher to some extent.

When the foam is at the bottom though the day-to-day movement as the light is carried in the off position would cause small impacts on the PCB, which may or may not be significant. It would change the dynamics such that the PCB would be subject to a larger force if dropped while off.

Obviously it is about the degree, because even non crusher designs have crushed a battery on an impact, but that shows how much force is pressent.

Just thought I'd mention it, I don't plan on testing it, but I think it does change the physical design in an undesirable way. When the light is ON, it's more similar in both setups.


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## Beamhead (Jun 9, 2009)

Agreed but I do not consider this light a cell crusher, I have been beating on mine for a couple of months with the ring on the bottom and see no evidence of cell crush-age.
Another observation from a seasoned user of this light is that while a NiMh cell puts out more light and considerably more heat the runtime suffers, I use alkalines which produce a little less output and a lot less heat with much more runtime overall.


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## liam_995 (Jun 9, 2009)

Well - got my EZAA yesterday - and after a full day of testing - it works PERFECTLY! 

No problems; perfect operation from low to high; easy to use one-handed...


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## StandardBattery (Jun 9, 2009)

sabre7 said:


> $52 for a nightmare piece of garbage like this? I would be outraged!! Fifty Two Dollars? Fifty Two Dollars?


Except really I'm not that displeased with it. I actually like many things about it.

Maybe others are not as happy with it. It works fairly well, but I did intend it more as a gift light for non flashaholics. Last week I carried one, this week I'm carrying 2, both a regular and neutral/warm tint version. BUT I'm also carrying my new LF2-XT, and it's a bit more fun.

Since there are not really many lights that compare with the EZ-AA, and it basically works as expected _(well maybe the levels are not exactly what I expected or wanted)_ I have to think it is not unfairly priced. 

In the end I still think it might be the best light to give as a gift.


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## Bonky (Jun 9, 2009)

sabre7 said:


> $52 for a nightmare piece of garbage like this? I would be outraged!! Fifty Two Dollars? Fifty Two Dollars?



sucks you don't like it 

I'm not big on giving multi modes as gifts because nobody ever knows how to work them. 

I think the EZAA is good in theory but needs some tweaks before it's ready for prime-time. I'm waiting for a v2.0 and I agree that I don't think I'd pay more than $35 for it, given that my LF2x was $10 more ($62) and does everything except burp the baby.

The tiny size is the biggest plus for me, and the warmer tint. I'd love to replace my AAA pocket carries with something that has better output, runtime, and isn't much bigger. And the fact that the thing can be hacked to do single-mode is a plus in my book.


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## Crenshaw (Jun 10, 2009)

i Will be getting the LF2Xt at some point, but i think one of the major advantages the EZaa has is the fact that it uses AA batteries, the most available, and with a significantly higher capacity than AAA.

Crenshaw


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## DHart (Jun 10, 2009)

Crenshaw said:


> i Will be getting the LF2Xt at some point, but i think one of the major advantages the EZaa has is the fact that it uses AA batteries, the most available, and with a significantly higher capacity than AAA.
> 
> Crenshaw



For anything gained, there are always things that must be given up.

The LF2XT is an awesome, very well crafted little light. Not the runtime or output king by any means, but exceptionally well done and small. Run it with a 10440 and the output is pretty impressive. It's really a gem of a light... think-like a high-end, programmable custom light for just $59. 

The EZAA on the other hand seems plagued... I agree with the other poster that it is in need of some improvements. That it is a little smaller than other AA lights is nice, but if that comes at the cost of the issues many here are complaining about, I'll stick with my D10, AKOray K-106, ConneXion X2 lights in the AA/14440 size. A little larger than the EZAA, but much better designs. And the Quark in std & tactical configurations looks to be great AA lights as well.

Hopefully, Nitecore will take a re-look at the issues people are complaining about and revise the EZAA to be a really great light.


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## Denix (Jun 10, 2009)

Just received mine today. So far, works perfectly. I loaded it up with an Eneloop, no battery rattle, pretty smooth and goes from low to high quite easily. Can't wait for darkness 

Guy


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## rookiedaddy (Jun 10, 2009)

after reading all the post on fixing EZAA, especially BeamHead's video, I've decided to try something a little different, instead of removing the foam from the head, I bought a 12mm o-ring from Ace HW put it "dry" at the bottom of the tube. it's now working much better. I can't hear the battery turning inside the tube like before. 
It works much smoother now. Thank you all. :thanks:


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## regulator (Jun 10, 2009)

rookiedaddy said:


> after reading all the post on fixing EZAA, especially BeamHead's video, I've decided to try something a little different, instead of removing the foam from the head, I bought a 12mm o-ring from Ace HW put it "dry" at the bottom of the tube. it's now working much better. I can't hear the battery turning inside the tube like before.
> It works much smoother now. Thank you all. :thanks:


Good idea. I may give that a try even though I have no troubles with an Energizer L91. I notice the rubbing when I use other cells. I guess you could also trim the foam a little with the o-ring added.


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## Beamhead (Jun 10, 2009)

Nice thinking rookiedaddy, I have tried mine with 2 foam rings and it was much better for standard 2 mode use.


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## Zendude (Jun 10, 2009)

Crenshaw said:


> Today, i find that the small increase in diameter/height of a Nimh makes it alot harder to get High mode...im finding new things abotu this light everyday! (thats not a good thing)
> 
> I wouldnt have minded paying slightly more for a more reliable system of switching. I do however, like the two mode thing... the low mode is pretty perfect for any dark situation, with just enough light to get around.
> 
> ...



Sounds like trimming the pad would be the fix for different cell sizes and overall easier operation.

As for field repair, I guess you really don't need to. Without the spring it should still work as a single level light.:thumbsup: AFAustin WAS able to do it though. Post #211


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## mr.snakeman (Jun 11, 2009)

Another issue that needs to be addressed is the o-ring problem: after just a few days of use I`ve noticed that the threads on the tail piece are chewing up the o-rings on both my lights. On measuring the threads on the tail piece I get 2.83mm from the top of the threads to the edge. Measuring the head from the edge of the brass to the edges of the o-ring groove I get 2.57mm and 3,66mm respectively. This means that with the light screwed down tight the threads on the tail piece are cutting into the o-ring. With a battery inserted there is a .55mm gap between the head and tail piece which still means thread/o-ring contact. Had the threads in the tail piece ended, say 3.7mm from the end instead of the actual 2.83mm then this problem would have been entirely avoided IMHO.:sigh:
EDIT:
Having tried several different batteries I have discovered that battery length will change the gap size: AWs 14500 leave a large gap and no thread/o-ring contact, the USB Ni-MH allows the tube to be closed almost entirely with definite thread/o-ring contact.


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## Vox Clamatis in Deserto (Jun 12, 2009)

The tiny spring in the head of my EZ AA fell off after a day or so. It looks like the solder connection was faulty. The light has ceased to turn on. Otherwise, the light was great, nice size, useful levels, smooth twist action. Just glad I didn't rely on it for my personal safety.

I've sent a report to 4Sevens (or is it Four7's, 7777, 47's, FourSevens, it's a very confusing brand name to remember and find in a search).


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## Bonky (Jun 12, 2009)

could you try a little test where you bridge the central circular contact with whatever nub is left where the spring used to be and see if it lights up on high? Maybe use a bit of aluminum foil wedged in there or something?


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## Vox Clamatis in Deserto (Jun 12, 2009)

> could you try a little test where you bridge the central circular contact with whatever nub is left where the spring used to be and see if it lights up on high?


 
Actually, the light will go into low and finally high if you twist it very tightly without the spring. It sounds a lot like the reports of hard actuation on the original batch of EZ AA's.

I believe you are right, the brass colored spring is soldered to the outer circular contact inside the head. As you tighten the head, battery contact is first made with the spring to give low, and finally the spring touches the center contact in the head to give high. I'm wading in a sea of CR123's right now, let me track down my singleton AA battery and I'll try to confirm this as you suggested.


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## Bonky (Jun 12, 2009)

can't wait, thanks


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## Vox Clamatis in Deserto (Jun 12, 2009)

Just tried the light without the spring, with the circular contact on the head shorted to the center contact. It gives high output as expected. I can't quite get a connection to just the center contact without the circular (or should I say, annular?) contact without removing the foam washer.

I'm not going to mess with the light too much more until I hear from FourSevens (or whatever that great store is called ).


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## Flying Turtle (Jun 12, 2009)

I guess we need to be careful about tightening down going into high. Hope there's not a rash of broken springs.

Geoff


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## Marlinaholic (Jun 13, 2009)

Just got my new EZAA today. It had some issues. Out of the box, if I tightened down to the "high" mode the light would flicker back and forth between high and low sometimes. The spring sat high on the board and the little solder spot in the middle of the board was very low, so what that caused was the light would go on in low with the head screwed in far enough to just barely cover the O ring, but to get to high from low, you had to really do a lot of tightening. I desoldered the spring and added a little solder to the center nub, not much, just a little so that high mode engages sooner, and then I squeezed the spring a little to make it contact the battery a little later, when the head is more screwed down and the O ring is safely covered by the body. Now I can go from the beginning of low mode to high mode with just 1/2 a turn and no flickering ect. on high. I removed the little rubber washer so I could do all this and then just glued it back. Frankly its the slimness of the design that makes it so cool, I wouldn't have minded another 1/8" or so of length if a more reliable mode switching/battery contact design could be worked out. I figured its no use sending it back for a replacement as many seem to have issues, and tint and beam are great on this one, so if I gotta fix, might as well be on this one :shrug: I don't know, I love the levels and size of this light, but I've never had to solder on a new light before, and the way this one works, it's particularly challenging. I even considered replacing the spring, but figured I could make it work. Anyway, I have my EZAA and its fine now :thinking: maybe they can fix these issues so the less handy among us can enjoy these lights too.


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## davidt1 (Jun 13, 2009)

This is sounding more and more like a DIY light, or FIY light.


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## Vox Clamatis in Deserto (Jun 13, 2009)

> This is sounding more and more like a DIY light, or FIY light.


 
Yep, this one seems to be a work in progress...

Maybe rev. 3 will be more solid.


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## Bonky (Jun 13, 2009)

like I said before, I'm thinking you could also bend the very tip of the spring in (down?) toward the center contact more, if you don't want to solder stuff.


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## Marlinaholic (Jun 13, 2009)

I did try to bend the center of the spring down to quicken when the light goes into high, but it wasn't enough, I had to add just a hair of solder to fix the problem, and my spring was sticking up too much anyway, so I had to remove it to bend the whole thing a little to reduce its height. No other way around it that I could figure, the spring on the this light just wasn't set right to begin with.


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## AFAustin (Jun 13, 2009)

I've had my EZAA about 3 weeks now, and I really enjoy it. Its slim form factor is unique and makes it a pleasure to carry. Mine needed 3 DIY fixes, but it now operates very smoothly:

1) Paper wrap in the battery tube, to prevent the edges of my eneloops from being scruffed up;

2) A bit of DeOxit on the negative contact post in the bottom of the tube, which eliminated an unpleasant grinding when twisting the head (thanks to cave dave for this one :thumbsup;

3) I had the too-much-twisting issue, and knew I had neither the right tool nor the skill to do a precise soldering fix. I lucked into an easy alternative. In place of the problematic tiny factory spring, I simply made a somewhat larger spring/coil from a piece of wire. The outer edges push enough against the foam cushion to keep it snugly in place, and it works like a charm---about 1/3 of a turn to go from off to high. And, it is easily adjustable---a bit of tweaking and you can have even less twisting, or a bit more.

Obviously the first 2 fixes are super easy, and the 3rd takes only a bit more effort. So, I hope these are helpful to others, especially if you're looking for an alternative to a tricky soldering job.


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## Flying Turtle (Jun 13, 2009)

Nice DIY work, Dave. I'm sure I'll try this if it becomes necessary.

Geoff


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## Bullzeyebill (Jun 13, 2009)

I might have missed it but did anyone try clipping a little off the outside spring. Seems like that would reduce rotation needed to get to high.

Bill


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## Rexlion (Jun 13, 2009)

Might have to move Nitecore posts to the voluminous Bessiebenny thread with all the so-called "lower quality" lights... :devil::devil::devil:


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## CaNo (Jun 13, 2009)

Any idea when V2 is scheduled for release?


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## Zendude (Jun 13, 2009)

Rexlion said:


> Might have to move Nitecore posts to the voluminous Bessiebenny thread with all the so-called "lower quality" lights... :devil::devil::devil:




OUCH!

Not sure they deserve that. They recalled the light because it didn't meet *advertised *specs! Fenix is just as guilty with the ld01(8.5hrs. on low indeed!). At least you *can* mod the off to low/low to high spacing. If you're not happy with m/l/h on the ld01 you are out of luck.


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## davidt1 (Jun 14, 2009)

Zendude said:


> OUCH!
> 
> Not sure they deserve that. They recalled the light because it didn't meet *advertised *specs! Fenix is just as guilty with the ld01(8.5hrs. on low indeed!). At least you *can* mod the off to low/low to high. If your not happy with m/l/h on the ld01 you are out of luck.



I really don't know what they were thinking with m/l/h.


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## DHart (Jun 14, 2009)

davidt1 said:


> I really don't know what they were thinking with m/l/h.



The LD01 meets the needs of a great many people wonderfully with M-L-H.

I think Fenix was thinking.... "since this is a AAA light (very limited capacity!) but with great output potential (Q5 emitter!) we can give it a very useful and great balance of bright output and good runtime on medium... so let it turn on at medium. (Won't meet everyone's desires, but most probably). Next, low may be needed more than high on such a light, for close up use, and gives longest runtime on the diminutive AAA cell, so make a usefully bright low next. High is mind boggling output from this Q5 AAA light, but gobbles power fast, not likely to be the most used setting on this tiny light, but a great (and useful) WOW on occasion... so let's make it third up. And let's make it a twisty for reliability and super small size." 

Of course this design won't please everyone (no light does!) but I think it makes a lot of sense and most LD01 owners seem to be totally thrilled with their light.


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## davidt1 (Jun 14, 2009)

Owners tend to be fan boys and even make excuses for their favorite brands. The answer is: they were not thinking. The logical order is l/m/h. If you lose your keys in the movie theater and need to use your flashlight to find it you want it on low first. If you need to check on you kids in the middle of the night you want it on low first. You save battery with low being on first also.


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## DHart (Jun 14, 2009)

davidt1 said:


> Owners tend to be fan boys and even make excuses for their favorite brands.


 Speak for yourself. No excuses here.



davidt1 said:


> The logical order is l/m/h.


 Not! This may be your preference, but not logical for everyone.

Whatever arrangement they could have chosen would bring those like you out of the woodwork to complain. Different strokes for different folks. If you don't like the arrangement, you don't have to buy one! No problem. Many people do, did, and do! :thumbsup:


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## shadeone (Jun 14, 2009)

hey guys, just so you know i am keeping the second post on the first page of this thread updated with every link to any thread dealing with the EZAA and its reviews etc...

shade


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## cave dave (Jun 14, 2009)

My O-ring was also had some shreading upon receipt of the light. It did come with two extras, but that is not gonna help for long if the threads hit the O-ring each time you use high.


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## Rexlion (Jun 14, 2009)

Zendude said:


> OUCH!
> 
> Not sure they deserve that. They recalled the light because it didn't meet *advertised *specs! Fenix is just as guilty with the ld01(8.5hrs. on low indeed!). At least you *can* mod the off to low/low to high spacing. If you're not happy with m/l/h on the ld01 you are out of luck.


 
It isn't just that. O-rings shredding, springs breaking, and so on. But anyway my comment was tongue in cheek, just being the devil's advocate. :naughty: And maybe to make a bit of a point that any brand can suffer from some difficulties at times and we needn't look down our noses at the so-called "lesser" or "cheap" brands if they have the same occasional faults.  (I'mm referring to the community as a whole, not anyone in particular.)


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## Zendude (Jun 14, 2009)

davidt1 said:


> Owners tend to be fan boys and even make excuses for their favorite brands. The answer is: they were not thinking. The logical order is l/m/h. If you lose your keys in the movie theater and need to use your flashlight to find it you want it on low first. If you need to check on you kids in the middle of the night you want it on low first. You save battery with low being on first also.



I didn't mean to turn this into X vs. Y. I was just giving an example of what I perceived to be an advantage about mechanical mode switching vs. IC switching. I like my ld01 and m/l/h isn't a problem for me (m/l are too close together anyway).


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## Zendude (Jun 14, 2009)

Rexlion said:


> It isn't just that. O-rings shredding, springs breaking, and so on. But anyway my comment was tongue in cheek, just being the devil's advocate. :naughty: And maybe to make a bit of a point that any brand can suffer from some difficulties at times and we needn't look down our noses at the so-called "lesser" or "cheap" brands if they have the same occasional faults.  (I'mm referring to the community as a whole, not anyone in particular.)




Point taken.


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## applevision (Jun 14, 2009)

DHart said:


> Speak for yourself. No excuses here.
> 
> Not! This may be your preference, but not logical for everyone.
> 
> Whatever arrangement they could have chosen would bring those like you out of the woodwork to complain. Different strokes for different folks. If you don't like the arrangement, you don't have to buy one! No problem. Many people do, did, and do! :thumbsup:



I concur with *DHart*. *davidt1* I think you've gone to far with "they were not thinking" on this one. "Logically" one could argue for all three:

1. As you say, low first if you want to conserve battery and not be too disruptive

2. High first in more "tactical" situations--you want your light and want it immediately; lower power is generally less urgent than the need for full power.

3. Medium: a good amount of light for most tasks with excellent battery life; the way some folks will use it most/exclusively, with HIGH and LOW as more specialized settings.

So I hear you and, personally AGREE with you that for my needs L/M/H would be better. But please avoid inflammatory statements like that--it's not true anyways.


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## Zeruel (Jun 18, 2009)

Erm... does anyone's EZ AA has 3 modes?
After removing the foam like Beamhead's, my EZ AA now has an extra mode, a super low, about 2 lumens worth.  :naughty:


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## Beamhead (Jun 19, 2009)

Zeruel said:


> Erm... does anyone's EZ AA has 3 modes?
> After removing the foam like Beamhead's, my EZ AA now has an extra mode, a super low, about 2 lumens worth.  :naughty:


Not mine, you have a special one.:laughing:
Super low is with the foam where?


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## Zeruel (Jun 19, 2009)

Beamhead said:


> Not mine, you have a special one.:laughing:
> Super low is with the foam where?



In its original position, top of battery. First 2 modes are at same positions, I got my low low after it's fully tightened. I'll take some shots tonight. It's really low fans' wet dream


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## Beamhead (Jun 19, 2009)

Zeruel said:


> In its original position, top of battery. First 2 modes are at same positions, I got my low low after it's fully tightened.


You are not over tightening it are you, it may be shorting if you are? :thinking:


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## Zeruel (Jun 19, 2009)

Beamhead said:


> You are not over tightening it are you, it may be shorting if you are? :thinking:



 


Nah, the low low comes just after the max. I didn't even tighten till it's closed. Have checked the batt, no dents. Strange huh.


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## Beamhead (Jun 19, 2009)

So you have, low, high, super low in that order. Interesting. uzzled:


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## kaichu dento (Jun 19, 2009)

Zeruel said:


> In its original position, top of battery. First 2 modes are at same positions, I got my low low after it's fully tightened. I'll take some shots tonight. It's really low fans' wet dream


It doesn't work on mine. I wonder what is causing to work on yours and if there's anything I can do to get mine to do it?


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## HKJ (Jun 19, 2009)

kaichu dento said:


> It doesn't work on mine. I wonder what is causing to work on yours and if there's anything I can do to get mine to do it?



Be happy about that, a light with two modes, is not supposed to have extra modes, it is a bad sign if it has. It might be a connection that fail when pressure is applied to the pcb.


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## kaichu dento (Jun 19, 2009)

HKJ said:


> Be happy about that, a light with two modes, is not supposed to have extra modes, it is a bad sign if it has. It might be a connection that fail when pressure is applied to the pcb.


You're probably right... but I still want a third level!


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## Zeruel (Jun 19, 2009)

Yeah, be happy with it. If it's MADE to be 2 modes, then something is wrong with mine.

But then again.... isn't that how superheroes are born? Mutated or born out of adversities.


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## kaichu dento (Jun 19, 2009)

Zeruel said:


> Yeah, be happy with it. If it's MADE to be 2 modes, then something is wrong.
> 
> But then again.... isn't that how superheroes are born? Mutated or born out of adversities.


Hey, quit beatin' me up over this! I want more, always more! :nana:


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## Zeruel (Jun 19, 2009)

kaichu dento said:


> Hey, quit beatin' me up over this! I want more, always more! :nana:



I'll put up some pics later. Is it possible to upload a video here without going through Youtube?


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## kaichu dento (Jun 19, 2009)

Zeruel said:


> I'll put up some pics later. Is it possible to upload a video here without going through Youtube?


I don't think so. I've got too bad of a connection usually to look at video but I want to see any pics you've got. :huh:


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## Zeruel (Jun 19, 2009)

kaichu dento said:


> I don't think so. I've got too bad of a connection usually to look at video but I want to see any pics you've got. :huh:



I started a new thread based on this.


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## jimahi (Jun 25, 2009)

I received the EZAAw and it is a really nice light except for one problem... it runs REALLY HOT! I wouldn't tailstand it for very long on high because it will get almost too hot to touch. Even holding it in my hand, it gets uncomfortably warm after about 20 mins on high. I have several other AA lights and none of them come anywhere near to getting this warm. Of course, they are all larger. Are other folks experiencing their lights running relatively hot too? Would I have better luck with a EZAA non-warm model?


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## kaichu dento (Jun 25, 2009)

There won't be any difference in how hot they run just by changing tints but I agree they run really hot if you leave it on in high for any length of time.

That said, I never have a problem with it as I'm more of a low or medium mode light user, and generally only have a light on high for very short bursts.

These lights are so great that I've already bought two more with plans of using them as the best giveaway for non-flashaholics made. Can't wait for the 3 or 4 mode!


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## Burgess (Jun 25, 2009)

Yes, mine runs really hot, also.



I'd be *really afraid* to set it up, mounted on a tripod,

and leave it running on High for prolonged periods.



At least "hand-held", i am providing a pathway for some heat to exit.



Wouldn't mind a bit if High mode were only *half* that bright.


_


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## Bullzeyebill (Jun 25, 2009)

kaichu dento said:


> There won't be any difference in how hot they run just by changing tints but I agree they run really hot if you leave it on in high for any length of time.
> 
> That said, I never have a problem with it as I'm more of a low or medium mode light user, and generally only have a light on high for very short bursts.
> 
> These lights are so great that I've already bought two more with plans of using them as the best giveaway for non-flashaholics made. Can't wait for the 3 or 4 mode!



This tiny AA light should be running at a sensible current level. It needs to be dialed down to about 350mA's to the LED max on high. Here is a light that begs to be used on both a high mode and a low mode, and just tries to do too much. I have asked this question before, and no one, no one can answer it, is there access to the circuit for a bias mod?

Bill


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## kaichu dento (Jun 26, 2009)

Bullzeyebill said:


> This tiny AA light should be running at a sensible current level. It needs to be dialed down to about 350mA's to the LED max on high. Here is a light that begs to be used on both a high mode and a low mode, and just tries to do too much. I have asked this question before, and no one, no one can answer it, is there access to the circuit for a bias mod?
> 
> Bill


I assume it would bring both levels down? I'm interested in this too; 3/4 of the output on both levels would be great for me. 

Bill, if this is possible would you be able to do this on lights for the rest of us too?


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## Bullzeyebill (Jun 26, 2009)

kaichu dento said:


> I assume it would bring both levels down? I'm interested in this too; 3/4 of the output on both levels would be great for me.
> 
> Bill, if this is possible would you be able to do this on lights for the rest of us too?



Not me, as my small parts soldering skills are not that good. There are some modders here on CPF who could do the job, if it was possible. Change out a sense resistor.

Bill


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## Flying Turtle (Jun 26, 2009)

I guess I'd prefer slightly less at both ends. I'm getting spoiled by the low lows on some other lights. On the other hand the EZAA's low seems to be all I need most of the time and the high is seldom used except for fun.

Geoff


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## StandardBattery (Jun 26, 2009)

Someone will probably take one of these a part soon, and we may learn abit about the circuit.

Personally I don't want this to be a low-low light, so I'd raise the low and drop the high. A low-low would just mean a lot more twisting for me 90% of the time because i want it for EDC not bedtime. Of course if I was in control I'd have two lights and set one up for low-low.

Like someone else said quite a while back; I'd even be happy with 1 level, if I could choose the level. However, I'd probaby try to retain 2 because the flexibility is always nice. I just know I'd probably have another light with me.

I just might have to try do a disection on one. I sold off some extras I had, I think I'm down to 2 remaining. I'll have to check as this light would be a great light to mod.


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## recDNA (Jun 26, 2009)

Any estimate of the probability that an EZAA works correctly right out of the box? 

Do they all get too hot on high or is that a sign of a faulty light?


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## TooSharp (Jun 26, 2009)

recDNA said:


> Any estimate of the probability that an EZAA works correctly right out of the box?
> 
> Do they all get too hot on high or is that a sign of a faulty light?


That means it's running just fine.


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## recDNA (Jun 26, 2009)

Does it get hot enough to burn your hand?


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## TooSharp (Jun 26, 2009)

recDNA said:


> Does it get hot enough to burn your hand?


I wouldn't want to hold it for an extended period of time. There just isn't enough material to disperse the heat. I haven't held it long enough for it to burn me.


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## tsask (Jun 26, 2009)

So far so good with my new arrival this afternoon.:twothumbs


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Jun 26, 2009)

I got to handle one in Lavon and it is a pretty sweet little light!

Not sure many/any new lights/knives/guy stuff are in my future though I might trade say a Regal EDC for one with a warm tint.....


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## kaichu dento (Jun 27, 2009)

recDNA said:


> Does it get hot enough to burn your hand?


Just turned mine on high for a minute and a half. Got warm, but not even hot.


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## mr.snakeman (Jul 4, 2009)

After reading the last post I decided to try one of my EZAAs. Tailstand on an AW 14500 on High for a timed ten minutes: too hot to pick up, I will not try this experiment with this light again.


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## CaNo (Jul 4, 2009)

mr.snakeman said:


> After reading the last post I decided to try one of my EZAAs. Tailstand on an AW 14500 on High for a timed ten minutes: too hot to pick up, I will not try this experiment with this light again.



I have noticed that with this light, the battery you use plays a big role in heat. When I used an Energizer Ultimate Lithium (L91) cell running at 1.5v, the light got hot very fast, as compared to a Rechargeable Duracell NiMh 2650mah running at 1.2v. 

I do not seem to have a problem truthfully at all with cells that run 1.2v (2650mah, Eneloops, etc). It was just anything above 1.2v that I feel the abnormal heat buildup.


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## cdosrun (Jul 4, 2009)

CaNo said:


> I have noticed that with this light, the battery you use plays a big role in heat. When I used an Energizer Ultimate Lithium (L91) cell running at 1.5v, the light got hot very fast, as compared to a Rechargeable Duracell NiMh 2650mah running at 1.2v.
> 
> I do not seem to have a problem truthfully at all with cells that run 1.2v (2650mah, Eneloops, etc). It was just anything above 1.2v that I feel the abnormal heat buildup.



Cano, is there much difference in light output when used with 1.2v versus 1.5+v cells? If not, I would opine that the difference is in the internal resistance of the cells. One of the problems with the alkaline cells is that they have a higher internal resistance than decent NiMH and warm up more quickly for a similar *power* draw (emphasised because of the difference in voltage and voltage droop under load). A proportion of the heat is likely to be coming from the cell itself. I would have thought that the regulator would be more efficient with the higher voltage cell, so don't imagine that the additional heat is from that component.

The whole point is moot, however, if the light is brigher with the higher voltage input.

I don't have an EZAA yet but was thinking about getting one for my sister. I bought her one of the Luxeon Civictors several years ago and she still uses it. Probably time for an upgrade :candle:

Andrew


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## Kingfisher (Jul 4, 2009)

Now this is the thread I logged in to see.


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## CaNo (Jul 4, 2009)

There is not a significant difference between the the lithium and the NiMh in terms of brightness. Nothing your naked eye can catch.



cdosrun said:


> Cano, is there much difference in light output when used with 1.2v versus 1.5+v cells? If not, I would opine that the difference is in the internal resistance of the cells. One of the problems with the alkaline cells is that they have a higher internal resistance than decent NiMH and warm up more quickly for a similar *power* draw (emphasised because of the difference in voltage and voltage droop under load). A proportion of the heat is likely to be coming from the cell itself. I would have thought that the regulator would be more efficient with the higher voltage cell, so don't imagine that the additional heat is from that component.
> 
> The whole point is moot, however, if the light is brigher with the higher voltage input.
> 
> ...


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## Kilovolt (Jul 4, 2009)

I have one original EZ AA and one 'revised'.

These are my luxmeter readings at 1 m (min/max) with three different batteries:

Original EZ AA:

- NiMH = 60/1900 lux
- alkaline = 80/1900 lux 
- lithium = 110/1900 lux


New EZ AA: 130/1680 lux regardless of the type of battery


What they did to the original circuit appears very clearly here.


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## CaNo (Jul 5, 2009)

cdosrun said:


> Cano, is there much difference in light output when used with 1.2v versus 1.5+v cells? If not, I would opine that the difference is in the internal resistance of the cells. One of the problems with the alkaline cells is that they have a higher internal resistance than decent NiMH and warm up more quickly for a similar *power* draw (emphasised because of the difference in voltage and voltage droop under load). A proportion of the heat is likely to be coming from the cell itself. I would have thought that the regulator would be more efficient with the higher voltage cell, so don't imagine that the additional heat is from that component.
> 
> The whole point is moot, however, if the light is brigher with the higher voltage input.
> 
> ...



It is definitely worth the upgrade Andrew. You get a good hybrid with this light. Everyone raves about how long the runtime on the Fenix E01's are (21hrs), and how you should always have it as a backup light. Well the Nitecore EZAA gets 20hrs off of its low setting, and the beam is beautiful... compared to the E01's purplish, oval shaped beam. Don't get me wrong though, I love my Fenix E01, and it still remains in my keychain just in case, but its good to know that in a survival situation, you have a light that will last you 20hrs when you need it. And on top of that the E01 uses AAA batteries, while the EZAA uses AA batteries, and 9x out of 10, you are going to find a AA battery lying around before you find a AAA. And to top that off, the highest setting of the EZAA (130 lumens) is as bright, and if not BRIGHTER than the brightest setting on the D10 on alkalines. On 4Seven's website they say 145 lumens for 14500 batts (D10), but in reality if you are using NiMh, L91's, or Alkalines, you are getting about 120-130 lumens max.

Plus use the code CPF8 at 4Sevens website and get a good percentage off of your purchase and I believe you can have it shipped to your door for about $47. Ebay does not even go that cheap! And you have 4Sevens to back up their product incase anything goes wrong. You can't lose! :twothumbs


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## CaNo (Jul 5, 2009)

cdosrun said:


> Cano, is there much difference in light output when used with 1.2v versus 1.5+v cells? If not, I would opine that the difference is in the internal resistance of the cells. One of the problems with the alkaline cells is that they have a higher internal resistance than decent NiMH and warm up more quickly for a similar *power* draw (emphasised because of the difference in voltage and voltage droop under load). A proportion of the heat is likely to be coming from the cell itself. I would have thought that the regulator would be more efficient with the higher voltage cell, so don't imagine that the additional heat is from that component.
> 
> The whole point is moot, however, if the light is brigher with the higher voltage input.
> 
> ...



Oh, btw, it is definitely the cells that are causing this heat, for sure.


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## CaNo (Jul 5, 2009)

Kilovolt said:


> I have one original EZ AA and one 'revised'.
> 
> These are my luxmeter readings at 1 m (min/max) with three different batteries:
> 
> ...



This is very good information to know! Thank you Kilovolt! :thumbsup:


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## Burgess (Jul 5, 2009)

to Kilovolt --


Thank you for that information.


:twothumbs

_


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## StandardBattery (Jul 5, 2009)

CaNo said:


> Oh, btw, it is definitely the cells that are causing this heat, for sure.


Interesting 10min on High with NiMH is hot. Sounds like the heat with these other cells is crazy. Good thing I got them for use with eneloop power.


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## CaNo (Jul 6, 2009)

StandardBattery said:


> Interesting 10min on High with NiMH is hot. Sounds like the heat with these other cells is crazy. Good thing I got them for use with eneloop power.



Try 1 minute, and you are afraid your $50 investment will go


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## leon2245 (Jul 6, 2009)

Kilovolt, is your new E.Z. the w version?


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## Kilovolt (Jul 6, 2009)

leon2245 said:


> Kilovolt, is your new E.Z. the w version?


 
No, it's the standard one.


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## rookiedaddy (Jul 6, 2009)

FWIW, tested my EZAA/w on high for 10 mins tail-stand, temperature reach 42C, holding in hand, temperature slowly drops to 40C, switch to low, temperature stable at 34C. Room temperature is 29C.


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## IceRat (Jul 6, 2009)

Did anyone find a cap/defuser to fit over the head? I carry mine loose in the pocket and I don't want to scratch the lens. I tried every cap I could find in the house and nothing fit.


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## Burgess (Jul 6, 2009)

I've been looking for a diffuser cap, myself.




_


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## LightScene (Jul 7, 2009)

EZAA Warm - my impressions:
It's easy to operate one-handed.
EZAA output on high with NiMh = LD01 on medium with 10440. They really are very close, and the beams are almost the same size. 
Walking in the yard at night seems easier with the slightly bluish light from the LD01. For some reason, the warmer light from the EZAA makes me feel like I can't see as well.
Inside, however, I love the warm light. Colors seem more accurate, and there isn't the sense of flatness that you get from the bluish light.
I really like the EZAA Warm and I'm going to use it a lot.
With a Lithium primary, it only weighs slightly more than an LD01 with NiMh - very nice for pocket carry.


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## lights (Jul 8, 2009)

*are the qc issues with the ez aa exaggerated?*

I love the design of the ez aa, and was going to buy one once the initial problems with efficiency were resolved, but have held of thus far due to complaints on the ez aa thread. I can't tell, however, if these are legitimate complaints, or the overly anal complaints from the white wall hunters and flashlight enthusiasts that dont actually use their lights in the real world. 

Should i wait for another manufacturer to produce a similar light, or take my chances with this one? 

For the record, I own a D10, EX10, and NDI golden dragon, and am very pleased with the build quality of these lights.


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## rookiedaddy (Jul 8, 2009)

*Re: are the qc issues with the ez aa exaggerated?*

qc issues? what qc issues?  
get the neutral white version, you'll love the tint. I do.
the heat on high is by design, i use the low mode 90% of the time, it's no problem for me.
a drop of DeOxit Gold (or use a small o-ring) at the base provides a smoother operation... a layer of teflon tape around the battery body helps too 
extra lower-low mode? now that's a lucky fella... :wave:


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## glockboy (Jul 8, 2009)

*Re: are the qc issues with the ez aa exaggerated?*

No problem for me, love it.


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## gunga (Jul 8, 2009)

*Re: are the qc issues with the ez aa exaggerated?*

There are a few "issues" here and there, but nothing serious at this point. I have a warm tint EZAA, it's a really nice, compact light. 

I'd recommend it.


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## tsask (Jul 8, 2009)

*Re: are the qc issues with the ez aa exaggerated?*

mine seems fine so far:twothumbs


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## Zeruel (Jul 8, 2009)

*Re: are the qc issues with the ez aa exaggerated?*

What issues? Are you referring to the first batch?
Even so, all brands have qc issue at one point of time or another.
I don't hear anyone's EZ AA breaking in half or LED exploded 
Mine worked so beautifully that it even has 3 modes....


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## dilbert (Jul 8, 2009)

*Re: are the qc issues with the ez aa exaggerated?*

Are the warm tint ones still available anywhere?


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## f22shift (Jul 8, 2009)

*Re: are the qc issues with the ez aa exaggerated?*

go for it


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## Flying Turtle (Jul 8, 2009)

There's something about this light that makes it very appealing. The size, knurling, feel, and performance make it seem like a high quality tool (or toy), which it is. Best AA twisty going right now.

Geoff


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## Denix (Jul 8, 2009)

Love mine so far. I encountered the O-ring chewing problem, but only when I used the USB battery on high. The USB battery is too short, so the threads dig into the O-ring. So if you don't use irregular sized batteries, you should be fine on that front. No problem with the Eneloops.

Guy


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## regulator (Jul 8, 2009)

I agree - It fits well in the hand and comfortably in the pocket. I like the light a lot but would like some improvements.

I had to replace the o-ring twice already. I made sure it was lubricated but using an Energizer lithium must allow the head to be tightened to the point where the o-ring comes in contact with the threads. And this is for low mode.

I will probably be switching to a Li-ion cell when my new ones arrive (Ultrafire protected). My older AW protected flat top Li-ion cells are too long and the head seems too far out. I like the slight increase in brightness on low setting.


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## Toaster (Aug 28, 2009)

There's a pre-order now for the EZAA w/ Cree XP-E R2 LED in black, blue, and red.


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## Zeruel (Aug 28, 2009)

Toaster said:


> There's a pre-order now for the EZAA w/ Cree XP-E R2 LED in black, blue and red.



oo: Thanks for the heads up. Looks good.


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## Ctrain (Aug 28, 2009)

I might pick up a black one! ..still waiting for clips too!


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## StandardBattery (Aug 28, 2009)

Nice, too bad they are R2 as that means cool. Never though I would be disappointed a light was shipping with R2. Still I like the looks of these, I can see a blue and Red joining my collection. I doubt 4Sevens will get any with the warmer neutral tints for these.


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## gunga (Aug 28, 2009)

I agree. Would love XP-E, but I am now firmly in the warm/neutral camp...


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## sygyzy (Aug 28, 2009)

Is the R2 just a different tint or better emitter? I see it says 170 lumens instead of 130 on the original so I assume the latter?


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## yuk (Aug 28, 2009)

There is also a new (Q3) EZ 123, Neutral-White! I'm so gonna hit it!


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## qip (Aug 28, 2009)

did they change drive currents for high as well. can the xpe be driven high like the xre in the ezaa , xre in ezaa gets hot in high and with xpe small packaging might not fair better for heat


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## StandardBattery (Aug 28, 2009)

sygyzy said:


> Is the R2 just a different tint or better emitter? I see it says 170 lumens instead of 130 on the original so I assume the latter?


 
_The R2 is the highest, generally available, Flux bin (meaning most lumens per watt). Currently these are generally available on in the cooler tints, but they are pretty nice and at higher levels I don't mind them too much. The warmer tints closer or equal to 5A may be available in the future, but right now you have to accept a Q3 or Q4 Flux Bin to get the warmer ones._

_The brain adjusts, but I'm really liking the slightly warmer ones._

*Update: *I guess I missunderstood your question. I see the high listed as 145 on the product page, where do you see 170? I have a hard time believing we'll be getting 170 lumens out of 1 AA in a consumer light like this. I would guess the tint has also changed somewhat.


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## Burgess (Aug 28, 2009)

Good question !


Have there been ANY other changes, with these new releases ?


Inquiring minds wanna' know.




_


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## thedeske (Aug 28, 2009)

Toaster said:


> There's a pre-order now for the EZAA w/ Cree XP-E R2 LED in black, blue, and red.



Mmm...Red. I didn't need to see this.


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## AardvarkSagus (Aug 29, 2009)

Yeah, those colors do look nice and the change to the XP-E and upping a bin code is always good in my opinion.


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## Beamhead (Aug 29, 2009)

thedeske said:


> Mmm...Red. I didn't need to see this.


Me either.


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## UnknownVT (Aug 30, 2009)

XP-E R2 vs. neutral white (Q3 5A or 5B) - I posted this in another thread and thought it might be helpful/relevant here -

4Sevens Quarks are available in cool white XP-E R2 and neutral white Q3 5A
(NiteCore told me the EZaaW are mostly Q3 5B - which is the same color temperature range, but on the green side of the Planckian or Black Body Locus - BBL - 5A is on the red side) I have done side-by-side comparison beamshots of the neutral vs. cool white and to directly compare the brightness levels I removed the colors from the pics by desaturation to leave only the luminance/brightness information -

In these reviews -

Neutral White 4Sevens Quark AA Comparison Review

4Sevens Quark 123-2 Neutral, Tactical, Cool White Comparison Review

Neutral White (Warm Tinted) - Quark AA2 Neutral White Comparison Review

I'll paste the relevant beamshots here -

Neutral White 4Sevens Quark AA vs. 4Sevens Quark AA Cool White both Max NiMH







visually and in the beamshots these seem about the same brightness -
but the different tints makes the comparison difficult -

So I removed the colors by desaturation -







the levels are still "similar" with perhaps the cool white being brighter - which it should since it is an R2 as opposed to the Neutral white which is a Q3......

4Sevens Quark 123-2 Neutral vs. regular Cool White -







the cool white looks pretty blue in comparison - but it is only slightly on the blue side - see later comparisons. By eye these seem about the same brightness - but obviously the very different tints makes the comparison difficult 

So I removed the color by deSaturation -







with the color removed by desaturation - the regular cool white does seem a bit brighter.

Neutral White (Warm Tinted) - Quark AA2 vs. regular cool white Quark AA2 - both Max and NiMH -







they seem about the same brightness level - but it is hard to tell with the different tints.

So I took those beamshots and removed the colors by desaturation -







it would appear that the regular cool white is just a bit brighter - but I certainly couldn't tell just eyeballing the beams even when side-by-side - so in practice it probably would not make much practical difference in the difference in brightness.

I also did something similar comparing the EZaaW with the current EZaa Q5 version -

NiteCore EZ AA-W (Warm tint) Comparison Review

for brightness I had a direct side-by-side comparison beamshot between the EZaaW and the regular cool white EZaa (Q5) - I'll paste it here:
NiteCore EZ AA-W vs. NiteCore EZ-AA -Q5 cool white both High NiMH







visually and in the beamshots they look pretty close in brightness.

However the very different tints makes the comparison/judgment difficult - 
so I removed the color from the photos by deSaturation -







these show that the regular cool white is a just marginally brighter than the warm version - but not by much and probably would not make that much practical difference - whereas the tint can make a lot of difference in the ability to see well.

Hope that helps....


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## EngrPaul (Aug 30, 2009)

Toaster said:


> There's a pre-order now for the EZAA w/ Cree XP-E R2 LED in black, blue, and red.


 
Colors get an XP-E R2, that's just fine with me :thumbsup:

Bring on the clips!

 For the RED, can't wait to finally get one of these, I guess it was worth the wait while I was away for the summer...


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## combinatorix (Aug 30, 2009)

So the R2 version would be brighter than the previous?


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## Sgt. LED (Aug 30, 2009)

Yeah, shame too.

They could of made the emitter live longer and increased the runtime if they would of made it stick to the previous output levels. So close.


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## UnknownVT (Aug 30, 2009)

R2 vs. Q5 direct side-by-side comparison - 
these NiteCore D10 samples are both I think XR-E - 
but the R2 rating for the XP-E is the same -

from:

NiteCore D10-R2 Comparison Review

NiteCore D10-R2 vs. NiteCore D10 -Q5 both max and NiMH 







yes, the new R2 edition is just perceptibly brighter than the original Q5 version when compared side-by-side - but there is very little in it - I would be hard put to say which was brighter in isolation.


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## EngrPaul (Aug 30, 2009)

Does anyone have a lens-shot of the EZ-AA with XPE?

My hopes is that the reflector can be SMO, since typically these little XPE emitters don't need anything to smooth the beam. This should lead to better output, not just the higher bin.

I've upgraded a handful of Fenix E1's to XPE, and I'm really happy with the results.


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## thedeske (Aug 31, 2009)

OK so I'm weak. A 3rd view of the Red did it. :devil:


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## IceRat (Aug 31, 2009)

thedeske said:


> OK so I'm weak. A 3rd view of the Red did it. :devil:


 

I lost my black one:mecry:it will be missed... till I get my new blue one.

I bet I find it now that I ordered a new one


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## Bobpuvel (Sep 1, 2009)

I have a wonderous idea for a clip design! not positive that is hasn't been said already but whatever... a nice short clip(like 1 1/2 inch) that screws into the back of it. that way it will ride nice and low in the pocket! the only downside would be that when putting it in, it might eventually rub off the finish on the edge of the light. I think it would be a VERY affective design!


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## combinatorix (Sep 1, 2009)

Bobpuvel said:


> I have a wonderous idea for a clip design! not positive that is hasn't been said already but whatever... a nice short clip(like 1 1/2 inch) that screws into the back of it. that way it will ride nice and low in the pocket! the only downside would be that when putting it in, it might eventually rub off the finish on the edge of the light. I think it would be a VERY affective design!



They should do a stainless version of this light. Could thin down the walls even more, stronger threading, and a pocket clip wouldn't scratch so much (or at least it'd be less noticeable)


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## bansuri (Sep 5, 2009)

Regarding the New, New little nitecore, the R2:
I am an admitted flashaholic, I love flashlights, honestly I am holding back all the time because the technology and craftsmanship of ALL of these lights really grabs me. But in the end, it's what you're carrying when you really need it that makes the difference. 
I have an old Dexlight that I got off DX some time ago, 5 modes, twisty, probably a little bigger than the EZAA, I love the size and switching, but the PWM is so awful I can only use it on high. I only use it at work, and even then not all the time.
This EZAA looks like a smaller version of the Dexlight with more output and no PWM. It would be small enough to have on you always and the twisty nature adds to reliability. Before I pull the trigger are there any lights that beat this one for the features I mentioned? I saw a Jetbeam SS EP3 for $45 shipped on MPForums but I dig the knurling on the EZAA and 1/4" receiver on the back is cool.
Is this best-of-class in the AA compact twisty category? It looks like it to me, but I haven't seen everything.

Also, be sure to use the CPF member discount coupon code CPF8 on 4sevens for items over $20. Not only saves you money but gives them an idea of where their traffic is coming from


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## nakahoshi (Sep 9, 2009)

Received an email for my EZAA blue, But it now says "Back Ordered" 

I also noticed (Thank you, Search Function) that there was no "official" announcement for these new lights. I would like some kind of official word at some point, or I can just keep waiting like everyone else.
-Bobby


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## thedeske (Sep 9, 2009)

nakahoshi said:


> Received an email for my EZAA blue, But it now says "Back Ordered"
> 
> I also noticed (Thank you, Search Function) that there was no "official" announcement for these new lights. I would like some kind of official word at some point, or I can just keep waiting like everyone else.
> -Bobby



A Status report would be nice


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## IceRat (Sep 9, 2009)

Did anyone email them for a projected shipping date?


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## nakahoshi (Sep 10, 2009)

I sent an e-mail, but no response yet. Ill post here when I get something. 

-Bobby


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## wild style (Sep 10, 2009)

Patiently waiting.


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## thedeske (Sep 11, 2009)

ZZZzzzz..


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## bansuri (Sep 11, 2009)

I cancelled my order and they issued a quick refund. Great service as always. I just can't stand the waiting game, I thought they would've shipped on the 9th. Maybe the few they got shipped to the first in the queue but I must've been late to the game. 
I'll just wait til they show up as available or in stock.
And I'll just have to listen to you all rave about the best new EDC...


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## nakahoshi (Sep 11, 2009)

> Thanks for contacting us. I'm sorry for the delay in this order. Our
> latest news from Nitecore is that they will be shipping the EZ AA R2
> lights to us in mid-September, so we expect to ship these on Sept.
> 18th.
> ...



Well, at least its something. The 18th is not that far away.:candle:




-Bobby


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## thedeske (Sep 11, 2009)

nakahoshi said:


> Well, at least its something. The 18th is not that far away.:candle:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Agree - not a big deal - back to work


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## Jagged (Sep 11, 2009)

FWIW: I purchased 4 of the EZAA with the warm tint. Very pleased with them. Significant difference in turns to reach on / high. One disappeared for a couple days. Turned up in the washing machine. A little banged up; but still works fine.


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## IceRat (Sep 12, 2009)

I hope this delay doesn't end up like my first pre-order of the EZaa. This is the last time I pre-order a Nitecore light.:shakehead They seem to have a problem delivering on time. I bet 4sevens has a lot of extra work with these delays too.


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## nakahoshi (Sep 18, 2009)

This just in...



> We did receive our Nitecore shipment this afternoon, but we could not get them out in time for our mail run. They will be shipped to you on Monday. Thank you so much for all your patience and understanding.
> 
> Regards,
> Heather



-Bobby


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## thedeske (Sep 18, 2009)

OK!

I'm only a few exits away, so perhaps Tuesday or Wednesday.


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## thedeske (Sep 21, 2009)

OK, just received a shipped email.
Hopefully USPS can make it through the monsoon to my shop tomorrow


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## wild style (Sep 21, 2009)

Shipped! :twothumbs


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## thedeske (Sep 22, 2009)

The Red EZ arrived mid day. My LD10 was in work duty (shop) so I swapped the red guy into the pocket and used it a few times.

First impressions - Body Color is a deep blood red, the LED tint seems to favor a little more green than my Fenix, but I wouldn't notice it unless I had them side by side.

Both are on Eneloops and after walking around with each on High/Turbo for 5 minutes, the EZ heats up fairly quickly at the head. Makes sense, the head is so small. Up close the EZ has a smaller spot.

One thing I really like right away is the flood on this light. This could be useful for much of the close work I do around machines. I have no way to measure, but output seems very close. I'm sure the great reviewers will dial up the figures soon enough.

Of concern from selfbuilt's samples was the turn to high. I'm happy to report mine is precisely 1/2 turn from low to high. Very Nice. There's a little breathing room after high, but I didn't test how far it might go.

The size is so close to the little LD01, I could easily use it on the keys. I might notice the weigh difference, but not by much.


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## Nake (Sep 22, 2009)

Is there a difference in the color of the sections?


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## thedeske (Sep 22, 2009)

Nake said:


> Is there a difference in the color of the sections?



Sections? If you mean the body/head then no.


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## Nake (Sep 22, 2009)

thedeske said:


> Sections?


 
The head and the body.


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## thedeske (Sep 22, 2009)

Nake said:


> The head and the body.



Interesting - you have me grabbing my 5X Loupe 

At an angle it might look darker on the head, but under the loupe it's the same. Perhaps the brass and knurling fool you a little. This deep color helps the illusion under certain light.


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## txg (Sep 25, 2009)

I'm thinking about getting an ezaa, but i'm not in a hurry. anybody knows if nitecore will perhaps swap the led to an xp-g in the next weeks? shouldn't be a big deal as there is an xp-e in there at the moment...


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## Nake (Sep 25, 2009)

thedeske said:


> Of concern from selfbuilt's samples was the turn to high. I'm happy to report mine is precisely 1/2 turn from low to high. Very Nice. There's a little breathing room after high, but I didn't test how far it might go.


 
I got my blue one yesterday. Color is nice and even. :thumbsup: The turn from low to high is a little bit more than 3/4 with no "breathing room" after high engagement.


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## Tixx (Sep 25, 2009)

The head of my red one is not pressed on to the brass ring all the way around so it looks crooked with a gap on one side. Have to get a replacement.


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## gnlw (Sep 28, 2009)

Has anyone done runtimes and beamshots of the updated EZAA with XP-E R2?


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## Dobbler (Sep 30, 2009)

Must.................have........................

clips.................


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## HKJ (Sep 30, 2009)

I got the new version today:






The red is a dark red.

My set of EZ lights:





A look at the emitter:





Now I just need some darkness.


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## IceRat (Sep 30, 2009)

I received my blue one last week. I really like the blue finish, it came out very nice.

The only difference I can tell from the first one I bought, is it appears to be alittle brighter on high. The only way I could tell this was shining them both outside in the yard side by side. I hope there is some extra runtime too.


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## HKJ (Sep 30, 2009)

Comparision to the old EZAA, there are two stops between each picture and with daylight WB:

EZAA R2:











EZAA:


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## Marduke (Sep 30, 2009)

Little story that most of you will find humorous.

Wife called me at work today and said a package came for me. I was expecting the EZAA-W, so this was no surprise. When I got home I of course had to go straight for it and load it up with a cell and try it out. I shined it on the ceiling along with an L1T v2.0 (both on high).

With the cool white and neutral white beam next to each other on the ceiling, my wife immediately said "the one looks dim", pointing towards the EZAA-W. I could not stop from laughing that she immediately equated the warmer tint with a dim and dying incandescent, and the ice white of the L1T being brighter.

The EZAA-W was indeed brighter in reality however.


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## gnlw (Sep 30, 2009)

Thanks for the beamshots HKJ. Do you notice any difference in the beam in the low setting of the R2 version? If you get a chance, could you also post beamshot comparisons at the low settings? Also, how do the runtimes of the R2 compare to the older version. Thanks again.


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## bill_n_opus (Sep 30, 2009)

Marduke said:


> Little story that most of you will find humorous.
> 
> Wife called me at work today and said a package came for me. I was expecting the EZAA-W, so this was no surprise. When I got home I of course had to go straight for it and load it up with a cell and try it out. I shined it on the ceiling along with an L1T v2.0 (both on high).
> 
> ...


 
Only on CPF, my friend! :twothumbs


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## thedeske (Sep 30, 2009)

Nake said:


> I got my blue one yesterday. Color is nice and even. :thumbsup: The turn from low to high is a little bit more than 3/4 with no "breathing room" after high engagement.



Interesting - Mine has perhaps 8-10 deg of turn available after high. The low-high distance is still 1/2 turn from cycling it many times in the past week.


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## -o0(GoldTrader)0o- (Jan 14, 2010)

*Re: Brightest battery R2*

[FONT=&quot]*Which type of battery will give the B[FONT=&quot]rightest [/FONT][FONT=&quot]spotlight, without considering the run life?[/FONT]*[/FONT]


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## KevlarSix (Sep 11, 2010)

*Re: Brightest battery R2*

Will the EZ AA XP-G R5 run on 14500s?


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## Splunk_Au (Sep 11, 2010)

*Re: Brightest battery R2*

According to this it actually runs better on 14500's. Brighter and runs for longer. I don't see a reason to use AA's on this one.


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## Font size (Sep 11, 2010)

*Re: Brightest battery R2*




Splunk_Au said:


> According to this.


It also says, there' are threads which allows the EZ AA to be screwed onto a standard tripod mount.


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## DHart (Sep 14, 2010)

I got my EZ AA R5 today and I'm sorry to say, it doesn't "wow" me in the least. Speaking only from experience with the one sample I received, the output on 14500 is only 75% that of my Preon R5 on 10440 or my D10 R2 on 14500 (measured with light meter and ceiling bounce test, all lights on li-ion power: EZAA R5 EV4.5, Preon I R5 EV5.0, D10 R2 EV 5.0). 

Beyond that, the beam is just a little ringy - something I didn't expect from an XP-G light. UI is ok, ramps ok, blink at 50% and 100% is ok, size is ok, head twisting action is ok. But the light just bores the heck out of me. :shrug:

I must admit, I received this light just on the heels of receiving a Preon I with clicky tailcap and fresh AW 10440 cells, and really, the Preon I with a clicky tailcap so smokes the EZAA R5 in terms of owner excitement, attractiveness, interesting form factor, output levels, beam, UI, and sheer output, especially for such a small form factor and light weight, that there's no comparison at all. 

Sorry to say, my EZAA R5 is going back to where it came from and I don't wish to have another. Even if the output was higher and the ringy beam wasn't ringy, it's still not a light I will use.  When it comes to AA lights, it's tough to de-throne my D10 R2 lights. And, no, the D11 doesn't de-throne the D10 R2 either... for me anyway.


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## AardvarkSagus (Sep 15, 2010)

I didn't have any trouble with the ringyness and I assumed the lower output came with better efficiency.

I did however have an issue today that caused me some greif. The lens just cracked when I dropped it in my pocket with my phone. I am concerned about how hard this is going to be to get replaced since it doesn't appear to be the least bit user serviceable.


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## Starchaser (Sep 15, 2010)

AardvarkSagus said:


> I didn't have any trouble with the ringyness and I assumed the lower output came with better efficiency.
> 
> I did however have an issue today that caused me some greif. The lens just cracked when I dropped it in my pocket with my phone. I am concerned about how hard this is going to be to get replaced since it doesn't appear to be the least bit user serviceable.



Wow... so much for the advertised, "*Impact resistant optical-grade glass lens* with anti-reflective coating."

Sorry to hear that happened AardvarkSagus. Dropping your light in a pocket with your phone doesn't seem like it would cause much of an impact. You think maybe it could have been slightly cracked already, before dropping it in your pocket?

I mean what if you really dropped it!


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## AardvarkSagus (Sep 15, 2010)

It is possible it cracked or at least chipped on the edge where I couldn't see it when I dropped it on the concrete a couple weeks ago. I just didn't see anything until just now.


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## Paul_in_Maryland (Nov 14, 2011)

Has anyone succeeded in getting his EZ AA to run on a 3-volt 14505 primary lithium cell? I own the Q3 Warm model, and my 14505 cell is too short, even when I move the foam donut to the bottom of the Nitecore's battery tube.


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## Nake (Nov 14, 2011)

I have two. One of them works, but it shows a lot of brass with a NiMH. With a NiMH the low lights up after a few turns of threading the body onto the head. Maybe the negative nub in the bottom of the tube is longer.

Edit; If I put a thin round magnet on the bottom of the 14505, the other one works.


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## Paul_in_Maryland (Nov 15, 2011)

Nake said:


> Edit; If I put a thin round magnet on the bottom of the 14505, the other one works.


That's what I was hoping to hear. I tried using a 3mm-deep round magnet, but it was too thick. I may buy some slimmer magnets.


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## Beacon of Light (Apr 12, 2022)

Re-reading this thread in 2022 (13 years after the original part 1 thread was started). Did anyone else ever have the 3 mode low low glitch that one person had? Was there ever a runtime test on low low to see if it has a longer runtime?


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## DaveTheDude (Apr 13, 2022)

Sorry...I still have three EZAA's (two cool white, one warm white); none of the three display a third mode. I have always been fond of these lights' form and function. I gifted an EZAA to a colleague in 2011...he carries it with him to this day. Finally, I didn't check my old EZ123 for this "feature." The 123 version never got much playtime, and as of this writing is in storage in the garage...it's not worth unpacking the light to test for a third mode. 

It was a pleasant trip down memory lane though...


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## pc_light (Apr 14, 2022)

My experience is the same as @DaveTheDude, the two (reflowed) EZAAw I have exhibit 2-modes only. FWIW mine draws ~250mA from a NiMh on Low.

The Low-High works by a mechanical/physical method by design, so a 3rd mode would be because the light is making a higher resistance connection path before the intended primary Low. 

An oldie (13 yrs) and goldie (w/its hefty brass pill) for sure.


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