# Got my Fenix E1! (pics and runtime)



## Chao (Jul 16, 2006)

Got my fenix E1 from lighthound yesterday, it's bright with focused beam, and 2h flat regulation, not bad, I did some comparison with ARC-P as followed:






Left figure: LED and reflector, yes! the reflector is necessary for this nichia LED. Right figure: tail end 








Left:E1 right:ARC-P





Left:E1 right:ARC-P


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## carrot (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*

Sweet pics. At 210 minutes, is it pretty much done making light or is it still somewhat usable?


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## ViReN (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*

FLAT REGULATION YESSSSSSSsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

:nana: Arc... :nana:


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## cy (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*

read E1 and thought Surefire E1?

looks like the same old trade-off of runtime VS output is still alive and well. 

amazing how ARC AAA just keep on hanging in there. knowing that you have a light that will deliver 6+ hours, with plenty of output for low light situations like tent reading...

Fenix E1 looks like an excellent little light! looks like super mod platform. How's the anodizing quality?


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## ViReN (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*

3X Light for 2 Hours with flat regulation isnt that bad... I believe if you can get 2X regulation with 4 hrs Flat regulation.. if the circuit is tuned down....


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## Chao (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*



carrot said:


> Sweet pics. At 210 minutes, is it pretty much done making light or is it still somewhat usable?



After 210 min continue use, the output is weak, I think it's not usable, but when turn it off and turn on again later, it still brighter than ARC-P and dim very slow, I think for emergency, I won't worry too much.

The anodizing quality is good for me, this little light is excellent!
ARC-P is still a good light for the runtime, I will keep these two excellent lights in my bag :laughing:.

Anyone has an idea of what kind of LED in E1 according to the piture? I know there's a discussion in other thread, just want to make sure.


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## LapinMalin (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*

Looks like a Rigel.
Tint seems good, can't wait to get mine next week !


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## KAM (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*

Nice review, thanks!

Kam


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## igabo (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*

Great tint compared to the arc.


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## cy (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*

by good anodizing (HA), does this light meet the knife scratch test? 

easy to test, find a spot that will not show. take knife tip, attempt to scatch. if it scratches easily, then it's color anodize not HA. 



Chao said:


> The anodizing quality is good for me, this little light is excellent!


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## jayflash (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*

Nice comparison beamshots with the bikes, Chao, it provides useful information along with your white wall photo. If I were in the market for an EDC, your review would have been most helpful.

Since I already have an Arc AAA, and Fenix L0P, I really don't need this one, but the E1 fills the niche between them. Good review.


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## jsr (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*

The LED is a Nichia Rigel (which Nichia does categorize as one of it's Power LEDs, so Fenix's marketing verbage is accurate to this respect). Output looks nice and it has nice regulation, but I had actually hoped it used a 5mm CS. The CS would have provided more runtime. I was hoping to find a good quality alternative to an Arc-P. The Rigel is rated at 180mA nominal current. I wonder how much current the driver is pushing to the Rigel in the E1. That's a lot of space between the emitting area of the LED and the reflector...I wonder how much light is being lost via that empty space. Hopefully 4sevens will have a sale on the E1 sometime...I may pick one up then. Tho I'd rather have a bit less output and more runtime from this type of light, I think it's close enough to what I was hoping for to get me to part with more green.


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## amanichen (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*

Looks promising, though, I think I'll wait till Quickbeam gets ahold of one before I buy. The tint looks a little blue...


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## Seb (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*

Nice regulation! In the beamshot it doesn't look that much brighter, though. Just more hotspot, less spill.


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## GhostReaction (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*

Yup the ARC sure is blue


amanichen said:


> Looks promising, though, I think I'll wait till Quickbeam gets ahold of one before I buy. The tint looks a little blue...


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## amanichen (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*



GhostReaction said:


> Yup the ARC sure is blue


I meant on the Fenix...the tint in those pictures looks a little blue.


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## Lite_me (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*

I have the ARC-P and the L0P. Seeing that the E1 is in between the two, I won't have a use for one. I carry the L0P when I get 'dressed up'. It's small and unobtrusive. Put's out a lot of light should you need that. I always have the ARC with me too. That's for run-time. 

Thanks for the review! :goodjob:


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## cave dave (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*

Can you add "Fenix" to the thread title? It will be easier for the search engine to find. Also I thought the Surefire E1 as well so almost skipped the thread.


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## Solstice (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*

Great picts and info here, Chao. If you get a chance, could you throw up a pic of the tail end for us?


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*

I also thought "SureFire E1" when I saw the thread title...but when I saw the name "Fenix" in there, I actually read it - several hours later.

I did not know there was a Fenix E1 - looks like I'm gonna have to get one for evaluation on my website.


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## Chao (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: Got my E1! (pics and runtime)*

Sorry for the title, I corrected it already!



The_LED_Museum said:


> I did not know there was a Fenix E1 - looks like I'm gonna have to get one for evaluation on my website.


I know you can answer cy's question, I am afraid to scratch the beautiful body:sweat:, but you always do good job for this test, look forward to your review!


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## NewBie (Jul 16, 2006)

The datasheet for the Nichia Rigel is found here:

http://www.nichia.com/product/led-smd-powerled.html

Direct datasheet links:
http://www.nichia.com/specification/led_smd/NFSW036BT-E.pdf
http://www.nichia.com/specification/jp/led_smd/NFSW036LT.pdf


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## nerdgineer (Jul 16, 2006)

Very nice review Chao. Quantitative and very informative. 

Looks to me like Fenix has: 1) undercut the market again, and 2) come up with another winner even not considering the price diffference.


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## Solstice (Jul 17, 2006)

Thanks for the tail pic. Man, I might have to get one of these...

Sorry to bother you again, but can you tell me (or show me) if either contact point inside has a spring? I'm just wondering how rechargeble-friendly this light would be- the Arc tends to damage rechargebles by pressing notches into them (and has the runtime where it isn't really necessary anyway). I could see a Nimh battery working well in this one though, if the contacts won't hurt it. On the other hand, the drastic regulation could mean that by the time you realise you are out of juice, the light has irrevecably overdischarged your battery.


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## skalomax (Jul 17, 2006)

wow this light seems great, wow and i ordered the ARC AAA-P. Do you guys think this light is better? The arc aaa-p dims and the Fenix doesnt. What do all flashaholics have to say?!


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## Chao (Jul 17, 2006)

Solstice said:


> can you tell me (or show me) if either contact point inside has a spring? I'm just wondering how rechargeble-friendly this light would be- the Arc tends to damage rechargebles by pressing notches into them (and has the runtime where it isn't really necessary anyway). I could see a Nimh battery working well in this one though, if the contacts won't hurt it. On the other hand, the drastic regulation could mean that by the time you realise you are out of juice, the light has irrevecably overdischarged your battery.



There's a spring contact to negative end of battery at the tail end. I also concern the performance with Nimh battery, I will update the runtime graph with rechareable battery.


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## LEDninja (Jul 17, 2006)

Thanks for the pics.
Fenix seems to have minimised the yellow corona of the other Rigel light - minimag/TLE-10 combo.
Looks less purple than my TM-310H but with the same runtime. Practically every other manufacturer has a higher colour temperature (more blue tint) than Lumileds. If I find the tint acceptable it will replace the TM-310H/Civictor/L1P as my pocket EDC.


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## Haz (Jul 17, 2006)

Although the Fenix E1 has a brighter hotspot, from the pictures it seems the ArcAAA has more spill or a wider hotspot.


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## Lite_me (Jul 17, 2006)

Haz said:


> Although the Fenix E1 has a brighter hotspot, from the pictures it seems the ArcAAA has more spill or a wider hotspot.


Yeah, it looked like that to me too. It's not like that with my L0P. The L0P has a wider, brighter spill than my ARC. Of course, a much brighter hotspot too.


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## BentHeadTX (Jul 17, 2006)

The Fenix E1 surprised me! 
At first I thought of the typical overdriven blue Nichia 5mm LED. Wrong! Knowing the power LED is rated to handle 180mA would explain why it has less blue in the beam... probably underdriven a bit so no worries about the light smoking an overdriven LED in 110F (45C) temps. 
The light is a touch larger than the Arc AAA but will stand on it's tail and with the larger diameter, add to the toughness (and heat sinking ability) 
I do like the flat regulation, increased output, LED driven (underdriven?) in spec and less blue over the Arc. Although my FF3 sits on my keychain, the E1 does look like a great light to send to people at Christmas. Small enough for keychain use, decent runtime on AAA cells, flat regulation and the beam is white enough. 
Looks to be a nice "in between" light to me. Most people I know use a keychain light for a minute and if they use it more, the spring contact on the back will prevent damage to NiMH AAA cells. Kudos to Fenix for making a light that fills a good niche! 
I wonder if Arc is planning to use this new Nichia LED in their lights? Will Peak respond with a smaller head Pacific Luxeon with off-set tail for equal size? 
And they said summertime was boring in the land of flashlights.


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## Planterz (Jul 17, 2006)

That's some impressive regulation from a AAA light. I'd love to see what it'd do with a NiMH or lithium.


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## kevinm (Jul 17, 2006)

Man! I just built one of these out of an SMJLED, the Chinese arc clone, and a Matterhorn body. Little bigger with like run time. Looks like I should have waited a week...

Can someone post a beamshot comparing the SMJLED and the E1? It might be worth getting one anyway...

Thanks,
Kevin


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## gadgetnerd (Jul 17, 2006)

Is that the same emitter as in a TLE-10 microstar? If so, it seems to be putting out a helluva lot nicer beam than my 2AA mag / TLE-10, which was so putrid I got rid of it. Does anyone have both torches for a direct comparison?


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## Chao (Jul 17, 2006)

LEDninja said:


> Thanks for the pics.
> Fenix seems to have minimised the yellow corona of the other Rigel light - minimag/TLE-10 combo.
> Looks less purple than my TM-310H but with the same runtime. Practically every other manufacturer has a higher colour temperature (more blue tint) than Lumileds. If I find the tint acceptable it will replace the TM-310H/Civictor/L1P as my pocket EDC.



It still has little yellow corona, just not noticeable. 
Yes,Fenix E1 looks less purple (or blue) than my ARC-P and TM310H, but when compared with peak snow white LED, the tint in peak is the winner.


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## jar3ds (Jul 17, 2006)

Chao,

thank you very much for this thread... its pretty much exactly the info i've been waiting for ....

any chance you could get a nihm and or a lithium test? Thanks again!

Jared


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## xochi (Jul 17, 2006)

Folks, remember that it's extremely difficult to make an accurate judgement of tint from a picture on a monitor. Also , keep in mind, whatever your individual preference happens to be, Arc switched LED bin (I forget exactly when) from the more blue to the more yellow. Clearly, the yellow portion of these lights isn't apparent (on my monitor at least) from the photos but it is there. 

Personally, I _really_ like the yellow/amber portion of the CS beams and hope that the rigel has this characteristic as well. 

The E1 looks good but I think that the crux of the performance in these lights is in just how useful is the additional light over the Arc? I mean, if you go from 8 lumens to 12 lumens , how much more useful is the light?

I'm very curious to see what output/runtime is on nimh. I think 2 hours at a stable 12 lumens is fantastic considering how ubiquitous, cheap and portable AAA's are.

Sorry, I forgot, Thanks for the pics and runtime info .


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## amanichen (Jul 17, 2006)

xochi said:


> Folks, remember that it's extremely difficult to make an accurate judgement of tint from a picture on a monitor. Also , keep in mind, whatever your individual preference happens to be, Arc switched LED bin (I forget exactly when) from the more blue to the more yellow. Clearly, the yellow portion of these lights isn't apparent (on my monitor at least) from the photos but it is there.


The beams look fairly blue to me. No offense, but I'm still waiting for Quickbeam or LEDMuseum to get a beamshot so I can have another reference point.

The runtime graph is always much appreciated, and makes a review that much more useful =)


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## xochi (Jul 17, 2006)

amanichen said:


> The beams look fairly blue to me. No offense, but I'm still waiting for Quickbeam or LEDMuseum to get a beamshot so I can have another reference point =)



Absolutely, the blue is there. It's a nichia thing, I suppose. I just meant, that, seeing as how Arc takes alot of flak for the blue in it's beam it is important to know when that particular AAA-p was purchased (or what tint bin is pictured) to say that current arc AAA's are more blue than E1's. We also don't know what bin or bins (or how much they vary) to expect in E1's.

Others should take note of your decision to delay judgement till more information is available.


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## The_LED_Museum (Jul 17, 2006)

amanichen said:


> ...No offense, but I'm still waiting for Quickbeam or LEDMuseum to get a beamshot so I can have another reference point...


I'm expecting one any time now...I'll take beam photographs and a spectrographic analysis immediately upon receipt. :thumbsup:


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## Chao (Jul 17, 2006)

xochi said:


> Absolutely, the blue is there. It's a nichia thing, I suppose. I just meant, that, seeing as how Arc takes alot of flak for the blue in it's beam it is important to know when that particular AAA-p was purchased (or what tint bin is pictured) to say that current arc AAA's are more blue than E1's. We also don't know what bin or bins (or how much they vary) to expect in E1's.
> .



I don't know the arcAAA-P has different tint before:thinking:, I bought this arc just last month from ARC directly.


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## ViReN (Jul 17, 2006)

xochi said:


> <SNIP>
> 
> The E1 looks good but I think that the crux of the performance in these lights is in just how useful is the additional light over the Arc? I mean, if you go from 8 lumens to 12 lumens , how much more useful is the light?
> 
> ...



xochi, the fact that this is _*first ever flat regulation 1AAA light at 1/2 price*_ itself is much more than sufficient for this light to be a runaway success. not to mention 1/2 Arc Price tag. 2 hours flat regulation... I can do with that .... especially with a *AAA ALKALINE* ! ... I do not have to spend a fortune to get a 1AAA flat regulation!... 

Also, it would be worth to note the fact that even after 6 years apperently nothing much has changed in Arc AAA Electronics department... the curve looks same as it was 6 years back (looking at the archieves) ... and that it costs 2 times more .... :sigh: :thumbsdow

Compare that with Fenix, within 6 months - 1 year.. not only electronics has improved a lot, especially on the regulation aspect... they have come up with loads of good products in major categories.

I firmly believe that if the Fenix E1 circuit can be tuned down from 180 mA (guestimate) to run LED at 45 mA (like Arc), it would probably have same flat regulation for atleast 6 hours!!! and then perhaps will continue in 'moon' mode for another couple of hours.


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## xdanx (Jul 18, 2006)

Great Review! Do you think the E1 is water resistant? I have a habit of losing small lights to the washing machine.


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## Chao (Jul 18, 2006)

I add runtime data with NiMH battery in the graph, got 3h full regulation with 900 mAh battery.



xdanx said:


> Great Review! Do you think the E1 is water resistant? I have a habit of losing small lights to the washing machine.


The features claim Febix E1 is water resistant, I haven't try that.


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## xdanx (Jul 18, 2006)

Thanks! you just convinced me to order one! I wonder if it will replace my Arc P.


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## BentHeadTX (Jul 18, 2006)

ViReN said:


> I firmly believe that if the Fenix E1 circuit can be tuned down from 180 mA (guestimate) to run LED at 45 mA (like Arc), it would probably have same flat regulation for atleast 6 hours!!! and then perhaps will continue in 'moon' mode for another couple of hours.



My guestimate is they run the LED at 150mA, I have a MicroIlluminator that runs the R3J Luxeon at 155mA with a 1:45 runtime. 175mA for two hours with flat regulation is pretty high when considering the forward voltage (3.8V) or about half an amp on the single AAA alkaline. 

As far as Arc goes, they had better drop this LED in the Premium version quickly! It should get more effiecient as the drive level drops, it might be brighter than the CS. If so, spending the extra $10 for the premium would give better value in that you have the brightness but also a longer lasting, less blue LED. 

I'll give this to Fenix, they are the fastest responding flashlight company I have ever seen! HDS has been pondering building a 2AA pack for their EDC lights longer than Fenix has been around! In 8 months, the L1P ver 2, L1P ver 2.5, L2P, L1T, L2T, P1 and now E1 for something a little different. 

By September they might have a L0T with three outputs and flat regulation... could be a E1T with 20/60/180mA settings with flat regulation. One of those might knock my FF3 off the keychain (doubt it but) A variable output (head twistie) AAA light, a Luxeon and flat regulation? (Fenix V0P?) The question changes from who will build it but when Fenix will introduce it.


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## ViReN (Jul 18, 2006)

Chao said:


> I add runtime data with NiMH battery in the graph, got *3h full regulation with 900 mAh battery*.
> <SNIP>



oh gawd.... thats something really nice...in AAA Category* WE HAVE A WINNER HERE*


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## jar3ds (Jul 18, 2006)

BentHeadTX said:


> My guestimate is they run the LED at 150mA, I have a MicroIlluminator that runs the R3J Luxeon at 155mA with a 1:45 runtime. 175mA for two hours with flat regulation is pretty high when considering the forward voltage (3.8V) or about half an amp on the single AAA alkaline.
> 
> As far as Arc goes, they had better drop this LED in the Premium version quickly! It should get more effiecient as the drive level drops, it might be brighter than the CS. If so, spending the extra $10 for the premium would give better value in that you have the brightness but also a longer lasting, less blue LED.
> 
> ...


 oh don't speak of a E1T w/ three mode's... your making me thirsty ...

It is amazing what new flashlights are being released now a days...

I am looking for a good keychain replacement... but so far the arc AAA p is really tough to beat for me... the cr2 based lights are a little too fat for me for a keychain light (maybe that will change someday)... so i'm much more attracted to the arc size (AAA)... i hope they keep these lights in this range of size... i love the E1's price... i bet it's going to make a dent in ARC sales


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## xochi (Jul 18, 2006)

ViReN said:


> xochi, the fact that this is _*first ever flat regulation 1AAA light at 1/2 price*_ itself is much more than sufficient for this light to be a runaway success. not to mention 1/2 Arc Price tag. 2 hours flat regulation... I can do with that .... especially with a *AAA ALKALINE* ! ... I do not have to spend a fortune to get a 1AAA flat regulation!...
> 
> Also, it would be worth to note the fact that even after 6 years apperently nothing much has changed in Arc AAA Electronics department... the curve looks same as it was 6 years back (looking at the archieves) ... and that it costs 2 times more .... :sigh: :thumbsdow
> 
> ...



Personally, I could care less wether it's a success for fenix or not. The Arc is a great light and Fenix hasn't done anything oringinal with the electronics, they've just pursued different design goals. My point is that at this point I don't know wether the E1 is worth owning (though I've bought one). 2hours in regulation and then a drop is a huge sacrifice over arc output if the additional light is only marginally useful. At this point_ I don't know_ wether the sacrifice is worthwhile or not. I do appreciate that the rigel is underdriven compared to the Arc overdrive.


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## ViReN (Jul 18, 2006)

xochi: at this moment of time, i am just looking at cost/performance/quality, with these, fenix is a winner.


> You're just far too easy to impress.



...it may seem so, but I was once a Fenix Critic too.. it was only after I owned L2P, I realized the quality/performance/cost equation.... 

Fenix may not be of "Arc Built Quality" but it's 90% there... with 1/2 price and better performance (in terms of output and regulation) .... I can live with that 90%.


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## xochi (Jul 18, 2006)

ViReN said:


> xochi: at this moment of time, i am just looking at cost/performance/quality, with these, fenix is a winner.
> 
> 
> ...it may seem so, but I was once a Fenix Critic too.. it was only after I owned L2P, I realized the quality/performance/cost equation....
> ...



I edited as comments might have been too critical. Even the 90% quality isn't yet justified since so few of us have one. 

It may be interesting to note that if it can be taken apart without destroying is that the fenix might be a good home for a luxeon and the Shoppe has McR-8 mm reflectors (who knows if they'll fit?) that might turn the light into something a tad more interesting for those who are turned off by the tint of the E1 in stock format.


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## ViReN (Jul 18, 2006)

xochi: Yes  I agree with you on McR-8 Reflector... it could be a great if it fits, from the E1 Pictures,i could be wrong but, it looks like L0P and E1 share same reflector.


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## amanichen (Jul 18, 2006)

xochi said:


> Personally, I could care less wether it's a success for fenix or not. The Arc is a great light and Fenix hasn't done anything oringinal with the electronics, they've just pursued different design goals. My point is that at this point I don't know wether the E1 is worth owning (though I've bought one). 2hours in regulation and then a drop is a huge sacrifice over arc output if the additional light is only marginally useful. At this point_ I don't know_ wether the sacrifice is worthwhile or not. I do appreciate that the rigel is underdriven compared to the Arc overdrive.


One could also argue that lights which steadily trail off are only marginally useful. If a light only puts out 12 lumens to begin with, drops to 9 lumens (75%) in 15 minutes, and then spends the majority of its 8+ hour runtime runtime at 6 lumens or below, is it really worth it?

Flat regulation isn't the curse that some people make it out to be. I'd rather have constant brightness for a known time that I can prepare for, rather than struggling to see with a constantly diminishing light. People boast that the ARC runs for 8+ hours, but if I wanted real output, I'd be swapping the batteries long before the 8 hour mark.

For me, there's a point where a light becomes just too dim to be practically used. Every light looks bright in total darkness, but in the situations where you're not in total darkness, 6 lumens for the majority of the runtime doesn't cut it.


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## jar3ds (Jul 18, 2006)

amanichen said:


> One could also argue that lights which steadily trail off are only marginally useful. If a light only puts out 12 lumens to begin with, drops to 9 lumens (75%) in 15 minutes, and then spends the majority of its 8+ hour runtime runtime at 6 lumens or below, is it really worth it?
> 
> Flat regulation isn't the curse that some people make it out to be. I'd rather have constant brightness for a known time that I can prepare for, rather than struggling to see with a constantly diminishing light. People boast that the ARC runs for 8+ hours, but if I wanted real output, I'd be swapping the batteries long before the 8 hour mark.
> 
> For me, there's a point where a light becomes just too dim to be practically used. Every light looks bright in total darkness, but in the situations where you're not in total darkness, 6 lumens for the majority of the runtime doesn't cut it.


 i see what your saying...

i think one of the E1's biggest plus's is the fact of the great regulation off of an alk... most lights have decent output curves on less resistant chemistries...

as far as semi-reg vs. full reg. its a debate that both sides have great points... i don't think i can draw final conclusions about this light until we see nimh/lithium runtime tests since those are what i use... alks is only a worst case senerio chem for me...


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## chesterqw (Jul 18, 2006)

yay!! it isn't the silly 5mm led!

now that seems good for a keychain light... 

that 2hour + runtime is nice!


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## this_is_nascar (Jul 18, 2006)

Although I do not currently own an E1, I'm impressed with what I've read so far.


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## ViReN (Jul 18, 2006)

u bet TIN  It's Impressive.. I have one on my way already


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## PJD (Jul 18, 2006)

I received my E1 in the mail yesterday, and from what I've experienced with it so far, I'm pretty impressed! When I first heard that it was a Rigal LED, I was VERY apprehensive...the only other Rigal LED light I'd owned before was a TerraLux TLE10 in a 2XAAA MM. The color was so bad that I GAVE the whole light away. When I fired up my E1, I was VERY pleasantly suprised at how much better the tint was compared to the TLE10 I had! There is still some discernable yellowish tint to the corona, but it's NOTHING compared to the TLE10. I'm not gonna compare the E1 to the ArcAAA-P that I recently sold, because I think that the Arc is and always has been in a class of it's own...but I think the E1 is a VERY viable alternative, especially at just a little more than half the price of the Arc. Again, I'm EXTREMELY pleased with the Fenix E1, so much in fact, that I'm gonna be buying AT LEAST two more of them! YMMV...

PJD


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## TinderBox (UK) (Jul 18, 2006)

I am really disappointed with this light.

The reason I always buy FENIX is because, reflector always fits the emitter perfect.

I`ts a dam shame, but a very good price.

The pictures on the fenix-store website, dont show the emitter.

If i had ordered one, I would have had a bad shock.

I own an L1P, L2P, LOP, P1.

I might still order an E1, after I have seen some close-up pics of the emitter and reflector.

regards.


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## amanichen (Jul 18, 2006)

TinderBox (UK) said:


> I might still order an E1, after I have seen some close-up pics of the emitter and reflector.
> 
> regards.


:huh2:

The very first post in this thread shows a shot of the emitter and reflector...


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## TinderBox (UK) (Jul 18, 2006)

bigger.


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## Cmoore (Jul 18, 2006)

TinderBox (UK) said:


> bigger.


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## TinderBox (UK) (Jul 18, 2006)

It looks even worse now, is that a mircro-switch or an emitter.

hopefully they will improve the look.

thanks for the bigger pic.

regards.


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## jar3ds (Jul 18, 2006)

thanks for the additional runtimes... the E1 pimp slaps the peak pretty hard ...

i suppose we could conclude that the lithium e2 test would show a little longer regulation... wonder how much?


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## xochi (Jul 18, 2006)

amanichen said:


> One could also argue that lights which steadily trail off are only marginally useful. If a light only puts out 12 lumens to begin with, drops to 9 lumens (75%) in 15 minutes, and then spends the majority of its 8+ hour runtime runtime at 6 lumens or below, is it really worth it?



Absolutely. 6 lumens is an _extremely_ useful amount of light. 6 lumens is likely a more appropriate quantity of light for 10 times more situations than 60 lumens. I'd even say 6 lumens is more useful than 40-50 lumens , unless the light is put out in a pattern like the Cr2 Ion which although visually unimpressive has output that is extremely useful in a huge number of situations. 

So, really, there isn't much doubt that the Arc is overpriced and it irritates me that noone has done a decent job of making a clone of it and dropping the price to 20 bucks. Arcs were available for less than that from countycomm at one point. It also irritates me that although the light has received a facelift and puts out more light because _nichia (not Arc)_ is pushing the envelope, it's really the same thing from a few years ago. Current regulation is a great thing with LEDs and there is a huge variety of output curves possible given the variety of power supplies , batts and Leds. The fenix is certainly a compelling light at this point and for many a better choice in many situations. But , I still think that the Arc has a very valid position.

*Here is my Challenge to Fenix. Make a light similar to the Arc. Make an similar or better light like the arc with similar output for 4-5 hours on alkaline and provide a stepdown warning mode that is brighter than the Arc and can provide a few more hours of light and sell it for 18 dollars! 

*The Arc AAA is a door knob product. Once you have doors soon you'll have door knobs. Tons of companies make doorknobs. Once we had decent 5mm leds and AAA batts a AAA led flashlight was inevitable so tact should dictate a distinct style but otherwise I wouldn't worry about those who might call the inspiration a ripoff. Once this happens, I think Viren can make one of his beloved proclamations describing the certain doom of the Arc. Until then it's still got it's niche. Of course for many (and for me ever since the new arc AAA came out) it is increasingly difficult to justify the 40 dollar price tag when something with clearly better technology (doesn't naturally translate to more useful) is available cheaper.


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## cave dave (Jul 18, 2006)

Unless this Rigal LED has much better efficiecy than a luxeon, I would rather have an underdriven LOp. Basically the Peak pacific electronics in the LOP form factor. I've heard Peak is going to do it someday.


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## [email protected] (Jul 18, 2006)

Xochi, your suggestion is illegal and thus prohibited on CPF, please edit your post accordingly. :tsk:


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## kevinm (Jul 18, 2006)

Xochi- Do you mod stuff? If so, here's your chance with this one. The Rigels can supposedly be driven at any current from 0 to 350mA. Take a look at page 10 of

http://www.nichia.com/specification/led_smd/NFSW036BT-E.pdf

I'll bet there is a current limiting resistor (or that one could be added) on the board. The current determines both the battery life and the light output. Solder a resister in there (or if one is already present, replace it with a higher value) and you'll get what you want, save that it will be $26.

At the rate Fenix makes lights based upon demand, you might just have to wait a couple of months.

Cave Dave- Others who have Rigels and test them have told me that they are much more effecient than Luxeons, though "much" might be anything from 20% to 50%. They also claim that the 1/2 watt LED's are just more effecient in general. I'm a big Luxeon fan; all my coral and most of my frogs are lit that way. They just don't make a 1/2 watter.

Kevin


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## Melchior (Jul 18, 2006)

Would This Fenix E1 be better than a Lambda SMJ-Solitaire module and a Dorcy 1AAA body?
2 Hour run time and good lumens for the puny battery?

Also the cost is what? 20$ US?

The SMJ-Module + cheap AAA body is ($12 or so for SMJ-Mod Jr. and $3 for the AAA body) = $15 or so.

and NiMH makes it last 3Hrs? (lower resistance no doubt)


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## Chao (Jul 18, 2006)

I just finish the E1 runtime test by using e2 lithium battery, I got 300 minutes (5h) full regulation, and dim at 310 minutes. The graph should be beautiful! but sorry, I have problem for upload the graph to replace the old one right now (I think it's the web server problem), just let you know the result first!


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## Cmoore (Jul 18, 2006)

Chao, thank you very much for the review and especially the run-time tests with all the different battery types.


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## ViReN (Jul 18, 2006)

5 HOURS.... ... WHERE IS MY E1... I AM STILL WAITING !!!!........... 



Good to know that 5 hours, hopefully FLAT regulation.... 

ok... how much is the runtime of Arc AAA with Lithium ?.. .. let me check at flashlightreviews.com ... hmm... http://flashlightreviews.com/reviews/arc_aaa-p.htm

OK, it says .. 5 Hours 21 Minutes ... and Fenix E1 is 5 Hours (OK, 21 minutes short of ARC)

... so now the thing is to compare the Total Output.... with Arc, and as seen from the Pictures, E1 noticibly bright and white....

xochi:  any more justifications required  .... j/k


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## jar3ds (Jul 19, 2006)

you got 5 hours with a lithium? can i see the graph? 

very awesome!


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## carrot (Jul 19, 2006)

Chao if you have problems hosting the graph you can email it to me and I'll host it for you-- pm me for my email address.


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## Chao (Jul 19, 2006)

carrot said:


> Chao if you have problems hosting the graph you can email it to me and I'll host it for you-- pm me for my email address.



Thank you carrot! I upload the graph already, fenix E1 is really excellent with the flat regulation, however, from this runtime graph, we should know the lux number I read is the central brightness, the E1 has focused beam can get higher number, but for total output, E1 may not much higher than arc-p, I can not test this, and would like to see the review from quickbeam and led museum.


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## xdanx (Jul 19, 2006)

Thanks for the runtime graph! I am VERY impressed with this light so far. I can't wait till' I get it.


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## ViReN (Jul 19, 2006)

Chao said:


> Thank you carrot! I upload the graph already, fenix E1 is really excellent with the flat regulation, however, from this runtime graph, we should know the lux number I read is the central brightness, the E1 has focused beam can get higher number, but for total output, E1 may not much higher than arc-p, I can not test this, and would like to see the review from quickbeam and led museum.



use a Milk Box Apparatus to measure the overall output.

1) Take Milk Box
2) on biggest flat side, create a circular hole enough just to fit the Light Meter Sensor.
3) on the milk pouring side, put one light, ensure that no direct light falls over the Light sensor and that light captured is the 'bounced' light from the internals.
4) take the reading for both the lights in similar condition.


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## KAM (Jul 19, 2006)

Thanks Chao, can't wait to get mine


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## nerdgineer (Jul 19, 2006)

Chao said:


> ...for total output, E1 may not much higher than arc-p, I can not test this...


If you have the right kind of light meter, there's another way to measure total output. If you have one of the old fashioned light meters which have large light sensing cells (like the old hand held silicon or selenium photo light meters) where the cell is larger than the head of the flashlight, then you can just put the flashlight hard against the sensing cell and get a reading of total light output. This will allow you to compare the relative output of the 2 lights. The space between the flashlight lens and the cell acts as a miniature integrating box.

Remember that this type of meter measures output logarithmically (each step is 2x the light of the last step) and calculate accordingly. 

Just another thought.


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## xochi (Jul 19, 2006)

[email protected] said:


> Xochi, your suggestion is illegal and thus prohibited on CPF, please edit your post accordingly. :tsk:



Nobody said violate the law or infringe patents. Difference is a matter of degree. If you are gonna make accusations, back'em up.


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## jar3ds (Jul 19, 2006)

xochi said:


> Nobody said violate the law or infringe patents. Difference is a matter of degree. If you are gonna make accusations, back'em up.


 was bart saying that suggesting to 'copy' the arc was against CPF rules?


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## xochi (Jul 19, 2006)

ViReN said:


> xochi:  any more justifications required  .... j/k



Okay, I'll take the *BAIT.*

That's not even hard. Having to depend on lithiums for long output is a handicap. Several hundred flashaholics most likely don't care but go explain the situation on any preparedness board and the fenix will take some serious jabs for it. Not to mention that the Arc is damn near bulletproof and the fenix isn't even waterproof (water resistant is very different). 

I'm sure I'll like it (if I ever get mine, I'm only 40 miles away from fenix-store and the damn thing mailed out on sat and I still haven't got it on wednesday-dern USPS!) but I think that it's clear that the Arc has qualities that surpass the fenix and vice versa. 

I don't believe that the E1, despite a fat price difference with the Arc, is good enough that those prone to serious consideration of such trivial things , can now blindly discount the Arc as a better fit for their needs.


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## cave dave (Jul 19, 2006)

kevinm said:


> ... I'm a big Luxeon fan; all my coral and most of my frogs are lit that way. They just don't make a 1/2 watter.
> 
> Kevin



Sure they do. It's called a LuxI and you can drive it anywhere from 0mA to 1000mA. The prices have gotten so low in bulk now I can't see the Rigel being much less.

A 1/2 watt would be about 160mA depending on Vf.


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## xochi (Jul 19, 2006)

Bart-Tried to Pm Jar but box was full.

I think he misunderstood my meaning of "ripoff". I used the term the way many do to describe a product "inspired" by another but not violating any legal rights or laws. When Peak first started coming out with lights, they were refered to as such by some. I think that Bart thought that my meaning of the term "ripoff" meant to make something that is close enough that it violates laws. 

That's all I've got to say reguarding Barts comments and would appreciate no further reference to them. 

Much apologies for OT Post and I'll gladly delete both posts if requested.


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## kevinm (Jul 19, 2006)

cave dave said:


> Sure they do. It's called a LuxI and you can drive it anywhere from 0mA to 1000mA. The prices have gotten so low in bulk now I can't see the Rigel being much less.
> 
> A 1/2 watt would be about 160mA depending on Vf.



You miss my point. The Luexons (according to Lumileds) are more effecient if fully driven. The 1/2 watt LED's made by other are supposed to be more effecient than the 1 watt Luxeons at their most effecient. Also, they don't put out much light at either 0mA or 160mA. I wouldn't drive one at 1000 unless it was PWM; magic smoke coming out and all. If I'm running 1 AAA, I want effecient (and nice tint and lots of light and cheap, but hey I'm picky). The Rigel's *might* fit that bill. 

If I want really bright I use Luxeon. If I want less light but still fairly bright, I use SMJLED's. I have not yet tried the Rigels, but plan to. We'll see...

And, yeah, the Luxeon I's have a price that few can compete with ($1.25 for stock clearence and $3.50 or so direct, though neither will promise a good bin). The Rigels are $5 from expensive guys, but I don't know where else to get them.

Kevin


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## fleegs (Jul 19, 2006)

Man, I bet Peter is loving this competition. I can't wait to see what Arc does next. And I can't wait to get my E1 I ordered.


Yea flashlights!

rob


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## ViReN (Jul 19, 2006)

xochi said:


> Okay, I'll take the *BAIT.*
> 
> That's not even hard. Having to depend on lithiums for long output is a handicap. Several hundred flashaholics most likely don't care but go explain the situation on any preparedness board and the fenix will take some serious jabs for it. Not to mention that the Arc is damn near bulletproof and the fenix isn't even waterproof (water resistant is very different).
> 
> ...



xochi: I think, you might have come across a bad fenix?
Fenix, is first mass produced light that has filled the gap, and has reasonable quality (one of the best Made in China) and surely compares to US made products.

Fenix is upcoming manufacturer, initial bounce backs would be ofcourse there. Products coming out of fenix have improved and still improving, the process is very fast (compare 8 months to launch 2AA and 2 CR123 tube of HDS, compare 5+ years for Arc Rev's)... take the case of Photon 2xCR2016 keychains... they initially started with momentary and physical switches... moved on to come up with 2 electronically starting versions... and evolution is still continuing.... where as in case of Arc AAA.... it was there before ... it's the same now... talk about 'engineering' ! body design has changed .... a new 'revolution' .... the SOLDER BLOB is still considered as a SUPERB contact point... compare this with PEAK's GOLD plated contact....

xochi, you say that relying on Lithium's to get regulation... please go back and have a look at arc AAA graph on Lithium and then compare with FLAT regulation with ALL 3 battery types irrespective of chemistry.... YES it is revolution in 1 AAA sector... (if you know of any other 1AAA light that does this? AND costs 1/2 Arc... I would be happy to buy).... I had attempted it once... but failed.. I know, it's not a easy task.... 

Fenix is the fastest responding company, filling the voids...

E1 is one such product, perhaps no one has ventured in to. we either have 1 Watt or 5 mm .... (true 1/2 Watt Cheapo's are there).... but using a High Quality Nichia with a prooven size factor.... good balance of brightness and runtime... Fenix E1 is exactly that.
good bala

I do not know when the Arc "Comming Soon AAA" would become a reality... perhaps in another 2 - 3 years....:sigh:


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## jar3ds (Jul 20, 2006)

the E1 makes me want a 1xAAA proton (same size as arc).... with primary white led on one end... and a 3mm/5mm red led on the other end as a secondary... yumm....


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## ViReN (Jul 20, 2006)

Yummyyy in deed


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## Chao (Jul 20, 2006)

I just found the TAD gear sell E1 with same price for natural and black color, http://www.tripleaughtdesign.com/x-treme gear/flashlights main/fenix_e1.htm. is this ture!


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## this_is_nascar (Jul 20, 2006)

I just recieved a couple of these E1 lights and I have the 1st one on the meter now. Although it's not dark at this time, my initial reaction was one of dissappointment. I don't believe the reflector is fully capturing/focusing the light coming off the emitter. Additionally, despite some graphs I've seen, this light appears to be no where near as close in total output to any of my Arc-AAA Premium lights. That's all I'll say for now. I'll add more comments after the runtime test and as darkness arrives.


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## jsr (Jul 20, 2006)

Looking forward to your test results.


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## aceo07 (Jul 20, 2006)

I'd love to see more reviews and output comparisons. I liked how the inital runtime showed a flat regulation, but that's not all that's important.


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## Chao (Jul 20, 2006)

Chao said:


> from this runtime graph, we should know the lux number I read is the central brightness, the E1 has focused beam can get higher number, but for total output, E1 may not much higher than arc-p..



That's what I concerned, from my beamshots, the total ouput of E1 indeed seems not much higher than ARC-P. Even ViRen and nerdgineer offer good methods for testing the total output, but this not easy for me to do that immediately!
I also looking forward to T.I.N's test result.


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## kevinm (Jul 21, 2006)

Craig has his review up at http://www.ledmuseum.org/. Looks like the E1 puts out twice the mcd's of the Arc-P. 

Someone who has one of these: how moddable is it? Is the head potted? Could one replace the LED? I wonder what it would do with a SMJLED...

Thanks,
Kevin


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## LEDninja (Jul 22, 2006)

kevinm said:


> Craig has his review up at http://www.ledmuseum.org/. Looks like the E1 puts out twice the mcd's of the Arc-P.
> 
> Someone who has one of these: how moddable is it? Is the head potted? Could one replace the LED? I wonder what it would do with a SMJLED...
> 
> ...


Direct link to the review
http://ledmuseum.candlepower.us/sixth/fenixe1.htm
Looks like Fenix is using a L0P body. L0P 125100 mcd wide hotspot, E1 100100 mcd small hotspot.
http://ledmuseum.candlepower.us/fifth/fenixl0p.htm

The Rigel is square surface mount type 150 mA nominal, 180mA max.
The SMJLED 5mm 4 die. 4*20mA=80mA???
Based on the 2 hour runtime I'd guess 70-100 mA to the LED. The SMJLED might survive.
Mounting the SMJLED is a problem. May have to make a new LED board.
Focussing would be an issue. The Rigel die is at the bottom of the case next to the circuit board. The dies of the SMJLED are halfway up the LED.

Swapping the E1 circuit board into a L0P to get better runtime at the expense of brightness while maintaining the tint of the luxeon is another mod idea. That would be my perfect pocket EDC. But I'm not a handy person, zero soldering skills, and on a fixed budget so I'll just use my E1 stock when it arrives.

* EDIT * iNDIGLo has beamshots of the E1, L0P & Arc buried among coloured Fenix L1Ps, HDS U60 & Surefire L4. Wall & potted plamt at 8 feet.
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=126130


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## xdanx (Jul 22, 2006)

I got my E1 today. And it is not replacing my Arc P. It is a great light for the money, but it is only a tad bit brighter than the Arc. Plus the beam is :green:, Here are some pics that compare it to the Arc P: 

kevinm, the E1 looks like it could be modded if you have the skills.


Fenix E1, Arc AAA P at 8"







At 14"






Arc P is on top


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## kevinm (Jul 22, 2006)

LEDninja said:


> The Rigel is square surface mount type 150 mA nominal, 180mA max.
> The SMJLED 5mm 4 die. 4*20mA=80mA???
> Based on the 2 hour runtime I'd guess 70-100 mA to the LED. The SMJLED might survive.
> Mounting the SMJLED is a problem. May have to make a new LED board.
> ...



Hi Ninja,
I did a variant of this mod 

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=105427

and drove the SMJLED at 100-150mA or so (the thread claims 150mA (EDIT: That was 150 for the head, not just the LED; I have no idea how hard I was driving it now) , Lambda says 100mA max, but I ran it for a week with no problems). They are tougher than I would have thought. Worked well until I decided to "improve" the contact and fried the board with the iron. The LED is still good. I was going to get an E1 and swap if I decided I liked the SMJLED better. 

Why the guess of 100mA? The batteries are rated at 900mAh; your guess suggests 200mAh. I know there is a current for voltage trade going on, but we don't need 4 times the voltage...what am I missing? Twice the voltage and the board is 50% effecient?

As for the spacing, maybe a spacer to move the board back 1/8"? I don't know what these look like inside the head. Really the question is "Is the circuit potted?"

As far as the Luxeon mod, the R-bin Luxeons can be had for $4-6 and the soldering skill needed is minimal if the circuit is accessable. That's the question.

Something is wrong with those shots...the LOP looks dimmer than the E1. Nice photography, but I think the camera did something weird or he labeled the shots backwards.

Thanks,
Kevin


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## kevinm (Jul 22, 2006)

xdanx said:


> I got my E1 today. And it is not replacing my Arc P. It is a great light for the money, but it is only a tad bit brighter than the Arc. Plus the beam is :green:, Here are some pics that compare it to the Arc P:
> 
> kevinm, the E1 looks like it could be modded if you have the skills.
> At 14"



Hey Xdanx,

So you mean the circuit is not potted (no epoxy scraping), right? 

I'm really confused now; the E1 looks MORE blue than the Arc in your photos. I know there is a tint lottery with Rigels, but that's craziness! 

Thanks,
Kevin


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## phatalbert (Jul 22, 2006)

kevinm said:


> Hi Ninja,
> As far as the Luxeon mod, the R-bin Luxeons can be had for $4-6 and the soldering skill needed is minimal if the circuit is accessable. That's the question.
> 
> Something is wrong with those shots...the LOP looks dimmer than the E1. Nice photography, but I think the camera did something weird or he labeled the shots backwards.
> ...



The R-bin mod sounds like a winner, they left a big enough hole in the reflector for it 

P.S. Indiglo fixed the pics  I was exctied there for a second.

Edit: Now that I'm thinking of modding, are all two stage possibilities with this light going to cost an arm and a leg?


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## xdanx (Jul 22, 2006)

I'm not sure, I dont know a lot about LED modding (and cameras) but it looks like the sandwich can be removed easy.


Here is what the LED looks like:


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## kevinm (Jul 22, 2006)

phatalbert said:


> The R-bin mod sounds like a winner, they left a big enough hole in the reflector for it
> 
> P.S. Indiglo fixed the pics  I was exctied there for a second.
> 
> Edit: Now that I'm thinking of modding, are all two stage possibilities with this light going to cost an arm and a leg?



Yeah, I was thinking an R-bin batwing might be the way to go on this one; more even forward distribution and I can't afford an SXOH.

For a two stage, you'd have to ask one of the masters. I'm sure Eric would do the LOP mod on this (if the body is the same) for around the $35 range. I'm going to look at it and see if I can rig one myself. It's cheap enough that if I blow it up, I'll only feel a little stupid.

Kevin


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## kevinm (Jul 22, 2006)

xdanx said:


> I'm not sure, I dont know a lot about LED modding (and cameras) but it looks like the sandwich can be removed easy.
> 
> 
> Here is what the LED looks like:



Xdanx, you are the man! I know I can get that out without wrecking it. Now I just need free time, beer, and an E1.

Thanks,
Kevin


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## xdanx (Jul 22, 2006)

Also the reflector can be removed to make a GREAT flood light, perfect for reading.












Sorry for posting too many pictures


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## phatalbert (Jul 22, 2006)

xdanx said:


> Also the reflector can be removed to make a GREAT flood light, perfect for reading.



YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! That is sawweet! :rock:


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## xdanx (Jul 22, 2006)

The LED lifts out,


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## kevinm (Jul 22, 2006)

xdanx said:


> The LED lifts out,



You've gone that far; break out the soldering iron! Push back the wire covering, unsolder the LED, solder two leads to a Luxeon emitter, put part of a penny under it to get it to touch the board, and you're golden! You can actually skip the penny; JB Weld conducts heat and not electricity. You could just use a glob of that...


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## LEDninja (Jul 22, 2006)

kevinm said:


> Hi Ninja,
> Why the guess of 100mA? The batteries are rated at 900mAh; your guess suggests 200mAh. I know there is a current for voltage trade going on, but we don't need 4 times the voltage...what am I missing? Twice the voltage and the board is 50% effecient?


I based my guess on the Peak pacific also having a 2 hour flat runtime from an alkaline cell. Peak states they are pulling 210 mA from the battery. 1.5/3.6*210=87.5. Hence the guess of 70-100mA.
Peak also pointed out AAA alkaline cells are designed and rated for low current. At the drain of the Pacific the battery will only produce 2/3 the rated MAH.


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## kevinm (Jul 22, 2006)

LEDninja said:


> I based my guess on the Peak pacific also having a 2 hour flat runtime from an alkaline cell. Peak states they are pulling 210 mA from the battery. 1.5/3.6*210=87.5. Hence the guess of 70-100mA.
> Peak also pointed out AAA alkaline cells are designed and rated for low current. At the drain of the Pacific the battery will only produce 2/3 the rated MAH.



You used actual data! That's cheating! I thought you were finding the runtime, not the current. The calc now makes a lot of sense. Thanks. Still, assuming perfect effeciency, 2/3*900mAh=600mAh. 600mAh/210mA=2.86 hours! That's only about 70% effeciency. I figured it would be higher. Then again, I've built zero of these, so take that opinion for what it's worth.

Thanks,
Kevin


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## LEDninja (Jul 23, 2006)

kevinm said:


> You used actual data! That's cheating! I thought you were finding the runtime, not the current. The calc now makes a lot of sense. Thanks. Still, assuming perfect effeciency, 2/3*900mAh=600mAh. 600mAh/210mA=2.86 hours! That's only about 70% effeciency. I figured it would be higher. Then again, I've built zero of these, so take that opinion for what it's worth.
> 
> Thanks,
> Kevin


The effeciency may be higher than 70%. There may still be juice left in the battery, just not enough to power the boost circuit. By switching boost modes Peak got another 3-5 hours of moon mode (brighter than the original 1 led Matterhorn).

HeHeHe Buy another flashlight at over twice the price to fully drain the batteries when the Fenix E1 is done with them.


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## cave dave (Jul 23, 2006)

kevinm said:


> You miss my point. The Luexons (according to Lumileds) are more effecient if fully driven. The 1/2 watt LED's made by other are supposed to be more effecient than the 1 watt Luxeons at their most effecient. Also, they don't put out much light at either 0mA or 160mA.
> Kevin


Kevin,:huh2: 
http://www.lumileds.com/docs.cfm?docType=3

If you look up the data sheets the Lux I is 25% more efficient at 100mA than 350 mA.

I agree that a LuxI at 0mA won't put out much light. However at 100ma a Lux I will put out 35% of the full rated Lumens at 350mA. Therefore typical Luminous flux at 100mA would be 15.7 Lumens, based on a R bin LuxI. That's brighter than a Minimag and twice as bright as a ArcAAA not including optic losses. Thats math based on the datasheet. In real world use the PT EOS has current regulation of around 100mA on Med and 30mA on low. Both of these are useful for various tasks, some have even complained the low isn't low enough for reading.


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## ViReN (Jul 23, 2006)

cave dave, the 5 MM's are still more efficient... and the Nichia Regel LED is said to have Higher Efficacy than 5 mm's ...


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## kevinm (Jul 23, 2006)

cave dave said:


> Kevin,:huh2:
> http://www.lumileds.com/docs.cfm?docType=3
> 
> If you look up the data sheets the Lux I is 25% more efficient at 100mA than 350 mA.
> ...



Hi Dave,

I was going by what the guys at Lumileds told me when I asked about driving the Luxeon I's below peak current. He said they were most effecient at 350mA and less at lower. That was a while ago; I suppose the info might have changed or the guy didn't know (much like the reduction from 100,000hrs life to 50,000). I see what you mean from the data sheet. That said, I should have read the whole datasheets, both new and old. Thanks; this makes the Luxeon-for-Rigel swap sound even better. 

Incidentally, it is annoying that the datasheet graphs don't have an x to y axis ratio of 1; if they did, slope would tell all quickly.

What's a PT EOS?




Kevin


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## Aimless_b (Jul 23, 2006)

PT EOS = Princeton Tech EOS headlamp
uses i belive a 1 watt luxeon.
Aimless


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## LEDninja (Jul 24, 2006)

My Fenix E1 sneaked past customs so I do not have to wait another 2 weeks
It is about the same length as my TM-310H but much skinnier. Reminds me of the Solitaire.

A TM-310H pocket clip will fit on it, but not as securely as on the Nuwai. The clip from AAA minimag will not fit.

Beam pattern is not the best. Cool white hotspot with a creamy beigey corona surrounded by a dark donut, then a donut of spill light. If you look at xdanx's beamshots in post 96 you can see the dark donut forming at 14". The thickness of the donut grows as the light moves farther away from the wall to about 1 feet at 5-7 feet from the wall. The creamy beigey corona is much less annoying than the strong yellow corona of the minimag/TLE-10 combination, but it is there - a different colour than the hotspot. Not noticeable in normal use until I hit a white wall.


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## amanichen (Jul 24, 2006)

I've noticed that some of the hotspots in the various beamshots of the E1 look blue, and others look white. Is the variation in the light itself (LED tint), or in the camera used to take the photo?


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## this_is_nascar (Jul 24, 2006)

amanichen said:


> I've noticed that some of the hotspots in the various beamshots of the E1 look blue, and others look white. Is the variation in the light itself (LED tint), or in the camera used to take the photo?



I have (4) E1's currently and trust me, none of them have a white hotspot. The hotspot is slightly blue, then fades to yellow, then darkness, then a ring of "not as blue", but certainly not white outer ring. It's really the wierdest beam I've ever seen in and LED-based light.


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## regulator (Jul 24, 2006)

Hey TIN - How is the consistancy between your E1's? I am thinking about getting another 1 or two. From your graph there is a difference between the two. From just an eyeball test, are they pretty similar or is there wide varience? Thanks.


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## this_is_nascar (Jul 24, 2006)

regulator said:


> Hey TIN - How is the consistancy between your E1's? I am thinking about getting another 1 or two. From your graph there is a difference between the two. From just an eyeball test, are they pretty similar or is there wide varience? Thanks.



The difference is not noticable to the eyes, only on the meter. I'm completing the runtime of the last (2) units I recieved. I'll be posting that tomorrow night.


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## jsr (Aug 7, 2006)

I just got the Fenix E1 from xdanx (thanks Dan!) to take a look at. First impression is wow, it's smaller than I thought. I like the finish, looks similar in color to the P1. The threading is smooth and the o-rings are very thick, so it seems quite water resistant. Twisting action is smooth, but occasionally it doesn't engage precisely meaning I have to twist harder than I think I should or more than other times. That may be due to the spring and it's non-ideally-repeated compression pattern. I notice a similar action in my recently received Luxogen LR5-3W that also uses a spring at the bottom of the battery tube.

If anyone's curious on the output relative to some other lights, I tested it against my Gerber IU and CS-modded SL KeyMate. The IU is running the Gerber alkaline AA it came with, the Fenix E1 is running a Energizer Lithium, and the KeyMate the stock LR44 button batts it came with (which are quite used already). I also tried the E1 on alkaline AAAs.

E1 alk vs. E1 Li
There's hardly a noticable difference, which is both good and bad. Many people like the fact that most alkaline lights run brighter on a Li. I do too, but just because it doesn't isn't a fault to me. That also may indicate it has a good driver that's less sensitive to input voltage variations.

IU vs. E1
The E1 on Li just edges out the IU on a fresh alk AA. Total output is very slightly higher tested via ceiling bounce in my enclosed lab (aka bathroom). The E1 does have a much more concentrated hotspot and thus throws further as tested in my bathroom and in my garage. The ringy beam can be seen both at close to medium distances (bathroom) and further distances (garage), but for the most part isn't too annoying or distracting. The IU's beam is smooth in hotspot to spill and something I really like. The E1's tint is quite white compared to the IU. It does still have a bit of blue in it, but this is the least blue non-high-power LED I've ever seen. The tint isn't really annoying at all and it's whiteness provides better, truer color rendition than the IU. The IU is good however in navigating around a dark indoors because of the even beam. With the E1, I find myself concentrating on the hotspot more. Spill is good on the E1 tho, but the more intense hotspot creates a slight follow-the-bouncing-ball effect, at least more so than with the IU. The E1 is, as everyone knows, much smaller than the IU tho and much easier to carry as a keychain light. I haven't done so yet, but will try to to evaluate it's keychainableness (not a word, but eh). I really like the smooth threads on my IUs and the E1's threads are very close in smoothness. Nice as that helps give a feeling of quality.

CS-KeyMate vs. E1
With the E1 on Li AAA and CS-KM on the old LR44 cells it came with, they're virtually even. I stayed in the bathroom a while to really try to see a difference and I think the E1 is just ever so slightly brighter in overall output. The tint again is better. My KM is a C0 tint...a bit yellow and greenish. I actually don't mind as the yellow-green tint gives pretty good color rendition. The E1 still has a hotter/tighter hotspot than the CS-KM, but the CS-KM has a tighter hotspot than the IU. Again, I tend to follow the hotspot more on the E1 than on my KM.

Overall, I quite liked the E1, more than I thought I would after reading all the reviews abou the ringy beam. Really, it doesn't affect much in actual use. Even tho you do see it, it's not that noticable. The quality does seem quite good, the circuit board as seen from it's underside is quite clean (cleaner than the P1), and the threads are smooth with thick o-rings. I do like it quite a bit.
However, I use my IU as an emergency light mainly for it's extremely long runtime. I don't know how long the E1 runs until completely dead, but I doubt it approaches the IU. Considering that, I wouldn't replace my IU with the E1, nor would I purchase the E1 over an IU for that purpose.
Relative to my CS-KeyMate, I got my KeyMate for a very good price...<$8.50 shipped plus $1 for the CS, so <$9.50 in it's present state. At that price, if I were looking for a keychain light, I'd likely still get the KM over the E1 at $24. However, most KMs I've seen are closer to the $11-$15 range plus shipping. If that were the only thing I'm buying and most vendors charge $5-$7 for shipping, I just may get the E1 instead.
I think the E1 would be better priced at $20 than $24. A small difference in total amount, but a decent different in percentage considering the cost of this class of lights. At $20 shipped, I'd definitely get the E1 over my KM, even tho my KM runs for longer. The HAIII and UCL+A/R window are nice features.


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## Lite_me (Aug 8, 2006)

Even tho this is not considered a hi-dollar, heavily used, go-to flashlight, 'ringy beam' means a step backwards IMO. I'll take a pass on this one.


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## kurni (Aug 8, 2006)

I wonder what 3M Bumpon will do to the beam. Does anybody have any clear 3M Bumpon? Some of them are small enough to fit the lens, and perhaps the convex curve of the clear 'plastic' will disperse / focus the beam more evenly. BTW, I'm curious if the AR coating is applied outside or inside the lens; does anybody know?

I received my E1 yesterday, I'm really happy with the brightness & throw; I don't actually mind the ring & doughnut but I don't like the inconsistency. I can see that the LED isn't exactly in the middle, so a small part of the ring is darker than the rest. The slightly-off positioning also caused the doughnut to be uneven. It is brighter at the area where the ring is darker.

How did Fenix seal the top part? I haven't been able to open mine. I wonder what I will break if I force it open.

KK


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## LEDninja (Aug 8, 2006)

kurni said:


> How did Fenix seal the top part? I haven't been able to open mine. I wonder what I will break if I force it open.
> 
> KK


http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=1527387&postcount=21


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## kurni (Aug 10, 2006)

I was wondering if Fenix used a super glue at the top / middle / bottom of the screw mechanism. If the glue spill to my O ring then it is impossible for me to open the head without breaking the rubber.

Has anybody else succeeded in opening the head?

Thanks,
KK


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## The_LED_Museum (Aug 10, 2006)

If you are referring to opening the head in such a way so as to expose the LED, the answer is yes.


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## revolvergeek (Aug 11, 2006)

The bezel / reflector of my E1 just screwed right off. It wasn't glued or even particularly tight.


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## kevinm (Aug 12, 2006)

kurni said:


> I was wondering if Fenix used a super glue at the top / middle / bottom of the screw mechanism. If the glue spill to my O ring then it is impossible for me to open the head without breaking the rubber.
> 
> Has anybody else succeeded in opening the head?
> 
> ...



KK,

I had a hell of a time getting mine open. I tried the hairdryer method, boiling water, and wrenches. Then, a genious suggested using strap wrenches. I got two at Harbor Freight for $4, ad had the head open in 10 minutes. There's something like LockTite in there; pink and hard. Just force it with the strap wrenches. Normal wrenches will wreck the finish.

Kevin


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## frisco (Aug 17, 2006)

jsr said:


> CS-KeyMate vs. E1
> With the E1 on Li AAA and CS-KM on the old LR44 cells it came with, they're virtually even. I stayed in the bathroom a while to really try to see a difference and I think the E1 is just ever so slightly brighter in overall output.



CPF is just about the only place on Earth where you can openly tell people that you locked yourself in the bathroom testing flashlights!!!! And people understand !!!!

frisco


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## Coop57 (Aug 22, 2006)

I am looking to replace my older ARC AAA. My question is can this new Fenix E1 be attached to a key ring with a metal clip? If it uses the cloth/string lanyard that comes with the L1P then it is unacceptable.


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## MacTech (Aug 22, 2006)

the E1 comes with a metal "Lobster Claw" style clip and a split ring, it's a pretty rugged and well designed clip actually


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## Vinnyp (Aug 22, 2006)

This just replaced my arc aaaP on my keyring and the attachment is very good the ring swivels out of the way so it can still stand upright and the candle mode is an awesome plus over the arc. I have an L0P in the camera bag and always wanted one on my keyring but its not so well regulated and output drops from spectacular to poor fairly quickly (not a problem in big camera bag where a spare Nimh is never a problem.

I wanted to say the arc was better but for me it just isn't. When I got the arc I knew it was the right one for me after a couple of days and in the same way I know this is the new champ. Of course everyone has got different needs so there can be no one perfect light for everyone. Even ignoring price for me this is the best I have tried, on the keyring I use Lithiums so for over 5 hours I get constant brightness so I know what to expect. The arc is as tough as they come but this seems almost as rugged and plenty rugged enough for my pocket. The L0P has never looked like having problems and the L2P is in my car and again no quality problems there. I can't think of any way this will get damaged in use. What the arc gains in being ever so slightly smaller and marginally better built it loses out with the easy candle mode.

But it's the brightness, output and regulation that clinches it (but not the pattern). The arc from the go it's only 75% as bright but although noticable it's marginal and the better pattern means it holds it own. But after 20 minutes it's already well behind and it shows. After an hour it drops to 50% and there is no comparison. After 4 hours the Fenix is a whole 3 and half times brighter and they are different lights. The arc is closer to my PDA backlight than the Fenix now which is still as good as when it started. The pattern on the arc is a good deal better but not nearly enough to make up for how much it is loosing out in sheer output especially after a few minutes use. The arc of course hangs on for a good deal longer but no one can really argue that it's very good at this point and for 5+ hours I am getting output that the arc can't even match after 5 minutes and that makes it a winner.

The arc was way ahead of the field and I am sure they will respond and get even more of my money. Of course I didn't "need" to upgrade because the arc was just fine and had served me well but ..... it's just too easy to click and buy these days. 

For now when chosing which keychain light to buy, in my limited opinion, unless someone has a real need to have any sort of light as long as it lasts for over 6 hours then the logical choice is this one. Of course the arc is a thing of beauty so logic gets clouded. For that reason I'll hang onto it "just in case" but it's in the drawer with the "upgraded" godies for now that I really should out on Ebay but so long as she doesn't notice they will stay a little longer.


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## Roy82 (Aug 22, 2006)

My E1 didn't come with a clip, only the little split ring. I was really hoping it had come with one. Apparently earlier stock did, but now they don't


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## 4sevens (Aug 22, 2006)

Roy82 said:


> My E1 didn't come with a clip, only the little split ring. I was really hoping it had come with one. Apparently earlier stock did, but now they don't



Email me. I'll send you one


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## Roy82 (Aug 22, 2006)

Thanks for the offer 4sevens. No need, found a good clip off an old car immobiliser button


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## EngrPaul (Sep 23, 2009)

Makes a great host for XP-E emitters of all tints and colours. Solder the emitter right to the stock board!


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## MarNav1 (Sep 23, 2009)

I knew he was busy with something.....................................


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## EngrPaul (Sep 23, 2009)

Actually, have an amber XP-E on the way from Digikey, just in case 7A isn't warm enough...


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## csshih (Sep 24, 2009)

d'oh.
my anno stripped E1 is looking mighty boring now.


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## EngrPaul (Sep 28, 2009)

OK, here I added a stock version (bottom left) and also the new amber XP-E (bottom right)











Stock





R2





5A





7A





Amber (590nm) Looks less red in person. Flux bin "N2"


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## oronocova (Sep 28, 2009)

Looks great, are you thinking of selling any of them?


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## csshih (Sep 29, 2009)

I.... am jealous.

* hurls his E1 at the wall *


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