# Fenix E0 (simple review)



## xiaoyao (Sep 5, 2006)

I just received the sample of Fenix E0.

Alkaline battery (1.51 Volt)
ARC-P 2005.....Input current 250mA
My old ARC AAA Limited Edition.....Input current 280mA
Fenix E0.........Input current 80mA

Center lux
ARC-P 2005: 58 lux
Fenix E0: 42 lux
ARC AAA-LE: 28 lux

Runtime of E0 (Duracell alkaline battery):






Time / Light Output
0:00:00 100.00%
1:00:00 95.31%
2:00:00 93.43%
3:00:00 92.96%
4:00:00 92.49%
5:00:00 91.55%
6:00:00 91.08%
7:00:00 89.67%
8:00:00 89.67%
9:00:00 72.30%
10:00:00 58.69%
11:00:00 47.89%
12:00:00 39.91%
13:00:00 33.33%
14:00:00 29.58%
15:00:00 27.23%
16:00:00 25.35%
17:00:00 23.47%
18:00:00 21.13%
19:00:00 17.84%
20:00:00 8.92%


10:47:00 to 50%
20:08:15 to 5%


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## dapyro (Sep 5, 2006)

Nice graph, and very quick after just hearing that it will come out 

Is the E0 smaller than the E1?
Does the E0 have a lens? It doesn't say anything about a lens in the specs.
Has the E0 a nice beam? or the same like the E1?


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## chimo (Sep 5, 2006)

Wow! This looks too good to be true. Can you post some non-saturated beam shots and perhaps some pics of the light? Nice run-time graph.

Paul


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## meeshu (Sep 5, 2006)

Beamshots would be most useful!!  

Thanks.


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## xiaoyao (Sep 5, 2006)

Here comes the pics...
It doesn't have any lens.


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## Haz (Sep 5, 2006)

Is the bump in the middle just below the head design for cosmetic purpose, or does it can any circuitry?


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## meeshu (Sep 6, 2006)

Many thanks for the photos! :goodjob: 

In the third photo, there are two beams. Is the beam on the left the E0, and the beam on the right from an Arc AAA (P)?

It seems that the E0 beam has a slight bluish tint (unfortunately). The photo at Fenix site suggested that these E0 lights have a bluish tint LED, and these current photos seem to confirm that.


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## NutSAK (Sep 6, 2006)

It looks to me like the head overlaps the body on the buldge there where it threads together. I hope Fenix keeps the nice coarse knurling on the head.

Thanks for the great info xiaoyao. The EO looks very promising!


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## ViReN (Sep 6, 2006)

this is going to be an Arc Killer... if the Output matches the Arc Output...

Regulation is wonderful... _they_ DID it AGAIN!


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## ViReN (Sep 6, 2006)

xiaoyao said:


> I just received the sample of Fenix E0.
> 
> Alkaline battery (1.51 Volt)
> ARC-P 2005.....Input current 250mA
> ...



it's slighty Dimmer than Arc AAAP on Meter and not by much but since our eyes have Log Scale, the difference would be very less.. ... but the Current Input makes me feel that it is a 90% efficient circuit... are you sure about input current?


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## Haz (Sep 6, 2006)

One feature of this light i like is the tail standing ability.


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## paulr (Sep 6, 2006)

That bulge in the middle looks awful, and I like the Arc lug tail despite the lack of candle mode. I like the Firefly-style candle mode tail best. But the electronics in the E0 sound promising.


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## Planterz (Sep 6, 2006)

ViReN said:


> it's slighty Dimmer than Arc AAAP on Meter and not by much but since our eyes have Log Scale, the difference would be very less.. ... but the Current Input makes me feel that it is a 90% efficient circuit... are you sure about input current?


Dimmer _initially_. 8 hours (on an alkaline!) before a 10% drop means that it'll be brighter than the Arc (which is down to 75% after an hour) for quite a lot of its battery life.

What's the price on one of these?


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## TORCH_BOY (Sep 6, 2006)

Nice review, 
I quite like the light, its a must have


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## jar3ds (Sep 6, 2006)

dang.... this shatters the arc AAA P in runtime....

sigh... i just bought the E1... now I got to buy the E0... shesh! 

I really do like the fenix e-series of lights  *I wonder if the Fenix E0 can handle lithiums?*


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## Bigsy (Sep 6, 2006)

I really don't like it lacking a lens....if I buy one its going on a key chain and will live in my pocket....with it rattling around with change, keys and what not, I can't help but think the reflector is going to get scratched up and dirty.


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## jar3ds (Sep 6, 2006)

Bigsy said:


> I really don't like it lacking a lens....if I buy one its going on a key chain and will live in my pocket....with it rattling around with change, keys and what not, I can't help but think the reflector is going to get scratched up and dirty.


 this issue has been brought up with the ARC AAA P... but there is a reason...

For the most part it doesn't get damaged... however... using a lens would be more expensive, make it more fragile, and you'll have output loss...


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## Planterz (Sep 6, 2006)

I carried an Arc AAA for several months (before switching to CR2 based lights for keychain use) and the reflector/LED on my Arc never had any problems with damage from keychain/pocket carry. Lint and dust (flour especially--I make pizzas for a living) however, well, let's just say there *is* a reason I've switched to keychain lights with a lens.


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## jar3ds (Sep 6, 2006)

cr2 lights are too FAT for me 

I do want to get another Jil Intelli for my belt loop


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## kevinm (Sep 6, 2006)

Planterz said:


> Dimmer _initially_. 8 hours (on an alkaline!) before a 10% drop means that it'll be brighter than the Arc (which is down to 75% after an hour) for quite a lot of its battery life.
> 
> What's the price on one of these?



The one site Google pulls up has them for $25.50A, so $19.50 USD.


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## jar3ds (Sep 6, 2006)

dang.... $20 for one of these things.... thats killer


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## the fuzz (Sep 6, 2006)

can u use it as a candle type light?


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## eebowler (Sep 6, 2006)

I'm starting to HATE this place!!! I need to buy myself a new bike guys. Please chill with the great products and reviews all right?

Thanks alot xiaoyao. :rock:


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## IsaacHayes (Sep 6, 2006)

ok so it uses a 5mm led instead of the nichia jupiter? Hmm. Is it a nichia CS??


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## Solstice (Sep 7, 2006)

IsaacHayes said:


> ok so it uses a 5mm led instead of the nichia jupiter? Hmm. Is it a nichia CS??



Yeah, its a CS. It looks like the circuit drives it a little softer than the Arc, but has more of a "true" regulation curve.


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## pilou (Sep 7, 2006)

dapyro said:


> Is the E0 smaller than the E1?



From the Fenix site:
- E1: 7.25cm (L) x 1.4cm (D)
- E0: 6.75cm (L) x 1.2cm (D)

So the E0 is 0.5cm shorter, or 1/5 of inch shorter, or ~7% shorter. It's diameter is also 14% thinner (1/12 inch). If the diameter measurement is at that protrusion, then the E0 should feel even thinner compared to the E1. So it is slightly smaller than the E1, but i wonder how much smaller it will really feel in the pocket or on a keychain? Perhaps enough to make a difference or none at all?

Overall though, it looks like the E1 is clearly a nicer light for $4. It has an AR coated lens, it is brighter (12 versus 5.5 lumens according to Fenix), and it looks nicer. I don't know how many people need their keychain light to run for 7-8 hours, but if they do, then the E0 might be a btter choice, especially if the slight size difference is also a plus for them.


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## Martini (Sep 7, 2006)

Nice to see the E0 being put through its paces. Fenix never fails to impress.

Candle mode is impossible; the led is part of the head. It does tail-stand, however, so you can ceiling-bounce.

The lack of a lens has never been a real problem on the ARC. The LED is recessed enough to avoid contact with most foreign objects, and the epoxy is pretty tough anyway. The question is, will the E0 reflector be scratch-resistant enough to survive occasional cleaning.

Like others, I do not like the bulge. For me, it just ruins the lines. I guess the phallic look will be more subliminally appealing to some. But not me.

Note that 5.5 lumens is the _minimum_ brightness for the ARC in sun mode, while it is the maximum regulated output for the E0. Fenixes also tend to have a little less than rated output (QC issue probably; I'm sure some Fenixes meet spec). The output difference is barely significant, but it's there. So, basically, the ARC is the sprinter and the E0 is the marathon runner. Wow, I never expected to be referring to the ARC as a sprinter.

As for the Nichia CS, it's nice to see it driven softer. Overdriving it is what gives the ARC its bluish tint and brings the efficiency down.


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## IsaacHayes (Sep 7, 2006)

yeah lack of lens on a 5mm light with a recessed led is no problem. Lux's have a fragile dome that can crack and ooze out the gel inside, so they must have a lens.

xiaoyao: The beamshot above, is the arc on the left? Does the Arc have more spill light? The one on the left looks less blue and warmer.


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## ViReN (Sep 7, 2006)

pilou said:


> From the Fenix site:
> - E1: 7.25cm (L) x 1.4cm (D)
> - E0: 6.75cm (L) x 1.2cm (D)
> 
> ...



whats the size of Arc ?


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## jar3ds (Sep 7, 2006)

ViReN said:


> whats the size of Arc ?


 2.7 inches long by 0.5 inches in diameter

or 

6.85800cm long by 1.27cm in diameter 

per http://216.71.117.133/arc-aaa.shtml


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## BentHeadTX (Sep 8, 2006)

8 hours of flat to 90% runtime on an alkaline, 20 bucks and as short as an Arc? Christmas is coming and those would be great stocking stuffers. I like the fact that the LED is not severely overdriven so it should give years and years of use. The 20 hour total runtime is an added bonus for my gift recipients, it will get then through the night even if the neglected battery is really low. Thanks for the review and runtime charts... for $20 you can't have the world but it does 95% of the duties a keychain light should do. At least for the "non-flashaholic" population at large.


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## voodoogreg (Sep 10, 2006)

ViReN said:


> whats the size of Arc ?



Hard to say, i got two last yr when he started making them again, and one tube is about a 1 1/2, to 2mm shorter,(the ARC-P logo has the top lopped off) so i guess you could say it's variable  VDG


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## jsr (Sep 16, 2006)

Where does the E0's head unscrew from the body?...underneath the bulge?

Also, is the E0 capable of candle mode (remove the top bezel)? I really like that feature of my E1. Wondering if I should get an E0 for the extended runtime, but I like the output of my E1.


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## veleno (Sep 16, 2006)

meeshu said:


> In the third photo, there are two beams. Is the beam on the left the E0, and the beam on the right from an Arc AAA (P)?



:huh2: ... is the E0 on the left? So it has a better spillbeam than Arc?


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## scott (Sep 16, 2006)

jsr said:


> Also, is the E0 capable of candle mode (remove the top bezel)? I really like that feature of my E1.



You can do this with an E1??? I can't. How?

Scott


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## jsr (Sep 16, 2006)

Scott - the head of the E1 comes apart into 2 pieces. If you remove the head from the body, you'll see a line in the middle of the E1 head...that is the separation of the 2 pieces of the head. Just hold each half securely and twist and the upper portion with the reflector will come off and the LED will be exposed. Screw the lower portion of the head back on the body and bam, you got an actual candle mode, not just a bounce mode. Really useful for me. Oh, and you don't have to remove the head completely from the body to do this...I just said that so the only line you'd see is the one between the 2 halves of the head.

So, does anyone know if the E0 has this capability also?


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## scuba (Sep 17, 2006)

Can you put lithium in it?


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## scott (Sep 17, 2006)

jsr said:


> Scott - the head of the E1 comes apart into 2 pieces. If you remove the head from the body, you'll see a line in the middle of the E1 head...that is the separation of the 2 pieces of the head. Just hold each half securely and twist and the upper portion with the reflector will come off and the LED will be exposed. Screw the lower portion of the head back on the body and bam, you got an actual candle mode, not just a bounce mode. Really useful for me.



Yippee!!! Thanks jsr! I just did this, and then tested it in the basement. Totally soft even and floody light with NO hotspot, and all spill. I already thought the E1 was a great light. It just went up two more notches! I hope we discover that the EO will also do this.

Scott


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## josean (Sep 18, 2006)

Hmmmm, I'm affraid I _need_ to buy another flashlight! :huh:

And the low price does not help at all to avoid buying another light...


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## xochi (Sep 24, 2006)

Reasons to buy an arc over fenix E0

1. Not supporting chinese labour policies/human rights violations
2. You like the styling of the arc better
3. Arbitrary brand loyalty
4. you are related to an Arc employee
5. You are tired of haveing too much money lying around .

Barring reliability issues that may never surface, It's likely that the E0 will find a home on my keychain. 

Arc, aren't those laurels starting to chafe yet?


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## amanichen (Sep 24, 2006)

xochi said:


> Reasons to buy an arc over fenix E0
> 
> 1. Not supporting chinese labour policies/human rights violations
> 2. You like the styling of the arc better
> ...


There's also:

6. Nostalgia (this seems to be the single largest reason given on CPF to buy an ARC. However, it only works on those who have the memories to begin with.)


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## davidefromitaly (Sep 29, 2006)

ViReN said:


> it's slighty Dimmer than Arc AAAP on Meter and not by much but since our eyes have Log Scale, the difference would be very less.. ... but the Current Input makes me feel that it is a 90% efficient circuit... are you sure about input current?




hope this link can help
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=135173


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