# REVIEW: Wolf Eyes MC-E Explorer !!



## Wattnot (Jun 9, 2009)

Wolf Eyes has done it again! Introducing the Explorer. It’s the evolution of the P7 Sniper so think of it as the MC-E Sniper. It is very similar to the P7 Sniper I reviewed last year in many ways except it’s leaner, meaner, smaller and a little brighter. (P7-Sniper review)









*Manufacturer’s features and specifications* (from WE's site):

- Features a Cree MC-E LED Emitter
- Up to 580 lumens of brightness when powered by 1 x LRB168A battery
- 2 modes function:
*Default mode:* Maximum brightness (100%) -> 30% brightness ->lowest brightness (2%) 
*Concealed mode:* Strobe -> SOS-> Beacon signal
- MC-Explorer bezel is compatible with wolf-eyes sniper and defender, explorer series flashlight
- Aerospace-grade Aluminum body, HA III Military grade hard anodized in black
- Lanyard attached and candle function, it can stand up on a flat surface as a candle
- Waterproof: IPX-8 standard

*Runtime:* full brightness stage:1 hour with regulated output ; 2 hours with unregulated output.
*Reflector: *High temperature processed, layers of alloy coating films.
*Finish:* Low temperature (-20C) hard - anodized (HA) finish treatment.
*Lamp:* Cree MC-E LED Lamp Assembly 3.7-6.0V
*Switch:* Rapid switch between Morse-on and lock-on with over 50,000 times life cycle.
*O-ring sealed*: Splash proof.
*Beam:* flood beam with good combination of throw
*Weight without battery: *167g
*Length:* 150mm
*Body diameter:* 25.4mm
*Head diameter:* 42mm
*Operation Temperature:* -25C to 60C
*Color:* Tactical black 
*Package:* gift box










*Initial Impressions:*

Wolf Eyes provides the some of the nicest boxes I’ve seen yet but hey, the important stuff is on the inside so I won’t dwell on that. The light has the typical Wolf Eyes nice, solid feel. The size is awesome. Not quite a summer EDC but I can see myself sticking this in my coat pocket in the winter. The lanyard is HUGE! It seems to be designed for around the neck carry and I kind of liked it for that. It will get in the way for any other type of carry but it comes with a quick detach clip. WE should have included a normal sized wrist lanyard as well, just to make things complete. The build quality and finish exude the high grade quality and craftsmanship any Wolf Eyes owner is used to. If you’re NOT familiar with Wolf Eyes by now, they are virtually on par with Surefire.

The Explorer is HAIII hard anodized and has a forward clicky with an identical UI to the Sniper. My sample did not contain any extra O-rings or clicky covers or anything else. Just the light and the jump rope . . uh, I mean lanyard. Finish wise, the only difference I noticed when comparing this to the P7 Sniper was the lack of sheen on the Explorer. It’s more of a matte finish. I was surprised by the small form factor of last year’s P7 Sniper and this light bested it. The smaller head puts it more in proportion with itself. Unlike the P7 Sniper, the Explorer’s head seems just as thick and solid as the main body and the balance is excellent. It tail-stands even with the 17” lanyard attached. It appears rugged enough for “defender” duty but the scalloped head is not aggressive in look or feel. The output is of course nothing short of WOW !!














*UI:*

None of the functions of this light are programmable. I don’t find that to be a negative because they made some good choices for you. The three preset intensities are very diverse and I feel most people will be pleased. The SOS, strobe and beacon are contained in the “hidden” menu and I’ll get to those below. This light has a forward clicky with a great feel and is well suited for tactical use however, rapid signaling will cause it to change intensities followed by entering the hidden mode. If you grab the light and turn it on, it comes on HIGH. You get all 580 paint peeling lumens. If you want it to come on medium or low, you have to half press (or full press fast enough, if you’re into that) until it arrives at your mode, then fully click to lock it on with the chosen intensity. If you subsequently want to change the mode while it’s on you would need to turn it off then either half press or just turn it on and off repeatedly within two seconds. Wolf Eyes has come up with an excellent system to please both the SOS/STROBE lovers AND haters alike! It would be extremely difficult to accidentally end up with the strobe, sos or beacon (this light has all 3). To enter the “hidden” menu, as they call it for strobe/sos/beacon, you have to press/cycle 7 times. For example if you want strobe from the light being off you would half press through TWO cycles of HI-MED-LO then the seventh press would give you strobe. Once you do this you are now locked into the hidden menu and it will cycle STROBE-SOS-BEACON instead of HI-MED-LOW. At this point the ONLY way back to the other world is to shut it off for 2 seconds. 





Top: P7 Sniper - Bottom: Explorer









*Logistics:*

The instructions explain all of the features and functions well enough but they didn’t specifically mention you could use CR123s. It does list a working voltage of 3.7v to 6v but I would suggest listing the exact battery types for those non-flashaholics out there. There is no clip. This is too bad because now with the smaller head, I can see myself carrying this bezel down with a sturdy clip. Of course you can wear this around your neck and I got used to that pretty quick but neck carry isn’t suitable for all situations.. The Explorer can easily tailstand with decent stability. The IPX8 rated Explorer has single O-rings all around, the threads are VERY smooth and came well greased (almost TOO well!). The reflector is deep, highly polished and has a light OP finish. The LED seems well centered. There is only about an inch worth of knurling and it’s mostly for looks as it’s fairly smooth. However, with all of the fins and ridges the light won’t try to leave your hand on it’s own. All of my 18650 brands fit and I was surprised to find NO RATTLE at all with CR123’s. 







Explorer left - P7 Sniper right

*Current draw:* 

2.0 amps on a fresh 18650 and 2.1 amps on fresh CR123s.

*In the hands of “babes:”* 

This is the part of the review where I take the light over to my neighbor Joe and get his “I don’t care about flashlights the way you care about flashlights” opinion. He is a highly skilled mechanic and has an impressive array of tools but to him a flashlight is a good old stock Mag. I’ve been slowing converting him but there’s no “passion” as with our group so this makes him the perfect subject. I handed him the light and the first thing he said was he liked the small size and solid feel. He said it exuded quality (okay, he doesn't really talk like that . . I'm paraphrasing). I had to help him find the concealed mode but he managed to find the 3 levels on his own. He preferred the reverse clicky of the Pilot Whale I just reviewed over the forward clicky of the Explorer. In fact he said it seemed like too much pressure was required to lock it on. He also didn't like the sometimes confusion choosing a level with half presses, then locking it in. He had to go "around twice" a couple of times but felt he could get used to it quickly if he owned it.

*The beam and white walling:*

The beam is great. Nice white tint with a barely perceptible quad core donut hole in the center. I had to keep moving the light to see it or else my ceiling seemed to make it disappear. There were no rings as it went right from large hotspot to spill. Nice job Wolf Eyes. White wall hunters will be pleased for sure and good luck finding that miniscule donut hole out in the wild.







Explorer










Left: Explorer - Right: P7 Sniper


*PWM:*

Using my highly scientific method of pointing the light into a fan, I detected PWM in use on medium and low.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>*<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Now we'll move on to what you've all been waiting for . . . the BEAMSHOTS! First a little disclaimer for all of the pictures in this thread: The day/night I took these was the same day I had to pack up and ship my camera. I sold it to a member here in the Marketplace section so the shots were a little hurried. I have a new one on the way and I might take these over as I have new everything coming, lenses and all. Sorry these aren’t perfect. On all shots with more than one light on the house, the Explorer is on the LEFT and all shots are on that light's highest output setting.








Explorer at 50'







P7 Sniper 50' 







Explorer/Sniper 50'







Explorer/Fenix TK40 50'







Explorer 100'







P7 Sniper 100'







Explorer/Sniper 100'







Explorer/TK40 100'







Explorer 150'







P7 Sniper 150'







Explorer/Sniper 150'







Explorer/TK40 150'

Shots beyond this distance were pretty much a "flood-fest."


*Conclusions:*

This light has it all. It’s SMALL and runs on a single 18650 or 2 CR123s. It gives the TK40 _just a little_ run for it’s money while nearly being able to fit inside that lights BATTERY TUBE! I don’t know if I should classify it as a thrower or a flooder because it’s kind of a hybrid of the two. The P7 Sniper is more of a flooder and the Explorer is more of a thrower but both lights do both. They follow the characteristics of the emitter. The Explorer’s hotspot is huge and the spill is usable and the throw is great out to 150 feet and then some.

This is yet another very impressive offering from Wolf Eyes. I like the P7 Sniper’s size but now that the head has been shrunk to a nice proportion, I can say I LOVE the Explorer’s size. If you’re the type who doesn’t mind a slightly larger EDC, you should put the Wolf Eyes Explorer at the top of your list. What a (coat) pocket rocket this thing is with 580 "free" lumens from a single 18650 for more than an hour! I wish it had a clip but that and the lack of a small lanyard are going to be the only negative things that I found. The curiously large lanyard is very well made but a brisk walk will start it swinging. I found that on high, there is enough reflection, even off of dark carpet, that I can let it hang from my neck and do whatever I had to do in the dark room. The output is truly incredible for it's size. 

So I say BUY IT! But then I aways say that. Here are my ratings: Overall I give it a 9. The output is a 10 (11 if you’re a Spinal Tap fan because this one does go to 11). The fit and finish gets a 9.5. The UI gets an 8 (forward clicky with modes can be tricky). It has all of the loved (and hated) “bells and whistles” so for features I’ll give it a 9. Perceived durability gets a 9.

There are many fine retailers for this light but I recommend www.PTS-Flashlights.com for great prices and great service. CPF members who set up an account receive special pricing on everything they sell.


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## Wattnot (Jun 9, 2009)

I've discoverd that there are different versions of the MC Explorer and it all involves the UI. I described one of the "personal" versions above. There are a number of other versions that change the order of the modes and what modes are available. In the tactical versions there's a two mode (on 100% and stobe) and one with all 5 modes but in a very different order. There's even a single mode available. Make sure you check the modes so that you get the one you want.


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## MrGman (Jun 9, 2009)

Very good review. I was going to say it looks like its got a lot of brightness till you compared it to the TK40.

To my scientific eyeball review of your photos test I would say its only 529.437 lumens at best. Better send it to me for actual measurements so we can be sure. Send the TK40 with it as well. And we will know for sure. Can't take any chances send them FED EX right away.  G


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## Painful Chafe (Jun 9, 2009)

Yeah, Hurry! This is a one time offer. He usually tells you he needs a sandwich,too.


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## richied (Jun 9, 2009)

Hi Wattnot, great review, thanks,this is a review I have been waiting for! I have the previous gen wolfeyes mc-e with the slightly larger head, I think its right in between the p7 and the explorer in size, got a great deal from Liotec. I was wondering though, not being critical, as I am thinking of getting the tk40, did you by chance make a mistake with the explorer/tk40 50' picture...it looks like the sniper p7 is the explorer in that pic from the look of the tint from the previous pic? I was most interested in that comparison, to see if the tk40 is worth it for me to buy. Again great work, I am more of a lurker than a poster here but I know how much work it is since I've tried to make my own comparisons and its difficult to get good consistent photos across different lights. rich


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## Wattnot (Jun 9, 2009)

richied said:


> I was wondering though, not being critical, as I am thinking of getting the tk40, did you by chance make a mistake with the explorer/tk40 50' picture...it looks like the sniper p7 is the explorer in that pic from the look of the tint from the previous pic? I was most interested in that comparison, to see if the tk40 is worth it for me to buy. Again great work, I am more of a lurker than a poster here but I know how much work it is since I've tried to make my own comparisons and its difficult to get good consistent photos across different lights. rich


 
Thanks to Rich and all for the compliments. My Canon 40D is still on the way and for sure I will redo the indoor shots. 

I left the white balance on "auto" so that is why the tint keeps changing but I double checked and that 50' pic with the TK40 is labeled correctly. If you look at the Explorer pic above it you will see the ring pattern and intensity are the same, and the hotspot on the 50' TK40 is much more powerful. BTW the camera picked up the rings but I did not see those in person.


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## MrGman (Jun 9, 2009)

Painful Chafe said:


> Yeah, Hurry! This is a one time offer. He usually tells you he needs a sandwich,too.


 

That is a total outrageous lie. I usually ask for Pizza!! Is it on its way yet? 

But yes its a one time offer to not have to send the Pizza with the light. If you decide later you really want to compare those lumens numbers after the offer expired, it will be Pizza and Scotch.


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## Hitthespot (Jun 9, 2009)

Enjoyed the review. I like the size of this package. I was thinking about having Milky modify something for me but this light has given me something elso to think about.

Thanks

Bill


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## JohnB (Jun 9, 2009)

richied said:


> Hi Wattnot, great review, thanks,this is a review I have been waiting for! I have the previous gen wolfeyes mc-e with the slightly larger head, I think its right in between the p7 and the explorer in size, got a great deal from Liotec. I was wondering though, not being critical, as I am thinking of getting the tk40, did you by chance make a mistake with the explorer/tk40 50' picture...it looks like the sniper p7 is the explorer in that pic from the look of the tint from the previous pic? I was most interested in that comparison, to see if the tk40 is worth it for me to buy. Again great work, I am more of a lurker than a poster here but I know how much work it is since I've tried to make my own comparisons and its difficult to get good consistent photos across different lights. rich



Hey Rich,
It looks like we have converted you over. Now you have the same affliction as the rest of us.




Have a good summer and we will see you at the shows!

John


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## richied (Jun 9, 2009)

Hi John, see you maybe at MIT flea this summer! Hi Wattnot, I thought maybe you inadvertently used the p7 (i.e. fumbling in the dark..like I have done with my own pic attempts)when you did the explorer/tk40 shot, because if you look at the consecutive 50' pics, diagonally the tints match up...I was gonna try and cut and paste your shots with a pointer to try to show what I mean...the tk40 tint and the explorer tint look just like my wolfeyes MC-E tint in all your other shots except for that one shot of the explorer and tk40 at 50'. I suppose it is possible that the tk40 blew out the exposure though and threw the white balance way off. I'll try to post my shots soon, although I'm not happy with them, they didn't seem to convey what it really looked like despite my hard setting the camera settings on manual. I compared the following, the sniper mc-e, a dealextreme p7, mag85 with AW 3 stage, Surefire M4, Fenix rebel p100, an old surefire L2, and maybe one or two others on my clubs 50yd range.


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## Croyde (Jun 10, 2009)

Great review 

Does anyone own one of these who is in a positon to advise how it compares to the warm white Malkoff M60W, M60WF and M60W-MCE drop ins in terms of output, flood versus throw and colour rendition?


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## StandardBattery (Jun 10, 2009)

*Thanks for the review and all the beam shots!* I'm really interested in single 18650 MC-E based lights.


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## Wattnot (Jun 10, 2009)

And thanks to all of you for your continued support and compliments. 

lovecpf

I've been updating some of the indoor shots. MAN . . . macro photography and lighting is tough!


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## Croyde (Jun 13, 2009)

On the strength of this review I ordered one of these the other day and think that when I have seen what it can do it may allow me to streamline my collection of lights.


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## clumma (Jun 20, 2009)

Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere, but I couldn't find it: What is the difference between the MC-Explorer and the MC-E2? Looks like a subtle difference in the bezel is the only thing? The specs on wolf-eyes' website are otherwise the same.

-Carl


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## Croyde (Jun 25, 2009)

My MCE Explorer arrived today (thanks Mike:thumbsup and the build quality and compact design is even better than I was hoping for.

I have to wait for it to get dark now to try it out but I can already sense that this is looking to be one of my favourite lights.


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## Wattnot (Jun 25, 2009)

clumma said:


> Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere, but I couldn't find it: What is the difference between the MC-Explorer and the MC-E2? Looks like a subtle difference in the bezel is the only thing? The specs on wolf-eyes' website are otherwise the same.
> 
> -Carl


 
I could not find an MC-E2 on the PTS site. Do you have a link? Is it made by Wolf Eyes? If it looks the same and has the same specs, I would bet it IS the same, but with a different name marketed in a different country.


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## degsdg (Jun 30, 2009)

Nice review. Im interested in a purchase but I also cant determine the difference between the explorer and mc-e2. Saw both on this site.
http://www.wolf-eyes.com/product/MC-E2 detail.html

http://www.wolf-eyes.com/product/MC-Explorer detail.html


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## toby_pra (Jun 30, 2009)

Great review!


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## sed6 (Jul 5, 2009)

The E2 is the Eagle 2 a completely different light with different specs including 700 lumens. Which of course begs why the Explorer if this similiar light is that much brighter.


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## degsdg (Jul 6, 2009)

sed6 said:


> The E2 is the Eagle 2 a completely different light with different specs including 700 lumens. Which of course begs why the Explorer if this similiar light is that much brighter.


 

Can anyone recommend where to purchase the E2? Thanks


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## Phaserburn (Jul 13, 2009)

How does the total output of the WE P7 or MC-E compare to a single die light on high? I am toying with getting a P7 or MC-E head for my Sniper.


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## HKJ (Jul 13, 2009)

Phaserburn said:


> How does the total output of the WE P7 or MC-E compare to a single die light on high? I am toying with getting a P7 or MC-E head for my Sniper.



Between 2 and 3 times the light, but due to big emitter size the light can not be focused as well.


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## Phaserburn (Jul 13, 2009)

That's ok, because I'm after the wider beam as well as the increased output.

My WE Q5 module, the 3.7-6V R2 hi/lo model, says it's regulated, but as far as I can tell, it's actually not really a flat regulation. The current draw drops as the runtime goes along, instead of increasing like it should. Are the MC-E models the same?


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## Phaserburn (Jul 15, 2009)

Phaserburn said:


> That's ok, because I'm after the wider beam as well as the increased output.
> 
> My WE Q5 module, the 3.7-6V R2 hi/lo model, says it's regulated, but as far as I can tell, it's actually not really a flat regulation. The current draw drops as the runtime goes along, instead of increasing like it should. Are the MC-E models the same?


 
I'd really like to know, as I am basing my purchasing decision on the answer.


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## Wattnot (Jul 15, 2009)

I can't tell you for sure but I do not believe the Explorer has "boost" regulation but I'm sure it has the "buck" regulation. 

Perhaps the dealer can help? Ask the store where you're going to make your purchase.


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## brightnorm (Jul 19, 2009)

I have searched for further information on Explorer runtime without success. PTS gets their specs from Woleyes and it is extremely unlikely that PTS has performed their own runtime tests. For that reason and to attract more attention to this subject I am posting a new thread.

Brightnorm


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## River Runner (Jul 20, 2009)

All of a sudden the Wolf-eyes websight now lists the MC-Explorer @ 700 lumens, and the runtime is down to 45 minutes. Did they up the performance, or just the specs???

RR


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## scarlet (Jul 21, 2009)

Thank you for the informative review! My Sniper P7 recently died on me, and this review may prompt me to buy the Explorer as a replacement


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## elho (Sep 23, 2009)

River Runner said:


> All of a sudden the Wolf-eyes websight now lists the MC-Explorer @ 700 lumens, and the runtime is down to 45 minutes. Did they up the performance, or just the specs???


I asked my local dealer who also has the new specs about that. They did indeed increase the performance, he said they improoved LED and drivers, so it probably is a higher flux bin than before.
*BUT* there is fundamental bad news, and seeing that in the specs was the reason for me to ask about the changes: The wonderful idea of the concealed mode is gone, it is back to the old UI with modes as listed on the Wolf-Eyes website: 100% -> 30% -> 2% -> strobe.


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## elho (Oct 6, 2009)

Received the last one with the "personal" UI from PTS today! 
First impressions: IMO, the old smooth semi-matte finish that Wolf-Eyes used before was nicer than the current fully matte one.
It indeed has some throw, more than I expected. :thumbsup:


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## elho (Oct 7, 2009)

Wattnot said:


> *Default mode:* Maximum brightness (100%) -> 30% brightness ->lowest brightness (2%)



I did not realize until trying the light that Wolf-Eyes apparently changed meaning of their percentage levels - back then the percentage referred to the amount of power used, ie. on my P4 and R2 drop-ins Med at 20% means about 50% brightness and Low at 2% means ten times the runtime of Med.
The 2% Low of the MC-Explorer however is very close to the 2% Low of the R2, so it must indeed be 2% brightness now.

Irritating that they subtly changed the meaning of their numbers, but on the plus side this means the Low is indeed usable low unlike a 2% power one would have been.



Wattnot said:


> *PWM:*
> 
> Using my highly scientific method of pointing the light into a fan, I detected PWM in use on medium and low.


Moving it around a bit already suffices, as the frequency is rather low. My scientific method of using a DMM says 165 Hz for both Med and Low.


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## divine (Oct 7, 2009)

I like my Explorer, but I forked out for the Neutral one from Japan. Mine is the three mode one.

It's a sweet light.


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## SAcharlie (Nov 5, 2009)

The WE website lists a MC-Explorer and a MC-E2. They look to have the same specs. Is there a difference? Also PCtactical has Explorers with different LEDs/lumins what is with that?


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## Wattnot (Nov 11, 2009)

SAcharlie said:


> The WE website lists a MC-Explorer and a MC-E2. They look to have the same specs. Is there a difference? Also PCtactical has Explorers with different LEDs/lumins what is with that?


 
Sorry I don't have a precise answer for you but I believe they are essentially the same. As for different lumen Explorers, I couldn't find that. They all seem to be 580.


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## elho (Nov 11, 2009)

Wattnot said:


> As for different lumen Explorers, I couldn't find that. They all seem to be 580.


It is there on the Wolf-Eyes website and has been briefly covered in this thread a few posts before.


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