# Fenix E01 Comparison Review



## UnknownVT (Apr 30, 2008)

Once again from the kind courtesy of 4sevens (http://Fenix-Store.com) I have on loan a Fenix E01 to try out.......

Size comparison -





...yes, it's a blue one.......
and not only that, it's 4seven's own personal flashlight - he took it off his keyring to lend it to me -




that's his name in Chinese - that is how kind he is.

Head -





First, you should check out this_is_nascar's My Quick Fenix E01 Review -
where he has runtime graphs of the Fenix E01 - 
because this is what the E01 is about -
long runtime on a single humble AAA battery - not only that, like its predecessor the E0 it is very well regulated giving more or less flat output for 8+hours. 

I consider my comparison review supplemental to this_is_nascar's - a sort of qualitative/subjective look complementing his runtimes and figures.

vs. Fenix E0 both on NiMH (eneloops)







yes the E01 is just noticably brighter - not that it makes that much difference in real practical use - but it is brighter - and it has a much nicer tint - although the central hotspot is blue.

vs. classic ArcAAA (circa ~2003) both on NiMH







definitely brighter and nicer tint - but we are talking 5 years on in technology advances to this classic ArcAAA (~2003).

How about something closer?

vs. Fenix L0D-RB80 on Low - both on NiMH







comparable, the E01 might just have it... although the beam characteristics are different so makes it hard to call - here one can more easily see the blue central hotspot of the E01. The L0Drb80 Low is spec'd at 7.5lumens (8.5hours) the E01 is 10lumens (11hrs sun mode + 10hours moon mode)

vs. Fenix L1D-Q5 on Low - both on NiMH







again comparable - the L1Dq5 on Low may be a bit brighter? L1Dq5's Low is spec'd at 12 lumens (25hours but it's an AA battery)

$15 shipped? this is a bargain - considering the basic ArcAAA is twice the price with with just over half the brighntess and about half the runtime.
and Fenix gives nothing away in materials and construction - the E01 claims aircraft grade aluminum, Type III hard anodizing, Waterproof to IPX-8 Standard, and uses a real spring in the bottom of the body tube instead of the foam doughnut around the +ve contact on my classic ArcAAA (known battery crusher) - also the E01 will tail-stand for candle mode use.

Not only that the E01 come in colors -




start your own collection...... 
you're a flashaholic, aren't you?:nana:

Comparison with typical fauxton coin cell keyring light, and side emissions in Post #*14*

Another sample of the Fenix E01 compared to the CMG Ultra-G and Dorcy 1AAA (last reflector version) as well as re-compared with the E0 and ArcAAA in Post #*26*


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## Led75 (Apr 30, 2008)

AWESOME!


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## CRESCENDOPOWER (Apr 30, 2008)

When all is said, and done the E01 will get props from many people who will consider it the flashlight of the year.:twothumbs


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## LA OZ (Apr 30, 2008)

Great review, thanks.
How come your E01 tint is so white? Mine has a slight blue tint at the centre and yellow corona.


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## UnknownVT (Apr 30, 2008)

LA OZ said:


> How come your E01 tint is so white? Mine has a slight blue tint at the centre and yellow corona.


 
I don't think the sample of one of the E01 I tested is all that white - 
it is just like your description - yellow'ish corona with blue center - 
photos have limited dynamic range - so the hotspots tend to get grossly over exposed - so show as white. 
Look at the -2 stop underexposed versions - especially the comparisons with the L0D and L1D to better see the blue center.


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## Sevy (Apr 30, 2008)

Thank you for the review and the very informative pictures.

I still can't believe that so many people (including me) rave about a one-stage AAA light. As a survival light, the E01 could be the light I've been waiting for for a long time. Thank you Fenix.


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## this_is_nascar (Apr 30, 2008)

Nice job.


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## chibato (Apr 30, 2008)

It is very helpful to see all this info in one place, thanks. 

Also, is it just me or do the colors look much better in person than in Fenix's promotional photos? I am really liking the blue one now.


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## 4sevens (Apr 30, 2008)

UnknownVT, if I may add a picture here... it's from the most recent batch
that they have been working on. They are working hard to hone in on the
color consistency. (btw I did not take this picture - it was sent to me by fenix)


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## KDOG3 (Apr 30, 2008)

I ordered a Purple one for my gf and an Olive on for me. Can't wait till they get here...


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## UnknownVT (Apr 30, 2008)

4sevens said:


> if I may add a picture here... it's from the most recent batch that they have been working on. They are working hard to hone in on the color consistency. (btw I did not take this picture - it was sent to me by fenix)


 
You're a "_bad_" man 4sevens - 
this pic will only make people want _ALL_ the colors - 
in addition to the standard black and olive -
but at least it won't break the bank.

Ask Fenix are there going to be *Red* and *Green* ones?


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## 4sevens (Apr 30, 2008)

UnknownVT said:


> You're a "_bad_" man 4sevens -
> this pic will only make people want _ALL_ the colors -
> in addition to the standard black and olive -
> but at least it won't break the bank.
> ...


haha 
No green and red at this point.


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## cybersoga (Apr 30, 2008)

4sevens said:


> haha
> No green and red at this point.



I bet they are saving green for St. Patricks day and red for Christmas!


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## UnknownVT (Apr 30, 2008)

Comparison with a typical "fauxton" clone - this one is recently from DealExtreme -












So the cheapo DX fauxton at all of 47cents (10 for $4.73 free shipping) acquits itself quite well.

One of the things about 5mm LEDs is there is pretty strong spurious/stray side emissions of light (see this thread from 2004 - Stray Side Emissions of Domed LEDs ) that is from the tip of the dome. Lights like the ArcAAA use their "reflector" to try to divert this stray light forwards - there is argument to how effective this is......

Here's a direct comparison between the AAA lights and a typical "fauxton" - note the very strong side "spikes" from the LED tip on the fauxton ....... 
my 2003 ArcAAA has a little side-spike - but nothing really to complain about........


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## boonsht (Apr 30, 2008)

Awesome review! Makes me want to collect all the colors


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## LED-holic (Apr 30, 2008)

Thank you very much for this review. Especially the comparison pix of the Fenix lights for size. This is very very helpful.


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## HoopleHead (Apr 30, 2008)

boonsht said:


> Makes me want to collect all the colors


 

ugh, same!


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## warlord (Apr 30, 2008)

Allright cool. Thanks for the review. 

I must admit I was confused by the addition of the faux-ton. I thought you were showing one of the new Nichia GS faux-tons. You had me thinking for a sec that I shouldn't have bothered ordering them...


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## streetmaster (May 1, 2008)

Awesome beamshots as usual. :thanks:


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## Probedude (May 1, 2008)

UnknownVT said:


> Comparison with a typical "fauxton" clone - this one is recently from DealExtreme -



Thanks much for the comparison beam shots!


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## geek4christ (May 1, 2008)

Oh wow, very useful review. Thanks!


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## VF1Jskull1 (May 1, 2008)

i had put up a preorder for 2 olives but changed my mind and had to cancel it to reorder a purple one for the wife and a black one for myself... plus i only used the 5% discount for the 2 olives and when i reodered to black/purple combo, i used 8% code so i saved a few more... not bad for such lights... my arc will still stay with my keys though...


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## UnknownVT (May 2, 2008)

showing the +ve contact/circuit board of the head -
and the tail-standing end of the body tube.


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## dealgrabber2002 (May 13, 2008)

is it brighter using lithium or just extend runtime?


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## UnknownVT (May 14, 2008)

dealgrabber2002 said:


> is it brighter using lithium or just extend runtime?


 
If you check out this_is_nascar's excellent My Quick Fenix E01 Review - he has several runtime graphs comparing alkaline with lithium AAA's (for 4 different E01's) and the levels look the same for each E01 
- so the lithium seem only to give longer runtimes


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## UnknownVT (Jun 3, 2008)

In the thread My Quick Fenix E01 Review there was talk that 3 samples of Fenix E01 were not as bright as the Infinity Ultra and Dorcy 1AAA.

This peaked my interest as I have 2x CMG Ultra-G, and a collection of Dorcy 1AAA's - so I got hold of another Fenix E01 courtesy of 4sevens.
























seems pretty obvious that the Fenix E01 is brighter than the CMG Ultra-G (and this is my marginally brighter one) 

Just to be sure I did not receive an extra bright one - I also repeated comparisons with the Fenix E0 and Arc-AAA (~2003) as control with this second Fenix E01
















these look about the same relatively as ones I took for 4sevens' own personal Fenix E01 (there is a slight characteristic difference - see later)

Compared to Dorcy 1AAA (gen 2 - the last reflectored version)







again it's pretty obvious that the E01 is brighter than the Dorcy 1AAA

This is not surprising since the Fenix E01 is some 5 years newer using the Nichia GS, and none of the comparison light have anything better than the CS (Fenix E0)

How about side emission and position of the LED?





this shows that the LED is more forward but still recessed enough to just prevent the side-spikes that can be seen on the Arc-AAA and CMG Ultra-G.

Similarly for the Dorcy 1AAA (gen 2)


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## w143 (Jun 4, 2008)

Wow... nice review and comparison!!! Thank you for the excellent photos.

I wish you have the KD Buckle V4 Q5 to compare as well... wishing too much


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## UnknownVT (Jun 6, 2008)

when is an olive - Olive ?









The sample I got from 4sevens of Fenix-Store was "olive" - but it kind of looks more grey with a slight hint of green - 
it cetainly doesn't look so obviously olive as the L1D-Q5 or the L0D-Q4.......








I actually like this color (like a darker natural), over the truer olive - 
are others like this E01, or closer to the L1D-Q5 and L0D-Q4?


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## tirod (Jun 30, 2008)

My EO1 is a lot less OD and a lot more light cypress - or Ranger Green, compared to the G10 on a SnG. It's just fine, not really dark if you're expecting that. I would certainly fit in with anything ACU. I have my share of issue OD stuff from over the years, their certainly is a wide range of shades, just like real olives.

If you drop your pocket light a lot despite the knurling, maybe red or orange would be better. At least there are choices.


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## Smile (Jul 1, 2008)

Beautiful colors and good lights.


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## mcmc (Jul 1, 2008)

Cool! Is this HA really comparable in hardness to say SF's HAIII?


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## UnknownVT (Jul 5, 2008)

mcmc said:


> Cool! Is this HA really comparable in hardness to say SF's HAIII?


 
My understanding is that Type III (Hard) Anodizing (or HA) are supposed to be the same.

from the Wikipedia on Anodizing -
" _The most widely used anodizing specification, __MIL-A-8625__, defines three types of aluminium anodization. Type I is Chromic Acid Anodization, Type II is Sulfuric Acid Anodization and Type III is sulfuric acid hardcoat anodization. Other anodizing specifications include MIL-A-63576, AMS 2469, AMS 2470, AMS 2471, AMS 2472, AMS 2482, ASTM B580, ASTM D3933, ISO 10074 and BS 5599. AMS 2468 is obsolete. None of these specifications define a detailed process or chemistry, but rather a set of tests and quality assurance measures which the anodized product must meet. BS 1615 provides guidance in the selection of alloys for anodizing. For British defence work, a detailed chromic and sulfuric anodizing processes are described by DEF STAN 03-24/3 and DEF STAN 03-25/3 respectively._ "

From this one might assume that to cut corners the anodizing coat might be thinner - but it is taken care of in the specs -
" _Sulfuric acid__ is the most widely used solution to produce anodized coating. Coatings of moderate thickness 1.8 μm to 25 μm (0.00007" to 0.001")[7] are known as Type II, as named by MIL-A-8625, while coatings thicker than 25 μm (0.001") are known as Type III, hardcoat, or engineered anodizing._ "

BTW - the original SureFires like the famous 6P and now legendary 9P were only _*Type II*_ anodized and _NOT_ HA (III) - in fact they still are only Type II -

ref: SureFire 6P Original
" _Rugged aerospace-grade aluminum body, Type II anodized in glossy black_ "

SureFire 9P Original
" _Rugged aerospace-grade aluminum body, Type II anodized in glossy black_ "


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## TONY M (Jul 5, 2008)

mcmc said:


> Cool! Is this HA really comparable in hardness to say SF's HAIII?


There have been a few reports of the E01's black Anodizing not being up to the usual standard (wearing off before it should). Mine has been OK so far.


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## UnknownVT (Jul 5, 2008)

TONY M said:


> There have been a few reports of the E01's black Anodizing not being up to the usual standard (wearing off before it should). Mine has been OK so far.


 
It may not be as it seems.

Black is probably the color that contrasts/shows wear the most against bare aluminum, a grey or neutral would probably not show as much or even go unnoticed.

There has been a lot of discussion about hard anodizing (type III) - years ago the claim was that the HA (III) of the ArcAAA was better than the CMG Infinity Ultra-G - but we're not comparing apples with apples - the ArcAAA was dark grey and it has knurling/checkering over most of its body so would really only wear at the tips of the checkering - leaving most of the anodizing in the grooves untouched, and grey contrasts less with bare aluminum. Whereas the Ultra-G was in a very dark green which would show up any bare alumium, plus it was plain over most of it body again more easily scratched and show it.....

In case there were doubts that the Ultra-G was somehow sub-par - it had a military NSN number so was up to the MIL spec for government issue on hard anodizing (III).


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## Jarl (Jul 5, 2008)

The anodizing on my E01 is poor- worse than on my E0, which didn't have a great rep. to start with. However, this may have something to do with the knurling as it's not wearing on the flat surfaces. For reference, this is the gold colour.


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## UnknownVT (Jul 5, 2008)

Jarl said:


> The anodizing on my E01 is poor- worse than on my E0, which didn't have a great rep. to start with. However, this may have something to do with the knurling as it's not wearing on the flat surfaces. For reference, this is the gold colour.


 
You're in the UK and fortunately are protected by UK Trading Standards - if you really think the E01's anodizing is sub-par and does not live up to the claim for Hard Anodizing (Type III) 
couldn't you return it to your vendor for resitiution?


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## brightnorm (Oct 14, 2008)

UnknownVT said:


> *...."also the E01 will tail-stand for candle mode use....*


 
How can it tailstand with that protruding lug? I ordered one to compare with my EO's.

Brightnorm


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## EngrPaul (Oct 14, 2008)

The lug has three spokes. Flip the split ring out of the way, and it tail stands.


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## Secur1 (Oct 15, 2008)

I received my black HA E01 yesterday and it's even smaller than i originaly thought, great little light specially for the price, i only have two complaints, first of all the colour of the led, which was as expected very blue and second the beam pattern, i wish it was a bit more on the flood side.
And without realizing it, i actually have combos now 

Spyderco Native III & Fenix P2D
Spyderco Dragonfly & Fenix E01
Benchmade Menchmite 3100 & Draco


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## victor01 (Oct 22, 2008)

The 3 black Fenix E01s I ordered from fenix-store have arrived, 2 to be given as gift and I'll keep 1 for myself. This is what I have found.

*Pro*
1. For less than 15 dollars (CPF8 coupon) nothing could beat this.

*Con*
1. Seem to be a bit large. I compare it to my other aaa size light, the Liteflux LF2 Cree and they're about exactly the same diameter, with the LF2 just a wee bit longer. Given more flexibility and a lot more brightness of the LF2, I don't see I'll be replacing it with the E01 too soon.

2. The *purple tint*. I'm uncertain what kind of impression the recepient of these light would get, though in casual usage that couldn't be much of an issue, as far as everyday illumination is concerned. But the tint is always there. Oval beam profile.

3. On my samples, all 3 E01s do not have any lublicant. The o-rings and the threads came completly dry. Thanks to the grease included with the LF2. Now they're smooth again.

My conclusion

For 15 dollars, you'll get a long running light using common aaa batery, but don't expect too much.


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## Grijon (Oct 23, 2014)

:thumbsup:


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