# Niteye EYE10 Review



## subwoofer (Apr 15, 2012)

A new member of the Niteye High-end series, the EYE10 is an EDC light capable of real ‘pocket-rocket’ performance.

On test is a pre-release sample. It is the final version, but the retail packaging has not been finalised.



Initial Impressions:

Well… it looks quite familiar, despite being a new Niteye model. I’m told by Niteye that the design for this and a version sold by another manufacturer was created by one designer. Both Niteye and the other manufacturer have the rights to make this design, and do so independently.

Everything about the EYE10 is finished to a very high level of quality. From the stainless steel bezel, coated optics, cooling fins, titanium pocket clip and magnetic control ring, there appear to be no weak points in its execution.

Design wise, the pocket clip extends over the join between head and battery tube, so unless you are careful to slightly lift the clip when changing battery, you will end up marking the head. However to have usable pocket clip this design feature is necessary.

The infinitely adjustable magnetic control ring has strong ball/detent clicks as you turn it, so although you can stop between clicks, in normal use you wouldn’t, as the ring naturally goes from click-stop to click-stop.

Small, well made, bright and with completely adjustable output, the EYE10 make a good first impression.



What is in the box:

Being a Pre-release sample, there was no packaging.

EYE10 - as supplied with Allen key and spare o-ring.







The EYE10








Taking a closer look and looking inside:

The EYE10 is a single CR123 light, shown here with an AW RCR123 cell






Looking down onto the pocket clip which is held on with two Allen bolts that the supplier Allen key will remove if you want to.






The tail end has a lanyard hole post made of stainless steel set into the tail. Although it protrudes a small amount this does not prevent tailstanding.






The EYE10’s XM-L LED






To better show the cooling fins I took this silhouette photo.






With the head removed you can see the contacts and the small Allen bolt used to lock the head components in place.






The threads are trapezoid and fully anodised.







Looking down into the battery tube shows the negative contact spring.






For a CR123 size cell (shown here with an AW RCR123) the fit of the cell is loose. This is because the tube is designed to accommodate a 18350 cell. I don’t have one to test the fit, but there seems to be space.






Switching the EYE10 onto a low setting and looking straight into the lens shows the square shape of the LED reflected in the OP reflector. This is a typical feature of small lights with the large XM-L LED and has not ill effects on the beam quality.






The stainless steel bezel has a very neatly engraved/etched serial number.






The model is printed onto the side.








Modes and User Interface:

The magnetic control ring gives a very simple user interface. The ring has a strong ball/detent series of clicks throughout its range of movement which hold the position firmly once selected.

From the off position, with the EYE10 facing forwards, turn the control ring clockwise. After a few clicks, the light will come on in its lowest output, and as you turn the ring further clockwise the output ramps up all the way to maximum.

Watching as the light level increases, the control ring does give a smooth rise in output. Theoretically you could select almost any level, but the click-stops of the ring mean it will naturally stop at certain levels.

The EYE10 has two hidden modes, Strobe and SOS, both fully dimmable. To access these you take the EYE10 to maximum output and then quickly dim, then turn to max, then dim again and back to max to access Strobe, and if you do three of the dim-max repetitions you enter SOS mode.

Once you have activated the Strobe or SOS, the control ring will be at the maximum position and therefore maximum output. At this point you can reduce the output level of either mode by turning the control ring anti-clockwise.

Turning the EYE10 off cancels the hidden modes and reverts it to constant output.



Batteries and output:

The EYE10 manual states CR123 as the only supported battery type. I queried this with Niteye, who said that RCR123 can be used with caution as this raises the output to far more than the heatsinking is designed to cope with. As long as maximum is not used for longer than 5 minutes, RCR123 can be used, but has the danger of overheating reducing LED lifespan.

Using a calibrated integrating sphere I measured the output with three different types of cell.






Using the specified CR123, output was measured at 262lm, pretty much spot on the specified 260lm maximum output.

Then, it got interesting….

Using an AW protected RCR123 with ICR chemistry, the EYE10 output 563lm. An impressive boost.

Then I loaded an AW RCR123 with IMR chemistry. IMRs have the lowest internal resistance of li-ions and have the ability to deliver very high current. On the IMR, the EYE10 output 662lm! Yes, you read right, 662lm. At this output level the EYE10 gets warm within 30s and hot after a minute or so. The heatsinking is good, but the entire light then gets hot after a couple of minutes.

Of course as the EYE10 has completely variable output, even when using an IMR cell, you can simply turn it down a bit. You don’t HAVE to use maximum output all the time as tempting as it is.

On IMR, the EYE10 is a real ‘pocket-rocket’!

Between CR123 and RCR123, apart from the supercharging effect of the RCR123, I did notice that the absolutely lowest level would come on normally with the CR123, but with the RCR123, it would come on a little brighter and you need to then turn the control ring back a click to get the lowest level. A minor consequence of the massive boost in maximum output.



In The Lab

_In an attempt to quantify the actual beam profile I developed the following test. There are probably many flaws in my method, but it is simple and easy to carry out and seems to provide a good enough comparison.

The method used was to put the light on the edge of a table 1m from a wall, with a tape measure on the wall. The zero of the scale is placed in the centre of the hotspot and a lux meter is then positioned at points along the scale, with the measurements recorded. Beam shots are often taken with the light shining on a flat white wall, so this method is simply measuring the actual intensity across the beam on a flat surface, not the spherical light emission.

The results are then plotted on a graph.

For the best throw you want to see a sharp peak with less of the distracting spill. For the best flood light the trace should be pretty flat._

Here I have compared the EYE10 to my reference Cree R2 profile. The EYE10 has a wide and diffuse hotspot and a floody beam perfect for everyday use.






_Taking this a little further, I calculated an approximate factor to apply to the lux measurements, as each measurement gets further from the centre of the beam, it corresponds to a larger area onto which the light is falling. It seems to me that this should also be taken into consideration, so I applied these area corrections and came up with this odd looking graph.

The key quantity here is the area under the graph line. This should correspond to the total light output._

As well as the reference Cree R2, I’ve included the Fenix TK41 for comparison here. The TK41 is well known for its high output level, and the EYE10 on IMR, shows how well it compares to the TK41 in total output. The TK41 with its powerful throw has a stronger central peak, but the EYE10 has more light around the hotspot.








The beam of the EYE10

As shown by the previous beam profile graphs, the EYE10 has an excellent general purpose beam with diffuse hotspot.

The first beamshot is exposed to give an impression of the beam’s brightness to the naked eye.






This second photo has the exposure reduced to show the shape/size of the hotspot and how it compares to the spill area.








Using the EYE10

Unlike small twisty EDC lights, which are almost counter-intuitive as it feels as if you are turning the head the wrong way to turn them on, the EYE10 has the control ring set to turn clockwise to turn it on and up. This feels very natural to a right hander holding the EYE10 in their right hand, possibly not so good for a left hander.

The first few clicks as you rotate the control ring do not give any output and on the third or fourth click the light comes on in the lowest output. Adjusting to the required output level is just a few more clicks away.

The texturing of the control ring and body give plenty of grip without any sharp edges and the EYE10 is a good size to hold.

The pocket clip has perfectly finished edges that have been rounded so will not cut into your pocket.

I have accidentally tested out the resilience of the stainless bezel, by dropping the EYE10 from about 1m high onto a stone floor. The floor now has a chip in it and the EYE10’s bezel a small mark. The EYE10 came out on top in that clash.






Fit, finish and performance of the little light are all very good and it is a pleasure to use.

The Niteye EYE10 information








Test sample provided for review by Niteye.

I’ll update post 2 of this thread once I have some more comments to add....


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## subwoofer (Apr 15, 2012)

The control ring has 11 click-stops.

Depending on the battery used the LED comes on when you reach the second (CR123) or third (RCR123) click.

reserved for further comments....


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## xed888 (Apr 15, 2012)

I prefer this to the JB. this has an OP reflector! Yay!


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## Fireclaw18 (Apr 15, 2012)

xed888 said:


> I prefer this to the JB. this has an OP reflector! Yay!



*It does look slightly superior to the Jetbeam. Compared to the Jetbeam this one has*:
(1) an orange-peel reflector
(2) a brighter emitter for probably slightly more output (U2 v. T6). This review rated the EYE10's output on IMR at 662 lumens. I saw another poster in a different thread tested the Jetbeam on IMR at 542 lumens. No idea how well calibrated the testing equipment was though. No idea how the tints compare. The tint of the EYE10 in the pictures on this review look very green compared to the very white color on my Jetbeam. Could just be the camera though, or that the light was shined on a green painted wall in the picture.
(3) better hidden modes. The Jetbeam has hidden SOS that isn't dimmable. The EYE10 has hidden strobe and SOS, both of which are dimmable. From reading the review and using the Jetbeam it sounds like all hidden modes on both lights are well hidden and won't be activated accidentally.
(3) Extra detentes. The Jetbeam has a single detente at each end. The EYE10 sounds like it has multiple detentes throughout the ring travel. I'm not sure if that's good or bad.
(4) Better heatsinking. The EYE10 looks like it has actual heatsink fins at the head while the Jetbeam does not. I'm not sure how much of a difference that makes in actual heat dissipation though, since the Jetbeam might actually have slightly more mass up front.
(5) Different style of knurling. This part is relative. Not sure which light has better grip. The Jetbeam might be better actually since the knurling covers the entire control ring. The EYE10 looks like the knurling only covers part of the ring.
(6) Possibly slightly lower price. From the one site that showed a price it looks like the EYE10 might be around 20% cheaper than the Jetbeam. Won't know for sure until an English language website starts selling it though.


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## turboBB (Apr 15, 2012)

subwoofer, thanks for another great review! Just curious as to at what time are your lumens readings taken? Is it at turn-on or after 30 seconds (ANSI)? As you know, for non-regulated lights it can mean a huge difference in drop-off. If at start-up, would you mind taking it at 31 seconds?

Thx!,
Tim


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## nakahoshi (Apr 15, 2012)

Fireclaw18 said:


> (3) better hidden modes. The Jetbeam has hidden SOS that isn't dimmable. The EYE10 has hidden strobe and SOS, both of which are dimmable. From reading the review and using the Jetbeam it sounds like all hidden modes on both lights are well hidden and won't be activated accidentally.



This is not true, the Jetbeam can dim its SOS mode. I do however wish it had a strobe/beacon mode instead. At least its hidden well.

As for the EYE10 -
I love that it has an OP reflector, and the whole light looks great.

I am not sure I like the half knurled adjustment ring though, I would prefer it would go all the way around the light but I am intrigued by the indents you feel when adjusting the control ring, it might make it easier (Or harder) to zero in on a particular output. 

Nice Review, looking forward to this one :thumbsup:

-Bobby


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## MY (Apr 15, 2012)

Am really looking forward to this light. I would appreciate it if folks can share where this light can be purchased.Regards.


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## PapaLumen (Apr 15, 2012)

I hope the production model has a bezel the same colour as the rest of it...


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## KuanR (Apr 16, 2012)

Have these been shipped to dealers yet? I'm hoping to get the Ti version as I see TB selling it in China right now, so I hope Hong Kong stores will have them too.


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## subwoofer (Apr 16, 2012)

turboBB said:


> subwoofer, thanks for another great review! Just curious as to at what time are your lumens readings taken? Is it at turn-on or after 30 seconds (ANSI)? As you know, for non-regulated lights it can mean a huge difference in drop-off. If at start-up, would you mind taking it at 31 seconds?
> 
> Thx!,
> Tim



All quoted output measurements are taken at approximately (but not absolutely rigidly) 30s. Interestingly, most lights measured have an initial burst of output which declines quickly, then levels out. For most this levelling out is at around 30s after turn on.

One notable exception is an HID light I have, which from cold is still increasing in output at 5 minutes only reaching its peak after about 6 minutes.


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## Fireclaw18 (Apr 16, 2012)

nakahoshi said:


> This is not true, the Jetbeam can dim its SOS mode. I do however wish it had a strobe/beacon mode instead. At least its hidden well.
> 
> As for the EYE10 -
> I love that it has an OP reflector, and the whole light looks great.
> ...



You're right. I just checked again and the Jetbeam's SOS is dimmable.

Regarding the half-knurling on the ring: On the Jetbeam, I find the best way to get maximum control over the ring is to use both my thumb and forefinger on either side of the ring while holding the rest of the light in my palm with my other fingers. Having a fully knurled ring makes this much easier.


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## Lagerregal (Apr 17, 2012)

How low is the low in comparison to the v11r and rrt-01?


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## subwoofer (Apr 17, 2012)

Lagerregal said:


> How low is the low in comparison to the v11r and rrt-01?



I don't have either of those lights to do a direct comparison. What I can tell you is that Niteye specify 1lm as the low for the EYE10, but this is not correct - it goes lower.

I have found the lowest sustainable level of output (a lower level is possible but it goes off after a few seconds) is equivalent to the Low of the Zebralight SC51 which Zebralight specify as 0.2lm. This is a 'by eye' comparison so is not quantitative, but subjective.


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## texas cop (Apr 17, 2012)

Thank you for the excellent review or sneak preview. I can't seem to find the specs listed on any site yet. Could you please post the length, diameter and weight.


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## how2 (Apr 18, 2012)

Fireclaw18 said:


> The tint of the EYE10 in the pictures on this review look very green compared to the very white color on my Jetbeam. Could just be the camera though, or that the light was shined on a green painted wall in the picture.



It' not the wall as subwoofer has done another review using the same wall, this light has a bad green tint. see here.


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## subwoofer (Apr 19, 2012)

how2 said:


> It' not the wall as subwoofer has done another review using the same wall, this light has a bad green tint. see here.



I see the effect you have picked up on. It is odd as I am usually very careful to set the camera to daylight white balance for all beamshots.

I can tell you that in use there is no strong tint noticeable, if anything it is more neutral than cool (it is not pure cool white) which is very nice to use.


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## Fireclaw18 (Apr 19, 2012)

subwoofer said:


> I see the effect you have picked up on. It is odd as I am usually very careful to set the camera to daylight white balance for all beamshots.
> 
> I can tell you that in use there is no strong tint noticeable, if anything it is more neutral than cool (it is not pure cool white) which is very nice to use.



Thanks for clarifying that. I suspected it might be an issue with how you setup your camera because the tint in your pics looks almost pure green. And I can't imagine that the light would have had such a tint and you wouldn't have mentioned it in your review.


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## subwoofer (Apr 21, 2012)

texas cop said:


> Thank you for the excellent review or sneak preview. I can't seem to find the specs listed on any site yet. Could you please post the length, diameter and weight.



23mm Diameter, 81mm long ~46g without battery.



MY said:


> Am really looking forward to this light. I would appreciate it if folks can share where this light can be purchased.Regards.



I asked Niteye and got the following response:

"MSRP for EYE10 is USD79. You can check with Goinggear and Illumination Supply in USA"


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## netman (Apr 22, 2012)

subwoofer said:


> 23mm Diameter, 81mm long ~46g without battery.






subwoofer said:


> I asked Niteye and got the following response:
> 
> "MSRP for EYE10 is USD79. You can check with Goinggear and Illumination Supply in USA"




note to self: move EYE10 into must have category.


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## Fitz (Apr 22, 2012)

Disappointing they can't make use of the first few detent clicks, same thing in the JB, nothing happens for the first 10-15 percent of the ring movement. It would be nice to have the light start outputting some light immediately and shorten the travel of the ring.


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## nakahoshi (Apr 22, 2012)

Fitz said:


> Disappointing they can't make use of the first few detent clicks, same thing in the JB, nothing happens for the first 10-15 percent of the ring movement. It would be nice to have the light start outputting some light immediately and shorten the travel of the ring.



I thought this was done on purpose to avoid accidental activation. I actually like the way its designed (I have the JB, not this one... yet)


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## Fireclaw18 (Apr 23, 2012)

nakahoshi said:


> I thought this was done on purpose to avoid accidental activation. I actually like the way its designed (I have the JB, not this one... yet)



Agreed (I also have the Jetbeam). The ring on the Jetbeam has 120 degrees of travel which is perfect. Enough that you can easily flick the ring from one end to the other in a quarter second with one twist without living your fingers up. But at the same time long enough that you can accurately adjust the brightness to whatever setting you want. I also like that the first 10-15 degrees or so of ring travel does nothing. That way there's much less chance of the light accidentally turning on on the pocket if the ring rubs against something and turns slightly.


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## netman (Apr 25, 2012)

I was thinking the same thing. This light will live in my pocket and unless the detent is very stiff I was seeing this as a safety/battery save feature.


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## fyrstormer (Apr 25, 2012)

If the driver is anything like the TC-R1's driver, the first bit of ring rotation doesn't do anything _until after the light turns on_. I can back-down the brightness on my TC-R1 well past the turn-on point, and it doesn't shut off until the ring bangs against the hard-stop.


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## Fitz (Apr 25, 2012)

fyrstormer said:


> If the driver is anything like the TC-R1's driver, the first bit of ring rotation doesn't do anything _until after the light turns on_. I can back-down the brightness on my TC-R1 well past the turn-on point, and it doesn't shut off until the ring bangs against the hard-stop.



Mine is the same whether turning it on or going back down from on, no light at all for the first 10-15% of ring travel.


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## subwoofer (Apr 26, 2012)

fyrstormer said:


> If the driver is anything like the TC-R1's driver, the first bit of ring rotation doesn't do anything _until after the light turns on_. I can back-down the brightness on my TC-R1 well past the turn-on point, and it doesn't shut off until the ring bangs against the hard-stop.



With the EYE10, after it comes on, you can turn the ring back one or two clicks to lower the output, but then it goes off and has a couple more clicks back to the hard stop.


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## kaichu dento (Apr 26, 2012)

Lagerregal said:


> How low is the low in comparison to the v11r and rrt-01?


The low on the RRT-01 goes so low that a trit actually looks bright in a side-by-side comparison. The Sunwayman will look very, very bright when doing a low output comparison.


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## offtrail (Apr 29, 2012)

Hello, Subwoofer! 

I just joined the forum yesterday and it's a pleasure to be part of it.

Thank you for another excellent review of what looks to be a very tasty product. 

One thing I don't understand: why does the manufacturer recommend CR or RCR123 batteries (16mm dia.) when the inside diameter is obviously machined for the 18350 (18mm dia.)? Is there any battery rattling with the 123's, or does the spring compress it enough to prevent this unwanted noise?


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## subwoofer (Apr 29, 2012)

offtrail said:


> One thing I don't understand: why does the manufacturer recommend CR or RCR123 batteries (16mm dia.) when the inside diameter is obviously machined for the 18350 (18mm dia.)? Is there any battery rattling with the 123's, or does the spring compress it enough to prevent this unwanted noise?



Hi offtrail,

The spring holds CR123 sized cells very firmly, there is no rattle even if you shake it to try and get it to.

As the CR123 is so common, the EYE10 was optimised for this 3V cell and can be run at maximum for extended periods on this cell. With the higher voltage of RCR123 it runs hot on maximum so you have to be careful. If you want to use the 18350 for extended runtime on a rechargeable cell, it is an option, but is unusual, so is not specified.


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## shramj (Apr 30, 2012)

Subwoofer, I read your review last week and I was like I can't wait till this light is available and sure enough I went over to the dealer's section under CPFMarketplace on Saturday and found someone selling them! I should have it this week and will post my thoughts about the light.


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## netman (May 11, 2012)

Two, on the way.


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## subwoofer (May 11, 2012)

netman said:


> Two, on the way.



Let us know how you get on with yours. I'm using the one I have every day when turning off all the lights last thing at night. Mine is loaded with an AW IMR as it gives me that ability to blast over 600lm out for short periods


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## Bl4ckSheep (May 11, 2012)

Hi subwoofer,

Thanks for this nice Review.
Now I'm not sure if i should realy take the Sunwayman V11R...

I think the EYE10 would be perfect if it has a forward clicky with momentary light.

How long can you run the highest output level till the light gets too hot to hold in your hands?


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## subwoofer (May 12, 2012)

Bl4ckSheep said:


> Hi subwoofer,
> 
> Thanks for this nice Review.
> Now I'm not sure if i should realy take the Sunwayman V11R...
> ...



After a couple of minutes it get hot enough that I don't want to risk frying the LED, so turn it down. When I asked Niteye about using RCR123s they said a maximum of 5 minutes on high and then the LED will be damaged.

Re-read the section on the user interface and you'll see it has no clicky, just a control ring.


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## Bl4ckSheep (May 13, 2012)

subwoofer said:


> Re-read the section on the user interface and you'll see it has no clicky, just a control ring.



Sorry for my english. I ment that it would be the perfect EDC for me if it would have a clicky.
I know that it just has the ring.


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## KuanR (May 13, 2012)

I just picked up one of these today and mine does not have a serial number on it. I did buy some 18350's and they fit perfectly. Very nice light, but the control ring could be a little smoother.

Thanks for the review, it's one of the reasons why I decided to buy the Eye10 when I saw it at a store today


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## fishndad (May 13, 2012)

shramj said:


> Subwoofer, I read your review last week and I was like I can't wait till this light is available and sure enough I went over to the dealer's section under CPFMarketplace on Saturday and found someone selling them! I should have it this week and will post my thoughts about the light.



whats asking price i paid $95 for JB figured it was about right after comparing it to my friends sunwayman v10r t6 emitter


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## snypr (May 13, 2012)

Just ordered two....


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## kaichu dento (May 13, 2012)

Subwoofer - great review, especially with regards to your neutrality and I look forward to more from you.

By the way, could you count how many clicks there are in the rotational cycle and add to the OP for us? Thanks!


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## subwoofer (May 14, 2012)

kaichu dento said:


> Subwoofer - great review, especially with regards to your neutrality and I look forward to more from you.
> 
> By the way, could you count how many clicks there are in the rotational cycle and add to the OP for us? Thanks!



Thanks. There are more reviews on the way.

Post #2 has been updated with:

The control ring has 11 click-stops.

Depending on the battery used the LED comes on when you reach the second (CR123) or third (RCR123) click.


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## kaichu dento (May 14, 2012)

subwoofer said:


> Thanks. There are more reviews on the way.
> 
> Post #2 has been updated with:
> 
> ...


Last question regarding the clicks - does it appear that they got the clicks in the right places to make a nice balanced brightness shift for each position change?


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## subwoofer (May 14, 2012)

kaichu dento said:


> Last question regarding the clicks - does it appear that they got the clicks in the right places to make a nice balanced brightness shift for each position change?



I don't have it on me right now, but would say yes, the click positions correspond to a nice gradual increase. Bear in mind, the magnetic control ring appears to have infinite adjustment, but it is the clicks that make it stop at certain output levels. The clicks are at regular angular intervals, so do not appear to have been specifically spaced to hit certain output levels.


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## jorgen (May 16, 2012)

I ordered one from Going Gear today. I originally planned on waiting for the Ti version but this seems too useful not to own


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## Nake (May 17, 2012)

I received mine today. I noticed that with a CR123 it is 30% brighter than the JETBeam version with the same battery.


edit; I just read specs for both lights, it's suppossed to be brighter. oops.


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## fyrstormer (May 18, 2012)

Yeah, but how does the runtime compare? Running the LED harder to get more brightness at the expense of runtime is no amazing feat by itself.


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## Nake (May 18, 2012)

Yes that's what usually happens, brighter is shorter. Reason I mentioned it, I thought both lights had the same circuit board at first.


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## netman (May 18, 2012)

My two arrived. I actually purchased a third as a gift. The light comes in a little box with a matching paper sleeve. Of note to me was the consistency of light output versus dial position between the two lights. The dial is fully variable with detents and the detents fall very similar on the two lights.

I love the fully variable control. MY nitecore did that but the battery goes dead if I leave it screwed in and that turns the thing into a tactical only control (but I digress). The light goes almost lower than one can see so I see this as a light I can put on a nightstand as a candle and burn it low all night but take it with me in the dark in case I need a blast. With the AW IMR (16340) it goes BRIGHT as the reviews tell. It seems very well made and it is -small-. I wear dress pants at work and they don't have strong pockets and the EYE10 is ok in my pocket with my key ring (which features my Fenix LOD single AAA).

Love this light and appreciate Subwoofers review!


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## jorgen (May 18, 2012)

I received the Eye10 today. The box it comes in reminds me of the old Nitecore style of packaging~hmmm
I like the looks of the light. I popped in a cr123 and the beam is much smoother than my RRT-01 but I find the detents annoying since I must go through 5 clicks to reach a useful amount of light, even in a darkened room. As others have said the light gets very hot very fast on a 16340 battery. 
Although I prefer the Jetbeam with its better heatsink and no detents this light costs $25 less and that is easier on my budget.

Edit: I have been using the EYE10 for a few days now and really like it. The light doesn't get too hot on a 16340 one click away from the highest and I like the measured changes in intensity provided by the detents. 
I've ordered two 18350 batteries from Battery Junction and the EYE10 will be a part of my EDC rotation.


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## Colonel Sanders (Jun 6, 2012)

I am loving this new light and it is loving the AW 18350s! This light will pull 3 amp on turbo so these cells are a must for this light, IMO. Next level down is 2.2a and then 1.6a.

It is my new EDC performance king and this includes my SC600 and Mac's Tri-EDC (though these two certainly have their merits...not discrediting them AT ALL). For all out output combined with usable throw, I think it is currently tops. Also, it easliy the smallest of any of my brighter EDCs.


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## Dubois (Jun 8, 2012)

If the manufacturer's specs for this light show ""Recommended working voltage: 2-3.2V", won't any rechargeable 16340 or 18350 cell just fry the driver? I can understand the need to keep high mode to short bursts, but surely the higher voltage isn't good (and presumably invalidates any warranty).


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## subwoofer (Jun 8, 2012)

Colonel Sanders said:


> I am loving this new light and it is loving the AW 18350s! This light will pull 3 amp on turbo so these cells are a must for this light, IMO. Next level down is 2.2a and then 1.6a.
> 
> It is my new EDC performance king and this includes my SC600 and Mac's Tri-EDC (though these two certainly have their merits...not discrediting them AT ALL). For all out output combined with usable throw, I think it is currently tops. Also, it easliy the smallest of any of my brighter EDCs.





Dubois said:


> If the manufacturer's specs for this light show ""Recommended working voltage: 2-3.2V", won't any rechargeable 16340 or 18350 cell just fry the driver? I can understand the need to keep high mode to short bursts, but surely the higher voltage isn't good (and presumably invalidates any warranty).



Dubois (and Colonel Sanders, take note),

Niteye do NOT recommend using RCR123 in the EYE10, they did however say it should be OK as long as you never use it on maximum for more than 5 minutes as otherwise you risk frying the LED. At lower levels, there seems to be no restriction and I have been using the one I have with RCR123 since reviewing it. Now it has a CR123 in it, only because I'm testing the CR123, not the EYE10.

When you do use RCR123, especially IMR cells, you will know when to stop as it get very hot very quickly, so be sensible and with RCR123 only use maximum output sparingly and you should be fine.


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## Dubois (Jun 8, 2012)

subwoofer said:


> Dubois (and Colonel Sanders, take note),
> 
> Niteye do NOT recommend using RCR123 in the EYE10, they did however say it should be OK as long as you never use it on maximum for more than 5 minutes as otherwise you risk frying the LED. At lower levels, there seems to be no restriction and I have been using the one I have with RCR123 since reviewing it. Now it has a CR123 in it, only because I'm testing the CR123, not the EYE10.
> 
> When you do use RCR123, especially IMR cells, you will know when to stop as it get very hot very quickly, so be sensible and with RCR123 only use maximum output sparingly and you should be fine.



I appreciate this, but isn't it intrinsically asking for trouble to use a higher voltage than the manufacturer recommends - even at lower output levels? Will the warranty be invalidated? I emailed Niteye a few days ago asking for their comments on using RCR123 cells in the EYE10, but haven't had a reply. Think I might go with the V11R instead, even though I like the look of this beast.


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## kaichu dento (Jun 8, 2012)

Not only are many using RCR123 or 16340 cells in the RRT-01 and TC-R1, which are essentially the same light as the EYE-10, but the recent spate of sales of 18350's has been largely driven by people using them in these lights as well. No problems here and I don't expect any as I use my lights as hand held light sources and have always avoided the highest output levels, especially for extended periods.


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## Kharson45 (Jun 8, 2012)

Appreciate the review Subwoofers! I'm loving this light. I think this is going to be my EDC light.


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## RBWNY (Jun 9, 2012)

I've just had this light about 2 weeks, and the only thing that's bothered me up until today, is the "half" knurling on the control ring. The part that's smooth, which is typically where your index finger would be placed...with your thumb on the knurled part, slips, preventing a decent grip to turn it on with. Does everyone else's light only have half knurling on the ring? Why they didn't extend it all the way around is beyond me -- or at least divide it into two equal sections. Anyway, I put a little strip of velcro on the smooth part, and now it allows me the proper grip. It looks a tad funky.... but what the hay!


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## Colonel Sanders (Jun 11, 2012)

Yep, the half knurling was a definite brain fart on their designer's part. Certainly makes it harder to get a sure grip when changing modes. I hope this is fixed soon. If so I'll be upgrading. They could also knock off a couple of the first detents that don't do anything. This would make it easy to go from off to turbo in one motion.


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## subwoofer (Jun 11, 2012)

Colonel Sanders said:


> Yep, the half knurling was a definite brain fart on their designer's part. Certainly makes it harder to get a sure grip when changing modes. I hope this is fixed soon. If so I'll be upgrading. They could also knock off a couple of the first detents that don't do anything. This would make it easy to go from off to turbo in one motion.



Unfortunately the half knurling is not quite in the right place. If it were in the opposite position around the control ring it would be better as I find I tend to be gripping the smooth part. Full knurling would avoid this issue.

As far as the first few detents not doing anything, remember that this is a magnetic control ring, and in order to ensure the light if fully switched off, you need to move the magnet far enough away from the sensor. There is no click switch to act as a master off switch, so you need the extra space at the beginning of the control ring's movement or risk it being on the low setting all the time (as a designer you have to allow for different magnetic flux and sensor responses and err on the side of safety).


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## taratata (Jun 21, 2012)

Seems to be a interesting light indeed.

In my quest of the ideal EDC, this one is close... one or two things apart : LED and optic. I prefer XPG or so in this size of flaslight for better runtimes, and also prefer some throw over flood.

So here is my newbie questions for people who have one of these, and have done some tests on it (Colonel Sanders ?) :

- What do you think about an emitter swap for a Nichia 219 HCRI, used with 16340 : will the driver provide as Amps as the battery could, and so fry the led ? Colonel Sanders spoke of 3 amps with a AW 18350 on max (IMR i think, could provide 6A), which surely fry the Nichia as it is twice the max current it supports. One AW 16340 have a max of perhaps 1500mA ?

- Could you please tell me the internal diameter of the head, and the height of the reflector. I like TIR optics and want to know if it fits 

Thanks


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## bltkmt (Jun 22, 2012)

Received mine this week and find it to be a nice EDC light. Man, the lowest low setting is barely visible (or useable)!


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## Colonel Sanders (Jun 24, 2012)

- What do you think about an emitter swap for a Nichia 219 HCRI, used with 16340 : will the driver provide as Amps as the battery could, and so fry the led ? *I wish I knew for sure but I would think that whatever that emitter could pull when driven directly would be all you would see...but I just don't know.* Colonel Sanders spoke of 3 amps with a AW 18350 on max (IMR i think, could provide 6A), which surely fry the Nichia as it is twice the max current it supports. One AW 16340 have a max of perhaps 1500mA ? *The three amps I saw WAS with an IMR 18350. A direct driven XM-L can certainly pull much more than that on an IMR cell so there is some limiting factor here other than the cell used. Could be resistance, could be the driver....don't know.*

- Could you please tell me the internal diameter of the head, and the height of the reflector. I like TIR optics and want to know if it fits *I don't plan on taking this thing apart myself. I do plan on having my emitter swapped for a neutral or high CRI emitter by someone who really knows what they're doing.*


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## taratata (Jun 25, 2012)

Thanks for the reply Colonel Sanders,

So this light is direct driven ? It make sense, i didn't understand how the current could be so different with different batteries.
So there is no low-batts or thermal protection either ? 

I saw another thread where somebody spoke about an emitter swap for a Nichia HCRI, so i'll wait and see...


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## subwoofer (Jun 25, 2012)

Colonel Sanders said:


> - What do you think about an emitter swap for a Nichia 219 HCRI, used with 16340 : will the driver provide as Amps as the battery could, and so fry the led ? *I wish I knew for sure but I would think that whatever that emitter could pull when driven directly would be all you would see...but I just don't know.* Colonel Sanders spoke of 3 amps with a AW 18350 on max (IMR i think, could provide 6A), which surely fry the Nichia as it is twice the max current it supports. One AW 16340 have a max of perhaps 1500mA ? *The three amps I saw WAS with an IMR 18350. A direct driven XM-L can certainly pull much more than that on an IMR cell so there is some limiting factor here other than the cell used. Could be resistance, could be the driver....don't know.*
> 
> - Could you please tell me the internal diameter of the head, and the height of the reflector. I like TIR optics and want to know if it fits *I don't plan on taking this thing apart myself. I do plan on having my emitter swapped for a neutral or high CRI emitter by someone who really knows what they're doing.*





taratata said:


> Thanks for the reply Colonel Sanders,
> 
> So this light is direct driven ? It make sense, i didn't understand how the current could be so different with different batteries.
> So there is no low-batts or thermal protection either ?
> ...



As Colonel Sanders said, the EYE10 is not direct drive. The driver circuit controls the current to the LED, but is not designed for the extra input voltage of RCR123, hence the overdrive condition when using these cells.

I don't disassemble review lights unless this is specifically part of the original review, so can't help you with the internal dimensions.

If you get your customised EYE10 sorted, post some pics, I'd be interested to see it.


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## GordoJones88 (Jun 25, 2012)

LOL, I skipped over this review thread because I thought it was 
one of those creepy multi-eye flashlights that give me the heebie-jeebies. 

Woofie, I'm guessing the 4500 Lux was taken using an AW IMR 16340 around 650 Lumens ?

The EYE10 has a heavy orange peel reflector.
The RRT01 has a smooth reflector with reported 3500 Lux at 550 Lumens.
That seems a little bit more than expected between them?

I happen to notice it's $64 shipped if you're willing to wait a month for a slow boat from China . . .


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## Colonel Sanders (Jun 27, 2012)

Right, it is NOT direct drive. The driver is still holding things back a bit even when used with a fresh AW 18350. I can tell you from experience that this cell absolutely can drive an XM-L to more like 5a when direct driven and unrestricted! It's a badass cell.

I paid $67 shipped for mine when goinggear had them on sale. Got it in 3 days.

This light can register a fair amount better than 4500 lux at 1m according to my testing. It depends on the state of charge and how quickly you take the measurement but I think I recall seeing more like 7000k (perhaps only briefly) and I know it'll do 6000k+ with no problem (on AW 18350.) The reflector is mild to moderate orange peel, IMO. Certainly not what I would call heavy OP.


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## subwoofer (Jun 27, 2012)

Colonel Sanders said:


> This light can register a fair amount better than 4500 lux at 1m according to my testing. It depends on the state of charge and how quickly you take the measurement but I think I recall seeing more like 7000k (perhaps only briefly) and I know it'll do 6000k+ with no problem (on AW 18350.) The reflector is mild to moderate orange peel, IMO. Certainly not what I would call heavy OP.



You are right about a short lived higher lux reading. The beam profile graph requires set-up alignment and takes a few minutes to complete. I start in the middle to get the more realistic peak measurement and the outer spill is affected less by the slight drop in peak output, but overall the output measured becomes equivalent to the ANSI measurements.

Bear in mind as well that ANSI lumens are measure 30s after turn on. The EYE10 over-driven by an IMR heats up very quickly and loses efficiency and the cell voltage drops quite quickly too, so the peak output at turn on is much higher than the real working output levels, but only for a very short time.

The reflector gives a very smooth beam, so works well - does it matter how heavy or light the OP?


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## taratata (Jun 27, 2012)

Thanks Subwoofer and Colonel Sanders for the precisions.

I thought initially that the led was current regulated, but had a doubt reading Colonel Sanders speaking about the IMR... My fault

So i can feel there is a relationship between the over voltage of a rechargeable Li-ion and the max input voltage of the driver to explain why the current delivered by the driver to the led can vary with the batteries.
But i can't explain it with my basic electronic knowledge...

What i would like to know is "Is the current delivered on max with a RCR123 to a Nichia 219 exceed a lot 1.5A ?"

I have two solution here: wait or try


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## RBWNY (Jun 27, 2012)

I'm now trying out an AW 18350 in the Eye10. Does this light have any discharge protection? --- I'm assuming I should keep an eye on the cell so that it doesn't go too low. Is it safe to run it lower than 3.00 or should that be my cutoff?


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## subwoofer (Jun 28, 2012)

RBWNY said:


> I'm now trying out an AW 18350 in the Eye10. Does this light have any discharge protection? --- I'm assuming I should keep an eye on the cell so that it doesn't go too low. Is it safe to run it lower than 3.00 or should that be my cutoff?



There is no discharge protection. Remember the power source it is designed for are primary CR123s, and it will run these down to nothing.


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## cyclesport (Jun 28, 2012)

I also use AW 18350's in my Eye 10 and simply try to swap em' out after using for approx 30/35 min with a lot of high bursts. Hardly scientific, but utilizing the IMR's in this way I'm finding depleted voltages in the 3.2 to 3.5v range with lightly cycled batteries. I too try not to deplete them beyond 3v (or 2.7 max). Every charger I own charges these batteries to 4.24v at the lowest, sometimes finishing at 4.28v. I'm probably shortening the cycle life to some degree but far so good.


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## RBWNY (Jun 28, 2012)

Thanks! My usage doesn't include too many high bursts. So with that in mind, I think 3v will be the goal. :naughty:


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## texas cop (Jun 29, 2012)

I've had mine for a few days and I really like it but noticed something. When cool I can turn it to high then down a few notches them back to high. 2-5 seconds later it blinks once, when warm it doesn't do this. Anyone else have this?


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## Colonel Sanders (Jul 2, 2012)

Mine has an occasional blink but it seems to do it randomly (and not very often.) Only once did it do it a few times (4-5) in a short time (over the course of a couple of minutes) and that was during some steady state max brightness lux testing I was doing.

One warning about running these IMR cells down to low voltage...it doesn't take long to get from 3.5v down to 2.5v! There's not a whole lot of energy left down there so it goes by very quickly on high. Just keep it in mind. If you notice the light getting dimmer, shut 'er down right away.


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## TweakMDS (Jul 4, 2012)

Thanks for this review, and also damn you for making me doubt my earlier established plans 

I was all set of buying the Sunwayman V11R + M20A as a nice CR123 + 2xAA duo where I could exchange heads for versatility purposes. Now I see that an alternative can be the Niteye Eye10 (XM-L) + Eye12 (XP-G), which is pretty much the same, but with (probably) the same head on the Eye12 and Eye10. 

However, the Eye12 looks very, very good for a 2xAA. Only advantage of the SWM would be a better build and longer battery life (SWM M20A seems to have an amazingly long running med-mode).

Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a single review of the Niteye Eye12, and surprisingly little info on the Eye10, except for this review...


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## cyclesport (Jul 10, 2012)

TweakMDS said:


> Thanks for this review, and also damn you for making me doubt my earlier established plans
> 
> I was all set of buying the Sunwayman V11R + M20A as a nice CR123 + 2xAA duo where I could exchange heads for versatility purposes. Now I see that an alternative can be the Niteye Eye10 (XM-L) + Eye12 (XP-G), which is pretty much the same, but with (probably) the same head on the Eye12 and Eye10.
> 
> ...



Just a couple of my own observations of the Eye 10 and V11R. These two lights have rapidly become my fav. 1 X 123 lights out of many due to the control ring UI. Something about these UI's are addictive. Fit & finish is superb on both. The only downside(s) I see to the V11R is (1) a slightly ringy beam, although tint is good (slightly cool but acceptable) (2) emitter slightly off center (this was the same way on a V10R Ti+ also that I no longer own) but it doesn't have any noticable effect on the beam. It does have better heat sinking than the Eye 10 with both using RCR123 3.7v Li-ions (the Eye 10 gets hot much faster) and I like the smoth damped feel of the ring on the V11R better than the detents on the Eye 10 although with the Eye 10 this is OK since there is no rear clicky and the detents probably keep the ring from activating in a pocket better. The Eye 10 with it's XM-L U2 emitter is the best floody beam pattern and tint of any XM-L light I own (many)! It's warmer than all other XM-L U2 lights I own with a creamy, artifact free beam with a large, very difuse hotspot and very large useful spill beam.

I'm very glad I bought both and have a hard time going back to my other single 123 lights with rear clicky UI's to change modes. I would be hard pressed to choose one over the other.


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## eh123456 (Jul 11, 2012)

Which one is brighter ?
Some say the Eye 10 is noticeably brigher, is this true ? If so, this could be the reason why it gets hot faster.




cyclesport said:


> Just a couple of my own observations of the Eye 10 and V11R. These two lights have rapidly become my fav. 1 X 123 lights out of many due to the control ring UI. Something about these UI's are addictive. Fit & finish is superb on both. The only downside(s) I see to the V11R is (1) a slightly ringy beam, although tint is good (slightly cool but acceptable) (2) emitter slightly off center (this was the same way on a V10R Ti+ also that I no longer own) but it doesn't have any noticable effect on the beam. It does have better heat sinking than the Eye 10 with both using RCR123 3.7v Li-ions (the Eye 10 gets hot much faster) and I like the smoth damped feel of the ring on the V11R better than the detents on the Eye 10 although with the Eye 10 this is OK since there is no rear clicky and the detents probably keep the ring from activating in a pocket better. The Eye 10 with it's XM-L U2 emitter is the best floody beam pattern and tint of any XM-L light I own (many)! It's warmer than all other XM-L U2 lights I own with a creamy, artifact free beam with a large, very difuse hotspot and very large useful spill beam.
> 
> I'm very glad I bought both and have a hard time going back to my other single 123 lights with rear clicky UI's to change modes. I would be hard pressed to choose one over the other.


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## subwoofer (Jul 11, 2012)

cyclesport said:


> Just a couple of my own observations of the Eye 10 and V11R. ......
> ....It does have better heat sinking than the Eye 10 with both using RCR123 3.7v Li-ions (the Eye 10 gets hot much faster)......



Actually, your observation shows that the EYE10 has the better heat sinking V11R (or that the EYE10 runs at a much higher output).

The idea of heat sinking is to take the heat away from the LED. Evidence that this is working is the heat being transferred to the casing of the light - and hence the light getting hot.

Once the heat is in the casing of the light, it then has to be dissipated to your hand or the surrounding air. Small lights with high output are always going to struggle to dissipate the heat so will run hot. If the casing gets hot quickly, the heat is being effectively drawn away from the LED, so the heat sinking is good.


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## fyrstormer (Jul 12, 2012)

Not sure what's so appealing about Niteye products. They're just down-branded Jetbeams.


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## gunga (Jul 12, 2012)

How are they down branded?


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## fyrstormer (Jul 12, 2012)

gunga said:


> How are they down branded?


They are "factory twins" of existing Jetbeam models, with slight changes, sold by a company that just started selling in the USA, which already tried to steal Cool Fall's SPY 007 design until they got caught.


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## gunga (Jul 12, 2012)

Ah okay. TRied to steal the 007 design? Wow, did not know that...


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## fyrstormer (Jul 12, 2012)

gunga said:


> Ah okay. TRied to steal the 007 design? Wow, did not know that...


http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...ot-copy-quot&p=3829247&viewfull=1#post3829247

I have no personal grudge against them for doing this, but it's information worth knowing anyway.


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## cyclesport (Jul 12, 2012)

eh123456 said:


> Which one is brighter ?
> Some say the Eye 10 is noticeably brigher, is this true ? If so, this could be the reason why it gets hot faster.



*I replied to your query a couple of days ago but CPF went down for awhile and my post was apparently lost. 

As to your question, the Eye 10 is indeed brighter to the eye (I don't have access to equipment to measure lux or lumens) than the V11R when using 18350 IMR's compared to the V11R using std. protected 16340's. Although with both using 16340's it's harder to tell the difference. The Eye 10's hot spot is a little larger and the spill beam is quite a bit larger in dia. than the V11R as well.


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## cyclesport (Jul 12, 2012)

subwoofer said:


> Actually, your observation shows that the EYE10 has the better heat sinking V11R (or that the EYE10 runs at a much higher output).
> 
> The idea of heat sinking is to take the heat away from the LED. Evidence that this is working is the heat being transferred to the casing of the light - and hence the light getting hot.
> 
> Once the heat is in the casing of the light, it then has to be dissipated to your hand or the surrounding air. Small lights with high output are always going to struggle to dissipate the heat so will run hot. If the casing gets hot quickly, the heat is being effectively drawn away from the LED, so the heat sinking is good.



*I replied to your post a couple of days ago subwoofer but CPF went down for awhile and my post was apparently lost. 

I understand what you're saying. I know for example that the heat sinking abilities of the Eye 10, V11R, and ET's D25C Clicky (_for the sake of comparison, since all three XM-L U2 lights can reach 600+ lumens with Li-ion's) _are all designed to operate without overheating on CR123 primaries, and do so adequately with this 3v cell. With 3.7v Li-ion's however, the Eye 10, and D25C (Ti & aluminium versions) both get extremely hot within 25sec. and almost too hot to hold within 2min. However the V11R does quite well and takes 5 or 6 min. to reach a similar level and seemingly would continue operating for much longer without damaging the driver/emitter or battery, although I haven't actually tested this. 

I guess I thought this was due to the V11R controling heat distribution with more metal/mass around the emitter to better distribute the heat to the whole light...much the same way a_ larger_ 18650 tactical light (with an XM-L U2 emitter...say a Klarus XT-11, or ET's new D25LC2 Clicky) can operate for 10 to 15 minutes on high, generating a high lumen output without getting uncomfotably hot and possibly causing damage to the driver/emitter? _I've also owned and given away several "budget" Chinese XM-L T6 lights that get so hot within 30sec. that you literally have to put them down... yet I don't see people claiming this is due to their superior heat sinking abilities?_ I'm certainly no expert, and understand what you're saying, but does my reasoning have any merit?


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## cyclesport (Jul 12, 2012)

fyrstormer said:


> Not sure what's so appealing about Niteye products. They're just down-branded Jetbeams.



I own a few Jetbeam lights and like them very much, and almost bought the RRT-01 when it arrived. I didn't like or understand why Jetbeam utilized a SMO reflector for a small EDC light where throw would be far less important and/or desirable to most people, rather than a nice useful smooth floody beam that a OP reflector would provide? Then the Eye 10 hit the market shortly after and at over $35 cheaper (from a popular Chinese dealer) and with an OP reflector, XM-L U2 emitter vs. a T6 on the Jetbeam, and using almost the same design as the RRT-01 with a few cosmetic differences, I ordered one.

The build quality is outstanding and IMHO equal to, or better than, almost any volume production light available! With the OP reflector, upgraded emitter, and $36 saved...*this was/is a fantastic bargin!* (I'm aware this is subjective to many, and some would prefer the T6 being warmer, but having many lights utilizing both I like the U2 a little better since it too is quite neutral and seems to provide a consistant off-white, artifact free beam pattern regardless of the manufacturer)

This is my one and only Niteye light and have only had it a few weeks so I don't know how it will fare long term, but I have dropped it twice at waist-high (on concrete and ceramic tile no less!) without and damage at all! I'm not knocking the RRT-01 but at almost 700 OTF lumens w/AW 18350 IMR's, my favorite UI for a small 1 X123 EDC light , and $68 total price I consider the Eye 10 one of the best small EDC light purchases I have ever made.


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## fyrstormer (Jul 12, 2012)

The smooth reflector is annoying, but apparently the big competition right now is to see who can make the smallest thrower. I retrofitted my RRT-01 with an Arc6 reflector for $5 and a sheet of sandpaper. Since the Arc6 reflector is a slightly modified McGizmo reflector, the beam is super-clean.

The extra lumens won't really be noticeable, because the differences between individual emitters can exceed the rated difference between the RRT-01 and the EYE-10. Also, the lower-driven emitter in the RRT-01 will last longer, if that sort of thing matters to you.


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## Colonel Sanders (Jul 13, 2012)

*"Actually, your observation shows that the EYE10 has the better heat sinking V11R (or that the EYE10 runs at a much higher output).

The idea of heat sinking is to take the heat away from the LED. Evidence that this is working is the heat being transferred to the casing of the light - and hence the light getting hot."*

Yep. I have an aluminum Tri-EDC that gets hot really fast on high (2.8a) but I can wrap it in a single layer of electrical tape (I did this as a test) and the light _feels_ like it is running *WAAAAAAAAAAY* cooler. Better heat sinking? Nope, just better insulation and worse heat sinking. The IR gun shows the light to actually be hotter even though it feels much cooler. It just can't transfer that heat so well to my hand. Think about it. :thinking:


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## Colonel Sanders (Jul 13, 2012)

*"The smooth reflector is annoying, but apparently the big competition right now is to see who can make the smallest thrower."*

In that case they're using the wrong emitter. Nothing throwy about a small XM-L light....though the EYE10 does ok (7k lux at 1m by my testing) through raw power.


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## eh123456 (Jul 14, 2012)

Received mine yesterday, very nice small light, very bright with 16340 too, only complain is the half knurling on the control ring as some other users have mentioned.


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## veedo (Jul 24, 2012)

Ordered one today, along with some aw18350's. Cant wait for this to come in, sounds like a great light. Anyone fry theirs yet?


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## Colonel Sanders (Jul 25, 2012)

veedo said:


> Ordered one today, along with some aw18350's. Cant wait for this to come in, sounds like a great light. Anyone fry theirs yet?



Trust me, if *I* haven't then you won't. :devil:


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## Fireclaw18 (Jul 26, 2012)

Heh. Sounds like the perfect light would be an EYE10 with the RRT-01's fully knurled control ring and an XM-L T6 neutral emitter.


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## veedo (Jul 28, 2012)

Just got this light in the mail today and i would have to say its a keeper. Fit and finish is top notch, and the output with a 18350 is pretty awesome for a light this size.


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## jlomein (Jul 30, 2012)

Would the pocket clip on this fit the Sunwayman V10R Ti+? The screw locations look similar.


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## gunga (Jul 31, 2012)

Measure the bolt pitch on your light and I'll let you know.


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## veedo (Aug 4, 2012)

anyone notice a flicker on the lower levels with a cr123? it doesnt flicker with an imr18350 loaded in it.


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## cyclesport (Aug 4, 2012)

veedo said:


> anyone notice a flicker on the lower levels with a cr123? it doesnt flicker with an imr18350 loaded in it.



On my copy, when the light is at the very lowest level that the eye can barely detect, the light will flicker (but stabilizes if turned up)when the battery is quite low or close to depletion with _any_ battery... primary, protected RCR123 Li-co, _or_ IMR.


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## arnoldtm3 (Sep 17, 2012)

i just got it from hk equipment.i noticed even when the light is off,the led is shining a little.cover it with ur palm and u can see it.im not bothered by it,but just to let u know if ur planning on buying it,and the its difficult to put the pocket clip because the screws dont align properly..


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## peterscm (Sep 19, 2012)

Got mine from hk equipment too. Received it today. Consider fast delivery as I bought on 10/9. Tracking shown it left HK on 15/9 and arrived on 19/9.

Love this light and will replace my current EDC JetBeam BC10 which is a good and bright light when using RCR123.


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## subwoofer (Sep 20, 2012)

arnoldtm3 said:


> i just got it from hk equipment.i noticed even when the light is off,the led is shining a little.cover it with ur palm and u can see it.im not bothered by it,but just to let u know if ur planning on buying it,and the its difficult to put the pocket clip because the screws dont align properly..




I think that should bother you as the low 50uA standby current when the light is off, will be much higher if the LED is on even dimly.

I'm still using this light daily, and because I'm only using as much light as I need, it is still on its first CR123 fitted 5 months ago.


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## cyclesport (Sep 20, 2012)

arnoldtm3...

Because this light (and the RRT-01) can go down to almost imperceptable levels, make sure the light is indeed on before you go to the trouble and expense of returning/exchanging it. I'm guessing/speculating you might be catching and reflecting surrounding light in the emitter dome making it appear it's still on? Go to a very dark area w/little or no ambient light, activate the light and slowly turn it down untill you can place your eye up to the glass (first activate where it's easily visable on click 3 then turn back to click 2 where it is only visable in a darker area) and then manipualte the control ring slowly back to the first click past off...it should not be visable in a completely dark enviornment even with dark adapted eyes. This light has the tendany to appear slightly lit with a little ambient light.

Further...if it is always activated as you say, the quick battery drain should be very noticable since as subwoofer states, it will be far in excess of the 50uA standby current.


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## arnoldtm3 (Nov 4, 2012)

it was a mistake.i wasnt turning it all the way to off .there were still two more clicks.i didnt notice it because of the stiffness.now it turns off completely and the stiffness is gone.sorry for the late reply..


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## Kevin1322 (Nov 12, 2012)

I couldn't wait to get mine, but after carrying it for 3 days I went back to my RRT-0 with XPG-R5. It's a wonderful light, but the control ring bumps drive me nuts. I really didn't think it would be an issue, but it really is for me. It's just personal preference of course, but I thought I'd share it non-the-less.


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## subwoofer (Nov 12, 2012)

Kevin1322 said:


> I couldn't wait to get mine, but after carrying it for 3 days I went back to my RRT-0 with XPG-R5. It's a wonderful light, but the control ring bumps drive me nuts. I really didn't think it would be an issue, but it really is for me. It's just personal preference of course, but I'd thought I'd share it non-the-less.



I can understand that.

Personally I like the clicks, but might prefer them to be a little softer.


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## Kevin1322 (Jan 1, 2013)

Pulled mine out to use a couple of times, and the battery was dead. Didn't think much about it as I knew there was a drain, but when a battery was drained in just one day after very little use (and on low levels), I started checking. I've gone through three different almost new AW batteries, and each time the battery was dead in 24 hours, even though it was not being used. And yes, I am making sure the ring is all the way to off. So, looks like I will be returning mine too.


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## awes (Jan 2, 2013)

I've measured the drain on my unit and it was 43uA; can you measure yours?


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## RBWNY (Jan 2, 2013)

Kevin1322 said:


> Pulled mine out to use a couple of times, and the battery was dead. Didn't think much about it as I knew there was a drain, but when a battery was drained in just one day after very little use (and on low levels), I started checking. I've gone through three different almost new AW batteries, and each time the battery was dead in 24 hours, even though it was not being used. And yes, I am making sure the ring is all the way to off. So, looks like I will be returning mine too.



I've had an Eye10 for several months and haven't experiencd anything like that! I use a 18350 in it exclusively.


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## Kevin1322 (Jan 4, 2013)

I don't have a way to measure it unfortunetly. I bought 18350s to use with it, but I'm trying other batteries too right now to see if I get the same result.


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## malocchio (Jan 12, 2013)

Colonel Sanders said:


> *"The smooth reflector is annoying, but apparently the big competition right now is to see who can make the smallest thrower."*
> 
> In that case they're using the wrong emitter. Nothing throwy about a small XM-L light....though the EYE10 does ok (7k lux at 1m by my testing) through raw power.



And now that this thread is half a year old,is the Eye 10 still the smallest torch putting out 260 lumens on a single CR123 cell ??


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## cyclesport (Jan 12, 2013)

malocchio said:


> And now that this thread is half a year old,is the Eye 10 still the smallest torch putting out 260 lumens on a single CR123 cell ??



I think the brightest 1 X CR123 production light currently is probably the EagleTac D25C that has been measured @ 450 lumens on just primaries (770L w/16340's). The EYE 10 is capable of 662 lumens w/Li-ion's per this review.


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## Kevin1322 (Jan 14, 2013)

Feel like I need to post this, since I posted something negative about this light. I have an Ultrafire battery that works just fine in the light, which doesn't make sense since the AW brands are obviously better and more reputable. So I need to chalk this up to user error I think. Maybe I didn't charge them all the way, or maybe somehow it wasn't turned all the way off. I don't know, but it looks like I wasn't as thorough in my testing as I thought I was. Sorry everyone, and my appoligies to Niteye.


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## cyclesport (Jan 14, 2013)

Kevin1322 said:


> Feel like I need to post this, since I posted something negative about this light. I have an Ultrafire battery that works just fine in the light, which doesn't make sense since the AW brands are obviously better and more reputable. So I need to chalk this up to user error I think. Maybe I didn't charge them all the way, or maybe somehow it wasn't turned all the way off. I don't know, but it looks like I wasn't as thorough in my testing as I thought I was. Sorry everyone, and my appoligies to Niteye.



With 11 clicks it's an easy mistake to make. I've left mine on before thinking I had dialed it back to dead stop...there's no visual warning since the light emitted at the #2 click is so low you can't even see it. When properly turned off, I can walk away for months and the IMR/ICR battery is still almost completely charged when I need it.


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## awes (Jan 15, 2013)

Notice that the first step (when turn on) of the ring is longer that others. Make sure that you have reached it when switching the light off.


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## srvctec (Jul 5, 2013)

Late to the Eye10 party- just discovered it yesterday when trying to find a replacement for my V11R. 

I EDCed my Olight S10 for the last 8 months or so but just hated never having exactly the correct amount of light for various tasks, but love the small size of the light and the super handy magnet in the tailcap. Started EDCing my V11R a couple of days ago, but really miss the magnet.

After discovering the Eye10 over on the thread listing all the infinitely variable control ring lights, ordered one yesterday from FastTech- seems to be the perfect EDC for me except it doesn't have a magnet in the tailcap.

Now to my question for those who have the Eye10: Is it possible to easily remove the lanyard attachment swivel in the tail of the Eye10? I plan to remove it and epoxy a magnet or two in the tail so I will have the PERFECT EDC light for me.

I'll start a new thread with pics on the process of converting the tail from lanyard attachment to a magnet if it's not too difficult to remove the swivel.


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## JetskiMark (Jul 5, 2013)

Subwoofer, thank you for the review.



srvctec said:


> .....Is it possible to easily remove the lanyard attachment swivel in the tail of the Eye10? I plan to remove it and epoxy a magnet or two in the tail so I will have the PERFECT EDC light for me.....



I thought about adding a magnet to my JETBeam RRT-01 which has essentially the same battery tube. A 1/2" OD x 1/4" ID x 1/8" thick Neodymium ring magnet should fit without having to remove the lanyard attachment post. I see 12 pieces on eBay from a USA seller for $9.99 with free shipping. I will probably order them but I can't think of when I would actually need to use the magnet as opposed to using one of my numerous headlamps or my LED automotive work light. It would be a cool feature to have though.

In what circumstances do you use a magnetic light?


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## srvctec (Jul 5, 2013)

JetskiMark said:


> In what circumstances do you use a magnetic light?



I service copiers and printers for a living (in my 25th year) and being able to stick my light to the steel frame or innards of a machine while working on it is priceless. 

I actually found some 3 pound pull 1/6" thick x 1/2" dia. magnets on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012ATDD2/?tag=cpf0b6-20. I will just remove the lanyard attachment and epoxy 1 or 2 magnets in the end. I'll use the top hole on the clip for a lanyard attachment point. Can't wait to get the light in a week or so I can mod it into my perfect EDC.


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## JetskiMark (Jul 5, 2013)

srvctec said:


> I service copiers and printers for a living (in my 25th year) and being able to stick my light to the steel frame or innards of a machine while working on it is priceless.
> 
> That does sound extremely useful.
> 
> ...


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## srvctec (Jul 13, 2013)

Just got my Eye10 today. Love the light except for the detents. I want to take it apart and dremel out the last 7 detents leaving the first 4. Anyone know how to take the head apart on this thing to access the adjustment ring? Is it similar to taking apart a V11R? I just disassembled my V11R a few days ago to clean out the dried up lube and re-lube under the ring. 

On another note, I've already ground out the stainless lanyard post in the tail and added 2 stacked magnets in its place- just waiting for the epoxy to dry. I'll start another thread about that when it's completely finished and link to it here if anyone is interested.


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## srvctec (Jul 13, 2013)

Here it is all finished except for painting the epoxy. *Modded my Eye10 with magnets in the tail. (Pic heavy)*


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## subwoofer (Jul 14, 2013)

Nice work srvctec. How firmly do the magnets hold it?

Isn't the lanyard post screwed in? I will have a closer look at mine, but I thought there was an optional glass breaker at some point that could be swapped out. Might be wrong, so will have a look later.


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## srvctec (Jul 14, 2013)

subwoofer said:


> Nice work srvctec. How firmly do the magnets hold it?
> 
> Isn't the lanyard post screwed in? I will have a closer look at mine, but I thought there was an optional glass breaker at some point that could be swapped out. Might be wrong, so will have a look later.



Thanks, subwoofer. It holds very well. The magnets are approximately 3lb. pull and I put it on top of my washing machine and lifted the lid with it. 

I tried unscrewing the post and driving it out with no luck- wouldn't budge at all.

Edit: Just took this pic of it holding up a 2.5lb. weight easily. Tried a 5lb. weight and it wouldn't pick it up. So I'm guessing around a 3.5lb. pull.


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## alex21 (Jul 15, 2013)

Anyone have the titanium version? I'm very curious about the tint, heard its a little warmer than neutral while still putting out a whole heck of a lot of light. Even has some slots for trits.. what's not to like?? (besides the carbon fibre.. why not just go all titanium??)


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## Sofastreamer (Dec 18, 2013)

anyone tested the runtime on the lowest low on a cr123? As niteye claims to have a lowest low of one lumen, to my eye it is more of 0,01 lumen. so it would be nice to know, how Long it would run on that as i would like to use it instead of trits for alocation.


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## subwoofer (Dec 19, 2013)

Sofastreamer said:


> anyone tested the runtime on the lowest low on a cr123? As niteye claims to have a lowest low of one lumen, to my eye it is more of 0,01 lumen. so it would be nice to know, how Long it would run on that as i would like to use it instead of trits for alocation.



Why would you want to use it instead of a trit? I use tritium keyrings (sometimes called glow-rings) as markers for my keys and anything else I need to mark. These are £10 each and last for well over 10 years. Why, oh why would you want to use a £50 light running on a £2 disposable cell to act as a marker? I'd rather leave a £10 keyring lying around than a £52 light.

My EYE10 is still a regular user thanks to the low level output, so I won't be tying it up in a runtime test on the lowest output.

Use a trit keyring for marking , and an EYE10 for lighting.


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## Sofastreamer (Dec 19, 2013)

i own several trit markers for several items. in this particular case i wanted to know just because...


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## jon_slider (Dec 25, 2018)

thanks for the review
Im interested in buying a Niteye Eye 10, if anyone wants to sell theirs please PM me

Merry Xmas!


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## rickypanecatyl (Jan 17, 2019)

What an excellent 7 year old light! I just found a new one in the store to replace my wife's lost one... it didn't matter to her that the newer lights put out more lumens. She just loved the amazingly simple UI - turn it down to go lower and turn it up to go brighter!

Let's get a new one of these made with an XP-L HI and perhaps a tail clicky + change the selector ring to go down to .1 lumens but not off. (It's a really bad idea to have 2 off options on the same light!) I'd pay a couple hundred bucks for one...


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## jon_slider (Jan 17, 2019)

glad you got one

the version by Sunwayman called V11r has the tailclicky option, and some do go down to 0.1, they vary a bit, the spec is just to go down to 1.0, but they go lower on some units.

maybe contact gunga, he might be able to help you with LED swaps

Im carrying the Jetbeam RRT-01 version, modded to Nichia.
RRT-01 is very similar to Eye10, but without the extra detent stops along the ring.. just a stop at min and max.. the V11r btw is also a smooth dial with no extra stops.

I have an Eye10, thanks to a member who saw my post, when I wanted to try the detent option. Ive learned I like the RRT-01 best among the 3 options mentioned, but they are also hardest to find.

enjoy your lights


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## Shrigg (Apr 18, 2019)

rickypanecatyl said:


> What an excellent 7 year old light! I just found a new one in the store to replace my wife's lost one... it didn't matter to her that the newer lights put out more lumens. She just loved the amazingly simple UI - turn it down to go lower and turn it up to go brighter!
> 
> Let's get a new one of these made with an XP-L HI and perhaps a tail clicky + change the selector ring to go down to .1 lumens but not off. (It's a really bad idea to have 2 off options on the same light!) I'd pay a couple hundred bucks for one...



Everyone is aware that Jetbeam re-introduced the RRT-01 right? Thank goodness they realized what a winner they had!


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