# Tank007 E09 the famous budget light review - for submission in the Reviews forum



## njet212 (Oct 9, 2013)

​
Tank007 E09 is quite famous around flashlight enthusiasts because it's so cheap, good anodized and build like a tank??  
I really like single AAA flashlight because it is relatively small, compact and easy to carry. Even i have much more powerful lights such as single CR123 or single 18650 ( which i don't carry often because of the size ) i could say single AAA light is always with me 24/7 because i attached it on my keychain and you can forgot that you have it with you. Let start the fun shall we ?


*SPECIFICATION 
*
Taken from Tank007 Website






*PACKAGING AND CONTENT
*









Comes in tin box / gift box style, packaging is really easy to open ( compared with blister packaging which i really hate because it's quite messy to open ). Inside the packaging you got 1 x E09, Spare O-Ring, Split Ring. No battery and manual included.


*BUILD QUALITY AND DESIGN
*





Because the Tank007 E09 ( E09 ) is keychain light, i will highlight the stock split because it's really important on key chain light set-up. I think stock split ring is way too fragile and thin. As you can see above left one is stock E09 split ring and on the right side US made split ring which looks more thick and strong. 






Above is stock split ring on Picollo Titanium, even that thick split ring begin to broke, I would not recommend to use stock split ring if you don't have lost your E09.






Even E09 is budget light, but i'm really amazed how good the finishing and feel on my hand. Also has thick body compared with similar lights, i feel also the anodized is quite good and feel strong. It is not feel that slippery even with out knurling on the battery tube area, it has knurling on the head. Mostly with twisty light, i will only hold at the head area so this is really good design for me. Knurling i would say medium traction.






There is anti-roll design on head area, on the tail there is 2 holes for split ring. 






The problem with twisty head which has UI loosened to off is the head will loosened it self time to time, in fact i had lost my Preon Revo head few years ago. Tank solve this problem by designing much more deeper thread on E09 ( as you can see on above picture from left to right: Sunway R02A - Olight i3S - Tank007 E09 ). Thread also feel really smooth and comes with pre-lubed thread :thumbsup:











E09 use Cree XPE R3 with light orange peel reflector. On my sample LED is nicely centered. There is also TANK007 clear marking on the positive pole.






Because it has flat tail, it could easily tail stand even on non-flat surface :thumbsup:



*BATTERY
*









It's support Alkaline, Nimh and Li-Ion 10440. One of idea behind single AAA light design is easy to get battery, so AAA light which stated with 10440 is only for wow factor and for fun only ( to impress the other ). I would not recommend using 10440 because it has shorter run time, too much heat compared with Alkaline and Nimh.


*SIZE
*




*Left to Right: *Eneloop AAA - Maratac AAA Q5 (1st Gen) - Picollo Titanium - Olight i3S - Tank007 E09 - Sunwayman R02A - Inova XS - Preon 1 Titanium XPG










Size is quite standard for single AAA light, it is not the shortest or longest one. Feels quite good on hand ( thanks to good matte anodized ). Thing to consider for you which has big hand, it might not feel comfortable on your hand because of it's size.


*USER INTERFACE, BEAM SHOT & RUNTIME* 

E09 has 3 mode, the arrangement is High - Medium - Low no Strobe or SOS mode. It has last use memory mode, which means it always on at last mode do you use. For me i don't like this memory mode feature, quite annoying. I would prefer without memory mode because i will always know at which mode my light will on.

From off position, to turn on the flashlight just rotate the head clock wise till it's on. Sometimes i need to loosened - tightened the head because it's just won't on.

From on position, to change the mode loosed-tightened the head till you get your desired mode.

To turn off the flashlight, rotate the head counter clockwise.


















On wall shot we could see that E09 and Inova XS has tight hot spot compared with the Sunwayman R02A and Olight i3S ( both using XP-G2 ). Beam on E09 is not perfectly round, beams has flower pattern alike. But I'm sorry i can't capture it with my camera.





















**) there is mistake on Sunwayman R02 distance, should be 4 meters instead of 175 meters*





Beam shot is done with fresh sanyo Eneloop 800 mAh. The beam for Inova XS on 4 meters beam shot looks brighter, more focus and less side spill compared with E09 ( even it has less lumen than E09 ). E09 producing same lumen both on Nimh and Alkaline.










Run time performance on high mode both alkaline and Nimh is quite similiar, Nimh has 1 min more runtime. On medium mode, is quite interesting. Alkaline has better runtime compared with Nimh and it's also producing higher lumen. 

The idea of AAA light design is easy to get power source ( alkaline ) it's make sense that this light is optimized for alkaline and generally the most use mode is medium, Tank007 optimized the regulation on medium mode.













**) ABC Biru Putih means Blue and White ABC it's local brand of Alkaline battery
*
Compared with similar lights ( on Max mode and use Nimh ) E09 has the shortest runtime and Inova XS has the longest runtime on Nimh. On Alkaline ( max mode ) Tank007 also has the shortest runtime and Inova XS has the longet runtime.

It's very interesting to compare sunwayman R02 Max mode and Tank007 E09 Medium mode ( alkaline ). E09 producing 30-ish lumen and has 1 hour 30 mins runtime to 10% and Sunwayman R02A producing 70-ish lumen and has 1 hours 33 mins runtime. The lumen on R02A almost double compared with E09 but the runtime is almost the same 



*SUMMARY
*







Looking at the price point, it's quite surprising how the E09 build. Finishing and anodizing are good, even it's cheap light they don't go cheap on finishing ( compared with similar budget lights such as ultrafire etc ). But tehere is several things that they should improve on E09 such as driver efficiency, reflector design, quality of split ring and the contact on battery poles ( some times it just won't turn on ).

There are also few things that quite annoying for me such as mode arrangement High - Medium - Low ( they should make it Low - Medium - High instead ) and memory mode ( they should get rid of this memory mode ). E09 also has the shortest run time among it's competitor, but if you are tight in budget i think you can still consider this light.


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## Dubois (Oct 9, 2013)

Does the E09 use PWM?


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## StorminMatt (Oct 9, 2013)

Dubois said:


> Does the E09 use PWM?



Yes.


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## njet212 (Oct 9, 2013)

Dubois said:


> Does the E09 use PWM?



As StorminMatt said it does use PWM, you can also google TANK007 E09 review there is several reviews with PWM detail on other forum that confirmed that. It's pretty fast PWM i could not detect it with my eyes.


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## yoyoman (Oct 9, 2013)

Good review and nice pictures. You highlight why many consider this a good value light. The detail about the threads was very nice. My E09 is branded (NKON.NL) and it was even cheaper than the standard model and it is a great value.

The E09 does have PWM and it is pretty fast. But I wish it was faster. This is one point that generates strong feelings. It is OK for me.

I also find that the E09 has relatively more throw than other AAA lights. You can see this in the beam shots. I'm not sure if this is an advantage or not. Generally, I prefer floody lights for EDC. But the small size, cheap price and robust build of this light mean I can throw it in a bag or pocket and have it when I need it and not worry about it.


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## njet212 (Oct 10, 2013)

@yoyoman: E09 is quote throw but my Inova XS has much better throw because it's use Cree XP-C which has smaller LED compared with XP-E
For me i would prefer flood AAA light rather than focus AAA light, i think it's designed for short distance use such as finding key hole, navigating dark path etc. For that kind of purposes having too intense hot spot is making my eyes tired.


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## yoyoman (Nov 21, 2013)

I agree - I generally prefer AAA lights to be more floody because that is more useful in a small, edc light.


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## TweakMDS (Nov 21, 2013)

I love this light a lot. It's way too throwy (but that's also a good thing), with a bad beam full of artefacts, but at the same time it's built well (at least from the outside), has proven itself to take a beating (falling out of the car, being thrown into some water etc), and perhaps most importantly, it's dirt cheap and afaik the brightest to run on AAA eneloops.

Only thing I could wish for is this light but with a momentary clicky.


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## can'townenough (Nov 22, 2013)

Nice review I know its not a aaa light but the xtar wk21 rcr123 light is another descent small light. I have a energizer 1aa which I've been using a 14500 in instead of what's recommended for over a year now with surprisingly no issues... yet atleast. The energizer was $9.99 at checker auto.


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## Northern_Lights (Nov 22, 2013)

Nice review, may have to pick one of these up.


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## Maltytasker (Jan 10, 2014)

I have had one of these on my keychain for a couple of months, same color as the one in this review, and have found that the finish is wearing off on all of the edges on and around the light, revealing the bare aluminum. The material used in this finish seems very weak. I like the brightness, despite the irregularity of the center beam, but have decided to go to the Klarus MiX6 because I want the strobe feature in case I have a traffic emergency at night. The beam on that light isn't nearly as bright, but I really like the SS finish.


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## Ray F. (Mar 10, 2014)

Thanks for this review! I just bought one of these today for the collection. Hasn't arrived yet. I noticed specification is 120 lumens. I guess you have to use 10440 for that?


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## kreisl (Mar 11, 2014)

Ray F. said:


> noticed specification is 120 lumens. I guess you have to use 10440 for that?



Our _UPz had measured up to 100 Fenix lumens 1sec after activation on Eneloop AAA in his most recently acquired sample, he's got several E09 samples. On 10440 the E09 hardly reaches 140 Fenix lumens. On the other hand, efficiency/runtime isn't too bad then. 
My Spanish-lingo cousin kreisler confirms these measurements. The "120 lumens" spec is so to speak the pseudo-average  between 100lm (Enepoop 1.49V) and 140lm (10440 4.20V), measured *1sec *after activation on *full *cells.

With confirmed measured 100 Fenix lumens, the E09 is no doubt one of the brightest Eneloop AAA lights on the market (has some throw too!) and one of the safest lights to be operated on 10440. Attention, overly long protected 10440's do not fit.

Also check out his review of the similar models (same driver/UI/LED!!):
Tank007 ES12
Tank007 E10


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## Ray F. (Mar 11, 2014)

> With confirmed measured 100 Fenix lumens, the E09 is no doubt one of the brightest Eneloop AAA lights on the market (has some throw too!) and one of the safest lights to be operated on 10440. Attention, overly long protected 10440's do not fit.



@kreisl
Thanks for the additional info. This will make a great edition to my growing collection.


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## Albinoni1967 (Mar 13, 2014)

Hi is it possible to buy this online and if so where, also can you buy off their website.

Thanks


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## Ray F. (Mar 13, 2014)

I got a pretty good deal on an eBay auction. I haven't checked Amazon or other.


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## Albinoni1967 (Mar 14, 2014)

I've seen one or two on Ebay for around $18 including free shipping too which is very good. I've been considering a AAA LED torch and might look into this. Also do they only come with one type of Cree emitter or is there different LEDs for this torch. Also is it a white light as in a cool white.


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## Ray F. (Mar 14, 2014)

I've seen it for between $10 and $13 on eBay "auction". 

The E19 AA is closer to $18. 

I've only seen one emitter and I'm waiting to get mine, so I cannot yet comment on beam quality, color, tint, etc.


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## andygold (Jul 31, 2014)

Unsure what the difference is between the "standard" lumen and "Fenix" lumens. Also, am I understanding it correctly that if I put a 10440 in my E09 I'd only get about 20 lumens more output (on high?)? What about on the other levels? what other differences would a 10440 provide? What about runtimes and heat. Does the light have a built-in automatic step down feature after a certain time period when running 10440?

I'm running an EBL LSD NiMH AAA 1100 mAh (possibly a better alternative than Eneloop XX), and it's performing quite well. Much brighter than my Lummi WEE 100 lumen light.

Lastly, can anyone list which 10440 fit and work with this light, and/or which ones don't?


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## yoyoman (Jul 31, 2014)

Don't have mine with me. I would say there is significantly more output on a 10440. I use AW unprotected blue 10440 - no longer available, unfortunately. The light does not have an automatic step down. It gets hot and so it has a manual step down.


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## kreisl (Dec 20, 2014)

For Xmas I bought 19pcs of the NKON labeled E09's and 1pc of the regular branded E09 with a fair discount, all in gungrey anodization and apparently from the same production batch. I couldn't help but notice that the two head parts are not loctited any longer, which is great for modders, repairing, switching reflector, etc, and that a nice LED centering black plastic spacer got placed around the LED.

In the early years of E09 (est. 2011) there was mere glue between the LED board and the back of the aluminum reflector, and it crumbled upon opening the head. It was the only major gripe i had with the E09.

Good to see that Tank007 has been improving the construction ever since. With the new(?) plastic spacer it is impossible that the aluminum reflector could short out with the LED/LED board. No chance. It is an important detail in the construction of the flashlight, the Fenix LD01 has it too!, and there is finally nothing serious to complain/warn about the light anymore :kiss:

As you can see from the serial number, the below sample was produced in October 2014:















Btw my E09's came with a LOP reflector installed. Former E09's were equipped with smooth reflector and had a starry hotspot. The LOP reflector makes the beam profile look less starry :thumbsup:

I am sure that there are more efficient and brighter AAA keychain lights nowadays on the market, e.g. *Eagletac D25AAA* or Thrunite Ti4  but E09 is still a pleaser in the giftees' hands and afaik continues to sell like crazy on Fasttech, NKON, a.o.

All great stuff.


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## _UPz (Dec 20, 2014)

Thanks for the pics, kreisl.
That's a good improvement for such _legendary_ budget flashlight.
Does it now have some aluminium under the MCPCB or is it hollow like in the old days?


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## kreisl (Dec 20, 2014)

_UPz said:


> Does it now have some aluminium under the MCPCB or is it hollow like in the old days?



i don't know what MCPCB is. the LED board sits in/on aluminum cup as you can see and the driver is underneath the cup. the heat generated on the LED board gets transferred to the contacting cup and then distributed over the flashlight head and body. same as LD01.


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## _UPz (Dec 21, 2014)

What I ask is if, just under were the LED sits in the "LED board" (aka MCPCB), there is a direct thermal contact, or the "pill" is still hollow.
For your reply, as you used the word "cup" twice in your text, I would say it is still hollow, which means the heat has to "travel" from the center of the "LED board" to the external perimeter, 
ie. not the best thermal design for a famous 10440 eater like this.
Never seen a LD01 dissasembled.
Anyway, thanks for your reply.


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## kreisl (Dec 22, 2014)

Inverted/reverse cup i would say. You call it pill. A pill maybe sum thing which can be screwed out of the head parts. I assume that the LED board sits flat on a flat surface. Heat would travel from the center to the perimeter. Of course there is no extra aluminum heat sink. I might understand what you mean if the LED board were desoldered from the wires. But i don't do such things.

Never mind. Believe me, the E09 has a great likable construction and heat dissipates fast to the entire flashlight head & body mass.

It's a hot little light!


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## BruceMKuykendall (Jun 25, 2015)

Very detailed review. Just received a Tank007 E09 flashlight. Your review helps me to know more about this flashlight.


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## RoJohn L. Sugg (Aug 5, 2015)

Just purchased a E09 from Tank007, hope it will not let me down. This review is very professional, BTW.


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## Techno (Nov 10, 2015)

I just placed an order for ES12, the stainless steel version of the E09.

What's the reason for the lack of interest over the stainless steel ES12? I saw a long thread on the Fenix E05ss. The ES12 looks better IMO.


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## PhilipSmith (Nov 23, 2015)

Now, big discount is going on! Before December 20, Tank007 E09 can be got at rather low price. Just contact me for more details.


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## Techno (Nov 28, 2015)

Hi

I have both E09 and Es12. From spec page, they're rated for IPX8. Why does water go in when I run the torches through soap and water? The O ring does kind of seem undersized if you ask me.


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## kreisl (Nov 28, 2015)

Techno said:


> I have both E09 and Es12. From spec page, they're rated for IPX8. Why does water go in when I run the torches through soap and water? The O ring does kind of seem undersized if you ask me.



What's your serial number? Feel free to mask the last three digits. Some batches came with wobbly heads and too low o-ring friction i agree. You could mitigate it wiv hanf and or bigger o-ling. i have equipped my es12 with the LD01 o-ring: perfect fit, perfect water-proofness, premium twisty feel!

While my e09 e12 are beautiful keepers in my collection pelican case, i do have moved on. Their efficiency and max brightness is soso (compare with graphs) and the PWM is ridiculous.

What i really appreciate about these 2 models is: they could be easily fixed, if something's broken (lens, led, soldering, driver, spring). Take spare parts from your other broken e09 lol.


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## Techno (Mar 18, 2016)

kreisl said:


> What's your serial number? Feel free to mask the last three digits. Some batches came with wobbly heads and too low o-ring friction i agree. You could mitigate it wiv hanf and or bigger o-ling. i have equipped my es12 with the LD01 o-ring: perfect fit, perfect water-proofness, premium twisty feel!
> 
> While my e09 e12 are beautiful keepers in my collection pelican case, i do have moved on. Their efficiency and max brightness is soso (compare with graphs) and the PWM is ridiculous.
> 
> What i really appreciate about these 2 models is: they could be easily fixed, if something's broken (lens, led, soldering, driver, spring). Take spare parts from your other broken e09 lol.



E09 starts with 502009
ES12 starts with 409120

I got these replacement O rings.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/310578043099

It has 50 pieces. I broke one piece on my first attempt, but managed to roll on two pieces onto the E09 and ES12. Works better now.


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## Repulsor (Apr 2, 2016)

Cute little thing) would love to have one!))


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## BruceMKuykendall (Jul 7, 2016)

in MAY,tank007 just released a new rechargeable flashlight uc17. max 800 lumen, 300 meters,XM L2 T6，1*18650. and the price is very low, you can think about it.


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## KatherineLee (Mar 15, 2017)

Techno said:


> E09 starts with 502009
> ES12 starts with 409120
> 
> I got these replacement O rings.
> ...



Do you mean I need to purchase 50 pieces one time?


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## RoJohn L. Sugg (May 15, 2017)

After read thie review, I just purchased a E09 from Tank007, but not received yet. Hope it not let me down.


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## meeshu (Aug 7, 2018)

Purchased this light about a year ago. I like the mode memory function!

Trouble is the head/bezel is VERY loose fitting!

Trying to on sell this light as I don't like this loose head at all. :shakehead

Light was manufactured in April 2016 according to the serial number on the light.


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