Nitecore EX10

Nitecore EX10
I recently was afforded the opportunity to test and review the Nitecore EX10. I know this comes a little late in the game since it appears almost 80% of the active posters on Candlepower forums already own either an EX10 or a D10, but for what it's worth, here are my observations.

Meat and Potatoes
My initial impression of the EX10 was it's extreme quality of finish. This light is superbly constructed. There are no extraneous tool marks anywhere to be found and the anodizing is hands down the best that I have seen on any flashlight including some very high end lights I have tried. This light is covered nearly end to end in basic diamond pattern knurling. Some people are not very fond of basic knurling and I personally am of the opinion that it is somewhat overused since it is found on the vast majority of flashlights (and nearly every other cylindrical object machined out of metal), however this light seems to thrive from it. It is fairly aggressive giving a superb grip to this minuscule light. Right from the start the appearance of the nickel plated push button on the tail of the light was one of my biggest attractors. Aesthetically, the contrasting light / dark look is beautiful. Functionally the obvious tail standing ability that still allows for easy access to the switch is fantastic. Operationally the concept of the PD design is one I have thought brilliant for some time. The stainless Steel bezel ring is just one more touch of class that I think sets this light apart. I know the use of the extra bezel ring in the EX10 was likely devised as nothing more than a cost saving measure allowing Nitecore to utilize a standard reflector between several products of differing diameters, but it still adds a touch of beauty to an already good looking design.

I am not going to go into a description of the operation of the light because that has been delved into in other locations to a greater detail than I feel is necessary. I was very impressed however with this light (my first ramping light) because of it's extreme flexibility in offering the user a choice between runtime or brightness. I love the concept of choosing my own efficiency with enough power to accomplish whatever task I have at hand. This light takes a different approach to every day lighting needs than most and I think it is a refreshing change. Many lights these days are trying to impress people with their raw power, whereas Nitecore has determined that control is more useful in an every day scenario. I happen to agree. Power is nothing without control.

For power though, I was able to compare it with a couple of lights that I either own or have access to and found it to be more than an adequate for them. The light runs very similar in output and overall lighting performance with the Fenix P2D and L2D as well as with the Pila GL2 with Cree LED. The beam shapes are barely different between them all with the tint of the EX10 by far being the whitest. The Pila has a slightly more concentrated hotspot whereas the Fenix's are a little more floody. This is a good balance between them.

Constructive Critisizm
Yet for all of it's polish, I still have some small concerns with this light. My first light got a chance to be tested for waterproofedness almost immediately upon receipt as my area had massive thunderstorms roll through for the duration of that evening. I (being the good CPF'er that I am) immediately plunked it into a large puddle and begin trying to get a picture of it. After several unsuccessful minutes I retrieved the light and examined it for leaks to find the battery compartment bone dry. Happy with the outcome I pocketed the light for a couple of hours to watch a movie. When next I found myself pulling it out I noticed a significant layer of fog inside the window obscuring the beam. Not only that but it would refuse to completely turn off, instead emitting an extremely low level 'glow' from the emitter that served no purpose except to annoy me for not having a waterproof flashlight. I was able to remove the bezel and window and completely dry out the components overnight so normal usage could resume the next morning.

After emailing fenix-store.com (non Fenix branded product now moved to 4sevens.com) they immediately took care of arranging for replacement of my light with no protests whatsoever. I have to say, these guys are good, the service was impeccable. Within a couple of days I had my replacement light in hand and was able to resume testing. Overall brightness differences between the two lights were indistinguishable indicating no lack of quality in the emitter or aberration in the electronics. The biggest visual difference however is my second light had a noticeably ringed beam where the first one was almost perfect. There is still a nice large spot with a smooth transition to spill as before, but this one has some ever so slight color variation and shadowing providing the usual "Cree ring circus".

Also notable is the fact that this second light has a much more noticeable "inductor whine" than my first one did. I'm not entirely certain if it is just because I am paying closer attention to it than previously or if there has actually been a volume increase between individual lights. This time around I also notice an extremely rapid clicking (almost a buzz) when the light is in standby mode (twisted on but clicked off) where the circuitry is waking up every few milliseconds to check for a button press. This does concern me somewhat due to the battery drain on an unused light, but thankfully I will be carrying this in my pocket almost all the time and use up the power on actual lighting long before the battery can self drain from standby mode.

Two more small issues, when in momentary mode sometimes the light can seem to flicker somewhat (usually during a slightly wonky button press) causing it to occasionally jump to either min or max when not intended. I don't know if this is just pure user error or if a slight design change would eliminate this. Also even though I like the concept (and the looks for the most part) of the Stainless steel bezel I am not 100% sold on the specifics of the implementation. The edges of this very thin metal ring extend beyond the diameter of the head of the light where it meets causing for a slightly rough feel. This isn't a huge concern but I think it could have been corrected with minimal effort during manufacturing. Whether the bezel be made narrower or just thicker with a small chamfer doesn't matter, but it could be better.

Conclusions
All this being said, I am still left with a very positive feel for this light. I don't have any qualms about declaring it to be my every day carry light of choice for the time being and for some time to come. I have to give a very hearty 'Thank You' to the person who commissioned this review. This light is very high quality for such a reasonable price point, and it gets my full recommendation.

Pila GL2 with 3W Cree LED emitter

Pila GL2 with 3W Cree LED emitter.

I have liked flashlights all my life. I love reading the detailed specs driven reviews that many people post. This is not one of them. I work in a factory. I use my light every day and this review is based more on real life usage scenarios than white wall hunting. I don't have the equipment to test output directly but I do have impressions based on comparisons.

My first impressions with the Pila GL2 are merely of it’s robust utilitarian nature. This is not intended for every day carry in a business suit with a silk tie, but rather on the job or on the street as a worklight. It is truly heavy duty. It still falls into the same category where all other 2x123 lights are but it has a heft that makes it feel like it is designed to be genuinely used, rather than to decorate a shelf somewhere. This light seems to be ideally belonging to both people like me that just need to light up a dark corner in a machine and to professionals such as law enforcement officers or security officers. Many "Security Conscious" people will find this light to be ideal as well to carry along on trips or during night-time outings.

The Cree module (which is the main subject of review) is a no-frills utilitarian piece of work as well. It performs admirably with little flair. Along with the body design as a worklight, the emitter module fits that category also. Instead of giving the user multiple options and a complicated User Interface, Pila has gone with the much more simplistic option of merely providing the user with an on/off switch and balancing the output to what they felt was the most useful brightness for a work situation, paired with a superb runtime.

Meat and Potatoes

The Pila Cree module is set to 120 lumens and is supposed to eek 6 hours off from a pair of CR123A batteries. The official branded Pila 600P batteries also work (they are, as a most basic comparison, 18650's) giving the module an input range of 3.7-9 volts (for 3x123 use in the GL3). It is interesting to note that this module is designed to work as well with the Codex2 and Codex3 modules, so there must be some quailty circuitry there that isn't used for mere direct operation models like mine.

I do not have the ability to measure output directly, but comparing the beam to several other lights I have access to, 120 lumens makes sense. This has a hotspot very similar in brightness to the Surefire P60 lamp assembly, but where this light really shines (pun intended) is it's spill beam. The spill beam in most Cree beam shots that I have seen has always been brighter than most other types of lights. I think this has to do with the unique emission pattern of the Cree LED. The Pila is no exception. It has an immensely bright spillbeam that truly makes this light useful. I work in a bindery so I am usually making use of this light at short distances in a brightly lit room. I need to see into the corners and crevices of my machines to be able to make repairs on the generally shadowed portions. Is it purely a floodlight? No way! The hotspot is quite focused allowing for a decent throw, but I find it so much more useful than that. As an added bonus the beam is flawless. The transition from spot to spill is incredibly smooth and the beam is devoid of artifacts thanks to the heavy orange peel reflector.

I haven't done runtime tests because I do not have equipment to test light output. My testing has been far more on the order of real world use rather than pure turn it on and start the stopwatch. I am not entirely certain however that it meets the 6 hour claims, but it definitely runs a sight longer than any other 123 light I have ever used. I use my lights all the time and I still got a couple of weeks out of it.

Constructive Criticism

I do not believe that anything is perfect. If I take that view then it means there is no room for improvement. With the Pila GL2, the biggest room for improvement comes from the switch. Mine has the standard tactical clicky switch. This is a true momentary clicky that we all know and love. I take some issue with the specifics, however. I think that it is a little too recessed for comfort without being at all capable of a tailstand. Combine that with an action that is a little too...mushy and you have a switch that leaves a little to be desired. The switch seems a tad stiff and doesn't have a lot of tactile feedback. It is something that doesn't interfere with operation in any way but I think that it could be better. Honestly, the best switch I have felt came with a sub-$20 polymer xenon light (Brinkmann Maxfire LX). A Pila representative told me that the switch was recessed like that to make accidental activation less likely, and it does help in that respect, but I prefer a more solid action.

The anodizing on this light is a type-II+ anodizing. It appears to be a nice thick looking matte black. I do not have much personal experience anodizing so I can't compare how well it holds up to other lights. It does seem to be starting to wear though around the hard edges and corners as I continue to use it daily. I don't exactly baby it however so I don't know if this means anything or not.

Conclusions

This light is ideal, as I stated previously, in a daily work carry environment. I am quite glad to have it in my day to day routine. It is excellent for illuminating everything from dark corners to a dark forest. I find co-workers reaching for it over their own company issued Surefire G2 Xenon lights because of the quality (and quantity!) of light it gives off. It is also fantastically capable of lighting your way around in a dark environment. The spill beam really comes in handy there because it gives you such a wide field of view. However, be warned. If you are using it for nocturnal navigation around the house (checking on the thermostat, locking a door...) you will wash out your vision unless you get creative with your techniques. I generally shine it on the ceiling behind my back! This light is more than adequate that way. That being said, it is always the first thing I reach for to investigate things that go bump in the night. Overall I genuinely like my GL2. It has turned out to be one of the best and most versatile lights I have ever used.

Edit: The Cree module I have tested here is one of the first run modules that came out soon after the Cree XR-E LED was released. I do not know the bin code. Since then however Pila has released two subsequent modules that utilize either a P4 for 180 Lumens or a Q5 for 225 Lumens rather than the 120 Lumen model that I have. Both of these new models are fully compatible with the Codex Module as well. The future is looking bright for certain now.

Brinkmann Maxfire LX

Brinkmann Maxfire LX

The Brinkmann Maxfire LX is the first flashlight that I ever picked up that opened my world beyond the concept that a 2D Maglight was the best there was. I'm not knocking that light, because even if it is nothing else it was a fantastic vehicle to prove to people that a flashlight can be made sturdily and not just be a piece of cheap plastic. However, the Brinkman illuminated my concept of what a flashlight should really be far beyond what I had ever seen previously.

Meat and Potatoes
I am forced to admit that a Brinkmann Maxfire LX is likely not going to be considered as a high end flashlight by anyone and likely this review is a completely moot point with today's amazing lights (some of which are reviewed here on this site), but for what it's worth I found this light to be amazingly well constructed for such a simple design. This light uses a xenon bulb and 2 CR123A batteries to produce a very large quantity of smooth bright white light that is very comparable to much more expensive lights. This light proved to be easily as bright if not brighter than the fleet of Surefire G2's (P60 lamp assemblies rated at 65 Lumens) that my company used at the time. Yet with a purchase price in the sub $20 range including batteries and sometimes a holster, this light became affordable to nearly anyone. I am very fond of the rubber grip that encases the barrel and also a band around the head of the light, because it ends up being nearly impossible to drop. There is nothing slippery about this light at all, yet it is incredibly comfortable.

The switch is where this light really stands out. It is a standard momentary click switch that has just about the best feel of any light I have used to this day. It is stiff enough to not get accidentally activated and yet smooth enough to never feel like it is an effort to use. This is a switch that I have recommended several other manufacturers to look at when designing their lights since it is, in my opinion, pretty much the cream of the crop.

Constructive Criticism
There are a couple of things that I would do better with this light. The biggest of which (to me) is the fact that it really seemed to take some effort to make sure that the light bulb was perfectly centered in the reflector. This may not seem like a big deal, but when it got even a little out of the middle the beam of the light seemed to deform into a bit of a lopsided blob rather than a perfect circle. The good news was that if you got it placed correctly it would pretty much stay there no matter what you did.

Secondly, the tailcap for this light had a set of very fine threads that caused a high likelihood of getting them cross threaded when changing the batteries. Of course, with the chance of shifting the bulb out of center if you unscrewed the head, this meant that you would almost be guaranteed to use the tailcap to change batteries. It's not something that ever became a make it or break it deal with me, but something I had to consciously watch out for none the less.

Conclusions
This light seems to have really opened the door for me and therefor has a very special place in my heart. However, I don't really think that is the only reason that I like it so much. I believe this light is really an outstanding value for the level of quality it gives you at such a reasonable price. Since it's initial usage I have found a generic brand LED drop in that fits the head and runs beautifully giving me a significantly longer runtime off from a set of batteries. I have not forgotten this light in the passage of time, now it resides in my vehicle as a always present backup/emergency light. That is one of the best things about lithium batteries, their ability to hold a charge for the duration of their 10 year shelf life. I never need to worry about being left in the dark now.

All being said, for the <$20 range that this light generally shows up in, I have to definitely give this light a recommendation. This goes especially for someone who is stuck with the same old lights that have been the "norm" for so many years. This light will illuminate a whole new world for you.