[Chenko]

Not really a review, but still I would find this post better fit in the reviews section, so please MODs move it there if you wish. For further information on what really matters please check the review by Selfbuilt (I love your reviews dude!).

Xeno E03 is a really interesting 1xAA powered flashlight. It is available in three tints (cool, neutral and warm) and three anodization colours (black, warm blue and red), plus it supports 14500 lithium-ion batteries, making it very versatile.

A big plus: the Xeno E03 is the only flashlight I know of sporting neutral-white XP-G led in R5 efficiency class!

Regulation seems very good and the driver is current-regulated, which to me is a plus because the flashlight has no "flickering" or "whine" problems, typical of PWM regulation.

The flashlight has three levels, more than enough to cover the majority of needs in my opinion. Levels come in MEDIUM-LOW-HIGH order and there's no mode memory, so there shouldn't be parasitic drain due to that feature.
Feed the E03 a 14500 battery and see it morph into a light cannon: it's really bright on 14500, but it lacks a real LOW setting that way.

Here it is:


Tailstanding:


An in-hand picture to better understand its dimensions, which are standard for the category of 1xAA lights but not ma non compact by any mean. The E03 is longer than a Nitecore D10 but this is good actually, as the light beam doesn't get partially obscured by the palm of the hand:
img]http://i959.photobucket.com/albums/ae78/kikychen/Xeno%20E03/Xeno_E03_in-hand.jpg[/img]

As you can see XENO lights feature finger grips: some might not like them, but I find they are placed where they need to be, which toghether with the aggressive knurling gives for a very secure and comfortable grip. I like those finger grips, plus they show the generous thickness of the tube.

The E03 features a somewhat standard OP reflector, which gives a very useful and smooth beam, perfect for all-around and EDC purposes:


I bet many of you will like the following feature… the E03 sports double o-ring for excellent water-proofness:


The supplied accessories setup is fairly standard, but considering the very low price tag I'd say it's more than enough. There's a lanyard, replacement o-rings (2, of course) and we even find a replacement switch (not to mention the light comes in a very nice aluminium case):


The light is easy to be taken apart, which makes cleaning or modding trouble-free (sorry for the crappy picture here):


So here is my modding suggestion, some might find it useful: some of you may have a sweet spot for "NOHS" (no hot spot) optics... PUN INTENDED! Well you can morph the E03 in a NOHS flashlight just by removing the reflector. You can do it easily by unscrewing the stainless steel bezel which holds the lens, GITD ring and reflector by pressure. Simply unscrew the bezel and tap the light upside down on the tail, the stuff will come down and you will have access to the pill. I would like to mention the E03 also features both front ring and switch cover in GITD rubber, so it is easy to spot the flashlight in complete darknes. Below are some pictures of before and after the mod.

Standard beam (with reflector):


Standard beam again (with reflector) on LOW mode, to better see the beam pattern:


NOHS beam (reflector removed):


Coupling the very good colour rendition of the WARM tint with this "NOHS-like" mod makes for a very good medical-use light, just ideal to light wounds on skin for example. I will get one more just to keep in the medical kit.

This very good flashlight only lacks a feature to be considered near-perfect (perfection is not of this world): it misses a clip for deep pocket carry… too bad! Also, a LOW-MEDIUM-HIGH mode sequence would have been preferable maybe, but I also found out that the majority of situations in which I needed to use the flashlight asked for medium mode brightness: all in all, the mode sequence on the E03 ain't bad, and it fortunately lacks the annoying "disco" modes!

In the end, I'd also like to point out this flashlight comes for very little money, which makes buying one (or a few) an obliged choice.