[Bigmac_79]

Elektro Lumens is the brand of lights made by Wayne Johnson, and he's been doing solid American-made lights for quite some time now. Wayne's great at keeping up with the latest flashlight technology, and the EDC-XML is an upgrade to his older EDC model (using a Cree XM-L, as the name hints).

Thanks to Wayne at Elektro Lumens for supplying the EDC-XML for review.



I’ll be reviewing the EDC-XML in two sections: first, I’ll discuss the light objectively (the facts about the light itself), then I’ll discuss the light subjectively (my impressions about the light's performance when used for specific applications). With a name like this, I'll obviously be testing it out as an Every Day Carry light. If you have any other specific applications you'd like the light tested for, let me know and I'll see what I can do.


Objective

Here are the specs on the EDC-XML:

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from elektrolumens.com

• Now using Cree's new amazingly bright XM-L LED
• New: 30mm reflector! Smooth even beam. Narrow and focused, more so than the MCE LED with the Boom reflector, this flashlight has a beam over twice as bright, and throws much farther. If you want a narrower farther throwing beam, this is the EDC flashlight for you. If you want a more floody type beam, then choose the EDC-MCE flashlight.
• 1000 lumens!
• 24mm Mineral glass lens
• Twisty on/off tail cap switch, with momentary button
  
  • Simple in design
  • Twist on/Twist off
  • Center button for momentary use
• Uses a common 18650 Li-Ion rechargable battery. (battery not included)
• About 1 hours continuous run time. (depends on battery)

Dimensions (Approximate)

• Head diameter: 1.5"
• Body diameter: 1.0"
• Tail cap diameter: 1.2"
• Length: 5.3"
• Approximate weight without battery: 9 oz.
  
  • All parts CNC machined from 6061 aircraft alloy aluminum (Titanium version available, see shopping cart for pricing)
  • New for shipments for 8/31/2010: Finished in super hard HAIII anodizing, tough, chemical resistant. Sand Blasted and has a semi-gloss finish. I find it difficult to scratch this with a sharp knife, it's so hard!
  • Tail cap button has 'Elektro Lumens' logo etched into it
  • Large solid copper heat sink! This insures the LED will remain it's brightness while in use, and also that the LED will give you a lifetime of use

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Packaging

My review sample came wrapped in several layers of bubble wrap, nestled in a box full of packing peanuts, but I can't attest to how Wayne normally sends out his lights. There was no fancy packaging on my review sample, but I was very happy with how securely it was shipped.


Construction Quality

The Elektro Lumens lights I have are far and above the most solidly constructed lights I've used. The EDC-XML is a hefty piece of aluminum. The specs I copied from Wayne's website say that you can have one in titanium by request, but last I heard, Wayne had decided to stop offering them in Ti. Below is a shot comparing it's size to an 18650 lithium ion battery.



As you can see, it's nearly twice the length of an 18650 battery, and the head is about twice the diameter.

Next, let's take a look at the exterior, from front to back.



The EDC-XML uses a Cree XM-L emitter, well centered in a small-faceted reflector. The facets act as a way to disperse the light, smoothing out the beam pattern, at the cost of a little throw distance. The lens over the reflector is set a good distance back behind the bezel, so it's well protected from most scratches and impacts.



The head has a few ridges on it, for grip and heat dissipation. The body of the light, close to the head, also has some taller and thinner rings for grip and heat dissipation. The rest of the body is smooth down to the tail cap. The tail has two bands of very light knurling to help give grip when you change the batteries. The battery tube is only accessible through the tail cap, so if you try to unscrew the head for the battery change, you'll end up just exposing the reflector and heat sink.



When the tail cap is tightened, the button sticks out a few millimeters beyond the edge of the tail cap. The button is not connected to the tail cap, as you'll see further down, so the tighter you have the tail cap, the more the button sticks out. The Elektro Lumens logo is etched into the tail, and is the only branding/lettering on the light.



Because the button is large and flat, the EDC-XML can tail stand. Because the bezel is flat, light does not escape the head when doing a head stand.

Time to take the light apart.





Inside the head, the lens and o-ring are held in place by the pressure between the reflector and the inside of the ridge around the front of the head. Similarly, the button is held in place when the spring on the button presses against the battery, which then pushes the button against the inside ridge around the back of the tail cap. All of the threads are clean cut, anodized, and well-lubricated. The two o-rings are appropriately positioned to resist water, we'll see soon if they do.





Here you can see the button close up, with a solid spring. Most of the button is colored pink, but the inside is left bare to make electrical connection with the body.



The button slides into the tail cap, and slides up and down inside the tail cap when you press it. Because the button's loost in the tail cap, I recommend doing battery changes tail-down. The my Callie's Kustoms 18650's are very snug inside the battery tube, and usually take a light tap on the head to bump out. My AW and Trustfire cells are slightly thinner, so they slide in and out easier.



As you can see, the body is completely anodized except the back edge, where it makes connection with the button. So, the spring pushes the button away from the body, but when you tighten the tail cap or press the button, the bare part of the button makes contact with the bare part of the body, and the light turns on. Loosening or tightening the tail cap increases or decreases the distance of travel needed for the button to activate the light. The tail cap cannot be loosened enough to completely prevent accidental activation. This means no "lock-out", so if you're transporting the light, you'll have to take out the battery to be sure. However, because of the stiffness of the spring, it takes lots of force to turn on the light when the tail cap is well loosened, so for most purposes that should suffice.

Also, you can see the thickness of the body here. This light is going to be very sturdy.



Here's two shots of the inside of the head, from different angles. You can see here the good quality of the facets of the reflector, along with the good connection to a significant heat sink.



The lens has some sort of coating around the edge, presumably to protect it from wear, and to help keep the lens in place.



Here's the best shot I could get of the nut inside the far end of the battery tube, which acts as the positive battery terminal. This design allows the use of either button-top or flat-top cells.

Dimensions

Length: 140.0mm (on, fully tightened)

Head Diameter: 37.2mm
Body Diameter: 26.4mm
Tail Diameter: 31.0mm
Body Inner Diameter: 18.7mm

A note on the body ID, my Callie's Kustoms cells are pretty snug and require me tapping the head a bit to get them to slide out. My AW and Trustfire cells slide in and out just fine.


User Interface

The UI of the EDC-XML is just about as simple as it gets. Tighten the tail cap for constant on, loosen the tail cap to turn it back off. Press the big pink button for momentary on. The tighter the tail cap, the less pressure you need to activate momentary on using the button.

By tightening the tail cap to just before the point it goes to constant on, you can activate momentary on by a very light touch. However, at this point the button tends to stick occasionally, so I plan to add a little lubrication here to smooth things up. During normal operation, there is no sticking or catching with the button.


Action Shots

Light in Hand





White Wall
(ISO 100, f/3.3, 1/20")


This is pretty accurate to the tint of my sample of the EDC-XML, just a little on the warmish side of cool white, but not quite neutral. To my eyes, the spill area appear just slightly more pinkish than in this picture.

Overexposed White Wall
(ISO 100, f/3.3, 1/20")


On this shot, I purposefully overexposed the shot and held the flight close to the wall, so that you can see the beam artifacts at the edges that result from the uniform facets of the reflector.


BeamSlice
(ISO 100, f/3.3, 1/50")


Here you can easily see how most of the warmer tones are directed to the middle of the beam, while the cooler tones are thrown to the outside.


Indoor Shots (control first)
(ISO 100, f/3.3, 1/20")




Outdoor Shots (control first)
(ISO 100, f/3.3, 1")



As you can see, the EDC-XML has a lot of spill, with a softly defined hot spot.


Mid-Range Shots (control first)
(ISO 100, f/3.3, 5")














Performance

The EDC-XML is not regulated, and if I understand correctly, the only piece of circuitry is a single resistor in series with the LED. This means no PWM, and very little chance of any erratic behavior, and I have observed neither.

This light has no protection built in, so I only recommend using protected 18650 cells. It also has high current requirements, so you'll want to use high quality cells.

Also, because of the combo of the large XM-L emitter with the relatively small reflector, plus the faceted texture of the reflector, this is mostly a flood-style light, however, it does have respectable throw just from the sheer amount of light being pushed out.

After dropping the light a few times from about 1 meter onto the floor (tested carpet, grass, and hard packed dirt) at various angles, it still works just fine and shows no sign of wear.

When using the light constantly for about half an hour in hand, the body feels definitely warm, but not uncomfortable to hold.

To test for water resistance, I tightened everything completely, and submersed the light under about a foot of water for several minutes. I then opened the light up and inspected for water, and I found two drops on the outside of the reflector. Also, the o-ring on the button only is effective when it's pressed up against the tail cap, so it won't keep out water when you push the button in. This means you should not use the momentary function when underwater or very wet conditions. The pressure from the spring will keep it there when a battery is in the light, but otherwise you'll need to keep it tightened for water resistance. In conclusion, the EDC-XML is partially water resistant, but don't leave it exposed to wet/submersed conditions for long periods of time.

Current Draw

I measured the current draw at the tail cap, using both AW and Callie's Kustoms 18650 cells, a few seconds after turning the EDC-XML on with a fully charged cell.

Current Draw: 2.99A

Runtime

Note: The vertical axis of this chart represents a relative brightness measurement using a home made light box. The horizontal axis is time in hours:minutes:seconds. Runtimes are stated in hours:minutes:seconds. This graph is truncated to show the relevant portion of the data. Each of the runtime tests was conducted with a single 18650 ICR lithium ion cell.


Time to 50%: 1:10:02
Full Run Time: 14:09:25


Subjective Review

General

Quick break down:

+Very sturdy construction
+Great heat dissipation
+"Wow that's bright"
+Very simple user interface
+Adjustable pressure momentary switch
+Several hours with very dim output
+Comfortable to hold
+Accepts button-tops or flat-tops
+Good looks
+Good beam tint

-Heavy and large for a single 18650 powered light
-Beam artifacts on edges, due to faceted reflector
-No regulation
-Button not attached to tail cap
-Nut instead of spring as positive contact
-No support for primary cells

Ok, so this light is big and heavy, considering it only uses 1x18650 and 1xXM-L, but I love how solid it feels. I have complete confidence that the EDC-XML will not break from impact. Also, you'd think a single XM-L driven this hard would overheat, but thanks to the large heat sink, the cooling fins, and sheer mass/surface area, this isn't a problem. At the current stage in flashlight tech, the XM-L is the most efficient LED available, but it still gets hot if you want to put 1000 lumens out, so we don't see many manufacturers doing it. The LED and the battery are capable of it, but there is so much heat, it's hard to deal with. The EDC-XML steps up the game and does it, and that's my favorite thing about this light.

A lot of lights nowadays have some really great ways at making high and low and all sorts of modes available, but if that's what you're looking for, this isn't the place. If what you want is simple and bright, you've got it. This light can't do any other mode than just the one, but you're guaranteed to know what you're getting when you turn it on. I do wish that it had a bit of regulation; in my opinion it would be worth the decreased run time. Ideally, a sun/moon output would be great, where it does a constant maximum output for around an hour, then drops to very dim for several more hours so you can still see your way around to look for another battery or light. As it is, I do like the output over time.

The faceted reflector is a nice change from the orange peel texture that seems to be the standard for smoothing a beam, however, it has a few artifacts around the edges that can be distracting on a white wall. In normal use I usually don't notice it.

One thing I'd really like to see different in a future version would be a spring instead of a nut as the positive terminal connection, to help reduce stress on the battery, especially under impact. I think this could be done without affecting the function on the button. Also, I'd really like to see support for primaries (2xCR123) in a pinch.

One of my favorite things about this light is the style. I didn't think I'd like the pink button, but it's growing on me. The anodizing on here seems very strong, and the way it's done looks great. I like that the logo is engraved on the tail cap, instead of printed along the side, as seems to be the current standard.

I've found that I enjoy the ability to decide how much pressure I want to use for the button. By adjusting the tail cap tightness, I can adjust the pressure needed. So, for times I will be using the momentary activation a lot, I tighten the tail cap a lot, so it doesn't take much to turn it on. When I don't plan to be using the momentary very much, I loosen it a bit to make it less likely to come on in my pocket.

The beam on the EDC-XML is great for a flood-style light, not optimized for throw. The center of the beam is definitely more intense than the edges, but when walking with the light at night, it's a great even transition from the center to the edges. The center puts a ton of light wherever my focus is, and the spill is wide enough to light up most of my peripheral vision. The smoothness of the transition from the center to the spill area really helps you see all of what's around you, without developing "tunnel vision", while still directing most of the light straight ahead. The tint on my sample is also very pleasing, definitely cool white, but slightly on the warmish side.

The EDC-XML is very comfortable to hold, it seems very well proportioned. I've found that I really like using this grip:


I can put my last two fingers on the tail cap to hold it in place while I turn the body with my thumb and first two fingers, and in this way turn the light on and off while in the underhand grip.


Overall, a great light, you can feel the power and strength of it when you hold it, and I like that

EDC

So, being named the EDC-XML, it's pretty clear that this light is intended to be a contender in the Every Day Carry class. My initial impression when I unwrapped it was that it would be too large and heavy. After carrying it a while, I've found that it can ride just fine in a cargo pocket (if you have a good belt), but it's too big for tight pockets and too heavy for jacket pockets. However, EDC doesn't necessarily mean carrying it in a pocket. I've taken to carrying mine in my shoulder bag that goes everywhere with me, so it's turned out to be a good EDC after all.

I really like having this much brightness available when I need it, however, I tend to use low levels more often than high levels, so I need low levels available to me every day. For me, the EDC-XML couldn't be a solo EDC, but it works great as a compliment to my Sunwayman V10R that I'm already using as an EDC. So, I'd say that this light can definitely work as a great EDC, but just not on it's own.

I really like the beam here for an EDC, which I prefer to be floody. As I mentioned earlier, it's great at lighting up your whole area, but still putting most of the light forward. My personal preference would be for smooth reflector to get a little more throw out of the light, because I don't really care much about a few rings or other artifacts, but I am really liking the faceted reflector here. The artifacts on the edges caused by the facets aren't too distracting, I think mostly because they are even spaced, so they still look orderly.

As a side note, I think this light would really benefit from a holster, which would greatly improve it's EDC-ability.

Long Term Impressions

I'll fill this part in after carrying the light for a while. If nothing get's added here, either I find nothing else worth noting about the light, or I end up not using it often.

[dead_skif]

Очень странный фонарик. Большой, брутальный, вроде качественно изготовленный ... но с директдрайвом >_<
Сюда бы форумный драйвер и McClicky ...


Bigmac_79, can you unscrew heatsink?