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Fenix E01 Review by C.B.
May 2008
The Fenix E01 is a single AAA battery powered LED flashlight in a compact form-factor. The AAA battery used is commonly and cheaply available, making the Fenix E01 ideal for many people either as an every-day-carry light or to keep around the home. The Fenix E01 is currently available in a range of colours, including Olive Green and Black, and retails for around £12 in the UK.
Specifications
- Constant 10 lumen brightness
- Nichia white GS LED with 100,000 hour lifespan
- 21 hour working time (11 hour sun mode, 10 hour moon mode)
- Uses one 1.5V AAA battery
- Type III hard anodized finish
- Waterproof to IPX-8 standard
- Compact size 7.1cm (length) x 1.4cm (diameter)
Initial Impressions
The Fenix E01 comes packaged in a small cardboard box containing a plastic container which holds the light and accessories. The packaging should hold the light securely and reasonably protect it from damage in shipping. Included in the inner container with the light is a small split ring, a spare o-ring, a warranty card and some instructions. The split ring can be attached to a hole at the tail end of the light in order to attach to a lanyard or keychain.
For those familiar with most small AAA flashlights, the Fenix E01 is slightly different in a few ways. Firstly, only the head of the light unscrews rather than both ends. This means the head is unscrewed to insert batteries, and is tightened to turn the light on. Secondly, there is no lens at the head of the light to protect the LED. Instead, the Nichia LED is recessed into the head, which also acts as a basic reflector to direct light forwards. Although this sounds like it would make the LED more vulnerable to damage, this does not appear to be the case when in use. As such, the Fenix E01 is ideal to drop in a pocket or handbag so that it can always be kept close.
The light is made from aluminium and the body and head of the light have a rough knurling to improve grip. The Type III hard anodized finish ensures that the light should be protected against scratches and drops, again making it suitable for everyday use. The head of the light is removed by unscrewing it, which reveals an o-ring behind the threads to help keep the light protected from water damage. There was some slightly grittiness to the movement of the threads of this light, but that was fixed by cleaning the threads and lubricating the light using NyoGel 779ZC (o-rings) and NyoGel 759G (threads). Once lubricated, the head moves easily, making it possible to turn the light on and off one-handed.
In Use
Once a AAA battery has been inserted into the light (positive end facing the head), the head can be completely tightened on to the body to turn the light on. When the head is fully screwed on, a contact on the circuit board at the rear of the head is completed. As such, it is important to occasionally check the contacts inside the light to ensure they remain clean so that there are no issues with the light functioning.
The initial impression of the beam from this light is slightly odd, as it is quite different from most other compact lights. As the Fenix E01 uses the bare metal of the head as a basic reflector and much of the light comes straight from the LED, the beam pattern is not as smooth and even as lights which use textured ‘orange peel’ reflectors. There is also a tint to the colour of the beam that appears slightly blue in the centre, with a warm-white tint to the outer edge. At first this can be quite off-putting, but when using the light in the dark it ceases to be an issue and does not affect the functionality of the light. The shape of the beam pattern is also not completely circular, and rotating the light’s body shows a slight oval shape in the centre of the beam. Again, in use this is not an issue and it is still a vast improvement over the shape of beams from flashlights which use cheap and supposedly ‘focusable’ smooth plastic reflectors.
To turn off the light, the head can simply be unscrewed enough to break the internal contact in the light. This simple mechanism appears to be reliable and easy to use, although it is arguably more awkward than a switch for one-handed use. As long as the head is rotated enough, it should also mean the light is unlikely to be accidentally activated while in a pocket or bag, which can happen with an easily accessible switch.
In darkness, the Fenix E01 proves to be more than capable of basic illumination tasks despite its apparently low power. At night the E01 can easily provide enough light to move around the house without turning on ceiling lights, and can even be used to navigate outdoors. The E01 does not have a large amount of throw in its beam, but it is still capable of illuminating subjects at 50 feet or more. Although a more powerful light would be recommended for regular outdoors use at night, the E01 is powerful enough to act as a last-resort backup light that can be relied on to last a long time. These features make the E01 a very useful light to keep at hand in case of power-cuts or emergencies. Compared to other lights of this size, the Fenix E01 appears more than capable of competing, particularly when the battery life and cost are considered.
Beam shots
Conclusion
The Fenix E01 has shown itself to be a very well made and well specified flashlight. Although there are more powerful lights out there, few can compare to the brightness and battery life of this light at this size and price range. The features of this light make it suitable for many purposes, and the low cost means that there are few reasons not to buy one as a ‘just in case’ light.
Although the lack of a lens would appear to be a failing of the light, in use it does not appear to be an issue. The very basic ‘reflector’ in the head of the light is also not a major problem as the beam of this light is not perfectly focused anyway. Instead, the slightly ‘floody’ nature of the beam makes it useful for close-up work. The colour of the beam from the Nichia LED is arguably the light’s weakest point, and if the intended purpose of this light requires plain white light then this is an important consideration. The blue tint can make accurate colour identification in complete darkness slightly more difficult, but the beam colour is still more than adequate for normal use.
When compared to more common lights of this size such as the Maglite Solitaire, the Fenix E01 appears to be both brighter and stronger with better battery life. For comparison, the Maglite Solitaire claims to provide an average of 2.3 lumens for 3.5 hours, compared to the E01’s claimed 10 lumens for 11 hours in sun mode, followed by an additional 10 hours of usable light. Few similarly priced lights are able to provide this level of brightness and battery life in such a compact package. Although the Fenix E01 is not perfect, at this price there are very few reasons not to recommend it.
-Chris, UK
Click here to buy the Fenix E01
