Externally the head has some hard-edges designs machined on. The side-mounted switch is of the toggle variety which has minimal travel, but enough to allow for distinction between a half-press and full-press. This side mounted switch works as a secondary one, the tail cap switch has to be engaged first. Half-pressing the head switch cycles through the five constant illumination output levels. Holding it down triggers the strobe output mode, and half-pressing while in strobe mode cycles between it and the S.O.S. mode. Single pressing the side switch switched the P25 Off/On, while this makes it seem to have the same function of the tail switch, switching the P25 off with the side switch actually puts it in standby mode. While in standby mode, the transparent ring around it blinks with a blue light about every 3 seconds. The battery tube has a pretty clean design. It’s mostly covered in textured knurling but segmented in grids. Threads on either ends are cleanly machined with no grinding or cross threading experienced during testing. The threads on the tail cap are anodized so the P25 can be locked out by slightly loosening the tail cap. The tail cap houses a forward push button switch which allows for momentary activation. Mechanically the switch has a slightly shorter than average amount of travel and provides a very positive and tactile click when fully engaged. The tail switch has two protruding raised lips which both allow the P25 to tail stand and also have holes for lanyard attachments.

The P25 puts out a huge amount of light from a relatively modest-sized packaged. Beam profile is narrow and is primarily designed for long distance throw. Though do note that on Turbo mode, the maximum output level is only retained for a few minutes due to head considerations. On every other level, output and regulation is maintained well. The beam profile is clean and has a somewhat cool tint. Output is constant on all levels with no signs of flickering which is great considering the extremely wide range of output intensities.

Below are the instructions for user interface of the P25.

General Operations

Tips:

The P25 utilizes a 2-stage switch similar to a camera shutter button. The light’s numerous functions are selected according to the depth the switch is pressed.
With the light turned on, press the switch partway down in quick succession will cycle through the brightness levels: ultra-low, low, medium, high, and ultra high.

Operating in Turbo Mode

With the light turned on, press the switch partway down and hold to activate turbo mode.

Note: For user safety and to prevent overheating / failure, the P25 will automatically switch to high mode after twenty minutes of use in Turbo mode. Press the switch partway and hold to reactivate turbo mode when needed.

Standby Mode

With the light turned on, press the switch all the way down and release within one second to enter into standby mode. In this mode, the light will consume small amounts of power to maintain the settings in the MCU (micro control unit) but appear to be turned off. When in standby mode the power indicator light will flash once every two seconds to show the location of the light.

To exit standby mode, simply press the two-stage switch all the way down or press the tail switch to turn off the light.

Tips:

When the standby mode is on, you can access all the modes and brightness levels by simply press the side-switch.

Special Strobe / SOS mode and Location Beacon

With the light turned on, press the switch all the down and hold to enter strobe mode. When in strobe mode, press the switch partway down to cycle through SOS, location beacon and strobe modes. To select any of these modes simply release the switch when it is displayed. To turn off the light fully press and release the switch.

CHARGING FUNCTION

The P25 is capable of charging a protected 18650 li-ion battery via the included USB cable. Simple install a protected 18650 li-ion cell, plugging one end of the USB cable into the flashlight and the other end into a universal USB port / adaptor as shown in the adjacent image, and the P25 will take care of the rest. The P25 needs to be turned on in order enter charging mode.

CHARGING INDICATOR LIGHT

1. Fully charging a depleted 18650 batteries takes approximately 6 hours.

2. Under normal charging conditions, the blue indicator light will blink once every 0.5 second.

3. If a problem is detected during the charging process, the P25 will stop charging and the blue indicator will blink rapidly. This is usually caused by faulty / incorrectly inserted battery, or without turning on the light by pressing the tail switch.

4. When charging is complete, the P25 will stop charging intelligently, and the blue indicator will illuminate steadily.

The body is pretty cleanly design with an entirely cylindrical shape. It’s almost totally covered in textured knurling aside from a couple of narrow flat face where branding is printed on. Threads on both ends of the battery tube are anodized, this allows the light to be locked-out to prevent accidental activation by simply loosening the tail cap. The battery tube is wide enough to easily fit almost any protected 18650 battery. Also note that since there is no physical reverse polarity protection, you can use flat-topped 18650 batteries without any problems. Towards the rear of the tail cap is a recessed area where the included pocket clip can be snapped on. The tail cap is also mostly covered in knurling, it has a couple of raised sections which seems to be intended to allow the light to tail stand, however the switch cap sticks out a little bit further so the Elite S1A isn’t able to tail stand. A forward push button switch is housed inside the tail cap. It has an average amount of travel and tension. When engaged it provides a very positive tactile feedback and produce a louder than average clicking sound.

User interface is very straight forward and easy to understand. The rear push button switch serves as the On/Off switch, white the toggle switch on the side of the head cycles through the various modes. Each press of the toggle switch cycles through the following order:

High > Medium > Low

A strobe output can also be accessed by quickly tapping the toggle switch twice within a second.

The LIGHTEN7 Elite S1A provides a huge amount of light, exceeding 500 lumens which is impressive relative to its size. The beam profile has a medium hot spot with a large soft corona area which tapers gradually towards the spill beam area. The beam is clean and free of any noticeable artifacts. Color tint is slightly cooler than sunlight white. Considering its bright output, the regulation hold ups very nicely, though do take note that the light shuts off as it approaches about 40% of initial output (relative to the mode selected). This is quite different from most other lights which will run till really low output when running on a single 18650 battery.

The battery tube is style conservatively, maintaining a clean cylindrical shape mostly covered in diamond-textured knurling throughout. Threads on both ends of the battery tube are cleanly machined and quite deeply cut, there was hardly any cross-threading encountered during the review process. The threads towards the tail end are anodized which allows the light NiteCore  MT40 to be locked out, preventing accidental activation when carried in pockets, bags, etc. Rubber o-rings sit behind the threads which provide good moisture seal, they came well-lubricated too which is nice. Overall size-wise, the NiteCore MT40 is pretty long, as expected from a 2x 18650 powered light since the batteries are arranged end-to-end. The tail cap follows the cylindrical design of the battery tube, covered in knurling with two raised sections prongs. This allows the light to tail stand while still having the switch still easily accessible. There are two slits machined through the prongs which allow for lanyard attachments and such.

The NiteCore MT40 produces a narrow bright central area. While the hotspot is generally well focused, perfectly circular with a defined edge.  A soft corona surrounds the hotspot which makes the hotspot seems slightly wider than it actually is. The spill beam region is relatively dim compared to the central area, but is clean with no artifacts unlike the hotspot. The beam has a slightly cool temperature which isn’t really noticeable unless compared side by side to sunlight white. The user interface for the NiteCore MT2A has a very practical and easy to use user interface.

Switching ON/OFF
Switch ON: Press the button on the tail cap until a “click” is heard.
Switch OFF: Press the button at the tail cap until a second time until a “click” is heard.

Mode Switching
The Nitecore MT40 has two modes: Turbo and user-defined. These two modes can be changed by simply tightening and loosening the flashligh t head. Turbo provides 100% output while user-defined users contains five selectable sub-modes.

Turbo Mode
Turbo mode is accessed when the MT40 flashlight is switched ON and the head lightly tightened. While in this mode, momentary illumination can be achieved by switching off the flashlight and then half pressing and holding the
switch. Momentary illumination can be used as a flashing signal indicator or apply to various tactical applications.
Note: After three minutes’ using of turbo mode, the flashlight will lower its output automatically for preventing overheating, and efficiently ensure the battery run time.

User-Defined Mode
User-defined mode is accessed by slightly loosening the flashlight head. In this mode, lightly and rapidly pressing the switch will cycle throug h brightness and other functions in the following order: “High-Mid-Low- SOS-Strobe”. Pressing the switch all the way down will save and memorize a desired setting. Tips: Make NiteCore MT40 your perfect multi-task flashlight.
NiteCore MT40 flashlights essentially have two modes: Turbo mode (100% output) and custom mode. Turbo mode is accessed by tightening the flashlight head while any of one of the four customizable modes (strobe, l ow, medium
and high) are selected by loosening the head and rapidly pressing the on/off switch to cycle through the modes. A given mode can be saved by simply turn off the light while in that mode. Real-world examples include: When used as a
flashlight around the home, the head can be loosened and low level selected in custom mode, providing long run times at a lower light intensity . The same flashlight could then be taken out and used a law-enforcement duty light, with
user-defined mode set in strobe, making it easy to alternate be tween turbo mode and strobe with a simple twist of the flashlight head.

The battery tube is style conservatively, maintaining a clean cylindrical shape mostly covered in diamond-textured knurling apart from two flat machine faces where branding is printed on. Threads on both ends of the battery tube are cleanly machined and quite deeply cut, there was hardly any cross-threading encountered during the review process. The threads towards the tail end are anodized which allows the light NiteCore  MT25 to be locked out, preventing accidental activation when carried in pockets, bags, etc. Rubber o-rings sit behind the threads which provide good moisture seal, they came well-lubricated too which is nice. Overall size-wise, the NiteCore MT25 is pretty similar to most 2x CR123 powered pocket lights, albeit with a turbo head. The tail cap follows the cylindrical design of the battery tube, covered in knurling with two raised sections prongs. This allows the light to tail stand while still having the switch still easily accessible. There are two slits machined through the prongs which allow for lanyard attachments and such.

The NiteCore MT25 produces a mid-sized bright central area. While the hotspot is generally well focused, perfectly circular with a defined edge, it does have some artifacts within the center area.  A soft corona surrounds the hotspot which makes the hotspot seems slightly wider than it actually is. The spill beam region is relatively dim compared to the central area, but is clean with no artifacts unlike the hotspot. The beam has a slightly cool temperature which isn’t really noticeable unless compared side by side to sunlight white. The user interface for the NiteCore MT25 has a very practical and easy to use user interface.

Switching ON/OFF
Switch ON: Press the button on the tail cap until a “click” is heard.
Switch OFF: Press the button at the tail cap until a second time until a “click” is heard.

Mode Switching
The Nitecore MT25 has two modes: Turbo and user-defined. These two modes can be changed by simply tightening and loosening the flashligh t head. Turbo provides 100% output while user-defined users contains five selectable sub-modes.

Turbo Mode
Turbo mode is accessed when the MT25 flashlight is switched ON and the head lightly tightened. While in this mode, momentary illumination can be achieved by switching off the flashlight and then half pressing and holding the
switch. Momentary illumination can be used as a flashing signal indicator or apply to various tactical applications.
Note: After three minutes’ using of turbo mode, the flashlight will lower its output automatically for preventing overheating, and efficiently ensure the battery run time.

User-Defined Mode
User-defined mode is accessed by slightly loosening the flashlight head. In this mode, lightly and rapidly pressing the switch will cycle throug h brightness and other functions in the following order: “High-Mid-Low- SOS-Strobe”. Pressing the switch all the way down will save and memorize a desired setting. Tips: Make NiteCore MT25 your perfect multi-task flashlight.
NiteCore MT25 flashlights essentially have two modes: Turbo mode (100% output) and custom mode. Turbo mode is accessed by tightening the flashlight head while any of one of the four customizable modes (strobe, l ow, medium
and high) are selected by loosening the head and rapidly pressing the on/off switch to cycle through the modes. A given mode can be saved by simply turn off the light while in that mode. Real-world examples include: When used as a
flashlight around the home, the head can be loosened and low level selected in custom mode, providing long run times at a lower light intensity . The same flashlight could then be taken out and used a law-enforcement duty light, with
user-defined mode set in strobe, making it easy to alternate be tween turbo mode and strobe with a simple twist of the flashlight head.

 The battery tube is style conservatively, maintaining a clean cylindrical shape mostly covered in diamond-textured knurling apart from two flat machine faces where branding is printed on. Threads on both ends of the battery tube are cleanly machined and quite deeply cut, there was hardly any cross-threading encountered during the review process. The threads towards the tail end are anodized which allows the light NiteCore  MT2C to be locked out, preventing accidental activation when carried in pockets, bags, etc. Rubber o-rings sit behind the threads which provide good moisture seal, they came well-lubricated too which is nice. Overall size-wise, the NiteCore MT2C is pretty similar to most 2x CR123 powered pocket lights which generally provides the best balance of being pocket friendly in size while providing bright output. The tail cap follows the cylindrical design of the battery tube, covered in knurling with two raised sections prongs. This allows the light to tail stand while still having the switch still easily accessible. There are two slits machined through the prongs which allow for lanyard attachments and such.

The NiteCore MT2C produces a mid-sized bright central area. While the hotspot is generally well focused, perfectly circular with a defined edge, it does have some artifacts within the center area.  A soft corona surrounds the hotspot which makes the hotspot seems slightly wider than it actually is. The spill beam region is relatively dim compared to the central area, but is clean with no artifacts unlike the hotspot. The beam has a slightly cool temperature which isn’t really noticeable unless compared side by side to sunlight white. The user interface for the NiteCore MT2C has a very practical and easy to use user interface.

Switching ON/OFF
Switch ON: Press the button on the tail cap until a “click” is heard.
Switch OFF: Press the button at the tail cap until a second time until a “click” is heard.

Mode Switching
The Nitecore MT2C has two modes: Turbo and user-defined. These two modes can be changed by simply tightening and loosening the flashligh t head. Turbo provides 100% output while user-defined users contains five selectable sub-modes.

Turbo Mode
Turbo mode is accessed when the MT2C flashlight is switched ON and the head lightly tightened. While in this mode, momentary illumination can be achieved by switching off the flashlight and then half pressing and holding the
switch. Momentary illumination can be used as a flashing signal indicator or apply to various tactical applications.
Note: After three minutes’ using of turbo mode, the flashlight will lower its output automatically for preventing overheating, and efficiently ensure the battery run time.

User-Defined Mode
User-defined mode is accessed by slightly loosening the flashlight head. In this mode, lightly and rapidly pressing the switch will cycle throug h brightness and other functions in the following order: “High-Mid-Low- SOS-Strobe”. Pressing the switch all the way down will save and memorize a desired setting. Tips: Make NiteCore MT2C your perfect multi-task flashlight.
NiteCore MT2C flashlights essentially have two modes: Turbo mode (100% output) and custom mode. Turbo mode is accessed by tightening the flashlight head while any of one of the four customizable modes (strobe, l ow, medium
and high) are selected by loosening the head and rapidly pressing the on/off switch to cycle through the modes. A given mode can be saved by simply turn off the light while in that mode. Real-world examples include: When used as a
flashlight around the home, the head can be loosened and low level selected in custom mode, providing long run times at a lower light intensity . The same flashlight could then be taken out and used a law-enforcement duty light, with
user-defined mode set in strobe, making it easy to alternate be tween turbo mode and strobe with a simple twist of the flashlight head.

The battery tube is style conservatively, maintaining a clean cylindrical shape mostly covered in diamond-textured knurling apart from two flat machine faces where branding is printed on. Threads on both ends of the battery tube are cleanly machined and quite deeply cut, there was hardly any cross-threading encountered during the review process. The threads towards the tail end are anodized which allows the light NiteCore  MT2A to be locked out, preventing accidental activation when carried in pockets, bags, etc. Rubber o-rings sit behind the threads which provide good moisture seal, they came well-lubricated too which is nice. Overall size-wise, the NiteCore MT2A is pretty similar to most 2x AA powered pocket lights out there with some knurling around the middle of the battery tube. The tail cap follows the cylindrical design of the battery tube, covered in knurling with two raised sections prongs. This allows the light to tail stand while still having the switch still easily accessible. There are two slits machined through the prongs which allow for lanyard attachments and such.

The NiteCore MT2A produces a mid-sized bright central area. While the hotspot is generally well focused, perfectly circular with a defined edge, it does have some artifacts within the center area.  A soft corona surrounds the hotspot which makes the hotspot seems slightly wider than it actually is. The spill beam region is relatively dim compared to the central area, but is clean with no artifacts unlike the hotspot. The beam has a slightly cool temperature which isn’t really noticeable unless compared side by side to sunlight white. The user interface for the NiteCore MT2A has a very practical and easy to use user interface.

Switching ON/OFF
Switch ON: Press the button on the tail cap until a “click” is heard.
Switch OFF: Press the button at the tail cap until a second time until a “click” is heard.

Mode Switching
The Nitecore MT2A has two modes: Turbo and user-defined. These two modes can be changed by simply tightening and loosening the flashligh t head. Turbo provides 100% output while user-defined users contains five selectable sub-modes.

Turbo Mode
Turbo mode is accessed when the MT2A flashlight is switched ON and the head lightly tightened. While in this mode, momentary illumination can be achieved by switching off the flashlight and then half pressing and holding the
switch. Momentary illumination can be used as a flashing signal indicator or apply to various tactical applications.
Note: After three minutes’ using of turbo mode, the flashlight will lower its output automatically for preventing overheating, and efficiently ensure the battery run time.

User-Defined Mode
User-defined mode is accessed by slightly loosening the flashlight head. In this mode, lightly and rapidly pressing the switch will cycle throug h brightness and other functions in the following order: “High-Mid-Low- SOS-Strobe”. Pressing the switch all the way down will save and memorize a desired setting. Tips: Make NiteCore MT2A your perfect multi-task flashlight.
NiteCore MT2A flashlights essentially have two modes: Turbo mode (100% output) and custom mode. Turbo mode is accessed by tightening the flashlight head while any of one of the four customizable modes (strobe, l ow, medium
and high) are selected by loosening the head and rapidly pressing the on/off switch to cycle through the modes. A given mode can be saved by simply turn off the light while in that mode. Real-world examples include: When used as a
flashlight around the home, the head can be loosened and low level selected in custom mode, providing long run times at a lower light intensity . The same flashlight could then be taken out and used a law-enforcement duty light, with
user-defined mode set in strobe, making it easy to alternate be tween turbo mode and strobe with a simple twist of the flashlight head.

The battery tube is style conservatively, maintaining a clean cylindrical shape, but due the its short length, there really isn’t much room for knurling here. Threads on both ends of the battery tube are cleanly machined and quite deeply cut, there was hardly any cross-threading encountered during the review process. The threads towards the tail end are anodized which allows the light NiteCore  MT1C to be locked out, preventing accidental activation when carried in pockets, bags, etc. Rubber o-rings sit behind the threads which provide good moisture seal, they came well-lubricated too which is nice. Overall size-wise, the NiteCore MT1C is quite compact for a single-CR123 powered flashlight but slightly longer than some other models on the market. The tail cap follows the cylindrical design of the battery tube, covered in knurling with two raised sections prongs. This allows the light to tail stand while still having the switch still easily accessible. There are two slits machined through the prongs which allow for lanyard attachments and such.

The NiteCore MT1C produces a mid-sized bright central area. While the hotspot is generally well focused, perfectly circular with a defined edge, it does have some artifacts within the center area.  A soft corona surrounds the hotspot which makes the hotspot seems slightly wider than it actually is. The spill beam region is relatively dim compared to the central area, but is clean with no artifacts unlike the hotspot. The beam has a slightly cool temperature which isn’t really noticeable unless compared side by side to sunlight white. The user interface for the NiteCore MT1C has a very practical and easy to use user interface.

Switching ON/OFF
Switch ON: Press the button on the tail cap until a “click” is heard.
Switch OFF: Press the button at the tail cap until a second time until a “click” is heard.

Mode Switching
The Nitecore MT1C has two modes: Turbo and user-defined. These two modes can be changed by simply tightening and loosening the flashligh t head. Turbo provides 100% output while user-defined users contains five selectable sub-modes.

Turbo Mode
Turbo mode is accessed when the MT1C flashlight is switched ON and the head lightly tightened. While in this mode, momentary illumination can be achieved by switching off the flashlight and then half pressing and holding the
switch. Momentary illumination can be used as a flashing signal indicator or apply to various tactical applications.
Note: After three minutes’ using of turbo mode, the flashlight will lower its output automatically for preventing overheating, and efficiently ensure the battery run time.

User-Defined Mode
User-defined mode is accessed by slightly loosening the flashlight head. In this mode, lightly and rapidly pressing the switch will cycle throug h brightness and other functions in the following order: “High-Mid-Low- SOS-Strobe”. Pressing the switch all the way down will save and memorize a desired setting. Tips: Make NiteCore MT1C your perfect multi-task flashlight.
NiteCore MT1C flashlights essentially have two modes: Turbo mode (100% output) and custom mode. Turbo mode is accessed by tightening the flashlight head while any of one of the four customizable modes (strobe, l ow, medium
and high) are selected by loosening the head and rapidly pressing the on/off switch to cycle through the modes. A given mode can be saved by simply turn off the light while in that mode. Real-world examples include: When used as a
flashlight around the home, the head can be loosened and low level selected in custom mode, providing long run times at a lower light intensity . The same flashlight could then be taken out and used a law-enforcement duty light, with
user-defined mode set in strobe, making it easy to alternate be tween turbo mode and strobe with a simple twist of the flashlight head.

The battery tube is style conservatively, maintaining a clean cylindrical shape mostly covered in diamond-textured knurling apart from two flat machine faces where branding is printed on. Threads on both ends of the battery tube are cleanly machined and quite deeply cut, there was hardly any cross-threading encountered during the review process. The threads towards the tail end are anodized which allows the light NiteCore  MT1A to be locked out, preventing accidental activation when carried in pockets, bags, etc. Rubber o-rings sit behind the threads which provide good moisture seal, they came well-lubricated too which is nice. Overall size-wise, the NiteCore MT1A is not the most compact single-AA flashlight, but in turn allows for more comfortable handling when used for long periods. The tail cap follows the cylindrical design of the battery tube, covered in knurling with two raised sections prongs. This allows the light to tail stand while still having the switch still easily accessible. There are two slits machined through the prongs which allow for lanyard attachments and such.

The NiteCore MT1A produces a mid-sized bright central area. While the hotspot is generally well focused, perfectly circular with a defined edge, it does have some artifacts within the center area.  A soft corona surrounds the hotspot which makes the hotspot seems slightly wider than it actually is. The spill beam region is relatively dim compared to the central area, but is clean with no artifacts unlike the hotspot. The beam has a slightly cool temperature which isn’t really noticeable unless compared side by side to sunlight white. The user interface for the NiteCore MT1A has a very practical and easy to use user interface.

Switching ON/OFF
Switch ON: Press the button on the tail cap until a “click” is heard.
Switch OFF: Press the button at the tail cap until a second time until a “click” is heard.

Mode Switching
The Nitecore MT1A has two modes: Turbo and user-defined. These two modes can be changed by simply tightening and loosening the flashligh t head. Turbo provides 100% output while user-defined users contains five selectable sub-modes.

Turbo Mode
Turbo mode is accessed when the MT1A flashlight is switched ON and the head lightly tightened. While in this mode, momentary illumination can be achieved by switching off the flashlight and then half pressing and holding the
switch. Momentary illumination can be used as a flashing signal indicator or apply to various tactical applications.
Note: After three minutes’ using of turbo mode, the flashlight will lower its output automatically for preventing overheating, and efficiently ensure the battery run time.

User-Defined Mode
User-defined mode is accessed by slightly loosening the flashlight head. In this mode, lightly and rapidly pressing the switch will cycle throug h brightness and other functions in the following order: “High-Mid-Low- SOS-Strobe”. Pressing the switch all the way down will save and memorize a desired setting. Tips: Make NiteCore MT1A your perfect multi-task flashlight.
NiteCore MT1A flashlights essentially have two modes: Turbo mode (100% output) and custom mode. Turbo mode is accessed by tightening the flashlight head while any of one of the four customizable modes (strobe, l ow, medium
and high) are selected by loosening the head and rapidly pressing the on/off switch to cycle through the modes. A given mode can be saved by simply turn off the light while in that mode. Real-world examples include: When used as a
flashlight around the home, the head can be loosened and low level selected in custom mode, providing long run times at a lower light intensity . The same flashlight could then be taken out and used a law-enforcement duty light, with
user-defined mode set in strobe, making it easy to alternate be tween turbo mode and strobe with a simple twist of the flashlight head.

• LED Premium CREE XM-L U2 LED
• Maximum output of up to 860 lumens
• High efficiency current circuit board
• Maximum runtime of up to 24 hours
• Two rapid switching modes suit various user requirements.
• User-defined mode allows for customized brightness levels and a
multitude of functions
• Intelligent memory functions
• Anti-rolling design
• Reverse polarity protection
• Broad voltage drive circuit, compatible with rechargeable and
non-rechargeable Li-ion batteries.
• Toughened ultra-clear mineral glass with anti-reflective coating
• Aluminum reflector ensures a smooth and powerful beam
• Aero grade aluminum alloy
• HA III Military grade hard anodized
• Detachable two-way anti-rolling clip
• Purpose-made rhombic knurling for better grip
• IPX-8 standard waterproof (submersible to two meters)

MT40_UM_en

The battery tube is almost totally covered in knurling, though this is not the common diamond-textured knurling commonly seen on most flashlights. It has a slightly slanted diagonal pattern and is not very aggressive, but still provides decent grip. All the models in the NiteCore Explorer series come with a head-mounted pocket clip which unfortunately doesn’t have a tight a grip and some of the earlier NiteCore models. The threads between the battery tube and tail cap area quite different on the EA2. They are really thick and widely spaced which greatly reduced the occurrence of cross-threading. They came well-lubricated and are anodized as well which allows the EA2 to be locked out by slightly loosening the tail cap. A yellow rubber o-ring sits just behind the threads to serve as a moisture seal. Following along the lines of the battery tube, the tail cap is mostly covered in knurling as well, with a totally flat rear end which allows the EA2 to easily tail stand. There are no slots for lanyard attachments. As per the instruction manual, the EA2 is rated to be impact resistant from drops up to 1.5 meters and waterproof from being submerged down to 2 meters.

The main high power LED has 5 output levels in total, plus strobe and S.O.S modes. After switching On, each press of the Mode button cycles the EA2 though the following constant output levels:

Micro > Low > Mid > High

While on any of the above levels, holding down the Mode button for about 1 second switches to Turbo mode which is the brightest output level offered. However, the light only runs continuously for 5 minutes before reverting back to the previously selected level to protect the flashlight from overheating. The EA2 incorporates a memory feature which remembers the last output level used when the light is switched Off.

To enter Strobe mode, simply hold the On/Off button for 1 second while the light is Off. While to enter S.O.S. mode, hold the Mode button for 1 second while the light is Off.

The secondary red SMD  LED serves both as an extremely low-power illumination option and also as a status indicator and locator beacon. When the light is Off, the red SMD LED blinks once every 3 seconds in a locator beacon fashion. While the light is Off, pressing the Mode button once turns the red SMD LED on for constant illumination. This is great for night-adapted vision. Side note, just remember not to accidentally face it directly towards you while pressing the Mode button with your thumb. The red SMD LED can be totally switched Off by putting the EA2 in Lockout Mode by holding down the On/Off button while the light is switched On. This requires the On/Off switch to be pressed for 1 second to be switched back on again. Also, the red SMD LED is completely disabled and doesn’t blink as a locator beacon.

Finally, the red SMD LED also acts as a battery level indicator. While operating on the main high power LED, the red SMD LED blinks once every 6 seconds when battery level has reached 50%, and then three blinks every 3 seconds when the battery is “almost depleted”. The battery voltage is also reported automatically whenever the light is put in Lockout Mode. For example, when battery voltage is at 4.2V, the red SMD LED will blink 4 times, followed by a 1 second pause, and then another 2 blinks when entering Lockout Mode.

The beam profile throws a very tight spot which is mostly clean, though it does have a slightly darker region in the middle of the hotspot. The spill beam is wide and should provide ample peripheral illumination. Beam color temperature is noticeably cool when compared to sunlight white. Regulation is held constantly for most of the battery life before trailing off towards the end.

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