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UPDATE Feb 2006: Wolf-Eyes has upgraded
the bulb to a new High Pressure Xenon lamp assembly.
Details below.
The Wolf-Eyes flashlights are designed to be a lower-cost
competitor for the "high end" tactical flashlight
market. They are made in China by Co-Photoel Tech Co.,
Ltd. The lights appear to be uniquely designed (not
a rip-off of another company's design) and are rather
well made. The light tested is from the newest addition
to their wide selection of lights, the Eagle series.
This is the Eagle 3AX, a three cell 123A tactical style
light with a momentary/click tailcap and a focusable
beam. A two cell design is also available.
Body: The body of the Eagle 3AX is hard anodized
aircraft aluminum. The head has a grooved ring around
its base for ease of adjusting the focus of the light.
Below that is a decorative ring with 5 cutouts followed
by a wide ring of checkering around the center of the
body tube. The checkering is not very aggressive but
does aid in grip. There are two flat panels machined
into either side of the body tube for printing and these
also aid in gripping the light. The tailcap has 8 longitudinal
grooves that run nearly the length of the tailcap. The
rubber covered tailcap has a slight texture as well.
Bezel/Head: The head of the light can be rotated
to change the focus of the light from an advertised
9 to 14 degrees. This is done by unscrewing the head
until an optimal focus is reached, and tightening the
head until it stops for the broad focus. Proceeding
in this fashion will result in a beam without a central
hole regardless of the focus. Unscrewing beyond the
optimal focus point is not recommended as this will
result in a central dark hole appearing in the beam.
The reflector is metal with a bumpy texture to smooth
out imperfections in the beam. The xenon bulb sits in
a lamp assembly which can be unscrewed from the body
when the head is removed.
Output: The white light produced by the xenon
bulb is a typical incandescent white which is a relatively
low color temperature and appears slightly yellowish
when compared to a daylight white light source, which
is normal. In practical use it appears as a pure white
light. The beam has a bright central spot, wide corona
and a wide dimmer spillbeam.
Beam at one meter at target center, narrow and wide
focus
As of February 2006, Wolf-Eyes has upgraded the bulb
to a new High Pressure Xenon assembly. The Throw/Output
numbers and runtime graph have been updated, below.
The new lamp is about 20% brighter than the original.
Here is a picture with the new lamp in the left front
with the old lamp in the background for comparison.
Runtime Plot: The manufacturer advertises the
light as having a 50 minute runtime. We found it to
be an accurate estimate to 50%. Surefire brand 123A
cells were included with the light and were used for
this test.
Runtime
completed with included Surefire brand batteries. More
information on runtime plots is available HERE.
Just for fun, I ran the test with a Titanium
3-cell battery stick for comparison. Same time to 50%,
but a little different curve.
Runtime
completed with "Titanium"
brand batteries. More information on runtime plots is
available HERE.
Switch: The switch is a rubber capped clickie.
Press gently for momentary use, press until it clicks
for constant on. Unscrew the tailcap to lock out the
switch and prevent accidental activation. The switch
produces a slight auditory feedback, but almost no tactile
feedback when clicked. The difference in stroke between
momentary and constant activation is significant, requiring
moderate additional pressure to click the switch. The
rubber cap does protrude above the level of the tailcap,
so the light cannot stand on end.
Seals / Water Resistance: The light is advertised
as splashable. It has O-rings and rubber seals in all
the right places.
If it gets wet inside, just disassemble as much a possible
without tools and let it dry before using again.
Ergonomics: It's about the same length as a
cheapo 2-D cell light, but is slimmer and puts out many
times the light. It seems to be comfortable to use and
hold. It has a little heft, but is not heavy. The balance
point is just slightly forward of center so it feels
most comfortable in my hand using a tactical grip with
the little finger just forward of the textured ring
for adjusting the focus.
Size compared to a common 2AA aluminum light
Batteries: Three 123A cells power the light.
I would recommend Titanium
brand cells for $1.00 each (here's
a review) or BatteryStation
or Surefire
brand cells for less than $2 each. I would not recommend purchasing
these cells at retail stores since they cost $10 a pair
or more in most retail stores!
To change out the batteries: unscrew the tailcap, drop
out the old cells, place in new cells observing proper
polarity. Reattach the tailcap and you're ready to go.
Note that batteries go in NEGATIVE first, with the positive
end pointing toward the tailcap. However, I did insert
the batteries the wrong way and the light still worked.
Accessories: You can use Pila rechargeable cells
in this light. The light requires two of the 150A or
150S type Pila cells. The 150A produced 90% and the
150S produced 75% of the output of regular 123A lithium
cells. The Pila 150A are the best bet for this light
if you want to use rechargeables. A host of other accessories
are available for this light as well.
What I Liked: Water resistant,
Very bright, Slightly focusable.
What I Didn't Like: Nothing significant
Picky Little Things: Remember that
this is an incandescent light and it is not specifically
designed to be shock resistant. Dropping the light or
other types of shock can cause that delicate white-hot
tungsten filament to break, just like with any other
incandescent lightbulb.
Conclusions: Looks like a good
contender in the 3-cell 123A light range. Produces the
same overall output as the Streamlight TL-3 and Surefire
M3, can be focused to some degree, and is a good size.
Based on my testing I see no reason not to recommend
this light for typical duty-type use, or for anyone
who wants a very bright light provided the fairly short
runtime is not a problem.
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