- Joined
- Jun 28, 2010
- Messages
- 1,952
I purchased this little guy on Monday and received it today. The Manker E02 is a right angle flashlight that uses a 1xAAA battery in either Alkaline, NiMH, or L91 Energizer Lithium (1.5v). Do not use a Li-ion 10440 battery (4.2v).
It is available in two emitter options and three body colors respectively: Cool White Cree XP-G3 or Neutral White Nichia 219c, and Black, Red, and Grey. As a fan of neutral and warm tints, I opted for the Nichia 219c in Grey.
The cool white version will have slightly more output and throw and is rated at 220 lumens on Turbo. The neutral white version is rated at 180 lumens on Turbo. Keep in mind that Turbo does not run constant and will step down at 3 minutes. Still, the regulation is flat and maintains the rest of it's output steadily. Manker claims constant current and there does not appear to be PWM.
The battery is inserted through the tailcap at the bottom, positive end towards the head and negative end towards the tailcap. Turning the light on, off, and advancing through the modes is accomplished with the electronic switch on the head of the light. An audible click can be heard with each press of the button.
A snap on pocket clip is included and can be attached to the body of the light. This allows the light to be clipped vertically to your shirt, belt, pants, PALS webbing, etc. The clip appears to be reversible as there are two grooved areas on the body that can accommodate the clip.
On the bottom of the tailcap is a magnet that allows you to place the light on a magnetic surface. While it works, the magnet is not as strong as I would like. An accidental brush against it can cause the light to drop/fall.
Apart from the pocket clip, and rounding out the included accessories are a spare o-ring and a wrist lanyard. The tailcap has an attachment point for the lanyard, though I do suppose a properly sized split-ring could help this light find it's way onto a set of keys. The E02 does weigh more than a standard keychain light so I would not carry it in this fashion but the option does exist.
The UI is something that sets this light apart from others in it's size class. 1xAAA flashlights come in different configurations. There are some that use a twisty interface such as the Olight i3S or i3E, Surefire Titan Plus or Titan-a, or Maratac AAA. There are some that use a clicky interface such as the Streamlight Microstream or Lumintop Tool. There are some that use an electronic interface such as the gone too soon Liteflux LF2XT or UltraTac K18. And the UI can vary in each of these from single mode to multi mode (2-3) and might even include a hidden strobe or SOS.
For those not familiar, the Liteflux LF2XT was programmable. The Manker E02, while not completely programmable, does have one programmable option with a UI that is more advanced and flexible from what we have normally come to see in 1xAAA lights.
Looking at the UI guide, it may seem straightforward to some and not so straight to others. It is actually not as complicated as it looks. If it helps, a one click is just that, a single click or quick press and release. A double click is doing that twice in fast succession, think of double clicking on a computer mouse. A long press is press and hold of the button for about a second.
From Off:
Moonlight mode can be adjusted through programming so you can have a lower or slightly higher output Moonlight mode than what comes stock. To get in to Moonlight programming, One Click 4 times fast. The light can be off or on in any mode when you do this. The light should dim and each click will incrementally increase the output. There are 21 brightness adjustments available. When you find your desired output, Long Press to turn the light off and save your selection.
Electronic Lockout:
The Manker E02 can be electronically locked out to prevent accidental activation while in your pocket or in a pack. To do this you must One Click, Double Click, then Triple Click, with about a half a second rest in between each. To unlock, the light repeat the steps.
Keep in mind that if the E02 is electronically locked out, removing the tailcap or battery will not cause it to reset. You must repeat the steps that locked the light out to unlock it.
Physical Lockout:
Another option to prevent accidental activation without using the Electronic Lockout is to slightly loosen the tailcap a half-turn. Not only will this accomplish what Electronic Lockout does, it also will cut off any parasitic drain to the battery as a slight drain is present due to the electronic switch.
Comparison Shot Left to Right: Olight i3S, Astrolux A01, Manker E02, Zebralight H501 (AA)
Hopefully the above provides a sense of the Manker E02's size.
Pros:
Output is actually the highest I've had on a production 1xAAA flashlight and I love that it offers a true (and adjustable) moonlight mode. There is flexibility from the tint (emitter) you can choose, to body color, to mounting and carrying options, to the general and special modes available, to the lockout options, and of course price.
Cons:
If I could fix 2 things it would be to add a stronger magnet and to change the advancement of general modes to the more common Moonlight->Low->High->Moonlight->Low->High and so on. I am not too fond of the mode order stepping up then stepping back down in reverse again. However, these are small gripes.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, I think the E02 offers a lot for what you pay, which isn't a whole lot (about $19.95). Time will tell how it holds up long term but for the price and features I am more than happy to give it the chance.
It is available in two emitter options and three body colors respectively: Cool White Cree XP-G3 or Neutral White Nichia 219c, and Black, Red, and Grey. As a fan of neutral and warm tints, I opted for the Nichia 219c in Grey.
The cool white version will have slightly more output and throw and is rated at 220 lumens on Turbo. The neutral white version is rated at 180 lumens on Turbo. Keep in mind that Turbo does not run constant and will step down at 3 minutes. Still, the regulation is flat and maintains the rest of it's output steadily. Manker claims constant current and there does not appear to be PWM.
The battery is inserted through the tailcap at the bottom, positive end towards the head and negative end towards the tailcap. Turning the light on, off, and advancing through the modes is accomplished with the electronic switch on the head of the light. An audible click can be heard with each press of the button.
A snap on pocket clip is included and can be attached to the body of the light. This allows the light to be clipped vertically to your shirt, belt, pants, PALS webbing, etc. The clip appears to be reversible as there are two grooved areas on the body that can accommodate the clip.
On the bottom of the tailcap is a magnet that allows you to place the light on a magnetic surface. While it works, the magnet is not as strong as I would like. An accidental brush against it can cause the light to drop/fall.
Apart from the pocket clip, and rounding out the included accessories are a spare o-ring and a wrist lanyard. The tailcap has an attachment point for the lanyard, though I do suppose a properly sized split-ring could help this light find it's way onto a set of keys. The E02 does weigh more than a standard keychain light so I would not carry it in this fashion but the option does exist.
The UI is something that sets this light apart from others in it's size class. 1xAAA flashlights come in different configurations. There are some that use a twisty interface such as the Olight i3S or i3E, Surefire Titan Plus or Titan-a, or Maratac AAA. There are some that use a clicky interface such as the Streamlight Microstream or Lumintop Tool. There are some that use an electronic interface such as the gone too soon Liteflux LF2XT or UltraTac K18. And the UI can vary in each of these from single mode to multi mode (2-3) and might even include a hidden strobe or SOS.
For those not familiar, the Liteflux LF2XT was programmable. The Manker E02, while not completely programmable, does have one programmable option with a UI that is more advanced and flexible from what we have normally come to see in 1xAAA lights.
Looking at the UI guide, it may seem straightforward to some and not so straight to others. It is actually not as complicated as it looks. If it helps, a one click is just that, a single click or quick press and release. A double click is doing that twice in fast succession, think of double clicking on a computer mouse. A long press is press and hold of the button for about a second.
From Off:
- One Click to turn the light on in moonlight mode.
- Long Press to turn the light on in the last memorized mode (either Low or High).
- Double Click to turn the light on in Turbo.
- One Click will advance the modes. The mode order in general will go: Moonlight->Low->High->Low->Moonlight->Low->High->Low->Moonlight and so on.
- Double Click to turn the light on in Turbo.
- Long Press to turn the light off.
- One Click will advance the special modes: Turbo->Strobe->SOS->Beacon
After Beacon, the next One Click will take you back to General modes beginning with Moonlight. - Double Click will toggle back to the mode you were previously in before switching to Turbo (either Moonlight, Low, or High).
- Long Press to turn the light off.
Moonlight mode can be adjusted through programming so you can have a lower or slightly higher output Moonlight mode than what comes stock. To get in to Moonlight programming, One Click 4 times fast. The light can be off or on in any mode when you do this. The light should dim and each click will incrementally increase the output. There are 21 brightness adjustments available. When you find your desired output, Long Press to turn the light off and save your selection.
Electronic Lockout:
The Manker E02 can be electronically locked out to prevent accidental activation while in your pocket or in a pack. To do this you must One Click, Double Click, then Triple Click, with about a half a second rest in between each. To unlock, the light repeat the steps.
Keep in mind that if the E02 is electronically locked out, removing the tailcap or battery will not cause it to reset. You must repeat the steps that locked the light out to unlock it.
Physical Lockout:
Another option to prevent accidental activation without using the Electronic Lockout is to slightly loosen the tailcap a half-turn. Not only will this accomplish what Electronic Lockout does, it also will cut off any parasitic drain to the battery as a slight drain is present due to the electronic switch.
Comparison Shot Left to Right: Olight i3S, Astrolux A01, Manker E02, Zebralight H501 (AA)
Hopefully the above provides a sense of the Manker E02's size.
Pros:
Output is actually the highest I've had on a production 1xAAA flashlight and I love that it offers a true (and adjustable) moonlight mode. There is flexibility from the tint (emitter) you can choose, to body color, to mounting and carrying options, to the general and special modes available, to the lockout options, and of course price.
Cons:
If I could fix 2 things it would be to add a stronger magnet and to change the advancement of general modes to the more common Moonlight->Low->High->Moonlight->Low->High and so on. I am not too fond of the mode order stepping up then stepping back down in reverse again. However, these are small gripes.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, I think the E02 offers a lot for what you pay, which isn't a whole lot (about $19.95). Time will tell how it holds up long term but for the price and features I am more than happy to give it the chance.
