Review : Manker E14 II , pocket rocket flashlight (+teardown w/ interesting driver !)

The Astrolux version has the charging port accessible without unscrewing the head. Rumor has it a version with an aluminum body and copper heatsink like the S41 and this Manker is coming soon.

Thanks for review!!
For me this type of charging port have the advantage of better water proof than the external ports covered by perhaps not reliable rubber pieces.

( I am using my unit with 18350 IMR Aw and IMR Nitecore 18350 most of the time)

Thanks for a great review. I am glad to see that they have stopped using the glue.

Bob

Thank you giorgoskok! :+1:

Do you see signs of the clear coat in any way, on the copper head?

This is most certainly on my ‘soon to-get’ list. I LOVE that it has two pocket clip grooves also.

I am thinking about tearing mine apart, and removing the (reported) clear coat. So I can get a tad better cooling, but more importantly. That all so wonderful patina, later on down the road. :sunglasses:

Thanks for your kind words !

I was excited with the driver , now that it is a fet+1 and charging is in a different circuit someone can have a ramping firmware without a stepdown for the cost of 1-2 resistors (for the lvp) :stuck_out_tongue:

Yes it has a very thin layer of clear coat or something similar .

I polished my S41 and created a patina , the one in one of the pics , it has a cool uneven patina … (i will try to get a better pic )

Yes, I saw that. It really is getting a nice look to it.

Did you take that coating off with some MEK solvent, or did you just buff it off with a wheel polisher?

Just polished it :slight_smile:

Thanks for the review (in progress). I see the great performance of this light but can not get over the looks, it is plain ugly to me :innocent: .

I see that the head does not have the rim that the opic can sit on (the fix that Astrolux had for the S41S) and that prevents twisting the optic when closing the bezel. So a modder’s question: are the dimensions in this light such that the optic is the correct height above the leds without damaging the domes, and that the bezel can be closed without chance of shearing off the led domes?

If i remember correctly , optic sits better than S41 , sits all the way down …

I’ll be disassembling the light to flash another firmware , so i’ll post pics for that matter Djozz , just to be sure .

That stepdown is ridiculous. It’s reasonable enough for a FET quad to have a significant stepdown, but to less than 10%? Good thing it isn’t too hard to get to the MCU and flash a different firmware.

I completely agree. It is ridiculous. I mentioned it in the Manker thread, and haven’t gotten a response back.

Outstanding light! Nice review!!

I think you should have a look again. In the description is says goes to high mode after 40 secs of turbo. They even replied saying in the final version that’s how it’s gonna be.

:+1:

Ah that sounds much more reasonable. Slightly lower peak turbo coupled with a much more reasonable stepdown.

I have one on order set to arrive end of next week! :sunglasses:

Lucky you. I got the s42 instead because of price. I think the manker version is so much better looking.
Did you get the XPG3 Or Nichia?

Ordered the XPG3. Also have an s42 XPG3 on order.

A batch of these Manker E14 II’s have made their way the the U.S. this week, Wednesday. But with the Blade Show going on in Atlanta, Friday through Sunday. No one has had time to unpack them yet. :weary:

Long time flashoholic here and first post on BLF.
I ordered a Astrolux S41 and 2 days later I saw the Manker E14ii was coming out so I ordered one from Manker before they even had it on their site. The light arrived today in a production box(smashed) not a plain brown box. I got the Nichia version and my step down happens at 1 minute and it steps down to high mode not the 100 lumens. I was worried about the 40sec step down to 100 lumens and had ordered the light before they listed the specs. I also wasn’t sure if the Nichia version would be 4000k HCRI or the 5000k 80 CRI. I received the 4000k. Just thought I’d share for anyone interested in the light as I was worried what tint and the step down.

Thanks! I’ve been really curious what they did with the driver, and now I know. :slight_smile:

If the Astrolux version uses the same driver, it could be a decent mod-friendly e-switch host. Manker’s version seems a bit funky though.