[Review] Eagle Eye X7R Flashlight - 1x26650/18650 general purpose light

Eagle Eye X7R Flashlight Review - 1x26650 general purpose light

This is a review of the Eagle Eye X7R flashlight. This is a light that takes a single 26650 lithium-ion battery, has 5 brightness modes, and built-in micro USB charging.

The light was provided by Banggood for review purposes. You can find the light on their site here:

https://goo.gl/Qq9r41

There is currently a discount code for it: 28% off. Use code d04517. That should bring the price down to somewhere around $19.50.

There is also a video review of the light I put up on youtube, here:

Overview:

This is a light that can be appreciated by general users, as well as flashaholics. A general user will appreciate the built-in micro USB charging port, whereas a flashaholic will probably choose to charge separately. Everyone will like the simple interface, good throw, and bright output on the highest modes. Due the size of the light (because of the large size of a 26650 battery), this is a good utility light, not an every-day carry.

In addition to the intended 26650 battery, the light will also take an 18650 battery, but since it does not come with an adapter sleeve, the use of 18650 batteries requires you to roll them up in paper or some other make-do filler. Regardless, since the light has a diameter for 26650 batteries, and thus is not really appropriate for every-day-carry, it doesn’t make much sense to run it off 18650’s. A 26650 battery will give you very long run-times from this light, even at high output. This light will take flat top cells, button top cells, protected or non-protected cells.

Overall, I like the look and feel of this light, as well as the simple user interface. Due to the thicker body on this light (because of the 26650 design), it holds firmly in the hand. There is good knurling on the body tube for grip, and the small button is easy to operate.

Yes, the button is fairly small, and so could be a little more difficult to find in the dark than a large button. But, it’s functional, and keeps the design sleek.

The user interface is simple. There are 3 main modes, plus a “moonlight” and a turbo. Click to turn on, and click to cycle throw the 3 main modes: low, medium, and high. You must do a long press to turn off the light, and this also memorizes the current mode (any main sequence mode, plus turbo). Double click for turbo. Long press from off for moonlight. There are no annoying strobes. :slight_smile:

Moonlight is a little odd. First, it’s not a moonlight. It’s about 15 lumens, which is a modest low mode, not moonlight (which should be under 1 lumen). Second, once you’re in moonlight, you can not go to any other mode. You must shut the light off first. This is something I have not seen on any other light.

Moonlight deficiencies aside, this is not the kind of light you will be using for moonlight anyway. So, I don’t consider the lack of a real moonlight mode to be a concern. This is a light you will be using on modest to high output, and all the other modes are useful.

Here are the mode outputs, as I measure them:

  • Moonlight: 15 lumens
  • Low: 70 lumens
  • Medium: 350 lumens
  • High: 700 lumens
  • Turbo: 1300 lumens

However, I believe this light probably uses something like a direct driver, because as battery voltage drops, so do all the modes. At 3.6v, the above modes are all about 60% as bright as they are on a full 4.2v. But it takes a long time to run the battery down, so you won’t notice a drop in brightness. Expect to get about 2 hours on turbo, and about 4 hours on high.

Throw is pretty good for a light like this, about 20000 candella, or 280m throw. It achieves this with a deep, smooth reflector. I was surprised at the throw, considering this uses a domed emitter, not a high-intensity version. For comparison, a Convoy C8 “thrower” is about 60000 candella, while a typical EDC 18650 light is somewhere between 5000 and 10000 candella.

The tint is also pleasant. Slightly warmer than 5000K. It is very close to a 3D Cree tint, not the 3A listed on the design specs. This is for the neutral white version of course, but it also comes in a cool white.

The beam profile has a strong hot spot, with a slightly green/yellow corona, and slightly purplish spill. This is very standard for domed Cree emitters. The off-color spill is likely due the anti-reflection coating on the lens. There are no artifacts in the beam, and as I mentioned it is overall quite nice.

The switch has a built-in LED to indicate battery level. Blue is good, red is bad. This light does not have low-voltage protection, so make sure to charge it after you notice the LED goes red or your output drops significantly, especially if you are using a non-protected cell.

The light has built-in charging via a micro USB port. It charges fairly rapidly (about 1 amp). The switch light is red while charging, and turns blue when charging is complete. I measure the completed charge at 4.15v. This is a little under-charged, but is safe and easier on the battery than charging to a full 4.2v.

Okay, on to the specs:

Modes: 5 (moonlight, low, medium, high, turbo).

LED: Cree XP-L V6, 5000K neutral white, or cool white.

Lens: anti-reflection coated. Protected by crenellated bezel.

Size: 130mm long, 32mm diameter.

Weight: 148g without battery.

Construction: Black anodized aluminum. Waterproof (IPx8) and drop-proof (1.5m). Good grip on body. Threads are very nicely square cut, and came lubricated. Space on tail for a lanyard (included). Feels solid and well built.

Battery type: 1 x 26650 lithium-ion, or 1 x 18650. Flat-top or button top. Unprotected, or most protected should fit.

Output: 15-1300 lumens. The modes are not well regulated, and will gradually dim as the battery voltage drops.

Throw: 20,000 candella. This represents a throw of 280 meters to 0.25 lux.

Heat: The light will get hot on turbo, but does not appear to overheat.

Tint: 4800K neutral white. I’m not sure what the cool-white is, but I suspect about 6500K.

Beam pattern: It has a bright and fairly intense hot-spot, but lots of usable spill.

Tail-stands: Yes.

Operation: See earlier discussion. You can optionally lock out the light by slightly unscrewing the tail cap (due to anodized threads). I recommend doing this if you are carrying the light in a bag.

Package contents: Flashlight, simple cardboard box, 2 o-rings, 1 lanyard

My impressions:

Pros:

- Good tint (neutral white version), also comes in cool white

- Tailstands well

- Micro USB charging, if desired. Could charge both 18650 and 26650.

- Good mode spacing

- LED switch indicator gives plenty of warning to charge battery (blue, red, flashing red)

  • Mechanical lock-out with slight twist of tailcap

Cons:

- Moonlight mode isn’t a real moonlight, also UI is a little odd for moonlight

- No low-voltage protection, though the light gives plenty of warning

  • Switch might be hard to find in the dark (it’s small).

Here are a couple of more pictures of the light:

This is the light compared against two 18650 lights: the BLF A6 (a floody light), and the Convoy C8 (a throwy light).

Here is a nightshot comparison of the Eagle Eye X7R (on right) compared to the BLF A6 (on the left. Note that the floody light does not reach out very far. The trees are about 200 meters away.

Here is a nightshot comparison of the Eagle Eye X7R (on right) compared to the Convoy C8 on the left. The Convoy definitely out-throws the Eagle Eye, but not by a huge amount to the visible eye.

Finally, this is a comparison of the Eagle Eye X7R (on right) compared to the Zebralight SC600w MkIV HI, which is a somewhat throwy small 18650 light.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading.

Thanks for the review and photos. Looks like an interesting floody light which I like but the lumen output seems low considering other available market offerings like the DQG Tiny III and Thrunite TC20.

Your comparison photos only show one photo for each comparison.

I find it more throwy, than floody. It’s sort of a cross between a floody EDC and a C8 thrower. Output is about on par with what you’d get from most single 18650 lights. But the larger 26650 battery could almost double the run time.

You’re right that something like the DQG Tiny III or Thrunite TC20 are way brighter, but they’re also way more expensive. The Eagle Eye is a budget light.

They could have probably made it slightly cheaper if they dropped the USB charging, but I think the intended market for this light might want built-in charging. This probably isn’t a light for most flashaholics, since it’s neither a floody EDC or a dedicated thrower. But I can see it being good for people that just want a light to light up a good distance when they’re walking their dog. For someone used to carrying a Mag on walks, this is a huge upgrade for less money.