Review Eagle Eye X2R

Last week i got an Eagle Eye X2R from gearbest for review ( link gearbest ) It is my first review in english because i usually post in a german flashlightforum and of course its my native language and i feel more comfortable with. Its been a while since i visited the last english lesson in school but hey you still have the pictures :)) Oh and its not a tear down, im am definately the wrong guy for that, i would ruin it. So i wont remove the driver or such things. Anyways, lets start with the review.

The X2R is a typical cigar shaped light in the 1x18650 format with a single tail switch (reverse clicky) and mode memory, gearbest offers it in two colors, black and grey. You have the choice of two color LED binnings as well, 1A and a more neutral 3C. The emitter is a XM-L2 U2 with around 550 lumens in high mode. The light has only three brightness levels without any disco modes which is not bad at all, i usually like simple UIs without strobe and SOS. I could not find any lumen data regarding the mid and low mode. Hi=1,6A Mid=0,7A Low=0.08A

manufacturer claimed measurements:

12.20 x 2.40 x 2.40 cm

weight: 88g (my scale says 65,3g?)

There can be no doubt, the light is designed as a competitor to the famous convoy S2+ which i like a lot. Both design and price is similar to the famous budget model from convoy.

The only difference is you get a simpler driver but therefor an integrated USB port for charging!

No fancy packaging here but its perfectly ok for a 15 dollar light. You will get a lanyard, two o-rings and a GITD rubber switch cover in addition to the already installed black one

Here is a 360 view and some other pictures showing the light. I like the color of the anodizing. Its a true grey without the purple shimmer of the grey S2+ and Jaxman, however i noticed a slightly difference in color of the middle tube compared to the rest of the light. Machining is really smooth and my sample was flawless without any silver parts or dents etc..

You can not only unscrew the head, you can also unscrew the top cover with the lens, it wasnt glued at all. Its perfect for cleaning dust particles from the factory.

The X2R is a bit longer compared to a convoy S2+ but surprisingly lighter with 65g (Convoy=80g). To the right, the larger brother, the X5R.

A picture of the headspring. I think everything looks like quality for the price.

A comparision with the convoy S2+, i think thats what most ppl want to see. Both are really good for budget flashlights. The Eagle Eye looks a bit "cleaner" to me if you look at the holes for example.

The main benefit of the X2R is the integrated USB port, the S2+ dont offer such a feature. I charged a completely emtpy nitecore 2600mah 18650 battery in 3 hours and 30 minutes.

As you can see the light charged with 1 Amp but it will decrease over time. For example 30 minutes before the end the light charged with 0,5 amp and so on.

When the charging process is finished the little indicator will turn green.

I thought they would use the little side indicator LED as a low voltage warning but no, the main LED is used. After 2 hours and 2 minutes the low voltage alarm kicked in (fully charged 2600mah battery). I removed the battery and measured 2.94V.

This is a little runtime line diagram i made, its obviously in german for the other forum. One axis is brightness in percent and the other is time in minutes. I clamped the light and a luxmeter in tripods (1m distance) and let it run on high until the low voltage warning kicked in. Note, i measured every minute until the 15 minute mark, then every 15 minutes.

A GITD o-ring is used but honestly, the effect will not last long. I build Paracord Lanyards with selfmade resin GITD beats in the past and the magic word is strontiumaluminate, this will last the whole night. Cheaper GITD pigments and those used in toys are made of zinc sulfide. According to the specs the light should have a coated lens as well but i couldnt recognize the typical shimmer, so i cant say if thats true or not.

Here is a little color bin comparision, the 3C is a really nice neutral color, its really "white". The T6 3B is also a very pleasant color bin in my mind. I made a little mistake here, its Lumintop IYP365.

Now an indoor and outdoor beamshot.

There is a tiny white camping table at around 54 yards distance. The higher lumen lights had no problems in illuminating the table.The Eagle Eye X2R and the S2+ are very similar because its a 7135*4 S2+ model but the X2R was a bit brighter as you can see. This will of course change with a S2+ 7135*8 for example.

In the end you cant go wrong with the X2R and the S2+. Both are budget models but you get the most for your money and Its probably the cheapest way to enter that quality region. I bought the X5R a while ago and its a really good light for the money as well. The X2R is perfect as a gift because of the integrated charging function. Fans of higher output and blink modes should consider the S2+ 7135*8. In my runtime test i measured a max. temperature of 130 F (30 minute mark).

Great review, thanks!

Machining looks great, typical of EE… also the runtime is surprisingly flat thanks to the low amp draw I guess? With a 3,500mAh battery it could probably reach 3 hours still maintaining 70%+ brightness.

I would say the X2R is now the best choice for a gift, pair it with a protected battery and there is absolutely nothing to worry about, specially heat and choice of charger.

Thanks for the review! I think it’s my favorite light of 2016 (so far)

I agree, any of the “R” line from EE make great gifts, but the price on this one currently is fabulous.

I don’t suppose gearbest gave you a coupon code to advertise? I wouldn’t mind buying another…

……………………….

I don’t want to steal your thread, but I’ll post some “inside” info here so it’s easy to find in the future.

Awesome review! Great pictures, very professional quality.
The tint comparisons were very revealing. Wish every manufacturer would specify the bin.

I used a brandnew nitecore 2600mah battery for the test, so it was on the lowest mah end of 18650s. I think every light will drop in brightness because of the heat, not only because of the decreased battery. I dont know if its good regulated because its the first time ive done this but it looked really even for about 90 minutes.

Actually the truth is i just started with photography and the pictures are not edited at all because i dont have a software like photoshop. Thats why you see lint and dirt particles from time to time. When you remove all those particles with a software and do other photo enhancements i have the feeling that the flashlight will look like a paint and not real anymore. What i bought was a new macro lens for my older camera which i never used , studio High CRI lighting, tripods, a so called light tent, a gray card for white balance and such things. Except the lens everything was pretty cheap, you can get it from china. I always wanted a macro lens and i sold my zoom lens for it. My whole camera was like never used, i bought it some years ago just to have a camera but in the end you never use it. Now i can at least make pictures of flashlights :slight_smile:

No i dont have a code, i can ask may at gearbest for it but she did not answered my last mail some days ago.

No problem, looks interesting. It looks like you have the black version

Nice review. Well written and well organized. I enjoyed the pictures!

Very good review, great pictures and writing…. I really think this X2R is one of the best “starter” or gift lights for someone new to 18650 lights. Amazing bargain and great workmanship on a $15 dollar light.

Thanks a lot for this great review with the nice beamshots!
Regards
Carsten

Host is pill-less, similar to new S3? Driver retaining ring screws into same threads that tube screws in?

I dont know, i dont do tear downs but in post #3 are maybe useful informations for you.

Yes, integrated head/pill. The driver retaining ring has its own threads, you can see it a little in my picture earlier

In case this interests anyone, here is a picture of the X2R with an S2+ 18350 tube next to its older brother, the X5R.

I measured the tailcap-current today with my new multimeter and it was 1,61 / 0,72 / 0,08
So very similar to the manufacturer values.

Head temperature in Celsius

Im sorry that i can not tell the exact range in yards to the white camping table in my outdoor shots. Ive ordered a laser rangefinder

Great review. I like the look of the easily unscrewable head. However the S2+ has a much better range of tints.

For someone who ‘just started with photography’ your pictures are fantastic!
And I agree… a macro lens is simply a must-have. I have two of them and they are about 40 years old!

(auto-focus is pretty much redundant when taking macro shots anyway… and you can buy the older stuff much cheaper :slight_smile: )

Good review & excellent pictures.
Thanks PD for the additional driver info and S2+ tube lego

Pretty nice light for the money. Love the Convoy Grey so I had to buy an EE X2R
This would be a good gift light for the non-flashlight friends without getting into chargers.

I went Grey in 3A tint for $15 shipped right now

As for tints, it can be any or emitter you wish it to be. Driver will be on the difficult side.

Thank you but i think its really down to the right equipment in my case. I just watched some youtube tutorials about product photography. Thats the good thing about youtube, i did the same with areal photography after i bought a small multicopter (drone) 4 years ago. I had no idea about video editing and i bought a cheap software and watched some tutorials. Thats actually the fun and interesting part of it, to learn that new stuff and when you reached the goals you will loose the interest. After i edited some movies i had no joy anymore and the drone is unused since 7 months or so, i need to sell it soon. In those 4 years i bought a new model every year, of course i sold the predecessor everytime. I think the key is when you have fun about doing something. In my school time i had not much fun in school, i had not much fun in learning english. As a 13 year old you have other things in mind and its like somebody forcing you to learn things. In the late 90s i loved the “yahoo chat” and that was much better for my english :stuck_out_tongue:

To the product photography, i dont use flashes, just normal studio lights and you cant go wrong there because what you see is what you get. I have no idea how i would use flashes and set them up correctly and all that. Its much easier with permanent lighting and i think you really just need the right stuff. My lens is like a cross between macro and portrait, so its not really a full macro lens according to photography forums.

Where is the cheapest site to order the X2R from?

And PD: I think you should start a X2R mod thread, this one is going to be very popular. :smiley:

At the moment definately gearbest. Ali Express has it for 17 dollars. Couldnt find it at banggood or fasttech. Gearbest offered no coupon for it because the price is already pretty low.