Review of Nitecore EF1 explosion proof flashlight

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
1

This torch costs in the region of £110.00 GBP to buy and is sold as an Explosion-proof flashlight, it seems that Nitecore have been making a series of Explosion-proof headlamps lately like the EH1 and EH1s however this EF1 Flashlight appears to have been around for about a year now so not a new arrival by any means but it has some nice features and there doesn't seem to be many reviews or videos for it around so I thought that I would take it on a day out down a slate mine and write a bit of a review.

SOME SPECS AND INFO
The Nitecore EF1 is powered by one 18650 battery or 2 CR123 batteries, it has three power levels that range from 4 lumins to 830 Lumins, the power switch is a sliding affair with 3 positions 0-1-2-3.
The body is made of aerospace grade aluminium alloy that is 3mm thick and the finish is a military grade anodised black coating.
The LED is a CREE XM-L2 U3 LED and chucks a beam out to 270m
The Lens is a 10mm thick job that is sealed by appoxy
IP67 rated and impact resistant to a drop of 1.5m
Weight is ....8.82 oz
length is .... 5.99 inches
Head size ...is 1.57 inches
I like FEET and INCHES

POWER LEVELS
LOW POWER: 4 lumins .....runs for 150 hours on a fully charged battery
MID POWER: 320 Lumins...runs for 3 hours on a fully charged battery
HIGH POWER: 830 Lumins..runs for 1.5 hours on a fully charged battery


When the torch arrived it was well packaged

so I opened it IMMEDIATELY and the box inside was plain brown with a label on it

Inside the box was a foam insert with the torch, a pouch, some spare O rings, a lanyard, some instructions and a warranty card.



First impressions were good and it seemed like a nice well made bit of kit...here is a 360 series of images around the torch body

this is the spec lifted from Nitecores websie

And the Features as described


Below are Some close ups of the main bits
Firstly there are two stainless steel hex screws either side of the torch head that I imagined were holding the shroud on so I left them well alone

A close up of the power slider switch, ranging from 0 to 3, it moves nice and smoothly with a definate locating CLICK at each setting

The Tail cap with the lanyard cord attached, it is flat so will stand vertically on a table or anywhere else flat

The Tail cap Knurling, I was really impressed with the build quality and precision knurling



Knurling on the main body of the torch, the aluminium alloy is 3mm thick, I guess this is to aid the containment of a battery that may explode.

Inside the end cap, a spring and a wafer board by the looks of it

With the battery out and looking down the tube, this is the contact for the positive side of the battery behind the driver and LED, it looks to be gold plated

The body of the torch with the cap off, you can see the 3mm thick alloy and the bottom of the 18650 battery, as I reckon it is thick to try and contain an exploding battery, you can see one of the O rings and there is plenty of thread to retain the cap tightly, again probably a measure to further secure and contain any internal problem.

The head of the torch, you can see the Cree XM-L2 U3 LED that sits in a pretty deep reflector, it gives the beam a really good throw capacity.
The lens is 10mm thick and sealed by appoxy.
The head is 40mm wide and a series of coloured diffusers can be bought for it.

The CREE XM L2-U3 LED that emits 830 Lumins

The EF1 next to its pouch, the pouch has a velcro fastener to attach to a belt and and a D-ring that can be attached to a caribiner.

In its pouch, it fits snugly and although I dont use pouches or holders it seemed well made and pretty robust.

sitting next to my iphone for size comparison

I took this into a disused slate mine and did some beam shots, all at 5 seconds F5.6 and ISO200
LOW POWER SETTING 4 LUMINS

MEDIUM SETTING 320 LUMINS

HIGH SETTING 830 LUMINS

Some other shots that show the beam hotpsot and the flood spill of the Nitecore EF1

outside the mine

CONCLUSION
I used this torch for photography and mine explorationI liked this torch from the get go, it is well made and feels substantial when you are holding it in your hand although it is no lightweight, the body has some really nice knurling on the body that makes the torch feel secure and unlikely to slip from your grasp.
The beam that the Cree LED emits is a nice white light and it is perfect for light painting photographs underground, it has an impressive throw and hotspot but also has a good flood or light spill so it makes the EF1 a very usable torch and although it is designed with hazardous environments in mind it would be great for most activities like camping, hiking, fishing or working.
The power level controls fall nicely under your thumb and are easy to operate, the switch locates on each setting with a very satisfying CLICK and there is no mistaking when a power level is selected.
All in all a good bit of kit.
I have some video that I took in a slatemine that I can post which shows the beamshots and power levels of this torch much more accurately, I will post it when I get it onto my computer and add it to this thread.

Thanks for reading.

2

Nice review (by a pro) of a nice light (for pro’s). Just for the record: explosionproof means that this light is designed in such a way that operating it in an explosive atmosphere (like in a chemical plant, coal-mine or grain-bin) does not lead to an explosion of fumes, gasses or dust. So the sparks of the clicky stays in and the gasses and dust (and water) stay out.

3

Thank you Henk, you are spot on with the explosion proof description, I also think that the 3mm thick body and 10mm appoxy sealed lens and long threaded tail cap are designed to try to contain any electrical mishap inside the torch itself, hopefully :)

4

Nice review! Thanks for taking the time to share with us.

5

I realize that there is probably a risk factor and lawyer premium fee added anytime you make a claim like ‘explosion proof’, but isn’t any light that is water proof and dust proof going to be for all intents and purposes explosion proof as well? I’m sure you don’t want to be caught by OSHA ‘making do’.

Your (well done) review makes it clear that this light is more sturdy than typical. Is there any other real difference between an IP68 (fer-instance) rated light and an EXPLOSION proof light?

6

I think that the IP rating may refer to the waterproofing and dust proofing but the explosion proof bit of it is accredited by an international petrol chemical/ hazard industry body, here is the certificate for this particular torch, but in all honestly I think that it is simply that the torch will not cause ignition even if the worst happened and the battery exploded or similar, so extra strong build construction may be all it is. My own understanding is that all explosion proof torches and headlamps here in UK are ATEX rated. same as the cert below I suppose.

7

I thought Henk4u made it pretty clear in his post. Look it even looks like a magnetic switch, I would prob take this light over a regular ip68 light if I were going into a mine or or a environment where a combustible gas was present. Great review! Love the pics in a outdoor environment.

8

Finally a light built to handle Ultrafire batteries :smiley:

I think if i am ever in an explosion in a mine or any where my flashlight would be the last thing on my mind! After all i would be on fire and able to produce my own light lol! Gives candela a new meaning

9

Explosion proof, are you sure it’s not a chinese way to say that it’s safe to keep in your pants back pocket ?

10

my two Nitecore 18650s were on charge :)

You have a Great youtube channel man, you know batteries

11

All as i read from this was an explosion in my pants :person_facepalming:

12

When they certify lights as “explosion proof” do they really test for battery explosion? To do that they’d literally have to have a battery explode inside the light and then check to see that the light contains the explosion … and stays sealed even with a massive amount of sustained pressure inside.

I’m doubtful that a light could contain an exploding lithium ion cell. The tube is 3mm at its thickest, but there are plenty of areas where the light is structurally weaker (threads, lens, etc.). Even if the tube survived an 0-ring giving out during an explosion might be enough to ignite a spark.

13

The flashlight body is rugged alright, but does it necessarily mean the light as a unit is rugged? To me, it would be only as rugged as the unpotted electronics and soldered joints. It might be strong enough to contain an internal cell failure, but it may also be no better at surviving a drop than an ordinary flashlight, just as its 1.5m drop rating suggests.

14

Nice review with good pictures. Thanks for doing this!

15

This is just a guess but providing that the light is well sealed with the tail cap threads, O rings and the 10mm appoxy sealed lens and 3mm body, then the air needed to sustain an explosion or massive amount of sustained pressure inside as you say would never get in. so it is extinguished before it has had the oxygen to feed it....just my guess, I have looked to see what tests they perform but cant seem to find an exact list. but basically you would hope that the light body never lets in enough oxygen or explosive gas (in a hazardous environment) to permit an internal explosion of any kind.

@SCS

As for the impact resistance being 1.5metres, I can only imagine that it would not compromise the torches body or construction if dropped from a higher height, but may knacker up the internal components so the torch may not function but that does not mean that it would cause an explosion, just not operate as a torch, so you are correct that it is only as good as its weakest internal component but still causing no risk to the external environment...again just a guess.

I can tell you though that I have 4 single cell 18650 torches from different manufacturers that I use regularly but this is the only explosion proof one that I have and honestly I can tell the difference in build quality , but I think that is purely to do with these standards that it has to adhere too in order to be passed as safe in certain hazardous environments.

16

As promised, some beam shots in a video of the Nitecore EF1 www.youtube.com/embed/SiS9yuv1r3A

17

Man so cool, nothing like that near me. Thanks a lot for the vid. Stupid question though, would you say the still pictures are what you really see or the video is more accurate? I also see the Nietcore website used some of your pictures.

18

Hi KutKhemist, I am lucky to live so close to North Wales in UK with an abundance of old slate mines and quarries and I just cannot get enough of them :)

As for the light shots, I would say that the video is a much better representation of what you get in reality because it is realtime, also the still images are 3 second exposures but they are useful for seeing the flood and hotspot patterns clearly.

Yes Nitecore used a video and some photos that I took for their EH1 headlamp on their website, also here on BLF, they initially asked me if I would just give my honest opinion of the lamp whilst using it underground before it was released for sale, but I like to make videos and photography is my hobby as well as mine exploration so I did the pictures and video of my own accord.

this is the one that they used, it was underground, again in a gorgeous Welsh slate mine