Today I received a
NITEFOX ES10 knurled AA Stainless Steel Flashlight .
My first impression is it’s an attractive light. Great looks followed by great feel.
The knurling on this light is very well done . It is very finely cut to the point of almost feeling like sandpaper .I don’t think of it as overly aggressive because it’s not cut super deep like some lights but has an amazing amount of grip to it . So much so that it’s something you just can’t help noticing . For people who like grip this light definitely delivers . Nitefox also makes the same light in an all smooth body so they are catering to folks that love both .
One thing you immediately notice is the quality of the finish. The best part of any stainless steel light is the sparkle.Nitefox was smart enough not to splash their name all over the light and there is no usual vanity plate cut out of the knurling for some company to remind you of who made the light . My thoughts have always been iof a light is great you'll remember who made it and what the model number is .:) Their name is very tastefully included and to me it shows class . Threads are nicely cut and the tail clicky feels wonderful...Wonderful ...(worth repeating) It has a distinct snap and no sloppiness that you sometimes get with a metal clicky. it's as nice a clicky as you'll find on any light .
Clip is well made , tight and has a very nice matte finish to it .Overall impression is one of quality.
All Stainless steel lights have a bit of heft to them but this just gives it a feeling of being solid .It breaks only at the head and it's almost a little refreshing to not have two places in the body that are threaded . that feels like a smarter simpler approach ,a head and tail . The light weighs in at a total of 58 grams and 86g.with a AA Nimh battery .Length is a little over 92mm which is neither large or small for a AA size light.comparing the size to other AA lights it seems to be a very common size if not just a bit thinner feeling .The overall length is just about the width of your palm and fits very comfortably in the hand .Emitter is a cool white Xpg-2 with an orange peel reflector and has a decent amount of throw for a smaller edc light.Includes an anti-reflective coating on the lens.
Modes are high /low /strobe with no memory so it always starts on high . Output using a AA nimh battery is 180 lumens on high and 80 lumens on low Strobe although obnoxious is actually a good “fast strobe” rather than one of those slow boring strobes that will probably force your attacker to just go to sleep . This one will actually make him angry….and hopefully want to leave . Tail has cut outs so people with huge thumbs or people wearing gloves can easily use the button to change modes.
The Es10 will run on AA alkaline, AA nimh rechargeable or 14500’s but 14500’s aren’t suggested as the light heats up fairly quickly using them . PWM is used on low and is fairly low frequency pwm. :( . High low strobe isn't a great UI but the light will work well enough for people who like lights that always come on in high ..Strobe can be avoided by just shutting off the light after low mode instead of cycling past it .
The light comes in a nice metal box suitable for gifting .
- included is -
an extra clip .
a spare o-ring
a keychain ring
and a very nice diffuser to allow you to make the light into a candle in case of blackouts or a makeshift lantern on your next camping trip.
The tin ,extra clip and a diffuser are nice additions that not many other manufactures seem to care enough to include .
I'm keeping this light for my collection..
Budget Light Forum began as a AA flashlight forum so this type light has always been a favorite and it fits nicely into the BLF light mold . The combination of both smooth ,slick and at the same time grippy is a true delight, something you almost need to feel for yourself. One very nice thing about stainless steel is you can really make it your own light by breaking it in with a small file or bit of sandpaper you can knock down and soften up any and all edges .In a matter of minutes every factory machine cut had a kinder gentler broken in feel to it . Because of the scalloped cut tailcap design the light ends up with edges Unfortunately this is a complaint of mine because by cutting into the tail the end result is now 4 possible sharp points . Many of the newer lights have addressed this and knocked down all the sharp edges before anodizing the light. the up side here is a stainless steel light gives people who don’t mod lights an ability to break out a small file or sandpaper and knock down any edge and then just buff it back out to super smooth . That kind of extra love makes your edc a bit more personal . . Again the beauty of stainless is you can bead blast it ,etch,satin finish it and if you don't like it ...just polish it back to a crazy shine again . I’m glad I got the knurled body version it has both smooth and grip ..best of both worlds... who doesn't love the look and feel of stainless steel .
you can use the coupon: ES10POMO to save 20% for ES10 or ES10k
Thanks for reading ..