Emisar D1 / D1S review

I may get to carrying 2 lights, but for now I don’t. Double size, double weight, switching between them is burdensome. So I need some compromise. The best compromise is a zoomie, but I believe that there is not a single zoomie on the market that I would consider good, mostly because of UI. I like B158B even though the UI is something I despise. Still, I like walking with a reflector-based thrower. Most trails here are not too twisty, so I can position the hotspot far enough to be a no-problem. That said, setting up a tent with UT02 in the mouth was frustrating. I need a headlamp. A floody headlamp. Maybe then I’ll be walking with 2 lights.

Different people have different preferences. You’re both right, just for different sets of values.

On that note, I’ve got Anduril on my D1S, which allows a choice of smooth ramping or discrete levels, and I usually leave it in the discrete level mode. I asked Hank to try out an earlier version. He doesn’t want to change firmware every month, because that would be ridiculous, but he did at least pre-install it for me… and maybe if things go well he might be willing to use it at some point in the future (?).

There are some pretty legit reasons to use a thrower on low or medium modes. For example, let’s say you want to see something 50 meters away, and need it to be illuminated to about 4 candelas. All the Emisar lights so far can do it, but with very different power levels and runtimes:

  • D4 XP-G2: 16-17 A, 10-12 minutes
  • D4 XP-L HI: 9.5 A, 19 minutes
  • D1: 1.4 A, 2.1 hours
  • D1S: 0.46 A, 6.5 hours

I hope this helps?

I don’t have a way to measure that, but I’ll be happy to add the data if someone else measures it. :slight_smile:

I’m not sure, but it should be very soon. I think Neal already got some, so RMM should have them soon too, and Hank will probably put up the product page soon too. It sounds like it could be as early as this week, but I’m just guessing.

It’s funny you mention that, since Anduril has a mapping specifically for that purpose. From off, do a double click but hold the second click, and it’ll start at the ceiling then ramp down until you let go.

This works in both smooth ramping and discrete level UIs. They’re the same UI, really, except that one has a stair-step shaped ramp and the other is smooth… so there is no need to remember different actions for each.

I don’t think the D1S will ship with Anduril though. Maybe in the future sometime, but for now it’s still a work in progress.

Me too, but it’s surprisingly well-balanced like that. At least, if you hold it by the button section, which tends to happen naturally, the balance is pretty decent. The back section is small, and the front section is mostly air.

With an 18650 cell, it’s actually a little back-heavy. This is fine though, since with thumb and index finger on the button section, the battery tube rests comfortably on the other three fingers.

thanks for the nice review!

+1,000,000,000,000

Any talk of price yet?

I heard that D1S is a few $-s more then D1 price

Tom, a member of the German flashlight forum (Taschenlampen Forum) is in contact with Hank and will get a D1s for review

He was told that the D1s will be the same price as the D1

http://www.taschenlampen-forum.de/threads/emisar-d1s.59298/

40 ;) to 50 depending on the shop

Toykeeper, great review!. I’m loving my D1 so much that I’ll be buying the D1S as soon as it comes out. The best UI and excellent build quality says it all for me.

It’s good to know that the D1S does not have the quick stepdown of its brothers. I don’t see why I should buy the D1 instead of or in addition to the D1s other than the former being more compact or pocketable. TK have you done a full runtime test for the D1S at Turbo?

I’m pretty surprised to see you compare the D1s to the SR-90 Intimidator, as the Intimidator had a vastly different setup from the factory. If you configure the Intimidator in like kind, there simply is no comparison. With a de-domed XM-L2 and similar amperage as the FET driver, the big SR-90 made 665Kcd for right at a mile in throw.

I really do like the style of this light though and would like to get one as soon as possible, whenever that may be. :wink:

Great review. Can’t wait until it goes on sale!

Great news!

I compared it to the SR90 because selfbuilt measured it at 112.5 kcd of throw, and my D1S gets 123 kcd.

Physically, they’re almost nothing alike. The SR90 is huge, and can throw a lot farther when given a different driver and LED. But in stock form, their throw is pretty similar.

When the SR90 was new, I saw his review and wanted one, but couldn’t justify the price or the size. It kind of stuck in my mind though, as a milestone to aim for someday… and now that milestone fits easily into my purse.

Nope. Mine has non-stock firmware so it wouldn’t be a very useful test result anyway.

However, the graph should look pretty predictable since it doesn’t really need to step down. Typical direct-drive curve starting at around 6 amps and going until LVP kicks in. It’d probably run about 45 minutes before LVP.

In that case, don’t get one. :slight_smile: These things come in multiple flavors because different people have different tastes.

I like the D1 (18350) because it’s small enough to EDC, and throwier than any of my other EDC-able lights. The D1S throws a lot better, but I find it’s too big to conveniently carry around.

But of course, and the SR-90 was equipped with an Luminus SST-90, an emitter not like anything else on the market in construction and output as well as current capability, and cost right at $400. Vastly different light, in size, output, beam profile and virtually everything else about it. I have the SR-90, got it with a Vinh modified SBT-70 and was asked to change it for better throw. This done, the owner soon got out of flashlights almost entirely and gave me the light. Comparing a vintage model to a sleek new factory racer is not really fair. :wink:

Since the D1S is virtually a modified flashlight, straight from the factory, it really doesn’t compare to other lights it’s size until said lights are modded in like kind. This is one of the great things about it, Hank took care of the details so we wouldn’t have to! :slight_smile:

I like how it’s a D1 with an enlarged head from the D1’s bezel up, keeping the family resemblance in form as well as UI. Very nice! (tempting to simply recreate my D1 into such a monster as this my own self. :wink: )