Interesting, wish he showed if there were components on underside of that board and at least measured something.
It is a Luxeon TX, right? That LED has a thermal pad.
Edit: On the original i1R, it looks like you’d need to rip off gasket and polarity protection, then reflow over a candle. Optimal position can be found with a scratch MCPCB and an IR-meter. Was easier with the i3E since it had a button contact. But if that assembly is press fit, all hope is lost for me. I’d need two lights to do such a mod. One to drill out the driver, keeping the shell intact, and one to nibble away the shell, having an intact driver.
Thx for the comparison pic Pete :)
Yeah I like how flat the Nitecore tube is, but I think I'll still get the Olight just in case I need it, since it looks to be a fair bit brighter ;)
well I broke some forceps that cost as much as the light using the wrong tool for the job. this one is going on the back burner for me.
I used my old lab forceps, about 50 microns tips and about 200 German Marks in 2000. Gift from a former employer. All went smoothly.
Are you referring to the version 2 or version 1? Your Luxeon TX comment refers to V1 because V2 is definitely not a TX and it’s head is assembled differently. If it is V2 you are referring to did you unscrew or pull?
Got you wrong. Referred to the i3E I mentioned.
Anyway, don’t own any of the i1R, just concluded from the pictures it was a TX. Only now noticed I saw pictures of the original i1R.
No longer sure I want one of those :confounded:
I will accept vintage pair of high quality German forceps as consolation for this oversight. 
You’ll get … my gratitude for all the good information 
:+1:
Got the same color as well, very nice output for the size and a great 5$ o light
Got mine today. It didn’t stay green for very long.
scalpel_ninja, it looks great! :+1:
How did you do that and what did you use, if you would be so kind to share?
Thanks!
I used Easy Off oven cleaner. I carefully sprayed some into a disposable plastic container. Then I removed the O-ring and used a small paintbrush to apply it, being careful not to get it into the charging port or charge indicator. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then wipe with a damp paper towel. I did the back half first, then the LED end. When finished, I wiped it again with a damp cloth towel. I installed the O-ring and twisted it closed and rinsed it in the sink to get any residual chemical off.
It was a bit splotchy, so I used a Dremel with buffing wheel and polish to finish.
Thanks for the quick reply and the detailed procedure you used! Gives me the confidence I can do it too! It looks really great! Thanks again! :+1:
You’re welcome! It did take 2-3 rounds of application and removal to really get the color out of the knurling. Have fun and hope it goes well for you!
I got mine today. Tint is as cold as the mint body color.
Left: nrgwn, 5600K; right: i2RII
Thanks to reddit user Masterironchef for the brute tip. Remove front half, bang from top. I used this hex key + a bit of mouse pad and banged on it a few times and all the bits dropped to the bottom.
The stock LED is approx 1.75mm x 1.75mm
The LED pads look a bit undersized with maybe a total width of ~1.4mm or something but that is less important than the gap which is too small for me to measure accurately.
I guess this puts us in E21A range sizing up a bit or XD16/E17A sizing down a bit. The optic opening is large at ~4mm.
I have an amber XQ-E I could probably put on there but it would be hideous i’m sure.
Thanks for sharing. How did you desolder the LED?
Preheater on bottom, hot air on top.