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.