Review: EagleTac P20A2 Mk. 2 flashlight

Intro

The EagleTac P20A2 Mk. 2 is a LED flashlight that runs on 2 AA batteries. I bought it because I lost my Fenix E-20 some time ago. I now have two main flashlights, a far weaker Led Lenser (dont know the model no. at the moment) for inside, and the EagleTac for outside or on my bike.

Specs:

LED: Cree XR-E R2 (350 to 1000 mA, 100 lumens/Watt, 3,7W max power rating according to these specs)

Batteries: 2x AA, 1.2 to 1.5V

Modes: Turbo (230 lm), General (60 lm) and Low (15 lm), Strobe, slow strobe and SOS. All strobe modes are full power.

Reflector: of the textured type

Came with: Lanyard and lanyard ring, diffusor, glow-in-the-dark rubber cover for the switch, replacement o-rings, belt pouch.

Price: €40, bought it at a radio market.

General experiences

This flashlight is easy to use. To turn it on, press the switch (duh). To switch modes you have to turn the end of the flashlight containing the LED and reflector. If it’s fully turned counterclockwise the light is in Turbo mode. This mode puts out a LOT of light, and that’s why the flashlight has a warning on it urging not to look in the beam 🙂

To switch modes, turn the selector counterclockwise until the stop, and turn it slightly clockwise and you will notice the mode change. Modes are in the following order: Turbo -> General -> Low -> Strobe -> Slow strobe -> SOS.

To be expected, Turbo mode draws a lot of current and will drain any battery quickly. Remember this when using lower capacity low discharge NiMH batteries like Eneloops. For general use it is recommended to turn the selector clockwise to make the light start up in General mode.

The flashlight also has an additional “tactical strobe” mode. To enable this, quickly switch the light on and off during a short time. After this, 2 half presses of the switch activate a strobe directly without needing to go through mode changes. Not really a feature I was looking for, but maybe some people will find it to be useful.

The build of this flashlight is excellent. Thick, properly anodized aluminium and fully waterproof. What I didn’t like was the lanyard ring supplied with it. It doesn’t fit properly at all. With flashlights, I want a solid way to connect a lanyard or other carrying cord. What’s wrong with the old fashioned attachment hole?

Conclusion

I don’t really like long reviews with all kinds of stuff like beamshots, comparing with other flashlights, nitpicking over specs etc. I just wanted a high power flashlight to replace my lost Fenix. It offers a hell of a lot more light and the light can be dimmed if needed for longer runtimes.

Some pros and cons:

+ Turbo mode rocks and doubles as a defensive light (use with caution)
+ easy mode selection
+ solid build

– crap lanyard ring
– belt clip is secured by spring force, could come off
– cannot be started in low mode, would be nice
– no focus (on Turbo mode, you don’t need to “focus” the light 😉 )

So, in conclusion, a nice, powerful and affordable flashlight with plenty of features and some slight disadvantages.


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