EagleTac is a new company which manufactures good quality and high output lights. You may notice some design similarities to other brands such as Fenix and Olights, however they do introduce some nice additions. The head has a stainless steel bezel. It isn't adhered to the head and can be easily unscrewed and replaced if needed. Or it could also allow for various lens attachments in the future such as color filters and beam diffusers. The lens is advertised as being multi-coated glass providing up to 99% light transmission out the front. The reflector used looks very nice with a consistent textured surface and well polished coating. The LED sitting at the bottom is practically perfectly aligned with the reflector upon visual inspection which is nice. Externally, the head has 6 flat faces machined all around covering most of the surface. These also act as an anti-roll feature when the clip it detached. At the rear end of the head is a ring of subtle striped knurling. Looking from the rear you'll see the electrical contact to the battery. A physical reverse polarity protection system in implemented in the P10A so you don't have to worry about accidentally damaging its electronics. Do note that this also means that you will not be able to use the older style flat-topped 14500 cells. Type 3 anodizing is well finished throughout the head with no flaws to be found. Overall the head feels very solid and well made.

The battery tube on the P10A is pretty short in comparison to its head and tail cap. It has a thin band of striped knurling about 1.5cm wide running around the middle. There are also 2 flat faces on either sides which have some branding text printed on. The detachable clip fits towards the front end of the battery tube and slots in nicely into a recessed slot. This slot also has an additional alignment feature which prevents the clip from sliding rotationally around the battery tube. As you can see from the image to the right, the clip allows for either head-up or head-down carry. Threads on either ends are well-cut, they mate well with both the head and tail cap respectively. The threads towards the front are uncoated as required to activate the low output mode, while threads at the rear end are coated. This allows the light to be effectively locked out when the tail cap is slightly loosened. As with the head, anodized coating is well done, no complaints here. Do take note that the detachable clip does fit tightly around the battery tube, as such, repeated removal and attachment of the clip will cause the anodized coating to scratch off. When attached, I did notice the clip rattles a little against the battery tube. The tail cap houses a forward push button which allows for momentary activation. Also since all mode changes are controlled via head twists, you can use this light for morse code or other signaling purposes without issues. The switching mechanism is stiff and has an average amount of travel before engaging to the constant on position. When clicked, tactile feedback is positive with an audible click. The spring used for the "-" contact is gold-coated for better electrical contact. On its exterior, the switch cap also has 6 flat faces machined all around providing a good enough grip during battery changes. Due to the small size of the light and clip position, I personally found removing the head a much easier when replacing batteries. The rubber switch cap has a checkered textured knurling and sits recessed inside the tail cap which allows the light to tail stand on flat surfaces. There are 2 shallow scallops machined right on the rear lip of the tail cap which makes pressing of the switch more comfortable. Finally there're 2 small holes for lanyard attachments.

If you're unfamiliar with any of the terms used in this review, click here for explanations on common flashlight related vocabulary.

The EagleTac P10A provides a pretty straight forward user interface, especially when compared to all the multi-mode and variable brightness ramping modes of some recent lights. This will be a welcomed addition to some who just want a light that works without confusing the general user. With the head tightened the light is in Hi mode, advertised at 130 lumens. Loosened puts it into Lo mode, advertised at 37 lumens. The P10A's electronics is designed to run primarily on regular AA cells, but you can also use a 3.7V 14500 cell in it for a boost in light output. Do take note that when running on a 14500 cell, you lose the option for Lo level. EagleTac mentioned that heat will not be an issue since the head has the same heat-sinking capability as the ones used for the higher output models such as the P10A2.

Beam profile is nice, both hotspot and spill beam are smooth with no major artifacts other than the slight dark ring around the hotspot. This is common among most XR-E based lights. However the dark ring here isn't as bad as I've seen in some others. Right outside the hotspot is a medium sized corona which transitions into the spill beam. My sample has a very nice neutral white color temperature. Even when comparing the Lo and Hi output levels, there is very little tint shift. No worries of getting a blue/violet hue at high output levels thanks to the well-designed and effective heat sinking in the head. As you can see from the runtime graphs below, regulation is maintained well but runtime is extremely short on Hi mode which is disappointing.

[Update: September 09, 2008]
EagleTac contacted me regarding the shorter than expected runtime with the P10A. Apparently the first sample I received has an LED with a higher than usual Vf (forward voltage). This means that the LED draws more power to be driven at a given output level. Below is the runtime graph on Hi level, including the new runtime.

The Good - Fit and finish is excellent with nice touches such as the stainless steel bezel and scalloped tail cap. Surprisingly bright on Hi level for a light this size. Simple user interface with nice variation of Hi and Lo brightness levels.

The Bad - Clip rattles slightly against the battery tube.

The Relative - Neutral white beam color tint. Uses a forward push button. Is able to tail stand. Convenient detachable clip.

Head (front view)

Head (side view).

Head (rear view).

Battery tube (front view).

Battery tube (side view).

Battery tube (rear view).

Tail cap (front view).

Tail cap (side view).

Tail cap (rear view).