The EZ AA is the first light in NiteCore's EZ series of flashlights. This is easily the smallest AA powered flashlight which has been reviewed thus far.The head has a smooth bezel, behind which sits an AR coated glass lens. The aluminum reflector used is quite deep relative to is diameter. The texture on it is very fine and could almost be mistaken as a smooth finished surface. The LED sits well aligned sitting at the bottom of the reflector cup. The exterior of the head has a band of knurling slightly less than 1cm wide, the texture is consistent and well machined providing good grip for activation and modes changes. This is especially important for the EZ AA since it incorporates a twist switch. Brass heat sinking is used within the head for improved thermal conductance, especially important for such a small light which provides high output. A foam donut is adhered around the "+" contact which helps reduce battery rattle when the light is off. Threads between the head and battery tube are nicely cut and smooth with no cross-threading or grinding issues. A thin rubber o-rings sits just above the threads on the head which provides water resistance.

The second of the two parts making up the EZ AA is the battery tube. Since it is a twist activated light, there is no additional tail cap. The entire light, apart from the brass heat sinking accents, is finished in a very dark gray Type 3 anodizing. The exterior has a simple design, mostly covered by diamond-textured knurling. It feels very similar to the other NiteCore's, providing very good grip. In order to make the EZ AA as small as it is, the wall of the battery tube had to be made very thin. At the lip towards the front, thickness of the wall measures less than 1mm thick. Of course this also keeps the total weight of the light down, weighing just slightly over 20g. The inner walls of the battery tube is cleanly finished. The "-" contact at the bottom of the battery tube is flat and not spring mounted. At the external rear end are four holes for lanyard attachments. In addition, there're threads which allows the EZ AA to be screwed onto a standard tripod mount. The rear sits totally flat which allows the light to tail stand without any problems.

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

The EZ AA provides a simple interface for two levels of output, High (130 lumens) and Low (15 lumens). With the head fully tightened the lights activates on High mode, loosen slightly and it switches to Low mode. Loosen further and the light switches off.

The beam profile provides a narrow hot spot with a mid-sized spill. A soft corona tapers the hotspot towards the spill beam which is smooth for the most part, aside from the slight subtle dark ring. I did notice that the corona taper more towards one side. The tint on this review sample has a noticeably cool tint. Runtime is rather short, though regulation is well maintained after the initial jump in output on High mode. Do take note that the instruction sheet states that batteries used shouldn't exceed 2V so it will not run on a 3.7V 14500 cell.

[Update: June 08, 2009]
Runtime graphs and control shots have been added with tests with the revised edition of the EZ AA. Performance on Low mode has been improved providing slightly higher output and longer runtime. The focus of the reflector seems to have been changed as well, the revised version has a noticeably brighter spill beam compared to the first version.

The Good - Extremely compact size and light for an AA powered flashlight. Very simple user interface for switching between High and Low levels. Ample knurling provides very good grip and easy activation of twist switch.

The Bad - Runtime is rather short. Battery tube has very thin walls.

The Relative - Beam has a cool color temperature. Uses a twist switch. Is able to tail stand.

Head (front view).

Head (side view).

Head (rear view).

Battery tube (front view).

Battery tube (side view).

Battery tube (rear view).