This new version of the NiteCore EZ AA isn't just one with an upgraded bin LED as its name suggests. It also has had changes made to its body design, making it slightly larger than the original EZ AA. 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 NiteCores, 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.

Another major change made from the original EZ AA is its user interface. Instead of having a basic High/Low output selection, the EZ AA R5 implements a variable output feature. To set the output brightness level, start with the light switched on then perform a quick off/on cycle. This triggers the output ramping which starts at the minimum output (advertised at 6 lumens) all the way up to 100% brightness (advertised at 160 lumens). During the ramping sequence the light blinks once at 50% and twice at 100%. To set the output brightness, simply switch off the light when it reaches you're desired level. This output level is saved for all subsequent activation. Of course this also means that you'll have one output level immediately selectable instead of two of the original EZ AA. The ramping sequence does show noticeable "steps" as brightness increases, in what looks like 5% increments.The light output is main consistently with no PWM effect as seen in some other lights. The beam profile has a mid-sized hotspot with quite a large corona around it, filling up almost half way through the spill beam. Beam has a slightly cool tint, overall quality is nice and clean with no noticeable artifacts. The EZ AA R5 support both regular AA and 3.7V 14500 li-ion batteries. No doubt the advertised 160 lumen output refers to emitter lumens while running on a 14500 battery. Regulation is maintained nicely on AA batteries, though with 14500 it gradually decreases through half of the total runtime.

The Good - Compact size. Allows for a wide range of output selection through ramping interface. Clean design with ample knurling. Available at a relatively low price from some dealers.

The Bad - Nothing significant.

The Relative - Beam has a clean, cool white tint. Utilizes a twist switch. Is able to tail stand.