They’re one of the cheapest sets of LED
poi on the market right now, but are they
worth it?
Should you buy ePoi Lite?
Drex here from DrexFactor.com and today we’re
going to talk about the latest set of LED
poi from Emazinglights: the ePoi Lite.
I’m going to drill down the basic features,
functionality, and durability of these poi
as well as giving some of my personal thoughts
on the matter, too.
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Before we dive in, I just want to take a moment
to give a shout out to the friends of the
channel!
Big thanks to Dark Monk, Emazing Lights, Flowtoys,
Spinballs, Spinsconsin, and Ultra Poi for
helping to make the videos on this channel
possible.
You can visit them all on the web by following
the links down in the description of this
video.
So first some context: ePoi Lite are a budget
version of the ePoi that Emazinglights released
almost two years ago.
They’ve simplified some of the programming
for them as well as removed accelerometer
function while retaining all of the features
of the hardware as well as the form factor
to offer the poi at 60% the price of their
regular ePoi.
They come in a drawstring bag that has super
long cords for carrying across your shoulder
as well as a manual, stickers, and charging
cables.
I’ve had these now for several months and
I have really put them through the ringer,
so let’s talk some turkey about how they
perform.
Features
So the first thing to really know about the
Lites is that the programming has been massively
scaled back from the ePoi as well as many
of the other lights in the Emazing catalog.
Where normally you’d have 24 different colors
you could program into 5 banks of modes with
5 submodes, they’ve pared it down to 20
colors in 4 banks of modes with 4 submodes.
That’s still a lot.
The biggest thing that’s been removed here
is the bank that responds to your movement--my
guess is because the Lites don’t have an
accelerometer in them.
What you’re left with are several different
modes that give you various permutations of
solid and strobe lightings.
You can still program in up to 3 custom colors
for each of these modes, so the programming
interface is almost exactly the same as it
is for the rest of Emazing’s gear.
Cosmetically, there’s basically no difference
between the ePoi Lite and the ePoi.
They’re the same weight and the same tether
design.
They charge with mini-USB cables and the LED
capsules inside of the housing are easily
removable.
One thing I’ll note here is that they’re
using single loop handles for these, which
are rapidly becoming obsolete in the poi world.
If you buy a set you’re almost certainly
going to want to swap these out for ball handles.
Ease of Use
As many of you know, I have a test for when
I get a new set of LED poi and it boils down
to whether I can get something I like out
of it without having to look at the instruction
manual.
Just as it was with the ePoi, the answer here
is no.
They ship in a lock mode that is designed
to keep the battery from draining during transit.
You have to hold down the button for 3 seconds
to unlock them and from there...well suffice
it to say please read the manual.
I finally managed to get myself off-book with
the programming system for Emazing’s line
of products and now that I get it, it is indeed
pretty intuitive, but it’s not something
you’re going to figure out on your own.
Durability
So I’ve seen a lot of reports online of
people having problems with the USB jacks
breaking off with these poi.
I have been unable to make this happen in
my own set and believe me I’ve tried.
I’ve been using these almost daily for the
past three months, practicing tricks that
involve a LOT of collisions between the poi
or drops and thus far they’ve held up like
champs.
I have no idea if this is one of those cases
where I just got lucky or whether the sets
that have broken come from a vocal minority,
but keep that in mind when you’re looking
to purchase these.
Brightness
Unlike the full ePoi, ePoi Lite don’t allow
you to adjust the brightness level of the
poi.
That said, they’ve gone with a default that
is as bright as the brightest mode with the
ePoi.
Basically, these LEDs are going to show loud
and clear from quite far away.
Battery Life
My usual test with batteries is to leave the
poi in solid color mode set to white until
the battery goes dead.
This is full on with all colors at the same
time, so it is the most punishing test I can
give to a battery.
For the ePoi Lites, their performance was
pretty similar to the ePoi at about 5 and
a half hours in full white mode.
Using different strobes or other colors, you’re
certain to get longer battery life depending
on how you set them up.
Price
So this is really the biggest selling point
for these, right?
At $60, they’re easily the least expensive
LED poi out there that have this kind of durability
and programmability.
It’s actually a really ballsy mood on account
of most of the LED poi market seems to be
moving in a direction of adding features rather
than taking them away.
The question for the buyer, of course, is
whether they retain enough value with that
feature set to make them worth it.
My thoughts
So I’m just going to say up-front that I
actually like these.
I’ve always liked the weight of ePoi and
as many of you know I’m not exactly a modes
geek when it comes to LED poi.
I like to just turn them on and not think
too terribly hard about them.
I think the price on these is awesome for
what they are.
It’s an easy upgrade from your first set
of LED poi to a set of these and the weight
feels super comfortable.
Like I said earlier, I’m not a huge fan
of the handles.
One of the first things I did was just to
remove the loops and throw a set of ball handles
on there and I’d highly recommend you do
the same.
I also want to take a minute to talk about
the bag.
I’m not sure how other people are going
to take to it, but I actually really love
it and have been using it with lots of different
sets of poi.
I have a thing when I go out that I like having
something I can store my poi in while I’m
walking around but I want that storage means
to be able to quickly and easily disappear
when it’s time to spin.
In a lot of cases that means I carry around
a shoulder bag with me and that bag becomes
something I have to keep track of when I start
spinning.
But with this bag I can carry it over my shoulder
and when I want to go spin I can just wad
it up into my pocket.
No fuss.
Kind of a minor thing but I really dig it
for my own purposes.
I think the simplified programming interface
works in the ePoi Lite’s favor and I absolutely
love the bag.
For $60, I think they’re a surprisingly
good value.
ePoi Lite are available at emazinglights.com
for $59.95 a pair.
Again, do yourself a favor and pick up a set
of ball handles with the money you’re saving.
If you’d like to help out the channel, please
use “drexfact0r” with a zero instead of
an “o” at checkout.
It’ll give you a discount on your order
and it lets them know that I sent you.
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Peace.
