Review: Lumintop Worm 2-mode 1x AAA

Where to get the new stock? How to differentiate the old from new stock? Is the difference between old and new that much?

SashiX wrote:

Hi SashiX, congrats to your Worm! Sorry to hear about the lens o-ring (limóng onó¿). SMO reflector? Wanna share some pix?

let's validate the integrity of your emitter (XR-E, XP-E, R2, R3, ..)

I've measured Eneloop runtimes, see OP.

Kreisler, thanks for pasting my comment here, couldn't find this thread yesterday :bigsmile:

Yup, came with SMO reflector. I think LOP will smoothen a little bit better those "normal" artifacts when you use SMO. I've made some pic using my phone and magnifying glass :bigsmile: Don't know if it's R2 or R3 :| (they, AFAIK, should be the same, visually). I still need to buy new NiMh.

The upper-left part of the o-ring is slightly out.

nice photo, thanks!!

here a picture from my past :bigsmile:

yours looks nicer. so whaddya think?

boring torch? *GGG*

btw, time to update your signature, and kick the dealer's a$$ for sending the o-ring issue

is xpe R3! ...at that time is what you wish xD but you really ordered that color?

:quest:

( two me looks like xpe R2! )

As I said before and AFAIK, visually, R2=R3 :| How do you know if it's R3, mixo?

Yup, I ordered that color and, Kreisler, as for "kickin' the dealer's a$$ for sending the o-ring issue"... I'm on it :bigsmile:

Anyway, I think LOP would be a bit better in such a small light. (but SMO will throw better :P ).

Will take some beamshots later.

read all evil, don't need another baby that cry about his R2 or greenish xpg xD

...and my mobile connection prefer JPG images instead of PNG ty xD

danos la corona y el no-hagas agujero graXias xD

That was one fantastic review. Hats off mate. Any clue where can I buy the 2012 version on ebay that ships to Mauritius free?

Would the XP-G really matter over choosing the XP-E version?? You totally sold me on getting one of these RIGHT NOW MATE. Im fighting the urge to buy one atm waiting for your reply...

Ok you bought this from hkequipment and he trades on ebay too....Can you please confirm if these are the 2012 versions?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LuminTop-WORM-II-Cree-XP-E-R2-LED-2Mde-Flashlight-Pu-/370592608637?pt=US_Flashlights&hash=item56490a717d

OR

http://www.hkequipment.net/?sp=&p=6&cat2=174&cat1=64&cat0=1&id=860&cat1=64&cat0=1&new=&more=&s=380aef6b2456dfaef8109a9eab60c2da&lang=en

hi MountainKing,

SashiX has the Alu 2012 model and he could comment in detail on his sample (tint, brightness). runtime of the Alu is miniminimally higher (~80mins vs. ~74mins, and i am still running runtime tests) but in terms of light output, hotspot size (as seen in the table and animated gifs), the SS 2012 is an outperformer and i am highly surprised. I had the SS 2011 and it was extremely greenish and with low light output. So there is now a boost in improvement in the SS 2012. Amazing output, especially its integral brightness, and tint on low-mode is less greenish than it used to be. On high-mode the tint is slightly greenish and comparable to the typical greenishness of the iTP A3 XP-G R5 which everybody loves; the Klarus MiX6 has a much better tint, no doubt. I am running the Worm SS head on the Worm Alu body (to save weight) but i could run it also on my iTP A3 body (to save weight).

So it's a little difficult to decide between SS and Alu. It depends on the purpose, really. If you need a great great AAA torch, then better just go with the Tank E09 (i dont mind the low-frecuency PWM. i find it cool!) because it has all versatility and safe operation with a total of 6 brightness levels (3x Eneloops, 3x Protected 10440's). And the head is supereasy to twist. If weight matters to you a lot (the Klarus MiX6 Ti weighs 12grams!), then you should have a spare body (iTP, Olight, Worm Alu, E09) .. also in order to queen-shelf the shiny SS body.

I wont recommend the Worm SS as torch if it has to be your ONLY 1x AAA torch for a flashaholic. If a flashaholic plans to own just 1 torch (of the 1x AAA form factor), then i will always recommend the Tank E09. (or the iTP A3, or even the Fenix LD01, for those who dont want to fiddle with the E09's insulation issue new out of the box). However, in any other case (non-flashaholic, or flashaholics with 1 other AAA-sized torch), i would full-heartedly recommend the Worm. My personal nods goes to the Worm SS. The weight is still acceptable (compare with Preon Revo SS, Rofis ER10 SS, Klarus Mi10 SS, Fenix LD01 SS, and any other 1xAAA SS model), and personally i can just swap the SS head onto my Alu body.

btw, the review isnt 100% done yet. Once it is, i will change the thread title. SashiX wanted to contribute a set of beamshots, and i wanted to run a few more runtimes in low mode (SS).

The SS is more like a piece of jewelry (with the best output on Eneloops one could imagine, integralwise), and the Alu is thrower -- not too suitable for reading books ;). too bright, too tight hotspot, too intense.

Maybe SashiX can share more of his experiences?! :)

Awesome review kreisler. I started reading out of curiosity and a sort of politeness; after all, someone puts this much work in, the least I can do is to read it. I wasn't really interested in buying another AAA light, but by the end I was on the point of 'adding to cart'. Be very interesting to compare the Worm/s to the Brynite PD03B


Lensman, you know that i get commission from Lumintop when you buy this torch from your preferred dealer dont ya?

:)

Hmm... Well, whatever they're paying you, you should put in for a raise . You put more into these reviews than the manufacturers ever do, that's for sure.

I checked your link to the Fenix clips. They're a steal at $1.50, shame it's a 10 bucks minimum spend. Group buy, anyone? !4 mm seems to fit a lot of AAA lights, including Black Cats..

check my sig. the HKE is LD01 release 4. i always wanted to own a Fenix for the sake of it. i've checked a guy's LD01 r4 and i am absolutely stunned by its built quality and performance. After the first few minutes it does a down-step to reduced High-mode (AND FROM THEN ON THE WORM SS 2012 IS BRIGHTER UNTIL THE WORM SHRIVELS AFTER A TOTAL OF 74MINS.) but until then it is brighter than any other AAA torch i know of, on Eneloop; and it's difficult to compare it to Tank E09's 1.6-1.8A (ampere) brightness because of the very different beam profiles -- The Tank E09's lumens output on Eneloops is still dazzling: very wide spill, very bright spill, and throwy intense hotspot. The Fenix has a very narrow beam and spill, and also a throwy intense beautiful hotspot. No matter how you try to compare their typical brightness (e.g. by ceiling bounce, by diffusers, by lumens lightbox, by throw, by animated GIFs/PC scans, ..), it's like comparing apples with pears. So a subjective evaluation of typical brightness is more apt. And imho the Fenix "appears brighter" -- and appearance is what counts!

Disregarding 10440's, on Eneloops the best of the best 1x AAA keychain torch is imho the Fenix LD01 r4. No PWM, the most beautiful, clean, and pure white beam (and it beats the Klarus MiX6 which looks purplish in comparison lol!) on all levels, it runs longer than the Klarus MiX6, i.e. over 90mins on (reduced) High-mode. Almost breath-taking! (shill shill hehe).

On the inet (except for amazon customer reviews) i couldnt find any detailed review of the R4 release, so i am going to do it. There's also the R5 release (in stainless steel) reviewed by HKJ but that seems again a different story: HKJ measured a runtime of 65mins, which doesnt correspond to my measured 90+ mins for the R4.

Beam perfection and beam beauty of the Worms and the Tank E09 are on the lower end and their tints likewise. The Fenix has everything: perfect beam beauty (and an usually deep reflector) and tint, plus the breath-taking High-mode runtime and the highest brightness (typical and integral)! Last but not least, its size (dimensions) is still small and its lighter than my steely-looking lights (Klarus, iTP, Worm).

It's a pity that selfbuilt never reviewed the R4 release.

And i would think that the Fenix beats the Brinyte PD03 too ;)

"And i would think that the Fenix beats the Brinyte PD03 too"

I was going to reply that it should do as it's twice the price. But then I found this: http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/fenix-ld01-e01-edc-flashlight-pack-aaa-batteries-p-8171
Looks like a good deal.

Maybe i should cancel my order with HKE? haha

(joke. not cancelling. HKE has great after-service and perfect email communication. i shop there with full trust and carefreeness. They also offer Best Price, via e-mail request.)

Yes, it's a great deal (if one prefers a "free E01" over the perfect service of HKE)!!

Lensman if you're not in a hurry, then you can wait for my LD01 review where i try to confirm and reconfirm the assertions of my last post (e.g. runtimes, typical brightness, integral brightness, tint, beam profile). Just let me if you are *really* interested in a torch i own (worm, ld01) so that i can point you to some (unwritten) info ;)

Thanks kreisler, (though it's hard to believe there could be anything left out of the above review!)
No, I'm in no hurry. Gonna see how well I get on with the Brynite for a while. If I buy another AAA anytime soon it'll probably be a Black Cat. Only one mode, but so cheap. And I'd really like to try a keychain clicky to compare with the PD03B's twist operation.

Lensman wrote:

It was reviewed on a Russian forum with video, costs ~16.00$, and DX customers like it. HKJ has it too, and it was mentioned on both BLF and CPF.

From the Russian review i would think that it is VERY well-built because you can disassemble it fully, all by screwing: fantastic construction. video (PWM-regulated): it seems to host both Protected Trustfire AND Protected Ultrafire 10440's.

You dont have it, i dont have it, thus it's difficult to evaluate its beam quality, runtimes, brightness, regulation, tint(!) (hello Vectrex ;) ), and other relevant data. My quick eval from the distance is: 79mm may be fine as keychain light but its 45g *without* battery are not something i would want to carry on my bunch of keys. The Quark X AA weighs ~45.523g (hehe). After having carried the Worm SS for some time i have determined for myself, personally i would *never* go over the weight limit of the Worm SS. In other words, i would never carry the Ultrafire SA-R2 as pocket bottom rider or attached to my keys.

Yes, has 5 modes, support for Protected 10440s, and will be brigther than Worm -- but it would weigh tooo much for my liking (and maybe i am a lil pu*sy haha). It would sit on my shelf and nothing else.

Because of that, i have no interest in buying or using it or owning it (not even as gift, or free review sample -- no thanks). i'd rather have interest in the Brinyte PD03!!, so that i can spare my original Fenix LD01 ;)

If the Brinyte and Fenix perform equally well, then there's no *need* to get the Worm or Ultrafire unless you'd desire the latter for their stainless steel blinky blinkiness :love:

You interested in SA-R2 or Worm SS? if i had your Brinyte, i wouldnt be. Honestly. :)

Your thoughts?