[The Lite Review]: FiTorch P30Z Review (Zoomie)

Preface

The original review can be found on TLR's website: Click Here

For quite a few of us, one of the first few flashlight ever purchased is probably a zoomie-style light or even a Maglite focus-able light.

This zoomie light brings back much nostalgia and let's see how it fare as we put it through the TLR's review process!

Packaging & First Impressions

This is what the light will come with as shown below.

  • Packaging looks rather similar to Fenix's style of packaging.
  • The threads and o-rings were overly lubricated (it is our first production light that ever had this). Threads were smooth and clean (no gritty feeling).
  • The zoomable head was well-lubricated and it is easy to switch from flood to spot and vice versa.
  • The tail switch can be easily accessed to activate the light and require little force to activate.
  • The clip has sufficient tension to ensure that the light will stay clipped to any material to prevent the light from falling out.
  • Attachment of the light to a baseball cap for hands-free usage is not possible as the clip is not reversible.
  • Anodizing of the light is uniform without any missing specs.
  • The provided lanyard is able to support the full weight of the light and should hold up to the test of time.
  • Holster provided is of decent quality and should withstand day-to-day abuse without issue.
  • Battery compartment holds a KeepPower 18650 3400mAh battery with sufficient room for a slightly thicker battery width. 18650 3500mAh batteries should be able to fit without issue as well.

Front:

Back:

Sides:

Top:

Box Contents:

Quick Overview (Manufacturer Specifications)

  • Body Material: Black HAIII Aluminium
  • LED: XP-L
  • Battery Format: 1 x 18650 or 2 x CR123A ONLY
  • Output & Runtime (with SANYO 18650 3500mAh battery):
    • Low (30 lumens / 120h)
    • Mid (300 lumens / 3h 48min)
    • High (700 lumens / 2h 9min)
  • Max Beam Distance: 190m
  • Beam intensity: 11,300cd
  • Waterproofness: IPX-8 Standard (2m)
  • Impact Resistance: 2m
  • Dimension: 129mm (length) x 34.6mm (head diameter)
  • Weight: 124.6g (excluding batteries)
  • Accessories Included:
    • 1*Spare O-rings
    • 1*Spare Rubber Switch Boot
    • 1*Lanyard
    • 1*Holster
  • MSRP: ~$51

UI (User Interface)

UI for this light is perfect for Every Day Carry (EDC) as it is simple and straightforward to use.

Switching ON and OFF is done by the tail forward clicky (mechanical) switch on the light, so momentary activation is possible.

From OFF:

  • 1/2 Press - Mode change per every press (light cycles through HIGH, MID, LOW -> HIGH, MID, LOW).
  • 2 x 1/2 Press - Direct access to STROBE; 2 Click again for SOS or 1 Click to switch OFF.
  • 1 Click - Switch ON to last brightness level used (last mode memory).
  • 2 Click - Direct access to STROBE; 2 Click again for SOS or 1 Click to switch OFF.

From ON:

  • 1 Click - Light will switch OFF.
  • 2 Click - Mode change per every press (light cycles through HIGH, MID, LOW -> HIGH, MID, LOW).

Mode memory will remember almost instantaneously whichever non-blinky mode (Strobe and SOS are not memorized) the light is in.

If the above 1/2 presses mode switching from OFF are done too quickly, the light would jump straight into STROBE instead of the next mode level.

Zoomable Function:

  • Rotate Head Clockwise: Spot (Pics below)

  • Rotate Head Anti-clockwise: Flood (Pics below)

Form Factor

For flashlights that are intended to use on a daily basis (EDC) and for possibly a long period of time, form factor is extremely important.

This light feels well balanced in a medium sized hand (not head/tail-heavy). Switching between overhand and underhand holding method is easy with its form factor. The knurling on the light enables the light to be sufficiently "grippy", even with wet hands/gloves.

It fitting in the holster snugly as well as being able to tail-stand perfectly (even with the lanyard attached) without the slightest wobble is very much desired.

Charging Process (Optional Accessory)

The light was sent with a FiTorch 2600mAh Micro-USB chargeable 18650 without the Micro-USB cable.

Using an Olight branded Micro-USB cable, the battery was charging at ~0.71A.

The RED indicator depicts charging in progress and GREEN indicator depicts charging has completed.

Beam Style/Beamshots

For this light, the spill, corona and hotspot is somewhat familiar to zoomies owing to the TIR(Total Internal Reflection) optical lens used. Hence, the beam produced can be floody for very close-up usage (flood mode) and still be sufficiently ā€œthrowyā€ (spot mode) for recognising items in the near to mid-range distance.

The above beam profiles are rough interpretations of what is seen when white wall hunting.
In the flood mode, the beam has is simple a large circular wall of light with no discernment between hotspot and corona. However, in spot mode, the beam has a distinct circular hotspot with a slight corona and a fairly wide (perfectly round) spill. There are some slight rings in the beam (in flood & spot mode) when whitewall hunting but not visible in real world usage.

All of the beamshots taken below are done so with the following camera settings.
For Flood: (LOW: 1.3, F3.5, ISO100, Daylight WB and MID & HIGH: 1/2, F3.5, ISO100, Daylight WB).
For Spot: (LOW, MID & HIGH: 1/3, F3.5, ISO100, Daylight WB).
Some pictures have been adjusted slightly to depict as close as to what is seen in real life. The distance of the light from the door is 4.6m.

FLOOD Mode

Control shot:

LOW (30 lumens):

MID (300 lumens):

HIGH (750 lumens):

SPOT Mode

Control shot:

LOW (30 lumens):

MID (300 lumens):

HIGH (750 lumens):

Mode (Output) Spacing

Mode spacing appears to be somewhat progressively brighter to the eye but the MID and HIGH modes are visually too similar to each other to be able to know which mode one is currently in. With that in mind, TLR tend to view mode spacing as battery life indicators (amount of runtime left) rather than the specific output (lumens).

It would be nice if FiTorch would incorporate a lower MID level in the region of 150 lumens and this would give a more significant bump in runtime on the MID level as well. In addition, a MOONLIGHT mode (sub-lumen or 1 lumen) for those bedtime runs or during which having 30 lumens for LOW is way too bright for the night-adjusted eyes.
However, in the flood mode, the 30 lumen "low" is more acceptable as an actual LOW mode since this light is diffused out into a wall of light as mentioned earlier.

Tint & CRI

FiTorch did not disclose the tint (color temperature) and/or the CRI (Color Rendering Index) for the LEDs used in their light. For this light, a guesstimate would be in the 6500K and 60CRI ballpark.

There are tint shifts throughout the beam profile.
In flood mode, the beam from the centre to near the spill edge is cool white with a slight blueish-purple tint whilst the spill edge possesses is white with slight yellowish tint.
In spot mode, the hotspot is almost pure white with the corona being white with slight yellow-ish green tint and the spill having a slight blueish-purple tint.

This is however, not as noticeable in real life.

Waterproofness

The light was subjected to warm water submersion, followed by cold water submersion and left under room temperature running water tap whilst running on Turbo (in spot & flood mode).

No signs of water intrusion in the head, switch or body was seen.

Lockout Capability

No electronic lockout but mechanical lockout is possible when needed, like during transportation in a bag.

A quarter turn (anti-clockwise) of the head or tail portion of the light will enable mechanical lockout.

Summary

To sum up, we believe that the most important part of any review is if given the chance to purchase the same light for our own EDC or to gift to our loved ones out from one's pocket (wallet), would we still do it?
For this light, it is a possible YES if the mode spacing & tint shift is not an issue for your usage.

The zoomable setup used by FiTorch is rather ingenious, enabling both flood and spot whilst still retaining waterproofness; and it seems somewhat similar to the type used in Fenix's FD series. The TIR optical lens's Achilles heel is that the spot beam produced will not be focused to a point whereby the LED's die image can be seen like with true aspheric lights - to increase the intensity candela.

As nostalgic as this light is, we look forward to the day that FiTorch incorporates a lower MID mode at least to make the light much more usable. In addition, using a dedomed LED (XP-L HI) might help to improve the tint shift issues and improving candela in the process.

Since this light would most probably be the main EDC, it is recommended to carry a backup keychain light as well.
May we suggest the Prometheus Lights Beta QRv2 we recently reviewed - high CRI and excellent lower modes.

As with all gears, two is one and one is none.

Stay safe,
The Lite Review


Disclaimer: Light & battery was provided for by FiTorch (manufacturer) for this review. No other compensation was provided.

For those who are considering this light, here is the link to my website for where & how to get a sweet discount.

Where to Buy Links

Nice reviewā€¦ thanks.

How accessible is the driver?
Does zooming in and out change the total OTF Lumens? (like it does on traditional aspheric zooms)

I am thinking about this light as a mod host.
thanks

I just ordered one, Iā€™ll post here when I receive and evaluate it.

I ordered the Litesam one linked in his website at the bottom of the review, under ā€œWhere to buy Linksā€, it shows a Banggood link for the FiTorch P30Z and the amazon link, where itā€™s noted: (ā€œMarketed under ā€œLitesamā€ for their Amazon marketā€) identifying it as being the same light as the FiTorch P30Z in the review.

Thanks for the review! :smiley:

I received the light today and was able to spend a short time with it tonight. (the Litesam/Amazon version)

So far I cannot access the driver, canā€™t get the head unscrewed, it must be glued tight.
Zooming in and out does change the OTF Lumens, itā€™s brighter when fully zoomed in to spot.

.

The light I received may be defective though because thereā€™s the really BIG issue (and itā€™s whats causing the change in output)

There is a HORRIBLE black spot in the beam. (I guess itā€™s whatā€™s referred to as a ā€œDonut holeā€) It is not present when fully zoomed in to spot, it disappears slightly before reaching full spot zoom. and it is not really ā€œvisibleā€ when fully zoomed out to floodā€¦but itā€™s thereā€¦

When you zoom out to flood the black spot expands, progressively enlarging until it pretty much becomes as large as the whole beam, at that point you canā€™t really see it, but it is still there and ā€œdarkeningā€ the entire beam, causing the brightness to be less than when zoomed in to spot.

.

An expanding dark center may be an inherent characteristic of the aspeheric lens zoomies as well, but Iā€™ve personally never seen one this bad. I have a supfire F5 and you cannot notice any dark spot unless you really look hard for it, so it doesnā€™t really detract from normal use like this FiTorch/Litesam. If the problem is not a defect and a characteristic of this light and lens system, it should have been mentioned in the review.

In the review the beam shots show full spot and full flood, but no beam shot of any in-between position, where the black spot is blatantly visible. Itā€™s also visible (and annoying) in real use outdoors, not just on a white wall)

Hereā€™s the missing beam shots:
The fully zoomed photos (in and out) in the review are the same as what Iā€™m seeing, (no black hole) so I didnā€™t post those.

Itā€™s a pity because otherwise the light is screaming qualityā€¦ excellent knurling, excellent machining fit and finish, nothing sloppy, zoom threads smooth and tight, squared threads that came well lubed, great anodizing etc etc. Absolutely nothing else to complain about. Iā€™ve sent a message with photos to FiTorch/Litesam asking if this is normal or a defect.

mcorpā€¦does your light have the donut hole as shown and described in my post above? (not at fully zoomed in/out but everywhere in-between)

Also the light has PWM.

I canā€™t see it with my eyes (Iā€™m not sensitive to it) but my cell phone camera picked it upā€¦

Enlarged photos:

Also having mode changing issues, itā€™s wonky, does what it wants when it wants.

Pretty much moot though if the donut hole is normal.

From what I have seen with the TIR optic in the zoomies , the dark spot is almost always there in the mid focus range , although much more noticeable in some than others. Usually when fully focused or fully zoomed out (flood) you will have a crisp clear beam and edge though with the TIR.

Thanks for the info.

Also when zoomed out to flood the outer edge of the beam is not crisp, itā€™s not a well defined edge as it is on my other (Aspheric lens) zoomies. Not really a problem but I wanted to report this, since itā€™s not really as you described for TIR.

Do you know of any video reviews on a TIR optic zoomie where I can see dark spot? I think this one is way worse that what it should be.
EDIT, (see next post)

OK so I found a review on YT for this (Fitorch P30Z version) the video is made by the manufacture:

In the Fitorch video I really donā€™t see the dark spot much, but he is zooming from flood to throw extremely fast, and never stops anywhere in between, (probably to hide the dark spot in the video)
.

I also found a Litesam P11Z review. I found this before but for some reason it was showing ā€œUser account deletedā€ Maybe I was looking at something else, but itā€™s working now.

Itā€™s by Charles BridgTec not by the manufacture, however he said the manufacture provided their entire line of their lights to him for review:

In the Litesam video the dark spot is visible, although it could be slightly less than in my sample itā€™s pretty close to what Iā€™m seeing, but in the indoor ā€œtable topā€ portion of the video, again the reviewer does not stop the zoom anywhere in between full flood and full throw.

In the outdoor portion of the video, after showing full throw and full flood, he says he will now show it partially zoomed and when he does that you can see the dark spot for a second or two before he quickly zooms back to full.

He appears to have been surprised by the dark spot because he doesnā€™t show it much and seems to quickly avoid the subject, with only a quick mention of it before he quickly zooms it back to full. So he ends up avoiding much footage of any partial zoom.

Probably because if he beamed it around half zoomed with the dark spot showing it would look like crap.
Now Iā€™d really like to know if the dark spot is this bad in the Fitorch version.

About the mode changing issue:

This light has a forward switch with momentary, the user manual does not show mode changes from OFF by momentary half presses, and that is not shown in the Fitorch video either.

In this review mcorp wrote: ā€œFrom OFF: 1/2 Press - Mode change per every press (light cycles through HIGH, MID, LOW -> HIGH, MID, LOW)ā€

Also in the Litesam video by Charles Bridge Tec, after going over the modes he quickly mentions being able to do mode changes from OFF with momentary half presses, but as heā€™s doing that it doesnā€™t appear to be working that way from what I could see.

With my light Iā€™ve found now the mode changes are consistent going through the modes with double-full-clicks from ON, however I cannot get it to do mode changes from OFF with the momentary function (half-pressses) it just stays in the same mode every half press no matter what speed I try half-presses, (although with a rapid double-half-press it does enter strobe).

Now Iā€™m wondering if itā€™s really suppose to change modes with half-presses from OFF?
Probably good it doesnā€™t, because if it did that would defeat the use of momentary for signalling purposes like sending flash-code.

The only one I had handy at the moment is a little Coast HX5 with the TIR optic in it.
It has the dark spot all through the middle of adjustment also , but does get a well defined beam at or near the full flood or full focus.

Never really realized there is not a white wall in my house as everything is paneling or wall papered with color.

I took 3 shots shining on the refrigerator door at about 2 1/2 to 3 feet with the light though to show what it looks like.

Flood

Mid-Focus

Focused

Thanks for the pics Robo, that coast doesnā€™t look as bad as this FiTorch does, but the coast is a small light, AA size I think.

Iā€™d like to try one of those, been wanting the HP1 that I think the HX5 replaced, it comes up at half price every so often on Amazon but I keep missing it when it does.

I think Iā€™m going to try the Wowtac A3S next, if it ever becomes available again (they said it will but hasnā€™t yet)

I donā€™t know how much they are on Amazon but , I picked up my little HX5 at Walmart for like $16.78 or something like that.
The HX5 will run on Alkaline , NiMH or 14500 with the stock driver. I think it makes about 310 Lumens with the 14500 in stock form. Of course as with 90% of my lights , I modded the little coast with a FET driver and a dedomed XM-L2 U4 OD emitter and it makes 770 lumens in Turbo now.

Nana from Wowtac said they will try to get the A3S back on the Amazon site after the spring festival holidays , which should be ending just any day now.

$15.39 on amazon, interesting I donā€™t recall seeing those at WM, Iā€™ll have to keep an eye out for them. Sounds like a nice mod, and it doesnā€™t look like a very bad donuts hole on it, thanks for sharing and the mod idea!

I received an answer from the manufacture today about the dark spot:

Message from 3rd party seller:

Hello, After cheking these attached photos, I would like to let you know that itā€™s normalā€¦

Litesam

Not really what I wanted to hear :frowning:

Well it kind of reminds me of the Solar Eclipse, so maybe they should market it that way :slight_smile:
But seriously it looks like crap and the fact that someone in engineering said, ā€œOH well thatā€™s good enoughā€ is troubling.

Thanks for the heads up, pity because it does really look well built.
Will try one of their other models as soon as the reviews are in for them.
Thanks!

Keith

So after hearing back from Litesam/FiTorch that the dark spot is normal, Iā€™ve given this some deep thought today.

I thoughtā€¦.Why/how could they design/produce/sell a flashlight with such an awful flaw?

Iā€™ve never had a zoom light with this much of a dark center spot, I canā€™t say I even ever really noticed a dark spot in a zoomie, at least not to the point where Iā€™d complain about it. Even my cheapo ones donā€™t have it like this, but my other zoomies are aspheric this is my first one with a TIR lens type.

I also thoughtā€¦Why did none of the reviewers mention or complain about the dark spot?

This review, 5 reviews on amazon, 5 for the FiTorch on Banggood, and one on youtube, and not one complaint about the dark spot that I thought was either a defect or a flawed design. After all it was the very first thing I noticed soon as I adjusted the zoom, so why no one even mentioned it? Maybe none of them have ever used a regular (aspheric) zoomie before?

Then the obvious dawned on me. Apparently the zooming adjustment on this light (and maybe all zoomies?) is only intended to be used in two positions, either fully zoomed in, or fully zoomed out.

Itā€™s the only thing that makes sense. And I had to ask myself: do I really use any of the in-between positions? Well yes maybe sometimes but most of the time probably not. Can I live with the 2-positions only? Well probably yes. You have flood and you have throw, so you have the two modes you will use the most, probably 95% of the time.

So Iā€™m no longer as upset about the light as I was at first, now that I know itā€™s limitations and feel I can live with them, at least Iā€™ll try it a while and see. I think I was just somewhat ā€œshockedā€ when I saw that dark hole, because Iā€™d never noticed anything like that in a zooming light before. One thing I have yet to understand though, if the aspheric type zoomies donā€™t have this donut hole problem then why even bother with this TIR lens set-up? What is the advantage to it? I donā€™t see what that is yet.