LuminTop EDC05 AA(14500) Flashlight

I got my EDC05 yesterday. Apparently I ordered from BG not GB. Hard to remember when it shows up a month later. Whatever.

More importantly, no issues so far. Used a protected Sanyo (EVVA) 14500 and an Eneloop and ran it through its paces. Programmed the modes to the levels I like, clicked it on/off a few hundred times. Let it run on turbo for several minutes.

Time will tell if the driver holds up, but the features, build quality and form factor are really nice. Fingers crossed.

I wasn’t aware the EDC05 was programmable. How was this achieved?

Programmable = Configurable

EDC05 has no programmable modes according to research.

It’s done the same way as the UT01 or E11.

I’ve tried this but the modes on the EDC05 are different. There is no program mode, or consistent turbo.

Consistent un-timed turbo mode is Strobe. The next mode after Strobe is suppose to be a battery check but it is a SOS mode.

I fail to see how the EDC05 is the same as the Utorch or Manker with programmable modes. I’m unable to do this with my light.

FWIW…. my EDC05 is programmable. Its programmed just like the manker E11 and Utorch UT01.

You have to engage the program mode capability though. It does not come from the factory with it engaged.

From OFF, Long press the button for 6-7 seconds it will blink once to indicate the program mode is not engaged. Long press again (6-7s) and it will blink twice to indicate program mode is engaged. So you can go back and forth with 6-7 second long presses.

With program mode not engaged (one blink) the modes go Strobe-SOS-Beacon (repeat). Just as you show in your video.

There appears to be a lot of variation though, lot of EDC05 inconsistencies. Particularly with lower voltage cell chemistries. My findings are with 14500-4.2V. I have also found the most consistent performance is with 14500.

Interesting, I’ll have to try this. I wish this step was also demonstrated in the video.

The 14500 I use is an EVVA Sanyo 800mAh with a Seiko protection circuit.

I’ll try this and report if it was successful.

This worked for me! Thank you! That vital little piece of information was missing!

Awesome!!!

That little piece of “missing” information was literally the second post in the link I gave. SMH.

Ahk! I see it. /Facepalm

I’d like to report that my one and only remaining EDC05 now developed the issue where I have to disconnect the head and twist it back to turn it on.

There’s definitely quality control issues going on with the EDC05. So far, Manker and Lumintop have struck out with me. It’s time for the Zebras to step up to the plate as they arrived today.

I’ve received the Zebralight SC5w MK II today. My overall impression is that they are pretty nice. Out of the box, both lights work properly in all modes. There was no switch problems or lousy connections.
I was afraid that the tint @ 4500k would not be to my liking, however it is acceptable.

The SC5W MK II is quite a bit shorter than the Lumintop EDC05.

The head is obviously bigger than the EDC05.

Knurling is pretty fine but it provide excellent grip.

The clip is pretty stiff. It’s ok, but I’m not 100% crazy about it’s design.

The recessed button is fantastic. It ensures to protect from accidental activation in the pocket. The switch provides a solid feel and produces a very satisfying “click”. Observing the head reveals it has fins for heat dissipation. The LED star is bonded to the uni body frame so that’s a no go for moders, however I’m completely fine with that as I don’t need to worry about thermal paste breakdown.

This light doesn’t use traditional springs. It uses gold plated Pogo pins in the tail cap. This provides a great connection and reduces resistance, not to mention allows for the light to be more compact.

The positive connection uses a sort of “Omega” style gold plated connection point. I’ve never seen this before, however from a design standpoint it may be intended for better solid battery contact.

Finally the tint! It is 4500k. I was afraid I would not like it as I’m more of a 5700-5500-5000k kinda guy. I feel I can accept it though I doubt I’d go anything lower than that. I am glad I did not buy the SC5c MK II as I don’t think I could stomach the yellow produced from that, as well as reports of a green tint mixed in. Yuck! For the 4500k version, I can live with a 83-87 CRI rating.

Looks like the LuminTop EDC05 has the same issues as the UTorch UT01..

using fully-charged Eneloop AA and 14500 (using drained batteries sometimes gives weird issues):

on my UTorch UT01 CW (cool-white):

  • whether Eneloop AA or 14500, will need to break the circuit (unscrew the tailcap/bodytube) after turning off, to be able to turn on next time

on my UTorch UT01 NW (neutral-white):

  • when using Eneloop AA: it works normally, no need to break the circuit to turn off/turn on
  • when using 14500: needs to break the circuit after turning off, to be able to turn on next time
  • on several (not too often) instances (I think I was using 14500), the light will not turn OFF when it is ON (or actually, the switch fails to respond -- pressing the button does not go to next mode), will need to unscrew tailcap to turn OFF.

Yup. That’s exactly my issue. I mean yeah, the light is still usable, and I normally mechanical lockout the light anyways, but still… The bottom line is there is a design flaw or quality control issues. Why is it so hard for companies to get a AA light right with high performance lumens? I refuse to think that Zebralight is the only one who has their sh_t together when it comes to these kind of lights. Manker, Lumintop and Utorch… step up your game please.

What I’m not sure could have caused the issue is that I often change battery type (sometimes I put in an Eneloop, and on the next occasion I put in a 14500 battery when I need more lumens), maybe after a few such times, the UT01 battery gets confused (if there’s such a “condition”)?

Beats me. Mostly use 1 battery type, in this case for the EDC05, it is an EVVA Sanyo UR14500P cell with a Seiko protection circuit. When I throw a Eneloop or Alkaline in it, the light works correctly.

That looks fat! :open_mouth: Prefer EDC05!

I would prefer it too when they fix the driver bugs.