Review: L3 Illumination L10 Nichia 219

I can’t say the white one looked appealing, but I’d love a Nichia 219 model in turquoise or purple.

(I realize they don’t make purple ones… but if they did, I’d buy it)

The question becomes, which colors are HA III and which ones are like the white, that can be scraped off with your thumbnail? I’d like to know this before ever considering another.

Only white is painted on, I pointed this out in CPF apologies for it not being fully clear on our site.

I lost my clip after only a couple of weeks. It came off while hooked to my pocket. Luckily the light itself dropped down into my pocket, but the clip fell who-knows-where. I looked around for it, but I didn’t have any idea how long it had been missing.

I may try another clip if I can figure out a way of securing it. Maybe an o-ring in the groove toward the base of the light would make the clip more secure.

Yeah, you should definitely provide an asterisk on the details about the HA III coating, and then mention that white is basic paint—not pocket friendly.

I didn’t see your specific apology but the customer reports I’d read didn’t give a good indication of just how fragile the paint is. Also, it was natural to assume that the absence of any mention on the website meant that the problem might have been taken care of with subsequent batches…

Yeah, I agree the website needs an * for the white finish. To be fair, this very thread and this one here both discuss it being paint.

For the record, my white L10 is still holding up fine, so far… I do carry it often, but I am extremely anal with most of my lights. I am careful to keep it seperate from change, keys, knives, and anything that might scratch it.

Also, the firefly ain’t too damn low! You guys complaining about that are nuts. Just last night I thought to myself how nice it is while using it. I want a true firefly mode. Not a superlow. The 4 mode L10 modes are excellent IMO.

^ Well, be warned… the slightest knock against something and the white paint comes off. I started stripping the white off and underneath is a silver anodized coating (according to Jason it isn’t raw). It looks pretty decent, so I’m not too upset about the white (although it will be hard to get out of the crevices in the knurling).

Btw, for a real low-low (moonlight), get an Olight S10. They have one that is just about spot on for me (could even be ever so slightly dimmer, but I’m not complaining).

You mean the Olight right? That’s a nice light. Hear the tint can be iffy though. Too bad.

I would like to see yours stripped. :slight_smile: Might be kind of cool. Guess you could sandblast the crevices.

^ Yep, the Olight S10 (updated my post). The tint problem turns out to be at least partially blamed by the AR coating on the lens. Several people have reported that the tint is quite nice when the lens is removed. One guy reported how he changed the emitter and didn’t see a difference, then smacked his head when he saw how it looked without the lens! So… if the tint lottery turns a little sour for you, most likely a new lens will fix it. On mine the tint is OK… just a little yellowish in the center. It’s fine for now but I’m planning to get some replacement glass for a couple of lights and will pick up one for the S10 when I do so.

I have a Dremel and will use a stripper attachment to help get the paint off… once I find one! I don’t want to strip the anodized layer off underneath.

I would take a little yellow in the center. Thats odd about the lens. Hope they learned from that. I like Olights.

I’m very happy with my 4-mode L3 L10-219. It’s the only light I have without a tint (is really just white, not a color), it’s the smallest light I have aside from a 1xAAA keychain light, it seems like it’ll hold up to a lot of use in wet places, and the modes are well-chosen. The 0.09-lumen firefly mode seems to hit a Goldilocks “just right” level, the 3-lumen mode is also just right, the medium 30-lumen mode is a nice step up from there, and I don’t use the 120-lumen mode much.

My unit does have a slight dark crescent in the beam between the edge of the hotspot and the beginning of the spill drop-off (due to an off-center emitter), but it’s not usually noticeable. It also rolls too easily, the battery life is relatively short compared to my other 1xAA lights, and I had to file down the sharp corners on its tail. But it’s still a great light that I’ve been using far more than I expected.

Does anyone know which LRI Freedom mode compares to the firefly mode with the XP-G2 model? I would want something similar to the second lowest setting on the LRI freedom. Also what is the 30 lumen run time?

On paper the L10 4-mode goes much lower than the oLight S10, but it really is MUCH lower. I can tolerate looking at the L10 LED in the lowest mode, but not with the S10. The L10 has a very nice firefly mode.

Does it retain the very low firefly mode with 14500?

[quote=ToyKeeper]
I’m very happy with my 4-mode L3 L10-219. It’s the only light I have without a tint (is really just white, not a color)quote]

mine has the slightest hint of pink, but only detectable if compared against other neutrals side by side. it is extremely subtle. in general, yes, very pure white. love em.

The firefly mode still seemed to work well, when I tried it… but all the other modes got significantly brighter.

It works on a 14500, but then it seems to go directly from firefly to medium, and that means I don’t get my favorite mode (~3lm). So, no 14500 for me.

It’s still firefly, but brighter (maybe 2X to the eye, but you can still look directly at it). Each mode is brighter.

After using it for about 7 weeks, my L3 L10-219 has probably become my most-used light. There’s nothing particularly impressive about it, really… plain form factor, unimpressive maximum output, off-center LED, short battery life compared to other AA lights, etc… but it gets a lot of things just right. (also, I haven’t been able to wear my H51 much as a necklace lately, so I’ve needed a handheld light instead)

The 4500K 92CRI tint is just right, and easily better than anything else in my collection.
The 0.09lm firefly mode is just right. I’m a bit photosensitive though, so YMMV.
The 3lm low mode is just right, and I use it a lot.
The 30lm medium mode is just right.
The physical size and shape are just right for me to hold and use comfortably, or to hold in my mouth. Also comfy to hold on to during a nap or movie or while fidgeting.
The beam pattern is almost “just right”. The outer edge of the hotspot goes all the way to the inner edge of the spill’s drop-off (except on one side, due to an off-center emitter). Reflector-based lights have a beam intensity pattern shaped like a hill sitting on top of another hill, but on this one the plateau ring around the top hill is almost nonexistent.
As a simple twisty with O-ring, grease, good machining, and plenty of threads, I don’t have to worry about water getting inside. It’s good in a shower or pool.
After adding Super Lube, it twists easily but doesn’t threaten to twist on its own.
No PWM.

I’d love a turquoise model, or even better, a purple one… and longer runtimes… and a centered emitter… and rounded edges by default so I wouldn’t have to file down sharp corners… and an included metal D-ring sized to fit entirely inside the tail… and a non-clip-on clip (threaded through the tail?)… and it’d be nice if the twist action connected body pieces together instead of crushing the battery… but it’s still my favorite light lately.

Agreed. This is the one aspect of this light I REALLY dislike. It just makes the light seem, well, cheap. And it takes away from the rest of what is otherwise a well-made light. If a budget light like the Tank 007 can have a real tailspring and screw down all the way without crushing the battery, why can’t this one? Yes, it would make the light a tad longer. But I find that perfectly acceptable if it makes for a more durable light. And I would gladly have paid a couple more bucks for it.

I agree too. I also don’t like the brass showing through the gap (should be body color) and I’m not fond of the lanyard setup either. I really wish Olight would make an i2s with a L-M-H UI and the high comparable to the L10.