review: L3 Illumination L10C (Nichia 219B version)

This is a quick review of the L3 Illumination L10C-219 from SBFlashlights.

(image copied from SBFlashlights)

The L10C is an improved version of the L10. First, let’s go over its specs from the manufacturer:

  • Nichia NVSL219AT-H1 4500K, 92 CRI, B10 Bin
  • Four modes of output: firefly(0.09lumens 147hours) -> Low (3 lumens, 30hrs ) -> Medium (30 lumens) —> High (120 lumens, 1.5hrs) -> (Tested with Ni-mh battery with actual capacity 2500mAh)
  • Note: 3 mode model removes Firefly mode of .09 lumens. Low, Medium, High only
  • Stable current regulated circuit, stable brightness
  • Uses one 1.5V AA battery (ni-mh, alkaline ). 14500 batteries are not recommeded, because they heat up quickly.
  • 20-gram weight (excluding batteries)
  • Made of durable aircraft-grade aluminum
  • Premium Type III hard-anodized anti-abrasive finish
  • Waterproof to IPX-8 Standard
  • Toughened double ultra-clear glass lens
  • Candle mode (Capable of standing up securely on a flat surface to serve as a candle)
  • Size: 16.7x96mm
  • Mode switch: Forward click switch to scroll from low to high.
  • No mode memory, always starts on Firefly mode
  • Screw on secure deep pocket clip
  • Release date: 2014-06-20

Some of this information isn’t updated yet. For example, it has a Nichia 219B, not a 219A. I’m not sure the weight is correct either, but I don’t have a way to measure it. And the button is a reverse clicky, not a forward clicky.

Differences from the L10

The biggest difference is the “C”. This could mean “clip” or “clicky”, but both are true. The L10C is, basically, the L10 with a clip and rear clicky button. But those aren’t the only changes:

  • Upgraded to 219B emitter (was 219A). Tint is slightly colder and output should be slightly higher at the same power levels.
  • The L10C is significantly longer, 96mm instead of 79mm.
  • The L10C doesn’t work as a twisty, it’s click-only.
  • The L10C has a spring inside so it won’t crush batteries like the L10 did.
  • The L10C pill has a much thinner foam layer, and some small changes in the shape of the brass around the foam.
  • The L10C tailstands, but is not as stable as the original L10. This is because of the cut-outs to allow easier access to the switch.
  • The L10C’s head can tighten all the way without turning the light on. No more gap between head and body.
  • And, of course, the L10C has a screw-on clip and a reverse clicky button.

Comparison to other similar lights

The L10C is relatively long for lights in its class, but it remains pretty narrow. In this line-up we have the CNQG Brass Beauty (1x18650), L10C, Thrunite T10T, EagleTac D25A Ti, Zebralight SC52, and the original L3 Illumination L10.

And a somewhat closer shot with only its nearest siblings — L10C (grey), L10C (black), T10T, D25A, and L10:

Note: The L10C’s clip can be adjusted a few degrees to either side; it’s only crooked here because I forgot to straighten it first.

… and once more with just the L10 and L10C, to better show the difference in length.

Measurements

I measured the light output of my L10 and L10C on a fresh Eneloop, and got the following:

L10-219A:

  • Moon (spec = 0.09 lm): 0.07 lm
  • Low (spec = 3 lm): 3.93 lm
  • Med (spec = 30 lm): 29.05 lm
  • High (spec = 120 lm): 113.1 lm

L10C-219B:

  • Moon (spec = 0.09 lm): 0.09 lm
  • Low (spec = 3 lm): 4.22 lm
  • Med (spec = 30 lm): 29.97 lm
  • High (spec = 120 lm): 120.3 lm

It appears that the 219B is a few percent (3% to 7%) brighter than the 219A, but this is based on a sample size of one for each item so it could be individual variation.

On a 14500 cell, I got much brighter results. However, most of the levels dropped off pretty quickly, so either the cell was sagging under the load or the emitter was overheating… these levels aren’t sustainable:

L10C-219B (14500 cell):

  • Moon (spec = 0.09 lm): 0.18 lm
  • Low (spec = 3 lm): 71.4 lm
  • Med (spec = 30 lm): 233.8 lm
  • High (spec = 120 lm): 372.4 lm

I don’t recommend using this light with a 14500 cell. Moon mode is still pretty decent, and low is usable (though a bit high), but medium and high will likely overheat.

Inside the L10C

The L10C’s pill has some minor changes compared to the L10. Mostly, its foam pad is much thinner, and it has more raised edges around the pad.

Inside the body, it has a spring at the tail end:

The tail end can unscrew to reveal the components of the switch:

The rubber switch cover has a plastic ring over it. So, the switch itself should be waterproof at shallow depths due to the rubber boot pressing down around it, but anything above the boot could easily get wet. Nothing functional is in the wet zone, but it might take a while to dry off the tail end after getting wet. (please excuse the gunk on the switch, I had it floating around in my purse for a while before I took it apart for pictures, and the rubber picks up dust easily)

The switch can actually be used without the boot over it, though this will also make it no longer waterproof:

Back to the front end, here’s the L10-219’s emitter, a Nichia 219A:

The L10C upgraded to the Nichia 219B, which is more efficient and achieves a slightly colder tint at the same high CRI:

The Nichia 219B is somewhat easier to see in my other L10C:

Beam shots

The beam looks almost identical to the original L10-219. The only visible difference is a slightly colder tint, closer to 5000K. Both are pleasantly floody, and are one of the only EDC lights I don’t feel I need to add diffuser film to. Most lights go for a wider, throwier reflector… which I then end up diffusing.

(pics coming later)

Overall impressions

The L3 L10-219 is (IMO) one of the nicest EDC lights on the market. It’s a great size and shape, has nearly perfect output levels and beam pattern, has a great UI, a very nice neutral white tint, the best CRI on the market, and is relatively inexpensive compared to other lights in its class. It really was only missing one thing, a screw-on clip. The L3 L10C-219 adds that clip.

I could do without the clicky button. I preferred it as a twisty, with completely silent operation which worked in both overhand grip and handshake grip with one hand. And I’m a little disappointed by the length of the L10C, since it’s longer than the DQG 18650 and almost as long as the 1x18650 CNQG brass light. But it’s still quite narrow, which makes it feel a lot better in my hand than a 1x18650 light.

I’d like it better if it came in the original L10’s size as a twisty instead of a clicky. I might try drilling out holes in an older L10’s tail so I can attach the clip, and swap the new head too since it has a nicer emitter. The L10C head works on a L10 body (but the L10 head doesn’t work on a L10C body).

I’m very happy to see a L10 model with the new Nichia 219B. The 219A was nice, but I really like the slightly colder tint of the 219B.

The reverse clicky takes a fair amount of pressure to click on or off, but it only takes a slight tap to change modes while it’s on. It’s a bit on the easy side to change modes by accident. However, it’s also easy to scroll back around to the desired mode.

I’ll need a few nights to really test it out, but overall the L10C-219 seems like a nice upgrade to what was already one of the best EDC lights in the world.

Update

I just realized why it’s a little wobbly while tail-standing. It’s not the cut-outs for button access… the clip is attached just a bit too far back:

I hope to get beam shots soon, comparing all six of my Nichia 219 lights and some others with a similar color temperature. This 4500K to 5000K tint area is really quite a sweet spot. Some lights may be difficult to compare directly though, since they don’t have matching lumen levels or beam patterns.

Appreciate the review ToyKeeper. Thank you for the photos. I’m preferring the black after seeing these, maybe the orange. After reading this, for me, I’m glad I didn’t preorder one, too long. I may go back and have a look at the original orange Nichia however. Thanks again….

patrick

That is quite a tall switch. I don’t think I’ve seen a forward clicky in that shape or height.

Nice review, hoping to see your beamshots

FWIW, the switch isn’t a forward clicky. To turn it on, the user must fully click and then release; it won’t turn on until the button is released. However, a light tap while on will turn it briefly off to change modes. So, it’s a reverse clicky instead.

A forward clicky would come on with a light tap, and only require a full click in order to stay on. After full activation, a light tap does nothing on a forward clicky.

To turn the light on in “medium” mode, a reverse clicky would be “click, tap, tap”. To do this on a forward clicky, it’d be “tap, tap, click”.

Sorry, I should have said should anyone with to swap out the switch to a forward clicky. Might be a bit hard to find a good fit.

Thanks for the review Toykeeper. I’m glad you posted it so soon after you got the light!

I didn’t really get to do much testing last night… my partner kind of followed me around all night and kept turning the lights on. :frowning:

Thanks, very good review!

Appreciate the all the pics.
Always like seeing comparison pics of different lights side by side, very helpful.

T10T or L10C? What one do you like better?

It’s not really that simple. Both are good.

The L10C-219 has a better tint, better modes (not missing “low”), floodier beam, lighter/narrower body, no mode memory, and a lower price.

The T10T NW has a nice titanium body, throwier beam, longer runtime on medium, mode memory, works as a twisty, and has a diffuser cone.

Different people have different preferences, so maybe some of those differences speak to you?

What I’d really like is the L10C-219’s emitter and driver in the T10T’s body. Or perhaps an old L10 in titanium or steel with a clip and 219B emitter.

This L10C looks like a nice AA light

I’d like the combination of the 219b & t10’s ability to use as a twisty.

Thanks for the review ToyKeeper. My order of Tiara A1 got canceled by HKE because they are out of stock. I’m thinking of getting the T10T now but I’m not sure because L10C looks interesting too with that Nichia and well spaced modes. The only thing that kept me from buying an L10C a few days ago is the $15 shipping. I could just add a little amount of money and get the T10T with that titanium goodness.

I just bought a T10T and debating buying a D25A Ti. I already have the L10 and love it but I love titanium so much! Not sure if I want to spring for a L10C now or wait to see if they do mpre color options

It is a nice AA light. One of the best, IMO.

The T10T NW is pretty nice. The main complaints I have about it are: no “low” mode, and no way to get rid of mode memory. The L10 and L10C have what I consider a nearly-perfect mode selection, and I love how it always starts on the lowest level… not to mention the best tint available anywhere. It’s not even a tint, really — it’s just white.

The L10C is still a small light; it’s just longer than I thought it would be. The length isn’t such a bad thing though, since it’s easier to hold. The original L10 sometimes felt like it was almost too short.

I should add a shot comparing it to the popular SK-68. The L10C is tiny in comparison.

The $15 shipping definitely makes things difficult though. That makes the two lights practically the same price.

If you’re interested in the D25A Ti, you might want to look for an older model, or wait until next year. The ones currently available are kind of … not so great. I ordered one in January but they ran out, so I didn’t receive it until EagleTac made a new batch. And it seems the current batch has issues: Review: EagleTac D25A Ti 219 (mid-2014 botch, er, batch)

If the D25A actually lived up to its specs, it’d be an awesome light. But mine is way off spec in several ways, and some of those are systemic issues that pretty much everyone seems to have (others seem limited to just this batch). For example, it claims there’s no PWM… but that’s just blatantly false and has been for a long time. What concerns me most is that the moon mode is forty-seven times brighter than any other “moon” mode in my collection, and therefore not a moon at all… and the AR lens turned a high-CRI neutral-white Nichia 219 into a low-CRI yellow beam with a bright blue ring around it. It’s a really nice host, but I kind of want to rip its guts out and replace them with something else. If it were large enough to fit a qlite in, I probably would have done so by now.

First time I’ve ever been unhappy with a light with a price over $10.

The D25A I am interested in seems to be an older one since its the full Ti head with a XM-L and not the XM-L2 like on the new one

Thank you ToyKeeper, great review - I want one.

FWIW, I ran a low mode runtime tests on my twisty L10 219 using old Eneloops (~1600 mah by a C9000) and got 49 hours at what I meter to be 2.5 lms (47/ET lumen scale). Great regulation, it should do 60 hrs on a 2000 mah cell, so the spec is way understated.

I’ve been wanting to get accurate numbers for runtime on the L10 / L10C, but I don’t really have good equipment to test it.

All I can say is that it feels like it lasts a lot longer than spec, and the closest I’ve found to a measurement also suggests the same. Selfbuilt measured medium mode on an alkaline cell and got 7 to 8 hours, and when I’m primarily using moon and low, a battery lasts almost as long as it would in a Zebralight. So, I was guessing the 30 hour figure was a very low estimate. Plus, selfbuilt’s graph (medium mode) shows the L10 getting higher efficiency than any other lights near the same level.

Maybe I should just leave one on and check it manually to get a ballpark estimate. No nice graphs like some reviews provide, but at least a better idea how long “low” lasts. I suspect the 60-hour estimate is probably pretty close.

Don’t have any more tools than you - I have to manually check the light in the light box every xx hrs and log it on a piece of paper - a PITA.

I did run a medium test as well - 7.5 hrs @ 20 lumens on a ~1600 mah Eneloops so call it ~9 hrs on a new cell. I usually don’t test the higher modes - I rarely use high modes so don’t care, don’t want to burn my lights up, and rather rely on SB’s results. My lumen scale is, of course, going to be significantly lower than yours/Selfbuilt for reasons we’ve previously discussed, but at least we seem consistently in the same ballpark.

Last night, just two nights after I got a couple L10Cs, I apparently managed to damage both of them. D’oh. Or, at least one of them anyway, and the other one stopped working.

I was going out for a bike ride and tested my black L10C first as sort of a force of habit. But it didn’t turn on. I came back in to do some tests, and determined that the pill no longer responds to power. No idea why. I used it an hour earlier and it was fine, and nothing happened to it.

So, I swapped it for my grey L10C and went out. While getting onto my bike though, I somehow managed to snap it on something which pulled it away from the place it was clipped and flipped it downward onto the concrete. It still works fine, but now it has some dents on the head and tail. All my older L10s are now in better condition than my brand new L10Cs.

I’m a bit confused about the black one just suddenly not lighting up any more. If I had dropped it or something, I’d assume I managed to damage the driver. But nothing happened to it; it simply stopped responding to power after sitting unused for an hour. Maybe a solder joint is loose or cracked, and I could fix it myself. I’m not sure. But when I tried to remove the pill, I discovered that the L10C pill is apparently glued in a bit more firmly than the old L10 pills. I couldn’t get it to budge.

Hrrmph.