LuminTop EDC05 AA(14500) Flashlight

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.

This light is as fat as your signature :wink:
I prefer slim EDC like L10C or T10

I pre-ordered one of these lights from Banggood in the middle of last month, and it went well past the due date. I tried to order one from Lumintop directly as they state 49 natural white in stock, and I was contacted about 4 days later saying that there is currently a quality control problem and that they didn’t have an estimate for when it would be resolved.

Too bad, it looks like a nice light size. I already bought and received my 14500 batteries from LiionWholesale. I edc a BLF A6 that I found via SickDeals, so thanks for the good work over here.

Yes. I believe that if Lumintop can fix the issues with the EDC05 it would be imo, one of the best AA EDC on the market. The
machine design, the power, the size, and the ability to use protected 14500 batteries makes the EDC05 special. If / when they fix the issues, I will revisit buying more of these lights.

My EDC05 have the same the issue with disconnecting

of the head and twist it back to turn it on (14500 & AA).

So, the flashlight that I can't trust - is dead for me.

I hope, I'll find some solution later. I wanted to send it back,

but I see that it's mass problem, so I can send it back an

infinite number of times, but nothing will change. :FACEPALM:

Hey, Lumintop, we wait the solution! })

Yeah, I’m with you. I’ll buy one once they fix whatever problems that they have going on.

My EDC05 developed the same issue on almost the exact same day. It’s too bad because the form factor, light modes, and magnetic tail cap make it a fantastic AA/14500 light. I would buy 3 or 4 of these if they were reliable.

Lexel reported in the UT01 / E11 thread that this is really just a switch problem. I may try replacing the switch and seeing if that fixes it.

Talking to one of the Lumintop reps earlier confirms for the EDC05 anyways, that there is a driver issue. I did have one EDC05 suffer a problem with the switch not registering some presses but it made a click sound though. Had to send it back as well.

I just got mine and I’m liking it so far. Didn’t use it enough to encounter any issues, let’s hope I don’t ever do, and hope they sort it out with the driver supplier that seems to be messing up the UT01 and the EDC05

The warm tint on the EDC05 is much better than the yellow one on my UT01, and having an XP-L HI is good for that little extra throw that comes in handy with a small reflector. The battery tube on mine was bored slightly off centered. It doesn’t seem to compromise anything, but it’s not something I’d like to see in a light that is not in the cheaper tier of the AA category. Otherwise, it’s a fine flashlight.

Hi, we regret to keep you guys waiting for long for this torch.
Just got the news that the EDC05 problems have been solved, and it will be available on Amazon soon.