Review: Lumintop EDC05C (sample)

I wish it was a little bit longer so I can be confident that common 14500s fit

button tops dont fit?

Did you read and see the pics about the 10 or so unique 14500 cells I tested in the OP?

Yeah, this is really a nice light!! I pretty much agree with everything you say except ā€œthe inability to change the battery in the fieldā€.

While the tailcap is not typical, I have no trouble changing batteries anywhere I am or need to. Almost anything can be use to fit in the nail nick & open the tailcap. Keys, knife, a dime, etc., etc.

This is just a cool & handy little light. :+1:
ā€¦ā€¦.

@ varbos & mortuus ā€¦ I too have tried several brand 14500ā€™s. They have all fit just fine. I did not try any protected cells. Varbosā€¦ not sure where you got your info that button top 14500ā€™s would not fit?

They fit just fine. :+1:

Yes, you tested 10 and 5 did not fit properly or at all. Including the KeePower 840 - one of few 14500 cells available on Banggod.

The end cap sticking up like that is really not acceptable for me, or most people. Plus I would be worried about crushed driver.

Your review convinced me not to buy it, thanks :+1:

My reply wasn't meant for you, but to the member I was responding to. Whenever a light I'm reviewing has cell compatibility issues, I'll try to make that clear - I know it's a big source of frustration for some. I was initially under the impression they would include a battery so it's not such a big deal, but unfortunately they chose not to. For me, as you can tell, it's not an issue because I have plenty of cells that fit and work fine.

Funny, the retailers and manufacturers want us to do these reviews but I often feel they don't read them, or pay attention to what we are criticizing about them. They also provide us no reliable means to communicate to someone directly about issues.

Neal sells a 14500 cell, the Shockli 660 mAh, that I would hope fits and works in the EDC05C he sells, but he doesn't make that clear anywhere. I just emailed Neal about this issue - I'll post more info when he responds, hopefully.

Dang, I guess Iā€™ll wait to see if the two that I ordered do or donā€™t come with cells, since theyā€™re not scheduled to ship until June 29th and they may decide to ship cells in those lights, if they read the confused and frustrated comments in the thread.

The only 14500 cell that I have is in my Wuben E05.

If I do have to buy cells, it will be from someone who can ship in a few days, since I will have already waited over six weeks for the lights.

Where did you buy from? There should not be any confusion if cells are included or not.

BG and Neal's listings say no battery included so from either of those sources, it should be clear.

While not impossible to change the battery in the field, itā€™s certainly not practical.

If most other lights die in the field, you can fairly easily change the battery just by feel while in pitch dark, no tools needed. I suspect if you tried that with the EDC05C, it would either be almost impossible, or would take a ridiculous amount of time (maybe 15 minutes).

It would have been so easy for Lumintop to make the tailcap unscrewable by hand, without changing any of the dimensions of the light.

Iā€™m pretty sure that I ordered from one of them, so it looks like Iā€™ll be needing to source two or more batteries. I wasnā€™t planning on that extra expense. Not really a better deal than the other options at the time. The ads were rather confusing at that time and so were discussions, so I guess I chose a less convenient option, since I donā€™t already have appropriate batteries.

Oh, well, live and hopefully learn.

Yea, I recall it was unclear. Not sure, maybe they changed the listings.

I think whether it is ā€œpracticalā€ or not depends on the person doing it. This certainly varies from person to person. One ā€˜sizeā€™ does not fit all.

For me, and I suspect some others; while certainly not as easy as a conventional tailcap: it is not a big deal.

I took your challenge & tried it in a totally dark closet. :+1:

First time was 90 seconds (+ or - a couple). Used the end of a fingernail file on a pair of cheap nail clippers.

Second time was 74 seconds (+ or - a couple) using a spoon.
practice makes perfect :wink:

So the practicality question is not an issue for me at all. For some it would/might be.

In addition I doubt Iā€™ll ever use this light in a situation where I have to change batteries in the dark. Butā€¦ if I do, I find it easy enough to do.

ymmv

Added one of these to my basket whilst buying some stuff in the current BangGood sale - not that I need another light, but I have a spare 14500 battery, so I figured why not :slight_smile:

Does look like a nice little light and I really like the idea of the Nichia LEDā€™s on the side, they look kind of handy!

Siftah, Iā€™d love to see your thoughts on this light after youā€™ve got it.
Iā€™m still on the fence.

I certainly will - the price reduction in the sale isnā€™t huge, so I wouldnā€™t bother pulling the trigger if youā€™re not decided as you wonā€™t save too much! :slight_smile:

Anyone have any ideas on how to get to the LED/MCPCB on this thing? Looks like a press fit front bezel.

My bad, realised I didnā€™t update this thread!

I took this away camping with me for the weekend and was suitably impressed. I really like the size, especially in summer when Iā€™m wearing shorts and want something tiny that hides away in a pocket.

I loved the strength of the magnet on the tailcap, it was perfect for putting under a table (attached to the metal leg) and providing some ambient light.

I didnā€™t like the battery life (but thatā€™s kind of a known entity, right?)

Itā€™s got a nice usable amount of lumens on the front emitter and the side emitters are also perfect, I mostly used it in the lowest modes for close-up work around the campsite.

Itā€™s going to be staying in my pocket quite a lot, thatā€™s for sure :slight_smile:

Picture: https://imgur.com/rlabtxr

I just got mine but the runtime isnt impressive. They claim the Moonlight mode is 15days. But I just charge my batt(~4.15v) and test it for 10hrs or so and the voltage drop to 3.907v.

Obviously it depends on the cell you are using. I didnt' do any runtime tests though.

Even this review didn't test moon mode - takes too long, rare to find in a review: https://zeroair.org/2019/04/03/lumintop-edc05c-flashlight-review/