I have 3 of them so they are one of my favorites. I am not a fan of twisty UI’s, I quit carrying lights with twist UIs back when I had a Fenix E11. I like lights that I can use with one hand.
Nothing wrong about the Tool AA, it was just a question of price but seeing it for $12 on Ali, this one is a winner. If I want to be a nit-picky, I would indeed say it has too many modes for a simple emergency light ( k.i.s.s. = keep it straight simple).
To summarize it, my idea was really an C01S in AA format. All the good things from this light but with up to 3 times the runtime sounded fantastic in my mind. Also, if Sofirn can sell the C01S for $6,99 (as it is right now on their web site), I don’t see why the same light just a bit bigger could not be sold for $10-12 ?
Lumintop Tool AA also has an optional magnetic tail cap that can be used in place of the switch tail cap which would make it a twisty light, if that’s what you would prefer.
I would say that “vampire” lights are the ones that can drain a battery down to its usable limit!
Joule thief, cockroach, vampire are some of the names given to such lights.
The Sofirn C01 is one of those, in which you can use a cell virtually to 0V.
The cell currently in my C01 is at .65 volt. It will start and run, but gradually dims as expected although still usable in a dark house even via ceiling bounce. If I turn it off, i must wait for a few minutes before it'll start again. I use it most mornings when I first get up so I don't trip over a dog while wandering into the kitchen to turn on the coffee pot. I check the cell every two or three days for signs of puking.
good find, might be a good host for an LED upgrade.
Mode sequence is MLH,
plus Last Mode Memory :confounded:
and Low CRI :confounded:
afaik, the OP already decided to buy Sofirn C01S w High CRI SST-20 4000K :+1:
I just received an EDC01, I expect the Green Tinted Low CRI Samsung LED will be the same in the EDC15
.
my plan is to swap out the LED, but so far I have been unable to unscrew the pill. It is glued in, and a 30 second dip in boiled water did not solve the problem. I suppose a soak in acetone might help, if the adhesive is superglue. I tried soaking in isopropyl alcohol, but that did not help. So far all I have to show for my efforts, is bent tweezers :cry:
btw
if anyone knows how to Remove Last Mode Memory, please educate me.
When loose, the sequence was low-mid-high-sos-beacon, when tightened, the sequence was turbo-strobe.
I convinced a lot of friends to buy these lights, as they were foolproof to operate. You could start them either in low or in turbo, or switch between these two in an instant, and this without mode memory. I don’t really need these blinky modes, but apart from that, the best UI I have come across yet.
And here’s the kicker: With all these advanced programming possibilities we have today, we could program, for example, an individual Biscotti (Flashlight User Interface Cheatsheets) for each output group.
This would emulate the Quark UI without blinkies:
Loose: 0.1, 1, 10, 50 (w/o memory)
Tight: 100%
Or you could have the same output group for both loose and tight, but once without, and once with memory. So you could use the twist to switch momory on or off.
Think of it, the possibilities are endless…
Or, for twisty fans, the end switch could be replaced with a cap and the programming could be switched to “twisty mode”. This should all be possible with today’s hard- and software.
The product would truly be a flashlight for everyone, if the manufacturer included a swith cap and a normal end cap.
You could have a clicky or twisty with the same product, and you could set up modes and memory as you wish.
And this concept would also work for other light types, not just AA.
fwiw, EagTac D3A and D25A also have that twist head UI group switching.
I do not use the Turbo Strobe mode, and I dont think it would help the OP… he wants a much simpler light, that someone with no training could use without getting confused.
Yeah, I still got a coupla the 2AA-Xes floating around. Hated the cycles, but loved the twisty.
Would be great for “EDC” mode (lmh with mem) and “quick turbo” (100% only). That, and get rid of the pea-soup green emitter, and it’d be one Hell of a light.
Except for the high CRI, the flashlight you need is already on the market, as other reviewers have said before: the Jetbeam Jet 1-MK. It has three modes, but by having mode memory you can turn on the mode you want first; it’s Twisty, AA, small, clip, powerful enough; it has no visible PWM. In addition, it supports lithium-ion, if necessary. Head turning is very good as the O-ring is very well dimensioned, just like on the Jet-u AAA.
I have two Jet 1-MK’s and the non-knurling bezel on the head can be unscrewed without damage if it is well protected, giving you access to the led for a high CRI mount; It would only be necessary to find a lens with a diffuse narrow beam and it would be the perfect edc, like the Jet-u with warm light on my keychain.
Exactly. Emergency lights have to be lithium. Li-ion is great for normal flashlight use, but emergency lights are a completely different use case, prioritizing long shelf life and reliability above all else, and you need to use the best tool for the job.