Folomov C1 10440 light w 3000k High CRI E21a Nichia

jon_slider · 2019-02-04T18:08:49.000Z

click pic for link to illumn.com

LightObsession:

It appears to have the same UI as my Folomov 18650S had, which I never warmed up to. I prefer L M H L M H, rather than L M H M L, but I may end up getting one anyway, if they’ve fixed the bug when going from moonlight to the memorized mode. My 18650S would usually go to Turbo from moonlight, regardless of what the memorized mode was.

correct on the UI sequence including LMHML
moon cannot be memorized, I wish it could, and I wish the UI was the same as my Olight S Mini, but I dont expect that to happen.
the memorized mode and direction comes after moon, not turbo
example, light was previously off at medium, of the HML ramp, moon starts top left, sequence moves top row right, then bottom row. Note this is a proof of concept prototype for testing purposes and I expect the final production model’s lumen levels will match specs:

UI uses click on, click to advance modes, hold for off. Hold from off to access moonlight. Double click for turbo works the same from on or off, double click again for strobe. There are other blinkies, and a second Tactical mode group I dont normally use, that gives only turbo (both momentary and constant) plus strobe.

the Folomov is thinner than my Olight i3s and Maratac, and my sample of the C1 does tailstand, carefully.

Folomov is cooler than incandescent 3000k, but warmer than 4000k, iPhone photo with auto white balance

standing 11 feet away, iphone auto white balance, each shot is separate, so white balance may not match daylight, and may not match between shots:

same LEDs as above, but all leds shot in the same frame, still auto white balance iphone, so not necessarily daylight white balance, but all 3 beams use the same white balance, which means the relative colors you see are realistic, compared to each other:

white balance and relative colors is a complicated topic, and what we see changes based on what our brain is comparing to at the time. That is also true for the above photos. The Colors of the single beam shots, dont match the colors of the photo of the three beams together, and that is also true for our brain. Any of these LEDs could look white to our brain if it was the only light source and we had 30 or more minutes of adaptation.

In practical terms, during the day this LED will look much warmer. Waking up in the dark, the warmer ones are more pleasant. I like both a cooler LED during the day, and a warmer LED at night. This C1, for me, is a very nice CCT at night. Bear in mind my house lighting is 3000k incadescent, so my brain sees the Folomov as very similar, and even slightly brighter, or whiter, since it is maybe 300 CCT cooler than my ambient. The 2 lumen moon mode in my prototype sample is too bright when I wake in the dark, I look forward to the production model having the 0.5 lumen level specified in the manual.

No PWM, no visible flicker. The light is Constant Current with varying amounts constant current ripple that can be photographed, but is not visible to the naked eye, neither still, nor by waving.

Im testing a prototype, it does not match published lumen specs, but hopefully that will change in the future.
On my sample, moon is 2 lumens (spec is 0.5), low is 19 lumens (spec is 8 but in this case I actually prefer 19, medium is 46 lumens (close enough to spec of 40), and turbo is 265 lumens direct drive (not quite 335 lumens, but I dont care, turbo does not interest me, I would gladly give it up for eneloop compatibility), and after 30 seconds it is at 105 lumens and continues dropping.

The moon mode ripple is barely photographable, and only at a very specific distance

the low mode drives my iphone nuts, but only at a very specific distance, dont watch this if strobes bother you

the medium mode is more easily photographed

I did not test high and turbo for photo ripple.

I like the switch, I like the beam, and I like the LED and form factor of the light. I wish the UI was like my Olight i3s, and I wish the brass was raw, and I wish the light worked on eneloop and had no Turbo. No light is perfect, but this is still a fun light and I like having a warm LED option, and I really like the High CRI. I like how clean, tight and defined the hotspot is, but would prefer a full flood beam with no hotspot.

I like that the light includes a USB rechargeable battery, and though it does not include a charging cable, I already had one for my Olight S1 Mini, that costs a lot more, and has much worse CRI. The Olight also has photographable constant current ripple, that I CAN see by waving. Removing the C1 clip scratches the finish, but the same is true for my Olights.

I wish the light had a keyring attachment that doubled as an antiroll device, but I personally dont keep a light on my keys, and the clip doubles as an anti roll. I happen to like hat clips, though I dont usually carry clipped to my pocket. I prefer to drop into a dedicated pocket, and this C1 disappears in my jeans coin pocket. I dont know yet if it will survive that carry mode without turning itself on in pocket… time will tell…

LightObsession:

If I bought the light, I may apply DC fix to the lens to soften hot spot for hands free use.

That is also a great option.

Even as is, the light works great as a mouth lamp, and tucked under a hat, even when not clipped to a hat. Even though the moon is higher than spec I was able to shield it in my fist and just use part of the spill beam, as a wake for bathroom light.

It also worked to check outside to see to the end of the yard and up and down the driveway in the dark of night using Turbo by double tap. The tactical mode even makes Turbo available as momentary on. Its a powerhouse, much brighter than my Eneloop AAA lights.

This is my first 10440 light and Im impressed! I also really like that the included battery is USB rechargeable.

.

fwiw
I wish the brass was not painted, can anyone suggest a way to remove the finish without disassembling the light?

maukka · 2019-02-04T18:38:38.000Z

4000K 219b 9080 w/ 1/8 minus green

I thought I hated a green tint.

jon_slider · 2019-02-04T18:49:10.000Z

maukka:

4000K 219b 9080 w/ 1/8 minus green

I thought I hated a green tint.

LOL!
My 65 year old eyes have cataracts. My sensitivity to tint above the BBL is to the point of obsession…
imo even the 3000k E21a in this Folomov would benefit from 1/8 minus green…

I love my N219b 4500k 9080, and I dont use any lee filter on them.
I also love my 2000k E21a, again no need for minus green

I look forward to your tint and flicker testing of the Folomov C1. Nobody does it better than you.

teacher · 2019-02-05T00:24:32.000Z

Thanks for the review…. . Interesting looking light. I like the three output levels & the UI is suitable also as far as I am concerned.

jon_slider · 2019-02-05T02:10:52.000Z

thanks for taking the time to read and give feedback
the UI was a bit overwhelming at first, but Ive grown to appreciate it, there are a lot of options
besides the 3 main modes, there are also shortcuts to moon and turbo, plus blinkies

that means if I feel like using a strobe to alert drivers when in a crosswalk, this little C1 can do that.
If I want to reassure myself there is no intruder in my back yard in the dark of night, again the C1 can do that.
If I want some dim light when I wake for a bathroom, I can make that work too.
And for day to day use looking in a closet, or the back seat of a car, or other general tasks, again the C1 can do that.
It is a very versatile EDC, and Im enjoying carrying it.

definitely a very versatile light.
Its my first encounter with the Folomov UI, and I am appreciating it more as I learn its features.

Im especially happy with the Warm CCT and High CRI, from an off the shelf light. Usually to get those features I have to have a light modded to my LED preferences.

fun times in my flashoholism

iamlucky13 · 2019-02-05T06:57:34.000Z

That light is tiny! The tint seems hard to describe in the photos. I’m very intrigued by the fact that Folomov is using an E21A in a light.

jon_slider · 2019-02-05T08:37:13.000Z

yes, its tiny and I like it
I enjoy the tint and color temperature a lot too

it is indeed challenging to photograph the colors of different beams, because everything changes relative to what its compared to
here is another attempt:

imo the folomov beam is rather outstanding in its clarity, focus, and lack of artifacts, rings, or donuts
and the light is a pleasure to use, in hand, mouth, under a hat, cigar, overhand, handshake… just plain fun
and the CRI is outstanding, E21a LEDs Rock!
me so happy!

Agro · 2019-02-05T10:01:42.000Z

10xxx cell with a built-in charing circuit? That’s interesting.
I wonder what’s the length….
Also that tail e-switch is cute.

Other than this…not special to me.

MascaratumB · 2019-02-05T12:01:15.000Z

Thanks for the information on this light forthcoming light jon!!

Its size and the UI possibilities (apart from the L-M-H-M-L) seem interesting, and being a tailswitch light this small it is way niceee!!

I may have missed it, but from the moonlight you can go UP in modes, like on the Olights (the moon is not memorzied, but you can go up from there)?

I see a slight “con” for my use, that is the the pocket clip on the head! But nothing that can’t be solved!
Any info on the “how much” and the “when” will it be available?

Jay · 2019-02-05T13:16:18.000Z

MascaratumB:

Thanks for the information on this light forthcoming light jon!!

Its size and the UI possibilities (apart from the L-M-H-M-L) seem interesting, and being a tailswitch light this small it is way niceee!!

I may have missed it, but from the moonlight you can go UP in modes, like on the Olights (the moon is not memorzied, but you can go up from there)?

I see a slight “con” for my use, that is the the pocket clip on the head! But nothing that can’t be solved!
Any info on the “how much” and the “when” will it be available? :+1:

From moonlight, a click will bring you to last mode memorized (you can’t cycle from moon to low unless you last turned it off in low mode). The info on how much and when are on the product page .

MascaratumB · 2019-02-05T14:53:53.000Z

Jay:

MascaratumB:

Thanks for the information on this light forthcoming light jon!!

Its size and the UI possibilities (apart from the L-M-H-M-L) seem interesting, and being a tailswitch light this small it is way niceee!!

I may have missed it, but from the moonlight you can go UP in modes, like on the Olights (the moon is not memorzied, but you can go up from there)?

I see a slight “con” for my use, that is the the pocket clip on the head! But nothing that can’t be solved!
Any info on the “how much” and the “when” will it be available? :+1:

From moonlight, a click will bring you to last mode memorized (you can’t cycle from moon to low unless you last turned it off in low mode). The info on how much and when are on the product page .

Thanks Jay, I didn’t know it was advertised yet!
Hum, despite that in the UI it seems interesting! However, ordering it from illumn will probably be a killer deal due to customs. I’ll wait and see if it is going to be sold in order stores or even amazon.
Thanks again!

jon_slider · 2019-02-05T20:57:33.000Z

Agro:

10xxx cell with a built-in charing circuit? That’s interesting.
I wonder what’s the length….

I like USB cells, they come in many sizes. Size comparison of the 10440 in the Folomov:

and a better beam color comparison:

Agro · 2019-02-05T22:25:27.000Z

Oh, so they used a shorter cell internally. Nice! Looks like 10-11 mm charging circuit on top of 33-34 mm cell. I strongly suspect it will soon land on my must-buy list.
jon_slider, do you happen to know its capacity?

SKV89 · 2019-02-07T03:09:20.000Z

Jon, thanks for sharing with us with another very detailed post. I love the E21A especially when CCT mixed. I have a Tiara C1 Pro modded by Clemence with 2x E21A 2000k and 2x E21A 3000k. It is the rosiest setup Ive seen yet and it is just so peaceful and comfortable to use at night time before bed as room lighting.

jon_slider · 2019-02-07T06:34:36.000Z

I think the 2000k and 3000k E21a have the best candle light/firelight colors of any LED Ive tried in warm CCT

I love the 2000k E21A light I have from Clemence
I like to say he crammed it full of
gorgeously tangerine orange
Balinese sunsets

the 2000k E21a makes the 3500k N219b 9080 in my HDS look bad, almost mustard yellow, by comparison

jon_slider · 2019-02-09T00:05:09.000Z

pros and cons
the paint was more grippy and warm to the touch, it may also dissipate heat better, not sure
the brass is more shiny
brass is germicidal, can make handsmell like money, and will tarnish
I like copper better… LOL!

CalvinIS · 2019-02-09T02:52:20.000Z

jon_slider:

!{width:90%}! pros and cons the paint was more grippy and warm to the touch, it may also dissipate heat better, not sure the brass is more shiny brass is germicidal, can make handsmell like money, and will tarnish I like copper better… LOL!

The EDC C1 was....painted? How did you remove the external finish?

jon_slider · 2019-02-09T19:13:18.000Z

600 grit emery paper, followed by sunshine cloth
I did not get all the original finish off, its still in the little indentations on the head, and in the groove for the clip. The color match is so close, that I can hardly see the difference. That may change as the brass tarnishes.

Honestly, the light feels better in hand with the original finish, which is imo very nice, both in color and feel. But, I have a love of Oligodynamic metals, and I was curious to see the underlying brass.

imo the stock finish on the Folomov is excellent, and it eliminates any concern some people have about the smell of copper and brass.

Im loving this little 3000k LED. In fact, Im loving the beam too, its actually cleaner than the beam in my HDS w N219b 3500k 9080. I prefer the Folomov LED. As a matter of fact, the Folomov is also capable of being brighter than the HDS, briefly.

l-r 3000k E21a, 4500k N219b, 3500k N219b

thumbs up on the C1, its a little HDS killer… LOL!

jon_slider · 2019-02-10T17:42:37.000Z

Agro:

do you happen to know its capacity?

I did not know, but maukka’s post below does

maybe someone with the ability will test the capacity of the battery will share results

I would also like to know if the cell is protected, or IMR

there is a report that the Folomov has a built in 3v low voltage shutoff, like HDS

.

maukka · 2019-02-10T08:10:46.000Z

It’s ~210mAh/0.710Wh.