Thanks for the review, just saved me money.
Don’t need another AA Flashlight with cold tint that needs an emitter upgrade.
Was hoping they would be at least a neutral white and also think you are spot on about the AR glass making things worse.
Later,
Keith
That was with a button top 14500, and the battery rattles a bit, tolerance is a bit lose in diamter
Thanks - X3-!! Mine will arrive the next days! Gonna see how the cells I have work ! :+1:
thank you for the extra info
Tja….
Today I received the Tool AA, and quite unfortunately (for Lumintop) today I also received a Utorch UT01 (my first), both lights have a Cree XP-L led and both are suitable for use with NiMh and alkalines. I got them for a comparable price.
Let me start with this: nowadays the only reason for me to buy a AA format flashlight is for use with Eneloops, since the Aspire 18350 has become available I hardly see rationality for 14500 lights anymore unless the capacity will at least double. In that perspective here’s my impression:
So I placed an Eneloop Pro cell in both flashlights, both were at 1.33 V. Here’s how they look side-by-side on a white wall, ToolAA on the right:
That output difference is so huge!!! the ToolAA is roasted by the Utorch, nothing can make up for that anymore, mind that the Tool AA is a brand new light with a Cree XP-L, how hard can it be?! In numbers, with these reasonably charged up Eneloops, at 30s: 248lm for the UT01 (flat regulated. Very nice!), 84lm for the ToolAA (slowly dropping). Swapping the batteries did not change anything. Btw, the tint of the Utorch is quite a bit better (plain white with a hint of rose) than the tint of the Tool (slightly greenish yellow).
Waving the two lights in front of my phone camera shows the low frequency PWM (<1000Hz) of the ToolAA, while no PWM can be seen with the UT01.
Conclusion: Lumintop listen, I really like the form factor of the ToolAA but your boost drivers are lightyears behind the competition, the ToolAA is a nice upgrade for an ancient Ultrafire C3, but even with its XP-L it has nothing to do with a modern flashlight.
Left to right: Utorch UT01, JaxmanE2L (my EDC, 1200lm of 97CRI), Lumintop ToolAA, Ultrafire C3
Thanks Djoss for the info…Sadly I bought this light because I wanted some AA flashlight. And I have the Utorch UT01 but if your picture is right I will bury this light and never buy a light from lumintop anymore. This is disgusting.
I would not call it disgusting, Lumintop has work to do! I like almost all of their designs, now they need to get their electronics in order.
How is the runtime on NiMH? It might not be bad if it does not pull much on the cell?
How does it do on 14500?
Mine should show up soon…
I will measure current and calculate efficiency tonight, not expecting anything special there. I’m sure the ToolAA will be useful if not much light is needed, but for that I can use my old C3 too.
Is it from me or they have the same kind of UI in almost all their small lights? L-M-H, no moonlight, nothing “outside the box” from some years now?
I don’t have any LT, this will be my first, but their look always get my attention, but then, reading the specs, I usually refrain from buying as they seem to be very similar.
I’m not saying that they should have lots of things - I normally prefer simple ones - but their lights deserves a better “electronic” part as you say!
Maybe the cooperation with BLF for the FW3A can open their “horizons” and maybe they import some of the “savoir-faire” from here!
This or the next week I’ll receive the Sofirn SF14 and SP10A and gonna compare them with the LT Tool AA, just to perceive how the brands are doing things…
L-M-H is okay, IMO but should be better spaced…
1 lumen is enough for L
50 lumens will suit any everyday situation for M
200 lumens as a bonus for H
Basically, this is Thrunite UI on the T10 and it’s why I keep mine in my Pocket.
Hmmm… does Tool AA have PWM? that’s strange, because I have Tool AAA (Nichia one) and can’t see and hear PWM on it* . is it a step backward?…
*maybe something over 15 kHz, thats my hearing range.
UT01 is still the king in AA battery format and I own 3 of them but none lumintop Tool AA.
UT01 did have bad switch issue in earlier days but now i think they fixed the problem. 
Happy flashaholic 
Hum, but the Low on the Tool AA is higher than 1, right? (At least from the specs…)
The 1 lumen is what you say it would be good? If so, I agree with you as the mode spacing is not the best!
The Amutorch S3 you also have has the same problem, the lowest mode is higher than expected, and that light only gets a better mode spacing when a 14500 is put inside (as the Tool AA seems to be too).
Thankfully there are many options we can get, test, like and dislike, that’s the best on this situation
That’s the only type of UI I am interested in…
My Tool AAA has terribly obvious PWM on med and low modes. Could it actually be a fake/clone? I bought it from HKEquipment on ebay.
No, there have been more versions of the Tool, if I remember well there was first a two-mode version without AR-coated lens that had no (visible) PWM, and then a new (current) version with 3 modes and ~1000Hz PWM.
Mine arrived today
I was a little bit irritaded.
It starts always in low, no memory
The manual says mid-low-high
There is a huge difference between 1,2V eneloop and 3,7V 14500
The diffusor cap is an nice feature
do you have the thrunite t10 to compare to? i have a klarus mi7 which i like except for the cold tint and i’d like the low to be lower. looking to get something with real moonlight and neutral tint
Thank you. I still have the head of an old 2 mode Tool AAA (an alkaline battery destroyed the rest). I like the higher output of the newer Tool AAA but if the old one doesn’t have the obvious PWM, I am going to have to try to find it again!
I received my Tool AA on Monday and I love it! My only complaint is the power button on my copy needs only the lightest press to change modes. It won’t change from being shaken or bumped, but it feels like it should; it is so sensitive.
Does anyone know - is there anywhere in the switch i can add a small spacer to increase the travel needed before contact is made? Thanks!
My Tool AAA has 3 modes, AR coated lens and no visible PWM…
