I’m would like suggestions for lights that meet most of my wishes below.
I love a lot of things about my Lumintop Tool AA 2.0 . Runtime, brightness and size are topnotch for my purpose.
By far the worst thing is the hotspot.
WANT
1] 14500 + regular AA
2] Floody without a hotspot
3] High CRI
4] Compact
5] No parasitic drain.
DON’T WANT/NEED
1] Anything over 600lm
2] Cell sizes other than 14500/AA
3] Any type of proprietary cells.
4] Non replaceable cells.
Wurkkos TS10 seems to check a lot of boxes but I’m not so sure about runtimes. I don’t need or even want a pocket rocket, but at times I need 400lm for an extended time.
I’m fully aware I’ve a lot of demands, but I’m not looking for just another light but for a Tool upgrade.
Your dream light does not exist off the shelf, but you might be able to get there with a couple of modifications…
example EDC15 - Lumintop has a pebbled Tir, but it is not High CRI… You would need to change the LED
the Tool AA meets most of your requirements except for the hotspot and CRI… You could swap to high CRI LED and put DCFix on the lens, to diffuse the beam, but you will also lose about half the throw. Or, you might be able to find a pebbled Tir to replace the stock reflector.
No reflector or optic typically just yields a flood of light. Use a thermal adhesive instead of thermal paste to ensure the MCPCB stays put. Depending on the design of the light you might also have to devise a tube as a spacer to hold the lens in place, or glue it as well.
The Wurkkos TS10 does not run on AA. It is 14500 only.
DC-Fix can diffuse a beam with a hotspot, or I have seen some lights with pebbled TIR optics that produce a very nice even beam.
If you really like your Tool, I would measure the reflector and see if you can find a pebbled or diffused TIR optic of the same size. Yajiamei is one possible retailer to try. They sell primarily through Aliexpress.
For some perspective, here’s some details from one user about various TIR optics he tried with his Convoy S2+ (the set he used will be too large for the Tool AA)
How compact does it need to be? The Convoy T2 or T3, is it too big?
It has High CRI (depending on the LED you chose), takes AA and 14500 (with the new driver), you can add a filter or a TIR optic to make it floodier instead of having hotspot, and since they have a reverse clicky switch, there is no parasitic drain.
Are you ready to accept certain compromises? If there is a lamp that meets all the creteria except for the parasitic drain, could it be ok? Also, one of the interests to use the 14500 format is precisely to reach high lumen outputs,so you could end up having the wished light with “to much” lumens. Maybe you can avoid using the highest mode.
I would have appreciated the “Lumintop Tool AA 2.0” much more if it had a lower brightness level and always started on low, or preferably had “shortcuts” to both the lowest and highest brightness levels
The “Sofirn SP10 Pro” and “Wurkkos TS10” are both capable of very low brightness levels compared to many other lights (even other lights that also use Anduril) and since both the SP10 Pro and TS10 use Anduril, their user interface can be configured to your preferences.
The “Sofirn SP10 Pro” became my “Looking for the impossible AA sized light” because it supports multiple battery chemistry types and is what I carry multiples of in my vehicles and bug out bags along with extra NiMH batteries. It does not have any parasitic drain when mechanically locked out (by loosening the tail cap or head a fraction of a turn from the body). It also functions well with shorter 10440/AAA size batteries padded to extend their length with a small piece of crumpled up aluminum foil placed inside the tail cap end.
The “Wurkkos TS10” is smaller in size with more flood than the “Sofirn SP10 Pro” and is what I usually carry on my person, but it requires a Li-ion battery and cannot be completely mechanically locked out, so I carry it electronically locked out (which has a minimal amount of parasitic drain). A mechanical lock out (by loosening the head a fraction of a turn from the body) electrically disconnects the “inner tube” which supplies the main power, but it does not completely electrically disconnect the “body tube” which carries the “switch signal” since the threads connecting the two parts are not anodized. While mechanically locked out, there will not be any parasitic drain if the switch is not depressed, but pressing the tail switch electrically completes the “switch signal” and pressing and holding the tail switch will also unfortunately reset the light to factory defaults.
I am not sure if a small light exists that is capable of maintaining 400 lumens for an extended period of time. The “Wurkkos TS10” should be able to maintain ~120 lumens for a few hours.
Measured runtimes at different brightness levels for the “Wurkkos TS10” are listed in the “Performance” section of this review at URL:
That would be great, but only if not too much trouble, because there a lot of options/suggestions to consider.
I’ve put that one on my list. Have to find a review with runtimes.
What kinda skills does switching heads involve?
My vast experience modding lights is limited to changing the battery
It would be a lie I never use high lumen, so a hidden turbo is a bonus.
The main reason I use a 1450, is that it packs more energy, meaning longer runtimes.
[quote=“roostre, post:9, topic:217096, username:roostre”]
I would have appreciated the “Lumintop Tool AA 2.0” much more if it had a lower brightness level
[/quote]True. I always use a 14500 for extended runtimes, but like using an Eneloop for the lower low.
The runtimes will probably be a bit better than the Tool AA (with Nichia), but just because the Osram Led is more efficient. If you have a Tool AA with another LED, I can’t be sure about efficiency/runtime.
Check zeroair.org or 1lumen.com to see if they have reviews on that.
To take the TIR Optic from the EDC15 and put it into the Tool AA , you need some pointy tweezers that whose tips fit into the small holes in the driver’s back. Then rotate clockwise to unscrew and counter clockwise to screw the pill again.
Check my video, minute 9m30s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge3kGRdlEtI&t=69s&ab_channel=MascaratumBLF
Then you just need to take the TIR out and put it on the head of the Tool AA, and screw the pills again. Always be careful and make sure that the TIR opening is not damaging the LED.
It takes AA and 14500, it is not brighter than 600 lumens, it has 3 modes, always starts on the lowest mode, and has reverse clicky switch, so, no parasitic draining.
It is lightweight. I never did runtime test with it, so I can’t be sure how long it lasts. I do know that when using 14500s on max, it gets hot, since the driver and the LED are all in 1 board. Also, the flashlight is quite thin, so heat dissipation is quite…nhe… But it is one of the smallest AA/14500 lights you’ll find!
If you set the floor level of the ramp brightness to 1/150 when you configure Anduril on the “Sofirn SP10 Pro” or the “Wurkkos TS10”; the difference between the low brightness levels of either the “Sofirn SP10 Pro” (with a Li-ion or NiMH battery) or the “Wurkkos TS10” (with a Li-ion battery) and the “Lumintop Tool AA 2.0” (even with a NiMH battery) is not even closely comparable in my opinion.
I am not exaggerating when I say, “If you haven’t seen the difference, it’s almost like night and day”, with the “Lumintop Tool AA 2.0” appearing many times brighter (which is not advantageous for a moonlight brightness level - the SP10 & TS10 are the clear winners here).
The SP10 Pro would get my vote too. I’ve got it and a brass TS10. The TS10 has an initial wow factor if a very short burst of brightness is required (before it quickly starts overheating/ reducing the light output.) The SP10 Pro doesn’t overheat anywhere near as much (1 LED vs 3 LED’s) helps, but can maintain a decent output level. It seems more practical for everyday use to me.
Jackson still has the old Enogear AA/14500 lights for sale (this was Jack before he changed to Fireflies). I recently got one because I’d always meant to but shied away from the usual antics with shipping and such - figured I’d better try it out before they disappear. It’s really a very nice light, growing on me over the last few weeks. He has the “bell head” that takes both chemistries, and he has the straight-head with usb charging that only takes 14500. Nice 219B emitter, solid and reasonably protected clicky tail switch, LMH no memory. The beam has a hot spot but it’s soft-ish and such a nice color with good spill (and spill color) that it’s different than most spot beams, imho…but it’s not true floody. If you can find the optic that fits the head it would be very easy to swap it with no soldering needed…has a screw-in pill similar to the Convoy S2. Or a little DC Fix on the front will soften it further and it sounds like even with the light reduction that will give, it should still make you pretty happy.
I love the T2/T3 lights and they’re definitely worth a look, and buying one with a cell and an optic that MascaratumB could link you to would be cheaper than the Enogear…plus you can get exactly the emitter you like the most from Simon’s wide choices.
This Enogear will take just about any cell. I have some old Sony flat tops that are nearly recessed they are so flat, and it won’t take those due to the physical polarity protection bar, but it will happily take all of my Vapcell H10 and L10 flat tops, which have their tops just slightly higher. Any button top is fine. I haven’t measured but run time seems on par with most other 14500 lights. It can get pretty warm on high with the H10 cells but it doesn’t get hot-hot. Machining is excellent and it feels and looks great.
I don’t know I need moonlight or a little above, I do know from experience bright can be blinding.
I use my light for many things that’s why it’s a my EDC and in my pocket 24/7. One of the things is reading a label on say a paint can. Usually not in a pitch dark but low light enviorment. High lumen reflects with decreases visability. Hotspots don’t do much good either.
