Lumintop EDC-05, Less Lumens than Utorch UT01... CONFIRMED

I just got an EDC-05 yesterday and on a wall-bounce in the bathroom its output is slight but noticeably less than my UT01. I use a Lux meter app on my cellphone to try and confirm what I observed . where it measured 33 versus 26. I made sure to program the turbo modes to the brightest setting on both lights.

Anyone else notice this?
FWIW my UT01 is over a year old and has “MANKER E11” on the driver. The Utorch is neutral white and the EDC-05 is cold white. So even with the colder, less pleasing tint the EDC-05 looks and measures less Lumens.

Hum, aren’t they using different types of LEDs? Can/could it be be the reason?

Yeah The EDC-05 has the factory de-dome XPL and UT01 is the dome XPL.

The reflectors and optics look identical, the UT01 has a slightly more smooth OP surface.

I’m surprised at the difference.

I guess that can make the difference. Also, the EDC05 will “probably” throw a bit further than the UT01.
The only lights I have to make this kind of comparison are Convoy S2+ with XML2 and XPL-HI. Even with the same tint, the XML2 with OP reflector seem brighter than the XPL-HI with OP . When using SMO reflector, the XPL-HI has a greater focus and throws further!

Are you liking the EDC05? :wink:

OK cool thanks… Its not a night and day difference.
So far so good. I am going camping this weekend so I will have some better impressions soon.

Are you running the same cell in both? I am using an ultrafire 14500 in my Ut01s and it is dramatically brighter than a Panasonic eneloop 2450 AA rechargeable. Current is higher is why, no mystery there.

Yep… I have 6 efest purple IMR cells, all purchased at the same time and used equally. It made no difference which one was used in which light. I was not using eneloop or alkaline cells in any of my comparisons.

I have a request, can you take a picture showing the light distribution of the two flashlights? I am curious who shines wider, and perhaps shines equally.

How does it compare to the Klarus Mi7?

Absolutely… When I get to the camp site tonight. Not sure if I will be able to post or upload though until I get back Sun night. Juast playing around with them I can definitely see the UT01 is more floody. If you white wall the UT01 and make an 18” diameter hot spot, the EDC05 from the same distance will be about 13”… ball park estimate. I didn’t actually measure anything.

I don’t have a Klarus MI7 to compare with. Thats a very popular light though so if you search, it shouldn’t be too hard to find at least written commentary on it.

I have UT01 and I was thinking about purchasing EDC-05 but I care about the wide glow. If Lumintop has a more narrow beam, I will probably let it go and buy DQG 26650 :slight_smile:
Ehh more and more flashlights on the shelf

I bought three CW versions of the EDC05. It is indeed a XP-L HI. Personally it’s one of the best EDC lights I’ve come across for my collection. I told my bro about it. He bought the NW variant and totally loves it. I told another friend the other day about it and he’s going to pick up one too. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by it. Being able to use a AA/ Protected 14500 /NMIH cells makes this light very versatile. Pretty decent light output on a single AA. I never got into the AAA type EDC lights because of the lousy capacity/run times.

I just received my Lumintop EDC05 and did a ceiling bounce test comparison with the UT01.

Utorch UT01 NW = 49 lux
Lumintop EDC05 NW = 28 lux

EDC05 pros:

  1. Far better tint than the UT01, which has a greenish tint in comparison. EDC05’s tint is rosy/neutral. This alone is so important that it almost makes up for all the cons as I do not like to use green/blue tints around the house.

UT01 pros:

  1. much brighter than the EDC05 despite both companies rating their light at 400 lumens running on AA. From comparing with my other flashlights, I believe the UT01 400 lumen claim is legit.
  2. much floodier than the EDC05 therefore much better as an EDC for use around the house or anywhere else really.
  3. buttons are more responsive than the EDC05. Sometimes the EDC05 requires many clicks to turn on. Maybe I just have a defective unit.
  4. UT01 is much cheaper.

I think in these flashlights the LEDs are sticking to the ones they have at hand. My UT01 NW does not even have a gram of green, it’s pretty much yellow, but it’s because it really is 3800K and not 5000K as the manufacturer declares.
SKV89 can you take a picture?

See the graph of my UT01 color distribution:

Sorry guys I tried to get some beam shots this weekend from the night-trails, but I just failed miserably. I am just not steady handed enough, everything was a blurry mess. Its not as easy as everyone here makes it look.

Thanks for doing a ceiling bounce comparison SKV89, your bounce numbers back up what I am observing. Although I find my EDC05 switch a little more responsive… it doesn’t feel as “mushy” as the UT01. FWIW my UT-01 is over a year old.

I have no major complaints about my tints. My UT01 is neutral white, and true to spec I find its actual tint very good. My EDC05 is the cool white and it has a little more teal-green color in it, but not offensively so. Its only noticeable on a white wall comparison.

The biggest difference I find is the lumen output. At home its not really noticeable. In the field its more pronounced. The UT-01 is just a wall of light at ~25+ feet, the EDC05… slightly less-so. Both lights seem to run about equally hot, so I am not getting the impression the EDC05 consumes less current, or sends less to its emitter.

It would be interesting to see a Lumens per watt consumption comparison. My hunch is the EDC05 is less efficient than the 01. I already knew de-dome emitters emit less light overall than a domed counterpart. I did not think the difference would be this pronounced.

Sorry I do not have a picture hosting site to post beam shots. I always thought dedomed emitters would have more greenish tint. The tint on my EDC05 has no green in it at all and is very pleasant. Just that the lumens are far below advertised. Also on mine, it sometimes takes several clicks to turn on. I think the button is defective. That doesn’t happen on the UT01.

That’s all fine and dandy but we need testing results for people like me who own the cool white version. Need some lux comparison numbers. :stuck_out_tongue: Someone get on it!

I’ve done a little bit of comparisons between the UT-01 and the EDC05. It seems the build quality is a little better with the EDC05, thus this reflects the more expensive price. I’ve compared the EDC05’s driver board to posted reviews of the UT-01 and have noticed that the driver board for the UT-01 seems to not be as smooth as the EDC05’s. For instance, the UT-01’s driver board has perforation on the outer ring.

Typical to cheaper lights, at least from what I’ve noticed. Also the strange thing is what’s with the excessive amount of holes at the driver ring’s contact point?

The EDC05’s is smooth and much cleaner in appearance. Very few holes in the driver ring allowing for more electrical contact area. It’s this attention to detail, although minor, that impresses me the most.

The best advantage to the EDC05 is the ability to use protected 14500. This is where the E11 and UT-01 fall short.

I don’t doubt the EDC05 have better build quality than the UT01. But unfortunately, I might have a defective EDC05, where the button doesn’t always register clicks and I have to click multiple times. It is very annoying. Otherwise it would be a great nightime EDC for use in the house.

Well as the old saying goes, anything made by man will never be perfect. It is highly possible you’ve got a bad run. I can tell you though I’ve had no issues with the two I’ve owned already, a third is on the way. I’ll see how that one turns out and keep you posted.