Reylight Pineapple (Updated) Flashlight Review

zeroair · 2019-03-02T00:21:19.000Z

Banggood asked if there was anything I’d like to review. I have been interested to see what Rey has done with the newer Pineapples, and so they sent the Pineapple Update. I reviewed the original Pineapple. I liked the original Pineapple! Let’s see how this one’s improved!

This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience! (Give me a minute, I'm working on resizing the massive photos...)

Official Specs and Features
Versions
Price and Coupon
Short Review
Long Review
Conclusion
- What I like
- What I don’t like
Notes

Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the official product page. That’s an affiliate link! Click it so banggood knows how much traffic these reviews get!! Even if you don’t buy, clicking is good!

Versions

There’s only one version of this light. Brass body, and available with Nichia 219c. There are some older versions, as I mentioned. At the very least, the original, and possibly one between that one and this one.

Price and Coupon

The current price is $49.93, and that is a “sale” price of 17% off. Buy it here at Banggood!

Short Review

This is a nice little light. It’s very similar to the original, but the clip is much better. I’d love if it was still 219b, but I understand that emitter is much less available now. My biggest complaint is that the light is coated brass.

Long Review

What’s Included

ReyLight New Pineapple
Spare o-rings (2)

The box serves as the manual.

Package and Manual

The box has a slip cover with the specs and importantly, the operation guide.

The light ships sealed in a little vacuum package. That’s a nice touch, but since the light is coated, I’m not sure how important that is.

There isn’t a manual included, because the UI is on the back of the box. The box also includes the cell types supported, etc.

Build Quality and Disassembly

Even though coated brass isn’t my favorite thing, I have to say, it looks absolutely fantastic. Almost gold colored, even! This makes it quite unusual.

The build quality is quite good. That’s overall, including the aforementioned externals.

The head has a brass button, and the tail has a long stiff spring.

The threads are very smooth. They’re triangle cut, and lightly lubed. Since they’re brass too (of course), its not really possible to mechanically lock out the light without entirely removing the head.

The head has some nice fins for cooling. Heat isn’t really an issue except on High with a 14500, and even then, these minimal fins handle it fine.

The pocket clip is much improved from the previous model. It’s a steel clip, and amounts to “permanent” installation. That’s because the tailcap doesn’t come off (at least, easily). This is better than the original version, since the clip on the original could scratch the body when the tailcap was removed.

The bezel has not-really-pointed crenelations, which allow light to sneak out. I prefer this, since it’s harder to put the light down in an “on” state, and forget it.

Size and Comps

Official size:

Weight: 3.2 oz (91 g)
Size: 3.6 x 0.7 in (9.2 x 1.8 cm)

As many (most?) 14500 lights are, this one’s fairly long.

Here’s another 14500 light. This is the Adventure Sport Flashlight Brass EDC light – it’s a triple. It’s even longer than the Pineapple.

The New Pineapple is longer than the original, too. I believe this change was made to allow support for longer cells (such as protected/button top cells.)

The parts from both models are interchangeable (and work in any configuration.)

Retention and Carry

The only means for carrying the New Pineapple is the pocket clip. It’s a steel collar clip, and is more or less permanently attached, since the tailcap doesn’t come off.

This clip is an absolutely massive improvement over the original. But a large part of that is a result of the clip never spinning around the body because the tailcap doesn’t come off. It’s a trade off, I suppose…

Even aside from that, this clip is better. The mouth is bigger, and so it’s easier to use. The clip also has holes, so if you had a lanyard, the clip would be a good place (and also the only place) to attach it. Since it’s a collar clip, it’d be very secure, too.

Power and Runtime

The Pineapple is a versatile device. It can be powered from any AA sized cylindrical cell. I tested with both 14500 (flat and button) and AA NiMH cells. The cell goes with the positive end toward the head, as most do.

Max output should be 470 lumens, and I confirmed that with my runtime using a 14500. The output drops off very quickly, though, and at 30s it’s heavily on it’s way down to the next step – around 240 lumens. With both li-ion tests, the light did shut off (ie, LVP).

The second highest mode with a Li-ion is around 115 lumens, and trails off to about 70 by the end.

Runtimes with the NiMH cell are much different, of course. Interestingly output is much more regulated (perfectly flat, after the stepdown).

Medium with a NiMH cell was very flat, and never actually shut off – I stopped this test due to other circumstances… but at ~40 lumens and a projected 5h runtime, this is within spec easily.

When output starts with a 1.5V cell, the light does not exhibit LVP.

PWM

For reference, here’s a baseline shot, with all the room lights off and almost nothing hitting the sensor.

Vapcell Flat top 14500:

IKEA LADDA NiMH AA:

I wish I had a better way to quantify PWM. While it’s clearly present, it doesn’t bother me in the least on this light. In fact using my normal tests to see PWM, I can’t even see it on low. So it’s no issue whatsoever.

User Interface and Operation

There’s a single switch on the New Pineapple. It’s a reverse clicky, and has a metal switch cover. The switch cover is routed for a tritium vial, too!

Here’s a UI table! The UI is unchanged from the first model.

State	Action	Result
Off	Click	Moonlight*
On	Click	Off
On	Half Press	Cycle modes (MoonLMH)

* If the light is turned back on soon after turning off (within a couple of seconds), the previous mode will be remembered. If more than 2 seconds, light will turn on into Moonlight.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
High 14500	470	58m	452	1.73 (@4.2V)
Mid 14500	90	2.5h	114	0.29 (@4.2V)
Low 14500	8.5	31h	12	0.02 (@4.2V)
Moonlight 14500	0.2	20d	0	~ (@4.2V)
High AA	130	1.1h	187	2.38 (@1.5V)
Mid AA	30	5h	37	0.22 (@1.5V)
Low AA	3.2	70h	1	0.02 (@1.5V)
Moonlight AA	0.2	30d	0	~ (@1.5V)

LED and Beam

The emitter used here is a Nichia 219c, in 4000K. It’s a reflector light, and the reflector is orange peel. The spot is somewhat broad and there’s little spill.

These beamshots are always with the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure.

Vapcell Flat top 14500:

IKEA LADDA NiMH AA:

Tint vs BLF-348 (Killzone 219b version)

Vapcell Flat top 14500:

IKEA LADDA NiMH AA:

I compare everything to the Killzone 219b BLF-348, because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!

The Big Table

Vapcell Flat top 14500:

ReyLight Pineapple
Emitter:	Nichia 219c
Cell:	14500
Runtime	Chargetime N/A
LVP?	Yes
Power off Charge Port with no Cell?	–
Claimed Lumens (lm)	470
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	479 (101.9% of claim)*
Claimed Throw (m)	95
Throw (Calculated) (m)	106.4 (112% of claim)
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	137lux @ 4.545m = 2830cd
All my ReyLight reviews!

IKEA LADDA NiMH AA:

ReyLight Pineapple
Emitter:	Nichia 219c
Cell:	AA
Runtime	Chargetime N/A
LVP?	No
Power off Charge Port with no Cell?	–
Claimed Lumens (lm)	130
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	187 (143.8% of claim)*
Claimed Throw (m)	95
Throw (Calculated) (m)	58.5 (61.6% of claim)
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	45lux @ 4.363m = 857cd
All my ReyLight reviews!

* Standard measurement disclaimer: I am an amateur flashlight reviewer. I don’t have $10,000 or even $1,000 worth of testing equipment. I test output and such in PVC tubes!! Please consider claims within 10% of what I measure to be perfectly reasonable (accurate, even).

Conclusion

What I like

Brass light!
AA/14500 use is a nice change from the common 18350/18650 lights on the market
Moonlight is very low indeed
Unusual shiny brass body looks very nice
Vastly improved pocket clip

What I don’t like

Brass is coated, so won’t easily patina
Button is a bit squeaky
No option to ship with tritium

Notes

This light was provided by BangGood for review. I was not paid to write this review.
This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
Whether or not I have a coupon for this light, I do have a bunch of coupons!! Have a look at my spreadsheet for those coupons. It’s possible to subscribe and get notifications when the sheet is edited!!

saypat · 2019-03-02T01:09:40.000Z

that’s a beautiful light! thank you for reviewing it.

zeroair · 2019-03-02T01:15:00.000Z

saypat:

that’s a beautiful light! thank you for reviewing it.

Thanks saypat! Yes, I see the coating as a downside, but honestly I was never happy with the Pineapple that I force patina onto…. and I really love the shiny look of this one!

Lightbringer · 2019-03-02T01:53:50.000Z

Shiny!

Holy Cats, though. Gotta say, that’s gotta be one of the most… thorough… reviews I’ve ever seen.

What happened to the other Pineapple? Salvaged from the Titanic?

Poor thing…

zeroair · 2019-03-02T04:21:16.000Z

Lightbringer:

Shiny!

Holy Cats, though. Gotta say, that’s gotta be one of the most… thorough… reviews I’ve ever seen. :laughing:

Your words are too kind. Thank you!

Lightbringer:

What happened to the other Pineapple? Salvaged from the Titanic?

Poor thing… :cry:

I force aged it with some ammonia gas, for a few days. I over did it, but I keep the light around, so I can always remember what it feels like. It’s over done. That’s what it feels like.

wheremydonky · 2019-03-02T07:05:55.000Z

I… really really like the look of the overdone one. That was just ammonia gas?

MascaratumB · 2019-03-02T14:29:18.000Z

Thanks zeroair for another great review
I was thrilled to see the Reylight side by side with the Brass EDC from Adventure Sport Flashlights (aka Matt aka vestureofblood)!! Gorgeous lights

WalkIntoTheLight · 2019-03-02T16:05:05.000Z

Great review! The only major thing that bothers me about my (original) Pineapple, is it has very bad PWM. I see they still have PWM with this version, which is too bad. Mine is noticeable by the “hand wave” method, and is picked up easily with a camera. You mention you don’t notice it, so perhaps they improved it some? Not sure on that based on your scope, and some of your pics looks like there’s PWM. I’d bet if you shortened the exposure time, you’d notice it a lot more especially on lower and medium modes.

It’s a nice light with a 14500 cell. I don’t use mine much because it’s very under-powered on a AA, and my 14500’s are a very tight fit. From what I hear, they improved the battery space for a bit more room with 14500’s, which is good.

USA · 2019-03-02T16:35:04.000Z

Such a great review, many thanks. Never owned or seen a Reylight, but this looks like fine engineering.