Right place, right time...
I am very fortunate to have the unobtaniumAmutorch BT55 Focusable LEP I got from Neal's on Nov 4th, the moment it appeared... and just 2 days before it vanished without a trace even from the Amutorch homepage... I fully expected a cancelation apology refund but 10 days later I was thrilled to actually receive it!It is so much more compact than my Acebeam W30, but the build quality is very high and performance at tightest focus actually superior by a margin.
It is a shine-through LEP module with almost no lumen loss through the full limited focus range.It is as I can tell a rebranded single 21700 cell version of the Maxtoch LA60S. For half the price, $345 versus $186 shipped!
I don't have expensive meters, but it is specced at 600L on high and 2.1 Mcd, 2890M range and in direct comparison with my Acebeam W30 appeared 15% brighter in ceiling bounce and outdoors.
A year ago my Acebeam W30 completely astonished me with its zero spill light saber tight beam and range, and even more fun underwater as it's rated as a dive light to 30M!I knew this LEP technology was a giant leap forward, but I desperately wished for the ability to widen the beam for near field practicality. A diffuser was a disappointing band aid solution, negating the magic ultra intensity character.I wanted considerably more than sub 500 lumen and a two degree beam, like the uberexpensive $10k 175W HID Megaray of yesteryear, which LEP is making an affordable reality now.. but the Megaray and Peak Maxabeam both had a motorized wide focus range, to enable close range flood to greatly increase its practicality.
Time passed and Acebeam announces my LEP dream come true... the W50: not only still unaffordable at $2k but legally restricted against sales to the US general public. I saw the Asian market demo videos and desperately wished for its focusable ability and pow,er...Now with the BT55 and LA60S, by virtue of their adjustable focus, they transform LEP into far more than a one trick light saber pony, although it may be an acquired taste for some.
Being able to widen the beam makes it barrels of FUN when used outdoors and in. Inverse of a conventional LED reflector centered Hotspot, when wide focused the BT55's outermost third of the circumference of the beam carries 80% of the dazzling LEP intensity, with the interior a completely even pale blue. The outermost edge is quite yellow, with the dazzling outer third a neutral white.This is apparent at close range white wall hunting, and surely traumatizing for tint purists. Yet outdoors its much more subtle, and I actually enjoy it.
Three full turns of the head is the entire focus range, and nearing the tightest third of the range the aberrant +colors merge into a brilliant neutral white pinpoint, similar to the color temp of my W30.
It has a robust reverse clicky tail switch with 3 output levels and mode memory, approx 150 lumen low, 300 mid, and 600 high, with approximately over 2 hrs on high and over 4 on medium. This with a 21700 5000maH 50E cell.
Temperature is well under control with the head barely warm to the touch after long intervals at med and low, and at least 10 minutes on high before it reaches 55degC and regulates it, although with no noticeable decrease in output.
In total, the BT55 exceeded my expectations and most unexpectedly provided a level of FUN in real world use with its zoom range I couldn't have predicted, since normally I strongly dislike the ocean of low quality LED "zoomies" that flood the eBay market, etc.
Here are a few images : W Lumintop 9XL
Fully zoomed out, the fun factor comes from 80% of the blazing intensity is around the outer circumference of the beam, opposite of an LED/reflector Hotspot... the center is a pale even light blue. The colors are quite exaggerated in the photo (white wall hunting) and I found them not troublesome outdoors in the green foliage.
It is a genuine mystery why it appeared and disappeared so very suddenly; maybe it was decided to restrict it to Asian markets only. It's performance is on par with the upper tier of LEP offerings, and it's incredibly low $186 price and variable focus make it a stellar value that I hope returns to the US market so many others can experience it for themselves, considering it's an identical rebranded Maxtoch LA60S ($345). PLEASE Neal bring back the BT55!
