Category: Reviews

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Wuben T70 Review (4200 Lumens, USB-C, 26650, Choices)

Today on my review table, I have the Wuben T70 4200 lumen flashlight. The light is powered by an included 26650 battery and has USB-C for recharging. Wuben as a brand has been out for a little while but for me this is the first light from them I have had. Thanks to Banggood for sending this to me to look at.

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/n9D0kce
YouTube Version of this Review:

Packaging
A lot of thought was put into the design and perfection of the packaging on the Wuben T70. The outside of the package is a black box with a picture of the light touting the 4200 lumens and a few of the key facts. On the back of the box are some stats, and a runtime chart. The box itself has a magnetic closure on the right hand side. Inside the box the light is nicely held in some laser cut foam, underneath is the paperwork. On the right hand side there is a cardboard box which contains all the accessories. The belt holster is nylon and decent quality, it’s got a plastic D loop, velcro belt loop, and a place for an extra battery on the side. IT also comes with a Wuben branded flat lanyard, and a Wuben branded USB-A to USB-C charging cable, and a pair of extra o’rings. Overall the packaging here is nicer than most other flashlight brands.






Construction
This light is made from Aluminum and anodized in a smooth black semi gloss finish. Starting at the tail cap, the light tail stands well due to the flat tail cap. It has some milled accents in it that serve as grip. Inside the tail spring is double, and beefy. Threads are square cut and smooth, and the oring is large. The lanyard hole is small for the lights diameter, no para cord is fitting through this one. I like that it has a very small battery symbol on the side laser engraved in to tell orientation. More lights should do this. The body tube is glued to the head section of the light. It has lengthwise grooves milled into it that are on the larger side about 4.25mm.





The head section of the light has quite a few milled in areas that act as heat syncs. Flats are milled in for the button and the charging port opposite. The button is surrounded by a silver ring. The button itself is silicone and has a clear W in it so the power indicator LED underneath shows through for battery status.

The charging port opposite is a silicone cover and seems to fit well, I had no air pressure issues with it or having it come loose accidentally. Underneath is a USB-C charging port. The top part of the head has more heat syncs and has 6 design areas milled in. The front strike bezel is raw aluminium with a few machining marks left behind.

Machining quality overall is very good for this price range of light. Edges are chamfered where you expect and a little sharper in others. Overall it creates a nice package, anodizing is good quality too.

Size/Weight/Comparison
Overall max length is 140mm, maximum diameter in the head is 42 mm, minimum diameter is 31mm in the body tube. Weight with the included battery is 256g and the light is IPX68 water rated which is very respectable for onboard charging, Dropping it in water won’t be an issue.

The Lumintop ODF30 is pretty similar in size to the Wuben T70 but without the onboard recharging. Diameter in the head is nearly identical, as is the body tube diameter. The Wuben T70 is about 22mm longer in overall length. I like the extra length of the T70 in my hand and I think it’s a little better balanced light too. See the video for

LED/Runtime/Heat
The Wuben T70 features a Cree XHP 70.2 in Neutral White. It’s a big emitter. The box lists that Wuben plans to offer the light in Warm, Neutral and cool white.

I found the beam to be pleasing for an XHP 70.2, and a good all around beam. The hot spot in the center is relatively large and the spill isn’t too dim. It’s a useful beam for general use. It has some Cree Rainbow being an XHP 70.2, the center is the most neutral white, it goes a bit yellow on the outside of the hotspot, and just slightly blue at the outside edges of the spill.,

The reflector is a nice aggressive orange peel and it has a fairly thick piece of double anti reflective coated glass. Heat is pretty well controlled after 30+ minutes of runtime the light is warm at 104F but not uncomfortable or dangerously hot. It’s large enough that shorter runtimes get a little warmer but nothing to worry about.

Runtime
Turbo Runtime on this light is good for about 3 minutes before the light steps down. This stepdown is significant to about 25% relative output, but remember this is still roughly 1000 lumens. It continues here for a solid 93 minutes before the light steps off sharply at LVP. Overall runtime was 95 minutes from turbo. My runtime test was done with the included 5000mAh Wuben battery.

UI
This light has 2 UI modes, and it’s fairly easy to switch between them. By just triple clicking when the light is on. It confirms you have changed modes by blinking

First is the standard defined mode UI for this light. It’s a Low at 40 lumens, medium at 400, high at 1300, and turbo at 4200. The light has memory so it resumes where you left it when you power it back on. It does have instant access to turbo by pressing and holding when the light is off. I could see this accidently coming on unintentionally but I didn’t have that problem, and losing the tail cap any is a good mechanical lockout. The light has strobe at 4200 lumens, and SOS at 100 lumens. To get to them just double click and single click t o switch between them.

Ramping UI
The ramping UI is also available on this light but it’s got some caveats. It starts on low, and ramps up slowly, blinking at the top, or bottom of the range to let you know where you are. However if you are anywhere in this range that isn’t at the top or bottom and want to go the opposite direction, you can’t you have to go to the end of the range before going backwards. For example if on low and wanting to make the light brighter you click the button and hold and let off when it’s at the desired brightness. Let’s say you have you want to make it less bright, so you press the button again and the brightness continues increasing until you hit turbo at 4200 lumens before you can start decreasing. To further complicate this the light has memory so it can start very bright if that’s the last mode you used.

To improve this it would be simple, like on Narsil firmware just reverse direction when the button is pressed and have it be a little faster.

Charging
The light features USB-C for recharging which is great, but it will only charge with a USB-A to USB-C cable. I tried charging with a USB-C to C cable with various power sources and nothing. This isn’t the first time I have seen this on a USB-C light. Total charge time using a 2A charger, with the included 5000mAh Wuben battery and the supplied USB-A to USB-C cable, was 3 hours 31 minutes.


Pro

  • Nice machining, anodizing, and overall construction.
  • Emitter Tint options including neutral and warm white as well as body color choices.
  • USB-C charging but isn’t USB-C to C compatible like many other lights
  • Includes a 5000mAh 26650 battery.

Con

  • Ramping UI has no reverse, so if the light is too bright you have to go all the way to the brightest to then start to decrease it. It would be more useable if had the ability to ramp down when the button is pressed, like the Emisar D4.
  • Manual needs some polish of a native English speaker.
  • Short Replacement warranty of 15 days. While the light is warrantied for longer for repair 15 days is very short. Registering the product increases this time.

Conclusion
The Wuben T70 is a pretty good light without any major flaws. I can think of a few ways in my opinion to improve the ramping UI, and make it USB-C PD compatible but that’s about it. It feels nice in the hand, and is pretty well balanced with the 26650 battery. I like that it comes in different body colors, and 3 emitter choices. If you are looking for a little larger general purpose light with USB-C recharging that throws pretty well the Wuben T70 would be a nice choice. I am looking forward to reviewing more lights from Wuben in the future to see what l this new brand can do.

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Olight S2R Baton II Review (18650, EDC, 7500K, Magnetic Recharging)

Olight has a new pocket sized 18650 EDC light with the revised S2R Baton II. I am going to be calling this the “Blue” edition for more then one reason that I will get to during my review. Thanks to Olight for sending this to me to take a look at.

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/4Zk6iWD
YouTube Version of this Review:

Packaging
Olight has a packaging theme for 2018 and the S2R Baton II is no different. It’s a white cardboard box, with a zip top. On the front it shows the light, on the sides it gives a QR code and warranty time period (5 years). On the back it describes the light in pretty good detail and gives a runtime table. I do wish they would put the serial number elsewhere on the box because after opening it’s too easy to lose the flap with the serial on it.

The light is held in a white plastic holder, underneath are all the accessories held in place with a cardboard warning to remove the plastic protector to operate the light. Accessories for the S2R II include the customized 3200mAh Olight battery, Black pocket clip, Standard olight lanyard, Revised MCC II Charger, instructions and brown felt Olight bag.





Construction
If you have seen my review of the S1R Baton II you will notice a lot of the same design similarities on the S2R Baton II. The light is made from aluminium and anodized a semi gloss black. Starting at the tail you will see the magnetic charging port. I did test the open contacts for safety wirth steel wool and didn’t have any issues. There is a magnet in the tail cap that is sufficiently strong to hold the light in a horizontal position on a painted steel surface. The tail also has a spot drilled in for the narrow included lanyard. The body tube and tail cap are all one piece. Changed from Version 1 of the S2R is the new texture. It’s a pyramid type design with the top milled off. It looks kind of like a corn cob. I like this new texture it provides quite a bit of grip but isn’t so aggressive it will tear up your hand or pocket.



The head is nearly identical in physical look to the S1R Baton II. It’s just slightly longer both in the top part and the bottom. The side button has an LED in the center used for low battery indication. It’s surrounded by a gloss blue ring, an olight signature. The clip is removable but fixed in place. The only markings on the light are the S2R Baton II Name and the serial number. Opposite this is the Olight logo.

The top of the light features a recessed blue Olight bezel. Unlike on the S1R Baton II the S2R Baton II bezel is inside the body of the light slightly. On the top it’s engraved 1150 lumens, 7500k, and 70 CRI. It features a revised TIR optic that I will talk about in another section.

Size & Weight and Comparisons
The S2R Baton II shrinks a little in size over version 1, about 5.5mm by my measurements. Diameters at the head were reduced by 0.10mm. Overall the S2R Baton II, length was 99.66mm, Diameter at the head is 23.91mm and weight with battery is 97g.




LED/Beamshot/Runtime
Olight has chosen a Luminous SST-40 LED in Cool white. Unfortunately it’s a very cool white, at about 7500k. This means it’s a pretty blue beam. Mine seems to have some green tinge as well. Personally this is disappointing, I don’t mind this emitter in the S1R II I reviewed a few weeks ago, but in the S2R II it’s cooler. I personally prefer a neutral or warm emitter. I suspect Olight choose such a cool tint because they can get slightly higher lumens which could be a benefit in a numbers race.

Beam pattern
The S2R Baton II uses a revised TIR optic. Gone is the small bubble in the middle as before, instead the lense is concave and the has a flat center. Looking in you can see the LED much better. The reflector looks to be white and the material is unknown. The effect on the beam pattern is a larger hot center that is pronounced. The spill is present but quite small in intensity. I would say it’s very similar to the Gen 1 TIR optic and that one is not better than the other.


S2R Baton 1, on left, S2R Baton II on Right

Runtime
Runtime was similar to what I have come to expect from the new breed of high output lumen number lights. Total Runtime was 350 minutes from Turbo to where the light shut off. Turbo 1150 lumens lasted for 2 minutes before the light stepped down significantly to 400 lumens where it lasted for about 230 minutes from my graph. The light stepped down a gain to medium (120 Lumens) for about 20 minutes, and then stepped down again to low (15 lumens) and faded into moon mode (0.5 lumens). I will throw an output graph from the S2R up to compare, it’s a quite a bit different. I kind of like how high is higher. My guess is that Olight decided to make High only 400 lumens to increase runtime and make heat less of a factor. For EDC this is ok, but I think I would want more in several situations.

UI
The S2R Baton II has the standard Olight UI many of us have come to know, and I like with the slower fades from off/on and between modes. From off, long press to activate moonlight mode at 0.5 lumens. To turn on in normal modes single click the switch, to change brightness level hold the button and the light will cycle through the 4 available modes lowest to highest. Double click to access turbo. Triple click to access strobe. The light also features memory mode for normal modes.

Lockout can be accomplished when the light is off by pressing and holding the switch for 2 seconds until moonlight mode comes on and immediately shuts off. If you then press the button the red LED under the power button will come on to let you know your in lockout mode. To exit lockout press the button for about 1 second until moonlight mode stays on. Personally I will just give the body of the light a ¼ turn to mechanically lock it out. The light features a short 3 minute timer, and a longer 9 minute timer. If these are setup (See the included manual) the light will automatically shut off when the end of the timer is reached.

Charging
The new MCC II charger is like we saw on the S1R Baton II. It’s edges are rounded, and it’s still magnetic. It can now charge at 1A. Charging Time from a completely empty battery to charged was 5 hours and 30 minutes. Maximum charge rate I saw was 0.85A. I tested this on 2 different charges with 2 different metres to check and that’s what I saw. 5.5 hours charge time is quite a bit still. I would like to see a higher then 1A charge rate on their updated charger. That said this is very safe and conservative charge rate.

The LED indicator has moved from the cable into the bottom side of the charger. As I have said before this is a good and bad thing. If you use the charger with the light standing in vertical position you can no longer tell the charging status unless you lay it over horizontally. However if you charge it on your bedside and you like complete darkness like I do then it’s a good thing.

As an EDC
While I am a big fan of 18650 batteries in flashlights I don’t love them for EDC because of the increased diameter usually. The S2R is an exception to that, it’s quite narrow, and combine that with a deep carry clip I find it fits pretty well in a front jeans pocket and hasn’t been a problem. On the S2R II Olight has included the double direction clip they have had now on all their new lights this year. New however is that it comes with a glossy blue PVD coated clip, to match the bezel around the switch around the lens. Don’t worry they also include a black clip if you would like to be more stealth. The clip is also built to hold the lanyard if you would like, or there is a hold for it on the tail of the light. One thing to note is the clip only mounts one direction, for a head up carry.

Pro’s

  • I like the new barrel design and grip. Its an increase but not too aggressive.
  • Carries well in the pocket for EDC
  • New charger with speed increase is good but the LED giving charge indicator is less visible.

Con’s

  • 7500k is really cold in tin, more so then the older model. Olight seems to not want to produce warm, neutral or high CRI options.
  • Not very mod friendly as the bezel seems glued
  • Proprietary battery is necessary for onboard recharging to work. The light does work with a button top.

Conclusion
The Olight S2R Baton II is a small incremental improvement over the original S2R. Both lights excel in the EDC category in my opinion due to their small diameter and good deep carry pocket clips. The S2R II clips is slightly less deep carry but the light overall is slightly shorter too. For me the S2R Baton II falls down with it’s choice in LED and only one option. 7500k is a very cool tint, while it’s personal preference it seems like a majority of enthusiasts prefer a neutral or warm LED tint, and a higher CRI option too if available. For me I would prefer this, and would take fewer lumens, and a lower runtime to get it. I do understand though that flashlight marketing seems to focus on lumen count, not CRI or tint.

If you like a cool tint light and are looking for a great EDC form factor the Olight S2R Baton II will fit the bill quite well.

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Convoy T2 (300 Lumens, AA Powered, Tint Choices)

Convoy has a new design on a small EDC style AA powered flashlight, the Convoy T2. Thanks to Gearbest for sending this to me, let’s take a look.

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/oAr9Fc8

YouTube Version of this Review:

Packaging
Packaging is very minimal on the T2. The light was inside a small bubble wrap bag, inside a generic white box. No instructions or extras were included.

Construction
The T2, is basically a scaled down Convoy S2+ designed to run on AA sized batteries.Physically it’s a pretty generic tail clicky light. The light is made from aluminum and is anodized in a eggshell black. There is standard diamond shaped flat knurling on the tail, body, and head of the light. It’s fairly smooth and non aggressive Threads are square cut and had a bit of grease on them. The tail cap has wings for attaching a lanyard but they are not quite tall enough to allow the light to tail stand as the button stands proud. The button has a bit of texture on it’s silicone surface. The clip unfortunately is not designed for deep carry. It can be mounted on the top or bottom of the body tube, and doesn’t allow much space for thicker material or deep carry.


The body tube contains the same knurling as does the head. The head is very plain and pretty standard. Under the glass lens there is a glow in the dark oring. The lens fairly deep and has an orange peel finish. The LED is nicely centered but there is quite a bit of space around it. A physically larger LED would fit.




Size/Weight
I measured the Length of this light at 93mm, Diameter at 22mm. Weight with an enloop and lanyard is 75g. The light is IPX8 water rated. Length seems about average for a AA light, but it is a bit thicker in diameter.



LED/Beam Pattern/Runtime
The LED in my example is a Cree XPG2 T6-3b at about 5000k. The Same LED is offered in 4200k, and 6500k. I think if I was to get another I would go for the 4200k version. 5000k seems to have a bit of purple tint to my eyes. Beam pattern on this light is good for an edc, it has a larger hotspot, and it gradually spills of to less. Beam distance is about 50 ft at max. On high it’s rated for about 300 lumens.

The light is designed to work on 1.5V, so for my runtime test I ran it on an Eneloop AA battery. Total runtime was right at 45 minutes on high. Strangely the light output increase over the first 25 minutes the light was on. It wasn’t much but my graph clearly shows it. Between 30 and 40 minutes the decline was fast and to nearly zero output.

I also ran the light with a keeppower 14500 battery at higher voltages Overdriving the LED. You don’t notice that many more lumens but the output graph sagged as the voltage decreased upto the 50 minute mark where low voltage protection kicked in on the battery I presume and shut off power flow.

UI
UI on this light needs a bit of a tweak in my opinion. It has 3 constant on modes that equate to 1% of total output, 10% and 100%. These are ok. The light also has memory. What I don’t like is double click to strobe. I find it too easy to accidentally enter strobe when trying to adjust modes quickly. I would prefer no strobe or triple click or long press for strobe if they decided to still have one. I did notice some PWM when on low mode.

 

Pro

  • Well built, similar to other Convoy’s
  • Available in a few different LED tint options.

 

Con

  • Strobe is too easily accessed, I would prefer it removed entirely.
  • PWM is pretty apparent on lower modes.
  • A bit thick for a AA light. No official 14500 support but it does seem to work.
  • Wish the body was available in some of the other Convoy colors.

 

Conclusion
The Convoy T2 is a solid low cost AA style light from an established reliable brand. For me it’s a little generic in it’s look but it functions well. I would prefer a UI that removes strobe or makes it less easy to access.

If you were looking for a low cost light but with a few tint options to give to family members and didn’t want to mess with a lithium option, I think this would be a good option. I am not in love with it as a pocket EDC but it would be a good option to throw in bags or coats for a just in case option with some rechargeable batteries (To prevent corrosion).

Gearbest has provided a coupon to use during their 11.11 sale to get this light at a steep discount. So if your interested this is going to be the best time to pick up this light.

Get it for $11.99 with coupon code “GB$LEDT2” https://goo.gl/17V7dK (

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Frelux Synergy 1 Review (Custom EDC Light)

The light I have here is the FreLux Synergy1 pass around light, that has been going to various forum members to play with and review if that is what they do. This is the first review I am aware of that features the updated driver, with the high CRI Nichia emitter. It’s brighter than the previous and has better mode spacing. I didn’t buy it and by the time you have seen this review it will be sent on to the next lucky pass around member. Thanks to Benjamin and /u/ozythemandias for letting more people try this new little light.

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/lGYBpu8
YouTube Version of this Review:

Packaging
The Synergy 1 comes in a small Altoids sized tin. There is laser cut foam that fits the light perfectly. Inside is a sticker showing battery orientation. On the outside the Frelux logo is laser engraved into the tin. There isn’t a manual with this light, but it really doesn’t need one. I would like to see a certificate of authenticity or serial number card included, it’s pretty common in the custom knife and flashlight market.

Construction
Benjamin is an instamachineist and owns his own IT services company. His level of detail and tolerances in the parts are first rate. You can just tell that a lot of time and thought went into the design of the Synergy 1. For instance batteries don’t rattle even with the cap off because the tolerances are so tight. They just kind of glide into place. All the edges are nicely chamfered and more. All the aluminium parts are manufactured using a Fanuc RoboDrill in Benjamin’s garage in the USA.

My version here is a tumbled aluminium that’s been clear anodized. Tumbling is super consistent. Even the pocket clip is tumbled, which I like because it helps hide any scratches. The light also came with a small wring where you could attach a lanyard if you wanted.


The shape of this light is different and hard to describe without seeing it. It’s a side by side battery configuration and a little bigger then a bic lighter. The end profile of the light is almost a figure 8, with the outsides being a bit wider, than the middle. The top, has some machined jimping, almost like a picatinny rail, but much closer together and not as sharp but enough to lock in for grip. This top is a hexagon shape, with angular sides, corners are rounded over. This taller area is where the emitter is and it’s sticks out the most. The bottom area is rounded over and just has small flat on the bottom with a small area of jimping where your index finger naturally sits. When you hold it like this, your finger naturally fits over the single switch.




The rear is a separate piece, it has a single central thumb nut that keeps things together. It’s cut like a gear but with the teeth being shallow and having flats. This keeps the light together and the clip in place. The nut threads onto a small threaded brass shaft that keeps all 3 main body pieces of the light together.The tail cap itself has markings engraved on it to “Reload” and “Make Ready” to loosen, and tighten the tail cap. The edges here are machined and nicely rounded over allowing you to get a good grip and pull the cap onto the light, and tighten the nut with the other hand.



This is an older or prototype body I believe because it doesn’t feature the positive and negative symbols on the body itself. This is a nice improvement and one that basically solves the problem of knowing which way to install the batteries. I think a keyed approach would also work well.

LED/Runtime
The light is using a Nichia 219C high CRI LED, in a fairly warm tint. It’s using a double anti reflective coated lens, underneath is a small short reflector that has a mild orange peel.

The beam pattern is nice for EDC in my opinion, it’s similar to a TIR style optic but with a hotter center, and dimmer spill. For me this is great for EDC, it’s enough light to see a bit of distance but also wide enough to see around you too. For me I tend to use this type of light under desks at work, looking in the mailbox, quick walks with a dog, etc

The Synergy 1 has very recently received an updated driver that improves the UI and outputs. The new Nichia driver has the following outputs at 30 second intervals: Low 1.4 lumens, Medium 25 lumens, High 125 lumens.

High Runtime
For my runtime tests I used 2x Amazonbasics NiMH rechargeable batteries. High was a very consistent output for 55 minutes before a rapid decline the last 5 minutes. Total runtime was 61 minutes before the light turned off. This was pretty respectable for a light outputting 125 lumens.

Medium Runtime
Medium was more of what I would expect to see from an NiMH typical S discharge curve. Total runtime was about 525 minutes or 8.5 hours. Most of this was at about 65% relative output, decreases were small and smooth.

Low Runtime
Low is only 1.4 lumens so it lasted a very long time. It’s the longest runtime I have actually tested with Ceiling Bounce. Just shy of 3000 minutes, or 50 hours. The graph has one spike that I have to think is an error. The last 500 minutes or so did see a step down before the light decreased.

UI
UI is very simple on this light, Low, Medium, and High in that order. One thing I have noticed with the updated driver is that on low, I sometimes get a very brief flash when I first turn the light on. I think this is because

How does it carry
The Synergy 1’s design is well thought out. I carry it in a right small jeans coin pocket and tend to hold it in my left hand in kind of a pistol type grip. My Index finger perfectly aligns with the milled jimping on the bottom and my thumb fits nicely on the jimping on top. This leaves my pointer finger easy to access the button to function the light.



In the small coin pocket it fits nicely, but you do notice the thickness a bit. I usually have a knife in my right front pocket, and a few other random things deeper down. Ever since surgery my phone lives in my left pocket and when carrying this light I prefer it that way. If I put my phone in the right pocket the chance to scrape or scratch the screen as I draw my phone increases which I don’t care for. Other then that it carries nicely here. For me it’s comfortable to sit in an office chair with the light in this pocket and my seatbelt doesn’t interfere in the the car. I have carried it a little in the left front pocket and don’t care for it as well there due to it being a tad wide to share the space with my phone.

*Pro’s *

  • Made in the USA with fantastic machining and tolerances. I would love to see a Made in USA (Or Flag) somewhere on it, maybe inside the tail screw recessed area.
  • While my version is clear anodized I have heard only fantastic things about the colors being offered. If I end up getting one it will definitely have some color.
  • I like how upgrades are available such as anodizing and a titanium pocket clip.

Con’s

  • The switch is mechanical, it takes a good amount of force to use and is loud. I also seem to get a brighter flash before getting low sometimes.
  • Battery polarity markings, My older body doesn’t have the + and – markings that newer lights have, this would help making sure you have the orientation correct. A keyed approach would also be a good solution here.

Conclusion
The Frelux Synergy 1 is a fun little custom EDC light from a maker who wasn’t into the flashlight scene like many of us are. A ton of thought has gone into the ergonomics to make a unique light that feels good in the hand and pocket, while being very functional at the same time. The fit, finish and machining quality are all top notch and easily beats production lights. Version 2 of the driver only improves this light, by offering more output and a revised UI that while very simple is more enthusiast friendly, by being linear and having a true moonlight mode.

If you don’t follow Frelux on Instagram I would strongly encourage you to do so. Benjamin does a great job of posting nearly every day showing what he is working on, new products, build progress, and pre sale notification. This light is being built in batches and so far it’s been super popular, so if you want one you may have to watch closely so that you can get in when a batch drops.

Frelux has recently launched a second flashlight product the FML takes some of the Synergy 1 ideas but instead of being an EDC it’s a worklight with a magnetic base, and the light being on a flexible arm, and scaled up to run on 1X AA for an increase in runtime.

Frelux is definitely a brand to keep an eye on. His designs and ideas in the flashlight game are only getting better. I wouldn’t be surprised to see if Frelux becomes the next Grimsmo type company, growing from a garage to a shop to hiring more than one employee, and upgrading machines to produce more new designs all while documenting and sharing the process on social media. Definitely keep an eye on this company and pick up one of his designs if you into custom lights.

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Acebeam H30 Headlight Review (4000 Lumens, USB-C, 21700,XHP 70.2, Red, Green)

The headlamp lumen arms race takes another step with the newest release from Acebeam the H30 Headlamp. The previous brightest headlamp I had had has been the Thrunite TH30 at 3300 lumens. The Acebeam H30 is 4000 lumens, contains a 21700 battery, and has USB-C charging and can act as a power bank. Thanks to Acebeam for sending this to me to take a look at.

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/qikUjn8
YouTube Version of this Review: 

Packaging & Accessories
The packaging is a compact full color retail box. The front advertises the big lumen number, USB-C and the 21700 battery. The back gives lots of stats. Inside The light came in a plastic bag on one side with the 21700 preinstalled. On the other side were the other accessories such as the headband, spare orings, and a USB A to USB-C cable that also has a place to plug a cable to charge your phone along with a warranty card, instruction manual, and certificate of authenticity. I do wish it came with an adapter tube like some other 21700 battery lights I have, so you can run an 18650 assuming the springs are long enough.








Construction
The light itself is made from aircraft grade aluminum and is hard anodized in a satin black. Starting at the left end cap, this is the one that gives access to the Acebeam branded 21700 button top battery. It’s got markings indicating it’s where the battery is and which way to twist for open and close. The knurling on the outside of the cap is more for looks then grip. Each end is spring loaded. The cap end has a large stiff spring. Threads were well greased, anodized, and square cut. The bore for the battery is not perfectly centered in the body of the light, with a bit more mass being on the emitter side. This is similar to how the Jetbeam HR30 that I reviewed this year was. The right side cap is similar in appearance however this is where the USB-C charging port lives and the cap is notated as such, again with directions. You must fully remove the cap to access the charging port. There is a little pin in the center under the clear plastic cover which must be for grounding? When the light is charging a red LED comes on. When being used as a powerbank you get a blue LED.






The central body is where the business is. On top are the two UI buttons, an orange square that is an on/off mostly, and a black domed circle. The back of the light has some shallow ribs for cooling. The front has the main emitter in the middle, It’s a big XHP 70.2 emitter in what’s a fairly shallow orange peel reflector. The front glass is just 19mm in diameter. Above and to the left and right of the main emitter are the colored emitters. On the left is red, and on the right is green. These are behind frosted plastic lenses. The front aluminum piece is held on with 3 recessed hex screws.




It may seem like a simple thing but I like that the headband on the H30 came pre assembled and ready to use right out of the box. On the outside band Acebeam is written in several places, it does contain a over the head strap too. On the inside of the band there are silicone strips all the way around to help keep the light in place on a helmet or something like that. It’s a nice step over not including any or a partial. The holder for the light itself is made of a silicone rubber. It has too large hoops that go over each end of the light when the caps are off. This is a pretty tight fit and not the easiest to take on or off, but holds firm for rotation. Pretty nice headband.




Size/Weight/Physical Comparisons
Overall length is 89.5mm, at it’s narrowest on the end caps are 29mm, and the widest at the center tube at 39mm. Weight with strap, and battery came in at 182g which makes is on the heavy side. This weight is noticeable but carries fairly well with the top head strap adjusted.

LED/Runtime
For the main emitter the Acebeam H30 uses a Cree XHP 70.2 LED in cool white at 6500k. It sits behind a piece of anti reflective coated glass, and a shallow orange peel reflector. The beam pattern is similar to other XHP 70.2 but without the donut at short ranges. It does have some Cree rainbow on the corona of the hotspot, it goes a bit warmer. As you keep going further out into the spill it cools off. It looks like a few other LED options may be coming, like a 5000k main emitter, and a Nichia UV emitter, or Nichia 219C for High CRI for the secondaries.


White is available in the following lumen spacing. 3 lumens, 120 lumens, 380 lumen, 1100 lumen. Turbo is good for 2200 lumens for 5.5 minutes then it drops down to 1000 lumens for about 2.4 hours. The light also has Turbo Max which has 4000 lumens for 1.5 minutes then drops to 1000 lumens for 2.5 hours.

White runtime had a total of 150 minutes from turbo max down to low voltage protection kick in. I saw a little more length in runtime for Turbo max, about 2.5 minutes before it decreased. The decrease is quite substantial. Down to about 25% relative output from those 4000 lumens, so about 1000 lumens. Still a ton of light for a headlamp. The light as able to maintain that 1000 lumens for the remainder of the 147 minutes. That
is a long runtime for 1000 lumens. The 21700 5100mAh battery shows it’s advantage here over an 18650. Heat was pretty well controlled. The light gets on the upper end of warmish but never uncomfortably hot when on the head.

The Red Emitter is a Cree XPE2-R2 emitter at 630nm. Red has only one mode at 50 lumens but is diffused very well. It’s runtime is 10 hours. It has no hotspot. I would prefer a dimmer red mode for up close map reading because 50 lumens is fairly bright.

Green Emitter is a Cree XPE2-G3 emitter at 530nm. It’s rated at 70 lumens for a runtime of 11h. It’s diffused very well and has no hotspot.

UI
The H30 has 2 buttons on the top a circle and a square next to each other for UI control The Square is flat, and the circle is domed a bit. Depending on what color mode you are in the buttons do slightly different things. For normal white operating modes, the orange square is On/Off. When the light is it comes on in the last previously used mode. Use the circle to go up in mode up to Turbo (Not Turbo Max). Double click the square to go to Turbo Max (Full 4000 lumens). Triple click to go into the Red SOS mode. When in any mode long pressing on the circle (about 1.5 seconds) will go into the color modes. A short press of the round button will switch color modes (Red to Green, Green to Red), and a long press of the circle will move back to white mode at low output.
Moonlight mode is also available if you hold the square for about 1 second when the light is off. Overall the UI takes a little getting used to. I think 2 buttons make sense.

Recharging And Powerbank
*Recharging: *This light has a USB-C port under the right side cap. You must completely remove the tailcap to access the port. Maximum charging rate I saw while charging from an empty battery was an even 2A. This is great to see and speed the charging process up but it still took 3 hours and 23 minutes to charge the battery to completely full. While charging there is a red LED in the center of the light that goes solid when completely recharged. The included Acebeam branded battery is a button top but flat top cells work too, for all functions of the light. Standard USB A to USB-C cables work or the cable that’s included.

What was odd and I am seeing on more and more USB-C flashlights are that they seem to have a problem charging with USB-C to USB-C cables/power sources. The H30 is no different. I tried charging it using an Anker USB-C to USB-C cable and a couple of different charger I have that support USB-C and none work. If I used a USB-A to USB-C charger it works without an issue.

*Powerbank: *This light can also be used as a powerbank. Included was a special USB-C cable that has a female USB A port on it to allow you to plug in another cable (Not included) to charge your phone or other device. I was able to pull 2.5A from a full battery for a while, but the light is happier pulling 2A for a longer time. When using as a powerbank you get a Blue LED under the plastic cover showing which way the power is flowing.

Pro

  • Preassembled headband with silicone all the way around.
  • Pretty good heat control for such a bright light
  • Really long runtime for 1000 lumens 147 minutes)
  • Ok beam profile for an XHP 70.2, Great beam profiles for Red and Green
  • Good charge/discharge speed.

Con

  • On the heavy side – the top band helps when on the head.
  • I would like an additional lower power red mode for map reading.
  • USB-C to USB-C charging doesn’t work.

Conclusion
Acebeam has built a flagship headlamp with the H30 that ticks a lot of boxes. The XHP 70.2 isn’t my favorite emitter due to the Cree Rainbow and beam pattern but if your not super picky I think you won’t mind. They have made a light that can sustain 1000 lumens for a substantial amount of time and burst up to 4000 lumens for short duration. The penalty you pay for this is weight. At 182 grams it’s on the heavy side but I got used to it, especially after adjusting the top head strap. I am glad USB-C is becoming more common on lights, and the extra powerbank feature here is a nice bonus. I think the Acebeam H30 is best for someone who needs a high output headlamp for a long amount of time, it certainly has significantly better runtime then some of it’s 18650 based counterparts.

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Olight i3T Cu Mini Review and Flash Sale reminder (10/22 1-3pm EST)(Raw Copper, AAA EDC Light)

I wanted to show you the brand new special edition Olight i3T Cu in raw copper. This is a special edition of the Olight i3T I reviewed earlier in the year. Olight is having a flash sale for this light on Monday October 22nd from 1-3pm eastern during this time the light will be available for 25% off making it only about $24 plus a little for shipping. This is a great sale for a solid copper EDC light. I have only had the copper version for a few days and I like it alot. I kind of have a thing for raw copper and the aluminium version of this light gets a good amount of pocket time in my current EDC lineup.

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/Njzwdra

 

If you have not seen my review of the aluminum version of this light make sure you check it out on Youtube or Reddit. Let’s quickly go through the differences in the new copper edition.

 

  • Only 10,000 will be made for sale worldwide, they are individually numbered so if you want one you better buy it now before it’s sold out.

  • Solid raw copper. The light is solid copper inside and out, even the tail cap innards, This means the light will take on a great patina the more you use it. It came sealed in a protective bag inside the box so that it will be perfect when you first receive it. I am really looking forward to how the patina develops over time. Make sure you subscribe to my instagram. I will be showing progress of how it naturally progresses with the patina. You do pay some weight penalty for copper but since this is a small light I don’t think you will notice much in the pocket.

  • The clip steel and is the same pattern as the aluminum light but this time it’s PVD coated in a brown/copper metallic finish. Right now when the light is bright and shiny there is some definite contrast here but as the light develops patina it will really blend in I think. Olight has also added 2 small raised area where the clip sets to give it a more snug secure fit to help it not rotate. Also changed are the color of the tail cap and button assembly. It’s also a copper brown finish.

  • Lastly the O’Ring around the lens and inside the tail cap have been changed from the standard black to red.

 

Outputs, UI, and the emitter in this light are the same as the aluminum version. The i3T Cu makes a nice EDC especially if you have a thing for copper, this is really easy light to pick up.

Don’t forget about the flash sale on October 22nd from 1-3pm EST on OlightStore.com

 

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Olight S1R Baton II Review (1000, EDC Flashlight, 16340, Rechargeable)

Today I am looking at the new Olight S1R Baton II. While the name is a mouthful this small light means business. It’s just 2.4 inches tall but produces 1000 lumens on Turbo, has a magnetic tail and has recharging via the doc. Thanks to Olight sending this to me to take a look at the newest light in the Olight flagship line.

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/LwokMdZ
YouTube Version of this Review:

https://youtu.be/DOyeQKSNDYw

Packaging
Packaging follows other recent Olights. It’s a tall and narrow white textured cardboard box. Inside is a white branded plastic tray that holds the light. Underneath was a large yellow cardboard read me, telling you to remove the insulating film, suggesting to store the battery in an included battery keeper, and what all is inside. Included with the light is the light itself, the Olight dual direction pocket clip, a proprietary Olight IMR 16340 550mAh battery, new generation of the magnetic USB charger, a small plastic battery box, lanyard (With threading needle), and a brown suede bag.







Construction
The S1R Baton II follows in a long line of well made production lights. The light is made from aluminium and anodized a smooth satin black. Starting at the back of the light we notice the recharging contacts for its magnetic recharging system. The outside silver rings are slightly raised, and the inner brass button is sunk in just a little. I did test for safety of this system with a bit of steel wool and didn’t have a fire starter on hand. This tail cap is magnetic and quite strong. It easily holds the weight of the light and is better against vibrations then some previous Olights. The tail section also has a hole drilled in it’s side to allow for a lanyard.

Unlike on the original S1R Baton, on version 2 the tail and body tube are one machined piece of aluminum, and the only place the light seperates now is right below the head. The body tube has a new machined raised square with each side tapered in. It’s definitely more aggressive than the small flat squares before but nothing that should rip up a pocket. I like it quite a bit. Threads are small, well machined and greased.


The head itself is pretty small, and inside features a pretty stiff brass spring. On the exterior writing is kept to a minimum, with just a small Olight logo, and opposite that the model number and serial number in small writing. The button is the same as others in the Baton series, It has a silicone cover, and has a small red LED in the center for indicating status. This is surrounded by a blue bezel. The front bezel of the light is reflective blue, and has engraved 1000 Lumens, CCT 6500k CRI 70. It features a TIR lens.

Size and weight comparisons
I measured the length at 63mm and the maximum diameter in the head at 21mm. Weight with the battery and clip came to 51g. The S1R Baton II makes a pretty good EDC for a 16340 battery light. The thin side walls and clip make it a pretty easy carry in a front jean pocket in my opinion.

In comparison the Olight S1 Mini Baton Is 54mm in length, 21mm in diameter, 43G with battery and clip, its tail isn’t rechargeable or nearly as strong magnetically though. The Copper Smini Baton I have with battery is 54mm in length, 21mm in diameter but comes in at 72g with battery and clip due to copper being heavy.

LED/Beam/Runtime
This light uses a Cree XM-L2 LED in cool white. It’s rated at 6500k with a CRI of 70. I don’t notice any cree rainbows, or odd color tints on mine. It features a TIR style optic and it’s no secret I like this style of optic on a short from factor EDC light like this. You get a sizeable hot spot that allows it to throw a useable amount and then you get a wide spill. For me and how I use an EDC light (Shorter durations) this is about perfect.


Runtimes are about what I expected for a small light that leads off with saying it’s capable of 1000 lumens in turbo. Turbo mode doesn’t last that long, only about 1.8 minutes before it starts to slowly decrease fairly significantly to about 30% relative output. While that sounds like a lot it’s still quite a bit of useable light for about 28 minutes. Past this light steps down again pretty quickly to low mode. Total runtime from turbo on the included 550mAh battery was 65 minutes. Heat was well controlled for a small light.

UI
The S1R Baton II has the standard Olight UI many of us have come to know, and I like with the slower fades from off/on and between modes. From off, long press to activate moonlight mode at 0.5 lumens. To turn on in normal modes single click the switch, to change brightness level hold the button and the light will cycle through the 4 available modes lowest to highest. Double click to access turbo. Triple click to access strobe. The light also features memory mode for normal modes.

Lockout can be accomplished when the light is off by pressing and holding the switch for 2 seconds until moonlight mode comes on and immediately shuts off. If you then press the button the red LED under the power button will come on to let you know your in lockout mode. To exit lockout press the button for about 1 second until moonlight mode stays on. Personally I will just give the body of the light a ¼ turn to mechanically lock it out. The light features a short 3 minute timer, and a longer 9 minute timer. If these are setup (See the included manual) the light will automatically shut off when the end of the timer is reached.

Recharging and the Battery
Olight has an updated magnetic charger (MCC2) with the S1R Baton II. The main benefit of this charger is it’s faster. It now is capable of 1A charging. The charger is also capable of working with older versions of lights such as the S30R, or S2R. On those it was able to charge at a closer rate of .95A.

Visually it’s a little different with the bottom and top having rounded edges. Gone is the LED indicator at the base of the charger and instead it has been replaced with a tiny LED on the bottom. I find the LED harder to see if it’s sitting on top, but better for night time bedlight charging due to less ambient lighting.


On the S1R Baton II the charger didn’t charge at full speed the charger has printed on it. This due to the smaller capacity of the battery. You wouldn’t want to charge this 550mAh cell at AA for safety and cell longevity reasons. The battery has a plastic separator that stands up a little more and protects the positive terminal more then other olight batteries have had. The light is also capable of using a CR123 or other olight batteries although you won’t be able to recharge it in the light.


My guess would be Olight will be rolling out updates to some of their other Baton series lights with this new charger over time.

This is the 4th model of Olight magnetic chargers that I have, I think I need to start putting labels on them to keep them straight in my charging drawer.It would be nice if they had labels or color indicators on the lights/charges to help you out.

Safety
I deliberately tried to short circuit the exposed charging contacts on this light with a bit of steel wool and had no ill effects.

Pro

  • Small size, well built, strong magnet, great pocket clip.
  • Convenient slightly faster charging
  • Simple interface

Cons

  • Proprietary battery, new to the this updated light. The older ORBC-163C06 also works in the light but won’t recharge.
  • MCC2 charger with the LED on the bottom makes it harder to check status, I would prefer the charge status on the side.
  • LED choice, while I don’t have major complaints against the XM-L2, I would love to see a neutral white or high CRI option, it would make this fantastic EDC in my opinion.

Conclusion
The Olight S1R Baton II is a nice little EDC light with a lot of power for a short time. I think it’s a nice update. I especially like the new style of pocket clip and the new milling on the body. Olight does a good job with TIR reflectors creating attractive beam patterns for this style of light in my opinion. If you are needing a new EDC this is a nice option to choose.

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Nitecore MH12GTS (1800 Lumen, 18650, 1” Tactical)

The Nitecore MH12GTS is the upgraded version of the popular tactical MH12GT. It features and upgraded LED, 1800 lumen max output, microUSB charging, and an included 18650 battery. Thanks to the NitecoreStore.com for sending this to me to take a look at.

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/9gaIWVC

The YouTube version of this Review:

Packaging
This light comes in a Nitecore standard black and yellow retail box. On the outside there is quite a bit of info on the light. On the inside the light sits in a plastic tray with all the accessories and manual underneath. Included accessories are the light itself, lanyard, microUSB cable, pocket clip, tactical ring, NL1835HP 3500mAh button top battery extra orings and a velcro pouch.






Construction
The Nitecore MH12GTS is made of machined aluminum and his hard anodized a mostly glossy black. Starting at the tail cap, it has large lanyard holes on either sides, and does tail stand. The sides are cut down to allow for a finger or thumb to access the off center silicon textured button. It’s a pretty stiff button for a full click and mechanical. Opposite the button is a flat facing port cover for the USB charging port. The cover stays in place pretty well. The USB port underneath is waterproof and I will test that later in the review. Spring inside the tail cap is stiff and dual construction



This uses a dual tube style construction, from what I can tell the inner tube is not removable. Threads are a steep ACME cut and unanodized at top. The tactical ring on this light is threaded. I like this and means that it won’t’ freely spin like happens on many other light designs with a similar ring.There is an oring above the tactical ring.The body tube has smooth knurling but has horizontal lines milled in to break this up and then for the flats where the labels are they are milled a decent amount lower. This provides a bit more grip. The body tube looks like it’s removable but I can’t get it to budge. Further up the light has an anti rotation ring that’s small.



The head of the light has minimal heat syncing and heat hasn’t been a major issue here because the light does step down. The button is metal and has a clear Status indicator ring around it with a blue LED underneath. The head is pretty smooth. The bezel is smooth and the glass is anti reflective coated. The reflector is fairly deep for a 1 inch light and the LED is nicely centered.

The pocket clip on this light slots in right below the tail clip on the body tube. My first clip didn’t fit very close to the body of the light. I contacted Nitecore store and they promptly sent me a new one which was a much better and closer fit. I would prefer a clip that allows for deeper carry personally but this seems to not be what is done on most lights similar to this one.

Size/Weight/Water/Comparison
I measured length at 144mm. Maximum diameter is 35mm at the tactical ring, max diameter of the body is 26mm. Weight with the battery and pocket clip is 153.1 grams.

Size comparison with the Olight M2R Warrior is that they are very similar in diameter. The light is shorter at about 15mm. The nitecore is slightly lighter.



LED/Beam/Runtime
This light uses a Cree XHP35 HD LED in cool white. It’s capable of producing upto 1800 lumens in turbo mode. It throws pretty well due to that deep reflector. Overall the beam has a hot center and about 4 distinct rings. It’s not a very smooth transition to spill. The brightest hot spot has a bit of discoloration in the very center. This is easily noticed straight on against a surface that’s all the same texture and color such as drywall or concrete. It’s noticeable at distance as well.

Turbo 1800 Lumens
High 900 LUmens
Mid 240 Lumens
Low 70 Lumens
Ultra Low 1 Lumen
Strobe/SOS/Beacon 1800 Lumens

Power and Runtime
This light is capable of running on 18650’s, CR123a, and RCR123A. 2× 18350’s is not recommended due to too high of voltage. To access Turbo you need cells capable of 8A or more. Total runtime with the included 3500mAh battery was 142 minutes. Turbo run time starts decreasing almost immediately. It has a run time of about 3 minutes. When the light steps down you are getting about 45% relative output for about 20 minutes. Between 20 minutes and 142 minutes the light is pretty stable between 45% and 35% relative output for 120 minutes. Heat is pretty well managed.


Turbo Runtime

Full Runtime

One thing worth noting is that the manual says “When using an IMR 18650 battery and the power level is low please stop using the product when the power level is low to prevent damage to the battery. An IMR battery is what the light ships with. This suggests that the light doesn’t have low voltage protection for this type of battery built in, so using protected cells would be a good idea. Lucky the one that ships with the light is protected.

UI
The tail switch on this light functions as only an on and off. It takes a decent amount of force to press, I think this is good for a tactical light.

For normal operation this light has 5 modes, UltraLow, Low, Mid, High, and Turbo. When the light is on the mode button cycles through them. Memory mode is strong on this light and works everywhere except strobe.

Momentary access to turbo is possible if the light is on by holding the Mode button for 1 second, if you let off it returns to what mode you were in previously.

Strobe on this light isn’t at just one rate. It’s pretty fast and then alternates between fast and really fast. I like it, I just wish strobe wasn’t so easy to access with just a double click of the mode button. When in st4robe you can also get to Beacon or SOS by long pressing on the mode button. To exit a special mode just short press on the mode button to return where you were previously.

Direct access to moonlight mode can be accessed with the light is off by pressing and holding the mode button, while actuating the tail button, so it’s a 2 hand operation.

Recharging
This light has recharging via microUSB on the tail cap of the light. There is a rubber flap that protects the port from dust and moisture. The port is also conformally coated, so it’s protected from moisture even if the flap is open. To test this I dunked it in water and then blew some air in the port with my mouth and proceeded to charge it without issue. There is also a small blue LED built into the tail cap to show charging status. Blinking blue means it’s charging, solid blue means it’s full.

The disappointing thing about charging via USB on this light is the speed. I saw charging speeds at it highest at only 0.64A. So for the included 3500mAh battery that means a full charge took me 10 hours, 9 minutes. This is really slow in 2018 for a premium light. I would expect a minimum of 1A these days, if not closer to 2A to cut down on the charging time substantially.

Pro

  • Comes with a nice high capacity Nitecore battery
  • Waterproofing even with the USB protective cap off
  • Quick access to ultralow 1 lumen mode

Con

  • Slow onboard Recharging .64A means using onboard recharging takes forever.
  • Beam throws well but has a slightly more dim area in the direct center.
  • Not a big fan of double click to strobe, I would prefer double click of the mode button to go to turbo and triple click for strobe.

Conclusion
The Nitecore MH12GTS is a pretty nice tactical style light with a good amount of throw for its compact size. The UI takes a little while to get used to but if this was a light you used often I think most would like it. I like how it’s able to use a pretty wide variety of power, including primary and flat top unprotected 18650’s. I like that Nitecore has put a lot of effort into making the USB port waterproof. I can get past the beam irregularities in normal everyday use, but the slow charging time is hard to live with on a premium light. Overall it’s a nice showing here from Nitecore and one that will be especially useful for a nice throw in a small diameter light.

Link to the NitecoreStore for the MH12GHTS https://www.nitecorestore.com/MH12GTS-1800-Lumen-Long-Throw-Flashlight-p…