zespectre
Flashlight Enthusiast
REAL WORLD REVIEWS – Anker-Bolder LC40
NOTE: This review is for the "Generation 1" model as seen in the image below. There is now a "Generaton 2" LC40 built around a sealed rechargeable battery pack, it is a very different light and I haven't seen one to test yet.
================================================================
A brief opening note about the "Real World Reviews"
At this point many fellow "flashaholics" have developed very sophisticated and detailed methods for measuring nearly every conceivable technical aspect of the illumination products on the market. The "Real World Reviews" acknowledge the existence of the detailed technical reviews (and I'll link to them below if I can) but will not re-hash all of that tech data. Instead the focus of the "Real World Reviews" is to take that "laboratory" information out into real world conditions to give the reader an idea of how the numbers translate into actual use.
===============================================================
Technical Review (done by someone else):
None available at this time
===============================================================
Intended Use: General Purpose
Power Source: 3xAAA (in battery carrier) or 1x18650
Average Cost: $17.00 (USD) for a TWO PACK
What you get:
· A nice Anker box
· TWO of the LC40 lights
· Two lanyards
· Some documentation
Initial Impression(s):
This light
Is your basic cylinder design with a mild surface pattern and a somewhat slick feeling anodizing that makes me thing having a lanyard will be a good idea in wet weather. It is surprisingly light when empty but still feels sturdy and has one of the better of the "standard design" battery carriers for running AAA batteries. The head is glued in place and you do all battery changes through the tailcap. Threads are very good but mine were dry and the threads and "O" ring needed an application of Nyogel to smooth them out.
The AAA battery carrier fits tightly and securely. If you choose to run 18650 batteries there is a fair amount of space and you will get rattle. I recommend you get some spacer tubes if you want to use 18650 batteries in this light and if you are anything like me, you'll want to run 18650 to get the full output from the light. Immediately the most remarkable thing about this light is its utter lack of anything remarkable, it just looks like a nice light.
When the lanyard is installed it does interfere a bit with the ability to tailstand. There is no pocket clip.
The interface is a single reverse clicky on the tail cap that provides on/off and half presses cycle from High to Low to Strobe. There is no memory function and if you wish to lockout the light that is easily accomplished by slightly loosening the tail cap. Very simple, very straightforward. The button is large and easy to find and operate.
The beam was definitely designed as a "throw-flood" in an attempt to make the most of its lumen pool. A decently broad center hotspot blends into a nice, well controlled, flood that fills in the outside areas of your vision. The center spot is a little tight for my taste on a light that is intended for general use, but I think the designers made the decision to have a little more throw available and they certainly didn't go overboard.
Output (Per manufacturer):
Mode 1 (400 Lumens/3.5hr)*: suitable for general indoor or outdoor use.
Mode 2 (250 Lumens/6hr)*: suitable for "general" indoor flashlight use.
Mode 3 (Strobe)*:
*When using an 18650 cell
================================================= =================================
The "Standard evening walk" begins with illuminating 3" circular reflectors and then seeing if I can make out the trees to which they are attached (neutral brown bark). Part Two then takes place over either a 1.5 or a 2.5 mile loop on an unlit and mostly open grassy area with a few trees, and then ends going through a short, steep, uphill/downhill gravel trail surrounded by trees and heavy undergrowth which I call the "confidence course".
Target Test
Target 1: 30ft [10yd/09M].......... Illuminated in mode 1+
Target 2: 60ft [20yd/18M].......... Illuminated in mode 1+
Target 3: 120ft [40yd/36M]......... Illuminated in mode 1+
Target 4: 180ft [60yd/54M]......... Illuminated in mode 1+
Target 5: 300ft [100yd/91M]........ Illuminated in mode 1+
Target 6: 450ft [150yd/137M]...... Faintly/barely Illuminated in mode 1+
Target 7: 600ft [200yd/182M]...... Beyond design capabilities
Target 8: 750ft [250yd/228M]...... Beyond design capabilities
================================================ ===================================
The Walk
The night was fairly dark with only a sliver of moon. Temperature was 47 with a stiff breeze of cooler air. The first thing I really noticed running this light was that the "dimmer" Mode 2 (250 Lumens/6hr) really wasn't all that much dimmer than the brightest setting. I am definitely of the opinion that the lights lower setting could be even lower, say in the 150 lumen range, for even longer runtime.
Overall this light was very nice for a general walk around. The tight hotspot created a bit of the dreaded "follow the bouncing ball" effect, but not so badly as to distract from seeing the terrain and finding good footing. The light did a nice job of "punching through" all of the shrubbery in the "confidence course" area and even on high the light really didn't heat up much, though there was a lot of cool airflow from the breeze which may have helped.
When I got back from the roughly 45 minute walk I used the light around the inside and outside of the house for a variety of regular "general use" tasks as well as my usual check under the hood inspections (where I found my wife's car was a quart low on oil). The light was very handy, but had a pronounced tendency to roll away if you set it down. This light is, obviously, way too bright to use in the house for a midnight bathroom run unless you want to cup it in your hand to block most of the light.
CONS:
· Serious rattle using an 18650 unless you put a spacer tube in the light (not included)
· Low is still a bit too bright
· "strobe" is just an annoying gimmick.
· Rolls away at the slightest opportunity
· Surface is a little slick
PROS:
· Solid construction.
· Well designed for "general everyday" use, no frills, and only the slight nonsense of strobe mode
· Easy/intuitive interface.
· Excellent power and runtime (especially with an 18650)
· Astoundingly inexpensive, especially as you get a TWO PACK!
Summary:
I think that this light is the modern equivalent of the Mini Mag-Light from back in the day. It is an extremely reasonably priced, no frills, general use light and is exactly the sort of thing 90% of non-flashaholic light users want in their "junk drawer" or by the door at home to grab for regular use, not just in an emergency. It is not super-astounding (except maybe the price) but it is so solidly in the middle of "good enough" that it carries a merit of its own. If you care to invest in 18650 cells the utility of the light and the range of applications increases exponentially and I strongly recommend the upgrade.
Final conclusion:
5 Photons (STRONGLY RECOMMENDED*).
[*with 18650 cells. 4 of 5 photons if you run it on 3xAAA primaries]
NOTE: This review is for the "Generation 1" model as seen in the image below. There is now a "Generaton 2" LC40 built around a sealed rechargeable battery pack, it is a very different light and I haven't seen one to test yet.
================================================================
A brief opening note about the "Real World Reviews"
At this point many fellow "flashaholics" have developed very sophisticated and detailed methods for measuring nearly every conceivable technical aspect of the illumination products on the market. The "Real World Reviews" acknowledge the existence of the detailed technical reviews (and I'll link to them below if I can) but will not re-hash all of that tech data. Instead the focus of the "Real World Reviews" is to take that "laboratory" information out into real world conditions to give the reader an idea of how the numbers translate into actual use.
===============================================================
Technical Review (done by someone else):
None available at this time
===============================================================
Intended Use: General Purpose
Power Source: 3xAAA (in battery carrier) or 1x18650
Average Cost: $17.00 (USD) for a TWO PACK
What you get:
· A nice Anker box
· TWO of the LC40 lights
· Two lanyards
· Some documentation
Initial Impression(s):
This light
Is your basic cylinder design with a mild surface pattern and a somewhat slick feeling anodizing that makes me thing having a lanyard will be a good idea in wet weather. It is surprisingly light when empty but still feels sturdy and has one of the better of the "standard design" battery carriers for running AAA batteries. The head is glued in place and you do all battery changes through the tailcap. Threads are very good but mine were dry and the threads and "O" ring needed an application of Nyogel to smooth them out.
The AAA battery carrier fits tightly and securely. If you choose to run 18650 batteries there is a fair amount of space and you will get rattle. I recommend you get some spacer tubes if you want to use 18650 batteries in this light and if you are anything like me, you'll want to run 18650 to get the full output from the light. Immediately the most remarkable thing about this light is its utter lack of anything remarkable, it just looks like a nice light.
When the lanyard is installed it does interfere a bit with the ability to tailstand. There is no pocket clip.
The interface is a single reverse clicky on the tail cap that provides on/off and half presses cycle from High to Low to Strobe. There is no memory function and if you wish to lockout the light that is easily accomplished by slightly loosening the tail cap. Very simple, very straightforward. The button is large and easy to find and operate.
The beam was definitely designed as a "throw-flood" in an attempt to make the most of its lumen pool. A decently broad center hotspot blends into a nice, well controlled, flood that fills in the outside areas of your vision. The center spot is a little tight for my taste on a light that is intended for general use, but I think the designers made the decision to have a little more throw available and they certainly didn't go overboard.
Output (Per manufacturer):
Mode 1 (400 Lumens/3.5hr)*: suitable for general indoor or outdoor use.
Mode 2 (250 Lumens/6hr)*: suitable for "general" indoor flashlight use.
Mode 3 (Strobe)*:
*When using an 18650 cell
================================================= =================================
The "Standard evening walk" begins with illuminating 3" circular reflectors and then seeing if I can make out the trees to which they are attached (neutral brown bark). Part Two then takes place over either a 1.5 or a 2.5 mile loop on an unlit and mostly open grassy area with a few trees, and then ends going through a short, steep, uphill/downhill gravel trail surrounded by trees and heavy undergrowth which I call the "confidence course".
Target Test
Target 1: 30ft [10yd/09M].......... Illuminated in mode 1+
Target 2: 60ft [20yd/18M].......... Illuminated in mode 1+
Target 3: 120ft [40yd/36M]......... Illuminated in mode 1+
Target 4: 180ft [60yd/54M]......... Illuminated in mode 1+
Target 5: 300ft [100yd/91M]........ Illuminated in mode 1+
Target 6: 450ft [150yd/137M]...... Faintly/barely Illuminated in mode 1+
Target 7: 600ft [200yd/182M]...... Beyond design capabilities
Target 8: 750ft [250yd/228M]...... Beyond design capabilities
================================================ ===================================
The Walk
The night was fairly dark with only a sliver of moon. Temperature was 47 with a stiff breeze of cooler air. The first thing I really noticed running this light was that the "dimmer" Mode 2 (250 Lumens/6hr) really wasn't all that much dimmer than the brightest setting. I am definitely of the opinion that the lights lower setting could be even lower, say in the 150 lumen range, for even longer runtime.
Overall this light was very nice for a general walk around. The tight hotspot created a bit of the dreaded "follow the bouncing ball" effect, but not so badly as to distract from seeing the terrain and finding good footing. The light did a nice job of "punching through" all of the shrubbery in the "confidence course" area and even on high the light really didn't heat up much, though there was a lot of cool airflow from the breeze which may have helped.
When I got back from the roughly 45 minute walk I used the light around the inside and outside of the house for a variety of regular "general use" tasks as well as my usual check under the hood inspections (where I found my wife's car was a quart low on oil). The light was very handy, but had a pronounced tendency to roll away if you set it down. This light is, obviously, way too bright to use in the house for a midnight bathroom run unless you want to cup it in your hand to block most of the light.
CONS:
· Serious rattle using an 18650 unless you put a spacer tube in the light (not included)
· Low is still a bit too bright
· "strobe" is just an annoying gimmick.
· Rolls away at the slightest opportunity
· Surface is a little slick
PROS:
· Solid construction.
· Well designed for "general everyday" use, no frills, and only the slight nonsense of strobe mode
· Easy/intuitive interface.
· Excellent power and runtime (especially with an 18650)
· Astoundingly inexpensive, especially as you get a TWO PACK!
Summary:
I think that this light is the modern equivalent of the Mini Mag-Light from back in the day. It is an extremely reasonably priced, no frills, general use light and is exactly the sort of thing 90% of non-flashaholic light users want in their "junk drawer" or by the door at home to grab for regular use, not just in an emergency. It is not super-astounding (except maybe the price) but it is so solidly in the middle of "good enough" that it carries a merit of its own. If you care to invest in 18650 cells the utility of the light and the range of applications increases exponentially and I strongly recommend the upgrade.
Final conclusion:
5 Photons (STRONGLY RECOMMENDED*).
[*with 18650 cells. 4 of 5 photons if you run it on 3xAAA primaries]
