Like the title says, I received my Lumintop L1A today, and from what I can see so far its ANOTHER fantastic bang for the buck light from the new kid on the block, Lumintop! Before I go any further, I feel compelled to RAVE about the service I received from Tactical HID, from whom I ordered the L1A...ordered it Friday evening, received a shipping notification/confirmation number Saturday morning, and found it in my mail box when I got home from work this evening (Monday). Thats ordering and shipping from Redding, CA to Milton, FL from Friday to Monday via USPS first class...NOT priority! By far the fastest service Ive EVER received via first class OR priority when ordering something on a Friday evening; UNBELIEVEABLE!!!
Now on to the L1A. Like I stated in my TD15 thread, the only cam I own is my cell phone cam, so any pics I could attempt to post would probably do more harm than good (...so beam shots are definitely out of the question!). There's many vendors' websites with plenty of good pics of the L1A, so I'll just leave it at that.
The L1A comes with the standard accessory fare that most lights come with these days: lanyard, holster, spare O-rings and tail switch cover. I will say this, for the price I paid for this light (about $38.00 shipped), it has a VERY good quality lanyard and perhaps one of the best quality holsters Ive ever received with any 1AA cell light at ANY price! The reason I ordered the L1A is because my current EDC (Nitecore D10 SP R2) had been acting flakey lately...wouldnt remember the last mode and would ALWAYS come on in medium mode no matter what mode Id previously set it for. I figured since Id just received a TD15 and was EXTREMELY pleased with it that Id give the L1A a shot. I seriously considered getting the 1AA offering from Klarus, but it didnt support 14500 LIon cells which made it a deal breaker for me. Just a matter of personal preference, but LIon support is a MUST for just about ALL of my lights...especially my EDC. I really like my D10, but the erratic behavior was really starting to bug me.
As far as the L1A's output is concerned, I'll break it down into three categories: tint, beam and output.
Tint: Unlike my TD15, the L1A DOES have an ever-so-slight greenish tint. When shone on a white wall by itself its really not that apparent or objectionable. In fact, I didnt even realize it was there until it was shined side by side with my ET P20C2 MkII. My particular P20C2 has just about the whitest beam of any light I own, so the slight greenish tint of the L1A was apparent when compared side by side. But like I said, when shone by itself, its not that apparent at all. In fact, it has almost a neutral appearance.
Beam: Like almost every other light in existance that uses an XP-G emitter with a smooth reflector, there IS a slight donut hole effect. On a white wall it appears as a slightly discolored center in the hotspot, with the outer part of the hotspot appearing slightly brighter. But in real use outdoors, IMO, its a non-issue. Theres a corona that immediately surrounds the well defined hotspot that smoothly fades into the outer spill. Like the TD15, it appears the L1A was intended to be a light with throw in mind. In my humble opinion, I think a light this size would be better served with an OP reflector. The up-side is that the L1A has some pretty impressive throw for a 1AA size light! In fact, at less than 2/3 the output of my P20C2 MkII, it ever-so-slightly OUT-THROWS my P20C2 MkII! When shined at the tree line thats approximately 200 feet off of my front porch, the hotspot is just a HAIR brighter than the hotspot of my ET.
Output: The best I can do is a direct comparison with the output of my ET P20C2 MkII. Its lumen ratings are 300/60/5. The lumen ratings of the L1A are 130/68/5. However, according to jake25 of sbflashlights, the L1A uses the same driver as the L1C and L2A, and when using 14500 LIon, the max output (emitter lumens) of the L1A is supposed to be the same as the max output of the L1C and L2A, which is 230 lumens. According to my side-by-side comparison between the P20C2 and L1A, the max output number seems to be in the ballpark of Lumintops stated ratings (again, EMITTER lumens). The ET is rated at approximately 300 OTF lumens; when the side-spill of the ET is compared side-by-side with the side-spill of the L1A, the L1As side-spill appears to be (to MY eye) slightly less than roughly 2/3 the brightness of the ETs side-spill.
The ET's mid mode is rated at 60 lumens (again, OTF for ET), and the L1A's mid mode is rated at 68 lumens (EMITTER lumens). The side-spill of the L1A at mid appears to be about 1/2 as bright as the ET at mid. All things considered, an emitter rating of 68 should put about 40-45 lumens OTF; the L1A seems to be putting MAYBE 30 OTF. So on my sample anyway, the mid mode may be slightly overrated.
The ETs low mode is rated at 5 lumens, as is the L1As. The side-spill of the two lights is virtually IDENTICAL on low, so the rating of the L1A on low seems to be in the ballpark as well.
The anodizing on the L1A is very even (Id call it low gloss) black HAIII. The knurling, IMHO, could be a tad bit rougher, but is none-the-less very nicely cut, and seems to serve its intended purpose well. The SS crenelated bezel and switch guard are a VERY nice touch for a light of this price range! Hell, theres lights out there at TWICE the price of the L1A that dont include an SS ANYTHING! Aesthetically, the L1A doesnt have as much BLING in its appearance as its big brother, the TD15, but its still a REALLY sharp looking light that has some IMPRESSIVE output, features and accessories for a light at this or darn near ANY price point!
One more thing Id like to touch on is the pocket/hat clip. Its a deep carry pocket clip that doubles as a clip for the brim of a ball cap...VERY unique! From the website appearance, the clip looks as though it could be the lights weak link. Looks CAN be deceiving! The clip is VERY strong, quite tight and FAR more robust than it appears! What I thought could be a weak point is no such thing...the clip has been VERY well thought out!
Listen...its getting sorta late, and 4:45 AM comes quicker than Id like it to...so Ill leave this thread at this point. If anybody has any questions about the L1A, feel free to post them here, and Ill try to address them as honestly and objectively as I can. Ill simply close by saying that if youre on the fence about the L1A, IMHO its worth EVERY cent I paid for it, and THEN some!!! This light is a VERY good value, especially at the price. Time will tell how it holds up, but my initial impression is: VERY nicely done, Lumintop!
PJD
Edit: The UI...Ill touch more on that tomorrow; very simple, no frills UI. I like it!
Now on to the L1A. Like I stated in my TD15 thread, the only cam I own is my cell phone cam, so any pics I could attempt to post would probably do more harm than good (...so beam shots are definitely out of the question!). There's many vendors' websites with plenty of good pics of the L1A, so I'll just leave it at that.
The L1A comes with the standard accessory fare that most lights come with these days: lanyard, holster, spare O-rings and tail switch cover. I will say this, for the price I paid for this light (about $38.00 shipped), it has a VERY good quality lanyard and perhaps one of the best quality holsters Ive ever received with any 1AA cell light at ANY price! The reason I ordered the L1A is because my current EDC (Nitecore D10 SP R2) had been acting flakey lately...wouldnt remember the last mode and would ALWAYS come on in medium mode no matter what mode Id previously set it for. I figured since Id just received a TD15 and was EXTREMELY pleased with it that Id give the L1A a shot. I seriously considered getting the 1AA offering from Klarus, but it didnt support 14500 LIon cells which made it a deal breaker for me. Just a matter of personal preference, but LIon support is a MUST for just about ALL of my lights...especially my EDC. I really like my D10, but the erratic behavior was really starting to bug me.
As far as the L1A's output is concerned, I'll break it down into three categories: tint, beam and output.
Tint: Unlike my TD15, the L1A DOES have an ever-so-slight greenish tint. When shone on a white wall by itself its really not that apparent or objectionable. In fact, I didnt even realize it was there until it was shined side by side with my ET P20C2 MkII. My particular P20C2 has just about the whitest beam of any light I own, so the slight greenish tint of the L1A was apparent when compared side by side. But like I said, when shone by itself, its not that apparent at all. In fact, it has almost a neutral appearance.
Beam: Like almost every other light in existance that uses an XP-G emitter with a smooth reflector, there IS a slight donut hole effect. On a white wall it appears as a slightly discolored center in the hotspot, with the outer part of the hotspot appearing slightly brighter. But in real use outdoors, IMO, its a non-issue. Theres a corona that immediately surrounds the well defined hotspot that smoothly fades into the outer spill. Like the TD15, it appears the L1A was intended to be a light with throw in mind. In my humble opinion, I think a light this size would be better served with an OP reflector. The up-side is that the L1A has some pretty impressive throw for a 1AA size light! In fact, at less than 2/3 the output of my P20C2 MkII, it ever-so-slightly OUT-THROWS my P20C2 MkII! When shined at the tree line thats approximately 200 feet off of my front porch, the hotspot is just a HAIR brighter than the hotspot of my ET.
Output: The best I can do is a direct comparison with the output of my ET P20C2 MkII. Its lumen ratings are 300/60/5. The lumen ratings of the L1A are 130/68/5. However, according to jake25 of sbflashlights, the L1A uses the same driver as the L1C and L2A, and when using 14500 LIon, the max output (emitter lumens) of the L1A is supposed to be the same as the max output of the L1C and L2A, which is 230 lumens. According to my side-by-side comparison between the P20C2 and L1A, the max output number seems to be in the ballpark of Lumintops stated ratings (again, EMITTER lumens). The ET is rated at approximately 300 OTF lumens; when the side-spill of the ET is compared side-by-side with the side-spill of the L1A, the L1As side-spill appears to be (to MY eye) slightly less than roughly 2/3 the brightness of the ETs side-spill.
The ET's mid mode is rated at 60 lumens (again, OTF for ET), and the L1A's mid mode is rated at 68 lumens (EMITTER lumens). The side-spill of the L1A at mid appears to be about 1/2 as bright as the ET at mid. All things considered, an emitter rating of 68 should put about 40-45 lumens OTF; the L1A seems to be putting MAYBE 30 OTF. So on my sample anyway, the mid mode may be slightly overrated.
The ETs low mode is rated at 5 lumens, as is the L1As. The side-spill of the two lights is virtually IDENTICAL on low, so the rating of the L1A on low seems to be in the ballpark as well.
The anodizing on the L1A is very even (Id call it low gloss) black HAIII. The knurling, IMHO, could be a tad bit rougher, but is none-the-less very nicely cut, and seems to serve its intended purpose well. The SS crenelated bezel and switch guard are a VERY nice touch for a light of this price range! Hell, theres lights out there at TWICE the price of the L1A that dont include an SS ANYTHING! Aesthetically, the L1A doesnt have as much BLING in its appearance as its big brother, the TD15, but its still a REALLY sharp looking light that has some IMPRESSIVE output, features and accessories for a light at this or darn near ANY price point!
One more thing Id like to touch on is the pocket/hat clip. Its a deep carry pocket clip that doubles as a clip for the brim of a ball cap...VERY unique! From the website appearance, the clip looks as though it could be the lights weak link. Looks CAN be deceiving! The clip is VERY strong, quite tight and FAR more robust than it appears! What I thought could be a weak point is no such thing...the clip has been VERY well thought out!
Listen...its getting sorta late, and 4:45 AM comes quicker than Id like it to...so Ill leave this thread at this point. If anybody has any questions about the L1A, feel free to post them here, and Ill try to address them as honestly and objectively as I can. Ill simply close by saying that if youre on the fence about the L1A, IMHO its worth EVERY cent I paid for it, and THEN some!!! This light is a VERY good value, especially at the price. Time will tell how it holds up, but my initial impression is: VERY nicely done, Lumintop!
PJD
Edit: The UI...Ill touch more on that tomorrow; very simple, no frills UI. I like it!
