[Review] Lumintop Tool AA ver 2

[soulzaeb]

*For consideration to be moved to the review section

Review copy was sent in by Lumintop to me here in the Philippines, whom I thank for the confidence afforded to me.
Preface:
This is the newest version of the Tool AA from Lumintop which is a 650 lumen AA/14500 EDC light which houses a XP-L HD LED at 6500k. This is a great EDC light because of its size and output, also the diversity to use nickel metal hydride or regular AA batteries is a great feature for people that don't have lithium cells.

Packaging: It comes in a recyclable white retail cardboard box sealed with a QC sticker on the flap. The light and accessories are packed neatly with a hard white foam inside.

Inclusions:
1 x Lumintop Tool AA 2.0 LED Flashlight
1 x O-ring
1 x user manual
1 x Diffuser
1 x Warranty card
1 x Spare DIY Magnetic Tail
Quick Features:
- Utilizes XP-L HD LED with a lifespan of 50,000 hours
- Powered by one AA or one 14500 rechargeable Li-ion battery
- Two ways to select outputs: Tail switching or twist the head
- Four output levels plus Strobe with max 650 lumens output
- Mode memory function recalls the last use output when turning on next time
- Super long runtime up to 2.5 days in Eco mode
- The optional magnetic tail cap is capable for tail standing to serve as a candle
- Light-weight and compact, best for EDC use
- Size: 89.5*18.5mm, N.W.: 23.5g (excluding battery)
- Made of aircraft-grade aluminum alloy, premium type ? hard-anodized anti-abrasive finish, toughened and wear-resistant
- IP68 rated dust-proof and waterproof, submersible to 2 meters
- 5 years free repair, limited lifetime warranty
Manufacturer Specifications:
Item Weight: 0.64 ounces
Product Dimensions: 3.5 x 0.7 x 0.7 inches
Output Max: 650 Lumens
Runtime Max: 60 hours
Battery type: AA or 14500
Beam distance: 127m
Waterproof rating: IP68
Color: Black
Finish: HAIII military grade hard-anodized
Material: Aluminum
Emitter Type: XP-L HD
Peak Beam Intensity: 3420 CD
Light color/tint: Cool White 6500k
Max Output: 650 Lumens
Range: 127 Meters
Mode: Low, Med, High, Turbo, Strobe
Lumens: 16LM, 85LM,1360LM, 650LM,
Runtime: 37H, 6H9Min ,1H19Min, 33Min,
Battery Configurations: 1x 14500 or AA Battery (Not included)
Working Voltage: 0.8-4.2V
Switch Type: Tail clicky
Switch Location: Tail of the flashlight
Impact Resistant: 1.5 Meters
Carrying Strap: Lanyard
Feature Functions:
- Power Indicator
- Lock-out Funtion
- Temperature Control

Operation:
With Cree top class XPL-HD LED(50000-hour lifespan), LUMINTOP Tool AA 2.0 could pump out up to non-diminishing 650-lumens brightness which only runs with a single 14500 cell. In the evolved internal circuit, the power consumption rate further decreases, and it can continuously light up to 37 hours maximum in the Low mode.. Also, Tool AA 2.0 can support both Ni-MH AA and Alkaline AA. It boasts up to 270 lumens of brightness and runtime of up to 60 hours with just AA cells.
14500: Turbo 650 lm · 33 minutes / High 360 lm · 79 minutes / Mid 85 lm · 6.1 hours / Low 16 lm · 37 hours
Ni-MH: Turbo 270 lm · 43 minutes / High 140 lm · 2.5 hours / Mid 28 lm · 12.5 hours / Low 3.7 lm · 60 hours
Alkaline: Turbo 220 lm · 21 minutes / High 140 lm · 49 minutes / Mid 28 lm · 11.9 hours / Low 3.7 lm · 60 hours
ON/OFF:
Fully press the tail clicky to turn ON/OFF the light
To change modes:
Half click the clicky to cycle through LOW - MED - HIGH - TURBO
*every 5th half click would cycle to STROBE
Form Factor:
This light given its size of slightly the same as my index finger fits very well in hand. It is machined perfectly from head to tail with a matte black finish to it. Very light and compact, perfect for an EDC or back up light.
Head:
It has a flat black bezel which houses the deep set smooth reflector with a glow ring installed and the emitter perfectly centered.

It has diamond pattern knurling all throughout and the markings of the brand and model can be clearly read in white.

Inside it has a brass contact and an o-ring is installed with the threads well lubricated.

Barrel:
The size is slightly smaller than that of the head and tail which makes it more sleek.

It also has diamond pattern knurling all throughout. It can hold the clip on either way (tail side or head side) depending on your need or preference. An o-ring is installed and threads are well lubricated as well.

The size on either end is one and the same so instead of taking off the clip, you can just reverse the whole barrel as it would still attach either way to the head or tail.The clip itself is a stainless steel clip colored in black matte finish as well which is sturdy enough.
Tail:
It can tail stand fairly well and it has two horizontal holes for lanyard placement on each side.

The rubber boot has a dotted pattern design with a nice crisp click to it and an audible sound. Half clicking to switch modes doesn't seem to be a problem as well.

It has the same diamond pattern knurling as the head and barrel.

GID Diffuser:
The GID diffuser of this light is pretty awesome! It lights up real bright and longer than most, you just need to recharge it using the light itself for a few seconds. It is made of silicone which makes it very easy to attach and detach as well.

Size comparison with IYP365 and Tool AAA copper:

Beam shots:
LOW

MED

HIGH

TURBO

LOW

MED

HIGH

TURBO

GID:

LOW w/ diffuser

MED w/ diffuser

HIGH w/ diffuser

TURBO w/ diffuser

Conclusion:
To sum up, I believe that the most important part of any review is if given the chance to purchase the same light for my own EDC, would I still purchase it?
For this light, it is a definite YES. Specially if you are looking for a versatile small EDC or back up light with complete functions.
Scrutinizing the light over throughout the review, I am hard pressed to find any flaws at this price point which was $17.99 retail at the time of this review. If I were to nit-pick, it would be
the UI, the modes are great but one thing that annoys me the most is the STROBE mode, which I would have to cycle to instead of having it instantly. Truly, Lumintop improved this light from its predecessor the Tool AA.
As with all gears, two is one and one is none.
Light on brothers!

Video review:


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[LightObsession]

Thanks for the review.

 

[Batang Regla]

i have this. For me it has the balance lumens. 3.7 lumens is really good light inside the house. 28 when going outside walking. then 140 and 280 for looking far and up the trees. I like the color of the light. What do you call this cold or neutral?

I really love they space out the lumens so there is really a purpose of changing modes.

Its now my go to light.

 

[LightObsession]

Thanks for the review.

So, no direct access to low, unless it was the memorized mode?

 

[Timothybil]

Right. It is just a continuous round robin of modes, with strobe off to the side activated by six quick clicks of the switch/turns of the head.

Once I figured out that this Tool did not follow the usual Lumintop pattern of M-L-H, I was fine with mine. Using an NiMH cell, I wasn't really impressed by the steps between modes, especially between high and turbo. But once I dropped a 14500 in there, wow! It really turns into a nice small light.

 

[markr6]

Thanks for the review.

So, no direct access to low, unless it was the memorized mode?

Yeah, mine is just sitting on a workbench in my basement unused because of that. Occasionally I'll give it a stink eye, consider using it, but I never do. The few times I did, I didn't enjoy the random mode it started on. Random, because I have better things to do than remember what mode I turned the light off at...or always having to turn it back to low if that's what I want. Two horrible solutions to problem.

 

[LightObsession]

Yeah, mine is just sitting on a workbench in my basement unused because of that. Occasionally I'll give it a stink eye, consider using it, but I never do. The few times I did, I didn't enjoy the random mode it started on. Random, because I have better things to do than remember what mode I turned the light off at...or always having to turn it back to low if that's what I want. Two horrible solutions to problem.

That will prevent me from getting one for myself or for anyone else.

 

[roymail]

Nice, well done review of the Lumintop AA v2. Very thorough. Think I should pick one up and give it a try. Thanks!

 

[cb3099]

I have this light and have been very pleased with it. It has a memory mode that works perfectly. Thanks for posting this review.

 

[thermal guy]

Fantastic review man. I need another AA light think I'll give this a try

 

[Katherine Alicia]

I have a quick question, I just bought one of these myself and I`m wondering about the safety of using a 14500 battery in it, will the torch shut off when it goes below it`s critical voltage (about 2.7v I think) or will it assume it`s an AA and take it all the way down to nearly nothing?

 

[DayofReckoning]

I have a quick question, I just bought one of these myself and I`m wondering about the safety of using a 14500 battery in it, will the torch shut off when it goes below it`s critical voltage (about 2.7v I think) or will it assume it`s an AA and take it all the way down to nearly nothing?

It may, but I can find no mention of it anywhere. I would probably just treat it as not having low voltage cutoff, and run a protected cell.

 

[Katherine Alicia]

I would probably just treat it as not having low voltage cutoff, and run a protected cell.

Yeah, I think that`s probably the best way to go as well, I`v just found a couple of KeepPower protected cells that should do it, a bit expensive compared to 18650s though! LOL

 

[TILL-22]

I like the GITD in the bezel! Nice pictures. When a version with sub lumen mode comes out I will get one!

 

[desmobob]

I just picked one up to compare directly to the more than twice as expensive EagTac D25A MkII.

Right away, I found that the Tool AA had the advantage of using 14500 batteries I had on hand that were too long (>52mm) for proper function in the D25A. Its performance with either NiMH or Li-ion is wonderful. Overall, I think it is an impressive light for the price and highly recommended. It's the kind of light you'll want to buy multiples of.

My only niggle is that when the Tool AA is used with a 14500, a dim blue LED in the switch button is activated. It stays on when the light is turned off. It can be a very handy feature but it obviously uses some power, of which there is not a lot to spare in a little 14500 cell. I wish it could be turned on/off in a menu setting. I just adjust the light to my chosen brightness level, then loosen the tailcap to turn off the light. This eliminates the current drain from that tail switch LED and sets the light up to come on at my chosen setting with a quick twist of the tail cap instead of a click of the tail switch. If I want the little tail light to stay on, I turn off the light with the tail switch.

Edit to add: And now, the new EagTac D25A MkII is malfunctioning. It will not advance past "low" in Group 1 mode with a single-press. It also sometimes experiences a long delay when turning on the light, and there is some occasional flickering. I'm appreciating the Lumintop Tool AA 2.0 even more!

 

[DaLichdBua]

Overall, I think it is an impressive light for the price and highly recommended. It's the kind of light you'll want to buy multiples of.

Agreed and indeed! I've got a LuminTop Tool AA 2.0 for each of my family members (to get in their grab & go bags) along with NiMH (Eneloops or IKEA Ladda) batteries. 270 lumens with NiMH/alkalines and up to 650 lumens with a 14500 LiIon is just perfect for the broad range of usage.

I EDC (as part of my bag) this light and it helped me multiple times, including as a make-shift headlamp using it clipped to my base cap.

 

[this_is_nascar]

Yeah, mine is just sitting on a workbench in my basement unused because of that. Occasionally I'll give it a stink eye, consider using it, but I never do. The few times I did, I didn't enjoy the random mode it started on. Random, because I have better things to do than remember what mode I turned the light off at...or always having to turn it back to low if that's what I want. Two horrible solutions to problem.

Which is why I love the UltraTac A1.

 

[Mr. Shawn]

Which is why I love the UltraTac A1.

I also prefer the UltraTac A1 to the Tool AA, but for a different reason. I don't mind the memory mode on the Tool, but I don't care for its bright low mode (~3 lumens), especially since it has 4 modes. So, I carry the 3-mode UltraTac A1 with its ~1-lumen low when needing a 1AA light.

 

[this_is_nascar]

I also prefer the UltraTac A1 to the Tool AA, but for a different reason. I don't mind the memory mode on the Tool, but I don't care for its bright low mode (~3 lumens), especially since it has 4 modes. So, I carry the 3-mode UltraTac A1 with its ~1-lumen low when needing a 1AA light.

A great point and I agree.

 

[M@elstrom]

Well I pulled the trigger and found this to be lighter and smaller than I had imagined (previously EDC'd an Energizer TAC 1AA), nice output but I don't really see a difference between the Alkaline and 14500 Li-ion on turbo, I do note the turbo step down but only using the 14500, I suspect I need a higher discharge rated cell?

Given the parasitic drain (illuminated tail light), I will likely stick to Alkalines 😉