Gatsby
Enlightened
I received my Incendio V3+ yesterday and have had a short period to use it and get a feel for what it brings to the table.
As background, this is only my second Lumapower light, the first being a rather old two stage Lux1 AA (model eludes me) that my son still uses to this day. Not eye scorching but with a Duraloop it continues to work flawlessly and has held up to 3 years or so of 5-8yo abuse. It is well constructed albeit a bit thick at times.
I was attracted to the Incendio as I've wanted a smaller EDC pocket light for some time that incorporates features that I know I prefer. I am quite fond of my Novatac 120P and use it regularly, but it is chunky at best when wearing business casual or a suit. Ditto for the more compact Creemator, and certainly for the E1L or KL1 lego light. I use them as my EDC rotation, but wanted something smaller. What the Incendio had that I was looking for:
Clickie - forward only. I have some twisties and don't dislike them per se, but prefer a clickie when there are more than one level...
Multi level. Given the bandwidth of current emitters it really is nice to have more than 1 or 2 levels.
UI. While I prefer the HDS UI, Im OK with a press quickly to switch method but like a shorter click window like my Creemator (.5s to switch). As an old Arc/HDS/Novatac user Im OK with quick clicks.
Memory. I generally like a memory mode as long as it is relatively quick as well, 1s or less.
RCR123 compatible.
In most respects the Incendio V3+ on paper brought a lot to the table.
Packaging and accessories are fine - o rings, glow in the dark cap, diffuser tip, tweezers, holster, etc... I should note that while I'm not a big pocket clip user - the V3+ clip is pretty nice and is positioned in my preferred bezel down position. I mostly pocket carry my EDC unclipped so I removed it but might rethink that. It also comes with a nice lanyard ring which I am using mostly as an anti roll feature.
The fit and finish is quite nice, threads seem relatively beefy and came well lubricated if a tiny bit gritty on the head side. The body and is definitely made to a more exacting level than the old AA light was - definitely moving up. Knurling is fine - similar to Peaks actually which is not overly aggressive, nice for pocket carry. Anodizing is well done - in a semi gloss natural (rather dark olive) color - with only one or two tiny dots in the knurling. The tailcap retaining ring does, without the lanyard ring or pocket clip, have a small gap where they would fit for those who won't use either.
The forward clickie is a real treat actually - feeling quite substantial and it has a very positive feel. Mine came with the black boot installed and it is fairly well recessed - no problem tailstanding. It does, however, necessitate using the tip of your finger to latch. There are enough body contours to work well in a cigar grip as well.
I am pleased with the size as well, it is quite small for a 123 based light with a substantial forward clickie. It is a good bit smaller than the E1L, and the 120P. It is a hair shorter than the LF3XT, but noticeably slimmer. It feels from my recollection similar in size to the EX10. It is a bit longer and wider than an old Peak McKinley key ring. Lumapower has done a very nice job keeping the size about as small as you can get for the format of the light. Definitely pocketable with no sharp edges. Very simple and nice.
The reflector is deeper than I expected given the size of the light, and the XPG R5 is, as probably expected, quite cool on the tint side. Not so noticeable on its own but when compared to my K2 TFFC TVOD in my Novatac it is ice by comparison. But quite white still - I dont detect any green or purplish tones. If it leans anywhere it would be to the slightly blue/purple end but it is not noticeable. The beam is a nice EDC profile, well defined hotspot with a solid amount of spill. I would describe it as floodier - the spill is generous and it is not a thrower but given the size of the light and the reflector I was not expecting TIR like results. There are a few rings at the very outer edges which is not unusual and disappear in use - the meat of the beam is ringless.
I've only used it on RCR123 cells so I can't attest to brightness on a primary. The 4 levels are generally well chosen. Ideally I'd have preferred a lower low but I'm comparing it to a Novatac, LF3XT and Creemator all of which have very low low levels. In use it is fine but just a hair brighter than i'd like for late night navigation around the house. Otherwise, the two middle levels are useful task levels and max is surprisingly bright. I have only compared it to my K2 modded Novatac and my Creemator, and it appears a bit brighter than both (and they are both putting out north of 200 out the front). In this size light I'm not sure I'd want much more, as it is my Novatac gets toasty on max quickly and it is much larger.
The Incendio warms up fast as well on max which is to be expected. Max is arguably a burst mode in such a tiny light. What sets the Lumapower apart is that you have two other task levels to choose from, level three is plenty bright on its own for most tasks. The problem I had with the Nitecore EZ123 was that max on such a small light was actually too high. It heated up and was usable only as a burst mode - leaving you with a low that was too high for a low low, and often not quite bright enough for task use. The Incendio has the advantage of 4 levels so you can have max output available for a short burst, but other choices for daily use. I subscribe to Henry's perspective that the right amount of light is the least amount that will get the job done.
The UI works just fine, I'd ideally like it to be a tad bit shorter to switch levels, it is set at 1s which is OK but I'm used to the .5s setting on my Creemator and have found myself moving to a new level every so often unexpectedly. Still it is much better than some lights with 2s lag times.
In summary, while it is new, I think I may have a new EDC pocket carry light. It certainly makes the rotation.
What I like. Size, output, multi levels, foward clickie, good fit and finish.
What I'd change. Lower low level, shorter memory/switch time.
As background, this is only my second Lumapower light, the first being a rather old two stage Lux1 AA (model eludes me) that my son still uses to this day. Not eye scorching but with a Duraloop it continues to work flawlessly and has held up to 3 years or so of 5-8yo abuse. It is well constructed albeit a bit thick at times.
I was attracted to the Incendio as I've wanted a smaller EDC pocket light for some time that incorporates features that I know I prefer. I am quite fond of my Novatac 120P and use it regularly, but it is chunky at best when wearing business casual or a suit. Ditto for the more compact Creemator, and certainly for the E1L or KL1 lego light. I use them as my EDC rotation, but wanted something smaller. What the Incendio had that I was looking for:
Clickie - forward only. I have some twisties and don't dislike them per se, but prefer a clickie when there are more than one level...
Multi level. Given the bandwidth of current emitters it really is nice to have more than 1 or 2 levels.
UI. While I prefer the HDS UI, Im OK with a press quickly to switch method but like a shorter click window like my Creemator (.5s to switch). As an old Arc/HDS/Novatac user Im OK with quick clicks.
Memory. I generally like a memory mode as long as it is relatively quick as well, 1s or less.
RCR123 compatible.
In most respects the Incendio V3+ on paper brought a lot to the table.
Packaging and accessories are fine - o rings, glow in the dark cap, diffuser tip, tweezers, holster, etc... I should note that while I'm not a big pocket clip user - the V3+ clip is pretty nice and is positioned in my preferred bezel down position. I mostly pocket carry my EDC unclipped so I removed it but might rethink that. It also comes with a nice lanyard ring which I am using mostly as an anti roll feature.
The fit and finish is quite nice, threads seem relatively beefy and came well lubricated if a tiny bit gritty on the head side. The body and is definitely made to a more exacting level than the old AA light was - definitely moving up. Knurling is fine - similar to Peaks actually which is not overly aggressive, nice for pocket carry. Anodizing is well done - in a semi gloss natural (rather dark olive) color - with only one or two tiny dots in the knurling. The tailcap retaining ring does, without the lanyard ring or pocket clip, have a small gap where they would fit for those who won't use either.
The forward clickie is a real treat actually - feeling quite substantial and it has a very positive feel. Mine came with the black boot installed and it is fairly well recessed - no problem tailstanding. It does, however, necessitate using the tip of your finger to latch. There are enough body contours to work well in a cigar grip as well.
I am pleased with the size as well, it is quite small for a 123 based light with a substantial forward clickie. It is a good bit smaller than the E1L, and the 120P. It is a hair shorter than the LF3XT, but noticeably slimmer. It feels from my recollection similar in size to the EX10. It is a bit longer and wider than an old Peak McKinley key ring. Lumapower has done a very nice job keeping the size about as small as you can get for the format of the light. Definitely pocketable with no sharp edges. Very simple and nice.
The reflector is deeper than I expected given the size of the light, and the XPG R5 is, as probably expected, quite cool on the tint side. Not so noticeable on its own but when compared to my K2 TFFC TVOD in my Novatac it is ice by comparison. But quite white still - I dont detect any green or purplish tones. If it leans anywhere it would be to the slightly blue/purple end but it is not noticeable. The beam is a nice EDC profile, well defined hotspot with a solid amount of spill. I would describe it as floodier - the spill is generous and it is not a thrower but given the size of the light and the reflector I was not expecting TIR like results. There are a few rings at the very outer edges which is not unusual and disappear in use - the meat of the beam is ringless.
I've only used it on RCR123 cells so I can't attest to brightness on a primary. The 4 levels are generally well chosen. Ideally I'd have preferred a lower low but I'm comparing it to a Novatac, LF3XT and Creemator all of which have very low low levels. In use it is fine but just a hair brighter than i'd like for late night navigation around the house. Otherwise, the two middle levels are useful task levels and max is surprisingly bright. I have only compared it to my K2 modded Novatac and my Creemator, and it appears a bit brighter than both (and they are both putting out north of 200 out the front). In this size light I'm not sure I'd want much more, as it is my Novatac gets toasty on max quickly and it is much larger.
The Incendio warms up fast as well on max which is to be expected. Max is arguably a burst mode in such a tiny light. What sets the Lumapower apart is that you have two other task levels to choose from, level three is plenty bright on its own for most tasks. The problem I had with the Nitecore EZ123 was that max on such a small light was actually too high. It heated up and was usable only as a burst mode - leaving you with a low that was too high for a low low, and often not quite bright enough for task use. The Incendio has the advantage of 4 levels so you can have max output available for a short burst, but other choices for daily use. I subscribe to Henry's perspective that the right amount of light is the least amount that will get the job done.
The UI works just fine, I'd ideally like it to be a tad bit shorter to switch levels, it is set at 1s which is OK but I'm used to the .5s setting on my Creemator and have found myself moving to a new level every so often unexpectedly. Still it is much better than some lights with 2s lag times.
In summary, while it is new, I think I may have a new EDC pocket carry light. It certainly makes the rotation.
What I like. Size, output, multi levels, foward clickie, good fit and finish.
What I'd change. Lower low level, shorter memory/switch time.
