AardvarkSagus
Flashlight Enthusiast
Lupine Wilma TL - submitted for consideration for the review forum
Lupine has decided to re-join the fray by converting another one of their quality bike lights into a handheld flashlight. Once again, simplistic design outweighs flash and visual bravado. Does the Lupine focus still remain as consistently on quality as previously noted?
Lupine Wilma TL
Meat and Potatoes
As was the case with the Tesla TL 1200, the Lupine Wilma TL does not convey any tactically braggart overtures by a highly sculpted physique. Rather it adopts a rather plain and ordinary appearance with little by the way of visual appeal. Lupine is rather an avid subscriber to the philosophy of form follows function. Their modus operandi is to make a quality product that works well, not worrying about superfluous aesthetics and allow the operation to speak for itself.
Simple Aesthetics
Instead of using a single super high powered LED, the Wilma utilizes 4 of the more common Cree XP-G diodes situating them behind precise focusing optic lenses rather than at the back of reflectors. Long time readers will remember that I have a particular affinity for the use of lenses because of their more attractive beam profile. There is much less definition separating the spot, corona and spill beam when compared to a reflector. Instead, you end up with a bright center beam that tapers continuously to complete nonexistence on the edges. There are a few brighter artifacts around the periphery of Wilma's beam from the interaction between the 4 separate lensing elements, but they are not distracting during use.
Quad XP-G
The Wilma TL doesn't stray too far from the mold cast by Lupine for their lights. It is a powerhouse performer, but Lupine doesn't believe that all that power should be focused into such a tight beam that it is unusable in the short distances. Unlike some dedicated throwers that I have reviewed, the Wilma TL can almost be termed a dedicated flooder. Though the photons are arranged into a tighter pattern than what was found on the Tesla, the end result is still wide area illumination so you can take in ALL of your surroundings. The combined power of this quartet of emitters produces 1100 lumens of this beautifully spread beam. This results in a brighter spot and dimmer spill than is found on the similarly powered Tesla, though the usefulness of the beam is in no way reduced by this.
The Lupine Wilma TL shares the exact same power source as the Tesla with a proprietary 2.5Ah 2 cell lithium-ion "battery tank" built into the handle of the torch. Included with the Wilma TL set is a Lupine battery charger designed for this capacious source. The charger that comes with the Wilma is no where near as high-tech as their top of the line ChargerOne that was included in the Tesla set, but it still is more than capable of getting the job done. Instead of a 2 line status display showing charging current and myriad other tidbits of info, a simple LED indicator lamp suffices to tell you the current state of charge.
The full set
The most noticeable difference between the Wilma TL and the previously tested Tesla TL1200 is that of size. Where the Tesla was indeed small for its output class, the Wilma makes it look positively gigantic. Shedding a solid quarter of its length and even a small fraction of its head diameter, the Wilma is finally small enough to graduate from a light that is purposefully carried for an outdoor outing into more of a duty carry role. The quality genuine leather holsters supplied by Lupine go a long way to making this possible, but the greatly reduced volume is the real champion.
Along with this reduced volume though returns the concern about heat buildup damaging the LEDs. Again, Lupine has this base covered. The Wilma also has active thermal management that reduces output according to actual measured LED temperature. This is a stepless reduction that is not strictly based on a timer like so many other manufacturers. Lupine does it right.
Lupine Wilma TL
Constructive Criticism
If my background information is correct, Lupine started out primarily as a bike light manufacturer. This comes through as most evident in their user interfaces. These are the type of UI's that lend themselves best to that type of mentality. They have a number of pre-determined options that you can choose during setup, but after that, they appear to be intended to be used for lengthy periods of time, rather than the quick bursts that often accompany super bright handheld torches. They are by no means unusable, however. The Wilma UI seems more polished than the Tesla was, but mostly in minute areas. For instance when you activate the light in low start mode it comes on at the advertised low level, rather than the uber-low, almost moon mode that the Tesla had until it "warmed up" to normal output. Its just that compared to most dedicated flashlight companies, they do seem cumbersome to operate. That being said, I still have to give credit to Lupine for choosing their own path and not allowing the status quo to determine their next step. I just would love to see them spend some time developing a more handheld flashlight-friendly UI.
Conclusions
Immensely bright, with a level of fit and finish that is, frankly, unparalleled. Worthy competitors to Lupine products are few and far between. The light still is a bit uniquely proportioned, but well worth any extra hassle.
Carrying Case
Lupine Wilma TL
Provided for review by the kind folks at Lupine.
Lupine has decided to re-join the fray by converting another one of their quality bike lights into a handheld flashlight. Once again, simplistic design outweighs flash and visual bravado. Does the Lupine focus still remain as consistently on quality as previously noted?
Lupine Wilma TL
Meat and Potatoes
As was the case with the Tesla TL 1200, the Lupine Wilma TL does not convey any tactically braggart overtures by a highly sculpted physique. Rather it adopts a rather plain and ordinary appearance with little by the way of visual appeal. Lupine is rather an avid subscriber to the philosophy of form follows function. Their modus operandi is to make a quality product that works well, not worrying about superfluous aesthetics and allow the operation to speak for itself.
Simple Aesthetics
Instead of using a single super high powered LED, the Wilma utilizes 4 of the more common Cree XP-G diodes situating them behind precise focusing optic lenses rather than at the back of reflectors. Long time readers will remember that I have a particular affinity for the use of lenses because of their more attractive beam profile. There is much less definition separating the spot, corona and spill beam when compared to a reflector. Instead, you end up with a bright center beam that tapers continuously to complete nonexistence on the edges. There are a few brighter artifacts around the periphery of Wilma's beam from the interaction between the 4 separate lensing elements, but they are not distracting during use.
Quad XP-G
The Wilma TL doesn't stray too far from the mold cast by Lupine for their lights. It is a powerhouse performer, but Lupine doesn't believe that all that power should be focused into such a tight beam that it is unusable in the short distances. Unlike some dedicated throwers that I have reviewed, the Wilma TL can almost be termed a dedicated flooder. Though the photons are arranged into a tighter pattern than what was found on the Tesla, the end result is still wide area illumination so you can take in ALL of your surroundings. The combined power of this quartet of emitters produces 1100 lumens of this beautifully spread beam. This results in a brighter spot and dimmer spill than is found on the similarly powered Tesla, though the usefulness of the beam is in no way reduced by this.
The Lupine Wilma TL shares the exact same power source as the Tesla with a proprietary 2.5Ah 2 cell lithium-ion "battery tank" built into the handle of the torch. Included with the Wilma TL set is a Lupine battery charger designed for this capacious source. The charger that comes with the Wilma is no where near as high-tech as their top of the line ChargerOne that was included in the Tesla set, but it still is more than capable of getting the job done. Instead of a 2 line status display showing charging current and myriad other tidbits of info, a simple LED indicator lamp suffices to tell you the current state of charge.
The full set
The most noticeable difference between the Wilma TL and the previously tested Tesla TL1200 is that of size. Where the Tesla was indeed small for its output class, the Wilma makes it look positively gigantic. Shedding a solid quarter of its length and even a small fraction of its head diameter, the Wilma is finally small enough to graduate from a light that is purposefully carried for an outdoor outing into more of a duty carry role. The quality genuine leather holsters supplied by Lupine go a long way to making this possible, but the greatly reduced volume is the real champion.
Along with this reduced volume though returns the concern about heat buildup damaging the LEDs. Again, Lupine has this base covered. The Wilma also has active thermal management that reduces output according to actual measured LED temperature. This is a stepless reduction that is not strictly based on a timer like so many other manufacturers. Lupine does it right.
Lupine Wilma TL
Constructive Criticism
If my background information is correct, Lupine started out primarily as a bike light manufacturer. This comes through as most evident in their user interfaces. These are the type of UI's that lend themselves best to that type of mentality. They have a number of pre-determined options that you can choose during setup, but after that, they appear to be intended to be used for lengthy periods of time, rather than the quick bursts that often accompany super bright handheld torches. They are by no means unusable, however. The Wilma UI seems more polished than the Tesla was, but mostly in minute areas. For instance when you activate the light in low start mode it comes on at the advertised low level, rather than the uber-low, almost moon mode that the Tesla had until it "warmed up" to normal output. Its just that compared to most dedicated flashlight companies, they do seem cumbersome to operate. That being said, I still have to give credit to Lupine for choosing their own path and not allowing the status quo to determine their next step. I just would love to see them spend some time developing a more handheld flashlight-friendly UI.
Conclusions
Immensely bright, with a level of fit and finish that is, frankly, unparalleled. Worthy competitors to Lupine products are few and far between. The light still is a bit uniquely proportioned, but well worth any extra hassle.
Carrying Case
Lupine Wilma TL
Provided for review by the kind folks at Lupine.
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