Flashlight Review: Lumintop Copper Tool (XPG2, 3-modes, pocket clip) Runtimes Outputs

This is my latest review and final one of the year. It's for the new classy flashlight from Lumintop, called the Tool. It's machined out of copper, comes with an XP-G2 emitter, and has three modes. It's a basic EDC light that's powered off of a AAA battery, that puts out a little over 100 lumens on high.


The review contains all the appropriate information, including tested output levels, beamshot comparisons, and runtime tests. This light was provided by review from Lumintop.



EDIT: I made a mistake in the video. I said the light has mode memory and it does not. It indeed starts in medium, and with each half press then goes MLHMLHML. If the light is left off for less than 3 seconds it behaves like next mode memory. I apologize, but when I was initially testing the mode memory I noticed it had next mode memory when turning it on and off quickly. I must have had it on medium for the next several times when I left it off for 4 seconds or more and then thought it had stayed on that mode. I truly apologize. Thanks Jon_slider and Thetasigma for pointing this out.

Thanks for the review, I liked your basement footage, very creative practical examples of actual use.

Some editor comments:
Video says the light has mode memory, imo it does not.
Video says the modes are HML, my Tool is MLH, same as my Maratac and Worm.
The Video shows that the LED has a ring around it now, coinciding with a new driver, thanks for confirming the new circuit has NoPWM, I find the same ringed LED and No PWM on my new since Oct 2015 Copper Maratac and new Copper N219 Worm.

fwiw, there is also a group buy version of the N219 Copper Tool by ReyLight that is rated to have a 1 lumen low and LMH sequence.

Im really happy with the new N219 offerings from Lumintop. Not as bright, but better CRI than the XPG2. The Tool is a beautiful copper light, basically the same as a clickie version of a Maratac (I wish that came with N219 too). Imo the new NO PWM circuit makes these lights my Top Choice in AAA Copper, highly recommended.

Flashlight Review: Lumintop Copper Tool (XPG2, 3-modes, pocket clip) Runtimes...

Thanks for the comments. But if you watch the video you'll see I scroll through the modes and it obviously goes h m l, did you look closely? I guess i don't understand the difference between MLH. Could you please explain what exactly this means?

Also it does have mode memory, it's not really an opinion. It just takes about 4 seconds to engage. I don't like it, but that is considered mode memory as far as I can tell. Does your light not operate in the same way as this light? Does it take about 4 seconds for mode memory to work on yours?

Re: Flashlight Review: Lumintop Copper Tool (XPG2, 3-modes, pocket clip) Runtimes...

mhanlen said:

Thanks for the comments. But if you watch the video you'll see I scroll through the modes and it obviously goes h m l, did you look closely?

yes I think I looked very closely, and yes when you cycle the modes more than once, after Low comes High, then Medium. But if you turn the light off for a few seconds the first time you turn it on, the first mode is Medium, then Low, etc.

I guess i don't understand the difference between MLH. Could you please explain what exactly this means?

the light starts on Medium when first turned on. It does not start on High, nor Low. When the light has been off, and it is first turned on, it starts in Medium, hence MLH. IF it started on High that would be HML

Also it does have mode memory, it's not really an opinion. It just takes about 4 seconds to engage. I don't like it, but that is considered mode memory as far as I can tell. Does your light not operate in the same way as this light? Does it take about 4 seconds for mode memory to work on yours?

Click to expand...

I have no mode memory in any of my Lumintop lights, not the Tools, not the Maratacs, not the Worms, and not the Prometheus Beta either. I probably dont use the term memory the way you do. For me, IF the light was on at Low, and I turn it off and on quickly, it advances to High. If Im on Low and turn it off and then turn it on after 4 seconds, it starts back on the first mode of Medium, not Low again. There is no way to make the light start on Low first, no matter how long it is on or off.

Re: Flashlight Review: Lumintop Copper Tool (XPG2, 3-modes, pocket clip) Runtimes...

jon_slider said:

I have no mode memory in any of my Lumintop lights, not the Tools, not the Maratacs, not the Worms, and not the Prometheus Beta either. I probably dont use the term memory the way you do. For me, IF the light was on at Low, and I turn it off and on quickly, it advances to High. If Im on Low and turn it off and then turn it on after 4 seconds, it starts back on the first mode of Medium, not Low again. There is no way to make the light start on Low first, no matter how long it is on or off.

Click to expand...

I'm 99.9% sure this now has mode memory. I have two lumintop lights and both have mode memory. I'm not at home now, but I'll report back tomorrow. But the light does return to the last mode used, provided you leave the light off for four seconds.

Re: Flashlight Review: Lumintop Copper Tool (XPG2, 3-modes, pocket clip) Runtimes...

Who could possibly have anything butter to do than watching your reviews? Keep them coming! Merry Christmas and a Happy New (Prolific) Year 2016.

Re: Flashlight Review: Lumintop Copper Tool (XPG2, 3-modes, pocket clip) Runtimes...

mhanlen said:

I'm 99.9% sure this now has mode memory. I have two lumintop lights and both have mode memory. I'm not at home now, but I'll report back tomorrow. But the light does return to the last mode used, provided you leave the light off for four seconds.

Click to expand...

First off, neat review, thanks for sharing.

Regarding the mode memory, were you sent a retail unit or a prototype? I received my Copper Tool Nichia yesterday, in the retail brown linen box with "luxury flashlight" on it directly from Lumintop, and it is without a doubt PWM-free with a M-L-H sequence per use and documentation, with NO mode-memory. Previous Maratac AAA's, Lumintop Worms and Tools all have been free of mode-memory as far as I am aware as well.

Flashlight Review: Lumintop Copper Tool (XPG2, 3-modes, pocket clip) Runtimes...

I had absolutely no doubt that it had mode memory... It takes a full 3 or 4 seconds of it off for it to kick in though. I'm away for the holiday and I'll double check tomorrow and post the results.

But since I've had two people now tell me I'm wrong, I guess I'll have to see.

In my review you'll see the packaging it came in. It was an envelope and that plastic box with the orings shown in the video. Mine did not come in a brown box, and had no documentation. It came directly from lumintop, and it was part of their new global testing campaign. I got it in the mail 3 weeks ago.

Re: Flashlight Review: Lumintop Copper Tool (XPG2, 3-modes, pocket clip) Runtimes...

mhanlen said:

I had absolutely no doubt that it had mode memory... It takes a full 3 or 4 seconds of it off for it to kick in though. I'm away for the holiday and I'll double check tomorrow and post the results.

But since I've had two people now tell me I'm wrong, I guess I'll have to see.

In my review you'll see the packaging it came in. It was an envelope and that plastic box with the orings shown in the video. Mine did not come in a brown box, and had no documentation. It came directly from lumintop, and it was part of their new global testing campaign. I got it in the mail 3 weeks ago.

Click to expand...

Apologizes, I forgot that you showed the packaging. If the testing units have mode memory, I would personally prefer that they continue to leave the retail units memory free such as the new unit I received. I like the consistency of knowing which mode is going to appear when the light is turned on.

Since I had no documentation with my light... I was also not told what emitter I had either. That was pretty easy to figure out once I turned it on. Again if I'm wrong my apologies... I'll add a correction to my review.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention Jon_slider and Thetasigma. I did make a mistake in the video. I said the light has mode memory and it does not. It indeed starts in medium, and with each half press then goes MLHMLHML- so in the video the mode order is right if you scroll through the modes. If the light is left off for less than 3 seconds it behaves like next mode memory. I apologize, but when I was initially testing the mode memory I noticed it had next mode memory when turning it on and off quickly. I must have had it on medium for the next several times when I left it off for 4 seconds or more and then thought it had stayed on that mode. I truly apologize. Thanks guys, I was wrong. I will make an annotation in the video, and be more careful on my next review.

mhanlen - thanks for the great review. I also received a light from Lumintop and am working on my 'layman's review' - decided to use it for a few days. I'm actually very impressed with the little light. AAA lights are a favorite of mine and I really like the feel of this one and the clicky switch.

Again, thanks - and great job.

mhanlen said:

mistake

Click to expand...

No worries, you made improvements along the way, and I enjoyed your review very much, Thanks!

Thank you for the helpful review, much appreciated!

Something that really stood out to me was the difference in run times, well I suppose more really, regulation from the production/shipping version (which I assume was the version reviewed in the video?) Vs the pre-production version not long ago reviewed here:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-LUMINTOP-TOOL-AAA-Cooper-(Nichia-219B-1x-AAA)
Production version run time graph here:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...r-Shipping-version-(Nichia-219B-1xAAA)-Review

Noticeably different and improved on the production version Tool.

@jon slider, yes the thing that popped into my head when I saw the production versions run time graph was "Maratac clicky".

To me that would be the best of both worlds as I think the Maratac AAA Rev 3 is one of the best single AAA lights for output Vs run time and regulation from the info I have gathered on CPF and other forums plus I really like a clicky. I would love to get some conformation as to whether the production version Cooper Tools are indeed using the Maratacs guts so to speak. Would be very interesting to see some run times graphs from the XP-G2 R5 Copper Tool for a like for like comparison.

Edit: Looking at both of the Tool graphs again the differences in the mAh of the batteries that were used need to be taken into consideration in regards to run times. The production/shipping version Tool still has better regulation though. Also looks like it may actually be off by a possible 10 mins or so in regards to a Maratac AAA Rev 3 regulated run time so maybe its not using the same internals. As already mentioned a comparison with a XP-G2 R5 Copper Tool would be needed to get a better idea.