New Preon, Tool Ti, Ti5T, K18 SS : A layman's review

Years ago i wrote few massive flashlight reviews, they contained some valid points and half-interesting original thoughts, but were also blown out of proportion with too much blablah textual ballast tl;dr . I've come to an end with my flashlight collection, i don't plan or want to add more to the bunch, so it's a good time now to look back and review some of the latest additions in form of a comparison. I won't comment on all and everything nor systematically but treat aspects freely, whatever feature/property is noteworthy, special, or peculiar, especially good/bad. This review covers a total of 13 1xAAA models (5 clickies + 8 twisties) and we shall focus our attention on the more desirable more recent ones. Let's get started and keep things concise, click on the pics for higher res pics.

A family pic of the best looking among the 13, Thrunite Ti5T, Foursevens New Preon P1, Fenix LD01SS, Lumintop Tool Ti, Lumintop Worm SS, Ultratac K18SS, Tank007 ES12, Thrunite TiS, Eoslamp SP11-S:



Let's group in 5's for a size comparison with the remaining less exciting models. Four groups. 1st group, 2×Lumintop, Ti5T, 2×LD01:



2nd group, Tank007 E09, Preon, Ti5T, LD01SS, Eoslamp:



3rd group, Tank007 E09 (old version), Tank007 ES12, Ti5T, Tank007 E10, Manker E01:



4th group, Worm, K18, Ti5T, Tool Ti with Preon clip, TiS:



That was that. Now let's cut to the chase. Which is the brightest mini torch, 30sec after activation? What's the output after 5min continuous runtime on a fresh battery filled with 800mAh energy? Then we're taking a 1min pause (=light OFF), after which we turn the flashlight back ON again for another measly 30sec runtime and re-check the output, i.e. after a total of 6.5min (=5+1+0.5) elapsed "testing time", what would you expect? Finally, how's output on a depleted battery with only 200mAh energy left to go? Practical questions which had always been haunting me.



How did i measure brightness? Layman-like i used my smartphone app Light Meter Harmony (lmh) and directed the phone towards a wall corner in a white tiled restroom. The app recorded a frontal single light bounce from that wall corner, at fixed distance, similar to a typical white ceiling bounce. I am not claiming that the lmh numbers are proportional to lumens (nor lux), but they did serve my purpose: a dim light would produce a low lmh number, a bright light a high lmh, and the decline of brightness for a particular model was registered unmistakably.

Lights with constant brightness don't mind depleted batteries because their great ("flat") regulation produces the same brightness at any time, at any state of charge, given that the battery can still deliver high currents like a depleted Eneloop AAA. Worm, Eoslamp, and LD01 fall under this admirable category. Note though that LD01 steps down after the initial 7min. The Tool Ti is supposed to have the same driver as the Worm but my tests show a decline of brightness on a 200mAh-filled battery, hmm. The Ultratac is not impressively bright on Eneloop but that is made up for by the long runtime and neat efficiency. On 10440 it operates safely and really shines. The New Preon P1 blasts out a great deal of lumen upon activation, then loses momentum rather fast, and after 1min of pause tries to regain it. The P1 seems to be really dependent on the state of the battery, which reminds me a bit of direct-driven lights; definitely no signs of flat regulation. Both Thrunite NeutralWhite lights excel during this 13min (=6.5+6.5) "testing time": super bright upon activation, after 30sec, after 5min, after 6.5min, and similarly bright on a depleted battery, near-flat regulation, impressive performance. What about the Thrunite runtime or efficiency? I don't know. The above table doesn't convey anything about runtimes. If you're after super long runtimes on HIGH-mode, then check the Eoslamp with dimmish constant brightness for over 2hrs! My Tank007 models hit the market 2011, share the identical unefficient low frequency PWM driver, and haven't seen any improvement since. The Manker was reviewed not long ago by UPz, for further performance details on the E01 please check his review.

Next up, beam sliceshots. They give a quick impression of overall tint and beam angle:

With such a comparison as reference it is imho fair to comment on tint by calling names, like < greenish, whiteish, purplish, yellowish, creamish, warmish, etc >. I've placed a short video at the end of the review documenting tint performance in motion picture form.

Now let's go through all models and comment on noteworthy aspects, certain details, maybe pro's and con's, or summarizing thoughts, or whatever comes to my mind off the top of my head, what's stuck in my mind when thinking of the light. For filling out photo content in 16:9 format i grouped the lights in 4 groups à 3 related lights:

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Manker E01 (Nichia) / Tank007 E09 / Fenix LD01


















Manker E01 (Nichia)

• same as Astrolux A01, 3 modes twisty L-M-H, also Strobe, Low is Firefly
• pretty bright for a 1xAAA Nichia, short runtime, see UPz review
• tail has sharp edges, massive construction, probably very robust
• not reliable twisty operation on my unit
• unusual aesthetics, bulky design, doesn't leave the impression of a finished mature evolved design
• very inexpensive

Tank007 E09

• low frequency PWM, low efficiency driver, safe 10440's operation
• starry hotspot, throwy beam, wide beam angle, very bright (purplish) spill
• very easy to maintain and repair
• likable, looks more professional than it is
• inexpensive, cheap to replace or for servicing parts
• highly mass-produced item with not the tightest tolerances, good value though
• the SS version (ES12) is a serious step-up in build quality, tolerances, etc and is even more likable

Fenix LD01

• professional stuff, build quality, beam, tint, throw, runtime; moderate brightness
• #2 least greenish cw tint, premium beam with tight sharp circle round hotspot
• 3 modes M-L-H; w/ 10440 very poor-spaced levels and loses a really low Lo
• due to step-down after 7min fantastic High runtime
• the best 1xAAA clip ever, 1.00mm thickness
• was expensive, overpriced, afaik not produced anymore

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Eoslamp SP11-S (nw) / Lumintop Worm SS / Fenix LD01SS


















Eoslamp SP11-S (nw) :candle:

• smallest/thinnest/lightest among the SS models, only 23g, most suitable for 24/7 keychain carry
• superior build quality, drop-resistant, robust
• okay looks, somewhat reminiscent of Tain Ottavino/Piccolo
• Eoslamp aaa is a classic in the scene, goes a long way, SP11-S still in production, now with tritium slot in tail
• light looks dim, nw tint is weird, contains some greenish
• not reliable twisty operation, spring contact resistance issues during twisting, light may flicker between L-H
• High needs fine-tuning, may be less bright than max possible because of those spring contact resistance issues
• 2 modes twisty L-H, fully tightened for OFF, loosen a bit for High, loosen even more for Low
• convenient 1-handed operation
• highly efficient driver with very long runtime on High
• i can live with the flickering but the nw tint makes things look dim. i don't like dim.

Lumintop Worm SS :sleepy:

• classic evolved mature model, design copied by many others
• jewellery, great for gifting, imho too elegant for actual keychain duty
• top efficient current regulated driver with constant brightness
• 3 modes M-L-H, nicely bright on High
• creamish white hotspot, i.e. with acceptable greenishness; i've seen few better xp-g2's but many worse (e.g. Olight aaa)
• pretty much same tint and beam as Tool Ti
• extremely slippery polished SS surface, not very practical
• 27g, unexciting, went directly into collection case, shelf queen

Fenix LD01 SS lovecpf

• greenish tint, everybody can see
• beautiful timeless model, a must-have for collectionists
• brighter than LD01
• with its massive 35g the clear king
• in theory straight-forward to swap the LED (modding, upgrade), in practice too slippery to get head apart

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Thrunite Ti5T (nw) / Foursevens New Preon P1 / Tank007 E10




















Thrunite Ti5T (nw)

• floody beam, immense output, stays at a high level, almost constant
• big light fwiw, pocket clip has 0.80mm thickness
• not as shiny polished as TiS or K18SS, takes on micro scratches too easily
• forward clicky; from OFF, half-press for mode change, full-press for engage
• 3-modes L-M-H, plus Strobe; starts with Firefly, probably same driver as TiS
• scratchy Ti metal cap, force needed for full-press
• xp-l nw tint has some greens, not as clean and beautiful as TiS xp-g2 nw tint
• The clicky component has only 0.07Ω resistance.

Foursevens New Preon P1 :tinfoil:

• forward clicky; from OFF, half-press for mode change, full-press for engage
• mode memory includes blinky modes
• rich UI can be programmed to 5 different sets
• nice simple shape, bigger than Tool Ti, good grip thru micro grooves
• rather non-scratchy metal cap, hardly any force needed for full-press
• floody beam, high output, does not stay a that high level
• very good pocket clip, 0.80mm thickness
• i don't like the xp-l tint too much
• The clicky component has 0.20Ω resistance.

Tank007 E10 :fail:

• same driver as in E09/ES12, just with a reverse clicky tail switch
• supports protected 10440's
• pocket clip with 0.65mm thickness
• nice SS switch cover doesn't get stuck after some modding
• abysmal output on High mode probably due to high resistance clicky component
• The clicky component has 0.23Ω resistance.

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Lumintop Tool Ti / Ultratac K18SS / Thrunite TiS



















Lumintop Tool Ti :kiss:

• measures brighter than my Worm SS unit (i am measuring lmh, not lm not lux!)
• same beam, same tint as Worm SS
• most likable tail clicky switch on a 1xAAA i ever had
• most likable 1xAAA clicky flashlight i ever had, so beautiful. looks better than Liteflux imho
• because of thin middle section feels thinner and shorter than it is
• electronic switch appears to be re-powered , what a peculiar electronic design lol!
• press'n hold or double-click have no effect (1 press'n release = 1 "click")
• 3 modes M-L-H; from OFF, 5 "clicks" needed to get to High
• 23g w/ New Preon clip, original pocket clip has 0.60mm thickness
• gap between tailcap and body is best filled with an aftermarket clip like New Preon P1 clip

Ultratac K18 SS

• same clip style as Thrunite TiS clip, also reversible, but thicker: 0.70mm thickness
• good looks, absolutely likable, from the beginning to the end
• 30g w/ pre-installed clip, feels shorter than LD01
• protected 10440's work because of SS construction
• 3-mode L-M-H, mode memory; electronic lockout thru double-click from OFF, lockout memory
• #1 least greenish CW tint, ~greenfree, antarctic cool white, superb tint performance, no tint shift
• convenient 1-handed operation, 2.0yrs warranty
• premium build quality, exquisite machining, with rounded edges everywhere, tight tolerances
• perfect LED centricity, beam profile, no artifacts, no (pronounced) corona
• less bright than Thrunite aaa on NiMH but longer runtime
• super bright on 10440's and nothing to sneeze at on NiMH, good efficiency on both batteries
• weight not a problem if light is fed with 10440's
• my new keychain light since I/2016, relieving the Eoslamp
• see also my expanded comments in UPz review

Thrunite TiS (nw) :thumbsup:

• leading NiMH brightness, almost constant, very impressive performance; looks brighter than Ti5T
• extremely slippery SS surface, 1-handed operation impossible
• 3-modes L-M-H, plus Strobe; starts with Firefly, a hassle to twist thru the modes with 2 hands until you're in High mode
• light SS weight, beautiful SS build, beautiful NW tint
• imho not suitable for frequent practical deployment: too slippery, 2-handed operation, no mode memory
• almost 10€ cheaper now than original price at market release, incredible
• super thin pocket clip, 0.60mm thickness
• 24g w/o keychain w/o clip
• a winner & keeper, a must-have

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Let's conclude this review with a youtube clip. Each of the 12 model gets a similar treatment, that's why the clip is longer than you might like. On the youtube site, in the video description (TOC/table of contents), you can click on the individual model name to jump directly to the corresponding video section.



Over the next few days there will be some minor edits to the text, additions, corrections, and whatnot. On the other hand, these are just 1xAAA lights, basically they're all similar, 3 modes, some with clip, some with a switch, all around 7cm long/1.4cm thick, the flat tails can tailstand, the others can't, all share a tiny OP reflector, and most of them are affordable, so you can buy various models and not just 1 out of the 12. Sure, by now, i found my new favorite keychain light, the K18SS, but i wouldn't want to let go of other favorites like the TiS or Tool Ti. Basically, all of the here presented models are great (well, except for the E10), otherwise they wouldn't have made it into this comparison review. I've got iTP, Olight, Klarus, and some lesser name AAA's which didn't make it into the comparison, i booted them out.

Wow,,,,that is an abundant collection of key chain type lights!! Love the SS and titanium.

Do you have a sufficient collection of larger throw monsters like Capolini?!:rock:

Looks like a lot of work went into this review.
I like the comparative photos - It's hard to visualize the size of a light w/o a reference.

Great job! I'm looking into AAA lights right now and although only a few are on my radar, it's great to see a whole bunch of others I didn't know about. Very much appreciate the info in the Fenix, lumintop and preon! :thumbup:

Great review. I really like that Ti Lumintop. I hope 4Sevens makes the new Preon in Ti soon.

Awesome review! Did the Preon head line get cut off? Seems to be missing the one word evaluation. How do you like it vs the tool ti? How is the low mode?

Wow!!! review Kreisl, Thanks for share this;
My preferred is the K18ss, I also like the Lumintops especially the Worm SS, and now I have on the way one Foursevens new Preon P1 in blue!!!!

gunga said:

Did the Preon head line get cut off? Seems to be missing the one word evaluation. How do you like it vs the tool ti? How is the low mode?

Click to expand...

Thanks for the compliments guys!
Headline? 1-word evaluation? Not sure what you're referring to sorry

The Preon is easy to activate, has a nice metal switch (with wobbly metal cap), and has the best UI: programmable. If programmed to the 1-mode set (H-H-H-…), then it even has "tactical momentary activation", since there is no other mode to switch to. Appearance is great and the clip too. The clip could have been thicker though. It's 0.80mm, whereas Fenix clips are 1.00mm and Darksucks.com clips are 1.00mm too afaik, never mind. The PWM is not easily noticeable, so of no concern imo. The construction of the tail switch assembly is similar to the E10 switch assembly, very good. All that, i appreciate. The low mode isn't very low, as you can see from the video (t=34:35), the camera had fixed exposure and easily picked up the Preon's Low.

If i had won the tint lottery i would like the Preon a lot more. I have yet to see an XM-L or XP-L cw emitter in an AAA light which pleases me, especially with regard to tint, tint performance, tint shift. And i'd also prefer the tighter beam of a xp-g2 because things look brighter. I prefer the Thrunite TiS to Ti5T, and Tool Ti to Preon P1, in that regard alone.

Preon vs Tool Ti, overall i like the latter much better, what a compact nice feeling Titanium joy-bringer it is with the Preon clip!

Trevi, please let us know whether you like the Lumintops better than the Preon or not, thanks!!

thanks for sharing your photos and impressions

out of all the lights you mention, I think the Lumintop Ti Tool and SS Worm use NO PWM
any others pictured in the thread with NO PWM?
(I mean NO, not just "not noticeable")

also do you have any Lumintop Tool or Worm with N219? If you do, could you please do a side by side beamshot to the Manker? Im trying to see if the CCT for both is 4000K or to confirm if the Lumintop N219 is 4500K?

Dear kreisl,

Great photos there - and some of the shiniest lights ever seen on CPF!
You must be very patient about polishing them up to such brilliance.

(Me, I enjoy polishing-up my lights: so that they're bright both ways!)

Bravo Kreisl.

Absolutely excellent write up

jon_slider said:

out of all the lights you mention, I think the Lumintop Ti Tool and SS Worm use NO PWM
any others pictured in the thread with NO PWM?
(I mean NO, not just "not noticeable")

also do you have any Lumintop Tool or Worm with N219? If you do, could you please do a side by side beamshot to the Manker? Im trying to see if the CCT for both is 4000K or to confirm if the Lumintop N219 is 4500K?

Click to expand...

NO PWM:
Lumintop Ti Tool
SS Worm
LD01 R4
LD01SS R5
Eoslamp SP11-S
Thrunite Ti5T
Thrunite TiS
Manker E01

WITH PWM:
all Tank007's
New Preon P1
Ultratac K18SS

I don't have any Lumintop with Nichia, sorry.
For the Worm i had done an unboxing vid though:

These lights aren't my style but dang good job with the review!:twothumbs

kreisl said:

Foursevens New Preon P1 :tinfoil:

• forward clicky; from OFF, half-press for mode change, full-press for engage
• mode memory includes blinky modes
• rich UI can be programmed to 5 different sets
• nice simple shape, bigger than Tool Ti, good grip thru micro grooves
• rather non-scratchy metal cap, hardly any force needed for full-press
• floody beam, high output, does not stay a that high level
• very good pocket clip, 0.80mm thickness
• i don't like the xp-l tint too much
• The clicky component has 0.20Ω resistance.

Click to expand...

I had a question on the mode memory; can it be programmed out?
For example if you have it set up for 2-3 modes, will the light always exhibit mode memory?
(I dislike mode memory - dealbreaker - which is why I'm curious, thanks.)

Kestrel said:

I had a question on the mode memory; can it be programmed out?
For example if you have it set up for 2-3 modes, will the light always exhibit mode memory?
(I dislike mode memory - dealbreaker - which is why I'm curious, thanks.)

Click to expand...

Let me explain the mode memory in detail, that will automatically answer the questions ... here we go:

1) If your last used mode —even if it was ON for a split second only— was any among < Low, Medium, High, Strobe, SOS, Beacon high, Beacon low >, then (after a sufficiently long rest say 5sec) the light will come ON again in exactly that last used mode. For example, if the last used mode was Beacon high, then the light will come ON again on Beacon high.
2) However there is a nice rule for any configuration which consists of more than 2 modes: No matter which mode the light came ON (=mode memory), the next mode will always be Low. The exception is Low: If the last used mode was already Low, then the light will come back ON on Low, of course (=mode memory), and the next mode will be Medium, of course. For example, if the last used mode was Beacon high, then the light will come ON again on Beacon high (=mode memory) but the next mode will be Low. Basically the mode sequence after the "memorized" mode is reset to the beginning of the sequence. How is this feature useful? Let's assume you don't know which mode the light was used in, you can't remember. And possibly it was a blinky mode and you don't want the light to come ON in any surprising mode like blinky or High. Then, from OFF, simply double press the switch (=half-press followed by full-press), and you will most likely land in Low. Or less likely end up in Medium. Sounds good to me. This rule applies to "Configuration 4: Low-Medium-High-Strobe" and "Configuration 5: Low-Medium-High-Strobe-SOS-Beacon high-Beacon low", the other 3 available configurations consist of less than 3 modes, see below. Clearly, there is no 6th configuration with 3 modes like "Low-Medium-High" or "Medium-Low-High", which is imho a pity.

One can set the Preon to 1 of the 5 following fixed configurations:
config 1: High (=1 mode)
config 2: High-Low (=2 modes)
config 3: High-Strobe (=2 modes)
config 4: Low-Medium-High-Strobe (=4 modes)
config 5: Low-Medium-High-Strobe-SOS-Beacon high-Beacon low (=7 modes)

Mode memory is active in every config and cannot be programmed out.

The New Preon P1 is a much more likable clicky AAA than the Ti5T, because it is smaller, looks more professional, is programmable, has mode memory, which i like btw, and has the much better clicky switch, easy to activate, responsive. But my liking is, like the Ti5T and TiTi, ruined by the choice of emitter: XP-L, what a floody contourless beam with no throw plus XM-L'ish tint! TiS-nw has such a nice NW tint, K18SS has such a nice CW tint, both sporting XP-G2 emitters. Aren't XP-G2 emitters just perfect for AAA lights, preferable to XM-L and XP-L emitters? Well that's how i see it, my opinion.

Well one could lego the Lumintop Worm, Lumintop Tool (non-Ti!), Thrunite TiS, etc head on the Preon body for a more focused less floody beam with nicer tint but those lego combinations look really horrible, the Preon o-ring peeks out, the Preon body diameter is bigger, etc etc i won't even care to share photos of those horrible legos, no thanks.

Having the Ti5T, i don't even care for polished titanium anymore. Seriously, the Ti5T finish gets micro-scratched even with a tooth brush or tempo tissue, crazy, s*cks!

My dream AAA clicky would be a New Preon P1 in electro-polished stainless steel with a non-greenish (like K18SS!) XP-G2 emitter and with more fixed configurations like Low-Medium-High (=3 modes). A stainless steel switch cover would also bind less than a titanium cover, i guess.

Ok, thanks.

Thanks for the information on the Lumintop Tool! I know how much work goes into a post like this, much appreciated! Kreisl, can you tell me if this is the clip that fits the light? http://darksucks.com/store DS_PreonClip.html I'm anxiousely awaiting a tool Ti from the group buy and want to put a proper clip on it, love the look of the Prometheus clips. After reading another thread I'm thinking it is the new Preon clip that looks similar and does fit the light?

Espionage Studio said:

Thanks for the information on the Lumintop Tool! I know how much work goes into a post like this, much appreciated! Kreisl, can you tell me if this is the clip that fits the light? http://darksucks.com/store DS_PreonClip.html I'm anxiousely awaiting a tool Ti from the group buy and want to put a proper clip on it, love the look of the Prometheus clips. After reading another thread I'm thinking it is the new Preon clip that looks similar and does fit the light?

Click to expand...

The DS Preon clip is a substitute for the Old Preon clip. And as we learned from the Lumintop Tool Ti thread, the Old Preon clip does not fit the Tool Ti.

The DS LF2XT Ti clip fits but is out of production.

Yes, the New Preon clip fits, 100% perfectly in every way. Length, thickness, inner diameter, outer diameter, fitment, finish, everything. Here are the relevant dimensions, my measurements:

New Preon P1 clip said:

total length : 37.7mm
neck outer diameter : 14.7mm
neck inner diameter : 12.9mm
length from neck to the bend : 30.0mm
clip thickness : 0.8mm

Click to expand...

With these measurements it should be easy to find out if the D25AAA Mini clip woot fit the Tool Ti too! :wave:

While i love the Tool Ti for its look, feel, switch, brightness, efficiency, the beam is not as perfect as LD01 R4's beam in terms of beam pattern and tint. The best CW tints, i.e. the least greenish CW tints, are witnessed with my K18 SS and LD01 R4, which is why both lights are featured as filming reference in the PIP (picture in picture) of the video. And all reflectors with a reflective flat base ring right at the emitter die do show it in form of a darker ring around the hotpot ("donut ring"). The Tool Ti with the New Preon clip is a joyous AAA clicky, very much so, but people looking for a perfect beam (re tint and beam profile) at 79US$ asking price are herewith warned, they won't find it in the Tool Ti. 100% perfect beam profile can be found in LD01, as long as the LED is perfectly centered, and 99% perfect CW tint can be found in K18 SS.

Overall -let's not be too picky- the tint and pattern/profile of Tool Ti's beam are okay though, i'd rate it a 3 stars out of 5. Just don't have high hopes. You'd end up disappointed otherwise.

Thank you kreisl. Do you know if the new Preon clip is Ti or steel?