LUMINTOP PRINCE MINI
LED: CREE XP-L HD CW
Battery: 1x AA / 1× 14500
Modes: 3 (L, M, H)
Switch: Reverse, in the tailcap.
Date: March 2017
PRESENTATION
Lumintop has launched some time ago a "mini" version of its Prince . It is an elegant "collection" flashlight that combines a very careful design with a combination of very interesting metals for its construction.
The flashlight comes in a rather common cardboard box, in which inside we will find in addition to the Prince Mini a set of spare O-rings, a silicone diffuser and a cloth bag.
Inside the flashlight we will also find an AA Alkaline correctly isolated at the negative pole by a sticker.
The cloth bag is supposed to be for keeping the flashlight, although I doubt anyone will use something like that in real life.
EXTERNAL FINISH
The design of the Prince mini is virtually an AA-sized Prince, with a completely cylindrical finish and a combination of "exotic" materials including steel, brass, carbon fiber and copper for a flashlight with a very peculiar look.
In size and especially weight we are not an extremely compact or light flashlight, but the completely cylindrical design makes it comfortable for the pocket.
The combination of metals such as copper or steel are responsible for the overweight of this Lumintop.
The optics are composed of an XP-L HD (with dome) with cool white tint with a smooth reflector and a glass lens with AR treatment.
The light consists of three main parts: On the one hand we have the head, with the chassis in stainless steel and the seat of the circuit and the emitter in brass. The central tube is machined in copper, and covered by a carbon fiber jacket. The tailcap is machined completely in steel.
The threads have a standard triangular cut, arriving clean and without any problem. Positive contact with the driver has a ring-shaped inverted polarity protection mechanism that surrounds the contact point, so the use of button top batteries is necessary.
The switch is covered by a button made of steel, with a very nice engraving with the logo of the brand on its flat base. The design of the switch allows to place the light in tailstand, something that is especially useful if it is used in conjunction with the silicone diffuser included with the flashlight. The clip, fastened by screws to the tailcap, has a very good tension, and somehow helps to improve the grip of the flashlight, since its polished surface makes it somewhat slippery.
In general, the mechanical finishes of this Prince Mini are excellent.
USER INTERFACE
The user interface of this Prince Mini is quite simple, with only three modes and without any strobe mode or extra function.
- Switching on and off: Using the "reverse" switch, located on the tailcap, we will switch on and off the flashlight. Remember that the "reverse" requires a full press – until you hear the click – and release to activate it.
- Changing modes: With the flashlight on, pressing momentarily the switch slightly will perform a micro-off, which will be identified by the flashlight driver and will go to the next mode. The order of the modes is ascending, L-M-H.
- Memory: The Prince Mini does not have any mode memory, so when it is turned on (after more than two seconds since its last use) it will always turn on in the low mode.
(All measurements are taken following the ANSI NEMA FL1 procedure, taking as value the highest point of the reading between the second 30 and 120 after its activation. More details here.)
The modes range from 12 to 500 lumen (120 if we will not use a rechargeable lithium ion battery). In my opinion Lumintop could have spaced somewhat better modes, especially for use with a nimh AA. The correlation between what is specified by the manufacturer and what is read in the integrating sphere is quite good.
PERFORMANCE
With an AA Eneloop the flashlight shows a somehow flat-type regulation.
However, with a 14500 we see as there is a time controlled stepdown, which drops from the initial ~ 500lm to ~ 190lm to keep them more or less stable for the rest of the runtime.
The stepdown is performed along about 20 seconds, so that it is gradual and hardly noticeable to the eye.
Compared with other AA flashlights, the Prince Mini has in more than acceptable runtime thanks to its moderate output. Efficiency is also one of the highest.
With the 14500 lithium ion rechargeable battery the performance is very similar to other officially compatible flashlights with these batteries, but it sits far behind in efficiency to what Eagtac or Zebralight are able to get out of the 14500.
BEAM PROFILE
The small smooth reflector is able to define more than acceptable the spot within the projection, creating a pretty good balance for an EDC flashlight of these characteristics.
The tint of this XP-L HD is something greenish, as it is being habitual in the last generation of cool white tinted CREE emitters present in mass produced china flashlights.
Especially you can see a big color difference in the area surrounding the hotspot.
PERSONAL CONCLUSION
Lumintop, especially in recent times, seems to be trying to hog the market for EDC lights, and seems to be paying special attention to those flashlights finished in not so common metals such as brass, copper, steel or titanium. Collectibles for some, tools with a special charm for others.
Fenix LD12 2017 · Klarus MiX7 Ti · Lumintop Prince Mini · Klarus Mi7 Ti · Eagletach D25A Ti · DQG TinyAA Ti
Negative aspects: Undoubtedly, the weakest points or with more margin for improvement of this flashlight are in the user interface, which is in my modest opinion exceedingly simple. The mode spacing, specially the difference between M and H on a AA is almost nothing, and I'll also welcome a real Low mode.
Positive aspects: Lumintop is committed to innovative designs and, although many times the electronics are not up to par, it is always grateful that someone takes these risks and offers different designs, regardless of whether the design is to our liking or not. It is also very positive that the flashlight is fully compatible with AA batteries (primary or rechargeable nimh) and also with rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.
Lumintop Prince Mini provided by Lumintop for test and review.
