So, the trees aren’t on fire, but my pocket has gotten warm a few times already. I just got a Lumintop FW3A for Christmas, and let me say, Munroe exaggerates a bit in the comic above, but only just.
First, some specs: this pocket-sized light puts out 2,800 lumens at max, and 10,000 candela at its peak. Granted, this is on “turbo” mode, but even on “high” it’s impressively bright.
I’ve become quite a fan of this light already, despite its pivotal role in putting me squarely into the enthusiast camp one day at a time… I caught myself looking at even more absurd lights already. Go figure.
Overall though, it’s got a really simple body, clip, and cap with no markings or branding which appeals to me, making it a nicely understated light. The tailcap switch is solidly clicky without being loud, the clip works a treat, and the knurling is aggressive enough that it isn’t slippery, but not so sharp it cuts in to the hand (or the pocket).
The most difficult part of this light is learning the firmware, Andúril (the Flame of the West – Aragorn’s sword in the Lord of the Rings). As follows is the flowchart in the manual:
It’s honestly not as bad as it looks.
Seriously, I mean it!
If you’ve got the light in your hand, this all starts to make sense – I can see why this firmware is as popular as it is with enthusiasts after playing around with it for a bit.
For an “average Joe” user, I can see how this would appear intimidating, and honestly for somebody who might need this in a pinch or in a stressful situation (ie; law enforcement, security, or even someone carrying this along with a firearm), it may be a touch too complex, especially contrasted with say, Streamlight’s usual interface: tap momentary, full press for high, double tap for strobe, press and hold for high-low (on that note, where is my LED Strion anyway…). For normal use I’d suggest the Microstream I reviewed for one of my first posts.
For somebody with a bit of spare time or an interest in flashlight nerdery, I think it’s a great option – the only challenge you might run up against is you need “flat-top” 18650 cells. For the uninitiated, 18650s are a type of battery cell, and “flat-top” is just like it sounds, contrasted with “button-top” cells.
The big advantage to this move is you can get far increased light output and longevity with 18650 batteries as compared to most other batteries (especially AAs or AAAs). The disadvantage is you begin to open the rabbit hole into flashlight enthusiast territory…
I’ll do a piece on the charger and cell I use the most soon, it’s definitely possible to get in to the rechargeable game for under the price of this light ($45 as of this writing).
Until then.
-T