The Vastlite Minima Bow LED flashlight makes a pleasant pair with the tiny LEP model of this gentle. Cheap, 4 modes, and a easy consumer interface. Learn on!
Official Specs and Options
Right here’s a hyperlink to the Vastlite Minima Bow LED flashlight product web page at FlashlightGo.com.
Variations
From what I can inform, there’s just one model of this LED model of the Vastlite Minima Bow LED flashlight. There’s a LEP model too, in fact.
Worth
The Vastlite Minima Bow LED flashlight is listed and out there at $21.99.
What’s Included
- Vastlite Minima Bow LED flashlight
- Vastlite 850mAh 16340
- Pocket clip
- Spare o-rings (2)
- Guide
Bundle and Guide
Construct High quality and Disassembly
The Vastlite Minima Bow LED flashlight is cheap! Amazingly simply round $22, and that features the 16340 cell. At that worth, you would possibly anticipate a diminished construct high quality. And you may see some decisions had been made to maintain the associated fee down, however the construct high quality right here remains to be excellent.
Regardless of sharing a reputation with the LEP model of the Minima Bow, this gentle has some totally different designs on the top (and common variations within the knurling, and so on, throughout.)
On the Vastlite Minima Bow LED flashlight, solely the tailcap is detachable. There’s a spring, and the threads are anodized.
Contained in the cell tube, you may see the constructive contact – only a button and no spring. That’s fantastic for any such gentle, particularly since they’re offering their very own 16340 cell. So contact ought to at all times be excellent (although there’s no spring.)
Measurement and Comps
Measurement: 79mm x 20mm (Size x tube)
weight: 29.5g
Right here’s the sunshine in hand:
Right here’s the take a look at gentle with the venerable Convoy S2+. The model beneath is a customized laser-engraved Convoy S2+ host by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full put up on an engraved orange host proper right here! Or go straight to GadgetConnections.com to purchase your Convoy S2+ now!
Additionally within the photograph above, my Customary Reference Materials (SRM) flashlight is the Hanko Machine Works Trident, an 18350 gentle. Whereas I’ve not reviewed or examined the Gunner Grip model seen right here, I’ve examined a Hanko Machine Works Trident Complete Tesseract in brass. I like the Trident, and it’s a placing distinction to the cheap Convoy S2+, one other nice SRM.
Retention and Carry
The Vastlite Minima Bow LED flashlight ships with a pocket clip already connected to the tail of the sunshine. It’s a really customary clip. The styling is “notably Lumintop,” which makes me marvel if Lumintop makes the model Vastlite. Nothing flawed with that in any respect!
That’s it for carry! There’s no magnet or pouch or something.
Energy and Runtime
The Vastlite Minima Bow LED flashlight runs on lithium-ion cell – on this case, a 16340. The 850mAh 16340 cell seen beneath is included. The sunshine runs a regular cell although, so when you have your individual, it ought to work too.
The cell goes into the sunshine within the regular method – constructive finish towards the top.
Beneath you may see runtime exams for all 4 modes. The output is claimed to be 800 lumens. Output is fairly near that declare, in order that’s good.
The sunshine shuts off with low voltage safety at round 2.9V, too.
The temperature strains in these charts are included as common context, not exact measurements. The values signify the vary (min to max) throughout testing, however shouldn’t be taken as precise readings. A temperature sensor just isn’t at all times connected to the bezel (and even the most well liked spot, assuming that may very well be outlined). Even with preferrred placement, too many variables have an effect on temperature to definitively state a particular max worth.
Charging
The Vastlite Minima Bow LED flashlight itself doesn’t have charging, however the non-obligatory cell does. There’s a USB-C charging port on the constructive finish.
Charging works with C to C and A to C simply fantastic, and each require about 3 hours. That’s very gradual charging, however ought to give the cell a pleasant lengthy and blissful life. That is nicely beneath 0.5C for this 850mAh cell.
When charging, there’s a little bit pink indicator on the constructive finish. When charging is full, the indicator turns inexperienced.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 800-450 | 2m+35m | 769 (0s) 738 (30s) |
1.99 |
| Excessive | 480 | 45m | 450 (0s) 442 (30s) |
0.92 |
| Med | 200 | 3h50m | 167 | 0.29 |
| Low | 45 | 11h | 36 | 0.06 |
Pulse Width Modulation
There’s no PWM.
Click on right here to see a “baseline” – a chart with virtually no gentle hitting the sensor.
Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has among the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so unhealthy that I used a put up about it to elucidate PWM! Listed below are a number of timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make evaluating this “worst” PWM gentle to the take a look at gentle simpler. That put up additionally explains why I didn’t take a look at the WF-602C on the regular 50us scale.
Consumer Interface and Operation
The Vastlite Minima Bow LED flashlight makes use of a mechanical clicky for operation. That is very totally different from the LEP model, which is a twisty! The change right here could be very good. There’s a superb little bit of pressure so the motion could be very agency and there’s a tritium slot within the center.
The sunshine will tailstand, and there’s a lanyard gap in a single aspect of the tailcap, too.
Right here’s a consumer interface desk!
| State | Motion | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click on | On (Reminiscence) |
| On | Click on | Off |
| Off | Faucet | Mode advance |
| Momentary Low | Double faucet | Momentary Strobe |
| Momentary Strobe | Double faucet | Momentary SOS |
| Momentary SOS | Double faucet | Momentary Strobe |
| Momentary Low | Faucet click on | Strobe |
LED and Beam
Vastlite doesn’t state what emitter is used right here. No matter it’s has a dome and has an orange peel reflector. They do state it’s cool white, although.
LED Colour Report (CRI and CCT)
Actually, it’s very cool white, starting from 6800K to 7900K. CRI is low, too.
CCT (Correlated Colour Temperature) refers back to the measurement of the colour look of sunshine, expressed in Kelvins (Okay), which signifies whether or not the sunshine is heat (yellowish) or cool (bluish). A decrease CCT (beneath 3000K) is taken into account heat gentle, whereas the next CCT (above 5000K) offers cooler, bluish gentle.
CRI (Colour Rendering Index) is a measure of how precisely a light-weight supply renders colours compared to pure daylight. Scored on a scale from 0 to 100, increased CRI values point out that colours seem extra true to life and vibrant, much like how they’d look beneath the solar.
Beamshots
These beamshots at all times have the next settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and handbook 5000K publicity. These pictures are taken at flooring degree, and the beam hits the ceiling round 9 ft away.
Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b model) (affiliate hyperlink)
I hold the take a look at flashlight on the left and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the correct. These pictures are taken round 18 inches from the door.
I evaluate the whole lot to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 as a result of it’s cheap and has one of the best tint!
Abstract and Conclusion
The Vastlite Minima Bow LED flashlight is a reasonable gentle. That’s the primary level right here. If it has different options you want (beam profile, for instance), it’s an excellent alternative, significantly if you’ll be able to swap the emitter. The consumer interface is straightforward and strobes won’t usually get in your method. My one actual grievance is {that a} 45-lumen low is far too excessive to be the bottom mode!
The Large Desk
^ Measurement disclaimer: Testing flashlights is my interest. I exploit hobbyist-level tools for testing, together with some I made myself. Attempt to not get buried within the particulars of producer specs versus measurements recorded right here; A certain quantity of distinction (say, 10 or 15%) is completely affordable.
What I like
- Low price
- Easy consumer interface
- Constructed high quality paying homage to Nitecore EX11 (and the entire sequence, undecided which one precisely)
- Makes use of customary (included!) 16340 cell
What I don’t like
- Very cool white
- Strobes – I’d simply depart them off this gentle. I’d a lot relatively have one other mode that’s decrease than 45 lumens.
- 45-lumen low
