Lumintop Frog

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Lumintop Frog specifications

Brand/model	Lumintop Frog v1
LED	Luminus SST20 4000K
Max. Lumens	570-750 lm
Max. Beam intensity / distance	5,670 cd
Battery config.	1*10180 / 10440
Onboard charging	No, but USB-C charger included
Modes	Multiple (NarsilM)
Blinkies	Possible
Reflector	TIR
Waterproof	IPX8
Review date	July 2022

While other brands are fighting to get the brightest flashlight in the world, Lumintop might have looked at them, and thought… hmmmm while they are fighting for the brightest, let’s do the opposite, and build one of the smallest flashlights with a side switch in the world.

And up came the frog: a tiny, tiny flashlight with a sideswitch, powered by a tiny, tiny 10180 battery.

If you need more power, and longer runtimes, get the extension pack with the 10440 battery tube and 10440 battery. That will increase the output, but especially the runtime by a fair margin.

Package quality.

The frog arrived in a very simple generic Lumintop box, with all the necessary stuff to get started, which includes:

• The flashlight: Lumintop Frog
• 10180 battery (loaded inside the flashlight)
• UBS-C cable
• USB-C charging adapter
• Key ring attchment
• 2 o-rings
• Manual

Flashlightbrand also included the optional 10440 kit, with a 10440 battery tube and 10440 battery.

There are no lanyards or straps for this little Frog. Instead, it has a metal clip included for hanging it on your keys. That’s probably a great place to carry, as long as you lock the flashlight. Unlocked, you are likely to run the battery down without knowing. Why? Because if you forget to turn it off for 1 day, the battery is empty. It’s only 80mAh according to the specs.

Like I already mentioned in the intro, this is one of the shortest side-switch flashlights on the planet.

I’s not very easy to hold, except between 2 fingers. If you want to get a bit more grips, make sure you get the optional 10440 battery tube and battery. That makes it easier to handle.

You don’t need to worry about it rolling off an uneven surface because the flashlight isn’t perfectly round, with the side switch sticking out just slightly.

Speaking about the switch, it feels and handles like your average e-switch. It has a distinct sound when you click, and feels good.

There isn’t much knurling, except for the body, which is so small, that it probably only helps a little bit with your grip. The best way to hold it is probably between your index finger and thumb.

This sort of light is best to have on your keys (locked out) or fun for the kids to play with. Just keep in mind, that this is not for toddlers, but for grown-up kids.

The Frog is about the same size as the Lumintop Glow 1, and the body is interchangeable with the Lumintop GT Nano.

There is plenty of knurling on the 10440 battery tube, and just a little on the 10180 tube. There is no tailcap, because the battery tube and tail are made of 1 piece of aluminum.

Lumintop chose black anodization that seems to be durable without any problems.

You have to attach the key ring to the rear of the light, and my first response would be to use the split ring to attach to the rear, and use the clip to attach to your keys. But you can also do it the opposite way, by attaching the split ring to your keys, and the clip to the light.

The battery tube is replacable with the Lumintop GT Nano, and make the light even a little shorter!

Flashlightbrand’s sales page didn’t mention what type of aluminum they used, but it should be strong enough!

Warranty according to Flashlightbrand:

Warranty

1. 30 days free replacement

Flashlightbrand will replace or repair products with manufacturing defects within 30 days of purchase. 

2. 5 years free repair

Flashlightbrand will repair the products free of charge within 5 years (accessories 1 year, products with built-in battery 2 years)of purchase if problems develop with normal use.

3. Lifetime warranty

If repair is required after the guaranty period, we’ll charge for parts accordingly.

Return Policy

We aim to offer services that will benefit all of our loyal customers. Please contact us prior to returning the items by email or customer service.

1. We accept the application for return within 30 natural days after receiving the flashlights.

2. After receiving the return application, it will be processed within 1-3 working days.

3.The customer will receive a refund or replacement of the lights within 1-3 working days after we receive the flashlights.

4. Please contact your local post office to confirm the actual return shipping fee. We recommend you use the cheapest registered airmail method that is available.

5. The delivery address will be provided by mail after submitting the application

If you look at the front of the Frog, it might appear that the LED is centered in a reflector. But it’s not using a reflector, but a TIR optic.

Although there might be a couple of LED options available, Flashlightbrand seems to sell only 1 type: Luminus SST20 4000K.

I said: might be, because the package shows multiple color options on the side, with CW, NW, Nichia and Osram.

But I’m pretty sure that this package is actually used for multiple kinds of flashlights, and not just the Frog. That’s one way to save on costs. So it’s highly probable, that there is just 1 type of emitter.

The beam isn’t the most pleasant up close, with some artifacts in the center of the hotspot, which stays visible when white-wall-hunting for a couple of meters distance.

Anyway, here’s what the Opple Light Master III (PRO) has to say about this light:

CCT: 3861K

Ra (CRI): 96.2

Keep in mind that this is just 1 measurement, there is always some fluctuations in these numbers, depending on where the sensor is positioned in the hotspot. So a few percent higher/lower is always possible.

Dimensions: 

Lumintop Frog	Millimeters	Inches
Short 10180, Length	44.65 mm	1.758″
Long 10440, Length	70.3 mm	2.77 “
Bezel diameter	15.67 mm	0.616
Body diameter	14 mm	0.55 “
Tailcap diameter	15.11mm	0.594″

If you want to make it even shorter, you could replace the battery tube with the one of the GT Nano.

Weight: 

Lumintop Frog	Weight in grams	Weight in Oz.
Short, without battery:	10.8 grams	0.38
Short, with 10180 battery	14.2 grams	0.50
Long, without battery	15.2 grams	0.54
Long, with 10440 battery	24.2 grams	0.85

Mini Flashlights comparison

Size compared to other small flashlights

Group 1: RovyVon Aurora A9 Cu, Lumintop GT Nano, Lumintop Frog (short and long), Olight i1R 2 EOS, Lumintop Glow I, Olight i1R 2 PRO, Eneloop battery.

Group 2: 3 Lumintop flashlights: Lumintop GT Nano, Lumintop Frog (short and long version), Lumintop Glow I.

Group 3: Olight i5T Plus (2AA), Lumintop EDC (AA), RovyVon Aurora A9 Cu, Luminopt GT Nano, Olight i1R PRO, Olight i1R 2 EOS, Olight iMini, Lumintop Frog (short), Lumintop Glow, Eneloop AAA battery, Eneloop AA battery.

Note: this is the first version of the Lumintop Frog, running NarsilM firmware. There is another version of this light using a different firmware. Beware.

The Lumintop Frog is using the same UI as the GT Nano. It’s a well known firmware designed by budgetlightforum member TomE, and is called NarsilM. See more info on this firmware here: http://budgetlightforum.com/node/54635, or this NarsilM PDF

Turbo mode can only be activated by a double-click. When using the ramping mode, you can only get up to, what I call, “High mode”. When you reach the end of ramp, you see a few flashes.

When I tried the Version mode, it blinks 2.8 times.

MODES:

• By default; smooth ramping.
• You can change this, in the firmware, to 12 other mode sets.
• For all mode sets, I refer to the link above.

DEFAULT MODE: (RAMPING): FROM OFF:

• Press and hold: Low
• Single-click: to last used brightness setting, mode memory
• Double click: Turbo
• Triple-click: Battery voltage check
• 4 clicks: Lock Out mode, repeat to unlock.
• 5 clicks: Momentary On mode for signaling (unscrew battery to go back to normal settings)

FROM ON (RAMPING):

• Press and hold: Smoothly ramp up and down
• Single-click:  turns the flashlight Off
• Double click: Turbo
• Triple-click: Battery voltage check
• 4 clicks: Lock Out mode, repeat to unlock
• 5 clicks: Momentary On mode

Mode sets work differently, so please refer to the manual above.

LOW BATTERY WARNING:

• According to the manual it does blink when it reaches 3V.

LOCK-OUT MODE:

• Yes, there is a Lock-out mode. You can get there from either the On or Off position by doing 4 rapid clicks in ramping mode.

PWM:

• Nothing that I could notice by eye, which is what counts.

FIRMWARE / UI CONCLUSION:

The UI can fit most people’s needs. If you don’t play with the switch too much, you’ll be fine. Just use the ramping mode, Turbo, and Low, and that is good enough for this type of light! Don’t give it to kids, they will likely activaet a programming mode, and mess up the light. If you don’t use the light regularly or change the setting regularly, and you don’t have the manual, but you accidentally entered some strange modes while outdoors, you’re screwed.

The default battery is an 10180 lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 80mAh. The battery can be charged with the included charging adapter.

You remove the head from the flashlight and screw the charging module onto the battery tube, while the battery stays inside the battery tube. With a USB-C cable you charge the battery at a relatively low current. And that’s not a luxury, because the battery has a small capacity, and high charging current would likely damage the cell.

The charge current is set to 0.1A, which equals 100mA. That means that the battery will be charged in less than 1 hour.

With a built-in LED it tells you whether the battery is charging (red) and when it’s done (green).

In the following picture you can see the charge current. Please don’t look at the other numbers in the screen. Tried to blur them. I bought that USB meter with the hope it would connect to my phone, but I was not lucky. This thing is kind of garbage if you want to use it for datalogging including the E-test app. That App only works with old Android phones. Waste of money, at about $30 I paid for it.

Without the App, it’s really difficult to reset the timers… stupid thing.

Lumen measurements:

All output numbers are relative to my homemade Integrating Sphere. It is set up with an Extech SDL400 Lux Meter for measurements including a Kenko PRO1D ND-16 filter. The base measurement is done with a Convoy S2+ that has been tested at 255 lumens.

For this test I used 2 different batteries.

Battery	Mode	Specs	turn on	30sec	10min
10180	Turbo	570 lm	598	185 lm	64 lm
	Lowest default		0.39	0.39	0.42 lm
10440	Turbo	750 lm	858	593 lm	46.5 lm
	Lowest default		0.39	0.39	–

My copy performed pretty good, albeit not up to spec. Lumintop doesn’t seem to follow ANSI FL1 standards, but uses the highest output only

Runtime: Battery life

The runtime test was done with the 50cm integrating sphere, including the Kenko Pro1D ND-16 filter and Extech SDL400 data logging Lux Meter.

Because the Lux Meter has a short delay in recording when pressing the button, I can miss the highest recording for the runtime graph. Therefore I always write down the highest number I see on the screen, besides measuring manually for lumens.

I tested the highest output in default (ramping) mode for the 10180 as well as the 10440 battery.

I then tested both at 40% output, and only tested the 10180 for the lowest output default mode.

Mode	Specified	Measured runtime (ANSI FL1)	Time till shut off
10180 Turbo	–	23minutes	54min
10180 40%	–	12minutes	1h 43min
10180 Lowest	9h	18h 45min	18h 45min
10440 Turbo	–	2minutes	3h
10440 40%	–	2minutes	10h 56min

The 40% output was done with the Mode menu. Turbo and Lowest are from the Ramping menu.

ANSI FL1 standards: The runtime is measured until the light drops to 10% of its initial output (30 seconds after turn on). This does not mean that the flashlight is not usable anymore. The last column shows how long the light actually works till it shuts off. If there is a + symbol, it means that the test was stopped at that particular point, but the light was actually still running. This happens on certain occasions, with certain drivers, firmware, or batteries.

Throw Measurement: Peak beam intensity and beam distance

Measurements were taken indoors with a Hagner E4-X Lux Meter.

Mode	Specs	Candela measured	Meters	Yards
10180 Turbo turn on		3375 cd	116	127.07
10180 Turbo 30sec	4580 cd	1250 cd	71	77.33
10180 Turbo turn on		5125 cd	143	156.58
10180 Turbo 30 sec	5670 cd	4325 cd	132	143.84

Unfortunately, the numbers aren’t very close to specs. Lumintop should be using ANSI FL1 standards, but they measured highest intensity at turn on, but in my tests didn’t reach that either.

Extra info: Peak beam distance according to ANSI FL1 standards: The calculated value of distance in meters at which the flashlight produce a light intensity of 0.25 lux. (0.25 lux is about the brightness of a full moon shining on an object).

For the following beamshots I used a Canon EOS 5D Mk2 and a 50mm lens. manual settings: ISO1600, 1/30sec , F4, 5000K

The wall is about 5 meters away, and the fence about 4 meters.

Disclaimer: This flashlight was sent to me for review at no cost by Flashlightbrand. I have not been paid to review, nor have I been holding back on problems or defects.