Lumintop Tool AA 2.0 TI Upgraded

Lumintop Tool AA 2.0 Titanium (Upgrade) review

Introduction:

Lumintop released the Lumintop Tool AA 2.0 Ti (Titanium) 6 months ago, which I got the chance to review. As many of you readers might have read, it was a beautiful light that did not meet my expectations, since it basically died during testing.

For those unfamiliar, during runtime testing the light got so hot, the LED wire just desoldered itself. I opened it, resoldered the LED wire, and started a second test. During the second test, the other LED wire came off due to excessive heat.

I have shared my findings with Lumintop and they were thankful for these findings. They also told me their R&D would see what’s possible to improve this. Recently, they released the updated version of the Lumintop Tool AA Ti 2.0 with the biggest change being that the lower part of the head assembly is completely made of Copper!

They offered me to review this updated version to compare it with the earlier reviewed titanium light, so here we go!

What you’ll get:

The flashlight package is unchanged, it still comes in a brown recyclable cardboard packaging with the famous Lumintop bunny logo printed on it.
Inside the package, the manual is found, and below the manual, the light is revealed.
The beautiful Titanium light comes well protected and surrounded by firm black laser-cut foam. Next to the foam, another recyclable cardboard box is found with several accessories:

• Flashlight (with attached gold-painted clip)
• Spare o-rings
• Silicone diffuser cap
• Lanyard
• Soft fabric pouch, with Lumintop logo
• Manual

It really gives a luxurious feeling with the luxurious package and all delivered accessories

Brand / Model	Lumintop Tool AA 2.0 Ti
LED	Cree XPL-HD
Lumens	650 Lumens
Beam intensity	rated 127m, 3420 Cd (which is wrong 3420 equals 116m, 4032 equals 127m)
Battery config.	1*AA / 14500
Material	Titanium
Modes	4
Blinkies	strobe
Reflector	smooth
Waterproof	IP67
Review date	July 2020

Handling of the light

The handling has not changed. I am still very positive about the design, and the low weight of Titanium and how it feels. It is however, slightly heavier due to the use of copper. After inspecting the light, I could not find any flaws in the light, it is very well made and it looks exquisite.

The Knurling is well done, it provides more than enough grip, and the blue lighted tailcap adds a nice touch to it (The lighted tailcap only works using a 14500 cell, using an AA or NiMh does not provide the lighted tail switch function)

The Reverse clicky provides enough feedback and works flawlessly. Also, tail standing is possible which makes it a very practical light, together with the provided diffuser is serves a good function as a bed light lamp (For using as a bedside lamp, I would recommend the Nichia version though, and the low is still not low enough, the lowest output is still 16 Lm)

Furthermore, it is very easy to hold and operate.  Reaching the switch is easy and, it all feels very well thought out. One thing to mention is the color of the copper part. On BudgetLightForum many people were asking about the yellowish color, is it real copper, or is it brass? (sometimes referred to as yellow copper)
Well, it is definitely real (red) copper, but Lumintop has coated with the same coating as they have used on the clip. This was a purely aesthetic idea since it now matches the color of the clip!

Build Quality, knurling, threads, and anodization

The build quality is still top-notch, knurling is done very well, and it does not only have the usual cross-sectional knurling, but there is also a small milled groove inside the cross-sections of the knurling.

The titanium light is fabricated very well, the threads are perfectly rectangular shaped and do match together perfectly. One funny fact is that the tube is perfectly symmetrical, so you don’t need to take off the clip when you want to carry it reversed, you can also screw it together reversed.

The O rings seal the light exactly and do not show any signs of wear, no burrs or flaws are found. This light shows it is fabricated with very tight tolerances and it pays off very well. Good job Lumintop!

LEDs, Lens, Bezel, and Reflector

The Tool is advertised as using a Cree XPL HD LED, but it is also available with a Nichia 219c LED. My particular light seems to have (again) an XPL2-HD, which I am not very fond of due to its uneven and greenish corona with blueish hotspot.

I am thrilled to see that Lumintop really listened to my findings and now offers the Nichia as mentioned in my last review. Also, the best thing, of course, is that the headpiece with the shelf for heat dissipation is now entirely made of copper. That improves the heat sinking and can dissipate all of its heat in Turbo mode much better.
The bezel consists of two parts, with the bezel being rather big, it screws over the lower part with the shelf.

The top part has a recessed grove where the O ring sits and below that the lens. The reflector is being held in between the shelf part and the bezel, resting on a plastic gasket.

The smooth reflector and the beam pattern provide the right mix of throw and flood, as can be seen in the beam shots.

Dimensions:

• Length: 89 mm / 3.52inch
• Head diameter: 89.5mm / 3.52 inch
• Body diameter: 18.6 mm/ 0.73 inch

Weight:

• Empty: 23.5 gram / 1.35 Oz ( i have measured it 38 grams)

Flashlight Size comparison

Size compared to other AA flashlights.

Compared to the original gen 2 Lumintop Tool AA 2.0 Ti

Left = old, right = upgraded 2020 version.

Driver & User Interface:

The user interface of the Lumintop Tool 2.0 Ti (upgraded) is very easy. It uses a mechanical reverse clicky switch. It does feature memory mode and has 4 modes, Low Medium High Turbo. The strobe mode can be activated by using 6 taps.

Modes:

• Low Medium High Turbo
• Strobe (6 taps)

From OFF:

• Press and Hold: Nothing, until you release the switch, then it will switch on
• Single-click: last used memory
• Double click: N.A. it will just cycle through its modes
• Triple-click: N.A. it will just cycle through its modes

From ON:

• Press and Hold: Switches OFF
• Single-click: Switches OFF
• Double click: N.A. it will just cycle through its modes
• Triple-click: N.A. it will just cycle through its modes

Mode memory:

• The light features mode memory.

Low voltage warning:

• Yes, it has a low-voltage protection

Strobe/blinkies

• 6 rapid taps activate strobe mode

Lock-out mode:

• No electronic or mechanical lockout possible

PWM

• I could not detect any PWM by the naked eye and I couldn’t detect any PWM using a 14500 cell, with a digital video camera.

Batteries and charging:

A very positive thing about this light is that it can take many types of batteries or cells. While it doesn’t come with a battery, it can take regular AA type batteries, Protected and unprotected 14500 cells, and even rechargeable NiMh batteries.
Since it does not provide a USB or magnetic charging, you have to use a third-party charger.

Performance:

ANSI/NEMA FL1		Low	Med	High	Turbo	Strobe
Output	14500	16 L.M.	85 LM	360 LM	650 LM	360 LM
Alkaline	3.7 LM	28 LM	140 LM	220 LM	140 LM
Ni-MH	3.7 LM	28 LM	140 LM	270 LM	140 LM
Runtime	14500	37h	6h 9m	1h 19m	33m	/
Alkaline	2.5days	11h 50m	49m	21m	/
Ni-MH	2.5days	12h 30m	2h 33m	43m	/
Distance	127m(Max)
Intensity	3420cd(Max)
Impact Resistant	1.5m
Waterproof	IP68 (underwater 2m)
Size	89.5*18.5mm
N.W.	23.5g
Working Voltage	0.8-4.2V
Battery	1*AA/14500 Li-ion battery
Accessories	1*Spare O-ring, 1*Lanyard, 1*User manual, 1*Warranty card

Notice: The above-mentioned parameters are lab-tested by Lumintop by using a Lumintop 3.7V/750mAh 14500 Li-ion cell, Eneloop pro 1.2V/2450mAh Ni-MH and Alkaline cells, it may vary due to the difference of environment and batteries.

Lux readings are done with a UNI-T UT 383 S Lux-meter, temperature readings are recorded with an infrared Noncontact thermometer, type Benetech GM-320. Current readings are done with a Yokogawa 734-02 Digital Multimeter. Runtime is tested using the ceiling bounce app.

Lumen measurements + Amp measurements (for each mode)

Note, For the Lumen/runtime results, a deviation of +- 10% should be taken into account since I am using an integrating Lumen tube which is not officially calibrated, it is calibrated against lights with a known Lumen output.

14500 cell

• Low: 0.064 A (22 Lm)
• Med: 0.271 A (111 Lm)
• High: 0.82 A (467 Lm) (1.02 A with clamp meter)
• Turbo: 1.81 A (974 Lm) (2.31 A with clamp meter)

The main difference between the old and upgraded version, is the use of copper on the shelf part. During runtime testing, this still gets fairly hot on Turbo, but it helps to dissipate the heat. I have found no problems or other flaws this time during testing of the light.
The low mode is still quite high, a true 1 Lm low mode (or at least a lower low mode) would make it a perfect EDC light, and an excellent bedside light.

AA Battery

• Low: 7 Lm
• Med: 40 Lm
• High: 123 Lm
• Turbo: 139 Lm

Runtime graph

Runtime test is performed with a new 14500 Keeppower protected 800 mAh cell, and freshly charger before each test

The charts show 3 tests, all of them are done after a full charge cycle.

As shown in the graphs, Turbo lasts for over 33 minutes and slowly decreases in output, which shows heatsinking is very well and the voltage drop off the cell only causes the stepdown. This is practically the same as stated by the specifications given by Lumintop, so it seems accurate.

The high mode shows the same pattern as Turbo, but elongated. It can hold its output for a prolonged time since it draws less current, and because of that, it does not drop down in voltage as quickly as in Turbo. After 60 minutes, the output drops fast, which indicated the cell is almost empty. In the graph, it shuts off after approx. 70 minutes

The middle mode shows again the same pattern, but again for a longer time. It shuts off just before 6 h, which is again almost what is stated by Lumintop, so all this seems pretty accurate.

The Low mode is not tested since that can take 37h according to Lumintop. Since all the other numbers were pretty close, I will trust that the light will sustain its output for almost 37 hours. :–D

The standby current (a.k.a. parasitic drain) is measured at 3.4 mA, which is too high, this will drain a 14500 Lithium cell within two weeks.

Throw numbers:

1. 2 Lux @ m5 (approx 50 Cd)
2. 16 Lux @ 5m (approx 400 Cd)
3. 73 Lux @ 5m (approx 1825 Cd)
4. 151 Lux @ 5m (approx 3775 Cd)

Beamshot

Tint comparison shot: from left to right:

Lumintop Tool with XPL2, Lumintop Tool with LH351D (modded) and Lumintop Tool with SST20 (modded)

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

Overall conclusion

Pros:

1. Lightweight
2. Well built
3. High Lumen output
4. Luxurious design
5. Durable Titanium
6. Complete light, many accessories

Cons

1. The lowest output is too high
2. Lighted switch has a high parasitic drain

Rating: 4.5 stars

The last time I reviewed the first Lumintop Tool AA 2.0 Titanium version, there were some flaws. Luckily, this time I only have 2 small issues. This shows that Lumintop listens to feedback from their userbase and that they undertake action when you get in touch with them, something not all manufacturers do! Lumintop has really improved the light since there is no problem anymore with overheating and as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, some people may not like the design. It is my opinion that Lumintop has released a beautiful lightweight EDC light, well built, durable titanium material, not glued, with lighted tail switch, all the ingredients for a good recipe. There are only 2 points that might make this light even better.

I found that the output was a bit on the low side, and after measuring the voltage of the cell it seems it was already on the low side. This meant it must be consuming some current, I found out that the lighted tailcap consumes about 3.4 mA. If Lumintop chooses another resistor value and uses a more translucent switch cover, this will solve the problem. The other is just a minor improvement, not a flaw, I wish it had a true Low mode since Low is still way too bright, the low is just not low enough. I am really happy that Lumintop cares about its products and customers since they show to listen to complaints. With all these positive improvements, I will rate the updated Tool 4.5 stars!