Lumintop EDC15 Review
Lumintop EDC15⌗
- Specifications
- Introduction
- Torch in use
- Build quality
- LED, bezel, reflector and beam
- Size and comparison
- User interface
- Batteries and charging
- Performance
- Beamshots
- Conclusion
- Product page
Specifications⌗
| Brand/model | Lumintop EDC15 |
|---|---|
| LED | Osram GW PUSRA1.PM |
| Maximum lumens | 760 lm |
| Maximum beam intensity | 1,235 cd |
| Maximum throw | 70 m |
| Battery | 1*14500 Li-ion, 1*AA Ni-MH, 1*AA Alkaline |
| Onboard charging | No |
| Material | Aluminium |
| Modes | 4 |
| Blinkies | Strobe |
| Reflector | Pebble TIR |
| Waterproof | IP68 |
| Review date | February 2023 |
Introduction⌗
The Lumintop EDC15 is an AA-sized keyring torch that supports multiple battery chemistries (Li-ion, Ni-MH, Alkaline).
I reached out to Lumintop to see if they would like the EDC15 to be independently tested.
Lumintop provided this torch for review for free. I have not been paid for this review nor have I held back my opinions of this torch.
Packaging⌗
The EDC15 came in a small white Lumintop branded box.
The following was included in the box:
- Lumintop EDC15
- Split ring and clip
- Two spare o-rings
- Diffuser
- User manual
Torch in use⌗
The Lumintop EDC15 is large enough to comfortably hold while attached to my keys.
The EDC15 takes up a fair bit of space on my keyring. But the AA-size is a bit of a sacrifice for extra capacity. AA and 14500 cells typically offer more than twice the capacity compared to AAA or 10440 cells.
The included clip makes it easy to take the torch off a keyring and hold it freely like a regular torch.
The torch did not come with a lanyard or a pocket clip. And there is no magnet. It can tailstand though.
I love how the EDC15 head fits on a Lumintop Tool AA 2.0. The Tool AA 2.0 can be converted into a flooder, like the EDC AA, by screwing an EDC15 head onto it.
The torch is easy turn on with one hand. I can simply grip the tube in my palm with my middle and ring fingers while twisting the head of the torch with my thumb and index finger.
A glow-in-the-dark o-ring near the pebble TIR optic makes it easier to find the torch at night.
Build quality⌗
The Lumintop EDC15 is made of aluminium. The body has a matte black anodised finish.
Knurling on the head and the design of the tube provides plenty of grip.
The torch feels smooth but there are a few sharp edges on the keyring hole if you remove the keyring. The hole is not chamfered so it might cut a lanyard.
Square-cut threads on the tube came lightly lubricated. There is enough friction to help prevent the head from accidentally turning.
The spring feels like it is being crushed when I twist the head on with a Vapcell H10 14500 cell. Perhaps the cell is a bit too long.
Physical reverse polarity protection is present. This prevents flat top cells from being used.
LED, bezel, reflector and beam⌗
The Lumintop EDC15 comes with a cool white Osram GW PUSRA1.PM emitter and a pebble TIR optic.
It would have been nice to see Lumintop use a glass lens in front of the pebble TIR optic to protect it against scratches.
There is a reverse-threaded pill like in the Lumintop Tool AA 2.0.
CCT, CRI, and duv⌗
I have taken Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) and Colour Rendering Index (CRI, RA of R1-R8) measurements with the torch positioned a metre away from an Opple Light Master Pro III (G3), except for Ni-MH Low where I positioned the sensor half a metre away.
The CCT is around 5500K with a Ni-MH cell and 5700K with 14500 Li-ion cell. CRI is around 67.
The Delta u, v is slightly positive (green).
The beam produced is very floody and perfect for close-up EDC use.
| Cell | Mode | CCT (K) | CRI (Ra) | x | y | Duv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ni-MH | Low | 5245 | 63.4 | 0.3398 | 0.3766 | 0.0141 |
| Ni-MH | Med | 5431 | 64.8 | 0.3344 | 0.3674 | 0.0121 |
| Ni-MH | Low | 5517 | 65.7 | 0.3321 | 0.3639 | 0.0114 |
| Ni-MH | Turbo | 5570 | 66.0 | 0.3307 | 0.3613 | 0.0108 |
| Li-ion | Low | 5582 | 70.2 | 0.3304 | 0.3548 | 0.0078 |
| Li-ion | Med | 5711 | 66.5 | 0.3273 | 0.3564 | 0.0099 |
| Li-ion | Low | 5707 | 66.9 | 0.3274 | 0.3559 | 0.0096 |
| Li-ion | Turbo | 5717 | 67.3 | 0.3272 | 0.3549 | 0.0092 |
Calculate Duv from CIE 1931 xy coordinates
Dimensions and size comparison⌗
Dimensions⌗
I took the following measurements using a vernier caliper.
| Measurement | Unit (mm) |
|---|---|
| Torch length | 73.45 |
| Head diameter | 18.6 |
| Tube diameter | 18.55 |
| Tailcap diameter | 18.55 |
Weight⌗
I took the following measurements using a digital scale.
| Weight | Unit (g) |
|---|---|
| Torch | 20.75 |
| Vapcell H10 14500 | 22.37 |
| Torch with battery | 43.12 |
Size comparison with its competition⌗
From left to right: Lumintop EDC15, Lumintop Tool AA 2.0, Lumintop GT Micro, Lumintop PK27, Wurkkos TS10
From left to right: Lumintop EDC15, Lumintop Tool AA 2.0, Lumintop GT Micro, Lumintop PK27, Wurkkos TS10
User interface⌗
The torch can be turned on and off by twisting the head.
Low, Med, High and Turbo modes can be accessed by quickly twisting the head multiple times.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Twist on | On (mode memory) |
| On | Twist off | Off |
| On | Twist off and on | Cycle (Low, Med, High, Turbo) |
| On | Twist off and on six times | Strobe |
Strobe⌗
Strobe appears to have a constant frequency.
Low voltage protection⌗
The torch does not appear to have low voltage protection for a 14500 Li-ion cell. The current remained at around 6 mA when the voltage was reduced to 2.0V. The cell might be damaged if the torch is left on for several days.
There is low voltage protection for a Ni-MH cell. The current dropped to 170 µA at 0.20V.
I tested low voltage protection by connecting the driver of the torch to a bench power supply and then by lowering the voltage from 4.2V to 0V for a 14500 Li-ion cell, and from 1.5V to 0V for a Ni-MH cell.
PWM⌗
I did not notice any visible PWM (flickering).
What I like about the UI⌗
- It is simple to use.
What could be improved⌗
- Use three twists instead of six twists to access Strobe.
Batteries and charging⌗
Battery⌗
The user manual mentions that the EDC15 is compatible with 14500 Li-ion 3.7V, AA Ni-MH 1.2V and AA Alkaline 1.5V cells.
A cell was not included with the sample that I received.
I tried the following cells:
| Cell | Top | Compatible? |
|---|---|---|
| 14500 Li-ion 920mAh 3.7V USB-C | Button | Yes |
| Vapcell H10 14500 Li-ion 1000mAh 3.7V | Button | Yes |
| Shockli Orange 14500 Li-ion 1000mAh 3.7V | Flat | No |
| eneloop pro AA Ni-MH 2450mAh 1.2V | Button | Yes |
| Alkaline AA | Button | Yes |
Reverse polarity protection prevents flat top cells from working.
The Vapcell H10 cell was a tight fit. I crushed the button top slightly while screwing the head on to turn the torch on.
Charging⌗
There is no built-in charging.
Performance⌗
Specifications:
| ANSI/NEMA FL1 | Low | Med | High | Turbo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light Output (lm) | 14500 | 8 | 130 | 450 | 760 |
| Light Output (lm) | Alkaline | 2 | 20 | 150 | 280 |
| Light Output (lm) | Ni-MH | 2 | 20 | 130 | 320 |
| Runtime | 14500 | 50h | 4h10min | 58min | 5min + 1h5min |
| Runtime | Alkaline | 65h | 9h37min | 50min | 20min |
| Runtime | Ni-MH | 80h | 16h | 2h28min | 1h5min |
| Beam Intensity (cd) | 1,235 | ||||
| Beam Distance (m) | 70 |
Lumintop used a Lumintop 14500 Li-ion 3.7V 920mAh cell, eneloop pro AA Ni-MH 1.2V 2450mAh and an Alkaline cell for testing.
I used an eneloop pro AA Ni-MH 1.2V 2450mAh cell and a Vapcell H10 14500 Li-ion 3.7V 1000mAh cell for the following tests.
Lumen measurements⌗
I used a UNI-T UT210E clamp meter to measure the current at turn on.
| Cell | Mode | Amps at start | Specs | Lumens @turn on | Lumens @30 sec | Lumens @10 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ni-MH | Low | 0.02 A | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Ni-MH | Med | 0.11 A | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| Ni-MH | High | 0.66 A | 130 | 109 | 104 | 106 |
| Ni-MH | Turbo | 2.16 A | 320 | 254 | 243 | 230 |
| Li-ion | Low | 0.03 A | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Li-ion | Med | 0.43 A | 130 | 133 | 131 | 124 |
| Li-ion | High | 1.70 A | 450 | 530 | 496 | 433 |
| Li-ion | Turbo | 2.70 A | 760 | 782 | 674 | 332 |
Standby drain⌗
There is no standby drain. This torch has twisty mechanism that physically disconnects a cell when the torch is turned off.
Runtime graphs⌗
I used my own DIY lumen tube with a TSL2591 sensor and forked bmengineer’s project RuTiTe to record runtimes.
Note: Lumen measurements may be off by 10% with my DIY lumen tube.
Runtime⌗
Here is a summary of the runtime results:
| Cell | Mode | User manual | Runtime result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14500 | Turbo | 5m + 1h 5min | 4s + 1h 30min 26s |
| 14500 | High | 58min | 59min 30s |
| 14500 | Med | 4h 10min | 4h 40min 54s |
| 14500 | Low | 50h | 10min+ |
| Ni-MH | Turbo | 20min | 55min |
| Ni-MH | High | 2h 28min | 2h 19min 11s |
| Ni-MH | Med | 16h | 15h 28min 45s |
| Ni-MH | Low | 80h | 10min+ |
The runtime result is the time until my lumen tube no longer detected more than 1 lumen.
I did not test Low modes for more than 10 minutes because the expected runtime may take multiple days.
The runtime is ok for a keyring torch. The torch performed slightly better than expected with a 14500 cell despite not maintaining 760 lm for 5 minutes on Turbo. Runtimes for the Ni-MH cell almost reached the advertised specifications.
Throw⌗
I took lux measurements with a UNI-T UT383BT at 30 seconds. Low was measured at one metre but it was too low to detect with a Ni-MH cell. Med, High and Turbo were measured at two metres.
| Cell | Mode | Specs (cd) | Specs (m) | Candela measured (cd) | Distance (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ni-MH | Low | ||||
| Ni-MH | Med | 8 | 5 | ||
| Ni-MH | High | 132 | 22 | ||
| Ni-MH | Turbo | 296 | 34 | ||
| Li-ion | Low | 4 | 4 | ||
| Li-ion | Med | 164 | 25 | ||
| Li-ion | High | 672 | 51 | ||
| Li-ion | Turbo | 1,234 | 70 | 1,004 | 63 |
Beamshots⌗
I went to a local park and aimed the Lumintop EDC15 at a tree 70 metres away while using Turbo.
Beamshots were taken using a Sony RX100M2 using 3.2", f3.2, ISO 100, 5000K WB.
Lumintop EDC15 (Turbo)⌗
Acebeam Pokelit 2AA (High)⌗
Mateminco FT01⌗
Lumintop PK27 (High 2xAAA)⌗
Conclusion⌗
The Lumintop EDC15 is a chunky little keyring torch!
It is awesome how Lumintop made the EDC15 head backward compatible with the body of a Lumintop Tool AA 2.0 so that you can mix and match components to make a Lumintop EDC AA with the ability to tailstand.
It has a decent runtime and the cool white beam produced is nice and floody. It is good for close-up EDC use.
I would honestly prefer to carry a AAA-sized Lumintop Worm on my keyring for a minimal EDC.
I would recommend the EDC15 if you prefer AA-sized torches for EDC.
Pros:⌗
- Good build quality.
- Nice floody beam.
- Multiple battery chemistries are supported (Li-ion, Ni-MH, Alkaline).
- The head works on a Lumintop Tool AA 2.0 body.
- Snap ring and clip included.
- Modder friendly.
Cons:⌗
- Low CRI.
- No glass lens to protect the TIR optic.
- Slightly bulky for a keyring torch.
Product page⌗
Promo code: SG9IP8YKT5PI
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