Mateminco FT01⌗

• Specifications
• Introduction
• Torch in use
• Build quality
• LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam
• Size and comparison
• User interface
• Batteries and charging
• Performance
• Beamshots
• Conclusion
• Price
• Product page

Specifications⌗

Brand/model	Mateminco FT01
LED	Nichia 519A 3000K
Maximum lumens	1,250 lm
Maximum beam intensity	11,000 cd
Maximum throw	209 m
Battery	1*14500 Li-ion
Onboard charging	No
Material	Aluminium
Modes	5
Blinkies	Strobe
Reflector	OP
Waterproof	IPX6
Review date	February 2023

Introduction⌗

Is this the Stranger Things torch?! The Mateminco FT01 has a retro look with a shallow reflector and a silver body.

Neal asked if I would like to review the Mateminco FT01. What is it? After looking it up, I saw a cool retro looking torch with a warm white emitter. The reflector looks so cool!

This torch was sent by Nealsgadgets for review. I have not been paid for this review nor have I held back my opinions of this torch.

Packaging⌗

The FT01 came in a light-brown cardboard box with an epic Mateminco logo on the top.

The following was included in the box:

• Mateminco FT01
• Pocket clip
• Diffuser (lamp shade and base)
• Lanyard
• Two spare o-rings
• User manual

Torch in use⌗

The FT01 feels pretty small in my hand. I found myself holding it by the tube with two fingers and a thumb. This is to be expected with a 14500 torch.

Mateminco went out of their way to create a lamp shade and base but I prefer to use this as a regular torch. The warm white beam, with a wide spill and smooth hotspot, makes the FT01 perfect for using around the house and outside.

I used the FT01 as a bedside light for a few days by putting the base down on my table, setting the torch to Moon, putting the torch in the base, and then by putting the lamp shade on the head of the torch.

The lamp shade could be left off to allow the beam to bounce off the ceiling. I found that this adequately lit up the bedroom.

A lanyard was included but I did not use it. I removed the brass ring from the tailcap, because it felt a bit awkard to hold, and I replaced it with the included pocket clip.

The torch cannot tailstand without the included base due to the button.

Build quality⌗

The Mateminco FT01 is mostly constructed of aluminium. There are no sharp edges.

I noticed that the tailcap appears to be dull under a bright light while the rest of the torch is shiny.

The tail, tube and head provide plenty of grip. The head has a cool looking hex nut design.

The button feels firm and gives a satisfying click.

Threads at the head of the torch came lubricated while threads at the tailcap were dry. I applied some lubricant but I found myself fighting the head of the torch when unscrewing the tailcap. The whole tube moves at the head unless I grip the tube tightly. This is not really an issue if you use a pocket clip on the tailcap because it is more convenient to unscrew the head in that situation.

The threads at the tailcap appear to be anodised. I was able to mechanically lock out the torch by turning the tailcap.

There are two springs at the tailcap and one spring at the head. This allows a flat top 14500 cell to fit.

A unique ring on the tailcap appears to be made of brass. A lanyard can be attached to the ring or it can be used to assist the torch with tailstanding inside the included base.

I removed the ring, by unscrewing an aluminium cover, and attached the included pocket clip to the tailcap to allow it to deep carry.

The pocket clip fits tightly on the tailcap. I probably should not be using the pocket clip like this but the tube cannot be reversed (some product photos show it being reversed but the o-ring is exposed near the head). The default location for the pocket clip on the tube appears to be for people who want to attach this torch to their hat.

LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam⌗

The Mateminco FT01 comes with a warm white Nichia 519A 3000K emitter, a shallow orange-peel reflector and a glass lens with a blue anti-reflective coating.

The bezel unscrews easily to reveal the reflector. I found an o-ring on the threads for the bezel, and another o-ring between the bezel and the glass lens.

The orange-peel reflector can be lifted out to reveal a massive gasket around the emitter.

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).

The CCT is around 3000K and the CRI is around 96.

The Delta u, v is slightly positive (green) on lower modes but it is closer to pure white on High and Turbo. The beam looks warm to my eyes.

The beam has a smooth warm white hot spot and a wide spill.

Mode	CCT (K)	CRI (Ra)	x	y	Duv
Moon
Low	3029	97.1	0.4393	0.4121	0.0028
Mid	3057	96.9	0.4375	0.4119	0.0030
High	2977	96.5	0.4413	0.4097	0.0016
Turbo	3019	94.3	0.4371	0.4063	0.0009

I skipped Moon because it is very dim with less than 1 lumen.

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	104.5
Head diameter	43.65
Tube diameter	19.25
Tailcap diameter	21.6

Weight⌗

I took the following measurements using a digital scale.

Weight	Unit (g)
Torch	78.13
Vapcell H10 14500	22.36
Torch with battery	100.49

Size comparison⌗

This is probably the biggest reflector that I have seen on a 14500 torch.

The Manker MC13 takes an 18350 or 18650 cell while the rest take a 14500 cell.

From left to right: Mateminco FT01, Manker MC13, Wurkkos TS10, Acebeam Rider RX

From left to right: Mateminco FT01, Manker MC13, Wurkkos TS10, Acebeam Rider RX

User interface⌗

A reverse-clicky tailswitch can be used to cycle from Moon to High and enter Turbo or Strobe. There is no mode memory.

State	Action	Result
Off	Click	On (Moon)
On	Click	Off
On	Half press	Cycle (Moon, Low, Mid, High)
On	Double half press	Turbo
On	Triple half press	Strobe

Strobe⌗

Strobe mode has an alternating frequency.

Low voltage protection⌗

There appears to be low voltage protection. The torch turned off at 2.20V with a current of 41.9 µA. 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. 97.1 µA at 2.40V, 63.0 µA at 2.30V, 41.9 µA at 2.20V.

PWM⌗

I did not notice any visible PWM (flickering).

What I like about the UI⌗

• It is simple to use.
• It has a shortcut to Turbo.
• It has a shortcut to Strobe.

What could be improved⌗

• A forward-clicky switch would be nice for momentary on and direct access to Turbo or Strobe from off.

Batteries and charging⌗

Battery⌗

The FT01 takes a button top or a flat top 14500 3.7V Li-ion cell.

Charging⌗

There is no built-in charging.

Performance⌗

Specifications:

Mode	Moon	Low	Mid	High	Turbo
Light Output (lm)	1	100	350	750	1,250
Runtime	500h	5h	80min	70min	60min
Beam Intensity (cd)					11,000
Beam Distance (m)					209

Lumen measurements⌗

I used a UNI-T UT210E clamp meter to measure the current at turn on.

Mode	Amps at start	Specs	Lumens @turn on	Lumens @30 sec	Lumens @10 min
Moon	0.01 A	1	0.9
Low	0.30 A	100	64	62	61
Mid	1.53 A	350	372	349	320
High	4.26 A	750	858	763	258
Turbo	8.67 A	1,250	1,359	937	246

I used a Vapcell H10 14500 3.7V Li-ion cell for testing.

I recorded an initial value of 0.9 lm for Moon. My DIY lumen tube cannot accurately measure below 1 lumen.

Standby drain⌗

There is no standby drain. This torch has a mechanical tail switch.

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.

The FT01 definitely has a direct drive driver.

Turbo started at 1,359 lumens, dropped to around 300 lumens within a few minutes, and stopped at 38 minutes 47 seconds. 1,359 lm is higher than 1,250 lm in the user manual but the runtime is shorter than 60 minutes. Perhaps the high drain cell that I used caused a shorter runtime.

High started at 858 lumens, dropped below 300 lumens within a few minutes, and stopped at 42 minutes 9 seconds. 858 lm is higher than 750 lm in the user manual but the runtime is shorter than 70 minutes.

Mid started at 372 lumens, gradually dropped to around 20 lumens, and stopped at 66 minutes 33 seconds. 372 lm is slightly higher than 350 lm in the user manual and the runtime was only slightly shorter than 80 min.

Low started at 64 lumens and gradually dropped to 10 lumens by 6 hours. I stopped recording at 6 hours. 64 lm is a bit lower than 100 lm in the user manual.

I did not test Moon beyond a few seconds because the expected runtime is well over 24 hours (500 hours).

Overall, the output was mostly higher and runtimes were a bit shorter when I used a high drain 14500 Li-ion cell to test.

Throw⌗

I took lux measurements with a UNI-T UT383BT at 30 seconds. Low, Mid, High and Turbo were measured at five metres. Moon was too low to measure at one metre.

Mode	Specs (cd)	Specs (m)	Candela measured (cd)	Distance (m)
Moon
Low			425	41
Mid			3,125	111
High			6,525	161
Turbo	11,000	209	8,900	188

Beamshots⌗

I went to a local park and aimed the Mateminco FT01 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.

Mateminco FT01⌗

Acebeam E70 Mini⌗

Olight Warrior Mini 2⌗

Conclusion⌗

The Mateminco FT01 is an awesome little retro torch that packs a punch!

I love the warm beam and how it produces a smooth hotspot with a wide spill.

It would be nice if it also supported AA Ni-MH cells. Not everyone has a charger that supports 14500 Li-ion cells. Then again, this torch is intended for enthusiasts.

Direct drive drivers help keep the costs down I guess. But I would prefer regulated output so that the light does not gradually get dimmer and dimmer. Then again, perhaps that adds to the nostalgia of having a retro-looking torch.

This torch is also available with a 3000K, 4000K, 5000K or 5700K 519A emitter.

Pros:⌗

• Retro design.
• Warm beam.
• Nice beam with a hotspot and wide spill.
• Good build quality.

Cons:⌗

• Direct drive driver.

Price⌗

The Mateminco FT01 with Nichia 519A is exclusive to Nealsgadgets and has a retail price of US$45.95 at the time of writing.

Nealsgadgets asked Mateminco to produce small batches of the FT01 with Nichia 519A emitters.

The FT01 with a SFQ43 emitter is about US$45 on Mateminco’s store.

It is slightly expensive for a 14500 torch but it has a unique retro design. You may want to look out for sales and coupons where it could be 10% to 35% off. For example: ND25F for 25% off.

Product page⌗

Promo code: TimMcAU
Promo code: TIMMC

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