Vastlite General Torch Review
Vastlite General⌗
- Specifications
- Introduction
- Torch in use
- Build quality
- LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam
- Size and comparison
- User interface
- Batteries and charging
- Powerbank
- Performance
- Beamshots
- Conclusion
- Price
- Product page
Specifications⌗
| Brand/model | Vastlite General |
|---|---|
| LED | SFP55 |
| Maximum lumens | 15,100 lm |
| Maximum beam intensity | 164,050 cd |
| Maximum throw | 810 m |
| Battery | 3*21700 Li-ion (button top) |
| Onboard charging | Yes (USB-C) |
| Powerbank | Yes (USB-C) |
| Material | Aluminium |
| Modes | 4 |
| Blinkies | Strobe, SOS, Beacon |
| Reflector | OP |
| Waterproof | IPX8 |
| Review date | November 2024 |
Introduction⌗
The Vastlite General is a soda can style torch with a large SFP55 emitter. It takes three button top 21700 cells and it has a USB-C port that can be used for charging or as a powerbank with PD3 and QC3.
Shenzhen Vastlite Technology Co., LTD. is a new flashlight company founded by Leo Wong and Easy Dang. They have years of experience in the flashlight industry.
I recently reviewed the Vastlite Bow and the Vastlite Sima.
Nealgadgets kindly provided this torch for review. I have not been paid for this review nor have I held back my opinions of this torch.
Packaging⌗
I received an early sample of the Vastlite General in a plain box without accessories.
The actual packaging and contents is very likely to be different for the final version.
The following was included in the box:
- Vastlite General
I contacted Vastlite and they provided a digital copy of the user manual.
Torch in use⌗
The Vastlite General feels hefty and grippy.
It weighs more than 500 grams with three 21700 cells installed.
The side switch has a backlight that shows off Vastlite’s logo.
The USB-C port support fast charging and the torch can be used as a powerbank.
There is a 1/4th inch threaded hole above the USB-C port to mount the torch to a tripod.
The torch can tail stand. And there is lanyard hole in the tailcap.
Build quality⌗
The Vastlite General is made of aluminium and it has a matte black anodised finish.
The tube and the tailcap have plenty of grip.
I like how heat takes longer to transfer from the head to the tube. The head of the torch can get hot on Turbo while the tube remains comfortable to hold.
The glass lens came with a sheet of blue protective film to remove before using the torch.
The threads are anodised and they came well lubricated.
The tailcap might be glued on. I was not able to unscrew it. That said, the head can be unscrewed from the tube to access the cells.
There is a PCB with springs at the tail end where three 21700 cells are connected in parallel.
The positive terminal on the driver has a black ring in the middle to provide physical reverse polarity protection. Button top 21700 cells must be used.
Overall, the build quality is pretty good.
LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam⌗
The Vastlite General comes with an SFP55 emitter surrounded by an orange peel reflector.
The glass lens appears to have an anti-reflective coating.
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 two metres away from an Opple Light Master Pro III (G3).
The CCT is between 5300K and 6500K, the CRI is around 70 and the Delta u, v is slightl positive (green) on lower modes and closer to pure white on High 2 and Turbo.
The beam produced has an intense white hot spot surrounded by a slightly green corona and a wide spill. It is like a traditional spotlight beam.
| Mode | CCT (K) | CRI (Ra) | x | y | Duv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moonlight | 5318 | 71.1 | 0.3369 | 0.3490 | 0.0021 |
| High 1 | 5890 | 68.2 | 0.3239 | 0.3399 | 0.0033 |
| High 2 | 6441 | 70.3 | 0.3146 | 0.3231 | -0.0008 |
| Turbo | 6535 | 70.8 | 0.3132 | 0.3212 | -0.0011 |
Calculate Duv from CIE 1931 xy coordinates
Dimensions and size comparison⌗
Dimensions⌗
I took the following measurements using a digital caliper.
| Measurement | Unit (mm) |
|---|---|
| Length | 135.83 |
| Head diameter | 70.01 |
| Tail diameter | 54.60 |
Weight⌗
I took the following measurements using a digital scale.
| Weight | Unit (g) |
|---|---|
| Vastlite General | 446 |
Size comparison with its competition⌗
From left to right: Vastlite General, Sofirn Q8 Plus, Mateminco MT-911, Nightwatch Legend NG01 SFN60.2
From left to right: Vastlite General, Sofirn Q8 Plus, Mateminco MT-911, Nightwatch Legend NG01 SFN60.2
User interface⌗
The Vastlite General has an electronic side switch to control the light.
It has smooth ramping between Moonlight and High 1.
There are two levels in the main cycle group: Turbo and High 2.
Blinky modes such as Strobe, SOS and Beacon are available from Moonlight by performing two clicks.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Press and hold for one second | Moonlight |
| Off | Click | On (mode memory) |
| Off | Two clicks | Turbo |
| Off | Three clicks | Display battery status for 30 seconds |
| Off | Four clicks | Lock |
| Off | Seven clicks | Turn the backlight on or off |
| On | Hold | Ramp up to High 1 or down to Moonlight |
| On | Two clicks | Cycle (Turbo, High 2) |
| Moonlight | Two clicks | Cycle (Strobe, SOS, Beacon) |
| Lock | Hold | Momentary On (Low) |
| Lock | Four clicks | Unlock |
Mode memory⌗
Mode memory includes any level between Moonlight and High 1.
Strobe⌗
Strobe has a constant frequency.
Strobe, SOS, Beacon
I measured Strobe, SOS and Beacon with a Zoyi ZT-703S oscilloscope using High Speed mode.
Battery level indicator⌗
There is a battery level indicator below the button.
Each light represents 25%.
The indicators will turn on for 30 seconds when the torch is turned on. They can also be activated by performing three clicks from off.
| Colour | Battery level |
|---|---|
| Four green indicators | 76% - 100% |
| Three green indicators | 51 - 75% |
| Two green indicators | 26 - 50% |
| One green indicator | 5 - 25% |
Low voltage protection⌗
There is low voltage protection. The light turns off around 2.82V.
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.
| Mode | LVP? | Cut-off | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moonlight | Yes | 2.82V | 0 A |
| High 1 | Yes | 2.83V | 0 A |
| High 2 | Yes | 2.84V | 0 A |
Pulse Width Modulation⌗
There is slightly visible PWM on High 1, High 2 and when Turbo steps down.
I measured the PWM of the light with a Zoyi ZT-703S oscilloscope.
Moonlight, High 1, High 2, Turbo
What I like about the UI⌗
- Shortcut to Moonlight from off (press and hold).
- Shortcut to Turbo from off (two clicks).
- Smooth ramping.
What could be improved⌗
It would be nice if two clicks while the torch is on cycled through: High 1, High 2 and Turbo.
Batteries and charging⌗
Batteries⌗
The Vastlite General takes three unprotected button top 21700 cells. The cells are connected in parallel.
Flat top cells do not work due to physical reverse polarity protection.
Charging⌗
The Vastlite General has a USB-C port for fast charging. QC3 and PD3!
Power supply: PinePower Desktop USB-C
USB Meter: ChargerLAB Power-Z KM003C
Room temperature: 18 C
I charged three 21700 cells in parallel from 2.91V to 4.20V inside the torch.
It took about 3 hours to fully charge the torch at a rate of 12V/1.5A.
All four battery level indicators lit up when charging was complete.
Powerbank⌗
The USB-C port can be used to charge a device such as a phone.
I was able to squeeze 8257mAh out of three 21700 4500mAh cells connected in parallel.
The user manual mentions bidirectional PD support and a discharge current capability of 5V/3A, 9V/2A and 12V/1.5A.
Powerbank protocols⌗
A RD TC66 USB Meter detected these supported protocols:
QUALCOMM QC2.0 5V 9V 12V
QUALCOMM QC3.0
SAMSUNG AFC 9V
TYPE-C PD
HUAWEI FCP 9V
HUAWEI SCP
A ChargerLAB Power-Z KM003C USB Meter detected these supported protocols:
QC2.0 5V 9V 12V
QC3.0 3.6-12V
FCP 18W 5V/2A 9V/2A 12V/1.5A
SCP 25W 3.4-10V 20mV step 0.03-2.20A 50mA step
AFC 24W 5V/2A 9V/2A 12V/2A
SFCP
PD3.0 20W 5V/3A 9V/2.22A 12V/1.67A
PPS 3.3-11V/2A
DCP
Apple 2.4A
Powerbank capacity test⌗
With three Molicel P45B 21700 Li-ion 4500mAh cells connected in parallel I expect a maximum theoretical capacity of 9000mAh.
In reality, there will be losses and some energy will be wasted while converting the 4.2V input voltage to 5V to charge a device.
I tested the powerbank feature by connecting the torch to an electronic load so that it may discharge at a rate of 5V/2A.
The USB Meter measured a capacity of 8257mAh. The efficiency seems ok at 5V/2A! The capacity might be lower with a 9V or 12V output.
Electronic load: Atorch DL24
Power supply: PinePower Desktop USB-C
USB Meter: ChargerLAB Power-Z KM003C
Cells: 3* Molicel P45B 21700 Li-ion 4500mAh
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Start Voltage | 4.20 |
| Finish Voltage | 3.18 |
| Capacity (mAh) | 8257 |
| Time (h:min) | 4:08 |
Here is a short video demonstrating how I measure the capacity of a powerbank:
Power supply compatibility⌗
I tried the following power supplies with the built-in USB-C charger:
| Power supply | USB Type | Protocol | Does it charge? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple 61W Power Adapter | USB-C | PD | Yes |
| Google Pixel Power Adapter | USB-C | PD | Yes |
| PinePower Desktop | USB-C | PD | Yes |
| PinePower Desktop | USB-A | QC | Yes |
| PinePower Desktop | USB-A | Yes |
USB-C to USB-C charging works.
Performance⌗
Specifications from the user manual:
| Moonlight | High 1 | High 2 | Turbo | Strobe/SOS/Beacon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output (lumens) | 1 | 2,100 | 6,050 + 2,100 | 15,100 + 2,100 | 6,050 |
| Runtime | 56 days | 4h 15min | 60s + 4h | 50s + 4h | |
| Beam Distance (metres) | 810 | ||||
| Beam Intensity (cd) | 164,050 |
I tested the light using three Molicel P45B 21700 3.7V Li-ion 4500mAh cells with solder blobs on the flat tops.
Lumen measurements⌗
I used a bench power supply to measure the current at turn on.
| Mode | Amps at start | Specs | Lumens @turn on | Lumens @30 sec | Lumens @10 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moonlight | 0.017 A | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| High 1 | 4.200 A | 2,100 | 1,758 | 1,715 | 1,644 |
| High 2 | 4.830 A | 6,050 + 2,100 | 6,152 | 5,858 | 1,633 |
| Turbo | 5+ A | 15,100 + 2,100 | 13,740 | 4,296 | 1,636 |
My bench power supply could not provide more than 5A. Turbo exceeded 5A.
The lumen output is lower than expected at 30 seconds for Turbo.
Standby drain⌗
| Button backlight | Standby drain |
|---|---|
| Off | 0.62 mA |
| On | 0.78 mA |
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 room temperature was approximately 18 C.
Runtime⌗
Here is a summary of the runtime results:
| Mode | User manual | Runtime | Turn off | Final Voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 50s + 4h | 3h 34min 39s | 14h 22min 4s | 2.88, 2.88, 2.88 |
| High 2 | 60s + 4h | 3h 22min 53s | 14h 22min 55s | 2.91, 2.91, 2.91 |
| High 1 | 4h 15min | 4h 40min 41s | 14h 25min 44s | 2.85, 2.85, 2.85 |
| Moonlight | 56 days | 10min+ | 10min+ |
“Runtime” is the time until the output reduces to 10% of the output at 30 seconds (as per the ANSI/PLATO FL1 2019 Standard).
“Turn off” is the time until my DIY lumen tube no longer detects more than one lumen.
“+” indicates that the light remained on after recording had stopped.
The runtime for Turbo and High 2 fell short by about 30 minutes.
The output for Turbo and High 2 both drop off rapidly within the first minute.
It would be nice if High 2 could maintain 6,050 lumens for more than 30 seconds.
The runtime for High 1 was slightly better than expected.
The output looks fairly stable.
Some might call this a 1,600 lumen light with short bursts of 13,000+ lumens on Turbo.
Throw⌗
I took lux measurements with a UNI-T UT383BT at 30 seconds. Moonlight was measured at one metre. High 1, High 2 and Turbo were measured at five metres.
| Mode | Specs (cd) | Specs (m) | Candela measured (cd) | Distance (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moonlight | 43 | 13 | ||
| High 1 | 26,600 | 326 | ||
| High 2 | 91,075 | 603 | ||
| Turbo | 164,050 | 810 | 46,900 | 433 |
Turbo stepped down quickly. The output that I measured at 30 seconds did not reach 810 metres.
Beamshots⌗
I went to a local park and aimed the torch 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.
Vastlite General (Turbo)⌗
Sofirn Q8 Plus (Turbo)⌗
Mateminco MT-911 (Turbo)⌗
Nightwatch Legend NG01 SFN60.2 (High)⌗
Conclusion⌗
The Vastlite General has a really good built-in charger and powerbank feature. They are both fast!
The lumen output and the beam distance claims might be for measurements taken at turn on rather than at 30 seconds. The output for Turbo and High 2 drop faster than expected.
The tripod hole and the ability to sustain 1,600 lumens for almost 2 hours make this perfect for niche situations where you need a spotlight mounted to a tripod while pointing at something a few hundred metres away.
The user interface includes a lot of features while remaining relatively simple to use. It has smooth ramping, moonlight, a few high output levels, and blinky modes (Strobe, SOS, Beacon).
A good alternative is the Sofirn Q8 Plus where it has an Anduril user interface and more LEDs that help it produce a floodier beam.
If you are looking for a soda can sized spotlight with an excellent build quality then I would recommend the Vastlite General.
Pros:⌗
- Excellent build quality.
- Nice spotlight beam.
- Built-in USB-C fast charger.
- Powerbank supports multiple fast charging protocols.
- There is a 1/4th inch threaded hole to mount to a tripod.
Cons:⌗
- Beam distance of 810 metres was not sustained for 30 seconds.
- Lumen output of 15,100 lumens was not sustained for 30 seconds.
- Runtime for Turbo and High 2 fell slightly short.
- Slightly visible flickering on High 1, High 2 and Turbo.
Price⌗
The Vastlite General is US$83.97 from nealsgadgets.com with the promo code Vastlite for 30% off.
Product page⌗
30% off Vastlite products: Vastlite
Promo code: TimMcAU
Promo code: TIMMC
Vastlite General at nealsgadgets.com (affiliate link)
I may earn a commission if you use an affiliate link or a promo code. This will help fund future torch reviews and tutorials.