Vastlite Sima EDC Torch Review
Vastlite Sima⌗
- 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 | Vastlite Sima |
|---|---|
| LED | 2*Osram P9 |
| Maximum lumens | 2,200 lm |
| Maximum beam intensity | 11,050 cd |
| Maximum throw | 210 m |
| Battery | 2*14500 3.7V Li-ion 1000mAh |
| Onboard charging | Yes (USB-C) |
| Material | Aluminium |
| Modes | 5 |
| Blinkies | Strobe, SOS, Beacon |
| Reflector | OP |
| Waterproof | IPX8 |
| Review date | November 2024 |
Introduction⌗
The Vastlite Sima is a small EDC torch with two powerful Osram P9 emitters, eight tritium slots, a powerful magnetic base, a CNC’d electronic side switch with a battery and charging status indicator in the centre, built-in USB-C charging and a pocket clip.
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 their first LEP torch: the 18350-sized Vastlite Bow.
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⌗
The Vastlite Sima comes in a simple cardboard box with foam to protect the torch.
The following was included in the box:
- Vastlite Sima.
- USB-A to USB-C charging cable.
- Two spare o-rings for the two screws at the base of the light.
- User manual.
Torch in use⌗
The Vastlite Sima is tiny! It feels a bit like a fidget toy.
There are eight slots for tritium vials or glow sticks to be installed.
Each slot is approximately 1.6mm x 1.65mm x 7.30mm.
Glow sticks can be purchased separately from Nealsgadgets.
The torch has a powerful magnet in the base and it can easily tailstand.
Build quality⌗
The Vastlite Sima is made of aluminium and it has a matte black anodised finish. There are no sharp edges.
It feels pretty smooth despite the design having multiple lines.
The button gives a satisfying click for an electronic side switch.
My only gripe is that the button is a little too easy to accidentally press. The electronic lock mode is a handy feature.
The cover for the USB-C port fits snugly.
The one-way pocket clip is not deep carry. There is a small hole in the pocket clip for a lanyard to be attached to.
The torch came with blue protective film on the lens. This must be removed before using the torch.
I used a T6 screwdriver to remove two screws from the tail. The two screws have o-rings installed to improve water resistance.
The springs create a bit of pressure but there appears to be enough room for button top 14500 cells to fit.
Is nice to see that the PCB in the tail has good contact with the aluminium housing. This will improve the performance by reducing the resistance.
The driver has physical reverse polarity protection for each cell.
LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam⌗
The Vastlite Sima has two Osram P9 emitters, an OP reflector and a glass lens.
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 half a metre away from an Opple Light Master Pro III (G3).
The CCT is around 6400K, the CRI is around 70 and the Delta u, v is slightly positive (green).
The beam produced has an intense white hot spot with a slightly green corona and a spill that blends into the darkness. The shape of the beam is almost like an oval with the two emitters side-by-side.
| Mode | CCT (K) | CRI (Ra) | x | y | Duv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 6234 | 69.8 | 0.3171 | 0.3355 | 0.0065 |
| Medium | 6328 | 70.2 | 0.3155 | 0.3331 | 0.0039 |
| High | 6468 | 70.9 | 0.3133 | 0.3296 | 0.0032 |
| Turbo | 6404 | 71.3 | 0.3144 | 0.3303 | 0.0030 |
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 | 79.48 |
| Width | 36.20 |
| Height with pocket clip | 23.91 |
| Height without pocket clip | 19.28 |
| Tritium slot | 1.6 * 1.65 * 7.30 |
Weight⌗
I took the following measurements using a digital scale.
| Weight | Unit (g) |
|---|---|
| Vastlite Sima | 123.00 |
Size comparison with its competition⌗
From left to right: Vastlite Sima Manker F14, Wuben X2 Copper
From left to right: Vastlite Sima Manker F14, Wuben X2 Copper
From left to right: Vastlite Sima Manker F14, Wuben X2 Copper
User interface⌗
The Vastlite Sima has an electronic side switch.
There are three main modes: Low, Medium and High. There are three blinky modes: Strobe, SOS and Beacon.
And there shortcuts to Moonlight and Turbo.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Press and hold | Moonlight |
| Off | Click | On (mode memory) |
| Off | Two clicks | High |
| Off | Four clicks | Lock |
| Off | Seven clicks | Toggle Switch Backlight |
| On | Press and hold | Off |
| On | Click | Cycle (Low, Medium, High) |
| On | Two clicks | Turbo |
| Turbo | Two clicks | Turbo |
| Turbo | Click | On (mode memory) |
| Moonlight | Click | Low |
| Moonlight | Two clicks | Strobe |
| Strobe, SOS, Beacon | Two clicks | Cycle (Strobe, SOS, Beacon) |
| Lock | Four clicks | Unlock and on (mode memory) |
| Lock | Click | One flash at Low |
Mode memory⌗
There is mode memory.
The torch will memorise the last used mode (Low, Medium or High).
Turbo, Strobe, SOS and Beacon are not memorised.
Battery level indicator⌗
The light in the centre of the side switch acts as a battery level indicator. It will display the battery status for about five seconds when the torch is turned on.
| Colour | Battery level |
|---|---|
| Green | Good |
| Red flashing | Low |
Strobe⌗
Strobe has a constant frequency. The lumen output is 1,000 lumens.
Strobe, SOS, Beacon
I measured Strobe, SOS and Beacon with a Zoyi ZT-703S oscilloscope using High Speed mode.
Low voltage warning⌗
The switch backlight flashes red when the voltage is low.
The light dropped to Moonlight at 2.75V and had a current of 7.51mA.
Pulse Width Modulation⌗
I did not notice any visible PWM (flickering).
I measured the PWM of the light with a Zoyi ZT-703S oscilloscope.
Moonlight, Low, Medium, High, Turbo
What I like about the UI⌗
- Shortcut to Moonlight from off (press and hold).
What could be improved⌗
I would prefer these shortcuts:
- Click for off.
- Two clicks for Turbo from on or off.
- Three clicks for Strobe from on or off.
Batteries and charging⌗
Battery⌗
The Vastlite Bow is powered by two 14500 3.7V Li-ion 1000mAh cells connected in parallel.
Charging⌗
The Vastlite Sima has built-in USB-C charging.
Power supply: PinePower Desktop USB-C
USB Meter: ChargerLAB Power-Z KM003C
Room temperature: 18 C
I charged the torch with the built-in USB-C charger.
It took about 2 hour 55 minutes to fully charge the torch at a rate of 5V/1A. The current jumped up and down. The current gradually decreased from 2 hours until charging was complete.
The charging status indicator in the button flashes red while charging and it turns a solid green when charging is complete.
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 | Low | Medium | High | Turbo | Strobe, SOS, Beacon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output (lumens) | 5 | 150 | 660 | 1,400 | 2,200 | 1,000 |
| Runtime | 8 days | 8h 30min | 3h 10min | 90s + 2h 51min | 2min + 1h 45min | |
| Beam Distance (metres) | 210 | |||||
| Beam Intensity (cd) | 11,050 |
Lumen measurements⌗
I used a UNI-T UT139C digital multimeter to measure the current for Moonlight at turn on.
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 | 7.51 mA | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Low | 0.230 A | 150 | 140 | 139 | 140 |
| Medium | 1.152 A | 660 | 651 | 378 | 378 |
| High | 2.955 A | 1,400 | 1,372 | 378 | 377 |
| Turbo | 5+ A | 2,200 | 2,191 | 378 | 378 |
Moonlight is too low for my DIY lumen tube to detect.
Turbo steps down within the first 30 seconds. The output dropped to 378 lumens at 30 seconds.
My bench power supply could not provide more than 5A. Turbo exceeded 5A.
Standby drain⌗
34 µA
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 2min + 1h 45min | 3h 7min 4s | 3h 7min 5s+ |
| High | 90s + 2h 51min | 3h 7min 17s | 3h 7min 20s+ |
| Medium | 3h 10min | 3h 9min 21s | 3h 9min 22s+ |
| Low | 8h 30min | 8h 21min 50s | 8h 21min 50s+ |
| Moonlight | 8 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 step down for Turbo and High occured sooner than expected but overall the runtimes are pretty close to what Vastlite claim.
Turbo continued beyond 3h 7min 20s at a Moonlight output level.
The output is well regulated.
Throw⌗
I took lux measurements with a UNI-T UT383BT at 30 seconds. Low and Medium were measured at one metre. High and Turbo were measured at five metres.
| Mode | Specs (cd) | Specs (m) | Candela measured (cd) | Distance (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 726 | 53 | ||
| Medium | 1,994 | 89 | ||
| High | 2,100 | 91 | ||
| Turbo | 11,050 | 210 | 2,000 | 89 |
Turbo steps down within the first 30 seconds. The beam distance dropped to 89 metres at 30 seconds.
Beamshots⌗
I went to a local park and I aimed the torch at a tree 70 metres away.
Beamshots were taken using a Sony RX100M2 using 3.2", f3.2, ISO 100, 5000K WB.
Vastlite Sima (Turbo)⌗
Wuben X2 Copper (Turbo)⌗
Manker F14 Spotlight (Turbo)⌗
Manker F14 Floodlight (Turbo)⌗
Manker F14 Both (Turbo)⌗
Conclusion⌗
The Vastlite Sima is a cute little EDC torch. It is about twice the size of a matchbox but it packs a punch.
Two Osram P9 emitters can produce a burst of 2,200 lumens!
Turbo and High step down within 30 seconds and then the output becomes very stable.
You can continuously reactivate Turbo if needed.
The user interface is not my favourite. It comes down to personal preference. I prefer simple shortcuts like “click for off” instead of “press and hold for off”.
The CCT is around 6400K and the CRI is around 70. Vastlite have opted for performance rather than a high CRI.
It would be nice if Vastlite offered this with Nichia 519A and a warmer CCT such as 3500K.
If you are looking for a tiny rectangular EDC torch capable of short bursts of 2,200 lumens followed by well regulated output then I would recommend the Vastlite Sima.
Pros:⌗
- Compact EDC size.
- Good runtimes.
- Output is well regulated.
- USB-C charging.
- 14500 3.7V Li-ion cells can be replaced.
- Good Moonlight mode.
Cons:⌗
- Turbo and High step down within 30 seconds.
- The beam distance and lumen output are ok at turn on but they are lower than expected at 30 seconds.
- 70 CRI.
Price⌗
The Vastlite Sima is US$48.40 from nealsgadgets.com with the promo code TIMMC
Product page⌗
Promo code: TimMcAU
Promo code: TIMMC
Vastlite Sima 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.