Lumapower D-mini VX Ultra (SST-50) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, and more!

[NaturalMystic]

Hey Matt, that's good to know! I had no idea this was the intention of the D-Mini VX. I was just looking for a monster pocket rocket along the lines of the M30 Triton and this one just seemed a bit better because I only needed one battery, the rechargable 18650, instead of 3 CR123s.

Thanks for the info, I'm patiently awaiting the D-Mini ultra you guys shipped me on Friday!
I was hoping to add an IncenDio V3 to my order but it's still on backorder on your site. Any idea when you expect more of the R2 versions?

 

[selfbuilt]

Perhaps I should have included a note with the light before I shipped it. I fell that I should explain explain that the D-Mini VX Ultra was a result of a conversation that Ricky at LP and I had about making a 'little monster light for CPF' and it was originally intended to be a very limited release light (100pcs) for use by the enthusiast community here so it was intentionally driven hard, 'overclocked' if you will.

Thanks for the clarification Matt. I've added a note to the review at the top and the bottom, linking to your post above.

I think that perspective should help "calibrate" everyone's expectations for the light. As long as everyone understands what they are getting, there shouldn't be any problems. And good call to insist on the D65 extender tube!

:wave:

 

[berry580]

A N O T H E R awesome review from Selfbuilt, thank you! =)

As for the light, it looks much like a fad product to me.

 

[Metatron]

A N O T H E R awesome review from Selfbuilt, thank you! =)

As for the light, it looks much like a fad product to me.

care to explain what in ur opinion makes this a fad product as opposed to one in ur collection that u feel isnt a fad product?

 

[turboBB]

Selfbuilt, thx for another totally awesome review. Of course you do realize that you are the biggest enabler of all right?

Given high current draw, would LiFePO4 be an option as an alternative to the IMR's? (taking into consideration the obvious shorter run times and to be mindful of not running down the battery completely)

 

[selfbuilt]

Selfbuilt, thx for another totally awesome review. Of course you do realize that you are the biggest enabler of all right?

Sigh ... not my intent, but an unintended consequence of doing so many review. I prefer to look at it as I'm providing independent data to allow members to decide if the pros outweigh the cons for any given light they are interested in.

Of course, there is a selection bias going on - given the limits of my time, I only choose to review lights I think will be of interest to members here.

Given high current draw, as an option to the IMR's would LiFePO4 be an option? (taking into consideration the obvious shorter run times and to be mindful of not running down the battery completely)

Hmmm, don't know if LiFePO4 would be any better here than regular Li-ion ... but IMR is certainly rated to be able to handle these sorts of current draws. Don't have any LiFe ones to test, I'm afraid.

 

[turboBB]

Hmmm, don't know if LiFePO4 would be any better here than regular Li-ion ... but IMR is certainly rated to be able to handle these sorts of current draws. Don't have any LiFe ones to test, I'm afraid.

I've read that they have been purportedly used by RC hobbiest at 10C discharge so I'd imagine it should be able to handle it. Also, I'd imagine running at lower v might help a little with the heat but just conjecture.

I have some incoming and will take some heat / run time tests when they're in.

Cheers,
Tim

 

[berry580]

care to explain what in ur opinion makes this a fad product as opposed to one in ur collection that u feel isnt a fad product?

I get this feeling that Lumapower just hastily rushed out this light to take advantage of the excitement about the new SST's.

If a new produce is out using some "new technology" with little or no meaningful improvement in performance (or other relevant features) compared to previous rivals, then IMO, it is a fad product trying to take advantage of excess demand amongst the innovators/early adopters (i.e. enthusiasts like us flashaholics)

Apparently the only real edge it has over previous generation rivals is when its ran on 1x18650 format on max and 1x16340 on max (but it doesn't regulate and its not safe), however you use it in any other battery sources and/or output level and its back to the old standards if not inferior. To me, its enough to justify labelling it as a 'fad product', sorry to offend if others if we do not concur, but thats just me. But seriously, i think its quite obvious, you get what i mean, please don't do this to me next time.

How lights from my collection ain't fads? By chronological order in terms of release date, (i think) none of my newer light would be inferior to the older lights in terms of runtime output/efficiency, all other factors held constant.

 

[Metatron]

anyone tested draw at the tail on high with a 18650 IMR?

 

[Metatron]

I get this feeling that Lumapower just hastily rushed out this light to take advantage of the excitement about the new SST's.

If a new produce is out using some "new technology" with little or no meaningful improvement in performance (or other relevant features) compared to previous rivals, then IMO, it is a fad product trying to take advantage of excess demand amongst the innovators/early adopters (i.e. enthusiasts like us flashaholics)

Apparently the only real edge it has over previous generation rivals is when its ran on 1x18650 format on max and 1x16340 on max (but it doesn't regulate and its not safe), however you use it in any other battery sources and/or output level and its back to the old standards if not inferior. To me, its enough to justify labelling it as a 'fad product', sorry to offend if others if we do not concur, but thats just me. But seriously, i think its quite obvious, you get what i mean, please don't do this to me next time.

How lights from my collection ain't fads? By chronological order in terms of release date, (i think) none of my newer light would be inferior to the older lights in terms of runtime output/efficiency, all other factors held constant.

no one here has the qualification to possibly hurt my feelings, just wanted ur opinion, so all is well:twothumbs

 

[MattK]

Berry - You are entirely wrong.

This light wasn't 'rushed out;' the engineers at LP had to develop an entirely new circuit and reflector for it.

How can you say it has, "no meaningful improvement in performance"!?!?
It's the brightest light in it's size class by quite a bit - it's 50-70% brighter than every light selbuilt compared it to besides the M21. That sets a new STANDARD, it's not a FAD.
Well, a few folks have measured output and measured ~425-450L OTF - that is GROUNDBREAKING AND TRENDSETTING maybe that makes it a 'fad' for you?

I cannot be effectively used with CR123A's because of the LIMITATIONS OF THE BATTERY.
Should flashlight makers stop current usage at the maximum deliverable by X CR123A's or should they build for the best technology able to deliver the current required to attain the performance levels an LED is capable of?

CPF has been begging for a light that really takes advantage of the SST-50's capabilities and here it is, at least one flavor of it.

If we were going to restart this project the only thing I would change is to write better instructions, mark the 1xCR tube as for 1xCR123A PRIMARY ONLY (emergency usage) and market the D-65V for 1x18650 PROTECTED only. Otherwise this light is exactly what we envisioned when we started discussing and developing last October.

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion but please be ready to back it up with facts.

 

[berry580]

Mate, i think you're giving this light too much credit, its the LED that's setting the trend, not necessarily this light.
If the trend is 10 mins of rage at the expense of inferior output/runtime efficiency at all other levels, i think technology is heading the wrong way IMO.

Yes, CR123 and 16340 does have its limitations, yet designers let this to run on a 1xCR123/16340 format. You can blame the batteries' limitations, or you can blame the light's designer for not choosing another battery source, you choose. Either way, the graphs talk for themselves.

Seriously, I'd be interested to know who bought this and for what.

 

[berry580]

I actually just read post #21.

So this light is for for enthusiasts....

The new D-mini VX is an attractive and well-built little light, a worthy successor to the original D-mini line. They just need to tone down the wattage a little in Ultra form.

Agreed.

To me, a fad product by definition means something that's not here to stay. I can't picture a 7 minute light staying for very long. MattK, its smart of you to have the 18650 extenders at the ready.

 

[mikeinrancho]

... snip

How can you say it has, "no meaningful improvement in performance"!?!?
It's the brightest light in it's size class by quite a bit - it's 50-70% brighter than every light selbuilt compared it to besides the M21. That sets a new STANDARD, it's not a FAD.
Well, a few folks have measured output and measured ~425-450L OTF - that is GROUNDBREAKING AND TRENDSETTING maybe that makes it a 'fad' for you?

Matt, or anybody else... is there any kind of home procedure - indoor or outdoor - I can perform at home to get a better feeling about this light?

I've have it for a few weeks and at first try, shining it around a darkened house, or in the garage, thought it was fairly bright. Took it (with an 18650 installed) out to the desert on NYE along with my MX1, and the MX1 totally spanked it - badly. Of course, I expected the MX1 to have better throw, but I thought the Ultra would have something for it.

I got home and compared it with my MiNi 123 on high (RCR123) on the ceiling and across the garage on a white wall and the Ultra did not do much better, not nearly what I expected.

So I guess what I'm getting at is, what's a good way to show off the brightness of this light that can be seen, or do I have a dud?

Thanks... - Mike

 

[MattK]

Mate, i think you're giving this light too much credit, its the LED that's setting the trend, not necessarily this light.
If the trend is 10 mins of rage at the expense of inferior output/runtime efficiency at all other levels, i think technology is heading the wrong way IMO.

Yes, CR123 and 16340 does have its limitations, yet designers let this to run on a 1xCR123/16340 format. You can blame the batteries' limitations, or you can blame the light's designer for not choosing another battery source, you choose. Either way, the graphs talk for themselves.

Seriously, I'd be interested to know who bought this and for what.

I actually just read post #21.

So this light is for for enthusiasts....

Agreed.

To me, a fad product by definition means something that's not here to stay. I can't picture a 7 minute light staying for very long. MattK, its smart of you to have the 18650 extenders at the ready.

The light is really OPTIMIZED for 18650's and they are the recommended battery but it can handle the others when needed. We view it as an 18650 powered light that can use 1XCR123A or 1XRCR123A in an 'emergency' (aka you forgot to charge an 18650).

Not every light can be everything to every user - that doesn't make it a fad or less relevant it just makes it more specialized. Generalist flashlights have their place but so do niche lights. The 18650 extenders aren't simply, 'at the ready' they're included.

This 7 or 10 minutes thing you keep mentioning is about using an RCR123A but the fact is that RCR123A's have relatively little capacity in them. Eric acheived a 64 minute runtime on an 18650 - a 2200mah 18650 - most people have moved onto 2400mah, 2600mah and even higher so your 'average user' on a 2600mah battery will see about 75 minutes of runtime whic is a totally respectable number.

Matt, or anybody else... is there any kind of home procedure - indoor or outdoor - I can perform at home to get a better feeling about this light?

I've have it for a few weeks and at first try, shining it around a darkened house, or in the garage, thought it was fairly bright. Took it (with an 18650 installed) out to the desert on NYE along with my MX1, and the MX1 totally spanked it - badly. Of course, I expected the MX1 to have better throw, but I thought the Ultra would have something for it.

I got home and compared it with my MiNi 123 on high (RCR123) on the ceiling and across the garage on a white wall and the Ultra did not do much better, not nearly what I expected.

So I guess what I'm getting at is, what's a good way to show off the brightness of this light that can be seen, or do I have a dud?

Thanks... - Mike

In terms of throw the MX1 will throw far further.

If you're focused only on the central hotspots then you're making the classic mistake of confusing LUX and LUMENS because the SST-50 won't be all hotspot - it's got a ton of spill output too. LUMENS is the measure of total visible output. The classic 'test' here is the ceiling bounce test; go to your bathroom, shut out the lights and bounce each light, in turn, off of the ceiling - look down while doing this - the amount of light on the floor or any low spot will be an indicator of total output.


Another way to do a comparison is to take optics out of the equation.

Take both lights, 1 in each hand, and bounce them off of a wall moving them so that the spill circles are of similar size - this should give you an idea if their output is similar or not.

If you're seriosu about this hobby I highly recommend purchasing a light meter - preferably a data logging one.

 

[ernsanada]

Size comparisons

Left, Lumapower D-Mini VX Ultra SST-50. Right, Lumapower D-Mini EX MCE

Left, Lumapower D-Mini VX Ultra SST-50. Right, Lumapower D-Mini EX MCE

Lumapower D-Mini VX Ultra SST-50

Lumapower D-Mini EX MCE

_______________________________



Lumapower D-Mini VX Ultra SST-50 @ 96"

Lumapower D-Mini EX MCE @ 96"

Left, Lumapower D-Mini VX Ultra SST-50. Right, Lumapower D-Mini EX MCE @ 96"

Left, Lumapower D-Mini VX Ultra SST-50. Right, Lumapower D-Mini EX MCE @ 96" Stepped down exposure

Lumapower D-Mini VX Ultra SST-50 @ 32' (low)

Lumapower D-Mini VX Ultra SST-50 @ 32' (medium)

Lumapower D-Mini VX Ultra SST-50 @ 32' (high)

Lumapower D-Mini EX MCE @ 32' (high)

 

[selfbuilt]

Size comparisons
Left, Lumapower D-Mini VX Ultra SST-50. Right, Lumapower D-Mini EX MCE

Hi Ernie,

Thanks for the pics! I am sure folks here will find them useful. Of the two, I certainly prefer the look, bezel size, and beam pattern of the Ultra, based on your pics.

:thumbsup:

 

[Przemo(c)]

Gentlemen, (and Ladies maybe???:welcome I have few questions here.
1. How would you compare the Lumapower D-mini VX Ultra vs Fenix TK10? That Fenix light is about 220 lumens output. Does it mean that Lumapower D-mini VX Ultra is 2x brighter and has 2x throw? (approximately, let's not be so detailed at the moment)

2. How would you compare it vs EagleTac M2XC4 - is it similar peformance (throw, spill and lumens?) "Similar" means similar here - I know, that M2XC4 has more lumens, but what I meant are those two light can compete in some way? Let's make a wide margin here.

3. And finally comparison with Fenix TK40 - how would it look like?

Regarding the above - let's forget for a minute about batteries, size and shape; let's focus on performance only. Simple question here - if you would like a general purpose light (which has a good ratio between throw and spill), which one would it be? (remember - no discussion about batteries and size, let's focus on the essence... and please, don't recommend some other light here :naughty: if you know what I mean... :welcome

 

[MattK]

This is all apples and oranges. Different emitters, different formats - it just doesn't compute.

Please forgive me but it's clear you're new to this and honestly the best thing I can do IS to recommend another light - in this case an Olight M21 or M30 or LumaPower D-Mini VX, MRV, or one of the Signature series lights - all of those are fantastic general purpose lights with a good ratio between throw and spill. They all take a wide variety of batteries and are simple to operate. The D-mini VX Ultra is not, IMO a light for someone new to the hobby; it's a niche light, not a general purpose, one-size fits all product.

 

[Przemo(c)]

Well, I 've just asked simple question as I did not have that light before and wanted some comparison to build some picture in my mind, because I couln't find any field beamshots of that flashlight. It's easier to decide that way. Anyway - I've ordered that ligh yesterday, and we'll see. Thanks for your answer.