kj75
Enlightened
There are many flashlights-brands at the world, and I'm sure that I don't know about the existence of a lot of names that are engraved into the body of torches. Recently, I received a "Russian" flashlight. The brand is named Yarkiy Luch Professional; the light that came in was the YLP Gryphon G180. This is one of the flagships of the brand: A pocket-sized "floody"light with good output, neutral white tint and an easy interface. The YLP-lights were designed and tuned in association with Russian flashlight-fans, who meet each other on the forum fonarevka.ru. So, I was happy that I got the chance to have a look at this (for me) new light. In this review I will show you the light and the details, give my opinion about it and compare to another flashlight in the same range. Of course, you will get a lot of pictures about the G180, including a couple of interesting beamshots. Here we go!
this is the Y(arkiy) L(uch) P(rofessional) G180
compact light with good output
powered by nine XP-G2 led with NW-tint
undeep reflectors, so a "floody" flashlight
powerful "soda-can"
To start with, the specifications here (given by manufacturer):
• 9 CREE XP-G2 neutral white LED
• Neutral light, close to sunlight (4000 Kelvin)
• Beam distance up to 228 m according to ANSI standard
• Max output 3200 lm
• Five brightness modes: from 10 to 3200 lm
• Additional Strob mode
• The memory of the modes (optional)
• Fast access to the Turbo and moonlight modes
• Convenient side button
• Base of aircraft quality aluminum with 3 type anodizing
• High quality Carclo optics (TIR)
• Impact resistant ultra-clear glass lens with AR coating
• Waterproof IPX8
• Weight: 201 g (without battery)
• Length 115 mm
• Head diameter 51 mm
• Body diameter 43 mm
And the output and runtime specs:
* depending on the brightness changes because
of the thermal regulation
Unboxing:
The G180 comes in a sturdy carton, a "closed-top". I like the looks of the box which is in main black with grey and orange accents. On the box, we see besides the light, a lot of information and specifications. Eye-catcher in the box is the big pouch: Designed to carry the G180, but there's enough space left to carry for example a phone, cards or bottle too. Didn't see this before, but I like the idea! Also in the box: Manual, big lanyard and spare o-rings. So, main thing you need is a couple (three) batteries that are dedicated for the Gryphon G180. I've added some pictures that show the box and what's in; scroll down to watch!
a nice box for the YLP Gryphon G180
a lot of information about the light on the carton
comes with nice carrying pouch
the contents: flashlight, manual, pouch, lanyard and spare o-rings
Impressions:
The Gryphon G180 is surprising compact for a nine-led flashlight and has about the size a tiny soda can. The light comes in matte black and has its own style and "military" looks. The overall fit and finish looks good, the anodizing is done well, same to the engraving. The body has pineapple texture to ensure good grip alternated by some notches. In the lights' head, we see back these some deeper notches that are designed to dissipate the heat and prevent the light against accidentally rolling away. These "anti-roll--protection" could be some better. With the batteries loaded the light is well-balanced. As expected, the light stands very stable both on head and tail. Striking detail is the big power button with silver ring around that can't be missed during use. In the head a "cut-out" that has a hole for the lanyard. Big enough to fix most cords. I noticed that the layer of the body is rather thin, but I found out that it will be strong enough to endure most conditions. The lights' head has coated glass (which is a good point) and nine well-centered XP-G2 leds built-in. The color of the leds show that the light will emit a warm-tinted beam. On the flat back we see the number of the light engraved. The threads run smooth if we open the G180, but in my case a little grease was needed. This will extend the lights' life. Like I said, the tube is thin, which makes the G180 a lightweight-torch. In the head a strong spring that keeps the battery-compartment in place. The compartment feels stable and needs to be loaded with button-tops. Most common cells will fit, I tried out with several brands. When resuming this chapter, I can tell you that the G180 isn't the most "heavy-built" flashlight that I had my hands-on until now, but it absolutely doesn't feel like a "budget-flashlight". The overall quality and finishing looks ok, so no negatives here. Have a look at a couple of pictures below that will show you more about the light and the details!
the YLP Gryphon G180 in the twilight, you can see the neutral white tint
comes in matte black; has its own looks
stable both on head and tail
real compact for a 3 x 18650 torch!
the glass lens is coated
big illuminated switch with silver ring around
the lanyard has to be attached on the head
the leds are well-centered
fine texture on the body, deep notches on the head
engraving is done well
the G180 in two pieces
the tube has a thin layer
strong spring in the head that keeps the battery container in place
a lot of button-tops will fit
a close-up to the compartment
the battery holder feels stable
a typo?
the G180 with the hand-strap attached
in the nice belt-bag
a great accessory to carry the flashlight
the color temperature is 4000K according to manufacturer
User interface:
The G180 is compact for a 3 x 18650-flashlight and can almost be hidden in the palm of your hand. Thanks to the fine-meshed texture the light won't slip out of your hand. The light has to be controlled by the big button that can be found in the dark easily because it will light up continuously. The rubber button has stiff structure for better control.
I used the G180 with High Discharge Capacity button tops, they worked well. The holder fits well, no rattles. It doesn't matter how you insert the battery-container into the light. YLP recommends to use protected batteries that are at least 2600 mAh.
Back to how the G180 works: Turn the light on and off by a single click. It starts in memorized mode, except moonlight and turbo. Interesting option is that it's possible to deactivate the memory mode. Press and hold the button (if the light is on) for about 10 seconds, until the light will flash one (memory OFF) or three times (memory ON). Good option! If the memory is off, the light will always start in low mode. Press and hold (if on) to cycle trough low to turbo mode. This means that moonlight only can be reached out of standby. So, press and hold the button for about two seconds to turn on moonlight, double press from off or on to activate instant-turbo. Again two clicks in turbo will bring you back to last memorized mode. Activating the blinding strobe needs some exercise: A quick double click and keep the button pressed after the second click. But it works, both from off and on. There's no electronic lock-out on the G180, you have to turn the head counterclockwise to avoid that the light will turn on accidentally during transport. The illuminated switch is also the power-indicator: It will turn from green into red if the voltage of the battery drops below 30%. The indicator blinks in red if the batteries are depleted. The light has thermal regulation. In turbo mode, the light will get hot in a fairly short time. For that, the G180 will step down if it get too hot. In practice, using the turbo for a few minutes was not a problem. But I'd recommend to use high for longer times, because this will extend your flashlights' life.
Summarizing, the G180 has a good interface. For overall use, it doesn't take that much exercise to get used by it and it works without problems. For some options, you'll have to take a look at the manual about how it works..
Modes:
Five output modes on the G180, in order of: MOONLIGHT > LOW > MED > HIGH > TURBO. A rather big step between moonlight and low, for the rest the spacing is ok. Two instant-modes here: direct-MOONLIGHT and instant-TURBO. There's one special mode: STROBE, which is also a direct-mode. The YLP G180 has built-in voltage indication, including low-voltage warning, which is a good point. One way to UNLOCK: by releasing the head. Enough options on this light, maybe a sixt mode between moonlight and low and location beacon in the button would be good options in future.
Size comparison:
I'd like to show the YLP G180 next to an equal torch. In my current collection, I found one that is in about the same lumens-class and also driven by nine XP-G2 leds. Later in this review, I'll take both lights with me for the beamshots-session!
18650-battery, MecArmy PT26 and YLP Gryphon G180
MecArmy PT26 and YLP Gryphon G180
MecArmy PT26 and YLP Gryphon G180
the heads: nine XP-G2 S4 and nine XP-G2's
the tails: MecArmy PT26 and YLP Gryphon G180
Tint:
The G180 should have a neutral white tint; I can tell and show you it has. Next to the rather cold and slight bluish tint of the MecArmy PT26 you can clearly see the warmer tint of the G180. Personally, I like tints like these, but maybe others would prefer CW over it.
Beamprofile:
A light that has nine led in shallow reflector will emit a floody beam. The G180 has a big hotspot, a rather little corona and medium spill. This creates a wall of light that is most useful at about a maximum of 50 meters. It's always nice to see that nine leds together will "merge" into one beam. The beam is free of defects and I couldn't detect PWM at any mode.
Beamshots:
Let's have a look at the beamshots now, starting indoors as we're used of. The light mounted on a tripod and pointed to a white wall. I'll show you the five output modes here and a GIF. Distance to the wall about 1 meter.
Camera settings: ISO100, WB daylight, F/2.7, 1/125 sec, 35mm
a GIF:
Time for the outdoor-shots now! I took the G180 with me in a dark forest; I'll show you the five power levels and after that a GIF. After that some pictures with the light in hand and a shoot-out!
Camera settings: ISO100, WB daylight, F/2.7, 4 sec, 35mm
GIF:
Some pictures with the light in hand now. Both with the G180 on maximum output. You can see the wide beam angle here, the G180 has a "floody" beamprofile and the warm "sunlight" tint that the G180 has.
the G180 in turbo mode
the G180 in turbo mode
Let's compare now the YLP G180 against the MecArmy PT26. The output of the PT26 is rated higher and it has a cool white tint. But the G180 does a good job against this light and the rendering of the colors in the forest is much better.
the YLP G180 against the MecArmy PT26, both on turbo
Conclusion:
The YLP G180 has left a good impression on me. It is a thought-out light, equipped with some nice options that users demand. Compact and good output to its size. The fit and finish is ok. The interface works well, I still prefer these "direct on and off" above lights that need a long press to turn them on. The warm "sunlight" tint will charm a lot of users, but a cool white version would be a good addition. Also an extra output mode would be appreciated.
But overall, the G180 feels like a good flashlight. It's not overpriced, so if you're looking for a compact and powerful "soda-can" flashlight with warm tint, this torch may be a good option.
The YLP G180 was provided for review by ylplight, many thanks for the opportunity!
this is the Y(arkiy) L(uch) P(rofessional) G180
compact light with good output
powered by nine XP-G2 led with NW-tint
undeep reflectors, so a "floody" flashlight
powerful "soda-can"
To start with, the specifications here (given by manufacturer):
• 9 CREE XP-G2 neutral white LED
• Neutral light, close to sunlight (4000 Kelvin)
• Beam distance up to 228 m according to ANSI standard
• Max output 3200 lm
• Five brightness modes: from 10 to 3200 lm
• Additional Strob mode
• The memory of the modes (optional)
• Fast access to the Turbo and moonlight modes
• Convenient side button
• Base of aircraft quality aluminum with 3 type anodizing
• High quality Carclo optics (TIR)
• Impact resistant ultra-clear glass lens with AR coating
• Waterproof IPX8
• Weight: 201 g (without battery)
• Length 115 mm
• Head diameter 51 mm
• Body diameter 43 mm
And the output and runtime specs:
- Turbo – 3200 lm, 2 hrs*
- High – 2000 lm, 2.5 hrs*
- Med – 800 lm, 5.5 hrs
- Low – 200 lm, 22 hrs
- Moonlight – 10 lm, 10 days
* depending on the brightness changes because
of the thermal regulation
Unboxing:
The G180 comes in a sturdy carton, a "closed-top". I like the looks of the box which is in main black with grey and orange accents. On the box, we see besides the light, a lot of information and specifications. Eye-catcher in the box is the big pouch: Designed to carry the G180, but there's enough space left to carry for example a phone, cards or bottle too. Didn't see this before, but I like the idea! Also in the box: Manual, big lanyard and spare o-rings. So, main thing you need is a couple (three) batteries that are dedicated for the Gryphon G180. I've added some pictures that show the box and what's in; scroll down to watch!
a nice box for the YLP Gryphon G180
a lot of information about the light on the carton
comes with nice carrying pouch
the contents: flashlight, manual, pouch, lanyard and spare o-rings
Impressions:
The Gryphon G180 is surprising compact for a nine-led flashlight and has about the size a tiny soda can. The light comes in matte black and has its own style and "military" looks. The overall fit and finish looks good, the anodizing is done well, same to the engraving. The body has pineapple texture to ensure good grip alternated by some notches. In the lights' head, we see back these some deeper notches that are designed to dissipate the heat and prevent the light against accidentally rolling away. These "anti-roll--protection" could be some better. With the batteries loaded the light is well-balanced. As expected, the light stands very stable both on head and tail. Striking detail is the big power button with silver ring around that can't be missed during use. In the head a "cut-out" that has a hole for the lanyard. Big enough to fix most cords. I noticed that the layer of the body is rather thin, but I found out that it will be strong enough to endure most conditions. The lights' head has coated glass (which is a good point) and nine well-centered XP-G2 leds built-in. The color of the leds show that the light will emit a warm-tinted beam. On the flat back we see the number of the light engraved. The threads run smooth if we open the G180, but in my case a little grease was needed. This will extend the lights' life. Like I said, the tube is thin, which makes the G180 a lightweight-torch. In the head a strong spring that keeps the battery-compartment in place. The compartment feels stable and needs to be loaded with button-tops. Most common cells will fit, I tried out with several brands. When resuming this chapter, I can tell you that the G180 isn't the most "heavy-built" flashlight that I had my hands-on until now, but it absolutely doesn't feel like a "budget-flashlight". The overall quality and finishing looks ok, so no negatives here. Have a look at a couple of pictures below that will show you more about the light and the details!
the YLP Gryphon G180 in the twilight, you can see the neutral white tint
comes in matte black; has its own looks
stable both on head and tail
real compact for a 3 x 18650 torch!
the glass lens is coated
big illuminated switch with silver ring around
the lanyard has to be attached on the head
the leds are well-centered
fine texture on the body, deep notches on the head
engraving is done well
the G180 in two pieces
the tube has a thin layer
strong spring in the head that keeps the battery container in place
a lot of button-tops will fit
a close-up to the compartment
the battery holder feels stable
a typo?
the G180 with the hand-strap attached
in the nice belt-bag
a great accessory to carry the flashlight
the color temperature is 4000K according to manufacturer
User interface:
The G180 is compact for a 3 x 18650-flashlight and can almost be hidden in the palm of your hand. Thanks to the fine-meshed texture the light won't slip out of your hand. The light has to be controlled by the big button that can be found in the dark easily because it will light up continuously. The rubber button has stiff structure for better control.
I used the G180 with High Discharge Capacity button tops, they worked well. The holder fits well, no rattles. It doesn't matter how you insert the battery-container into the light. YLP recommends to use protected batteries that are at least 2600 mAh.
Back to how the G180 works: Turn the light on and off by a single click. It starts in memorized mode, except moonlight and turbo. Interesting option is that it's possible to deactivate the memory mode. Press and hold the button (if the light is on) for about 10 seconds, until the light will flash one (memory OFF) or three times (memory ON). Good option! If the memory is off, the light will always start in low mode. Press and hold (if on) to cycle trough low to turbo mode. This means that moonlight only can be reached out of standby. So, press and hold the button for about two seconds to turn on moonlight, double press from off or on to activate instant-turbo. Again two clicks in turbo will bring you back to last memorized mode. Activating the blinding strobe needs some exercise: A quick double click and keep the button pressed after the second click. But it works, both from off and on. There's no electronic lock-out on the G180, you have to turn the head counterclockwise to avoid that the light will turn on accidentally during transport. The illuminated switch is also the power-indicator: It will turn from green into red if the voltage of the battery drops below 30%. The indicator blinks in red if the batteries are depleted. The light has thermal regulation. In turbo mode, the light will get hot in a fairly short time. For that, the G180 will step down if it get too hot. In practice, using the turbo for a few minutes was not a problem. But I'd recommend to use high for longer times, because this will extend your flashlights' life.
Summarizing, the G180 has a good interface. For overall use, it doesn't take that much exercise to get used by it and it works without problems. For some options, you'll have to take a look at the manual about how it works..
Modes:
Five output modes on the G180, in order of: MOONLIGHT > LOW > MED > HIGH > TURBO. A rather big step between moonlight and low, for the rest the spacing is ok. Two instant-modes here: direct-MOONLIGHT and instant-TURBO. There's one special mode: STROBE, which is also a direct-mode. The YLP G180 has built-in voltage indication, including low-voltage warning, which is a good point. One way to UNLOCK: by releasing the head. Enough options on this light, maybe a sixt mode between moonlight and low and location beacon in the button would be good options in future.
Size comparison:
I'd like to show the YLP G180 next to an equal torch. In my current collection, I found one that is in about the same lumens-class and also driven by nine XP-G2 leds. Later in this review, I'll take both lights with me for the beamshots-session!
18650-battery, MecArmy PT26 and YLP Gryphon G180
MecArmy PT26 and YLP Gryphon G180
MecArmy PT26 and YLP Gryphon G180
the heads: nine XP-G2 S4 and nine XP-G2's
the tails: MecArmy PT26 and YLP Gryphon G180
Tint:
The G180 should have a neutral white tint; I can tell and show you it has. Next to the rather cold and slight bluish tint of the MecArmy PT26 you can clearly see the warmer tint of the G180. Personally, I like tints like these, but maybe others would prefer CW over it.
Beamprofile:
A light that has nine led in shallow reflector will emit a floody beam. The G180 has a big hotspot, a rather little corona and medium spill. This creates a wall of light that is most useful at about a maximum of 50 meters. It's always nice to see that nine leds together will "merge" into one beam. The beam is free of defects and I couldn't detect PWM at any mode.
Beamshots:
Let's have a look at the beamshots now, starting indoors as we're used of. The light mounted on a tripod and pointed to a white wall. I'll show you the five output modes here and a GIF. Distance to the wall about 1 meter.
Camera settings: ISO100, WB daylight, F/2.7, 1/125 sec, 35mm
a GIF:
Time for the outdoor-shots now! I took the G180 with me in a dark forest; I'll show you the five power levels and after that a GIF. After that some pictures with the light in hand and a shoot-out!
Camera settings: ISO100, WB daylight, F/2.7, 4 sec, 35mm
GIF:
Some pictures with the light in hand now. Both with the G180 on maximum output. You can see the wide beam angle here, the G180 has a "floody" beamprofile and the warm "sunlight" tint that the G180 has.
the G180 in turbo mode
the G180 in turbo mode
Let's compare now the YLP G180 against the MecArmy PT26. The output of the PT26 is rated higher and it has a cool white tint. But the G180 does a good job against this light and the rendering of the colors in the forest is much better.
the YLP G180 against the MecArmy PT26, both on turbo
Conclusion:
The YLP G180 has left a good impression on me. It is a thought-out light, equipped with some nice options that users demand. Compact and good output to its size. The fit and finish is ok. The interface works well, I still prefer these "direct on and off" above lights that need a long press to turn them on. The warm "sunlight" tint will charm a lot of users, but a cool white version would be a good addition. Also an extra output mode would be appreciated.
But overall, the G180 feels like a good flashlight. It's not overpriced, so if you're looking for a compact and powerful "soda-can" flashlight with warm tint, this torch may be a good option.
The YLP G180 was provided for review by ylplight, many thanks for the opportunity!
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