Review: Folomov EDC C1 Flashlight (10440, Nichia E21a)

zeroair

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Aug 6, 2016
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Edit: obligatory 'for submission to the review forum.' Thanks!

Preface


A new 10440 light has hit the market! It's on pre-order at Illumn.com, and the guys there sent an early release model to me for a look. Of course I'm interested – it ticks a bunch of my boxes. Nichia, Brass…. Here's my review of the Folomov EDC C1!

Official Specs and Features

Here's a link to the product page at Illumn. The light isn't up on the official Folomov site yet.
Versions

There is only one version of the EDC C1.
Price

The price is $34.90, and this is available on preorder from Illumn.com.

Short Review

Even though the Folomov EDC C1 doesn't hit the claimed numbers, I like it a lot. It's a complete package light (including the cell) and it is sufficiently bright for the tasks I'll use it for. I don't think the low mode is quite low enough, and the stepdowns on Turbo and High happen too quickly. But overall I am still very happy with the light.
Long Review

What's Included



  • Folomov EDC C1 Brass flashlight
  • Unbranded 10440 with charge circuit
  • Spare o-rings (2)
  • Manual
Package and Manual


The EDC C1 ships in a tin, approximately the size of an Altoids tin. Inside the light is held in place by some foam.

The manual is quite nice, and includes all the specs and other information about the light. It's a quite good manual.
Build Quality and Disassembly


There are a couple of things you'll notice right away when handling this light. First, is that it is indeed brass. Second, it's actually some sort of coated brass. So there's a brass smell, and the brass weight, but the light is unlikely to patina very quickly (if at all).





Then you'll notice that the EDC C1 is a e-switch tailswitch light! Unusual!
Build quality is good.

Only the tail of the light has a spring. The head end has only a brass button.
The threads are very short, and square cut (a huge surprise in a light like this!). The body is highly decorated, which might be seen as good or bad.

The single spring provides adequate protection for the cell, though.

Only the tailcap is removable. The cell goes into the light in the normal orientation (positive toward emitter).

Size and Comps

Officially: Body Diameter: 13.5mm
Length: 66.8mm
Weight: 34.5g with battery




This is a very small light! As a 10440 light should be….

It's not the smallest AAA sized light – in my collection that award goes to the Olight i3E EOS. Of course that light is a single mode, and the Folomov is quite a bit more feature rich!

Here's the light in hand.




Retention and Carry

A pocket clip is included and ships attached to the light. One of the polarizing features of this light is that the clip attaches only on the head, which means bezel-up carry.

It's a friction clip, and can be removed. The clip itself is quite nice. It has a big mouth and ample shoulder, so it's easy to get on pockets, and roomy enough to sit easily. I would probably prefer bezel down carry (my favorite AAA light does use that setup) but bezel up isn't a deal breaker, nor something I can't get used to.
Power and Runtime

A single 10440 cell powers this light. Only li-ion will work; other types of AAA sized cells will not. NiMH, primary alkaline, etc. Those won't work.

I performed runtimes with the included cell. The light never reaches the claimed output of 335 lumens by my testing (corroborated by other more sophisticated testing measures, too). The initial output on turbo is around 240 lumens by my testing – still quite a respectable number. I test this to be drawing around 1.5A, too, so there's not actually too much improvement to be made – this emitter tops out on output at around 2A.
Surprisingly the light doesn't get all that hot during these tests.

Interestingly the 30 second output is the same for Turbo and High – at a measured 100 lumens.

I tested (but didn't graph) the light with an Efest 10440, and the output max is the same. No difference at all. So while the Folomov 10440 might be smaller because of the charge circuit, it's just as capable as the Efest 10440's I have.
See below the charge circuit on the top of this cell. It's a micro-USB port – just insert the plug and charging will commence. While the cell is charging, a red indicator will light on the positive end of the cell. When charging is complete, there will be a green indicator there.
It's easy to see in the photo below how much of the cell length is actually charge circuit. Maybe 1/4 of the cell size? Probably a decent trade off though, because the average charger will not be all that fit for a 10440 cell. These cells need a slow charge rate!

And this built in circuit provides that slow rate; the max charge rate is around 0.35A. That's probably around 1C (though I don't see capacity for the cell reported anywhere). My test (which records from the USB source) shows around 210mAh went into the cell. (And that's 210mAh at 5V, so you could math it out to see the actual capacity – something like 250mAh). The charge circuit looks great, too.

PWM

Surprisingly there appears to be PWM on all modes except Turbo. I say "surprisingly", because I can't see a single bit of PWM at all. And I'm super sensitive to PWM. I call this a win, and if I were you I wouldn't worry about this at all.






For reference, here's a baseline shot, with all the room lights off and almost nothing hitting the sensor.
User Interface and Operation

There's a single switch on the EDC C1. It's a tail e-switch. There's a nice flat rubber cover, and with little effort the light will tailstand on this switch. The switch isn't loud at all, but does make an audible "click" when …. clicked.

An e-switch in the tail of a light is unusual!
Here's a UI table! It's a fairly feature rich UI. There are even two groups! The default is the "Illumination Group", which is described in the table below.
StateActionResult
OffClickOn (Mode Memory excluding Turbo/Moon)
OffHoldMoonlight
AnyDouble clickTurbo
OnClickMode Advance (LMHML)
TurboDouble ClickSpecial Modes (And then special mode advance) (Strobe>SOS>Beacon>Turbo)
OnHoldOff
OffClick 3xLockout
LockoutClick 3xUnlock (to "Off")
AnyClick 7xSwitch to Tactical Group
Below is the table for the Tactical Group.
StateActionResult
OffHoldTurbo
OffClickTurbo
AnyDouble ClickStrobe
OnClickOff
AnyClick 7xSwitch to Illumination Group
Modes and Currents

ModeMode Claimed Output (lm)Claimed RuntimeMeasured LumensTailcap Amps
Turbo3350.5h100*1.48
High1500.8h100*0.53
Medium401.2h370.12
Low84.8h110.04
Moonlight0.530h~~
* Measurement at 30s, per runtimes above.
LED and Beam

One of the very unusual things about this light is that it's one of the first production lights with a Nichia E21a emitter. This is a 3000K temperature, and >95 CRI. (To be honest, this light had me right there – it's great to try new emitters, and this one's interesting in it's own right – and for ~$35 in a brass light – yes please.)

The reflector is smooth, and coupled with the domeless nature of the E21a, provides a surprising amount of throw for such a tiny package. It also means that as a keychain light, there's probably more of a spot than is needed. But for walking around the house at night and checking on kids or whatever, this light is fantastic!!


These beamshots are always with the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure.





Tint vs BLF-348 (Killzone 219b version)


This is the same shot as above, but exposed differently, for easier beam comparison.

I compare everything to the Killzone 219b BLF-348, because it's inexpensive, has the best tint, and [probably] still available!
The Big Table

Folomov EDC C1
Emitter:Nichia E21A, 3000K 95+ CRI
Cell:10440
RuntimeChargetime
LVP?Yes
Power off Charge Port with no Cell?
Claimed Lumens (lm)335
Measured Lumens (at 30s)100 (29.9% of claim)*
Claimed Throw (m)62
Throw (Calculated) (m)45.5 (73.4% of claim)
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)65lux @ 2.819m = 517cd
All my Folomov reviews!
* Standard measurement disclaimer: I am an amateur flashlight reviewer. I don't have $10,000 or even $1,000 worth of testing equipment. I test output and such in PVC tubes!! Please consider claims within 10% of what I measure to be perfectly reasonable (accurate, even).
Conclusion

What I like


  • Brass
  • Nichia E21a in a production light!
  • Complete package light
  • Multi-group UI
  • Main Illumination Group has a good selection of modes
  • Good clip
  • E-switch in the tail, an unusual feature
What I don't like


  • Doesn't work with AAA cells of any nature except Li-ion
  • Bezel up carry only
  • Doesn't hit the manufacturer's claim
  • Moonlight is too bright
  • LMHML order doesn't really work for me
  • Mode memory

Notes


  • This light was provided by Illumn.com for review. I was not paid to write this review.
  • This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
  • Whether or not I have a coupon for this light, I do have a bunch of coupons!! Have a look at my spreadsheet for those coupons. It's possible to subscribe and get notifications when the sheet is edited!!
 
Last edited:

LightObsession

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Nov 12, 2004
Messages
1,385
Thanks for the review.

The runtime graphs for turbo and high don't impress me much.

I don't care much for the Folomov wave mode sequence and UI, either, but it's probably more tolerable on the three mode C1 than on the five mode 18650S.
 

zeroair

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Aug 6, 2016
Messages
130
I agree with you, for sure. I don't like the LMHML, especially with mode memory (seems confusing).

And yes, the runtime graphs aren't impressive, with the quick drop from their intended output. Still a fun light, if you accept those things!
 

jon_slider

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Joined
Mar 31, 2015
Messages
5,106
thanks for your review, and great photos
I always enjoy your contributions

it's actually some sort of coated brass. So there's a brass smell, and the brass weight, but the light is unlikely to patina very quickly (if at all).

I would like to brainstorm to try and figure out what the finish is
1. brass contact surface, maybe etched or sandblasted, or
2. sealed contact surface, clearcoat, or paint, or whatever..

I sanded off the finish, so mine is now smooth brass except a couple spots on the head, which under a loupe, look like a sandblasted brass finish.

So, Im intrigued by your observation that the finish smells like brass. Can you confirm if the surface is not sealed, or painted please?

I had assumed it was a painted finish, because it looked like it had a shine to it, before I sanded it off.
now Im unsure


googling led me to oil rubbed brass, which is a paint with high metallic flake content

so my questions are
what kind of finish is it? metalic flake paint (known as oil rubbed bronze, even though it is actually a painted on finish), or
sandblasted and or acid etched brass, with no sealer, that retains the germicidal and metal odor properties of brass contact surfaces?


fwiw, the matte finish may actually be better at dissipating heat than shiny brass
and if its sealed, would eliminate complaints about the smell of brass, for those that take issue with it

I dont notice the smell of brass myself. I handle a lot of copper everyday, Im used to it.

I used to be bothered by the smell, but I learned it kills germs, so now I think of it as the smell of dead germs.. re-orientation, as it were

fwiw, I really liked the feel of the original finish, slightly grippy, in a nice way. My smooth finish is a bit more slickery, I have to be a little more intentional in holding on to the light. I only removed the finish because I thought it was sealed, and I actually wanted a brass contact surface, not paint. But maybe its not paint?.. help!;-)


other Folomov C1 trivia
there are a couple typos in the specs, should be:
moon 2 lumens
low 18 lumens

the others are off too
but I still like the light, and the modes, a lot
especially the LED... its just an awesome off the shelf Warm White High CRI option.
 
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run4jc

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Apr 27, 2009
Messages
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Location
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I have one of these arriving tomorrow. Bought it before I read the review - but the review confirmed for me that I want to try it. Sometimes I want a really small pocket light and a Haiku/Okluma/etc. is a bit too heavy. I have PLENTY of AAA lights, but only a couple with tail clicky switches. Want to see what this Nichia looks like, too. I'm a huge fan of about any tint variant of the R9080. Looks like this might be a nice option. Thanks for the review!
 

zeroair

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 6, 2016
Messages
130
I have one of these arriving tomorrow. Bought it before I read the review - but the review confirmed for me that I want to try it. Sometimes I want a really small pocket light and a Haiku/Okluma/etc. is a bit too heavy. I have PLENTY of AAA lights, but only a couple with tail clicky switches. Want to see what this Nichia looks like, too. I'm a huge fan of about any tint variant of the R9080. Looks like this might be a nice option. Thanks for the review!


You're welcome run4jc! Yes, it's a nice tailswitch option. I always carry an AAA light, though most often it's a Eagtac D25AAA. Even though it's a twisty, I still keep it in the pocket...

I think you'll probably like this one. Chance are you got a model updated from the one I have, which should be better in any ways that matter.
 

jon_slider

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Mar 31, 2015
Messages
5,106
Chance are you got a model updated from the one I have, which should be better in any ways that matter.

Im not aware of any redesign or upgrades, afaik the lights were built before they were offered for review

Though I dont love the UI, and I wish the low was per spec, instead of the actual 2 lumen output, I still enjoy mine. It is small, has an LED I love, and is convenient carry, as part of my choices.

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