# Object/Subject Review: Lumapower EDC LM21 (In Progress)



## Bigmac_79 (May 16, 2012)

*Review in Progress...
*
Lumapower has been in the illumination business for about 10 years now, and has been making LED flashlights since 2006. They've got several lights that they're well known for, but their new EDC series will be my first experience with Lumapower. So far the new EDC series consists of the LM21 (single AAA or 10440 li-ion), LM31 (single AA or 14500 li-ion), LM32 (double AA), and LM33 (single CR123 or 16340 li-ion). They've also announced that the series will include the LM22 and LM36. They've confirmed that the LM36 will take a single 18650 li-ion, and my guess is the LM22 will take two AAA. Each light in this series has the same look, with knurling on each end and a smooth portion in the middle where the brand and model number are printed. They have matching anodizing and green tail switch boots, with a glow-in-the-dark O-ring in the head, so they look pretty slick as a family.







_Thanks to Ricky at Lumapower for supplying the LM21 for review.
_
I’ll be reviewing the LM21 in two sections: first, I’ll discuss the light objectively (the facts about the light itself), then I’ll discuss the light subjectively (my impressions about the light's performance when used for specific applications). This is a tiny AAA light, designed well for pocket EDC, so I'll be reviewing it as such. If you have any other specific applications you'd like the light tested for, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Objective
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Spec-Check
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In this section, you can see a quickly if I found the claims made about the light to be true.








*Packaging*

















*Construction Quality
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Accessories
































Dimensions

Coming soon...
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User Interface*​






Coming Soon...


*Action Shots
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Light in Hand
















White Wall (Low, Medium, High)
_ISO 100, f/3.3, 1/10"_














BeamSlice






MugShot






Indoor Shots (Control, Low, Medium, High)
_ISO 100, f/3.3, 1"_


















Outdoor Shots (Control, Low, Medium, High)
_ISO 100, f/3.3, 2.5"_



















Mid-Range Shots (Control, Low, Medium, High)
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Performance
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Coming Soon: submersion, heat, PWM, drop, polarity, protection, etc 

Spectral Analysis

All light that we see as white is actually made up of several different colors put together. The relative intensities of the different colors in the mix are what determine the tint of the white we see. For example, cool white LED's have a lot of blue, and warm white LED's have more red or yellow. This measurement was done on a home made spectrometer. _Note: the peak in the 900nm region doesn't really exist, it's a piece of the second-order spectrum that's showing up here because of the high intensity of the light source.

_Coming Soon

Current Draw

Coming soon...

Runtime

Note: The vertical axis of this chart represents a relative brightness measurement using a home made light box. The horizontal axis is time in hours:minutes:seconds. Runtimes are stated in hours:minutes:seconds.
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High (Trustfire 10440)*
Time to 50%: 
Full Runtime: 

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High (Eneloop AAA)*
Time Regulated: 
Time to 50%: 
Full Runtime: 

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Medium (Trustfire 10440)*
Time to 50%: 
Full Runtime: 

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Medium (Eneloop AAA)*
Time Regulated: 
Time to 50%: 
Full Runtime: 

*
Low (Trustfire 10440)*
Time to 50%: 
Full Runtime: 


*Low (Eneloop AAA)*
Time Regulated: 
Time to 50%: 
Full Runtime: 

Subjective Review
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General
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Quick break down:

+

-

Coming Soon
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Mini-EDC
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Coming Soon
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Long Term Impressions
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I'll fill this part in after carrying the light for a while. If nothing get's added here, either I find nothing else worth noting about the light, or I end up not using it often.


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## shelm (May 16, 2012)

one of the few 1xAAA lights with a tail clikcy (and thereby loses the potential ability to tailstand).. looking forward to the full review thx!


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## moshow9 (May 16, 2012)

shelm said:


> looking forward to the full review thx!


+1. I appreciate a good AAA clicky and am interested in this one.


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## Kilovolt (May 17, 2012)

I am currently using my LM21 around the house at night and I am impatiently waiting for your comments as to its output.


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## Bigmac_79 (May 17, 2012)

Kilovolt said:


> I am currently using my LM21 around the house at night and I am impatiently waiting for your comments as to its output.



I can't tell over the internet if your impatience is from sarcasm or not! I've already ran most of the output tests, I'll try to get them graphed and posted tonight. :naughty:


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## Kilovolt (May 17, 2012)

No sarcasm at all, I am an old Luma fan, I own more than a dozen of their lights but in this particular case I would like to see some independent output figures to confirm the official ones which seem to be rather optimistic, at least on NiMH.


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## Bigmac_79 (May 17, 2012)

Ok, so I posted the output graphs. As I've told some people already, I haven't collected enough data with my integrating light box that I am confident to calibrate it and present results in lumens. But I can make a *very rough estimate*, and say the high mode with a AAA Eneloop is in the neighborhood of 50 lumens. With a 10440 lion, my estimate would be about 140 lumens. I haven't tried a AAA alkaline yet, but in my experience alkalines usually have slightly lower output than NiMHs.

So yes, it seems that Lumapower's claims on this light are a over well over what I measure. On the other models of their EDC series (the LM31, LM32, LM33), Lumapower has informed me that they have made improvements to the tail switch to lower the resistance and increase output (they've sent me the new modules and I'm waiting on them to arrive), it could be that the LM21 needs a similar fix.


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## netprince (May 17, 2012)

Thanks Bigmac_79 for all the helpful information. I am curious about the clip, it looks a bit thin and possibly too flexible. What do you think of it?


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## jorn (May 17, 2012)

Can you try to bypass the switch to see if the output increases on the lm21?
The lm21 was messured 29 lumens (alk,and eneloop), and 99 lumens (10440) at a german site :shakehead


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## Bigmac_79 (May 18, 2012)

Hey everyone!

Lumapower has confirmed that the switch doesn't perform as their supplier claimed, so they are now using an improved switch with a higher power rating. They're sending me a replacement switch and I'll be re-running my tests. Also, if I understood correctly their post in the marketplace, those already owning an LM21 (or any of their EDC series models) with the old switch can contact their dealer for info on how to get the new switch. 

This isn't ideal, as I would have liked to see this tested before they released the lights to the public, but I have been impressed with the way Lumapower has handled the issue :thumbsup:.

A switch with a higher power rating does have the possibility of increasing both output and run time. I should mention that Lumapower's lumen claims are emitter lumens, not "out the front" readings. This means that they supply a certain current to the emitter and use Cree's datasheets to say what the output from the LED is at that current. This is not the ideal way to advertise output, but they are honest that those are what the numbers are, because their spec sheet states these are "emitter output" numbers. Emitter output is always higher than "out the front" measurements, because of light lost within the head before it gets out. However, the discrepancy shouldn't be as large as it is (I believe ~20% is an average loss to expect), so we'll hope this new switch improves things!


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## netprince (May 18, 2012)

jorn said:


> Can you try to bypass the switch to see if the output increases on the lm21?
> The lm21 was messured 29 lumens (alk,and eneloop), and 99 lumens (10440) at a german site :shakehead



+1 You could use a paperclip just to see if the lumen readings are closer...


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## Kilovolt (May 22, 2012)

As reported in the Marketplace I just received the new switch for my LM21 (actually a complete battery tube). The action is now smoother and more positive but not too soft, an involuntary activation is quite unlikely. Too early in the day to tell if there is a noticeable improvement in performance.

I also received an LM31 and started playing with it.


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## shelm (May 30, 2012)

does the light have _tactical _momentary on?


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## enomosiki (May 30, 2012)

shelm said:


> does the light have _tactical _momentary on?



It doesn't, as the same switch is also used for toggling modes.


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## shelm (May 30, 2012)

thanks!

On cpf some people confuse the term < has forward clicky with momentary on > with what is actually meant by < has tactical momentary on >. a forward clicky is defined by activation on a half-press push, and calling this "momentary activation" or "momentary on" isnt right imho.

at least we have the term < tactical momentary on > (or < tactical momentary activation) and hopefully nobody will ever confuse this term with a simple forward clicky which is used to switch modes as seen in ALL multi-mode budget lights with a forward clicky (Balder SE-1, ..) and so many other simple lights with a forward clicky (prometheus alpha, ..).

having said that and looking at all flashlights on the market, typically most multi-mode flashlights do not have tactical momentary on. Rather few lights feature tactical momentary activation.


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## Bigmac_79 (May 30, 2012)

enomosiki said:


> It doesn't, as the same switch is also used for toggling modes.





shelm said:


> thanks!
> 
> On cpf some people confuse the term < has forward clicky with momentary on > with what is actually meant by < has tactical momentary on >. a forward clicky is defined by activation on a half-press push, and calling this "momentary activation" or "momentary on" isnt right imho.
> 
> ...



So, what exactly is your definition of "tactical" momentary on? A momentary on that is always max output?


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## shelm (May 30, 2012)

Bigmac_79 said:


> definition of "tactical" momentary on? A momentary on that is always max output?


exactly 

and that's pretty rare with flashlights. for example, if on a Quark Regular you change the tail from Regular Tail (it's a reverse clicky) to Tactical Tail (it has a forward clicky), you do get the effect of a forward clicky i.e. "momentary on" which leads to mode switching. however the purpose of the Quark Tactical (and the many Jetbeams) is that you get tactical momentary on, i.e. activation *without* changing modes. and if a shopper looks for "momentary activation" in a light, he/she thinks of "tactical" momentary activation and not of a simple forward clicky which doenst cause but mode switching.

the purpose of tactical momentary on is to produce pre-defined output light in the first place, not necessarily in max mode (see Quark Tactical with 2 programmable outputs) at half-pressing, and not to switch modes in the first place, and one serious use of this is to send in morse code (S-O-S, ..), or to quickly blind a person (if the pre-defined output is indeed set to max).

Some 1-mode lights like the popular Romisen RC-G2 or Sipik SK68 have a forward clicky, and since it's a 1-mode light, the torch has automatically "tactical" momentary on.


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## Bigmac_79 (May 30, 2012)

Thanks for your explanation :thumbsup:


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## Ishango (Jun 19, 2012)

Bigmac, thanks for your excellent review and the update on the revised switch. I'm eager to see the new output and runtime. I'm looking into buying this light, as a single AAA clicky would be filling in a gap in my collection.


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## Bigmac_79 (Jun 19, 2012)

Ishango said:


> Bigmac, thanks for your excellent review and the update on the revised switch. I'm eager to see the new output and runtime. I'm looking into buying this light, as a single AAA clicky would be filling in a gap in my collection.



Thanks for your interest! I'm currently waiting on some upgraded parts from Lumapower, then I'll be able to run the tests.


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## will (Sep 16, 2012)

post removed by me...


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## Racer (Oct 29, 2012)

Any word on whether this light uses PWM? Apologies if I missed it...


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## jorn (Oct 30, 2012)

Uses slow, visible pwm.


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## rebelbayou (Oct 30, 2012)

Can anyone confirm if the new switch made a difference in lumen output or not? Or did I miss it somewhere in the above posts?


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## Racer (Oct 30, 2012)

jorn said:


> Uses slow, visible pwm.



Ugh. Thanks, jorn.


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## LightObsession (Jan 6, 2014)

Thanks for the review.

Any measured outputs & run times available anywhere, yet?

Any other feedback on this light?


Thanks


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## Bigmac_79 (Jan 7, 2014)

Sorry this review never got completed, conversation kind of broke down with Lumapower while I was reviewing this light. I got numbers lower than they were expecting, so they wanted to send me some updated parts, but then some of the new parts didn't work, and we never ended up getting things sorted out.


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## LightObsession (Jan 7, 2014)

Bigmac_79 said:


> Sorry this review never got completed, conversation kind of broke down with Lumapower while I was reviewing this light. I got numbers lower than they were expecting, so they wanted to send me some updated parts, but then some of the new parts didn't work, and we never ended up getting things sorted out.



Sorry that relationship didn't work out.

I may still buy one to try it out as a potential replacement for the Microstream.

I still haven't found any independent output or runtime charts to examine.


Thanks for your efforts.


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## Calemerson (Jan 7, 2014)

I think I am buying one to replace the wifes microstream. I had to replace mine a while back when the switch went out. Nice review.
Thanks
Calemerson


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