The one I want to talk about today is the LumaPower Incendio v1.
The IncenDio is a relatively new product from LumaPower in the single-cell Every Day Carry flashlight market.
It's now in it's second revision and while I have the original version, I'll cover the changes made to the v2 product later on.
First, here are the cold, hard specifications.
Now, let's go over what these specifications actually mean to you, the user.
Most lights in this size range with multiple output levels, only have what's called a reverse clicky switch.
A reverse clicky switch doesn't actually turn on the light until you let go of the switch.
The switch on the IncenDio is a so-called forward clicky switch AKA a "tactical" switch.
A tactical switch is one that allows you to use the light in a momentary manner by depressing the switch about halfway. This gives you immediate light and lets you also turn it off almost immediately by simply releasing pressure from the switch.
The IncenDio switch lets you do this AND it allows you to click all the way through for constant on, hands-free use. On top of this, there are three output levels, all suitably far apart so that there is a real noticeable difference between the three levels.
The tailcap switch has a glow-in-the-dark rubber cover and it allows you to stand the light on it's tail for use in what is commonly referred to as candlemode.
At the top level, the output is right around 130 lumens. For a light less than three inches long, that's an astounding output and one that can be maintained without noticeable dimming for something along the lines of 2 hours!
That's on a single battery, folks!
The digitally controlled powermanagement in the IncenDio does an outstanding job.
I've used this light on a mine expedition, as was detailed previously on this blog, and the IncenDio performed flawlessly. I used it only sparingly on full blast on that particular expedition, since I found that the middle level at roughly 40 lumens was more than adequate to light my way.
This middle level can be sustained for about 9 hours!
Now, the lowest level is only around 7 lumens, but that is surprisingly more than adequate for a lot of tasks, especially if you're using the light to light up something close to you. Or even just navigating around your campsite at night.
Each level is selected by turning the light on and off rapidly until you reach the desired level. You then hold the switch down for 2 seconds to select the output level of your choosing. The next time you turn the light on, that's the output it will use.
The reflector in the IncenDio is coated with a medium Orange Peel coating, which gives a very nice smooth beam, mostly free of artifacts. The small size and relatively shallow depth of the reflector does mean that this light doesn't have a lot of throw, but that's not what it's designed for so it's not a concern of mine and doesn't detract in the slightest from the usefulness of this light.
The LED is a specially selected binning and as such is of a very clean, very white color. Paper-white is one term that LumaPower uses about their bin selection and I find this to be generally accurate.
The light itself is of course aluminum, in this case coated with a Type II anodizing that seems quite well done and evenly colored black.
There are two bands of semi-aggressive knurling and some additional fluting and grooves on the body of the light to provide grip, which works quite well.
The clip is a simple wire affair, but it works without any problems and I've yet to have the light fall out of a pocket or the clip snag on something and get bent out of shape.
Logos and lettering is minimal and tastefully done, which is a relief considering how excessive some manufacturers get with that kind of thing these days.
There is a glow-in-the-dark O-ring in front of the anti-reflective coated glass lens, which makes for a surprisingly effective way of locating the light in the dark.
All the threads on mine came well-lubed and are smooth. The machining is overall quite excellent.
Here is the Incendio on it's own. It may look a little dinged up and dirty, but I've had it for a while and this little sucker just came back from the bowels of the earth, so it's gotten some battle scars!
And here it is, pretty much entirely disassembled.
Note that the tail switch doesn't come out as such and the battery loads from the front.
The light itself comes in a nice little box, with a rather decent nylon holster and some extra O-rings, typical of LumaPowers customer care.
In conclusion, I really like this little light. It has found a permanent place in my EDC gear loadout, usually strapped in it's holster to the shoulder strap of my backpack. It's so light and small that I don't notice it and it never gets in the way.
Now as I mentioned earlier, the IncenDio is now in it's second revision.
This revision v2 added the following features: 1 - The pocket clip can now be removed. 2 - The output level memorization delay is now 1 second (was 2). 3 - Addition of reverse battery polarity protection 4 - Switch is now serviceable if needed.
At a regular price of 70 dollars and a frequent sale price of only 50 dollars, this light is an incredible bargain. Frankly, companies like Surefire will need to really step up their game if they wish to continue to compete in the flashlight market.
Highly recommended!
Beamshots will be forthcoming!
No comments:
Post a Comment