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Body: The entire light is coated in Type 3 anodizing and is available in either black, which has a slightly matte finish, or natural which is a light gray with a glossy finish. Coating is smooth and consistent throughout with no smudges or any other faults. The natural colored anodizing is well matched across the head, body and tail cap. The entire surface of the battery tube including the inner wall is anodized, only the end edges of the battery tube are left bare as they act as electrical contacts. The walls are somewhat thinner than other lights, thus reduces the overall weight of the light and gives the light a noticeably slimmer profile when held in hand. As you may have noticed from the images, there are 2 indented ring segments towards the front and rear of the battery tube. These allows the light to be held in a cigar-style grip according to the user's preference, that is further down the body, or closer to the tail end. The middle section of the battery tube has a raised band of knurling with 2 flat faces on either side. There is an additional element inside the battery tube, that is the brass sleeve which slots in from the rear end. This sleeve acts as the path for electrical signals from the switch to the electronics in the head. Right at the rear end, we have the tail cap which has a band of knurling all around the exterior with 2 wide slots and 2 circular holes at the end for lanyard attachments. Housed inside the tail cap is a switch button which has very minimal travel, the tactile feedback from this switch can be best described as that from the buttons on a DVD player or the buttons on a mobile phone. A unique thing about the switch cap is that it's made of aluminum instead of rubber which would stand up much better to wear and tear. The metal switch cap has a small o-ring which sits around it's inner side providing water resistance, though I'm not sure how well this solution is as compared to the seal provided by a regular rubber switch cap held in by a retaining ring. The end of the tail cap is flat and the button sits recessed so the light is able to tail stand without problem. As stated above, battery changes are done from the front, head end because removing the tail cap causes the brass sleeve to unnecessarily slide out as well.
Bezel/Head: The LF5 XT is the latest product by LiteFlux and may very well be the most feature-rich AA cell flashlight produced. The head is almost entirely covered with knurling all around the exterior. The knurling has a diamond texture design but is not very aggressive. The bezel up the front has a 5-point crenellation which allows light to shine through when left head-down on flat surfaces. The lens is made of AR coated glass, I did notice some dust behind it though. Behind the lens sits a very fine textured reflector which does a great job of focusing light from the LED. The texture is somewhat like that of frosted glass. The LED is well-centered sitting at the bottom of the reflector. From the rear of the head you can see the emitter module which holds all the electronics as well. The entire module can be unscrewed with a pair of tweezers which also allows the reflector and lens to be removed. So, the dust behind the lens as mentioned above can be easily cleaned out. The electrical contacts on the module are clean and well done, it's slightly more complicated than regular lights as there is an additional signal path contact implemented in addition to the standard "+" and "-" contacts. The threads on the inside of the head are smooth and anodized which allows the light to be locked-out when the head is loosened, but because a separate signal is used to activate the light, it can't be switched on or off by twisting the head. Battery changes are done by removing the head and not the tail cap.
Output: The LF5 XT has a plethora of functions, owning this light could very well negate the need to own any other AA cell light. It has virtually all the functions and modes found in most other lights. The complete list of user interface controls and programming options can be found in the included instruction booklet. However, this versatility is also its Achilles' heel. Though the LF5 XT can be used as a regular 5 mode light right out of the box, it's full potential can only be realized after understanding its relatively complicated instruction as far as flashlights are concerned. One thing that might irritate users is that there is a slight delay from when the switch is clicked, and when the light actually turns on. However this can be worked around by enabling the momentary function, and then activating the light by holding down the switch instead of clicking. The LF5 XT also emits a subtle high-frequency noise on certain levels, usually when running on a 3.7V 14500 cell.
The beam profile produced by the LF5 XT is smooth and clean thanks to its well-made reflector. The hot spot blends in gradually towards the spill beam, illuminating a wider area around just the hot spot. The output from the R2 bin Cree XR-E emitter has a very neutral warm white temperature and is very comfortable on the eyes. Regulation is very well-maintained with either regular AA or 14500 cells, though it does drop slightly when on 100% level with a 14500 cell. Runtime is average as it's understandable that some power is used to feed the electronics which are more sophisticated than other lights.
Runtime Plot: Runtime with an alkaline AA cell and 14500
is shown below.
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Batteries
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Level
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Runtime
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Percentage
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1x 14500 750mAh
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100 %
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35 mins
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50 %
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1x 14500 750mAh
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50 %
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2hrs 11 mins
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50 %
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1x 14500 750mAh
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15 %
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6 hrs 06 mins
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50 %
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1x 14500 750mAh
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1 %
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64 hrs 29 mins
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50 %
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1x AA 2000mAh
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100 %
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53 mins
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50 %
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1x AA 2000mAh
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50 %
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2 hrs 12 mins
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50 %
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1x AA 2000mAh
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15 %
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5 hrs 21 mins
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50 %
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1x AA 2000mAh
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1 %
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43 hrs 28 mins
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50 %
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Switch: The switch is a rubber covered textured
clickie and is fully recessed in the tailcap which allows
the light to stand on end and be used as an electric
candle. Despite the fact that the switch is recessed,
it is very easy to use. Click on, click off, press for
momentary, twist to change output from bright to dim,
and back again. The dimming system is very unique, using
a piston-like ring inside the tailcap to change output.
Batteries: For batteries, this light is approved
by the manufacturer for use with AA alkaline or a single
rechargeable Li-Ion 14500 cell. All others are at your own
risk.
To change out the batteries: unscrew the tailcap, drop
out the old cells, place in new cells observing proper
polarity. Reattach the tailcap and you're ready to go.
Accessories: Several accessories are included
with the light. Inside the package you will find 4x Spare rubber o-rings, 1x Container of silicone lubricant, 1x Pocket clip and 1x Lanyard attachment ring so that it works with both the 1 and 2 cell configurations
of the light..
Picky Little Things: Nothing
Conclusions:The Good - Excellent build quality with all parts fitting well together. Smooth and consistent anodizing throughout. Extensive number of functions for almost any requirement. Good value considering all its features and included accessories. The Bad - User interface for programming functions can be more complicated than what most users are familiar to. Slight delay when clicking on. The Relative - Beam has a slightly warm temperature, with a smooth gradual profile from the hot spot to the spill beam. Is able to tail stand. Would have been nice if a holster was included as well.
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Republic of China (Taiwan)