CooYoo Quantum CY Flashlight Review
The CooYoo Quantum CY flashlight uses a Cree XP-G2 emitter and a 10180 cell. The body is brass, and it uses a twisty interface. Read on!
CooYoo Quantum CY Mini in Brass Official Specs
Here’s a link to the CooYoo Quantum CY flashlight product page.
| __ | __ |
|---|---|
| LED | CREE XP-G2 |
| Reflector | SMO |
| Max Output | 130 lumens |
| Max Run Time | 6 h |
| Max Beam Distance | 59 m |
| Max Beam Intensity | 910 ccd |
| Battery | 10180 lithum ion |
| Length | 43.3mm/1.705in |
| Head Size | 12.8 mm/0.503in |
| Weight | 19.9g/0.702oz |
| Accessories | O-ring |
| Features | Mini, Rechargeable, High brightness |
This section contains the manufacturer’s descriptions and claims, not my impressions or results.
Note: these specs are for the MecArmy illumineX-3, which is believed to be the same light with different branding (and will be treated/discussed as such in this review). More on that later. This was also corroborated from other unofficial sources.
Brass CooYoo Quantum CY Mini Review
Key Features
- Easy UI
- On-board charging (micro-USB)
- Diminutive!
What’s Included
- Flashlight
- Battery
- Spare O-Rings (2)
- Manual
Comes with
As described above: Battery, 2 spare o-rings, and a manual. The MecArmy version apparently comes with a beaded chain. This one does not. I believe the titanium version is slightly different, and probably includes a keyring. The whole package is in a little blister pack.
Quality
I have had this light now for months, and have carried it in my coin pocket quite a lot. It was a backup to what else I carried, [sc62w, s1, d25aaa, BLF 348, etc]. I keep other things in my coin pocket: a Spyderco Manbug (knife) and often an older silver quarter. The light shows a little wear but also has held up incredibly well! The pictures show that – those are after I’d carried it for probably a month.
The threads have been very clean – it twists as good as any twisty I’ve had (and I’ve had a few!). The brass has a nice weight in hand as one would expect. The product listing states that the threads might corrode, so they could require cleaning and greasing from time to time. The brass is uncoated.
It’s waterproof, rated IPX-8.
The only nick on this light is that the TIR seems to be slightly off-center – a small gap can be noticed around the bezel/front of the body and the TIR. This does not seem to affect beam profile or use, and it does not seem to be loose.
This light may be small, but it’s well built and seems to have quality internals.
Manual
Manual is in Chinese and English. I mean, this is a pretty simple light with intuitive operation – even the charging and disassembly concerns.
Power
This light is powered by a single rechargeable 10180 battery (3.7V, 70mAh). My opinion is that this is superior to coin/button cell lights like the Streamlight Nano.
A huge bonus in the tiny Quantum is that it has built-in micro-USB charging! A micro-USB cable is not included (but if you can’t find a micro-USB cable… really, you can’t find a micro-USB cable??) Rated runtime on high is 30 minutes, and low is 6 hours. With a fully charged cell (which takes about an hour [claimed 1 hour]), I’ve found these runtimes to be …. slightly irrelevant – I don’t have recording light meter, but I did watch it a little: On high, there’s a pretty quick step down. It’s not “to low” because low is still accessible (it’s just much lower). The light also gets hot while still pushing for high, but later cools and stays on a lower mode. I’m not sure what kind of regulation the light has. If you want to see runtime charts, see here.
User Interface and Operation
Simple twisty. Twist a little for low, twist more for high (130 lumens). I strongly prefer twist lights to have the other kind of twist – twist for low, twist off and back on for [next mode], and so on (like the Eagtac d25aaa I happen to have in my pocket with the CooYoo today). My reason is that normally the actuation point of “low” shortens over time, and it gets hard to hit low without accidentally moving on to “hi”. That said, I never had that issue with the Quantum CY. The modes are as far apart today as they were when the light was new.
It’s operable with one hand, too. The threads are so smooth, that it twists very easily. In fact it twists easily enough that at times it fully discharged in my pocket due to accidental activation.
Sidenote is that this is not a QTC light as the Veleno Quantum D2 (for example) is. That’s the twisty I didn’t care for, and that could be a product of the QTC mechanism.
LED and Beam
The product listing states this as an “SMO” reflector. SMO as in “smooth” with the counterpoint being OP (orange peel). Best I could tell what this means is “Smooth” but in reality, that’s a TIR reflector. The beam has a nice spot as you’d expect from a TIR. On high, the total lumen output is 130, but it’s an extremely useable 130. There’s not much spill, so you get a decent spot of light, wherever you want to point it.
I don’t have a way to measure the output, but the BLF 348 is rated at 80 lumens, so the Quantum CY should be noticeably brighter. I compared the two, and the Quantum CY was actually noticeably brighter than the BLF348. So if the 348 is quoted accurately, then it’s reasonable to say the Quantum CY is pretty close to 130 as well.
In any case, it’s a quite usable amount of light.
The emitter is a CREE XP-G2 which seems to be common in lights this size. The emitter is a small one at 3.45×3.45mm, with the low maximum drive current of 1.5 A.
Retention
Living in my coin pocket, retention wasn’t a huge concern. But it’s built for a lanyard and has a large loop at the end that is completely firm and would not break. The chain would definitely go first…. There is no pocket clip for this light (nor should there be.) The Titanium version of this light has a slightly different tailcap and a real split ring spot.
The little spot for a necklace is useful for holding the light if the need is just right. Thought I bet that need would be quite rare. It does work!
Build and Disassembly
This light will unscrew from the head and the tail. The micro-USB plug is in the threads on the head side of the body. The tail is just a metal contact point; no electronics in there. Both ends have an o-ring, and that’s why the package provides two spares. They appear to be the same size. Since the body section has the charging port, it’s not a hollow tube-like on bigger lights (like the Convoy s2+), ie you couldn’t push a stuck battery through it. But you wouldn’t get a battery stuck in here anyway, as there’s a little play with the provided battery, and it protrudes ever so slightly.
As there are no crenelations on the bezel, standing the light on its head doesn’t spill light (unlike here which is spilling just because of the table.)
Size
Small. 42mm tall by 13mm wide (non-caliper, ruler measured). Rated at 41×12.8. Very small. The quoted length varies throughout this review and I’m going to leave it that way – whether you have the light on or off changes the length of the light by a small but measurable amount. So 41-43… it’s short in any case.
It’s about half the length of the Prometheus Beta QR (but approximately the same diameter).
And you can see, much tinier than most of the other lights we talk about around these parts.
Even smaller than an AA battery.
Conundrums
Not a normal conundrum, but a note for when you buy this light: It ships with the battery installed. But it’s protected by a little insulating disk:
Another thing I wonder is why CooYoo has dual branding for this light – the MecArmy is almost certainly the same light. As I’ve read and understand, the CooYoo is for the China Domestic Market, and the MecArmy is typically sold elsewhere. Since my sample is from China and a Chinese site, it’s not surprising that it’s a CooYoo. I think the MecArmy is a little more expansive than the CooYoo product list, and I’d love to give some of those lights a test. This is why I couldn’t find a product site for the CooYoo – and if I had it’d probably have been in Chinese.
Summary
Pros
- Small (the smallest a light can be and be usable, as far as I’ve tested)
- Rechargeable
- Built in microUSB port with indicator
- Dual mode
- Will tailstand (technically)
Cons
- Accidental activation
- Short runtime on high.
- Can I claim “no magnet” as a con yet?
Final Thoughts
I wholeheartedly recommend this light. I would not recommend this as a first light. But if you’re “two is one, one is none”, then I’d say this would be a great third light. I do think they’re worth having, and I think everyone should buy one, because they’re fun and useful. Should you buy this instead of a Streamlight Nano or a Nitecore Tube? I’d say yes. The Nano uses button cell batteries (expensive, low capacity) and the Tube is a great light but completely flood and (in my opinion) not all that useful. I would love to compare this 10180 light to other 10180 lights like the DQG Spy/Fairy/Hobi. (I have wanted a Spy for ages!)
As I said at the top of this review, this light was provided for free to me by GearBest. All these links are affiliate links which do not benefit me except that you using them increases the chance we’ll get more lights to review from GearBest.
This would probably be a great light for walking your dog!
