Lumintop HLAAA 2.0 Headlamp Review

Lumintop has released the HLAAA 2.0, a clever little headlamp that uses a single Cree XP-G3 emitter, and runs on a single AAA cell. Read on!

Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Lumintop HLAAA 2.0 Headlamp product page.

I believe this light is new enough that it’s not on Lumintop’s site officially. (I couldn’t find it anyway.) The 1.0 version is on the site, but this is the updated, 2.0 version. The link above is Lumintop’s official store.

Versions

I believe there’s only one version.

Price

On the $25.99. As this is a very new product (and also $25.99 is a fine price), that price will probably stay around MSRP for a while.

Short Review

I can’t think of another single AAA headlamp in my possession, and I like this one. It’s a great format for headlamp use. There are some user interface issues that I’d like to see fixed, but generally this is a nice little light!

Long Review

The Big Table

Lumintop HLAAA 2.0
Emitter:	Cree XP-G3 (R5)
Price in USD at publication time:	$25.99
Cell:	1xAAA
Turbo Runtime	High Runtime
LVP?	No
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (A):	?
On-Board Charging?	No
Claimed Lumens (lm)	120
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	95 (79.2% of claim)^
Claimed Throw (m)	30
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	71lux @ 2.08m = 307cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	35.1 (117% of claim)^
All my Lumintop reviews!

^ Measurement disclaimer: Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.

What’s Included

Lumintop HLAAA 2.0
Pocket clip
Headband
Spare o-ring
Paperwork

Package and Manual

Lumintop uses a slip-fit cardboard box much like many other manufacturers. No photo of the light, but there is some text on the back with features (no UI).

A brown product box with printed specifications for the Lumintop HLAAA, listing LED type, battery requirements, features, waterproof rating, dimensions, and manufacturer info. The box is on a weathered wooden surface.

The light is held in some foam, and the goodies are in a separate box.

The manual is a typical Lumintop manual. The specs/features are the same as on the box, but added is an output/runtime table, and a bunch of other specs, and a user interface description.

Build Quality and Disassembly

This is a well built little light. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I find that manufacturers often don’t take the time and care with these smaller lights. That’s not the case with this light. This is a well-built, robust little light.
The body is listed as “aluminum alloy” but it has a very good feel – much like the “titanium alloy” of lights like the BTU Mini, I reviewed ages ago.

A small, silver flashlight standing upright on a wooden surface with a blurred background. The flashlight has a cylindrical body and an angled head with a yellow LED bulb visible.

A small, silver-metallic flashlight stands upright on a weathered wooden surface, with a blurred brown background.

A silver metal flashlight stands upright on a weathered wooden surface, with a blurred brown background.

A silver, metal flashlight with a right-angle head is standing upright on a weathered wooden surface, with a blurred brown background.

The head has some fins for cooling. The body has connection points for the headband, which double as points for the pocket clip.
As far as disassembly, there’s not a lot good to report here. I was only able to take the light apart to the default level. That is to say, to the level required to change cells. It looks like the head is threaded onto the body tube, but I wasn’t able to disconnect these pieces. As such, I can’t say how possible it is to get at the driver, or emitter, for swapping.

Close-up view of the open ends of two metal tubes, both showing coiled contents inside, resting on a wooden surface with a blurred background.

A small, metallic threaded connector sits upright on a weathered wooden surface with a blurred background.

Size

Officially 64.5mm long, and very thin. This is a tiny light, a fact that’s impressed me every time I’ve picked up the light.

A two-dollar bill is held against a wooden surface by a small metallic flashlight on the left side. The serial number on the bill is H00889607A. The image is watermarked with zeroair.wordpress.com.

A two-dollar U.S. bill is placed on a wooden surface with a small metal combination lock resting on its top right corner.

Compared to some other random triple-A light I have (and I have many in this class!), the HLAAA 2.0 is shorter than this Olight. Notably, the HLAAA 2.0 also has a clicky, so if you’re like me and don’t love twisty lights (which most single AAA lights are), then you might love the HLAAA 2.0!

Two compact flashlights stand upright on a wooden surface. The left flashlight is silver with an angled head, while the right flashlight is bronze with a straight body and a metal pocket clip.

Two small metallic flashlights are positioned on a wooden surface, with one lying horizontally and the other standing upright. Both have visible LED bulbs facing the camera.

Retention

The secondary way to carry this light first: the pocket clip. This is a fine pocket clip. Nothing special but gets the job done. It’s reversible and can carry with head up or down.

A compact, silver metal flashlight with a clip stands upright on a weathered wooden surface, shown in sharp focus with a blurred background.

A compact, metallic flashlight stands upright on a weathered wooden surface, with a blurred background.

The tertiary way for holding on to this light is the magnet. The tailcap has a strong magnet that easily holds the HLAAA 2.0 in any position. I do not believe the magnet can be removed.

On to the primary means for holding this light; the headband. This is a superior headband and not simply because it’s covered in orange accents. The headband is thin, and the silicone gripper allows the light to rotate easily.
Also notable on the headband is that there’s a bit of grippy… something on the inside, for promoting secure grip and not allowing movement by the headstrap. I’m sure over time this would wear off, but I like it for what it is.

An orange and black Lumintop headlamp with an adjustable strap is resting on a wooden surface. The headlamp has a cylindrical metal body and a small round light.

A close-up view of an orange and black headlamp with reflective stripes, resting on a weathered wooden surface. The headlamp is slightly out of focus in the foreground.

A compact orange and silver headlamp with a black and orange adjustable strap is resting on a weathered wooden surface. The headlamp has LUMINTOP branding and a metal clip attached.

Power

The Lumintop HLAAA 2.0 is powered by a single AAA-sized cell. Primary (alkaline) cells are fine, as are NiMH cells. LiIon AAA-sized cells (10440) are not acceptable: the working voltage is 0.8-1.5V. 10440 would likely kill the light.

The cell sticks out a little before the tailcap is installed, and the tailcap fits over the cell. That’s a little unusual but doesn’t cause any operational problems. Also likely allows for the light to be so short, too.

Here’s a runtime on High, and then a runtime on Medium. High is particularly impressive since the light maintains stable output for nearly the entire duration of the performance.

(As requested, a second runtime! This one is scaled to the runtime on High.)

User Interface and Operation

There’s a single e-switch on the HLAAA 2.0. And for the size of the light, it’s a nice big button. Just a touch squishy, but positively clicky. It’s orange, so clearly superior, too.

The switch doesn’t glow or indicate, but when the light is on, the light shows through the switch (coincidentally, not purposefully).

Here’s a user interface table!
Truly one of the simplest UI’s I’ve ever put in The Table™.

State	Action	Result
Off	Click	Low
On	Click	Mode advance (LMH)
On	Hold (>1.5s)^	Off

^ One gigaaaaaaantic asterisk there on the “Turn off” row. Many people hate “hold for off.” I am not one of those people. I like other things better, but I don’t hate that. This user interface brings a new special appreciation for the “good” “hold for off” UI’s. On those UI’s, the light switches off at the appropriate time after holding. On this UI, the light doesn’t switch off until you’ve 1) held the switch long enough, and 2) released the switch. That might not sound like much, but there’s no feedback as to when you’ve held the switch long enough. And the light stays on until you release the switch. I found this very minor “feature” to be much more frustrating than it has any right to be.
That’s it for the UI. There are no strobes, no hidden extra-low, no nothing else. If you appreciate simplicity, and/or absolutely never want to get strobed in the face, then this might be the light for you!

Modes

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Mode Measured Lux	Tailcap Amps
High	120	0.5h	2310	1.70
Med	30	4h	576	0.20
Low	1.5	36h	73	0.03

LED and Beam

Lumintop has chosen to put a Cree XP-G3 emitter in the HLAAA 2.0. It’s behind a dimpled TIR optic. The beam is extremely diffuse, but does seem to easily hit it’s throw rating of 30m.

Cree XP-G3 isn’t the most well-regarded emitter in some of my circles. I tend to agree that in the periphery, it’s a bit green. But in the center, the beam on this light is a nice white, and overall it’s just fine for me.

Beamshots

These beamshots always have the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level, and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away.

A completely black image with the text “ZEROAIR.WORDPRESS.COM” vertically aligned on the left side. No objects or features are visible.

A mostly black image with a faint, subtle gradient in the center. The text ZEROAIR.WORDPRESS.COM is vertically aligned along the left side.

A dark image with a faint circular light glow in the center and the text ZEROAIR.WORDPRESS.COM vertically on the left side.

Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)

I keep the test flashlight on the left and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right.

Random Comparisons and Competitive Options

Here’s a relevantly filtered page on parametrek.com. Some notable competition to this light is by Manker and Fenix. Manker has the E02H which I have not reviewed, (but I have reviewed the similar E03H here). It’s a nice headlamp with a very versatile UI, and is available with Nichia. I like the body of this Lumintop much more, but the user interface and Nichia-ness of the Manker E03H.

Conclusion

What I like

Build quality
Very simple UI*
NiMH compatibility

What I don’t like

*This specific version of Hold-for-off does not work for me at all.
Added 10440 support would be nice.
A hidden ultra low (4th mode) would be a good bonus.

Notes

This light was provided by Lumintop for review. I was not paid to write this review.
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