Lumintop FW21 Pro Flashlight Review

Today I have the Lumintop FW21 Pro flashlight, a “triple” Cree XHP50.2 light, with a big head for great heat-sinking.  Read on!

---

Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Lumintop FW21 Pro Flashlight product page.

Versions

I think there’s only one version of the FW21 Pro.  There’s the non-pro version of the FW21, which is a triple too, but much more in the FW3A format.  Still utilizes the 21700 cell, though!

Price

The light alone goes for $69.95.  It’s available with the Samsung 30T you’ll see in this review, for an additional $6.

You can purchase the light at lumintoponline with the 15% OFF Promotion Code: LMT21P15J

---

Short Review

This is probably my second favorite in the FW series.  (The first is of course the FW3C Brass. 😀 )  I think it’s the highest quality build of any aluminum FW lights.  The output is high, and I like the use of a 21700 cell.  The larger head makes the light very flashlighty.

Long Review

The Big Table

Lumintop FW21 Pro Flashlight
Emitter:	Cree XHP50.2 (three)
Price in USD at publication time:	$69.95 ($59.46 with coupon above!)
Cell:	1×21700
Turbo Runtime	High Runtime
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (A):	?
On-Board Charging?	No
Claimed Lumens (lm)	10000
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	9240 (92.4% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	2.5
Claimed Throw (m)	325
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	160lux @ 4.28m = 2931cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	108.3 (33.3% of claim)^
All my Lumintop reviews!

And just for fun….

Lumintop FW21 Pro @ startup measurement
Claimed Throw (m)	325
Candela (Calculated) in cd	1336lux @ 4.146m = 22965cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	303.1 (93.3% of claim)^

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 FW21 Pro Flashlight
• Samsung 30T
• 21700 to 18650 adapter
• Spare o-rings (2)
• Grip ring
• Manual

Package and Manual

Build Quality and Disassembly

As I said above, I think the FW21 Pro has the highest build quality of any of the aluminum FW series lights.  I also greatly appreciate the bigger head and more heatsinking.

The extra girth from being a 21700 light suits the overall build just fine.

Good knurling, as usual.  Useless on the tailcap, as usual.

What would really be neat is if these cooling fins were knurled!  That’s where you need the grip, since it’s the head that should be removed for cell swaps.

The body retains the FW aesthetic.

The inner sleeve is carried over from the other FW lights too.  This is what allows the tail-e-switch to work properly.

Both head and tail have a big spring.

The tailcap has a retaining ring.  I found that just when unscrewing the tailcap the retaining ring could unscrew.  So be aware of that.

Here is a breakdown of the switch parts.

Threading on the head and tail are different – impossible to get them backward.

Size and Comps

Weight: Approximately 120 g without cells.  I weight it at 184g with cell.
Size: 40 mm Ø head x 102 mm length x 28mm Ø head

Retention and Carry

The included way for carrying the FW21 Pro is the standard collar style clip.  It works well for belts and whatnot but for pocket carry the head probably gets in the way more than you’ll like.  It’s not reversible.

The clip has a couple of holes which are good for a lanyard, but you’ll need to bring your own to this party.

Also included is this “tactical” ring – I wouldn’t consider it a tactical ring, but just more of a grip ring.  This isn’t a tactical light.  You’ll have to remove the tailcap to install this, and there’s an o-ring you’ll end up fighting with….  If you want my opinion then don’t bother installing this.  It doesn’t end up adding a worth vs the trouble it is to install.

Plus if you counted up all the FW series light problems and traced a source, I bet 84% would be due to messing with the tailcap.  So just don’t bother unless you really need it installed.  

Power and Runtime

The FW21 Pro is powered by a single lithium-ion cell.  It requires a 21700, but there’s an adapter for use with an 18650.  I recommend 21700 cells of course, and I also recommend you buy the package that includes the Samsung 30T.  For just $6, it’s a good deal.  Also runs this light very well!

The Samsung 30T is a flat top unprotected 21700.

Here are a couple of runtimes.  Normally I just do Turbo once and then let the light stepdown and trickle off, but we already know how Andúril does in that scenario.  So this time every time I walked past the runtime apparatus, I reset the light to Turbo.  Turbo lasts about the same amount of time in each case, but gradually has a lower and lower maximum.  Turbo in this case is the absolute highest output – double click from on.

Same scenario as above with High.  Reset it a bunch of times.  But in this case, output remained at approximately the same limit, which is nice.  High in this case is the top of the ramp.

Pulse Width Modulation

Andúril utilizes fast PWM for the lower modes.

For reference, here’s a baseline shot, with all the room lights off and almost nothing hitting the sensor.  Also, here’s the light with the worst PWM I could find.  I’m adding multiple timescales, so it’ll be easier to compare to the test light.  Unfortunately, the PWM on this light is so bad that it doesn’t even work with my normal scale, which is 50 microseconds (50us). 10ms.  5ms.  2ms.  1ms.  0.5ms.  0.2ms.  In a display faster than 0.2ms or so, the on/off cycle is more than one screen, so it’d just (very incorrectly) look like a flat line.  I wrote more about this Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight and explained a little about PWM too.

User Interface and Operation

The UI on this light is just like the other FW I’ve reviewed, so there’s no point rewording it.

The interface for this light is a tail clicky, but unusually, it’s an e-switch.  That’s a bit of a coup, and something not many manufacturers are doing (in tail-switch form).

The button itself is metal (with that rubber cover under it), and has a very minimal amount of travel (1mm or less).   Despite being a very big switch, it’s possible to actuate from anywhere on the surface – even the tiniest fingernail on the very edge will still work.

I checked the firmware revision of my review copy (15 clicks from off) and it appears to be a 20190928 version of Andúril.

I’m dropping in ToyKeeper’s newest UI diagram, which includes some features my light does not have.  The firmware reset, for example, and also the secondary emitter options – but the graphic itself as a whole is much better.

Here’s a UI table anyway!

State	Action	Result
Off	Hold	On (Low)
Off	Click	On (Mode Memory)
Off	Click 2x	Highest Hybrid Mode
Off	Click 3x	Blinkie Mode Group
Off	Click 4x	Lockout
Off	Click 5x	Momentary
Off	Click 6x	Muggle
Off	Click, Click, Hold	Strobe Group (Mode Memory Strobe)
Strobe Group	Click 2x	Strobe Cycle (Candle > Bike Flasher > Party Strobe > Tactical Strobe > Lightning Storm)
Blinkie Mode Group	Click 2x	Blinke Cycle (Sunset > Beacon > TempCheck > BattCheck)
On	Click 3x	Switch between Stepped and Smooth Ramp
On	Click 4x	Ramp Configuration
TempCheck	Click 4x	Thermal Configuration
Beacon	Click 4x	Beacon Configuration
Lockout	Click 4x	Off
Strobe Group	Click	Off
(Basically) On	Click	Off
Candle	Click 3x	30 minute timer to off
Strobe Group	Hold	Heighten selected mode (Make faster or brighter)
Strobe Group	Click, Hold	Lessen selected mode (Make slower or dimmer)
On	Click 2x	FET Turbo
Ramp Configuration	[Wait for Single flash] Click N time for level N.	Selection of the “Low” you like best by clicking 1, 2, 3, etc. where 1, 2, 3, etc are different levels of low.
Ramp Configuration	[Wait for Second flash] Click N time for 1+Turbo-N.	Selection of the “Ceiling” you like best by clicking 1, 2, 3, etc. where 1, 2, 3, etc are different Ceiling levels.
Ramp Configuration	[Wait for Third flash] Click for how many steps you want in Stepped mode.	Sets Number of Steps.
Thermal Configuration	[Wait for First flash] Click for N times for N degrees C.	Displays Current Temperature.
Thermal Configuration	[Wait for Second flash] Click for N times for 30C + N.	Sets Temperature Limit.
Beacon Configuration	[Wait for First flash] Click for N times N seconds per flash	Sets Beacon Speed.

LED and Beam

In the FW21 Pro are three Cree XHP50.2 emitters.  Each of these has a short reflector.  The beam has a good spot in the center with a fade to nothing.  It’s a surprisingly tight beam for the setup.

These beamshots are always with the following settings:  f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure.

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.

I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!

Conclusion on the Lumintop FW21 Pro Flashlight

What I like

• Great build quality
• Samsung 30T for only $6 more is a good deal
• Output is practically madness
• Very flashlighty

What I don’t like

• No good way to carry
• There’s a “good” temperature Cree XHP50.2, and this temperature is the other one.

---

Notes

• This light was provided by Lumintop for review. I was not paid to write this review.
• This content originally appeared at zeroair.org.  Please visit there for the best experience!
• For flashlight-related patches, stickers, and gear, head over to PhotonPhreaks.com!
• Use my amazon.com referral link if you’re willing to help support making more reviews like this one!
• Please support me on Patreon! I deeply appreciate your support!