Folomov New C2 EDC Flashlight Review

The new Folomov C2 EDC flashlight is another iteration in the 14300 cell line from Folomov. It’s an interesting little light. Read on!

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Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the official product page.

Versions

There appears to be just one version of the C2.

Price

Looks like these are going for around $28.77 on amazon.  I should have a coupon for you shortly, though.

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Short Review

I was a big fan of the original C2 by Folomov.  This updated version uses the same cell (a 14300, included) and has a very similar switch and user interface, but I’d still call it “fairly different.”  The emitter and beam profile of the original C2 is much more to my taste, too.

Long Review

The Big Table

Folomov New C2 EDC Flashlight
Emitter:	Cree XT-E
Price in USD at publication time:	$28.77
Cell:	1×14300
Turbo Runtime Graph	High Runtime Graph
LVP?	?
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (mA):	0.14
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	micro-USB (on cell)
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port	–
Claimed Lumens (lm)	525
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	346 (65.9% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	4.6
Claimed Throw (m)	77
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	159lux @ 3.525m = 1976cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	88.9 (115.5% of claim)^
Claimed CCT	–
Measured CCT Range (K)	6700-6800 Kelvin
Item provided for review by:	Folomov
All my Folomov 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

• Folomov C2 EDC flashlight
• Folomov 14300 cell
• Charging cable (USB to micro-USB)
• Spare o-rings (2)
• Manual

Package and Manual

Build Quality and Disassembly

Build quality on the tiny C2 is good. And at $28 or so, definitely “good enough.”  Bear in mind that this is a tiny flashlight. Very much a coin pocket light.

Surprisingly this tailcap does not have a magnet.

The tailcap here does not provide much if any grip, and it’s also tiny! Removing the tailcap can be a little bit of a burden, but the anodized threads are smooth.

The tail has a spring.

The positive connection is just a button.

Size and Comps

Length: 45.5mm
Diameter: 17mm (16mm at the thinnest)
Weight: 12.4g without battery

If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo).  If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll show that here, too (usually the fourth photo).

Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+.  Mine’s a custom “baked” edition Nichia 219b triple.  A very nice 18650 light.

And here’s the light beside my custom engraved TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light.  I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats.

Here’s the original C2.  I still have this one and I still love it. I keep it magnetically attached to the wall and locked out. The emitter in that one is just great!

And by request, here’s the new Folomov C2 EDC flashlight (and the old one too!) beside the venerable Olight Baton.

Retention and Carry

The only included means for carrying the Folomov C2 EDC flashlight is the attached pocket clip.

This is a friction fit pocket clip, and attaches much like the Olight Baton series clips – there’s exactly one single place to attach the clip.

There is no manet, and I really wish there was.

Power and Runtime

As stated above, the EDC C2 runs off lithium-ion power.  In this case, it’s a custom (or “rare” – I’m not certain it’s a Folomov custom item) 14300 lithium-ion cell, which also has built-in charging.

The included cell is a button top.

I initially reported this output lower – one of my chargers was lying to me. The Nitecore charger was reporting a fully charged cell, with which I tested the light’s output and got some grossly inaccurate numbers.  With a properly charged cell, I see output numbers much closer to specification, and much more sensible.

In one test, the light did shut off. The voltage, in that case, was logged at around 2.5V – on bench power, it was unclear if the light has low voltage protection.  Either way, it does seem to.

Charging

The cell has onboard charging, by means of a micro-USB port on the positive end.

On the positive end as well is a charging indicator.  Below you can see the little black dot in the white surrounding area.

Folomov provides a cable, in case you don’t already have a million lying around somewhere.

Charging goes about as fast as you’d want it to – over 1C, and the on-cell claim of 520mAh is met quite readily.  Charging is also very consistent, which is a good trait.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
Turbo	525	1h	346	1.61
High	150	2h	100	0.31
Medium	50	6h	40	0.11
Low	10	30h	7.2	14.52mA
Moonlight	1	270h	3	6.90mA

Pulse Width Modulation

On the scope, I see PWM on every mode.  Yes every mode, even Turbo.

The PWM has changed from the original version. It’s now much slower, which is decidedly a downgrade.

I’m including a different timescale so that we can see a full peak-to-peak cycle.

All that said, the PWM doesn’t seem noticeable to me.

Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor.

Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.

User Interface and Operation

There’s a single indicating e-switch on the side of the head of the EDC C2.  It’s gray (really translucent) and small (remember how small this light is overall), and quite clicky.  The switch is proudish and easy to find.

The user interface is a bit updated from the previous Folomov C2 EDC flashlight.

Here’s a user interface table!

State	Action	Result
Off	Hold	Moonlight
Off	Click	Mode Memory
On	Click	Mode advance (LMHT)
Any	Double Click	Strobe
Strobe	Double Click	Strobe mode advance (Strobe > SOS > Beacon)
On	Hold	Off
Off	Click 3x	Lockout (blinks 3x to confirm)
Lockout	Click 3x	Unlock (blinks 1x to confirm)

LED and Beam

Folomov has opted to use a Cree XT-E emitter in the new C2. I think that makes this the first XT-E emitter I’ve had…

The emitter is coupled with a dimpled TIR optic, which diffuses the beam.

LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)

This emitter comes in around 6700K, which is very cool.  The CRI is around 70, which is “middle” range at best.

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.

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

What I like

• Small size
• Good user interface
• Cell is included
• Charging on cell works well
• Fairly inexpensive

What I don’t like

• Unusual cell
• Very cool white emitter
• Low CRI emitter
• No tailcap magnet

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Notes

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