Speras E21 Flashlight Review
Speras is introducing the E21, a 21700 cell flashlight running a single Luminus SST-40 emitter. The tactical E21 has a neat dual-action switch. Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Speras E21 flashlight product page.
Versions
As far as I know, this is the only version of the Speras E21 flashlight.
Price
Price is unknown at this time, but a Kickstarter for the E21 should launch soon.
Short Review
The Speras E21 flashlight has, among other features, a very neat dual-action tactical tail switch. The switch has a typical mechanical clicky action and is very exposed (so very tactical) but also has a side push option for mode changes. I like the switch. Output is great too, and the feature set (including USB-C charging and a powerbank) make this a great light.
Long Review
The Big Table
Speras E21 Flashlight | |
---|---|
Emitter: | Luminus SST-40 (Cool White) |
Price in USD at publication time: | unknown (Kickstarter soon) |
Cell: | Internal |
Runtime Graphs | |
LVP? | Red blink warning |
Switch Type: | E-Switch |
Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
On-Board Charging? | Yes |
Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
Charge Graph | |
Power off Charge Port | Eco only |
Claimed Lumens (lm) | 2000 |
Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1755 (87.8% of claim)^ |
Candela per Lumen | 13.4 |
Claimed Throw (m) | 322 |
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 867lux @ 5.932m = 30509cd |
Throw (Calculated) (m) | 349.3 (108.5% of claim)^ |
Claimed CCT | 6000-6500 |
Measured CCT Range (K) | 5600-6500 Kelvin |
Item provided for review by: | Speras |
All my Speras 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
- Speras E21 flashlight
- Charging cable (USB to USB-C)
- Lanyard
- Manual
This might not be the retail package, though, so be sure to check if some of these items are super important to you.
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The E21 is my first Speras flashlight. I’ve never seen or held one before. Initial impressions are good; the light seems solid.
The E21 specifically (but not necessarily all Speras lights) has one specific downside: the cell is built in. As far as I could tell, the parts do not separate at all (at least with consumer-level effort.)
Size and Comps
Length: 128mm
Head and tail diameter: 25.4mm
Weight: 135g (including the cell of course, since it’s built in)
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo). If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that (usually in 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.
Also above on the left is a new feature light!! Laulima Metal Craft sent this titanium Todai for some size comparison photos like the ones above. Laulima has a bunch of incredible items. I’ve tested one (the Laulima Metal Craft Hoku) (the official site for Hoku is here) that was a Friend Fund Friday review. I was impressed enough by that Hoku that I bought a Laulima Metal Craft Diamond Slim (also in tumbled aluminum) (review is upcoming!) These lights by Laulima have impeccable build quality and not only that, they’re quite configurable. There are some (great, actually) default configurations, but Joshua Dawson (of Laulima Metal Craft) is open to ideas and emitter options and the like. I haven’t reviewed this Todai, but I have to say, it feels absolutely fantastic and I love it thus far. (Notably, I love how warm and eggy those emitters look through the TIR.)
Retention and Carry
A pocket clip is included and attached from the factory. It’s a fairly standard two-way friction fit clip.
Attachment seems secure enough, but the clip is removable.
As you can see above, the clip has a hole in the shoulder to attach the included lanyard. This is the only place to attach the lanyard.
Nothing else is included for carry of the E21.
Power and Runtime
Power is provided to the E21 by a built-in 21700 cell. I don’t see that Speras has stated a capacity of the cell. And as far as I know, the cell is not user-replaceable. Obviously the cell went into the light somehow, so with the right attitude you might be able to swap it. But in general, you won’t be doing this in the field.
Three runtime tests are below. Turbo steps down pretty quickly, but still holds over 1600 or so lumens for a full minute. That’s pretty good.
When the cell voltage is low, an indicator near the charging port blinks red. The indicator is right at the pivot point of the charging port cover, but is conspicuous when blinking red.
Charging
Of course with a built-in 21700 comes built-in charging. This charging is by way of a USB-C port on the head end of the E21.
A cable is included: USB to USB-C.
C to C charging works just fine, and is brisk at around 2.75 hours.
A to C works fine.
While charging, the red indicator (the same one that activates during runtimes) blinks red. When charging is complete, this indicator stays lit in green.
Powerbank
The USB-C charging port can also discharge the built-in 21700 – it can serve as a powerbank. Speras includes this male USB-C to female USB adapter, so you’d be able to use your common cables for phone charging or whatever. But C to C output works fine too (and in fact, is what I tested.)
The USB-C port can output around 3A but is most comfortable around 2A (as the manual says).
When the cell gets low, the powerbank will shut off. It does seem to continue pinging the output, but that is probably just my test equipment. Anyway, the powerbank feature works fine.
Modes and Currents
Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
---|---|---|---|
Turbo | 2000 | 4h | 1755 |
High | 900 | 5h | 894 |
Medium | 350 | 8h | 379 |
Low | 100 | 26h | 104 |
Eco | 10 | 220h | 14 |
Pulse Width Modulation
The sawtooth observed below is probably not real PWM, and is so fast you’re very unlikely to see it anyway.
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
A single switch controls the Speras E21 flashlight. This switch is a very proud tactical “mechanical” switch – I say “mechanical” because I’m not sure. The clicky action feels mechanical but the side action is unusual for a mechanical switch.
Action both ways are just fine – the clicky is positive and the mode changes work great, too!
Here’s a user interface table! The E21 has two “patterns” (or groups). They’re similar but provide different access – best for tactical or best for outdoor uses.
State | Action | Result |
---|---|---|
Off Tactical Pattern | Tap | Momentary Turbo |
Off Tactical Pattern | Click | Turbo |
Off | Tap “Sub tail” | Strobe |
On | Click | Off |
On | Tap Sub tail | Mode advance (Eco>L>M>H>T) |
On Tactical Pattern | Hold Sub tail | Momentary Strobe |
Off Outdoor Pattern | Click | On – Mode memory (LMH only) |
Off Outdoor Pattern | Tap | Momentary Mode Memory(LMH only) |
Off Outdoor Pattern | Tap Sub tail | Momentary Eco (the manual has this wrongly listed as “turbo”) |
Charging | Tap Sub tail 3x | Changes pattern (Outdoor or Tactical) with blinks to indicate (Tactical: 4 blinks. Outdoor: 3 blinks) |
Off | Tap Sub tail | Battery indication LED beside charging port^ |
Off | Tap Sub tail 6x | Lockout (Main emitter blinks to indicate) |
Lockout | Tap Sub tail 3x | Unlock |
^ Battery indicator as follows:
Green: >70%
Orange: 30-70%
Red: 5-30%
Red flashing: <5%
LED and Beam
Speras has used a single Luminus SST-40 emitter in the E21. It’s rated at 6000K-6500K and has a small smooth reflector.
The very toothy bezel allows light to escape while headstanding, and more importantly, plays into the tactical feel of the E21.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
Speras seems to have safely estimated the CCT on this Luminus emitter – I read it from 5600K to around 6500K. That’s sort of “neutral” to “cool.” CRI is low at around 68.
Beamshots
These beamshots are always with 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
- Nice build quality
- Interesting type of two-stage or dual-action switch
- Good beam profile
- User interface is simple
- USB-C charging works well
- Powerbank function
What I don’t like
- Built-in 21700 (can’t be replaced)
- Released through Kickstarter
Notes
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