FireflyLite E12C Flashlight Review

The FireflyLite E12C flashlight offers 12 of FireflyLite’s own FFL351A HI, 4000K, high CRI emitter! It runs a standard 21700 and offers USB-C charging.

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Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the FireflyLite E12C flashlight product page.

Versions

Many versions of the FireflyLite E12C flashlight are available, including two different bodies – matte black (seen here) and one with a “golden rainbow coating.” Many emitter options are available, too – Different Nichia 519a, as well as Luminus SST20 and Osram CSLNM1. And, as seen here, the FFL351A HI.

Price

The FireflyLite E12C flashlight MSPR is $133, but the current going price is between $96 and $100. FireflyLite does seem to have some options with 21700, but the E12C product page doesn’t seem to have it. Check around the site for purchasing a reputable 21700.

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What’s Included

• FireflyLite E12C flashlight
• Spare o-rings (2)
• Lanyard
• Charging cable
• Carry pouch
• Manual

Package and Manual

Build Quality and Disassembly

I’ve had many FireflyLite lights (including some from what I suppose to be the “old brand”? – just “FireFlies.”) I like them for their innovative nature. Even this very light uses an emitter I’ve never seen before, and apparently made by FireflyLite.

The FireflyLite E12C flashlight has nice build quality. I appreciate the stainless bezel, and the threads on both ends of the cell tube are smooth.

These two o-rings have been a problem for me, though – they always seem to get caught up in the threads, and I can see clearly why three extras are included.

Both the head and tail have nice beefy springs.

Charging on the cell is built into the cell tube, so the positive end of the cell isn’t exposed when the head is removed.

Size and Comps

I don’t see any official specs listed, but here are some approximate measurements from my micrometer.

Head diameter: 47.82mm
Tailcap diameter: 28.52mm
Body diameter:25.98mm
Length: 123.35mm

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+. The version below is a custom laser-engraved Convoy S2+ host by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full post on an engraved orange host right here! Or go straight to GadgetConnections.com to buy your Convoy S2+ now!

Also above is the light beside a TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light. I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats. I also reviewed that specific edition, the “Oveready BOSS FT Collector Vintage Brass” 35. I love it!

Retention and Carry

A number of options are included for carrying the FireflyLite E12C flashlight. First, I’ll mention the lanyard, which attaches through this hole in the tailcap.

The lanyard is unusual – very feature-rich. Both ends have a metal hook and there’s a keychain loop option.

The tailcap also has a magnet. It’s a strong magnet, too, perfectly capable of holding the E12C.

Finally, there’s this pouch.

Power and Runtime

I have another FireflyLite in for testing that did include a cell, but for this test, I’ve used a Vapcell high-drain 21700. Output is nice and high, but only briefly.

Turbo steps down very quickly and even at 30 seconds the light hasn’t really leveled-out. My impression about the E12C is that it could handle longer sustained output. I’d settle for a lower top-end (say, 3000 lumens) but for a minute or something.

High (or the second highest output) also steps down fairly quickly.

The third highest mode, at least, doesn’t have a stepdown until the cell voltage drops.

All the tested modes do exhibit low voltage protection.

Charging

The FireflyLite E12C flashlight offers onboard charging by way of a USB-C port on the positive end of the cell tube. You’ll need to remove the head fully in order to utilize the charging feature.

A charging cable is included – USB-C to USB-C.

Both C to C and A to C charging work just fine. The charging rate is fairly quick, peaking at around 3A with USB-C charging (at 5V).

While charging, there are a number of tiny LEDS on the positive end of the cell tube that will give a charge-level indication. When charging is complete, all four LEDs are lit.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
Turbo (Double click)	7500	–	6074 (0s) 2232 (30s)	>18 (depends on cell)
High (Highest Stepped)	–	–	1535 (0s) 1033 (30s)	5.20
Medium	–	–	623	2.36
3	–	–	192	0.71
2	–	–	55	0.22
Low (Lowest stepped)	–	–	1	[low]

Pulse Width Modulation

PWM is observed on all modes except the “double click Turbo” level.

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 e-switch controls the FireflyLite E12C flashlight. It’s a nice metal switch with an indicating feature right in the middle.

There’s a metal bezel around the switch too, which makes the whole experience of clicking the switch quite pleasant.

This light uses Andúril2, but it seems to be a modified version of Andúril2. All of the features seem present, but the stepped modes are limited to 5, and not the usual 9. You’ll see many series photos below with 6 or 7 photos – Turbo is not part of the “stepped” group, as it’s accessed only by double clicking. This is fine for my use case. I’m copying the table from a standard Andúril2 light, but there may be some other wrinkles in the E12C, too.

Here’s a user interface table!  This table is directly from ToyKeeper’s Andúril2 manual, which you can view here:

http://toykeeper.net/torches/fsm/anduril2/anduril-manual.txt

I am putting this in a table here with ToyKeeper’s permission.  Thanks, TK!  This is so much better than me writing it because it’s more reliable, and I completely trust its accuracy (at least, if I can paste it accurately).  I’m breaking it up a little differently than ToyKeeper did, though I certainly understand why it was done her way originally.

First, the table for Either User Interface.  These actions work whether you’re in Simple or Advanced UI.

State	Action	Result
Off	1C	On (ramp mode, memorized level)
Off	1H	On (ramp mode, floor level)
Off	2C	On (ramp mode, ceiling level)
Off	3C	Battcheck mode
Off	4C	Lockout mode
Off	13H	Factory reset (on some lights)
Off	15+C	Version check
Ramp	1C	Off
Ramp	1H	Ramp (up, with reversing)
Ramp	2H	Ramp (down)
Ramp	3H	Tint ramping (on some lights)
Ramp	3H	Momentary turbo (on lights without tint ramping)
Ramp	4C	Lockout mode
Lockout	1C/1H	Momentary moon (lowest floor)
Lockout	2C/2H	Momentary moon (highest floor, or manual mem level)
Lockout	4C	On (ramp mode, memorized level)
Lockout	4H	On (ramp mode, floor level)
Lockout	5C	On (ramp mode, ceiling level)
Batt check	1C	Off

A table for only Simple User Interface:

State	Action	Result
Off	2H	On (momentary ceiling level)
Off	10H	Disable Simple UI
Ramp	2C	Go to/from ceiling

A table for only Advanced (aka “Full”) User Interface:

State	Action	Result
Off	2H	On (momentary turbo)
Off	3H	Strobe mode (whichever was used last)
Off	5C	Momentary mode
Off	7C	Aux LEDs: Next pattern Switch LEDs: Next option
Off	7H	Aux LEDs: Next color
Off	10C	Enable Simple UI
Off	10H	Simple user interface ramp config menu (1: floor, 2: ceiling, [3: steps])
Ramp	2C	Go to/from ceiling (or turbo if at ceil already)
Ramp	3C	Change ramp style (smooth / stepped)
Ramp	5C	Momentary mode
Ramp	5H	Sunset timer on, and add 5 minutes
Ramp	7H	Ramp config menu (1: floor, 2: ceiling, [3: steps])
Ramp	10C	Turn on manual memory and save current brightness
Ramp	10H	Manual memory config menu (1: off, 2: set timeout)
Lockout	7C	Aux LEDs: Next pattern
Lockout	7H	Aux LEDs: Next color
Lockout	10H	Auto-lock config menu (1: set timeout)
Strobe (any)	1C	Off
Strobe (any)	2C	Next strobe mode
Strobe (any)	3H	Tint ramping (on some lights)
Strobe (any)	5C	Momentary mode (using current strobe)
Candle	1H/2H	Brighter / dimmer
Candle	5H	Sunset timer on, add 5 minutes
Party strobe	1H/2H	Faster / slower
Tactical strobe	1H/2H	Faster / slower
Biking	1H/2H	Brighter / dimmer
Lightning	1H	Interrupt current flash or start new one
Batt check	2C	Next blinky mode (Temp check, Beacon, SOS)
Batt check	7H	Voltage config menu
Temp check	1C	Off
Temp check	2C	Next blinky mode (Beacon, SOS, Batt check)
Temp check	7H	Thermal config menu
Beacon	1C	Off
Beacon	1H	Configure beacon timing
Beacon	2C	Next blinky mode (SOS, Batt check, Temp check)
SOS	1C	Off
SOS	2C	Next blinky mode (Batt check, Temp check, Beacon)
Momentary	Any	On (until button is released)
Momentary	Disconnect power	Exit Momentary mode
Config menus	Hold	Skip current item with no changes
Config menus	Release	Configure current item
Number entry	Click	Add 1 to value for current item

To be completely honest, I’m not entirely sure yet what’s the best way to tell if you’re in Simple user interface or Advanced UI.  Based on what I see here and with the light in hand, I think the fewest-clicks way will be 3 clicks from on (technically “Ramp” in the table, but I think “On” is accurate.)  This action – 3C from Ramp – in Advanced user interface will iterate smooth or stepped.  In Simple UI, this action will do nothing.  There are other ways, though.  For example, double-clicking from the top of the ramp will either do nothing or go to Turbo.  If it does nothing, then you’re in Simple.  If it goes to 11, then you’re in Advanced.  One more reliable way to check between Simple and Advanced is to enter Batt Check (3C from off) and then see what 2C does.  In Simple, the light will just turn off.  In Advanced, the light will go to the temperature check.
Another great way to tell, thanks to a reader is to see what the lowest level of ramping is.  Advanced user interface has a quite low low.  Simple user interface has a much higher “lowest level.”

LED and Beam

Seen below are 12 delicious FFL351A HI emitters. The “HI” means they’re “High Intensity” and do not have a dome. They’re nicely eggy to look at through the TIR.

Unscrewing the bezel is simple, but do be careful to … not mess anything up. I don’t know what you might mess up, but there’s a lot going on under that TIR, and it has three legs. So don’t run those legs over any of the many emitters, for example.

One thing I LOVE about this emitter from FireflyLite is that they are rosy! Too rosy? Nonsense…

There are a LOT of secondary emitters, too. You can’t use the secondary emitters concurrently with the white emitters.

LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)

FireflyLite states this as a “4000K” light and that’s approximately what is seen here. They also call it “WW” which means “warm white” – the light measures more into the warm white, and that’s good! CRI is claimed as 95, and that’s met too. Turbo, where the light is driven so hard, does drift downward, but on average, the light measures 96 or better.

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.

The left-most photo below is the RGB option (sort of a random setting, nothing specific).

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!

Summary and Conclusion

I really like this emitter and the whole FireflyLite E12C flashlight, too. I have a fondness for domeless emitters (maybe for no reason in particular, but maybe because they’re awesome.) This one by FireflyLite is awesome, too. It does seem like the FireflyLite E12C flashlight is good, and probably better than FireflyLites of the past – at least I can say that there are zero issues with this one.

The Big Table

FireflyLite E12C flashlight
Emitter:	FFL351A HI (4000K, CRI95)
Price in USD at publication time:	$99.75
Cell:	1×21700
Runtime Graphs
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (mA):	?
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	USB-C
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port	No
Claimed Lumens (lm)	7500
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	2332 (31.1% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	7.77
Claimed Throw (m)	–
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	389lux @ 5.541m = 11943cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	218.6 (0s) 118.5 (at 30s, during the stepdown)
Claimed CCT	4000
Measured CCT Range (K)	3600-3700 Kelvin
Item provided for review by:	Fireflylite
All my Fireflylite 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 I like

• This new emitter. It’s great!
• Warm white output
• High CRI
• Charging works great
• Stainless bezel

What I don’t like

• It’s not cheap – around $100
• Must remove whole head for charging (I’d just use a bay charger in this case)
• Massive stepdown on Turbo

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Notes

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