Fireflylite X1S Pharos Flashlight Review
The Fireflylite X1S Pharos flashlight still has the innovative new USB-C charging cover but importantly has the FFL707A emitter: 4000K, high CRI, and very rosy!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Fireflylite X1S Pharos flashlight product page.
Versions
Three body colors are available: Navy Blue, Fossil Grey MAO, and Dark White MAO. There are a few emitter options too. I would argue the FFL707A is the main reason to buy this light, so forget those other options ( 😛 )
Price
The Fireflylite X1S Pharos flashlight is on sale at $75.60. I do have a referral link and code from FireflyLite. It should be good for one use per user, for 10% off!
FFLZeroAir
What’s Included
- Fireflylite X1S Pharos flashlight
- Spare o-rings (4)
- Spare TIR cover
- Lanyard
- Manual
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
I recently reviewed the FireflyLite X1L – a new model with the same finish as this X1S. These two lights are the same other than the head and emitter. The build quality is great!
The bezel is coated in some way, and it is super clean.
Both the head and tail have nice beefy springs. Here you can see the driver, a Lume X1 by LoneOceans. This is another fantastic reason to buy the X1S!!
The cell tube is not reversible.
Size and Comps
Head Diameter – 36.5mm
Body Diameter – 26.5mm
Length – 117 mm
Weight – Approx. 109 g
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 X1S Pharos flashlight. First, there’s this pocket clip. It’s a very nice pocket clip, attached under the tailcap. No friction-fit clip here!
In the photo above, you’ll note some “debris” in the cooling fin area. I expect this is blood, and it came like this from the factory. I left it to mention it. I have a bunch of Fireflylite lights and this is the first one to come this way. So probably don’t worry about it.
Also included is a lanyard, which is unusual – very feature-rich. Both ends have a metal hook and there’s a keychain loop option.
Power and Runtime
FireflyLite often includes a Vapcell T50 5000mAh 21700 with their lights. My package didn’t include a cell, so I tested with this T50 from the X1L package.
The cell goes into the X1S in the usual way – positive end toward the head.
Turbo steps down fairly quickly and at 30 seconds the light is still drifting down. The second-highest output is much more stable but still drops off after a few minutes. By the third highest level, we see fairly flat output.
The light did not shut off in every test, but by the time the cell voltage was down around 2.9V, the output was so dim that you’d necessarily take note.
Charging
One amazing improvement here on this Fireflylite X1S Pharos flashlight is the charging port cover. This is a USB-C port (no surprise) but the cover – the cover is special! It’s a little magnet held on a rubber leash of sorts, and flips off and snaps on so easily. I love it!
Charging looks good. Both C to C and A to C seem surprisingly fast at around 2.25A.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo (Double click) | 2600 | – | 1681 (0s) 1436 (30s) |
>13.10 |
| High (Highest Stepped) | – | – | 928(0s) 829 (30s) |
4.46 |
| 5 | – | – | 434 | 1.69 |
| 4 | – | – | 168 | 0.58 |
| 3 | – | – | 40 | 0.12 |
| 2 | – | – | 4 | [low] |
| 1 | – | – | 0.01 | [low] |
Pulse Width Modulation
None of the modes use PWM! I believe this is a product of the light using the Lume X1 driver.
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 X1S Pharos flashlight. It’s a nice metal switch with an indicating feature right in the middle.
Just like some other recent FireflyLite lights, there’s a metal bezel around the switch too, which makes the whole experience of clicking the switch quite pleasant. And again, this version (or this “generation”) just seems better.
Despite having a different driver (in this case, Lume X1 by LoneOceans), the light uses Andúril2.
Here’s more info about the Lume X1 driver, apparently called “Lume1-ff-6af” https://github.com/loneoceans/lume1-ff-6af
One thing I love about the Lume X1 driver: no PWM!
As with other FireflyLite flashlights, 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 X1L, too.
Here’s a UI 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 UI 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 UI 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 UI 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 UI has a quite low low. Simple UI has a much higher “lowest level.”
LED and Beam
Here’s really the whole point of this light. This fantastic emitter! It’s the FFL707A – an emitter (as far as I know) that was made by Fireflylite! Nice to see flashlight makers getting into emitter development!
The single emitter uses a TIR optic, and keeps the beam tight for nice throw.
The RGB emitters really get lost under that single-emitter optic, though. So they’re not nearly as visible as on other lights.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
These graphs could really be used as an example of what you want. The red circle matches the black circle. The CCT is at the claim. It’s very rosy so if that’s a problem take note of the very negative Duv. That’s an important detail about this light. If you don’t like rosy, you will not like this light (even if it’s perfect CCT and high CRI.)
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. These photos are taken around 18 inches from the door.
I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Summary and Conclusion
The Fireflylite X1S Pharos flashlight is fantastic for more reasons than just the great emitter. I love rosy emitters and this one is rosy for certain. Even loving rosy emitters, this borders on more rosy than even I would want. The user interface is great and there’s no PWM. And I love the new USB-C charging port cover!
The Big Table
| Fireflylite X1S Pharos flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | FFL707A (4000K, 95CRI) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $75.60 |
| 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 | “With cell: all modes Without cell and/or body: no modes (secondary only)” |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 2600 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1436 (55.2% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 12.75 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 420 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 677lux @ 5.055m = 17299cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 263.1 (62.6% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | 4000 |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 3700-4000 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
- Updated build and build quality
- USB-C charging port cover
- High CRI
- Rosy output
- Coated Stainless bezel (I love it!)
- LoneOceans Lume X1 driver (no PWM!!)
What I don’t like
- Cell doesn’t seem to be included
- RGB secondary emitters are hard to see
- Output doesn’t meet the claimed 2600 lumens
Notes
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
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