Vastlite Minima Bow Flashlight Review
The Vastlite Minima Bow flashlight (LEP) uses one 16340 cell (optional, standard cell) and has incredible throw with a very tight beam. It’s a twisty, too!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a referral link to the Vastlite Minima Bow flashlight product page at FlashlightGo.com.
Versions
Available for preorder are a number of Vastlite Minima Bow flashlights. There’s this grey (least costly) and three other variously anodized versions. You can see the others at FlashlightGo.com.
Price
With the cell (as seen in this review), the Vastlite Minima Bow flashlight price is $99.99.
What’s Included
- Vastlite Minima Bow flashlight
- Vastlite 850mAh 16340
- Pocket clip
- Spare o-rings (2)
- Manual
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The Vastlite Minima Bow flashlight you see here has one extra adornment that I do not see offered on the product page. This one has glow pieces (glow, not tritium) in the tritium slots around the head. There are four pieces.
Build quality is good. The light is a bit surprising in that it’s a twisty. You’ll see more on why that’s a surprise below. But as far as twisties go, the build quality is good. The twist action is perfectly satisfactory.
The threads are anodized, which helps with the smooth twisting action for operation. The head contact is a button but otherwise, inside the light is very plain.
Inside the cell tube (apparently not pictured… sorry) is a spring.
Size and Comps
Size:71mm x 20mm (Length x tube)
weight: 36.5g (Aluminum)
In the photo below, you can see the tail end of the Vastlite Minima Bow flashlight – that’s not a clicky! It’s also not a magnet!
If the flashlight can headstand, I’ll show it here. If it can tailstand, I’ll also show that here!
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 in the photo above, my Standard Reference Material (SRM) flashlight is the Hanko Machine Works Trident, an 18350 light. While I have not reviewed or tested the Gunner Grip version seen here, I have tested a Hanko Machine Works Trident Total Tesseract in brass. I love the Trident, and it’s a striking contrast to the inexpensive Convoy S2+, another great SRM.
Retention and Carry
The Vastlite Minima Bow flashlight ships with a pocket clip, which can be attached only to the tail of the light. It’s a very standard clip. The styling is “notably Lumintop,” which makes me wonder if Lumintop makes the brand Vastlite. Nothing wrong with that at all!
That’s it for carry! There’s no magnet or pouch or anything.
Power and Runtime
The Vastlite Minima Bow flashlight runs on lithium-ion cell – in this case, a 16340. A cell is not included, but you can make the product selection to include the 850mAh 16340 seen below. The light runs a standard cell though, so if you have your own, it should work too.
The cell goes into the light in the usual way – positive end toward the head.
Below you can see runtime tests for both modes. The output is claimed to be 280 lumens. I measured somewhere below that, but measuring these very throwy lights is tricky. So I wouldn’t fret too much over the numbers. If the output profile looks ok to you, you’ll almost certainly be impressed by the beam itself!
The light shuts off with low voltage protection at around 2.9V, too.
Charging
The Vastlite Minima Bow flashlight itself does not have charging, but the optional cell does. There’s a USB-C charging port on the positive end.
Charging works with C to C and A to C just fine, and both require about 3 hours. That’s very slow charging, but should give the cell a nice long and happy life. This is well under 0.5C for this 850mAh cell.
When charging, there’s a little red indicator on the positive end. When charging is complete, the indicator turns green.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | 280 | 70s+1h10m | 244 (0s) 164 (30s) |
2.86 |
| Low | 50 | 1h15m | 36 (0s) 34 (30s) |
0.65 |
Pulse Width Modulation
Neither mode uses PWM.
Click here to 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
The Vastlite Minima Bow flashlight is a twisty. Tighten the head to turn the light on and repeat that to change modes.
That’s fine, and there’s knurling to support that. But with the light being as small as it is, this knurling on the head really should be all the way out on the bezel. As it is, I really need to use both hands to operate the light.
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Tighten head | On (mode memory) |
| On | Loosen head | Off |
| On | Loosen then tighten head quickly | Mode advance |
| Any | Loosen then tighten head 2x, quickly. | Strobe |
I really don’t feel like a light with two modes needs memory. (But then I don’t really love memory anyway. Maybe a light with just two modes is the perfect place for mode memory.)
LED and Beam
The Vastlite Minima Bow flashlight is a LEP.
I think there’s a good bit of copper in the head, too – you can sort of see that by the coloration of the lens in the photo below. With this light pulling nearly 3A on High, that copper probably really helps with heat management.
The beam is very tight!
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. 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 Vastlite Minima Bow flashlight is a fantastic little light. Months ago I could not have imagined a LEP running off one 16340, much less in a light that was overall this small! I don’t mind that there are just two (steady) levels on the Vastlite Minima Bow flashlight, and I don’t really need strobe in this light. The knurling on the head could be in a better place for one-handed operation. Still, the Minima Bow is an excellent novelty, and truly impressive with the tight, bright beam!
The Big Table
| Vastlite Minima Bow flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | LEP |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $119.99 |
| Cell: | 1×16340 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | Twist |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C (on cell) |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | – |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 280 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 164 (58.6% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 536.31 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 750 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 2280lux @ 6.211m = 87954cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 593.1 (79.1% of claim)^ |
| Item provided for review by: | FlashlightGo.com |
| All my Vastlite 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
- Amazingly small size
- Just two modes (sensible for LEP)
- Runs standard 16340
- Incredible throw
What I don’t like
- Price – it’s justifiable for LEP, but still.
- Knurling to aid twisty action is in the wrong place
- Charging is very slow
Notes
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