Lumintop B01

The Product

Lumintop sent me their new B01 bike light to review. This looks like a traditional flashlight, but has a faceted reflector to provide a shaped beam suited to biking. The light is powered either from a 21700 or an 18650 cell, controlled by a side switch, and has built in micro-USB charging.
Lumintop doesn't necessarily have other versions of this light, but it is based on two other models - the body has a strong resemblance to their Zoom1, and the reflector looks to be the same one used in the C01.

Spoiler

Bike lights have always been one of those segments with frustrating options - plenty of $10 products that won't work well at all, and overpriced $150 products with non-replaceable cells or some other caveat. The B01 from Lumintop is the first I'm aware with that has a properly shaped beam, replaceable and readily available power source, solid aluminum construction, and includes a good bike mount all at a competitive price ($40 at the time of writing).
I do wish the UI was updated a bit, but overall this is a great light for people who want to see where they're going on a bike without blinding oncoming traffic, either on bikes or on a road.

Physical Dimensions

The light measures 114.5 mm long,  31.9 mm at the bezel, and 25.3 mm at the body. Without a cell, it weighs 82 grams.

As a size comparison, here's a lineup with the Convoy S2+, Lumintop B01, Lumintop Zoom1, Lumintop ODF30C, and Convoy C8+.

Build

The light is made of aluminum with black anodization.

The lower part of the head has 4 fins cut most of the way around it. On one side, the switch is held in place with a blue stainless steel retaining ring,. The button has the company's bunny logo on it, and it glows one of three colors to indicate the status. The switch is always lit while the cell is connected, which I like a lot.

The opposite side of the light houses the micro-USB port for charging, which is protected behind a rubber cover. As much as I don't like rubber flaps like this, I will say this is one of the better ones I have felt. It seals well, closes easily, and doesn't open accidentally during use.

The cell tube is cylindrical, partially covered with the same great square knurling. You can see that the switch protrudes from the light, which will make it easy to activate with gloves.

The tailcap has a strip of the same knurling again. The end is flat with an indent in the center, and the light has no issues tail-standing. There's also a lanyard loop on the tail.

Inside, the light has large square threads. These threads are anodized, meaning physical lockout is possible by slightly loosening the cap. A large silver spring serves as the negative cell contact.

The head of the light is not easily removable, but looking into the light, shows the positive contact is a smaller spring. 

What's Included

The light ships in Lumintop's standard card box. In the box you find:

• The light itself
• 2600 mAh 18650
• 18650 to 21700 adapter (just a plastic tube)
• Bike mount
• Lanyard
• Micro-USB cable
• 2 spare o-rings and a small key ring
• Paperwork

In this case, the paperwork consists of a user manual and a warranty card.

Ergonomics and Retention

Really this light is intended to be used as a bike light. I wish the included mount relied on more than friction to keep it in place, but it seems to hold just fine. the knurling is strategically positioned to sit in the mount, which helps with grip, though I'm worried that the rubber might abrade over time.
The included lanyard could be used as a form of insurance if you're concerned with the mount. No other retention methods are included, which is fine by me.
Note that the design, which is nearly identical to the Zoom1, works perfectly well as a handheld light as well. The biggest issue with this is that you need to keep it rotated so the beam is horizontal, otherwise it won't make a ton of practical sense.

Modes and Interface

This light has a single side switch controlling it.

• Press to turn on (mode memory)
• From on, press to cycle through modes
• From on, long press to turn off
• Double press for turbo
• Hold from off for strobe
• Keep holding for lockout

The UI is suitable, but even for a bike light I prefer a short press for off and a long press to change modes. The only upsetting part is the lack of a good 'bike flasher' mode for daytime use.

Light Quality and Beam

This light uses a cool white Cree XP-L HD in a faceted reflector to give a unique shaped beam. Unlike most lights, where the LED is placed at the base of the reflector, this light has it hanging from the top.

It's clear to see the flat shape of the beam, intended to illuminate the path ahead without blinding oncoming riders. There's some tint shift and artifacts in the beam, but nothing too terrible for the intended application.

Power and Runtime

The light is made to work with a 21700 cell, but includes an adapter to run an 18650. Testing shows it works fine with a flat or button top cell - though I didn't have any suitable 21700 cells on hand to try. The product page also states support for 2xCR123A

The runtime was tested with the included cell. Aside from what appears to be a drastic timed step down from turbo, output is impressively stable on all modes. In all modes, I measured the runtime to be slightly less than claimed, but within a few percent.
I'll note that it's unfortunate that the included cell is only 2600, when 21700 cells exist up to 5000 mAh (almost double), but I'm glad to see Lumintop did use the included capacity for their tests and specifications - very honest of them.

Charging

To charge the light, simply plug a micro-USB cable into the port. When plugged in, the indicating switch turns from green (standby) to red (charging) and finally blue (fully charged). Note that if no cell is inserted, or if the tail is loosened, the LED will turn red as though it's charging - there's no indication that nothing is happening

The light can still be used when connected to USB power, with the same modes and UI.

Charging starts at an impressive 1.8A, but slowly drops in speed. Fully charging the included cell takes a respectable 3.5 hours, terminating when the rate drops to 0.1A.

Summary

Pros:

• Nice traditional form factor, and great build compared to most bike lights in this price range
• Shaped beam for road and path use
• Steady output
• Versatile power sources

Cons:

• No bike flashing mode

Notes and Links

This product was provided free of charge from the manufacturer. I was not paid to write this review, and have tried to be as unbiased as possible.
Manufacturer's product page
Official product purchase link - and Lumintop has generously added the coupon code LMT202 for any order over $19.