r/FireflyLite

For this battery-powered project I'm using MicroPython on a XIAO ESP32-S3 board, with a WS2812 LED strip. Multiple lamps can be synchronized together thanks to ESP-NOW.

Source code: https://codeberg.org/LAMPy/LAMPy

Hardware write-up: https://lampy.codeberg.page/

Let me know what you think!

This is my favorite light I own outside of my ridiculous X75. From the brightness to the tint to the feel to the look, everything is just perfect. The driver is also fantastic and the battery seems to last forever, it really is the perfect light for grabbing and walking around at night and everything in between.

SFT25R-6500K

Whenever I try to shut down the E12 Eclipse, this is what happens. And it never ends. Have tried the 7C but nothing happens....nothing changes at all...

Just want the flashlight to show me batterystatus in colors for a few seconds when I turn it off...

Great light besides my handling of it 😀

Put my new thermal camera to work this afternoon on my E04.
You can just see the turbo drop around the 1:00 mark almost as soon as the head hits 60deg. Also interesting to see how little heat moves into the battery tube.
E04 Surge, Lume1, FFL505A 3500k, fully charged Molicell P42A

This is the L50 Sol, a powerful 95 CRI right-angle flashlight from FireFlies, it reaches 1900 lumens on the 3500K variation, has a Lume X1 Boost driver, tail magnet, frosted lens, and an anatomical angled button.

• My opinion:

The L50 Sol is a flashlight that I really liked, all the FireFlies I already made review of were pretty good, they just had small things that I disliked. This one isn't much different, it's an awesome flashlight and I loved the angled button design, it's really much more comfortable to press than most other right-angle flashlights button designs I tested. I really think this flashlight will be a great addition if you like right-angle flashlights. I think it could have a battery tube just a little taller and accept button top and protected cells with USB-C this would make the light much more versatile!

• Pros:

- Lume X1 efficient driver

- FFL5009R 95CRI LED very rosy

- Angled button (easier to press when holding the flashlight)

- Awesome moonlight mode

- RGB AUX light that can be used to find it in the dark

• Cons:

- Poor quality Headband

- Doesn't accept button top or protected cells

- Turbo steps down fast, but this is expected on a high CRI high power flashlight like this.

 

• Box contents [9th picture]

- L50 Sol

- Headband

- Lanyard

- Extra O-Rings

- Stainless-steel clip

- Stainless-steel ring

- User manual

 

• Price

The L50 Sol is currently priced at $59.00 on FireFlies Official Website. The Desert Storm MAO and Astral aluminum are $62.00 and the Void White version is $65.00.

 

• Body and build quality

Colors/Material Options: The L50 Sol is available in 7 different anodizing colors: Navy Blue (featured in this review), Matte Black, Magma Orange, Ember Red, Desert Storm MAO, Void White and Astral Aluminum. There are also 2 versions, one with reflector (featured in this review), and one with TIR Lens.

Material: The main body is fully made of 6063 aluminum alloy, more durable and resistant than common 6061 alloy. The bezel is made of Stainless-steel with a PVD coating. The clip is made of stainless-steel.

Main body: The main body has knurling on the battery tube for better grip, the head has small grooves foe heat dissipation.

Headband: The headband quality is bad comparing to the flashlight, it's a generic headband you can find on AliExpress. It's usable but it could be way better, considering the flashlight has an awesome quality, the headband doesn't fit the quality level.

Threads: All threads are trapezoidal and anodized, so mechanical lock is present on this flashlight by untwisting the head of the flashlight.

Clip: The flashlight comes pre-installed with the lanynard hole ring, but you can easily remove the tail cap and swap it for the included stainless-steel clip.

Tail stand and rolling: The flashlight body is cylindrical but has flat surfaces on the head that stop it from rolling much. The flashlight tail and head stands.

Magnets: It has a strong magnet on the tail cap that is user removable, so if you don't like magnets you can untwist the tail cap and remove the magnet. The magnet is capable of holding the flashlight in almost any position if the metal surface is thick enough. [10th picture]

AUX lights: The L50 reflector version has RGB AUX lights in the button, it does not feature AUX on the lens as other FireFlies models. The RGB AUX light is controlled by Anduril and can be used as a battery indicator and also to help find the flashlight in the dark, one of my favorite features. [11th picture]

Buttons: The L50 has a single e-switch to control the UI. The button is pretty good as usual from FireFlies, this one is a little special though, because the button is placed on an angled surface on the head, making it very anatomical to press when you are holding the flashlight.

Battery contact: Contact is made with the battery by two Beryllium-copper silver-plated springs. FireFlies uses silver on the plating because it has better electrical conductivity than even copper. [12th picture]

Bezel: The bezel is pretty small on this flashlight and is only for protecting the lens from scratches. It is made of smooth black PVD coated stainless-steel.

Water Resistance: It has IPX8 water resistance rating. The waterproofing is made by O-rings on the threads and on the lens bezel.

Size Comparison: On the left is the FireFlies X4 Stellar (21700), on the middle the L50 Sol and the Convoy S2+ on the right. [13th picture]

 

• Weight and size

Weight:

- Without battery (with SS clip): 63.0g

- With battery (Vapcell F38): 110.7g

- Battery (Vapcell F38): 47.8g

Size: 97.6mm x 27.2mm x 21.5mm

 

• Battery, runtime, and charging

Battery: This flashlight is powered by a single non-protected flat top 18650 cell, it is recommended to use a battery with higher than 10A CDR, I just had the Vapcell F38 laying around, so I tested with it (it has 10A CDR, so using a higher CDR battery may make the flashlight even brighter, as the battery is on the limit CDR when using turbo). [14th picture]

Battery Indicator: The flashlight has battery indicator on the Anduril UI by flashing the main light to the correspondent battery voltage and also a color battery indicator that can be toggled on the RGB AUX on the button.

Charging: This flashlight doesn't feature charging on the main body.

 

• Modes, Runtimes, Throw, Candela:

Modes: This flashlight features Anduril, so you have many brightness levels and modes to choose from, if you don't like the factory ones you can also configure the brightness level on Anduril and have the levels you want.

Turbo: The flashlight has a very powerful turbo with 1900 lumens on the 3500K variation, especially for a 95 CRI LED, but it gets hot Really fast, so be careful.

Moonlight: Moonlight is amazing, like other FireFlies I've tested, it reaches about 0.1 lumens, very dim and awesome for night time.

Blinkies: One of the coolest things about Anduril is it´s blinkies modes, I really love that “Candle mode” and the “Lightning”! You can choose from a wide variety of blinkies and even configure their brightness, have fun with it!

Advertised specs: This version with the FFL5009R 3500K emitter has a maximum of 1900 lumens on turbo. Unfortunately, FireFlies doesn't provide full information about all the brightness levels and Emitter options, it only provided information about the FFL5009R 5000K that was collected by 1Lumen.

Throw: FireFlies advertises this version (FFL5009R 3500K) having 190m of throw on the Turbo mode.

 

• Emitter, reflector and CRI:

Emitter: This L50 Sol has the domeless 6V FFL5009R 3500K (Rosy) emitter, it's a pretty good emitter with quad-die (similar to the SFT70), comparable to the loved Nichia 519A! The beam has a very beautiful rosy tint, even more rosy than my 519A 5000K Dedomed. I loved this emitter from FireFlies, it's floody but still has some throw to it. [15th and 16th Picture]

Lens: This flashlight has a special type of glass lens, it has a "frosted" glass, making the beam more uniform and eliminating artifacts, it loses some throw due to it.

Reflector/TIR: It has an Orange Peel (OP) reflector that makes the beam floody, but with a nice smooth hotspot that can throw light.

Beam profile: The beam shape is very floody with a smooth transition to the hotspot. [17th picture]
Left: Convoy S2+ - 519A 5000K DD
Right: L50 Sol - FFL5009R 3500K (Rosy)

CRI: The FFL5009R has crazy good CRI, reaching 95 Ra, comparable to high CRI monsters like the Nichia 519A and SFT40/70 3000K. The R9 value for this LED is insane, reaching 97!

 

• Beamshots Camera settings:

- 18mm lens 1" F8 ISO800

- (The trees at the back are at a distance of around 80m-90m as I was a little closer than previous beamshots)

[18th picture] – L50 Sol 3500K - G7 Level (1900lm - Turbo)

[19th picture] – L50 Sol 3500K - F6 Level

[20th picture] – L50 Sol 3500K - E5 Level

I always try to match what my eyes can see on the beamshots, so camera settings may vary.

 

• Driver and UI

Driver: The L50 Sol uses the Lume X1 Boost driver, a very respected driver that I already tested on other reviews and loved it. No flickering, just constant brightness on a very efficient driver.

UI: It uses Anduril 2 UI, I will not elaborate much on it, as it's a very customizable UI and it would extend much this review.

Low Voltage Warning: The battery indicator and the main light will also blink when the battery level is too low.

Reverse Polarity Protection: This flashlight has low voltage protection so you will not damage the flashlight easily by inserting the battery the wrong way.

Temperature Control: It has automatic real time temperature control, by default when it reaches 45°C (113°F) it will lower the brightness to prevent driver and LED damage. This can be changed on the Anduril UI, but be careful not to damage your flashlight by setting the stepdown temperature too high.

Lockout: It features electronic lockout on the Anduril 2 UI, by clicking the button 4 times the flashlight will lock and only moonlight will be available for use; and also, mechanical lockout by slightly untwisting the head.

 

A special thanks to Ivy and FireFlies for sending this flashlight for me to review!

*I am not being paid to do this review, everything here is my honest opinion.

Thank you for reading my review <3

 

I'm shocked how great this looks. The finish is impeccable. So is the beam with ffl5009. The aux seems brighter on this than the one I bought months ago too.

Ordered and L50 reflector (top) in late March and the TIR version (bottom) mid June. Both with 5009R 3500K rosy. Pretty big difference in tint. I didn't grab measurements with an Opple, but just to the eye it's major. Not sure what to expect in the Z1 I have in order.

finally copped a mule after seeing ffl’s sale to complement my amazing x4 (4000k rosy). The other mule in 4500k is for my friend; no choice have to get him hooked on the good stuff.