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For quite a while now, Crelant has been a well respected name in high-end flashlights, their number one claim to fame being the 7G5. The 7G5 is an all-out thrower, one of the best that was available without an aspheric lens. For the past several months, Crelant has been broadening their product line, and now they've released a multiple brightness, all-purpose pocket light, the V21A.
Thanks to MD-Lightsource for providing the V21A for review.
I'll be reviewing the V21A in two sections: first, I'll discuss the light objectively (the facts about the light itself), then I'll discuss the light subjectively (my impressions about the light's performance when used for specific applications). If you have any other specific applications you'd like the light tested for, let me know and I'll see what I can do.
3-Minute Overview
Below is a video "quick review" you can watch in just a few minutes, if you're not up for reading the full review right now:
This video is available in 720p HD, but defaults to a lower quality. To select the playback quality click the settings button (looks like a gear) after you've started the video.
Objective
Manufacturer's Specifications
Price: $35
Packaging
The V21A comes in a camo-styled cardboard box, specs printed down the side. Inside the light and accessories are nestled in a foam cutout.
Construction
The V21A is made from aluminum, covered in grey hard anodizing to resist scratches and dents. It accepts two AA batteries in series, so it has a long slim profile.
The head is protected by a stainless steal bezel to prevent damage from impacts. Inside is a Cree XM-L emitter in a small textured reflector, so the beam is on the floody side. The head has a few grooves cut into the head, but it's more for style than heat dissipation.
The body is mostly covered with light knurling, but is smooth under the area where the model name and Crelant logo are printed.
Near the tail, the clip-on-clip sits in a small groove. It's grip is firm enough that I haven't had it come off by accident, but it's not too difficult to take off when you want to. It's also got small "ears" that curve up away from the body, so that it's easy to get on and off without scratching the anodizing.
The Tail has a set of lines and holes cut into the rim, allowing a lanyard to be attached without interfering with the light's ability to tail stand. The switch is covered with a black rubber cover.
Now, let's take the light apart!
Without the use of tools, the light comes apart into two sections: the head and body/tail.
Inside the head, a small spring makes contact with the positive battery terminal. The threads are small and non-anodized, so the light will stay on even when the head is loose. Inside the body/tail section, a larger spring makes contact with the negative battery terminal. With springs on both sides, the batteries should be well protected from small impacts.
As mentioned earlier, the light is able to do a stable tail stand.
Dimensions
Accessories
The V21A comes with a lobster-claw lanyard, a clip-on-clip, and two spare o-rings.
User Interface
The V21A has three brightness levels: High, Medium, and Low. The light is controlled by the rear switch, which responds to half and full presses.
A half press will turn the light on in momentary mode, and it will remain on until the switch is released. A full press with click the switch into the constant on position, and the light will remain on until the switch is pressed again. The light has mode memory, so when turned on it will start in the mode you used last. If you turn the light off then on again within about two seconds, the light will advance to the next brightness level in the sequence High -> Medium -> Low.
Action Shots
You can click on any of these shots to see them full size.
Light in Hand
White Wall (Low, Medium, High)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 1/20"
BeamSlice
MugShot
Indoor Shots (Low, Medium, High)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 1"
Outdoor Shots (Low, Medium, High)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 2.5"
Performance
Submersion: I submerged the V21A under about one foot of water for about an hour, clicking the switch while submerged. Afterward I could no find no signs of water entering anywhere, and the light still functions correctly.
Heat: Even on high, I found no significant heat buildup in the V21A.
PWM: I was able to detect pulse-width modulation on Low and Medium modes. However, it is not visible to the naked eye, I could only detect it by viewing it through my camera at a shutter speed of 1/4000".
Drop: I dropped the V21A from a height of 1 meter onto various surfaces (including grass, carpet, packed dirt, and wood) and found no cosmetic or functional damage.
Reverse Polarity Protection: I can find no claims or indication that the V21A has reverse polarity protection, so I recommend inserting the batteries in the proper direction.
Over-Discharge Protection: The V21A does not use lithium ion batteries, so over-discharge protection is not necessary. (Note: it does have a working voltage of up to 4.2V, so if you really wanted you could use a single 14500 in conjunction with a dummy cell, and in that case you would need to use a protected cell)
Spectral Analysis
All light that we see as white is actually made up of several different colors put together. The relative intensities of the different colors in the mix are what determine the tint of the white we see. For example, cool white LED's have a lot of blue, and warm white LED's have more red or yellow. This measurement was done on a home made spectrometer. The plot below the picture is corrected for the spectral sensitivity of the human eye. Note: the peak in the 900nm region doesn't really exist, it's a piece of the second-order spectrum that's showing up here because of the high intensity of the light source.
Output and Runtime
ANSI FL-1 runtime ratings are the time it takes for a light to fall to 10% of it's original output (counting from 30 seconds after turning the light on).
The vertical axis of the graphs below represents a relative brightness measurement using a home made light box. The horizontal axis is time in hours:minutes:seconds. Runtimes are stated in hours:minutes:seconds. These graphs may be truncated to show detail.
Mode Comparison
High
Medium
Low
Throwing Distance
ANSI FL-1 standard for stating a light's throwing distance is the distance at which the peak beam intensity (usually at the center of the beam) is 0.25 lux. I calculate throwing distance and candela (lux at 1 meter) by measuring peak beam intensity at five different distances and using the formula lux*distance^2=constant.
Peak Beam Intensity: 2901 cd
Throw Distance: 108 m
Subjective Review
Quick break down:
+ Solid construction
+ Simple interface
+ Reliability
+ Versatile
+ Decent regulation
+ Smooth beam pattern
+ Stainless steel bezel
+ Can tail stand, even with lanyard attached
+ Overall good looks
+ Reasonable price
+ Sleek profile
- Clip-on-clip
- Click-click-click to cycle modes
- No stainless steel tail ring
Overall, this is a solid entry into the general purpose category of small to mid-sized lights. It does everything I'd expect from a well thought-out flashlight, with nothing particularly fancy about it.
My favorite thing about this light is the reliability, and the feel of it when using it. It never flickers, never forgets which mode it's supposed to be at, and never does anything unexpected. Unless I'm showing it off at a party, unexpected is the last thing I want from my flashlight. I like that the V21A just feels good. The fit is good in my hand, the switch has the right pressure and right travel for momentary and constant on.
I like that the interface is simple, so I don't have to guess what it's going to do next. There is a place for fancy UI's with adjustable brightness or hidden modes, but it is refreshing to have a light with a simple interface available when you don't want to fool around. The regulation on the V21A isn't spectacular, but it's good enough that in general use I don't notice any dimming or wavering.
The looks of the V21A are pretty good, but if I were to change it I'd take away the knurling on the body and leave it smooth. The head and tail look really nice with a sleek style, but the knurling on the body isn't really necessary for grip and kind of breaks up the "groove". Also, I do wish that the clip were implemented in a different way. The clip is pretty secure, but it's not as secure as I'd like. My favorite design for removable clips is where they are attached underneath a screw-on ring that allows the clip to be taken on and off without tools.
Finally, I'm not a big fan of lights that use a sequence of turning the light on and off to change the brightness mode. I find it sometimes forces you to turn the light off in situations when you don't want to. Ideally, I'd like to see a magnetic ring on the tail to change the brightness. However, I know this UI would increase the price, so for the sake of keeping the price down I understand the cheaper UI option.
In conclusion, I really like this as a general purpose light, great for indoor or short- to mid-range outdoor use. It's versatility means it will be useful in many situations, though it might not excel at many, and it's sleek profile means it's easy to have it with you in those situations. It's reliable and simple, no real fancy features but just well thought out and designed. The simplicity allows you to get a solid high-quality light for a very good price. If that's what you're looking for, the V21A would be a mighty fine choice.
Long Term Impressions
I'll fill this part in after carrying the light for a while. If nothing get's added here, either I find nothing else worth noting about the light, or I end up not using it often.
For quite a while now, Crelant has been a well respected name in high-end flashlights, their number one claim to fame being the 7G5. The 7G5 is an all-out thrower, one of the best that was available without an aspheric lens. For the past several months, Crelant has been broadening their product line, and now they've released a multiple brightness, all-purpose pocket light, the V21A.
Thanks to MD-Lightsource for providing the V21A for review.
I'll be reviewing the V21A in two sections: first, I'll discuss the light objectively (the facts about the light itself), then I'll discuss the light subjectively (my impressions about the light's performance when used for specific applications). If you have any other specific applications you'd like the light tested for, let me know and I'll see what I can do.
3-Minute Overview
Below is a video "quick review" you can watch in just a few minutes, if you're not up for reading the full review right now:
This video is available in 720p HD, but defaults to a lower quality. To select the playback quality click the settings button (looks like a gear) after you've started the video.
Objective
Manufacturer's Specifications
Price: $35
Packaging
The V21A comes in a camo-styled cardboard box, specs printed down the side. Inside the light and accessories are nestled in a foam cutout.
Construction
The V21A is made from aluminum, covered in grey hard anodizing to resist scratches and dents. It accepts two AA batteries in series, so it has a long slim profile.
The head is protected by a stainless steal bezel to prevent damage from impacts. Inside is a Cree XM-L emitter in a small textured reflector, so the beam is on the floody side. The head has a few grooves cut into the head, but it's more for style than heat dissipation.
The body is mostly covered with light knurling, but is smooth under the area where the model name and Crelant logo are printed.
Near the tail, the clip-on-clip sits in a small groove. It's grip is firm enough that I haven't had it come off by accident, but it's not too difficult to take off when you want to. It's also got small "ears" that curve up away from the body, so that it's easy to get on and off without scratching the anodizing.
The Tail has a set of lines and holes cut into the rim, allowing a lanyard to be attached without interfering with the light's ability to tail stand. The switch is covered with a black rubber cover.
Now, let's take the light apart!
Without the use of tools, the light comes apart into two sections: the head and body/tail.
Inside the head, a small spring makes contact with the positive battery terminal. The threads are small and non-anodized, so the light will stay on even when the head is loose. Inside the body/tail section, a larger spring makes contact with the negative battery terminal. With springs on both sides, the batteries should be well protected from small impacts.
As mentioned earlier, the light is able to do a stable tail stand.
Dimensions
Accessories
The V21A comes with a lobster-claw lanyard, a clip-on-clip, and two spare o-rings.
User Interface
The V21A has three brightness levels: High, Medium, and Low. The light is controlled by the rear switch, which responds to half and full presses.
A half press will turn the light on in momentary mode, and it will remain on until the switch is released. A full press with click the switch into the constant on position, and the light will remain on until the switch is pressed again. The light has mode memory, so when turned on it will start in the mode you used last. If you turn the light off then on again within about two seconds, the light will advance to the next brightness level in the sequence High -> Medium -> Low.
Action Shots
You can click on any of these shots to see them full size.
Light in Hand
White Wall (Low, Medium, High)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 1/20"
BeamSlice
MugShot
Indoor Shots (Low, Medium, High)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 1"
Outdoor Shots (Low, Medium, High)
ISO 100, f/3.3, 2.5"
Performance
Submersion: I submerged the V21A under about one foot of water for about an hour, clicking the switch while submerged. Afterward I could no find no signs of water entering anywhere, and the light still functions correctly.
Heat: Even on high, I found no significant heat buildup in the V21A.
PWM: I was able to detect pulse-width modulation on Low and Medium modes. However, it is not visible to the naked eye, I could only detect it by viewing it through my camera at a shutter speed of 1/4000".
Drop: I dropped the V21A from a height of 1 meter onto various surfaces (including grass, carpet, packed dirt, and wood) and found no cosmetic or functional damage.
Reverse Polarity Protection: I can find no claims or indication that the V21A has reverse polarity protection, so I recommend inserting the batteries in the proper direction.
Over-Discharge Protection: The V21A does not use lithium ion batteries, so over-discharge protection is not necessary. (Note: it does have a working voltage of up to 4.2V, so if you really wanted you could use a single 14500 in conjunction with a dummy cell, and in that case you would need to use a protected cell)
Spectral Analysis
All light that we see as white is actually made up of several different colors put together. The relative intensities of the different colors in the mix are what determine the tint of the white we see. For example, cool white LED's have a lot of blue, and warm white LED's have more red or yellow. This measurement was done on a home made spectrometer. The plot below the picture is corrected for the spectral sensitivity of the human eye. Note: the peak in the 900nm region doesn't really exist, it's a piece of the second-order spectrum that's showing up here because of the high intensity of the light source.
Output and Runtime
ANSI FL-1 runtime ratings are the time it takes for a light to fall to 10% of it's original output (counting from 30 seconds after turning the light on).
The vertical axis of the graphs below represents a relative brightness measurement using a home made light box. The horizontal axis is time in hours:minutes:seconds. Runtimes are stated in hours:minutes:seconds. These graphs may be truncated to show detail.
Mode Comparison
High
Medium
Low
Throwing Distance
ANSI FL-1 standard for stating a light's throwing distance is the distance at which the peak beam intensity (usually at the center of the beam) is 0.25 lux. I calculate throwing distance and candela (lux at 1 meter) by measuring peak beam intensity at five different distances and using the formula lux*distance^2=constant.
Peak Beam Intensity: 2901 cd
Throw Distance: 108 m
Subjective Review
Quick break down:
+ Solid construction
+ Simple interface
+ Reliability
+ Versatile
+ Decent regulation
+ Smooth beam pattern
+ Stainless steel bezel
+ Can tail stand, even with lanyard attached
+ Overall good looks
+ Reasonable price
+ Sleek profile
- Clip-on-clip
- Click-click-click to cycle modes
- No stainless steel tail ring
Overall, this is a solid entry into the general purpose category of small to mid-sized lights. It does everything I'd expect from a well thought-out flashlight, with nothing particularly fancy about it.
My favorite thing about this light is the reliability, and the feel of it when using it. It never flickers, never forgets which mode it's supposed to be at, and never does anything unexpected. Unless I'm showing it off at a party, unexpected is the last thing I want from my flashlight. I like that the V21A just feels good. The fit is good in my hand, the switch has the right pressure and right travel for momentary and constant on.
I like that the interface is simple, so I don't have to guess what it's going to do next. There is a place for fancy UI's with adjustable brightness or hidden modes, but it is refreshing to have a light with a simple interface available when you don't want to fool around. The regulation on the V21A isn't spectacular, but it's good enough that in general use I don't notice any dimming or wavering.
The looks of the V21A are pretty good, but if I were to change it I'd take away the knurling on the body and leave it smooth. The head and tail look really nice with a sleek style, but the knurling on the body isn't really necessary for grip and kind of breaks up the "groove". Also, I do wish that the clip were implemented in a different way. The clip is pretty secure, but it's not as secure as I'd like. My favorite design for removable clips is where they are attached underneath a screw-on ring that allows the clip to be taken on and off without tools.
Finally, I'm not a big fan of lights that use a sequence of turning the light on and off to change the brightness mode. I find it sometimes forces you to turn the light off in situations when you don't want to. Ideally, I'd like to see a magnetic ring on the tail to change the brightness. However, I know this UI would increase the price, so for the sake of keeping the price down I understand the cheaper UI option.
In conclusion, I really like this as a general purpose light, great for indoor or short- to mid-range outdoor use. It's versatility means it will be useful in many situations, though it might not excel at many, and it's sleek profile means it's easy to have it with you in those situations. It's reliable and simple, no real fancy features but just well thought out and designed. The simplicity allows you to get a solid high-quality light for a very good price. If that's what you're looking for, the V21A would be a mighty fine choice.
Long Term Impressions
I'll fill this part in after carrying the light for a while. If nothing get's added here, either I find nothing else worth noting about the light, or I end up not using it often.
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