Given the success of previous flashlight reviews, a gentleman from Lumintop asked if I’d be interested in checking out the IYP365. I’m always experimenting with different EDC lights, so I said of course. The Lumintop IYP365 by name is a promise that it can reside in-your-pocket every day, which is something I was happy to put to the test.

The first thing to know about the IYP365 is that it’s very pocket-friendly and takes two AAA batteries. It features 3 adjustable brightness modes and a pocket clip. Here’s a quick overview before we get into the meat of the review.

Feature Pros:

• Anti-scratch HAIII adonized aluminum body
• Tail clicky for easy on/off and mode switching
• Pocket clip
• Uses widely available batteries
• Great all-around medium mode
• IPX-8 waterproof (2 meters)

Feature Cons:

• Some internal rattle of the batteries against the body
• Short battery lifespan on high mode (30 mins)

Unboxing The Lumintop IYP365

There are two versions of this light: one with a CREE XP-G2 R5 LED and one with a Nichia 219BT LED. This review is for the CREE R5 version.

Lumintop IYP365 Rear Closeup, by Brian Watkins

Out of the box the IYP365 is easy to throw batteries in and use. The tail clicky power switch is pretty responsive, and a half press while the light is on seems to cycle through the brightness modes. The pen-like thinness of the light makes it easy to carry in a shirt or pants pocket, and I like the pocket clip to keep it easily within reach.

I also carry a pocket knife each day, so the pocket clip allowed the IYP365 to sit right alongside it comfortably.

At just over 5 inches long (128mm), it isn’t a bulky light but is long enough to hold and operate the tail switch easily.

Lumintop IYP365 In Hand, by Brian Watkins

The short bezel and overall size of this light obviously isn’t meant to be a long thrower in terms of how far the light will illuminate. At closer distances, though, the light does well for its size. I took some beam shots of a tree roughly 2 meters away to demonstrate.

Lumintop IYP365 Beam Shots

First, a control shot with the light off:

Lumintop IYP365 Tree Control Shot, by Brian Watkins

Next, a shot with the IYP365 on low mode (3 lumens):

Lumintop IYP365 Tree Low Mode, by Brian Watkins

At this level the light helps you make out some minor additional details, and if it were total darkness would be useful at short range for opening doors, looking under desks and furniture, etc. For anything else, though, you’d need the next mode.

Next, a beam shot on medium mode (40 lumens):

Lumintop IYP365 Tree Medium Mode, by Brian Watkins

This seems like the flashlight’s all-around mode, ideal for most uses. At short range the medium mode’s 40 lumens strike a nice balance between battery longevity and useful light. It lights up a fair area in front of the user up to a few yards, and the packaging says this setting can run for 25 hours.

You could probably get away with leaving the flashlight on this mode all the time and it’d be sufficient for most EDC uses.

Finally, a beam shot using the IYP365’s high mode (200 lumens):

Lumintop IYP365 Tree High Mode, by Brian Watkins

The high mode puts out an impressive amount of light for such a small flashlight. The area right in front of the user is fully illuminated, and the usable light spirals out for over 10 yards. It’s a shame the battery life at this level is only 35 minutes, but I suppose it’s to be expected using two AAA batteries.

Other Thoughts on the Lumintop IYP365

Pen lights are nice because their thin diameter makes them more pocket-friendly than other flashlights that use two batteries. 2xAA lights, for example, may not seem that much wider, but that little difference matters depending on how you carry the flashlight. The body is very lightweight, and the brass colored trim is an attractive contrast against the black frame.

One thing I noticed is that there is a bit of a rattle if you move the light quickly or if it shakes. Must be some minor spacing between the batteries and the inside of the light. It’s not a big problem and it’s not noticeable every time you use it, but a tighter design does feel a bit more premium. If there were one way to improve this light, that would be it in my opinion.

Otherwise, the IYP365 packs a nice amount of light in a small design, and is suitable for all kinds of everyday carry tasks.

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You can find this light at a discount by visiting: https://amzn.to/2421r4t and using promo code: BUJ9GDSL.

You can also visit Lumintop’s retail store directly at: https://www.lumintop.com/retail.