Thoughts on the Reylight Pineapple Mini / comparison of v1 and v3

[fullbreakfast]

My daily carry flashlight of three years:



With this, I found a keeper.

By the time I got to the RMP I'd been through several different EDC lights. None of them had completely satisfied me, so I decided to work out exactly what I wanted from a light that would be on my person all the time. Yeah, I do clip my flashlight to my pyjamas or T-shirt when I go to bed at night.

My list:

• It had to be cylindrical, AAA-size. This works best for my jeans pocket and feels best in my hand. Round rather than flat lights are my preference for handling, AA lights are too big and heavy for something I'll have on me all the time (and will hold in my mouth when my hands are busy).
• It had to be able to run any kind of AAA-size battery - 10440, NiMH, disposable. Lights with a non-removable battery are good for some things, but I wanted the option to carry a spare or buy another battery and not be stuck until I could charge the light.
• It had to be operable with one hand, with a very simple interface. I wanted to be able to use it without thinking, including when mostly asleep, or after a few drinks. To me this meant a tail-click light, one without bells or whistles that could be confusing.
• It had to have several levels of brightness, including one low enough not to wake people up in a dark room, and one high enough to cover my realistic needs - walking or doing tasks outside the house at night. Massive lumens not needed, but >100.
• It had to have a functional deep carry clip.
• The light produced had to have warm tone with good colour rendering. I don't like bleached out light that's harsh on the eyes, and I can make sense of what I'm seeing quicker when colours look natural.
• I wanted something that would look good and feel good in the hand. Something you'll use multiple times every day ought to be a pleasure to use, if it can be.
• I wanted something that would last, preferably with replaceable parts. My previous EDC light had a clicky button that failed after 6 months, and since the particular version of that model was no longer produced I couldn't get a replacement tail cap that would let me carry on using it, only one in a different material and colour. The button mechanism was sealed into the tail cap, so I couldn't see any way of swapping that out. The light was thrown away.

With all these requirements there wasn’t a long list of candidates. The RPM fit the bill and I got it in stonewashed titanium with seigaiha-pattern machining and a Nichia 519a.  At the time the tail-standing end cap was not standard and came as an add on part, which I got. Switching the cap was simple to do. It's standard on the newer RPMs.

I immediately liked the light. It couldn't be simpler or easier to use, and the size, weight and texturing of it  mean there's a multitude of ways you can hold and manipulate it. The seigaiha patterning is really extremely grippy, making it hard to accidentally drop, even when held between two fingers like a cigarette:



It also feels just right in the hand, solid but not heavy. An aluminium AAA light can feel like you're clutching a seed pod; the RPM looks and feels like it's indestructible and built to last forever. It'll probably be dug up by an archaeologist 1,000 years after I'm dead. Light-wise, it does what I need it to, and on max output with a 10440 inside is powerful enough for anything I'm going to use it for. The light shed by the 519a is lovely.

I've carried the RPM almost every day since I got it, and have really enjoyed the way it's acquired character as the stonewashed finish has become semi-polished and minutely scratched with pocket time:







The seigaiha pattern now stands out with much more contrast than it originally did, as the exposed surfaces have become shiny, while the grooves between them retain the original dull grey finish:



You can see the difference between how it looks now and how it did when new by comparison with this almost new Reylight Rook, which has the same stonewashed finish:





Ultimately I just dig Rey's design. I don't know the extent to which he is influenced by Japanese aesthetics, the use of seigaiha pattern suggests he is, but to me this is the small flashlight a Samurai would have carried, if they had small flashlights in the Edo period. It's one piece of my daily gear that I don't feel like I will ever want to replace.

[fullbreakfast]

Negatives / points for consideration:


• Because it is small and light it is easy to mislay. Not really a flaw, as you want a light like this to be almost unnoticeable to carry, but if you have it in your pocket you may forget it is there. On one occasion, this resulted in my RPM taking a trip through the washing machine and tumble dryer, after which it was very clean but did not work properly. This is where buying from Reylight, as opposed to the Flashlight Megacorp, pays dividends, because if you have a problem you can always email Rey. I did so, and for $15 he sent me a replacement pill, including the correct pair of tweezers for screwing the pills in and out. It took 30 seconds to fix the light.
• I don't know how waterproof it is (not enough for the washing machine). Reylight doesn't specify an IPX rating that I've ever seen. I've dropped the light in puddles, and it was fine. My non-scientific test says 'waterproof enough':
  
  
  
  but the negative is that liquid can penetrate the button end of the light. This doesn't affect it working, but gives it a squelchy action until it dries out. This has mostly happened, disgusting though it is to consider, when I have had to hold the light in my mouth for an extended period of time and have drooled into it. Fortunately it is easy enough to unscrew the button end and wash it out if needed.
• Compared to a lot of modern torches, it just doesn't do much. Just various (programmable) levels of light from a single LED. No UV, red light, side light, RGB, laser, OLED screen, etc. This is a design philosophy thing really. It's about doing one thing well and with purity of purpose, not trying to do many things at the expense of complication. Both approaches have their place.
• It eats the charge in 10440 cells pretty quickly, and you don't get much warning when your light is about to quit. This usually happens in higher output modes, when it will just suddenly go out. You can maybe get a few more minutes after that in a lower mode, but not many. NiMH rechargeables last longer, but for much lower output. This isn't so much a flaw as just a fact of life for a torch that can put out a hell of a lot of light from a small-capacity battery like a 10440, but it does mean you want to be organised. Either swap out the battery for a fresh one every few days whether it needs it or not, or carry a spare. I have three 10440s for it that I rotate. A low battery indicator light would help, but without changing the entire design of the light, and changing the design philosophy that led to the design of the light, you wouldn’t get that. I like those things the way they are.

Those are all the criticisms I can make of it.

[fullbreakfast]

Because I am so pathetically devoted to this light, I started to worry what would happen if I lost it and Rey had stopped making them. So of course I decided to get a backup, which recently arrived. This is the v3, which has a few differences from the v1. I will add a comparison post with pictures shortly.

[IMR4198]

Good, detailed review.  Good features and otherwise.  Nice photos.  Best wishes.  Gary
 

[Jack the Zipper]

  Great review! How do you recharge it?

[nate j]

Good, detailed review.  Good features and otherwise.  Nice photos.

How do you recharge it?

It takes a single AAA/10440 battery.  You could use a rechargeable battery in it, but that’s as close as you will get.

[WhichDawg]

Nice light and nice review thx! 

[Farmer X]

Thanks for a great review! Excepting size (I prefer AA flashlights, for the sake of standardizing on one alkaline battery) and possibly the pocket clip, I seek much the same functionality in a flashlight. I'm not crazy about the head and tail that are wider than the midsection, but that's something I could get used to. And I won't hold a flashlight in my mouth anymore; I use a headlamp or free-standing work lights if I need to use both hands. I'll have to see what Reylight has in the way of single AA lights.

[fullbreakfast]

Thanks for the kind words, chaps 

[fullbreakfast]

Here's the promised comparison between Mk.1 (2022) and Mk.3 (2025).

I felt it would be boring to buy the exact same light again, and in fact a seigaiha pattern Mk.3 is not yet released, so this time I opted for the "frag" pattern in beadblasted, rather than stonewashed, titanium. I believe the frag design is the original one for this light - the Pineapple name deriving from the fact that it supposedly resembles a grenade.

The newbie:



If you want fancy packaging, a detailed manual and a certificate of authenticity, Rey is not your boy. You get a plastic box, a couple of spare O-rings and a small anodised split ring for use with a lanyard.

In terms of what's new (presumably as against Mk 2, which I don't have) the Reylight web site says:

-- Reverse clicky switch, classic and great clicking feel is back again. [Mk.1 is also reverse clicky]
-- Thinner tailcap allows more room for finger.
-- Ti anodized screws.
-- A more fitting cnc clip with the tailcap. Barely a gap, and better tailstanding. (There is still a minor gap with the smooth body, because it's slimmer than frag one.)
-- New Ti washer that has a keyring hole.
-- Bigger inner diameter, for 10440- USB-C battery. [A 300mAh USB-C 10440 battery is available as an option, the light ships as standard with a 350mAh 10440 that needs a battery charger]

Family portraits:





Functionality appears to be the same on both versions. I don't have equipment for measuring light output, so I could only gauge that using the subjective measure of my eyes. I initially thought that the output was very slightly higher from the Mk.3, but having swapped batteries between the lights I think this is likely accounted for by the difference in output from the old battery from my Mk.1 (which has probably been charged and discharged around 200 times) and the factory-fresh battery in the Mk.3. I suspect that the pill in both versions is identical.

The visible changes to the light are the re-designed tailcap, which causes the Mk3 to stand a couple of millimetres taller, and the use of a very substantial titanium deep carry clip instead of the thin springy stainless steel clip on the Mk.1.







The new tailcap is an improvement. It makes clicking the button easier. It was not difficult before, but this feels noticeably better.

The new clip is something I have mixed feelings about. When I got the Mk.1 RPM I certainly thought that aesthetically the shiny steel clip did not work with the matt titanium of the flashlight, and I felt that a matching titanium clip like the one the Mk.3 has would be a big improvement. Now that I have what I wished for, I'm not so sure. Partly because the steel clip on the Mk.1 no longer bothers me at all - I'm used to it, and it's superbly functional. The contrast with the body of the light is also less jarring now that wear has made the body semi-polished rather than fully matt. The new clip on the Mk.3 does look damn good to my eyes, and its massively robust construction just adds to the impression that Rey engineers torches of tank-like solidity that will outlast their owner by centuries. But in terms of functionality there are two downsides. One is that the clip is so strong that it takes a distinct effort to get it to allow access to the fabric of your jeans pocket (once situated though, there are no realistic circumstances in which it will accidentally come off). The springy steel clip on the Mk.1 slides easily into place, and is still decently secure. Possibly the new clip will get easier with wear, when my grandson is using the torch.

The other downside is that, as can be seen here:



the design of the new clip means that the light will not sit as deep in your pocket as the Mk.1 - it will stick up about six or seven millimetres higher. This can cause more friction with your hand / wrist when moving it into or out of your pocket. I don't view this as a huge deal, but I do prefer the way the Mk.1 lies deep.

The frag pattern is probably as good for gripping as the seigaiha, and makes the midsection of the torch feel a bit thicker and more robust. It also feels very satisfying in the hand when you grip it. Because of the frag pattern, the new clip and the taller tail cap the Mk.3 overall feels as if it's a bit larger and more substantial than the Mk. 1, though this is more an impression than a reality. The difference in weight between the two is just 3 grams (44.8g vs. 41.7g by my scales).

The titanium washer between the tail cap and the midsection of the torch has a hole to allow you to put the split ring on and attach a lanyard.  If like me you are not going to use this, it is a minor irritation to have it sticking out.  I feel that a spare washer without the keyring hole ought to be included. Having looked again at the Reylight web site after receiving the light, I note that it is possible to buy a plain washer as an add-on part for $2, and I just missed this when placing my order; I will get one next time I buy something. Whilst I may grumble, at around $70 the RPM Mk.3 represents great value.



In summary, I'm not yet sure whether I like the Mk.3 better than the Mk.1 - will probably be better able to say in a few years. Regardless of that, it is an awesome little thing and I can't imagine that anyone who is in the market for something like this would be disappointed by it.

[nate j]

Outstanding write up!
 

[fullbreakfast]

And I won't hold a flashlight in my mouth anymore; I use a headlamp or free-standing work lights if I need to use both hands. I'll have to see what Reylight has in the way of single AA lights.

There is a lot to be said for not doing this. The thing is that to a lazy guy like me, not having to go and fetch a different light is part of the appeal of always having one in my pocket. So unless I know in advance I have to do something where I’ll need a hands free light, and bring one, I’ll just stick the damn thing in my mouth. It’s no good for more than a minute or two, but that covers most uses that come up. The most regular one is putting out the bins at night.

[Jack the Zipper]

My Copper Pineapple feels very nice and sturdy in hand. Not sure it it's a 1, 2, or 3! It didn't come with any paperwork. Still figuring out the UI.

[Jack the Zipper]

Ok, mine is a v2, forward clicker. I have one in the chamber and three spare 1440s, for other flashlights, and a tiny charger. Fortunately I kept them, even though I've largely gone over to using USB chargables. Charging used to be a pain, and all my old Eneloops are dead.

I normally carry two lights, and there are AAAs scattered everywhere, so a surprise blackout shouldn't be a thing. A very nice light, for allbthe reasons you mentioned.

[fullbreakfast]

My Copper Pineapple feels very nice and sturdy in hand. Not sure it it's a 1, 2, or 3! It didn't come with any paperwork. Still figuring out the UI.

Lovely copper carry! Those are going to patina up nicely. I think I have the same pen as well but in titanium - Big I Design mini pen.

Out of interest , how much does the copper version of the light weigh with battery in?

[fullbreakfast]

I've largely gone over to using USB chargables. Charging used to be a pain, and all my old Eneloops are dead.

I have a ton of Eneloops (kids with toys etc) and started using them instead of disposables a few years ago. Did you find the longevity was poor?

[Jack the Zipper]

Lovely copper carry! Those are going to patina up nicely.

Out of interest , how much does the copper version of the light weigh with battery in?

I don't have a suitable scale but the Internet says 52 grams (1,8 freedom ounces), which could be without the battery. It's heavy for the size, being copper, but that's part of the charm.

As for Eneloops, I had a bunch for some walkie talkies ca 2013, and they were in heavy use. They started to charge slower and slower and then not at all. I just gave up on them, didn't need the walkie talkies anymore. Later I tried charging them but they just died. Maybe it was my charger, I don't know. I've been using lithium primaries in my flashlights ever since, until easy USB charging became the norm. Now I have a one-cell mini charger for AAA-sized batteries just in case, and for the Reylight, of course.

[fullbreakfast]

I don't have a suitable scale but the Internet says 52 grams (1,8 freedom ounces), which could be without the battery. It's heavy for the size, being copper, but that's part of the charm.

Yeah, I used to have an Olight i3T in steel that was very heavy for a AAA light, but I did enjoy the weight of it in the hand. Unfortunately the clicky button failed after only six months, so it was a poor buy.

As for Eneloops, I had a bunch for some walkie talkies ca 2013, and they were in heavy use. They started to charge slower and slower and then not at all. I just gave up on them, didn't need the walkie talkies anymore. Later I tried charging them but they just died. Maybe it was my charger, I don't know. I've been using lithium primaries in my flashlights ever since, until easy USB charging became the norm. Now I have a one-cell mini charger for AAA-sized batteries just in case, and for the Reylight, of course.

Thanks for the notes. Most of the ones I have are not in such heavy use, so far all are fine.

I keep thinking to get a single-cell AAA charger, so I can take it with me when travelling and use my Reylight. At the moment to avoid the bother of carrying spare batteries I usually take a USB-C light (Rovyvon A8) when travelling instead. Arguably carrying a mini charger is more fuss than carrying the spares, but somehow I would feel better being able to charge.

[Jack the Zipper]

Well, there you have it, the ultimate EDC conundrum. Do you Carry your best and dearest Every Day, or do you pick cheap & easy for travel, etc. If I fly, I don't bring my nice stuff - it's a gamble. A fully innocuous (steel) pen and (2xAA) flashlight combo baffled an airport security person so that I was sure he would confiscate them. And what about hotels, I've had a few items pinched by cleaning staff, including Photon Light, Bullet Pen, a Gerber folder... So yeah, cheap lights only when not in the daily routine. No extra gadgets to worry about. Olight i3E goes for 6-7 Euros so that's what I have in my travel kit. For a short trip there's no need for spare batteries.

At home, tinkering with your fav toys is pure pleasure 

[fullbreakfast]

An everyday tale of EDC foolishness:

Having written the opus above about my Mk.1 RPM, and even fondly imagined my son carrying it after I was dead, I lost it on 16 January this year. Not mislaid it around the house, permanently lost it. We’d been in London for the day and I’d had it clipped into my jeans pocket as usual. After we got home I realised with a pang that it was no longer there. It wasn’t in any of my pockets, it wasn’t in the car, it wasn’t anywhere. And I recalled the sensation of something having come out of my pocket when I pulled my wallet out to pay for our parking at the machine. I was in a hurry as we were late, and it was dark, and I thought it was a receipt or other bit of litter. By the time I’d finished paying I’d already forgotten about it and left without another thought.

I can’t say I shed bitter tears, but I was quite annoyed as I’d become attached to the thing, having carried it daily for several years. It kept bothering me. I had my spare Mk 3 with the frag pattern to carry, but it wasn’t really the same. I even went back to the place where the car park was the next time I was in London to see if it had been handed in as lost property. It hadn’t, of course. So that was that.

Several weeks later I was still sore about it. And then I noticed Reylight were having a sale. So of course I bought another Mk 3, with the seigaiha pattern on it like the one I had lost. I also ordered a spare steel clip, like the one on my lost light, to swap out for the big titanium clip the new one came with. Only when it came, I didn’t like it with steel clip, as you could see one of the screw holes from the titanium clip. And also the new steel clip wasn’t quite the same as the old one and didn’t feel quite right. So I put the titanium clip on it again and carried it like that. After a few weeks I started to like it. But still not as much as the one I lost. Tough life.

Then last week my wife found the lost forever Mk 1 seigaiha at the bottom of the handbag she’d been carrying on 16 January. I must have given it to her to use for something and we had both forgotten this.
 

[fullbreakfast]

So:



Carrying the OG again, and very pleased to have it. Though sometimes I carry a pair of them, just for fun.

[nate j]

Glad the missing light turned up.  It’s always annoying to lose things; even more so when they aren’t easily replaced exactly in kind.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I am very surprised to read this.

I recently got a Reylight Pineapple Mini Mk 3 and I am as unimpressed with it as I could possibly be.

I got the cheesy green one in aluminum and honestly, I haven't seen a flashlight emit so little light since the good old days of the incandescent Mag Solitaire.  I have dollar store lights that cost a lot less than this one, and and a heck of a lot brighter.  I have never seen an LED light emit such a pathetic and small amount of light.

I thought it might have been the battery, so I replaced it and there was no difference.

I was going to do a beam shot comparison with the dimmest light I have, the ring light on the LoopDot, and the Pineapple was completely washed out by it.

I haven't tried them side by side, but I don't know that it's much brighter than the light on my G-Shock- and that's not an exaggeration.

Maybe I got a bad one?   

When I spoke to Reylight about it they didn't seem concerned about the lack of light coming out of it which lead me to think this was normal.

For $35 I have quite a few suggestions of lights I'd rather have than this one.

Def

[nate j]

I recently got a Reylight Pineapple Mini Mk 3 and I am as unimpressed with it as I could possibly be.

I’ve eyed them up, but haven’t pulled the trigger.

While I think they are cool looking, I’m incredibly leery of any flashlight manufacturer who doesn’t post the objective performance specs of their lights on their website.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I did a comparison after making my post last night.

While it doesn't have much throw, info believe the light on my G Shock is brighter than this light.

I did notice one thing I liked about this light- there is a small glowing o ring just under the lens.  It was so faint I barely noticed it, but after charging it with a brighter light it was unmistakable.

Def

[fullbreakfast]

I am very surprised to read this.

I recently got a Reylight Pineapple Mini Mk 3 and I am as unimpressed with it as I could possibly be.

I got the cheesy green one in aluminum and honestly, I haven't seen a flashlight emit so little light since the good old days of the incandescent Mag Solitaire.  I have dollar store lights that cost a lot less than this one, and and a heck of a lot brighter.  I have never seen an LED light emit such a pathetic and small amount of light.

I thought it might have been the battery, so I replaced it and there was no difference.

I was going to do a beam shot comparison with the dimmest light I have, the ring light on the LoopDot, and the Pineapple was completely washed out by it.

I haven't tried them side by side, but I don't know that it's much brighter than the light on my G-Shock- and that's not an exaggeration.

Maybe I got a bad one?   

When I spoke to Reylight about it they didn't seem concerned about the lack of light coming out of it which lead me to think this was normal.

For $35 I have quite a few suggestions of lights I'd rather have than this one.

Def

I just want to check that you are aware of how to increase the light level by making a half-press on the button? From factory there are four levels, and it will come on at the lowest level which is basically moonlight. You then cycle through the levels with half-presses. It soon becomes intuitive. Sounds like you may not have got above the moonlight level.

You can also programme in different options, using instructions linked to on the Reylight web site, though for me the factory settings are fine.

Noting, whilst you should be able to get a good light using regular disposable batteries, you will get a lot better output with lithium rechargeables.

[Grant Lamontagne]

It is at home and I am not until the end of the month, but I will be sure to try this as soon as I can.

My version of this light did not come with instructions or anything, and I didn't mage to find a way to alter the settings.  I will experiment more.  If there are better settings that actually produce light I will definitely update my opinion of it.  But, it is going to have to really impress me if they want me to actually like it. I've said it before and I'll say it again- if you can't put a flashlight in someone's hands and they can't immediately make a useable amount of light come out the end of it then that's a problem.

And, while I am not a flashlight guy, I have had dozens of lights over the years and if I couldn't figure it out, I am still going to call it a fail.  Just maybe not as big a fail as I thought.

Def

[nate j]

You then cycle through the levels with half-presses.

I think I have a couple lights that operate this way.

I agree with Def that it isn’t the most intuitive option, but I suppose it’s all what you get used to.

[fullbreakfast]

I think I have a couple lights that operate this way.

I agree with Def that it isn’t the most intuitive option, but I suppose it’s all what you get used to.

It’s fairly common I think. If you want to have a flashlight that operates with just one button - which is good for me, KISS! - but has several light levels there’s only a few options. Of those this (reverse clicky) is the one I prefer. But others will differ of course.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I also have several lights that do that and I did try pressing the button partway and it didn't seem to make a difference.  Perhaps I pressed not halfway enough or too halfway?   

Either way, I am all about giving a product it's due and if I screwed up then I screwed up.  It wouldn't be the first time and I doubt very much it will be the last.

That having been said, I stand by my statement of if someone can't make light come out the end it's a problem, and if someone like me, who has had his share of flashlights can't make a useable amount of light come out then I have serious doubts about it.

Def