You might have noticed that the days are getting shorter (in the northern hemisphere), which can only mean one thing: torch season is upon us!
And what a way to kick off this joyous time of the year than with a hands-on review of the world's smallest LEP torch, the Vastlite Minima Bow.
I was offered a review unit back in August, and kind of forgot about it, until I started noticing that my morning commutes are a lot darker than they were a month ago.
Actually, I took the Minima Bow with me on my 5-day Welsh road trip and promptly lost it for a week or two, thanks to its compact form factor (I forgot that I had put it in the carry case of the Petzl Swift RL 2).
Once I recovered the torch, it was time to put it to the test. However, before I regale the tale, it's worth discussing what LEP is, as I appreciate that some people might not be intimately familiar with lighting terminology.
What on earth is LEP?
LEP stands for Laser Excited Phosphor, and it's a lighting technology used in some modern flashlights and projectors. It has three key benefits over your everyday LED light: a long throw (for its size), very little spill, and an excellent lumen-to-candela ratio.
What this last bit means is that an LEP torch may have a comparatively low lumen output (280 lumens in the case of the Minima Bow), but because the beam is so focused, the candela (a measure of beam intensity) is significant.
In practice, you can shine a light on objects hundreds of metres away, and in some cases, even miles away. Vastlite's hand torch isn't the longest-throwing LEP torch, but it can easily illuminate objects many streets away.
Pocket-sized power
The official number provided by the company is 750 metres (~2,460 feet, or 6.8 football fields for my American friends), which is incredibly impressive for a 36g (~1.26oz) torch that can easily fit in your pocket. It measures only 20 x 71mm (0.79 × 2.80 inches).
The Minima Bow has three lighting modes: low (50 lm), high (280 lm) and strobe (120 lm). You can switch between them by twisting the tip of the torch.
The first twist turns on the Minima Bow (it has memory, so it will remember the last mode it was in when you last used it). The second twist toggles the mode between low and high (or vice versa). Twist it twice quickly to activate strobe mode.
That's really all there is to it – the controls are quite foolproof. On the flipside, you don't get any advanced feedback on, let's say, battery status, like you do on the Olight Seeker 4 Pro (which is a much bigger torch).
The twisty control also means that you won't be able to operate the Minima Bow one-handed; there is some resistance to the movement, making it all but impossible to operate the torch without both hands free.
Battery life and charging quirks
Battery life is impressive, too: Vastlite claims the Minima Bow can run for an hour and 15 minutes in low mode, which my tests confirm. Better still, even though the torch warms slightly, it's far from too hot to handle, which was one of my concerns before I started testing it.
The 850 mAh rechargeable battery features a USB-C port on the battery body, requiring you to remove it for charging. It's not a major concern, but it could be a minor issue when you're out and about in the rain, trying to recharge the battery in your tent while also keeping it dry.
Another pain point for me was the tiny status LED on the battery. It's almost impossible to see, so you just have to guess when the battery is fully charged.
You'll get more heat when you run the flashlight in high mode – it's only really good for sporadic use, which is the case with most torches, especially compact units (e.g. Olight Baton 4). The light output also drops quickly in this mode (due to the increased heat).
Who really needs this torch?
The Minima Bow isn't cheap ($99.99/ £94 at full price), which raises the question: Do you really need a tiny torch with a long, focused beam? Most people use torches to illuminate things in front of them, and for that, a decent LED flashlight is more than enough.
The Vastilite is a more specialised tool that could help you locate objects of interest at a distance. I can see it being extremely handy for search and rescue teams and possibly even for wildlife enthusiasts, although the latter group might scare animals with such a powerful light beam.
That said, the Minima Bow is admittedly a very cool piece of outdoor tech. It's compact, powerful, and offers something other than most small torches on the market. If you're into your EDC and like the idea of having unique products, the Minima Bow might be the best upgrade for you in 2025.
The Minima Bow is available for purchase now on Amazon US, FlashlightGo, and AliExpress.
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