Does a higher LED count mean a brighter torch?

Not by itself. Output depends on the dies, the drive current and the optics. In the AT data sheets, AT-189 lists 7 LED / 7+3 LED / 1 W with a 4 V 800 mAh pack, while AT-615 lists 15 LED / 1 W with a 4 V 1200 mAh pack. Ask for a measurement method and a beam photo, not just an emitter count.

What is the most useful runtime figure to request?

Time to an agreed usable light level, measured from a full charge, plus time to full extinguish. A single "hours of runtime" figure without a threshold and a method is not comparable between suppliers.

How should I compare battery capacity across models?

Compare like with like: chemistry, voltage and capacity. The AT sheets list 4 V rechargeable packs at 800 mAh (AT-189), 1000 mAh (AT-608) and 1200 mAh (AT-611 and AT-615). Capacity alone does not fix runtime, because the LED configuration differs too.

Why does the charging plug matter on a quotation?

Because a built-in plug is moulded for one market. Pin geometry and mains voltage differ; Brazil, for example, uses 127 V in many regions and 220 V in others. Confirm the standard and voltage in writing before comparing prices.

What should be recorded on a golden sample label?

Model number, LED configuration, pack chemistry and capacity, plug standard, housing colour, packaging version, date, signatures from both sides, and a beam photo reference at a fixed distance.

Can I request a lower-output mode for a longer runtime?

Yes, but agree the mode sequence and the output of each mode on the sample. Some units implement a lower mode by flashing rather than reducing drive current, which is a different product from a buyer perspective.

How do I check that the mass run matches the sample?

Pull units from production cartons rather than the sample room, then repeat the output, runtime, charging and beam tests from your sample protocol. Compare the readings to the sealed reference, not to the catalogue.

Which documents should accompany a rechargeable torch shipment?

A function and charging test record for the order, an incoming battery inspection record, and the agreed carton or drop test record on request. If the pack is lithium and travels by air, add the UN38.3 test summary and MSDS. Check that model numbers and dates match your order.

Flashlight Lumens vs Runtime: How to Read a Spec Sheet Before You Order

Brightness sells the first unit. Runtime, charging behaviour and a beam that suits the job sell the second one. A four-line data sheet already contains most of what an importer needs to predict both — if the lines are read together instead of one at a time.

Why lumens alone does not sell a torch

A torch is bought for a job: finding a fuse box, walking to a car in a power cut, inspecting an engine bay, or lighting a workbench. Each job needs a different beam and a different duty cycle. A single brightness figure tells you almost nothing about any of them, which is why two products with the same headline claim produce very different return rates.

The useful questions are how long the light stays above a usable level, how evenly it covers the working area, and whether the user can recharge it with the plug that exists in their home. Those questions are answerable from the data sheet and a short bench test.

Read the four lines together

Model	LED configuration	Battery	Unit size	Pcs per carton	Charging
AT-189	7 LED / 7+3 LED / 1 W	4 V 800 mAh rechargeable	150 x 70 x 40 mm	60	Mains rechargeable, plug variant per market
AT-608	1 W + 8 SMD	4 V 1000 mAh rechargeable	190 x 95 x 60 mm	48	Built-in 2-pin AC plug (Brazil standard)
AT-611	11 LED / 1 W	4 V 1200 mAh rechargeable	260 x 85 x 50 mm	48	Built-in 2-pin AC plug (Brazil standard)
AT-615	15 LED / 1 W	4 V 1200 mAh rechargeable	180 x 105 x 90 mm	40	Built-in 2-pin AC plug (Brazil standard)

Values from the model data sheets. Note how the higher LED count models also carry a larger pack — that pairing, not the LED count alone, is what changes runtime.

Read the table as a system. AT-189 combines a 7 LED head with a 4 V 800 mAh pack in a 150 mm housing and packs 60 units per carton. AT-615 combines 15 LEDs with a 4 V 1200 mAh pack in a wider housing and packs 40 per carton. A request for "the same torch, but brighter" is really a request to rebalance the pack, the optics and the carton.

Runtime is a curve, not a number

With a small sealed rechargeable pack, output declines as the cell discharges. A supplier quoting a single runtime should be able to say at what light level that time was measured. Ask for the time to half of the initial output as well as the time to full extinguish — the first is the number a user experiences, the second is the number that looks good on a carton.

Request the measurement condition: fully charged pack, ambient temperature, and whether the reading was taken at the LED or at a fixed distance.
Ask what happens after a deep discharge and a full recharge, because standby torches are often left discharged for months.
For a light used daily, ask for cycle data. For a standby household torch, ask for storage and self-discharge behaviour instead.
Agree the pass criterion in the purchase order: the light must stay above an agreed level for an agreed number of hours.

LED count, optics and the beam pattern

More emitters do not automatically mean a better working light. The reflector, the lens and the placement of the dies decide whether the user gets a tight spot, a broad flood, or a ringed pattern that looks poor on a wall. This is the part of the specification that photographs cannot replace.

Take a beam photo on a plain wall at a fixed distance and keep it with the golden sample label.
Count the lit dies in a dark room during a video call — an unlit position in a multi-LED head is a common cost saving.
Check the switch sequence and whether a lower mode is genuinely lower or just a flashing mode.
Ask whether side SMD emitters, where fitted, are on a separate switch and what their runtime is on their own.

The charging plug is part of the product

Built-in AC plug torches are market-specific. EU Europlug, UK BS 1363, US NEMA 1-15, AU/NZ and Brazil NBR 14136 differ in pin geometry, and mains voltage differs as well — Brazil uses 127 V in many regions and 220 V in others. The AT-608, AT-611 and AT-615 data sheets specify a built-in 2-pin AC plug (Brazil standard); AT-189 is listed with a plug variant per market. Put the standard and the voltage on the quotation, not just in an email thread.

A bench test any importer can repeat

Test	Method	What to record
Initial output	Fully charged unit, fixed distance, same meter position	Reading at switch-on and after a short settled period
Runtime	Run to the agreed light level, then to extinguish	Both times, plus the ambient temperature
Beam pattern	Photo on a plain wall at a fixed distance	Spot size, ring artefacts, flood coverage
Charging	Time from empty to full with the market plug	Duration, housing temperature, indicator behaviour
Recovery	Deep discharge, storage period, recharge, repeat output test	Difference from the first-day reading
Drop and switch	Agreed drop height, then a switch-cycle count	Housing, lens, solder joints, mode sequence

Use the same meter, distance and room for every supplier. The absolute value matters less than a repeatable comparison.

Turning the test into a written specification

Model number, LED configuration and pack capacity as on the approved data sheet.
Output and runtime with the measurement method and the pass level.
Beam photo reference and the agreed mode sequence.
Plug standard and mains voltage for the destination market.
Housing colour, logo method, packaging version and manual language.
Golden sample reference: sealed, signed and dated, held by both sides.

Do not approve a mass run from a photograph of a beam. The sample is the specification. Once it is sealed, any change to the LED bin, the pack supplier or the reflector should trigger a new sample and a new test.

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Flashlight lumens versus runtime: how to read a spec sheet before you order

The short answer