Good things come in small packages –

I’ve been a fan of Lume Cube technology, so of course I was excited to receive a Tube Light Mini for review! But with having used and reviewed several similar lighting products, would this light shine brightly against the competition?

Lume Cube Tube Light Mini — First impressions

The first thing that caught my attention was the size of the light. While it’s called “Mini,” it is still a foot in length and has good light output. Impressively, it’s footprint and 0.75 lb weight make it more compact than the taller LED RGB lighting tools from Fiveray and Raya. So, having a quality lighting tool with enhanced mobility is intriguing. Note that there is a 4ft version available, but the filmmaker or content creator on the move could do well with one or two of this mini size.

The carry case is a slick looking, hard-shell material. Included is a wrist strap, mini tripod, and USB cable. The light itself has a sleek and durable design. The aluminum body is well-made and designed to be drop resistant and shock resistant. The light features rotating built-in magnetic end caps so you can easily mount to magnetic surfaces. This is surely a handy, noteworthy feature. Otherwise, there is a ¼”-20 female mount on each end.

I found even more amazing features before using the light. First, the light is weatherproof. You don’t have to worry about shooting in inclement weather with these lights (although you may want to worry about some of your other gear). Second, the light can act as a USB power bank. So, it can do things like charge your phone.

I love products that offer versatility, although with typical small light battery life of 102 minutes at 100% power, and 192 minutes at 50% power, charge wisely. Worth noting: the LED screen displays your battery life down to the minute, which is much more helpful than a battery bar indicator with general estimates.

Lume Cube Tube Light Mini — Functionality

As with anything Lume Cube, the design is simplistic yet intuitive and functional. There is a power switch, and a button and selector wheel for navigating the menu. The menu gives you full control over the 124 LED, 950 lumen, 96+ CRI rated, full-spectrum RGB light. You have color temperature adjustability from 2700-7500K, and advanced HSI and CCT adjustment for accuracy.

For CCT, there is a handy green/magenta tint control so you can have near perfection in scene color matching. The brightness control is smooth and stepless from 0-100%. The light produces a true, bold, vibrant color that I think you will be pleased with.

There are seven fun and useful special effects: siren, candle, TV, lightning, fire, strobe, and color loop. I don’t find the “fire” effect to be all that realistic (it repeats itself very quickly), but all effects have handy speed settings.

Lume Cube Tube Light Mini — Lume Control App

The Lume Control app is quite good. Once you go to the Set Menu on the light and toggle Bluetooth on, you can quickly pair the device with the app. The app takes a few seconds to load (if it hangs, restart the app and it should work), but once paired, it’s lightning-fast. Easily turn on effects and select your desired brightness, color temperature, and hue. The light adjusts instantly to your settings. You have full control.

What’s really cool is the photo eyedropper. This allows you to aim your smartphone’s camera at something and have the light change to the selected color. I was pointing my phone at random things on my desk and it was amazing how accurate the light became.

For those of you that require precise values, you can dial in specific numbers and set presets in the Advanced Settings tab.