review – Have you noticed that some companies seem to be good at making certain products – even if the public never flocks to them? Case in point: Imalent. Imma – who? Exactly. Made by Imalent flashlight-real bright flashlight. In the flashlight world (is there any?), Imalent is one of the big dogs. They make a wide range of flashlights, from small tactical torches to gun rails to large flashlights in every price range.
Imalent has launched a smaller version of their popular MS12 flashlight – the MS12 Mini. Actually, it’s not really a “mini”. It’s small and looks a little squat. This is not your dad’s wine glass.
what is it?
The Imalent MS12 Mini is a “small” handheld LED flashlight with a lot of firepower. The direct beam of the traditional large 4D cell Maglite is under 200 lumens. A 100-watt bulb has about 1,600 lumens (but spread out over a room). The MS12 Mini can reach 68,000 lumens. 68,000 lumens. This will project beams up to 1,130 yards – more than 10 football fields.
The lenses used in the Imalent MS12 Mini LED Flashlight are 12 CREE XHP70.2 bulbs arranged in a circle inside the engraved reflector. Cree is known for its quality LED bulbs. LEDs are brighter and more energy efficient than incandescent light bulbs. They also don’t generate as much heat – even the MS12 Mini can get hot!
The MS12 Mini has 5 brightness settings: Low (1500 lumens), Middle Low (3000 lumens), Middle I (5000 lumens), Middle II (13000 lumens), High (25000 lumens), and finally Turbo (68,000 lumens). Note that the brighter the light, the shorter the battery life – sometimes even shorter. More on that later in this review.
Built-in 4 lithium-ion batteries, it takes about 2 hours to fully charge. They are replaceable if necessary.
Glasses
- Weight: 1.757 lbs.
- 12 CREE LEDs
- (Max) 65,000 lumens
- (Max) 4 hours runtime
- Light Distance: 1,130 yards (0.65 miles)
- 5 Brightness Modes + Turbo Mode
- IP58 waterproof rating
Design and Features
First and foremost, the Imalent MS12 Mini is a flashlight. That’s pretty much it. However, the MS12 Mini is one of the brightest flashlights you can buy. There are brighter flashlights, but after you experience 68,000 lumens, you might ask yourself, “How bright are you? need flashlight? “
The MS12 Mini is aluminum with glass lenses. It weighs over 1.5 pounds (including battery), so you don’t want to carry it around for long. It comes with a holster that can be attached to a belt or backpack strap. Note that its waterproof rating is only IP56. It can withstand dust and water (like rain) from all directions, but I don’t want to use it for many days in a hot and humid environment. Note that the manual states IP56, but the website states IPX68 (submersible). I don’t know which is correct, but I wouldn’t risk a $400 flashlight.
In addition to the holster, a wrist lanyard, several replacement “O” rings, and a charging plug are included accessories. Everything comes in a nice box with foam padding that protects the MS12 Mini. Considering how expensive it is, it should.
The Imalent MS12 Mini LED Flashlight has three fans to keep it cool. These fans start at 5,000 lumens. There is a little noise when the fan is on. Even with the fan on, the MS12 Mini gets pretty hot (68,000 lumens) – if you’re planning to get this bright, I recommend wearing gloves. Also, when the MS12 Mini is turned off, the fan stops immediately no matter how hot the flashlight is. So the fan is mode controlled, not temperature controlled.
The power-on button is nearly invisible—even in a well-lit room. In the dark, it’s even worse. You don’t feel any bumps other than the small white triangles pointing at the buttons. The button is flush with the body of the MS12 Mini. If you need to turn the lights on quickly in an emergency, you’ll probably be looking around for an “ON” switch. It’s an annoying design quirk.
Another (somewhat) annoying thing is switching brightness levels. In order to switch between brightness levels, you need to hold down the on button to stop at the level you want. Unfortunately, there’s no visual indicator to let you know which lumen setting you’ve chosen. So you hold the ON button and try to remember which of the five options is which setting. You also can’t work backwards. However, a quick triple click will return to the “low” level.
Note that low and medium-low settings (no fan) are bright enough for most uses.
The Turbo setting of the Imalent MS12 Mini LED Flashlight can only be achieved by quickly pressing the ON button twice. Turbo can be activated no matter what other mode you are in at the time. Press it twice more in Turbo mode and the MS12 Mini will fire a super bright flash.I recommend if you are sensitive to flash no this way.
What’s cool is that the MS12 Mini “remembers” its last setting. In other words, if you last turned off the flashlight and set the brightness to Middle I (5000 lumens), it will turn back on. As a safety measure, this does not apply to the Turbo (68,000 lumens) setting.
Different levels of brightness affect battery life (obviously). Times vary from 4 hours in low mode to 48 minutes (13000 lumens) in medium II mode. Note that High runs for 3 minutes and then breaks at Middle II. Turbo (68000 lumens) only for 45 second before reverting to Intermediate II mode.
You can see the difference between Low (1500 lumens) and Turbo modes in the video below. Even video can’t do justice to brightness because the camera wants to correct itself to compensate for the light.
Turbo mode has two caveats: it only works for 45 seconds and it gets hot quickly. I see Turbo mode for quick short bursts that require a lot of light. no way Shine this light on anyone’s face.
what do I like
- It has 5 brightness modes + turbo
- well made
- Using CREE LEDs
- Turbo mode is very bright
what would i change
- Almost invisible ON button
- fan noise
- The fan should be temperature controlled
- expensive
final thoughts
If you live in the suburbs, you will need Imalent MS12 Mini LED Flashlight? of course not. But if you have land, go camping a lot, or are on the safe side, this light can be a real-life savior — figuratively and literally.
price: $409.95
where to buy (this: imaran store and Amazon
resource: Samples of this product are provided by imarang.
