Review : Emisar D4 (single 18650 & quad led flashlight)

Emisar D4 Review

Hello everyone :slight_smile: . I’m writing a short review on Emisar D4 , a powerful quad led flashlight , made by Emisar (Brand of Intl-outdoor). You probably already know about this light , but i thought i would write some words too.

Overview/Specifications :

• CNC machined from aircraft-grade aluminium
• Efficient UK made Carclo Quad LED optics
• Anti-reflective coated glass lens
• Unihead construction
• High lumen output and low moon output
• Ramping interface
• Electronic soft touch switch (ALPS)
• Beryllium-Copper springs with 45% IACS superior to stainless steel alloys used for springs with only 2% IACS.
• Temperature step-down
• Waterproof and dustproof to IP67 standard (up to 1 meter)
• Default 18650 body with optional 18500 or 18350 battery tube
• Dimensions: 94mm(length) * 28mm(head) * 24mm(body), 80mm(lenght 18500), 63.5mm(lenght 1835)

OTF lumen output at start-up
XP-G2 S4 : 3300lm
Nichia 219C : 3500lm
XP-L HI : 4300lm

The flashlight i have in this review is the gray xp-l hi v2 3a version .

First Look :

Flashlight in it’s small box , a classic brown box . The box has the Brand name , model , color and the version written on it :

Inside , we have the flashlight , the 18350 tube (optional) and the 18500 tube (optional) .

Package Contains :

  • Flashlight
  • O-rings

A closer look :

You can see the flashlight :

The flashlight has an electronic switch on the side of the head , and not a regular rear-clicky switch :

The switch is on a flat , and slightly raised area on the head , which makes locating the switch pretty easy (and also it doesn’t let the flashlight roll) :

Of course we need to see where the magic happens . On the front , we meet 4 leds , 4 xp-l hi’s in this occasion under a Carclo optic :

Over the optic , there is an AR coated lens , to protect the optic :

Around the switch , the head has some cooling fins to help cooling the beast :smiley: :

On the other end , we have the tailcap . I really like the design , as it has offers a nice grip to the user when changing batteries :

It has the Emisar logo along with the model name :

If we unscrew it we find some smooth “square” threads on the tube :

Of coure tube is removable :

Head has an astonishing design , really small and robust :

Here is the back side of the driver , whith the a low resistance gold plated bellirium copper spring :

Inside the tailcap we have a simple contact plate , with the same bellirium copper spring :

Let’s take a look now at the different option we have with the different tubes …

Flashlight , by changing battery tubes can accept 3 different types of batteries : 18350 , 18500 and 18650

With 18350 tube (18650 battery for comparison) :

Max length is only 64mm with the 18350 tube :

With 18500 tube (18650 battery for comparison) :

Max length is only 78,5mm with the 18500 tube :

And of course you saw already the 18650 version :

Max length is 94mm with the 18650 tube :

And the other dimensions :

Max diameter of tube is 24mm

Max diameter of head is 30mm

General info , driver info , UI etc :

Let’s begin with the driver …

D4’s driver has the direct drive abillity , it is usually called fet driver by modders . What’s special about this driver , is exactly this thing , that the leds can get the max current the battery can provide (of course limited by the leds’ forward voltage , the battery(ies) etc) .
With that explained , lower resistance batteries will give higher output at “turbo” mode (With shorter runtimes and great amount of heat coming from the leds) . Batteries recommended for max output are Sony VTC5A / VTC6 / VTC5 and Samsung INR18650-30Q etc

Driver’s UI isn’t like regular e-switch lights with modes , but features ramping mode , often mentioned as stepless dimming . It is pretty simple to use and remember . Firmware is written by Tom E and Toykeeper.
It has built in programmable thermal regulation , so the body of the flashlight doesn’t get really hot to touch , based on your preference .

Here is a simple schematic and explanation of the UI (Credits : Toykeeper) :

Single click one ! Single click off !

When on : Press continiously to ramp up/down to the desirable level .

When off : Short click goes to last accessed level , long click goes to the lowest mode , and double click to turbo .

Measurements :

Sony US18650VTC5

Lumens :

  • Lowest - 0,9 lumen
  • 7135 100% - 144 lm lumens
  • Turbo - 4180 lumens

So you can actually have from 1 to 4180 lumens without restriction on modes :wink: .

Current draw , in standby mode (parasitic drain while flashlight is off) : 0.02mA

Intensity : 20,8kcd

Note : For the xp-l hi version that draws up to 16 amps i would recommend using a 30 amp battery like Sony VTC5 / VTC5A

My test :

Turbo mode , thermal regulation set at 49C , showing the thermal regulation (first 20m) :

Beamshots :

Close distance to wall :

Xp-l hi seems to create a slightly squarish beam on the edges , that i hardly notice when using the flashlight ooutside . Tint is nice neutral white .

Wall @ 12m :

Control shot :

7135 100% (350mA @ led) :

Turbo :

Some words from me :

An astonishing pocket rocket , which can provide a great amount of light if needed (= not for super long time) , with an awesome UI and many cool features as i mentioned !

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Comment if you want me to check something on the flashlight , or tell your opinion . Thanks !

Check out the light here : Emisar D4

Reserved for updates .

I have some little details & some more beamshots to add :+1:

Thanks for the review buddy. I’ve got all 3 emitter types for the D4 but I still enjoy reading about it :slight_smile:

Nice! Appreciate the review!

I’ve had the XP-L 5000k, XP-G (4000k and 5000k) and the Nichia 219c 5000k 80cri. Favorite is the XP-G 4000k so far.

Haha i see I’m not the only one that would like to have every available version … For sure one of the best pocket throwers out there :wink:

Is the XPG 400k your favorite because of the tint?
How does it stack up in brightness against the XPL HI 5000k?

I’ve not got this light yet because I cannot make up my mind on which version to get.

Lately I’ve been considering the XPG 3D (4885k) for these reasons:

XPL HI jumps up the price a lot, not sure if its worth it depending how much noticeably brighter than the others it actually is.
Thinking Nichia is too Rosey color for me, is it?
Thinking less than 4885k will be too warm for me

Thanks for the review. I have the Nichia and XPL version but enjoy reading about them.
BTW: the pictures are very slow to load.

The D4 is certainly one of the most notable lights for 2017.

Not sure you mentioned it but i believe the finish has changed. The anodizing used to be very smooth, to the point it was considered slippery - especially without any knurling on the battery tube, and the newer versions have a more ‘grainy’ finish now. Not sure the gray one is still available either.

I’m sure you intended to mean ‘flooder’. :wink:

Fixed in my last review (tc10 v3) , after members here helped me :+1:

Haha oopss , i think i meant pocket rocket :laughing:

a lot like Zebralight ?,…
how does it compare ?

thanks.

A lot unlike Zebralight. It’s very, very different.
Zebra is a dull worklight. Solid, efficient, very high quality.
D4 is a hotrod. Less efficient, but way more powerful. It has lower sustained output, (I think) floodier beam, better UI. Slightly fatter size.
I’d love to have both if only Zebra had a better UI. As it is I’m not interested. Though I note that for most people the UI factor is less important than for me.

Toykeeper says it’s a very similar light .

For some people D4’s UI is better , size between these 2 is pretty much the same , quality of D4 for me is superb in every aspect , and you can always have that extra brightness .

Thanks for pointing this out about the grainy finish, I wanted the Grey however I’d much prefer grainy finish, just checked and the Grainy is only for the Green & Blue:

Black (smooth surface)
Grey (smooth surface)
Cyan (grainy surface)
Green (grainy surface)

So I changed to green to get the grainy BUT 18500 tube only comes in Black and Grey :frowning:

And it appears the Grey is still available (at least I can put it in the cart and looks like I can check out)

But I’m still stuck on which LED to get, I want NW but not sure about the 219c if it’s too rosy…. or if the 219/S4 has much noticeable lower output than XPLHI, I like to know if its a big difference or not.

I wouldn’t matter about the rosyness, but 5000k is my favorite tint, so I might be to biased. Compared to the xp-l HI 3A (5000k) D1, I find the reflector+AR coating make the beam more rosy than the D4 with the more recent 90+ cri 5000k nichia

I don’t know what Hank did with the AR coating, but it seems to have the opposite effect of the type most other companies use. It doesn’t make the beam an ugly green.

Probably a lot of different qualities out there … Just a guess

For a quick review it’s very informative. All you need to make a buying decision. The makers should be proud of their product.

There has been long winding discussions regarding led choice in TK’s main D4 thread.

One thing to consider is heat. The Nichias do get hot VERY quickly. The XPLs are noticeably brighter for a little less heat - i think, but for a 45% premium. The XPGs are somewhat a middle ground as i understand (i don’t have that one). You’ll want a couple anyway… especially now that 90 CRI 219c are available. Although not exactly budget this light is irresistible. :wink:

I can’t believe there is no provision for a lanyard. :open_mouth:

ETA: well, it is small alright….still, now to scrounge up a clip of sort. BLF A6 style…had I noticed at mountain elec., I would have added one to order.

I don’t really know if it’s missing or if there wasn’t any more space to add the layard hole , this thing is nearly as small as it could possibly be …