Ledlenser MH3 - rarity short review

Dear All,

You can find a full, more detailed review on my flashlight blog. Use google translate. Original language: Hungarian.
In this short article I will show you the Ledlenser MH3 headlamp.

So there is that Ledlenser review is not very readable, just “marketing” appearances. I wanted to change that. The cheapest entry-level headlamp is the MH3, which is already a real Ledlenser. Ledlenser is famous for its hybrid TIR lens patent. I wondered why it was so special.

Brand: Ledlenser
Model: MH3
Emitter: not known
Luminous Flux: 200 LM
Max Beam Intensity: 7675 cd (my measurement, read below)
Switch: electronic
Battery: 1x AA alkaline, 1x AA NiMH or 1x 14500
Modes: 2 (low, high)
Lens: PMMA TIR
Waterproof: IP54

The packaging fits into the absolute top category! Includes MH3 headlamp, very thick and high quality headband, AA alkaline battery, user manual, registration card (for 7 year warranty).

The whole lamp is glued together at the factory, it cannot be disassembled. Only the battery cover can be removed with the clip.

In the picture above you can see what parts it is made up of. I see the engineers were luckily thinking. The LED is mounted on an aluminum block that can dissipate heat.

Size shown in line: AA battery, Ledlenser MH3, Nitecore HC65, Convoy T2, Armytek Tiara A1 Pro, Astrolux S1.

Its handling is very simple: one-click- on low mode. One click again - go high mode. Another click - turn off. After 5 seconds, clicking again in either mode will turn off. No flashing and nothing else! Important information that it also works with AA batteries, AA NiMH batteries and 14500 lithium-ion batteries! The latter will have the brightest light.

Own measured brightness 30 seconds after switching on with focused light:
AA alkaline battery - 4550cd
AA NiMH battery - 5025cd
14500 liIon battery - 7675cd

This graph shows warming. I measured at the hottest point of the lamp. Horizontal axis is the time in minutes, vertical axis is the temperature in ° C. Convert to Fahrenheit formula is: ° F = ° C · 1.8 + 32.

Runtime graph in high mode with AA NiMH battery: Holds the high mode for 2.5 minutes and then step down to ~ 52% (~ 105 lumens). Here the light is constant for 30 minutes. Then step back again to 26% (~ 50 lumens). It can keep this light constant for a very long time. After 479 minutes, the lamp turned off. I used an Ikea Ladda 2450mAh battery during the test.

I also performed the test with a Keppower 800 mAh 14500 battery: It is very important here that the luminous flux is much higher than with an AA battery or NiMH battery! It holds the high luminous flux for 2 minutes and then step down pretty slowly to 43. This takes about 30 minutes, but in the meantime the luminous flux decreases slightly. Now it step down to 15 again. It holds this for 193 minutes, while the luminous flux is reduced to 11. Here it step down again this time to 4 luminous flux. With this light, you can still walk in the dark so you can see what’s in front of your feet! At 652 minutes, it returns to moonlight mode.

Let’s see the light of what you know in nature. The tree on the right is 100 meters away. I put a sheet of white A4 paper in there to make it more visible. With the NiMH battery, the paper shines back at the MH3’s focused light! With 14500 batteries you can see the outline of the tree in focused light!

Conclusion: Among the entry-level headlamps, the performance of the Ledlenser MH3 is not bad at all. Definitely not for us, flashaholic people. For average users who like simple things. Because it’s easy! The low luminous flux is 20 lumens, with this light you can walk in the woods and you will not stumble, you see what is in front of your feet. By focusing, you can see with this light up to 30-40 meters! Meanwhile, you will find fantastic uptime and constant output. If you need to turn on high mode and up to 100 meters you can see it. The headband is comfortable, you can buy an AA battery anywhere if it runs out. The 7 year warranty is also a very encouraging sign. I liked this headlamp, once everyone has to try it!

You can buy: ledlenser.com

Thanks for the review.
Any chance to see a beamshot in intermediate zoom position?

Interesting product, when will this become available in the standard China shops?

Perhaps a short video would be the best and most spectacular for this. I’ll be making and uploading this thread soon.

I don’t think it will ever be available in Chinese webshops. I bought it from an official distributor in my country. That’s the only way to get it, to the best of my knowledge.