Review: Manker MK35 Prototype (Pics, Beamshots, Runtime) 486250 Cd

1) Iā€™m not against beamshots, they are very insightful for the performance of a flashlight compared to other lights, i.e. as you pointed out to compare throw, beam profile, tint and contrast.

2) every measurement comes with measuring errors, no reason to dismiss a method for that, but the measurement only becomes pointless if it does not provide more information than not measuring it. In measuring throw, even with an average luxmeter, this is far from the case: it is a way more precise way to compare throw than any beamshot can do. All over BLF people are measuring throw with mostly cheapo luxmeters and the numbers people come up with make surprisingly sense.

3) You suggest that a Cd measurement number is a different thing than the perceived throw with your own eyes. This is nonsense, Cd measurements are the exact same thing as how far your eyes can see with the light, it is just more precise and consistent than your eyes can manage, and therefore to be preferred when a fair comparison between lights is intended.

(there is a discussion that the lux is based on the perceived brightness of the photopic curve, while in low brightness the eye sensitivity follows the scotopic curve, but the peak difference between 555nm and 507nm is not so large that that makes a world of a difference)

Finally, getting your Cd measurement system right within a valuable 10 percent (which is way beyond what you can see by eye) is way easier than measuring lumen within that same 10 percent. It requires a fixed measuring distance (10 meter according to the ANSI standard, but if the reflector diameter is not huge, measuring at 6 or 7 meter does not give significantly different results), and a calibrated luxmeter that goes for under 200 dollar. And I bet that the typical 12 dollar chinese luxmeter will already suffice to obtain a throw number that makes for a valuable comparison with other flashlights around. Mind also that even the cheapest luxmeter has a very decent repeatability, so when you build up a series of throw numbers over a number of flashlights using the same method and luxmeter, they provide a pretty precise comparison between those lights even if the absolute throw number is a bit off.

To the eye different tint beams do seem to throw further though. A very cool white to my eyes doesnt throw as well as a warm white tint. All depends on what youā€™re actually throwing at. Pointing it at a big white building is one thing. Pointing it at trees or in areas with lots of moisture is another.

Ah and Budda and Manker, a good product sells itself. Teasing and trying to hype something up indicates not a whole lot of good IMHO
JohnnyMac made a review of the TN42 with a pic of a building far away, bam that one pic said it all.
Dale had a piece of paper with text and used a light far far away to light it up do the text could be read, bam with the google maps distance pic that was highly impressive.

Btw Budda, Iā€™m not saying that you should now start measuring throw for your reviews, they are nice as they are, Iā€™m just firmly against you dismissing that measurement as not so relevant.

Apple doesnt hype stuff up?

Nopeā€¦ must be wrong eh :smiley:

Yeah and from figures from insurance companies over the years Alle stuff breaks as much as budget cr@p (not even taking into account people with Apple care having their stuff fixed because they payed a hefty fee for it)
Yes Apple is heavily hyped and there too is is (IMHO!) not a sign of something good :wink:

Ah but for the overlooked, take your lux reading both on this light and other known lights. Then your own lux readings show comparison results to other lights in a format we can all relate to.

So if I get 712Kcd from the TN42, then I also get 386Kcd from the Manker MK35, we have a basis to make guesstimations on and this will help us decide to buy or not to buy. (Please note that I said IF! My TN42 does indeed make 712Kcd, and from that beamshot at 100M Iā€™m guesstimating 380-420Kcd on this new Manker, solely on that beamshot alone.)

i agree with this
i also don`t trust my luxmeter, but i try to make some relevant measurements to give an idea of how reviewed product is dimmer or brighter than other similar.

anyway, great review. grazie mille for effort.
manker keeps on surprising with interesting stuff.

and, honestly, i don`t think there is any use spending time for printing you ISO and any other photographical data at pics. Take a pair of any random camera lens, put the same ISO\diafragm etc, and you `ll get different pic. So until we know your lense - there is no use in this. and even if we know, it do not add a lot to understanding (may be only to experienced photographers who met this lens before).

Turbo 19ā€™450 lux at 5 meters = 486ā€™250 Cd
High 13070 lux at 5 meters = 326ā€™750 Cd
Mid2 4760 lux at 5 meters = 119ā€™000 Cd
Mid1 643 lux at 5 meters = 16ā€™075 Cd

Beamshot later.

I wonder if they can change the 1 minute step down on turbo for the final version.

nearly 500kcd is not bad at all for what it is, well assuming the price will be reasonable anyways.

Thank you!

I think that 486Kcd is quite good for a reflector size like this, and being able to maintain 326Kcd till the batteries are depleted is (I think) very nice as well.

I would have liked to see it being able to keep Turbo on for a little longer, seeing the mass and size of the lightā€¦ā€¦ā€¦45 seconds is way to short.

Cheers
Nico

I have to say that when I measured the output I have used and took many beamshots with it. Also, it was ā€“5Ā° celsius.
Tonight I will recharge batteries and measure again.

The most impressive thing is how wide and bright the spill is.

Thanks Budda for the review :slight_smile:

Letā€™s hope that price will be good ā€¦ (but i donā€™t think so , even U21 price is 65:money_mouth_face:

Thx Budda :+1:

Should be priced reasonnably to compete , the value king in this segment is the BK-FA09S with the right code, wich in my opinion has a better interface, a non stepping down turbo (granted the light doesnā€™t reach thermal protection) and a neutral white LED.

Wellā€¦ā€¦I donā€™t think this light is supposed to be a ā€œTN42 Killerā€ but another entry in the XHP35HI big thrower league.

I like the design a lot more then that of the TN42 (to bland) and itā€™s in line with the design of the other Manker lights. I like that. A lot.
If the price is right, it could be a viable contender.

ā€”> Looking for a ā€œTN42 killerā€? Put your name on the list for the BLF GT Super Thrower.
That light is going to be so big, itā€™s more of a searchlight in size (and performance!) than a flashlight.

Cheers
Nico

Thanks for the review! The back of the light looks very chunky/bulky like a blown up fat Manker U11ā€¦ donĀ“t like that. But the light will probably sell well if the price point is around 100 USD as a budget alternative to the K70ā€¦
K.

The overall look of the light appeals to me, like a U21 on steroids. I like the larger head and the finning gives it a look of capability. But I know thatā€™s more of a look than it is effective. Is it just me? Did the designers reduce the pair of thick fins in the switch area where the main heat will be displaced as itā€™s below the emitter shelf for a reason? The fins around the reflector are more for looks than anything else, sure we like that, but how much heat does it disperse?

I keep thinking of the thermal resonation photo I saw once that showed a cone of heat radiating out from under the emitter in much the same way as the cone of light out the front. The heat goes down and out, making fins above the emitter essentially useless unless the lights mass getā€™s saturated, which it wouldnā€™t do if fins were correctly placed to begin with.

The eclectic style of the battery tube is also somewhat disconcerning. Wonder why they didnā€™t just make the tube knurled all the way instead of changing the surface up? These things make me pause. I get the feeling that if the battery tube had a better flow to itā€™s design this light would be a must have for me. I DO like the many and deep fins around the reflector, itā€™s appealing, even if not all that functional.

Price will be more of a determining factor on this one, as the style alone doesnā€™t grab me and make me lose control of my budget goalsā€¦ no doubt theyā€™ve done a nice job, but ā€¦

Budda , are the batteries connected in Series ? (4S)