Review: Manker U12 (EDC, 20700, Rechargeable, XHP50 II)

My issue with the older U11 is that the bezel is so short it didn’t have enough threads (about 1 1/2) to hold itself in place tight enough to stop rattling. My thoughts are that a steel bezel should sit on top of the body to protect the end from dents. Not inside the body. How deep are the threads on this U12 bezel? Rest of the light is well made and designed.

In my opinion one big mistake is, that it take 20700 not 21700 batteries :confused:

I love the detailed graphs! Don’t have to guess when exactly when it steps down. Thanks for the review buddy.

Great review!! Thanks for your work

Efficiency looks horrible!!! my Acebeam L30 sustain near 1000lm for 2.22 min with the same battery, and the U12 only 63min??

I also don’t like the UI, long click for off, a total deal breaker

Why 26700 and not 26650? 26650 seems to be more common. Maybe U12 can work also with 26650 + spacer?

It’s 20700, not 26700. Comparatively new battery size, not widely used yet. 20700 and 21700 are the newest Li-Ion battery sizes being used in electric vehicle battery packs, and potentially in cordless tool battery packs in the near future.

I personally don’t get the appeal of 20700 for flashlights. The increased capacity doesn’t seem worth the increased size. The advantage of 18650s is commonality - they can be shared between both large lights and small EDC lights. 20700 would make the EDC lights larger, and I’m not sure how practical that would be.

21700 at least offers enough capacity that it may render 26650s obsolete. They are already approaching current 26650s in capacity, while maintaining a slimmer form factor.

:person_facepalming: doh…my eyes deceived me…… thanks for clarifying….
chit, cant believe i mis-read :person_facepalming: :person_facepalming:

looks very interesting…i wanted to buy emisar….but….like it.thanks a lot

OK then, I wouldnt purchase ANY light with such 20700 battery size….unless of course my existing supply of 26650’s became obsolete. Who wants to add another sized battery to the arsenal? Most chargers have problems with 70mm lengths as it is… Again, I wouldnt buy it.

you can still use 18650…good old one…no?:slight_smile:

Sure you can but lower capacity vs 26650 and spacer-tube is needed on 18650

I’m into 21700 lights because it seems the largest format that can be comfortably mouth-held. :wink:
Also, close to 26650 in capabilities while significantly smaller.
Also, being the next standard it’s bound to receive a lot of development, so we can expect it to be the largest format that has top-quality cells.

20700? They don’t appeal to me.

Yeah, also what I got, 20700 was “mistake” and 21700 should be produced now.
There are first cells with 4800mAh (pretty good for the size) and in future they promise around 6000mAh :slight_smile:

Thanks for the review.

is possible to buy somewhere or is it still just a sample? any issues now? looks interesting really

Just putting in my 2 cents worth. It’s 20700, I get it’s not 21700. But it’s a very small for the battery light with a built in charging port. 4000 mah instead of 4800 but still beats the 18650 3500 with the current needed for full LED potential. How often have you run a battery dead walking the dog at night. It is what it is and It’s smallish EDC. My complaint is their poorly designed bezels and NO warranty if you bought from anyone but them on their site.

Are there any other lights similar in size that have USB-C? If not I might have to get this one (once reviews confirm the sample issues are resolved).

I haven’t heard of ANY lights using USB-C. This is the first. Then again, I’m not really checking out all the latest flashlight designs. Micro usb can do 2A, so I’m not sure why they are switching. Maybe because newer phones use it?

I think Wuben uses USB-C as well.

For me there are 2 reasons to prefer type-C:

  • my phone uses it
  • it’s symmetric, so no time wasted trying to plug it the wrong side