Hey flashoholics,
Today I want to present you the Odepro KL52 Plus, a versatile, zoomable hunting flashlight. Jenna Zhang from Odepro Outdoors kindly contacted me to make this review. I did not receive any compensation except for the flashlight.
Specifications of the KL52:
Manufacturer |
Odepro (subsidiary of Brinyte) |
Model |
KL52 Plus |
Type |
twistable zoomable flashlight |
Dimensions: |
length: 5.82in/148mm flood mode length: 6.73in/171mm spot mode diameter: 2.12in/54mm bezel diameter: 1.16in/29.5mm tailcap |
Weight: |
8.46oz/240g without battery
|
Power: |
1x 18650 3.7V lithium-ion cell (3.0V – 4.2V) |
LED |
single modules/pills: 1x XM-L2 U4 cold white 1x XP-E green 1x XP-E2 red 1x XR-E infrared 850nm |
Material |
6061 aircraft aluminum, HA III matte black anodization |
Lens: |
aspherical convex glas lens, AR-coated |
Switch mode: |
forward tail clicky |
Light modes: |
white: low, medium, high, strobe, SOS (5-modes) red/green/IR: one mode |
Runtimes: (from Odepro) |
white: 1.6 hours (high mode) red: 3.3 hours green: 4.1 hours IR: 2 hours |
Output: (from Odepro) |
white: 36lm on low, 240lm on medium, 800lm on high red: 100lm green: 110lm IR: unknown |
Range: (from Odepro) |
white: 400 yards / 365m red: 375 yards / 343m green: 452 yards / 413m IR: depending upon night vision device |
Mode Memory |
Yes |
Impact Resistance |
3.28ft / 1m |
Water Resistance |
IPX8 (immersion beyond 1m) |
Warranty |
30 days free replacement, 24 months free repair, limited lifetime warranty (charge of replacement for damaged parts) after 24 months |
Table of content |
1x KL52 Kit box with: 1x Odepro KL52 1x remote switch 1x 18650 dual-slot charger 3x exchangeable pills in jars (red, green, infrared) 1x universal rapid / scope mount 1x picatinny rail mount for rifles (incl. 1x hex screw key) 2x 18650 li-ion battery, 3.7V, 3.000mAh, button top 4x o-ring 1x manual in German language 1x manual in English language 1x warranty card |
Some initial thoughts…
Well, we have seen this kind of zoomie already before as the Brinyte B158. Moreover, there are several other zoomable flashlights like the CPF Italia Cometa or the Haikelite HT35. So, what’s so special about the Odepro KL52? As you might have seen on the box already this light comes with different colours and a quite unique mechanism for using different emitters in white, green, red and infrared for multirole applications.
For instance, red colour is within a wavelength some wild animals are not sensitive to unlike human beings. Thus hunters have a significant advantage using red light for orientation while preying upon deers, boars and so on. Furthermore, red light is known to be better for maintaining one’s night vision ability, so the eyes would take less time to get adapted to darkness compared to usage of white light.
Green light however is known to be more advantageous when you venture to unknown territory without using white light that is much more intense to (animals) eyes than green light. That means green light will let you see further than red light does in return of more reflectivity to your surroundings.
Infrared light can only be seen with special equipment for night vision but is the adequate choice for staying absolutely invisible in certain hunting scenarios. As I neither hunt nor use special infrared devices so far, I was unfortunately unable to test the IR-module or use the flashlight in actual hunting applications like the flashlight being mounted on a rifle.
Where to get the Odepro KL52?
The flashlight can be found on Odepro's website:
http://www.odepro.com/en/zoomable-flashlight.html
Odepro distributes their flashlights via Amazon. This ensures a quite convenient order process with fast shipping and great customer service.
Here's a selection of sources where to order the KL52 Plus from:
US: https://www.amazon.com/Odepro-Zoomable-Flashlight-Pressure-Packaging/dp/B0755FQFP1
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Odepro-zoomable-hunting-flashlight-remote/dp/B0755FQFP1
Spain: https://www.amazon.es/Odepro-linterna-blanca-interruptor-distancia/dp/B075V6QCZG
France: https://www.amazon.fr/Odepro-zoomable-lumière-interrupteur-distance/dp/B075V6QCZG
Germany: https://www.amazon.de/Odepro-zoombare-Taschenlampe-ir850-Wildschweine/dp/B075V6QCZG
What's inside?
The KL51 Plus comes with its accessories in a nice suitcase made of plastic. All parts are orderly placed in lasercutted foamed plastic.
The KL52 Plus comes with LED modules for red, green, white and infrared light.
The universal rapid mount can used for multiple purposes such as for mounting it on a bike.
The Picatinny rail mount and the hex screw key is used to mount the KL52 to a rifle. As I did not have a rifle here for demonstration I cannot show the KL52 mounted onto a weapon.
The battery charger is a very simple one.
Its specifications are found on the rear side.
The kit contains a set of two protected 18650 batteries, labeled with 3000mAh and 11.1Wh. Both batteries had a resting voltage of 3.78V before I charged them for the first time.
In order to operate the KL52 when mounted onto a rifle there's a remote switch. It can be easily attached to the KL52 by exchanging the tail cap.
The noiseless switch has a velcro strap.
The tail cap's spring is hidden underneath a brass canopy. The threads on the battery tube and the tail cap are deanodized.
Furthermore, there are two manuals, one in English and the other one in German as well as a warranty card and several spare o-rings.
Last but no least, the actual flashlight. It's not capable to do a tailstand but due to its crenelated bezel it can do a headstand.
Swapping the LED module...
Beamshots
Beamshots were made on an ancient building located in a remote park for less distraction by background lighting. The KL52 was operated in high mode (= maximum). As I do not have the proper equipment to take beamshots of infrared light I could not test the IR module.
One the left side you can see the Haikelite HT35 XHP35 HD in neutralwhite tint. On the right side you see the coldwhite XM-L2 of the KL52.
While the Haikelite HT35 has more intensity/brightness than the Odepro KL52 the latter one is better focussed.
The KL52 fully focussed with the coldwhite XM-L2 dropin.
The Haikelite HT35 XHP35 HD fully focussed.
The KL52 fully defocussed with the coldwhite XM-L2 module.
The KL52 fully focussed with the green XP-E module.
The KL52 fully defocussed with the green XP-E module.
The KL52 fully focussed with the red XP-E2 module.
The KL52 fully defocussed with the red XP-E2 module.
Final thoughts
The flashlight is well made and very solid. I did not find any flaws on the anodization. The zooming mechanism works smooth and without any significant clearance. The aspheric lens did not contain any substantial amount of dust. However, you got to be careful when swapping the LED modules as dust can move into the inner side of the lens quite easily. All LED modules can be exchanged without any difficulties. Beamshots revealed no significant visible artifacts or distortion in the beam. The beam pattern looks quite good both defocussed and focussed except for some slightly visible rings when fully focussed. I did not manage to get the KL52 running hot but I felt the light becoming warmer when focussed. While I do like the simple user interface I think it really needs to be optimised as I do not like to have strobe or SOS in the regular mode order. Unscrewing the tail cap is a bit tricky sometimes as it can happen that the zooming mechanism will also be triggered. So, make sure to grab the very end of the battery tube when twisting the tailcap.
Overall, the KL52 is a versatile and quite unique flashlight with its different LED modules. The big benefit is the easy exchange of these modules. With those many accessories included in the kit the KL52 is surely great for hunters or for military purposes. The sales price sounds a bit ambitious to me when comparing the KL52 with other zoomable flashlights like Haikelite HT35 or CPF Italia Cometa. However, if you want to have maximum flexibility with different LED options there's no real alternative to it.
Many thanks to Odepro Outdoor for the opportunity to test and review this flashlight!