TK's Emisar D18 review -- 3x18650 photon grenade

The flashlights that I use most live in my pants/shorts pocket, and they always accidentally turn on in my pocket if they have a side button.

I believe Emisars feature both physical and soft lockout. I suppose you don’t like either?

TK, weight, weight weight? Please

No, I don't.

Tail buttons are far more convenient.

Thanks for your hard work TK!

Thanks TK, you are awesome.

Such a provocative statement))

D18 is bigger, has smaller runtime,worse stabilisation( require hidrain cells too).Has simple fet+ linear driver vs. boost in m43 (pwm low efficiency, simpler fw), has no indication in button, no new features. All this “improvement” takes 4 years.
Bidger output of D18? M43 can be simply moded to increase power in 1.5times.

Is it upgrade ?)

Not so sure about that. M43 output isn’t stable at low levels and at higher levels it can’t sustain flat output either due to high temp.

I wouldn’t compare the Meteor and D18 at all. Meteor is clearly in a class higher with its driver, but the D18 has a better UI. Maybe that’s why the D18 isn’t a Noctigon after all. If the tint is alright, I’ll probably prefer the D18 overall.

WTF - No pictures and toykeeper.net asks login-password here.

What are you talking about? Pictures loaded fine for me, there are lots of them

Good pics, plenty of em.

The M43 driver, yuck! Hated it from the very beginning and removed it very quickly. My M43 has graduated to Anduril… wasn’t exactly easy as there is so little space in that head but nonetheless, it now has a UI I love and will use.

Of course, it’s always about perspective.

I will get a D18. I like what Hank is doing. What I don’t like about this new light, I will change. Nothing new there I suppose…

you are confusing driver and UI. I like Anduril too.
But call fet+linear as upgrade of boost driver it is strange)

Thank you for the great review!

I’m excited to read that it has pads already built in for aux LEDs. Can you please point out which pads they are? I would like to see how much of a challenge it would be to add some, as I’ve never done anything like that.

I’m not a big fan of side buttons either, but on something this size I think it makes sense. I’d love a D4 with a tail switch, but on the D4S and D18 it’s definitely easier on the side. Basically, if a light is narrow enough for a cigar grip, a tail switch is preferred… but if it’s wider than that, a side switch is easier to use.

A 219B version would be awesome… but the minimum order size is kind of a deal-breaker for most flashlight companies. I would love a 219B version of every multi-emitter Emisar light.

Maximum output wouldn’t be very impressive, but the beam would be so nice that people probably wouldn’t care.

TK, thank you for another insightful review!

You said that you are “no good at beam shots.” However you are quite good at verbal descriptions. I’m wondering if you would provide a more detailed verbal comparison between the beam patterns of the D18 vs D4S.

Thank again,
Caleb

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It’s just a slab of copper with some springs on it, and screws to hold it in place. Just as it should be.

The lanyard hole itself has a rounded edge, to avoid cutting the lanyard strap. It’s only the larger surrounding area which has somewhat sharp and serrated edges. That’s probably not much of an issue though, since the lanyard doesn’t really rub against that part much.

I don’t like buck drivers. Not a fan of boost either. Don’t typically like constant current so no, not confusing anything. I stripped all the components off the pcb in my M43 and threw the whole lot in the trash. I talk enough to usually be pretty sure of what I mean . :wink:

ToyKeeper, will you be able to weigh D18? It can be without a battery.