The flashlight was sent to me by Imalent for review.
Here's the product's link: Imalent MS03
Also a link to an upcoming beast: Imalent MS06
The MS03 comes in a very elegant box, typical of Imalent's packaging quality.
The flashlight is placed inside foam for added protection, while the accessories are stored is a separate compartment.
Other than the flashlight, one finds the following accessories included in the box:
Carrying pouch, adjustable wrist lanyard, type-C charging cable, 2 x replacement o-rings, manual leaflet
The carrying case is made out of nylon.
It's quite tough and its texture kinda resembles the feel of a firehose.
The flashlight is secured inside the case via velcro.
The back side of the case has a plastic loop as well a velcro-secured belt loop.
The MS03 comes with a black-matte anodization and an aggressive overall look.
It's operated via an metal e-switch mounted in the upper part of the head.
There's also an indicator LED placed right down the e-switch.
While turned-on, the LED informs the user about the battery's charge level.
The head comes with some thick, deep heatsinking grooves which help in heat dissipation, while the rest of the body keeps a relatively minimal design.
The head comes with a slim, flat bezel.
The three XHP70.2 emitters are mounted inside the smooth reflector and are perfectly centered.
Being completely flat, the tail allows the flashlight to tail-stand.
The battery-tube is glued to the head, so only the tailacap is removable.
The threads are very cleanly-cut and came pre-lubed.
Looking down the battery tube, we can see that Imalent has chosen to use a brass tab as the positive terminal.
Following Imalent's tradition, the MS03 also comes with an 21700 4000mAh high drain cell.
The positive side of the cell has a plastic gasket which ensures that the battery stays always fully aligned with the drivers positive contact.
The battery also has built-in recharge circuitry via a TypeC interface.
Once plugged in, the LED at the top of the cell will shine in order to indicate the charge's state.
User Inteface
Here's all the actions supported by the flashlight's firmware.
Turn on/off: Single press. Mode cycle: Long press ( Low > Middle Low > Middle 1 > Middle 2 > High > Turbo > Low > ... ) Turbo: Double press from any mode or off. Strobe: Double press when in turbo. Lock / Unlock: Triple press while off. Indicator Light ON/OFF: Long press (2sec) while off.
It's worth noting that the MS03 comes with Low Voltage Warning set at 3.0V as well as mode memory.
Output
Here's the tailcap current readings and output I recorded using the included Imalent 21700 cell.
As you can see, Turbo pushes an extreme amount of current.
I'm pretty sure the Turbo current would rise a bit more, but I had to left off the terminal leads almost immediately cause they got extremely hot - and I got a nasty burn mark :P
Of course, the flashlight is able to produce ~12500 lumen of light for short bursts.
Regulation
Here's a output / thermal regulation graph I created.
I collected data in 25 minute runs, but since no visible changes were observed after the 3min mark, I decided to only present the first 10 minutes of each run for
resolution's shake.
What we can see in the graph:
Turbo and High are sustained for around 35 seconds. Afterward the flashlight ramps down to ~1800 lumen.
Medium2 is sustained for 1:45 min. Similarly with the upper modes, the flashlight ramps down to ~1800 lumen.
The ramp-down output is fully sustainable and regulated.
Medium1 (as well as lower modes) are fully sustainable and regulated.
Beamshots
As you can imagine, the 3 x XHP70.2 + swallow reflector make the MS03 a flood monster.
Update:Imalent is running the following giveaway:
IMALENT new lumen monster—-MS06! Three 21700 4000 mAh batteries and max output up to 25,000 lumens! Like and Share to celebrate our newest product!
Send us a "I want to win a MS06!" by Contacting IMALENT online customer service and maybe win 1 of 3 MS06 we giveaway!
Thank you for your informative review of this atypical flashlight. It is noteworthy that you measured the amount of lumens on turbo that you indicate. I got two of these red hot little screamers. I think this is the most powerful light in its size class. Also, it has normal modes for normal runtime, too. I use mine to very briefly powerfully illuminate a wide close area, to quickly identify smaller points of concern to further illuminate in normal mode. Thanks again!
The included cell is a bit longer that normal unprotected 21700 cells.
If you want to use unprotected cells, you will most likely need to add a dub of solder in the positive terminal of the battery (or maybe a magnet in the back side).
Guys, I think you’ve misunderstood the description of the giveaway
In order to enter the giveaway, you need to go to www.imalentstore.com and click on the ‘chat with us’ buttton.
This will allow you to chat directly with the customer support, and that’s where you should be submitting your entry
Well, it was fun while it lasted.
If something is too good to be true, it probably is not …
Thank you for filling in the blank spaces.
EDIT: I went to their website and read about liking & sharing.
Not sure if giving away is indeed actually giving away.
Let’s just say it’s not my cuppa tea.
So all we have to type is “I want to win a MS06!” in that chat box correct? no handing over of personal details etc. How will they know how to contact us if we were to win then?
Great review! I bought this light based on this review and the light output is truly incredible
How do you attach the wrist lanyard? I don’t see a little hole on the end to use. There are some holes on the heat fins near the front but it’s uncomfortable to do it that way. Lanyard isn’t long enough for me to have it on my wrist and hold the light normally
For everyone who wants to take part in the GAW, follow the link posted above and comment in the comment section. your name and email is given to Imalent and they may contact you if are a lucky winner.
