[Review] Imalent UT90 ( SBT-90.2 , 2 x 21700 ) | Monsterous Throw! | Outdoor Beamshots included

The flashlight was sent to me by Imalent for review.
Here's the product's link for more info: Imalent UT90



T
he UT90 comes in a very nice carrying case.



Both the flashlight and its multiple accessories are snugly seated into laser cut foam.



The following accessories were included:

  • Red filter
  • Green filter
  • Charging adapter
  • Magnetic rifle mount
  • Magnetic remote switch
  • 2 x o-rings
  • User manual



The UT90 comes with a black matte finish.
Its anodization is spotless and feels very thick.



It's operated by two e-switches (side-switch and rear-switch).
The first e-switch is side-mounted in the lower part of the head.
It's made out of metal and has a nice tactile feedback.



The second switch is placed in the tail of the flashlight.
Its feel and look are completely identical to the primary switch.

It's worth noting that the rear switch gives access to a few tactical features, while the side switch is used for normal operations.
More details can be found in the 'User Interface' part of this review.



Opposite to the side switch, one finds the LED indicator.
The component is used for indicating the battery's voltage during normal operation or while charging.



The lower part of the head integrates some thick deepshinking grooves.



In order to keep it from rolling, the tails incorporates some anti-roll patterns.



The front part of the head has some subtle crenelated bezel which also include some nicely cut threads for filter mounting.



The UT90 makes use of the SBT90-2 emitter.
The diode is perfectly centered into the deep, smooth reflector.



The UT90 comes with two glass filters (Red, Green).
Each filter comes in its own metal mounting adapter, which can be easily installed in the rear part of the reflector.



I don't have any special equipment to measure the effectiveness of each filter, but visually they look to be working nicely. Both filters provide a saturated output.
Here's a photo demonstrating the effect of the each filter.



As with almost any high power flashlight from Imalent, the UT90 comes with its own battery back.
The battery pack is consisted out of two 4000mAh 21700 cells.



The threads of the battery-pack / body are very cleanly cut and arrived nicely lubricated.



The driver seems to be press-fit and glued in the rear part of the head.
The manufacturer used a very thick and stiff spring as the positive terminal in order to drop the overall resistance.



Of course there's a USB charging cable that comes with the flashlight.



The proprietary cable is magnetically attached to the tail of the flashlight.
As can be seen, there are two brass pogo pins that are used to make contact with the charging circuit.



I find the magnetic charging setup very convenient.
The attraction of the magnets is super strong - You can even lift the whole flashlight by the charging cable
With a fairly depleted battery, I managed to record a peak current draw of 1.9A, while a full charge took around 4.5 hours.



The UT90 also arrived with a remote switch indented to be placed in the grip of the rifle.
The switch is attached to the tail of the flashlight similarly to the charging cable.



The remote switch contains three separate piezoelectric buttons and is cover by soft rubber.



Being described as a hunting flashlight, the UT90 also comes with a metal rifle mount.



The mount secures the flashlight via a thumb screw.



The mount contains two very powerful magnets at its base which are used to attach it on the rifle.



My country's laws are pretty strict regarding gun possession, so instead of a rifle, here's the UT90 mounted in a metal surface.



User Interface

The UT90 comes with a great tactical UI.
Here's all the actions supported by its firmware.

Turn on/off: Single press (either switch).
Mode selection: Long press of side-switch ( Low > Mid > High > Low > ... )
Turbo: Double press (either switch). Effective from on and off.
Quick access to Low: Triple press (either switch). Effective from on and off.
Lock / Unlock: Quadruple press.

Additionally, the flashlight comes with a remote switch that can be mounted near the trigger of the rifle.
That switch is actually an extension of the rear switch, so its behavior is completely identical.

The firmware comes with mode memory in place.
Of course, Low Voltage Warning is available through the built-in indicator LED.

Output

Here's my output measurements


As you can see, the flashlight is able to push 4550 lumen while in Turbo.

Outdoor Beamshots

Here's a photo of shooting the stars. It greatly demonstrates the beam of the flashlight.



And a few GIFs with control shots included.




As you can see, the throw of the flashlight is excellent!
The fact that it can delivery such a wide beam at 1308m is very impressive.

Reserved

Awesome looking light and kit.thanks for sharing!

Looks like a proprietary battery. Pass.

Kinda has to be, at least including a 2-channel BMS to be able to charge 2S.

Was gonna ax if the “pack” can be opened up to get to the cells.

It’s indeed using a proprietary pack but I think that’s all right for the average user.
Realistically speaking, using a proprietary pack is the only reasonable way to sell a truly high-power flashlight that’s safe to use for everyone, including non-advanced users :slight_smile:

Although I do agree with you, I know exactly how this is gonna play out. You buy the light, 6-7 years from now when the battery dies, the replacement will be discontinued. At that point you can use the head as a paperweight.

By that time, I’m sure newer and better lights will be available that you will probably want to purchase to replace the seven year old out of date model.

I have lights from 15+ years ago that work well. I like to upgrade my lights because I want to not because I have to.

One could say a flashlight has to live forever, yet we know that let’s say after 10 years hardly can anyone say that they won’t buy a new flashlight for what
new technology it offers.
The time when flashlights had bulbs, no driver and used batteries from stores are rather gone, that simplicity is not really going on anymore, anything has a driver, an LED which you cannot really replace at a snap of a finger, cells need to be certain ones, rechargeable systems, etc.

Like I said, you will probably want to (otherwise why would you be here? :smiley: ). Six or seven years from now there will be new LEDs, more efficient drivers, and probably new battery tech. This proprietary battery pack, necessitated by the series configuration and BMS, will be a non-issue.

Brace yourselves :smiley: A decade from now we’ll probably be getting SBT-90.2-like performance from keychain lights :stuck_out_tongue:

We currently have the Imalent UT90 on offer.
A really interesting flashlight with a very long range.
The set includes the flashlight, the battery pack and a magnetic USB charging cable .

https://www.gatzetec.de/Taschenlampen/Imalent/imalent-ut90-taschenlampe.html

Thanks Thorsten

That’s modder’s life 101 :money_mouth_face:

I bought this UT-90 from Imalent, I had high expectations and already had a similar light from Olight, the Javelot Turbo. The Imalent was a real disappointment to be honest. The UI should be easy and simple but it’s hideous to use, my light.came with chips on the anodising, dust in the reflector. There is a led charging light in the exact same place as the on/off button but on the opposite side so it’s hard to find the side switch. The remote pressure switch is made from a cheap rubber that feels like it will deteriorate fast. And on their website they have 2 prices for the one light, if you don’t click on the moving banner on the top of the page which is $199 and you use their menu you’ll pay $209 which happened to me and they cared little to do anything about it. To be honest I’d pass on this light, by the Olight Javelot Turbo, it has a much better beam and is a nicer made product. I really thought Imalent were top shelf light company, but they cut corners.

Speaking of the UI, I personally think that it’s great for a tactical flashlight, but that’s just my personal preference.
Regarding the quality issues with your flashlight, you should get a good picture of them and contact their support. I’m pretty sure that their service department will take care of them!
Please keep us updated.

Thanks for the review.

So how far does it throw.Unless I missed it I did not see that(CD) info.

I never had and never will have proprietary battery back.I like using my own batteries and replacing them for much,much cheaper.You are at the mercy of the manufacturer with their battery packs.

Imalent has a history of issues.Just another reason.

Sorry for being honest and negative about this light.No fault of yours :slight_smile:

Thank you very much for your feedback on the proprietary battery-pack subject.
I’m sure any feedback is always greatly appreciated by the manufacturers.

Your welcome.

Do you have any CD/ throw numbers?

P.S. I do not think the manufacturers are fond of opinions like mine! Nor do they care…they have those packs for control of re purchasing them! More money for them!