Review: Vollsion MR12-D with Powerbank function


Notice!
The The Vollsion MR12-D is provided free by Vollsion.com for my honest and unbiased review no other payments are received other then the flashlight provided.

Intro:
To be honest i never heard this brand before, apparently they are a new company circa 2016? and already own several products ranging from fidget spinner, Headlamp, knife, battery charger and of course the reason why we are here flashlights. In the flashlight section on the Vollsion website there are 7 flashlights at the time of this writing.
So one day i was contacted by their representative and asked me whether i am interested in reviewing this flashlight, well YEAH! someone got to do it right? :wink: I actually forgot that they actually send me the flashlight, the last time i heard from their representative when i was sending my shipping address and heard nothing ever since and that was probably at least 2 months ago so i assume that i wont be getting it for review then one day i had to pay 2 dollar re-packing fee and tax from post office for item that i did not order. Well apparently it was the Vollsion flashlight i am really pumped.
For More technical review please see Mauka’s Excellent review of the same flashlight

Positive:
Easy UI switch on switch of at the tail and change mode with side button.
Powerbank function.
Nice build quality, smooth anodizing and machining, the exterior finishes feels as nice as Nitecore or Fenix.
Feels lighter than my Nitecore EC23, thinner tube wall
Metal switch button, feel nice in hand.
Both end of the tube are anodized so mechanical lockout is possible.
Thread are smooth.
Forward clicky tail switch
Build in recharging capacility, a boon for those who like to travels and dont want to carry separate battery charger
3400mah battery is included.
You can check battery capacity by holding the mode button and switch on the tailcap and counting the red and green blink on the side switch, it is quite accurate in my test.
Centered Emitter, clean reflector no dust visible.

Negative:
Medium and High is too close, but medium is fine and useful for all rounder the low is low but sub 1 Lumens crowd wont be too happy.
The switch while metal it does have play before the switch it self is engaged it is behaves similarly to Digital camera shutter button where you can half press to focus and then full press(click) so this contribute to the lower quality feels of the light. I am strictly talking about the feels you get not the actualy quality of the switch itself.
No Square thread.
Not as bright as advertised.
No instan on, the light will quickly ramping up when turn on to set levels that you use before so the forward clicky on the tail is kind of moot, it sort of work but for signaling purposed the brightness ramping is not helping.
Not able to tail-stand
Not available in other tint such as NW or WW version.
Mode changing is also effected by ramping which i dont like, it feels loose and not precise this was probably intended but i am not sure.
Clip cannot be reversed so no mounting on your baseball cap. Build quality of the clip is nice though
Green shift on the hotspot, uneven beam with spotty corona.

Data from Vollsion
LED:CREE XP-L2
Reflector:Optical lens
MaxOutput:1180 lumens
Max RunTime:120h
MaxBeam Distance:245m
MaxBeam Intensity:18600cd
Battery:1*18650/2*16340/2*CR123A
Length:139mm
HeadDiameter:25.4mm
BodyDiameter:25.4mm
Weight:103g

This is the box the it came with, no marking not text or anything, i am not sure whether this is the retail packing or just for sample purpose.

How things are packed inside.

The manual and warranty card in Chinese (i think) and pouch.

The Manual

Accessories that you get, USB OTG, rubber O-ring, spare tailcap, charging cable

the flashlight itself, nice machining everything is smooth no sharp edges no missing anodizing or blemish

Light inside the pouch

The Head, metal switch which control the mode that turn green or red depending on the levels of battery can also be use to indicate battery levels.

Tube wall is rather thin this contribute to lower quality feels of the light IMHO but on the bright side the light become lighter because of that.

both end of the tube are anodized and smooth with enough grease.

The other side of the side switch lies the charging/powerbank port.

Driver side

Tailcap, no tail-stand.

The traditional 3 parts construction and a included 18650 3400mah battery.

Compared to other single 18650 flashlights, Emissar D4, Lumintop SD Mini 2 XPL, MR12-D, Convoy C8, BLF A6, Notecore Concept One.

Reflector size comparison, Nitecore Concept One, Emissar D4. Nitecore EC23, Lumintop SD Mini II XPL, BLF A6, Vollsion MR12-D

Flashlight with the provided USB Otg adapter attached ready as powerbank

Charging my Galaxy Note Edge

its 5v output is rather low but stays even under load thankfully.

Charing my phone at 1.2A which is nice, i thought this would be a slow charger.

Beamshots:

Vollsion MR12-D Low

Vollsion MR12-D Medium

Vollsion MR12-D High, not much different compared to Medium.

as for comparison
Lumintop SD Mini II XPL Low

Lumintop SD Mini II XPL Medium

Lumintop SD Mini II XPL High

Summary:
I like the flashlight for its simple UI, but i prefer it to be a bit shorter probably ditch the tail-switch? the charging is a bonus and the most interesting stuff is probably the power-bank function. its light output is OK just slightly under its advertised value, mine was measuring around 900ish Lumens with included battery, my BLF A6 is definitely brighter this light is as bright as my Lumintop SD Mini II XPL so 900 lumens is probably about right.
Would i buy the light for $60? probably not unless you are specifically after its powerbank function, i prefer the much cheaper Lumintop SD Mini II with shorter body, longer throw, side light, and overall better build quality. The light also ramping up every mode change and power cycle which annoys me allot. As for the power-bank function it is unfortunate that the manufacturer had to supply a separate OTG adapter to make it work which means that you will not have it when you need it. It came with key-chain attachment so probably better to attach that to the tailcap or you will loose it!

The 1000 Lumens XPL flashlight market is already crowded so it is really a tough job for Vollsion but i think they are doing a great job for a company that doesn’t exist couple years ago, many improvements can be made and competition what drives the innovation forward.