This isn’t really a review it’s just some tests and measurements from the copper head S43S with Nichia 219C emitters.
The lumens and amps are at 20 seconds due to the rapid heat build up. Turn on results are a little bit higher, but no big deal.
Top of ramp was 1230 lumens and 8.3A
Turbo was 2000 lumens at 18.6A
That’s some serious amperage right there. I think most folks like Maukka and M4D M4X only measured about 15 amps on turbo.
This is using a button top Samsung 30Q 18650. Lumens are measured on a Texas_Ace Lumen Tube calibrated with one of Maukka’s calibration lights.
Amp draws were made with a thick wire and a UNI-T UT210E clamp meter.
Parasitic drain with switch lights on 106 microamps. With switch lights off I got 24 microamps.
Something no one else has mentioned is that the copper, at least on mine, had kind of a tacky feel. It’s normal when cool, but it feels tacky when hot. Maybe this is some type of coating to prevent the copper from tarnishing?
You can see it in the pics below. Yeah, I can scratch it off with my fingernail. I think the copper had a plastic cover attached during production to keep fingerprints off and the covers were removed before shipping and left a slight tacky film. No big deal.
One thing I noticed is that the older S41 and S42 tubes will only work on the S43 if you use a flat top battery. The S43 tube is a few mm longer. The shorter tubes prevent my button top 30Q from touching. I definitely prefer the knurled S42 tube so I may remove the button top on the 30Q so I can use it.
As mentioned by Tom E, the bezel does seem to block some of the light output. With the bezel and AR coated glass lens removed I saw 1600/2700 lumen (at turn on). With only the bezel on 1260/2100 lumen (at turn on).
This is the fasted heating light I own. Turbo usage is very limited due to the heat. I do like it, though. The NarsilM v1.3 works great and the 219C color looks great. I even like the extra spill light compared to other TIR lens.