The Cyansky Cyanlamp M12R is a small EDC flashlight with a practical clip. In addition to spotlight and floodlight, it also has RGB light. The M12R also offers a rudimentary gesture control that can be used to switch the flashlight on and off without touching it.
You can find the German version of this review on my website: SammysHP Blog › Cyanlamp M12R
The flashlight was provided by the manufacturer for this review. Thank you very much!
Overview of hardware
The M12R comes in a small cardboard box together with a USB-C charging cable and a manual in English and Chinese.
The front of the case is made of aluminum, the back with the clip is made of plastic. It makes a high quality impression. It has a rectangular shape with chamfered edges.
Height: 55.0 mm
Width: 30.0 mm
Depth (without clip): 17.0 mm
Depth (with clip): 26.3 mm
Weight: 43 g
There are plenty of mounting options. The most obvious one is the large clip on the back, which is integrated into the design. Fine ribbing and rubber coating ensure a good grip. It also fits well on MOLLE/PALS. There is a hole in the upper part for attaching a hook or cord, for example. A magnet is also integrated on the underside.
According to the manufacturer, the permanently integrated LiPo battery has a capacity of 500 mAh. It is charged via a USB-C port on the right side. A silicone cover protects the charging port from water and dirt.
With comfortable 200 mA, the charging process takes around 3.5 hours. During charging, a small status LED between the buttons lights up red and changes to green when charging is complete. The flashlight can be used without restrictions while it is connected to the charging cable.
The manufacturer specifies the protection class as IP65, i.e. “protection against water jets from any angle”. As expected for a flashlight of this design and size, the battery cannot be swapped.
User interface
The M12R is operated via two small buttons on the left side. They are made of silicone and sometimes feel a little soft, but the small buttons underneath have a noticeable click.
The top button controls the white light. A short press to switch on and off, hold to adjust the brightness. Double-click to switch between spotlight and floodlight. The last mode used is memorized, which can quickly lead to accidental blinding yourself. A slide switch to change between the three light sources would be practical.
| State | Action | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Off | 1 click | Turn on in previous mode (except Eco) |
| Off | 2 click | Switch between spot and flood and turn on |
| Off | 4 click | Lock |
| Off | Hold | Eco |
| On | 1 click | Turn off |
| On | 2 click | Switch between spot and flood |
| On | Hold | Increase brightness (Low → Medium → High) |
| On (RGB) |
Hold | Turn on gesture control for RGB light |
| Lockout | 4 click | Unlock and turn on in previous white mode |
The RGB LEDs are operated using the bottom button. There are three groups for constant light, flashing light and various sequences. Holding the button switches through the colors or color sequences.
| State | Action | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Off | 1 click | Turn on in previous mode |
| Off | 2 click | Switch between steady and blinking light and turn on |
| Off | 3 click | Switch to RGB effect mode and turn on |
| Off | 4 click | Lock |
| Off | Hold | Change color or sequence and turn on |
| On | 1 click | Turn off |
| On | 2 click | Switch between steady and blinking light |
| On | 3 click | Switch to RGB effect mode |
| On | Hold | Change color or sequence |
| On (white) |
Hold | Turn on gesture control for white light |
| Lockout | 4 click | Unlock and turn on in previous RGB mode |
A special feature of the M12R is the gesture control: if an object is detected at a distance of up to 15 cm in front of the flashlight, it switches itself on or off. The function must be explicitly activated by holding down the “other” button (i.e. the bottom one for white light or the top for RGB light) and switches off again when any button is pressed again.
A useful function? It saves you having to search for the small buttons, which are actually not that difficult to find. On the other hand, the flashlight can also switch off unintentionally: a branch in the forest, a careless movement or a moth flying by.
A status LED between the buttons indicates the approximate state of charge for three seconds after turning on the flashlight. If the battery voltage is low, the LED flashes red continuously while the light is on.
| Color | State of charge |
|---|---|
| Green | 75% – 100% |
| Green blinking | 50% – 75% |
| Red | 25% – 50% |
| Red blinking | < 25% |
Illumination
The M12R is equipped with two white light sources: There is a spot LED on the top behind a TIR optic (about 10 mm in diameter). The light from this LED produces of a wide, evenly illuminated spot with a slightly yellow-greenish tint. It is surrounded by a significantly cooler spill.
On the front there is a large COB LED (approx. 16 × 20 mm), which is protected by a plastic window. This LED produces a wide floodlight in a cool white color.
The light from both LEDs is quite cool overall and unfortunately cannot impress with good CRI. Anyone looking for beautiful light is unlikely to be happy with the M12R.
There are also colored LEDs at the front (on the lower edge of the flood LED) and on the two long sides behind small, ribbed windows.
The floodlight is mainly suitable for indoor use at short distances. The spotlight is the better choice for outdoors.
When worn on a vest or backpack, the floodlight can be used as a reading and work light for short distances. If the M12R is attached to a baseball cap with the clip, it makes a practical headlamp with its spot LED.
Driver and runtime
According to the manufacturer, the runtime of the spotlight and floodlight should not differ from each other. However, differences can be seen in the tests. No information is available on the runtime of the RGB LEDs.
| Mode | LED | Brightness¹ | Runtime¹ | Intensity¹ (Throw²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | Spot | 500 lm | 1 h | 1406 cd (75 m) |
| Flood | 300 lm | 121 cd (22 m) | ||
| Med | Spot | 120 lm | 2 h | 361 cd (38 m) |
| Flood | 100 lm | 36 cd (12 m) | ||
| Low | Spot | 30 lm | 8 h | 90 cd (19 m) |
| Flood | 30 lm | 25 cd (10 m) | ||
| Eco | Spot | 10 lm | 16 h | 20 cd (9 m) |
| Flood | 10 lm | 1 cd (2 m) |
¹ According to manufacturer ² ANSI FL1 ³ Measured
Right from the start, the brightness drops rapidly at the highest level. This is partly due to the performance of the battery, but also caused by the regulation.
Even in other levels the brightness decreases continuously. It is obviously not a constant current driver, as the brightness appears to follow the battery voltage.
A measurement with the oscilloscope confirms that the brightness is controlled by PWM at 20 kHz.
Due to the permanently installed battery, it was not possible to measure the current. But it clearly has low voltage protection.
Conclusion
The Cyanlamp M12R from Cyansky combines many good ideas: A spotlight for throw, that can also be used as a headlamp when clipped to a cap. A floodlight that evenly illuminates at close range. There are also RGB LEDs with various effects and work great as a beacon or marker. The flashlight can be attached either with the large clip, an eyelet or the integrated magnet. It can also be switched on and off with a simple gesture control.
However, there is still room for improvement in the implementation: Starting with the cool white light with low CRI, the unattractive color shift of the spotlight, to the simple driver that cannot keep the brightness constant. In addition, it doesn’t indicate whether you turn on the spotlight or floodlight.