[Review] Imalent DM70

Mocarny · 2019-08-15T17:07:13.000Z

Imalent DM70

First things first. This review is translated from Polish by Google Translate (hope you will suffer reading), with my further corrections. But it is not perfect, hope you forgive me. You can see original review, https://www.swiatelka.pl/viewtopic.php?t=23950

But you may ask: Dude, why would we want to see it, if it is in Polish? You may see it because I need views you can translate it directly to your own language if something here is unclear. It is always better to translate from original than from already translated.

You know, translation of the translated translation may be completely different. For example:

Lubię podróżować pociągami, mam nadzieję, że jeszcze kiedyś wybiorę się w daleką podróż (PL) -> I like traveling by train, I hope that I will go on a long journey one day (EN) -> 我喜欢坐火车旅行，我希望有一天我会继续长途旅行 (ZH) -> Me gusta viajar en tren, espero que algún día continúe viajando largas distancias. (ES) -> أحب السفر بالقطار ، وآمل أن أواصل ذات يوم السفر لمسافات طويلة. (AR) -> मला ट्रेनने प्रवास करायला आवडतं, आणि मला आशा आहे की एक दिवस लांब पल्ल्याचा प्रवास सुरू ठेवावा. (MR) -> Ninapenda kusafiri kwa gari moshi, na natumai kuendelea na safari ndefu siku moja. (SW) -> Ngiyakuthanda ukuhamba ngesitimela, futhi ngithemba ukuqhubeka nohambo olude ngolunye usuku. (ZU) -> איך ליבע טראַוואַלינג דורך באַן, און איך האָפֿן צו פאָרזעצן די לאַנג נסיעה סאַמדיי. (YI) -> I love traveling by train, and I hope to continue the long journey someday. (EN)

You see?

*ahem*

Check my review anyway!

A word of introduction on the review itself: Apparently you can't please everyone. Some prefer short ones, others medium ones, others long ones. I will try to please everyone and make a 3 in 1 review. At the end there will be a summary for those who like only particulars, in each topic I will bold the key sentences for those who read a little more, and a long waffling for everyone else. Enjoy!

I got the flashlight for review from Imalent, thanks!

Contents:

- Package content
- Appearance, parameters
- UI, runtime
- PWM
- Water resistance
- Beamshots
- Usage and my experience.
- Gallery
- Summary

The day did not promise to be good, despite the beautiful August weather. In local shopping mall card payments did not work, my downstairs neighbour decided to do a renovation and drilled from the very morning, and guys were mowing the grass around my house.
Only Imalent (or an IT specialist repairing terminals in shopping mall) could control the situation. He came to me (Imalent, not an IT specialist) in a yellow envelope.

Escaping the ubiquitous hustle and bustle, I went to a nearby park for unboxing.

Package content

The envelope contained a cardboard box with such nice bushes

...

and in it another box with a flashlight.

Thanks to that this beautiful box did not crumple and I could enjoy its beauty and reflective inscriptions.
5 years warranty, a kind of quality indicator.

Inside, apart from the flashlight with a 21700 cell inside was:
- case
- metal clip
- 2 spare O-rings
- leash
- micro USB cable for charging the battery
- user manual
- shoe sachet
(I didn't put everything in the picture)

I enjoyed the shoe sachet the most :)

There should only be two, because there are two shoes ... A few days later it came in handy when I was drying shoes after a downpour. Imalent knew what I needed.

Anyway...

Appearance, parameters

(about flashlight and cell)

First, the manufacturer's data:

Flashlight:

Undoubted advantages are very small dimensions (length 115mm) and low weight (85.7g without cell, 158.5g with cell) for a flashlight powered by 21700 cell.
Description of parts from left to right:

- Head weighing 53.2g was equipped with a detachable ring with a diameter of 33mm along with a rubber O-ring, lens with AR coatings (Imalent - Convoy - something without AR)

OP reflector, XHP70.2 diode on a copper substrate with thermal grease.

Thre was no gasket, the reflector rests directly on diode.
There was a protective film on the glass.

It's probably something like a film on the phone screen, protects against scratches and after some time if it breaks, we remove it and bang, a new glass ... Or you can just remove it.

On opposite sides of the head there is an backlit switch (e-switch) and red light, "sleeping light" as provided by the manufacturer. About this later.

There is no spring from the driver side, only a metal disc. Unfortunately does not work with flat tops, such as yellow Liitokala Lii-40A.

- The thin-walled body has the same diameter as in my Solarforce powered by 18650

Fits in the body from Convoy M3
Unity

O-rings on both threads, all well lubricated with paste, well folded. It gives the impression of IPX8, about which later.

- Battery: Imalent 21700, 5000mAh with built-in 1A charger, 5 hours to full charge. The capacity test under 1A current showed 4800mAh. A very good result.

- Cap. There is a thick and decent spring in it.

That's it. Oh, no, because there's a magnet too ... This is definitely not the good side of this flashlight, because the magnet cannot even hold it on most surfaces in a horizontal position. Even if it holds, just touch it to fall off. It stays upright, also weakly.

DM70 is particularly good in terms of weight compared to Convoy M3, the M3 tube with a cap weighs more than the entire DM70.

UI, runtime

I like the well thought-out modes and functions.

User interface
1 click on, 1 click off, press and hold to change modes (low - med low - med - hi). Mode memory only works for these 4 modes, without turbo, strobe or red light.
2 click turns on turbo from any position, on or off. 2 click from the turbo position turns on the strobe. High frequency, too high and in my opinion ineffective to blind someone or draw attention ... I did not measure, but maybe it is 20 Hz, while 14 Hz would be good. Well, but nobody uses it anyway.

Special features include:
From off position:
- Holding down for 2s starts the backlight of the switch in green. It will stay on for 3 hours or until off by pressing again. In my opinion, a great feature that I often use, no more looking for a button on the housing.
- 3 clicks start the red "sleeping light", which is in theory and according to the manufacturer "help to fall asleep and have a restful, refreshing sleep, relief for body and spirit. Wake up after such a heavenly night is like a new birth, will give you a new lease of life, and the darkness of everyday life goes into oblivion, giving way to dreams and lofty goals. "

No, just kidding.

It doesn't work.

I tested it for 3 nights and didn't notice the difference. The theory should be that the red light calms and helps you fall asleep, and at night it penetrates through the eyelids, so it also provides a restful sleep. Many smartphones have an "eye protection" function that lights the screen with warm colors and is dedicated to use before sleep.
Low power bulbs also glows red.

Well, also flashlights as we can see.

You can read something about it, one of the quotes: (not checked if translation is ok, sorry!)
'The experiment was carried out on a group of hamsters. As a symptom that determined better or worse well-being, scientists recognized the amount of fresh water drunk. If the rodent was rested and felt well, he drank more. A tired and depressed animal practically did not approach the container with liquid.
Animals spent the night with a red, white and blue night lamp, as well as in complete darkness. It soon became apparent that the worst effect on the animals was white light. Behind him was blue. Cold lighting made the animals drowsy, refusing to take food and water.

In turn, red light and complete darkness meant that the animals were calmer. More rested, they were more likely to participate in games with other individuals, and the amount of fresh water drunk was greater than individuals from the cold light group. It also made them fall asleep more easily, and their sleep was definitely calmer and deeper. "

Another interesting thing is the study of the effects of green light on mouse sleep by Oxford University researchers. Apparently it works like red on them, except that:
"The obvious disadvantage of our study is that it was conducted on mice that are nocturnal animals. We suspect that green light can have the opposite effect on people - increase alertness and reduce drowsiness. We also think that blue light can also promote vigilance because it causes an increase in stress hormone levels, "concludes Dr. Peirson. (PAP)
It just so happens that the backlight of the switch on the DM70 is green, quite bright. So two functions: Do you want to sleep? Turn on the red light. Do not you want to sleep? Turn green. How many functions!

- 4 click is a lock against accidental activation, works until 4 clicks again. You can block the flashlight with the red light on or with the switch backlight on. The lock does not work in normal modes.

Runtime

Medium low mode, 300lm without cooling - candlelight simulator

2.95V on the cell after that. Runtime at this brightness is about 5 hours.

Medium mode 1200lm with fan cooling - more everyday conditions simulator

2.74V on the cell. Runtime at this brightness is about 110 min

PWM

I did not notice any flickering with the naked eye or with the camera.

Waterproof

After unboxing, I took some "pretty" pictures in the water. The flashlight is so epic even fishes jump out of the water to see it.

After coming home, I noticed moisture on the glass. :0

With more fear I threw it into the aquarium for 2 hours. I know the aquarium is not in good condition, I know ...

The fish liked it very much. Maybe they began to worship it.

They started to nibble it... hey... it's mine... excuse me, could you please stop?

After that time it was still shining, there was no moisture on the glass or inside.

So it had to be poorly tightened then, or the moisture was already there... I don't know. The only drawback after these 2 hours is this snail.

But manufacturer actually wrote that it could happen.
Test passed very well :)

Beamshots

ISO 200, t 2s, f / 3.5 white balance at sunlight, distance to tree 40m. Control photo - low - med low - med - hi - turbo

I had a few flashlights with me,
Convoy M3 - turbo 4300lm

Solarforce L2P - hi ~ 1000lm

Nightsearcher - hi... ee I found it once, maybe with 200lm - a representative of bad light.

NOW LET'S DESTROY THIS TREE !!! 1

All I had, approx. 10 000lm

This was not the best example of showing the low mode, let's see it in the next photos in more realistic shots.
Low mode, distance to the black spot on the ground 5m

Enough to illuminate the road ahead. For comparison, this is what walking with turbo would look like.

And comparison with Convoy M3 on a forest path, Imalent DM70 (low - med low - med)

Convoy M3 (low - med - hi)

There was no point testing the higher modes, since they work briefly, and we are talking about practical use. Apart from the tint, I liked the DM70 better, it has a wider light.

In the distance test, to the woods around 190m,
Imalent DM70. The forest is barely visible.

Convoy M3. The forest is better visible.

You can see that Convoy works better over long distances, but Imalent shines wider and is a better choice for the EDC situation and on the trail.

Light layout. The spot diameter from 70 cm is about 120 cm. On the right Convoy M3 with a 90 cm spot. If you can notice, the black dot in the center on the ceiling means ... center, each line is 15 cm apart.

Usage and my experience

It's dark and nasty in your street because all lanterns are turned off?

It's high time to change it.

Imalent DM70 will definitely become my EDC flashlight for taking to camping and to the mountains. It worked well during a night forest trip. It's small, light and handy, and that's something I care about. Turbo mode available at any time is a great idea, walking in the woods I was often using it. There is no shortcut to first mode, so being on the second, I had to cycle through all brightness levels to get back to the first.
In the set we get a lot of accessories, such as SACHET, or a holster or a leash (and, precisely, the attachment on the leash is at the head, a good solution for walking and lighting, when you let it hang so that it hangs on the leash, it sets at such an angle, that shines straight in the eye.

So we get a lot accessories (SACHET), but for there should be diffuser too. I'd be content if there were a diffuser. In combination with a magnet and a knife, it could be turned into a cool stationary camping light.

Holster is a nice addition, although thinking of this flashlight as a flashlight for many years, I missed the latch on the back. Velcro probably will wear out after some time, the latch would be more durable. The photo shows an Imalent cover and another with a latch.

The leash is also not the most durable, several hours worn in trousers and in hand, several times put on and removed, here are the results:

For the perfect EDC I also miss the possibility to attach it to top hook in the tent, but okay, I get it, not everyone goes to he woods with tent.

The lowest 30lm mode is suitable for reading and does not dazzle at night, maybe a little.
What bothered me the most was the light tint. Convoy 5000K on the left, Imalent on the right.

Cool white, probably 6500K. Why? Why not neutral? I tried to understand the manufacturer and why they decided to use cold white. I don't know.

The only reasonable thing that comes to my mind is:

It could be that way.

Gallery

Summary

Flashlight worth attention. As EDC it works very well due to its small size and weight, and if necessary we have access to high power. Waterproof during long submerge. Unfortunately, the magnet is not very strong and is not suitable for secure attachment of a flashlight. The set includes a lot of accessories, including clip, cover, leash and cell with real capacity ~ 4800mAh with built-in charger, so there is no need to have it separately. If you add a nice package with a simple description of the parameters, it makes it a great flashlight for a gift. The cold tint of the diode may bother some people, but this is not the deal breaker.

Pros:
- waterproof
- high capacity cell with charger
- good brightness levels and useful functions
- lightweight and small
- SACHET

Cons:
- cold white tint
- heats up quickly in turbo mode
- incompatible with flat "+" cells
- weak magnet

Hope you enjoyed. Till next time!

Binford · 2019-08-15T19:49:22.000Z

this is a very different review, thanks!

ceruleanXLII · 2019-11-28T23:29:17.000Z

That was good fun review =)

FlashKat · 2019-11-29T00:13:30.000Z

I glued on a 3/4” diameter X 1/8” thick magnet for added strength, and it made a big difference.

Mocarny · 2019-11-29T21:38:56.000Z

ceruleanXLII:

That was good fun review =)

I was sure you’ll like it

FlashKat:

I glued on a 3/4” diameter X 1/8” thick magnet for added strength, and it made a big difference.

You glued this magnet inside or outside?

FlashKat · 2019-11-29T21:45:00.000Z

I used JB weld to glue a 3/4” diameter X 1/8” thick Neodymium Magnet on top of the old magnet.

FlashKat:

I glued on a 3/4” diameter X 1/8” thick magnet for added strength, and it made a big difference.

You glued this magnet inside or outside?
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