review: Imalent RT35 vs RT70 (picture heavy)

M4D_M4X · 2018-08-20T08:20:12.000Z

Hello my dear friends!

I featured the RT series by Imalent already in the Quarry and wanted to add a picture heavy review:

(the description is below the picture and a click gets you to the bigger resulution)

the boxes are identical, only different stickers (RT70 is a early preproduction)

stable packaging

those foam ends do nicely secure the flashlight from bouncing around

turned it upside down we find the acessories…

the holster

i do not like that the light is not really protected here

several ways to attach the holster

the usual O-rings

a quite thin lanyard (too thin in my opinion!)

the magnetic charging cable

attaching really goos with strong magnet – i meassured near to 2 A max

left in the box: the flashlight

enoug foam around to proper secure the light in transport

there they are! RT70 and RT35

twins from the outside

except the writing on the back

but on the serious end you notice the difference! XHP70.2 vs XHP35 HI

nicely centered big boy – good for 5500 Lumen and 903m throw in the RT70

also perfect centered “small” XHP 35 HI for 2350 Lumens and 1338m throw in the RT35

the RT70 reflector (left) has a special design (like 2 shapes) for a better beam

from a bit more distance the LED image washes out…

aand a video for a better understanding:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/vwtU_z6Hl8I?feature=oembed

the bezel is made from aluminium

the lens is of course AR coated

the seal between glass and reflector

i was not able to pop out the reflector, but here is another picture of the nice, smooth surface (and some dust i let in)

the aluminium switch has a nice click using a membrane switch underneath

the three dots are green when the light is on

they turn red when cell voltage goes down to 3.2 Volts
they start flashing red on 3.0 Volts and the light switches off at 2.8 Volts
while charging they are red and green when the cells are full (i charged twice to 4,16 Volts)

the charging port and the nice cooling fins in detail

another view

the holes for the lanyard (4x on the tailcap)

nicely done laser etching on the non removeable tailcap

the batterytube has square cut , lightely greases threads (no squeaks on my samples) and a soft knurling which i like (as long as its dry)

the tube is also the cell carrier and runs them in a 4P configuration

with the cells loaded you see that button top cells are required to make contact to the driver

its recommended to use protected IMR cells

the Imalent cells delivered with the RT70 and RT35 are 30Qs underneath as far as i can tell

this RT70 driver has the preproduction firmware on it so i replaced it for the review

to get a really compact design Imalent placed the driver components “around” the LED shelf in the middle and besides the reflector

as result you get a very handy flashlight

placing the RT35 besides a K70 you realize how short Imalent made the RT series

on the bright end both competitors are very equal…

K70 on the left / RT35 on the right – 150m+ distance

same location, but K60 vs RT70

more comparison shots can be found in the Quarry or

those videos (please excuse my bad english and the misspellings)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/OF6abZdo7pg?feature=oembed

https://www.youtube.com/embed/jS74HAGl6Bw?feature=oembed

difference in spotsize on the ceiling: RT35 left – RT70 right

RT35 nice spot

tried to show the dual reflector design thingie

time for a group picture:

Manker MK39 – acebeam X45 – Imalent RT70 – acebeam K70 – niwalker BK-FA09S

aaand the brigtht side

some unsorted shots if you like:

(Imalent says they are Jungle Searchlights)

c´mon – grow!

another night video i made

Video Player

to be added:

some measurements (have problems atm with my power supply)
what yould you like to see? (no – i do not do runtimes)

Sillen · 2018-08-20T12:24:51.000Z

Those Imalent batteries that can be included as a kit with purchase are protected http://www.imalent.com/Item/Show.asp?m=2&d=200

That RT70 is really appealing - the only thing that’s held me back is people complaining about Imalent DOA and reliability in this forum and a few youtube video’s. Would be interested in max current draw. I had 4 x Imalent MRB-186P30 in Q8 and noticed a big difference when new VCT6 arrived.

Thanks for putting this up. Fathers Day is coming up in Australia

Edit: The vendor I purchased the batteries from also says the Imalent batteries are 30Q IMALENT MRB186P30 3.7V 3Ah Rechargeable Battery for sale online | eBay

M4D_M4X · 2018-08-20T11:44:13.000Z

damn - you are right!

the cells that came with the light ARE protected

I did not notice the fine printed label :(

I already edited the text

Lux-Perpetua · 2018-08-20T11:48:53.000Z

Hi Martin,

Thanks for the fantastic review. As I am still looking for a real competitor to the Acebeam K70 I was curious how the RT35 would compare. Do you think the RT35's beam profile is similar to the K70? In my humble opinion the spot of the K70 looks far more concentrated and intense than the RT35's spot. But maybe my impression is wrong as the right spot shines onto treetops, so the reflection of the spot is different (darker) than the one of the K70.

M4D_M4X · 2018-08-20T11:51:14.000Z

I would say the beams are very comparable

have you watched the videos (Quarry 1 and 2)

they give a much better impression I think

Lux-Perpetua · 2018-08-20T11:55:02.000Z

Shame on me…I didn’t watch them yet. :person_facepalming: I’ll do it right away.

Lumeniac · 2018-08-20T15:03:55.000Z

thax a lot.
good review.

EasyB · 2018-08-20T16:23:51.000Z

I like that these lights are so compact for their class, and I would like to use the RT70 as a host for a dedomed FET-driven XHP70.2. But the construction makes it hard to do the mod; 4p cell arrangement without a carrier and a very small driver compartment.

Edit: just thought of putting a FET-driven CFT90 in the RT35 host. 900kcd+. :smiling_imp:

BrySig228 · 2018-08-20T15:57:44.000Z

Cousin and I ordered the RT35 back in June and still now we haven’t received them. I believed they were lost in shipping. :rage:

M4D_M4X · 2018-08-20T16:18:44.000Z

BrySig228:

Cousin and I ordered the RT35 back in June and still now we haven’t received them. I believed they were lost in shipping. :rage:

where did you order?

banggood with my deal?

PM me the order number and I see what I can do ;)

BrySig228 · 2018-08-20T16:38:44.000Z

M4D M4X:

BrySig228:

Cousin and I ordered the RT35 back in June and still now we haven’t received them. I believed they were lost in shipping. :rage:

where did you order?

banggood with my deal?

PM me the order number and I see what I can do

Let me find out with my cousin but yes it was from your group buy.

xristos · 2020-12-26T11:21:03.000Z

Hello
Happy Birthday
you are welcome
does anyone know
that I will find
the following
spare part

IMALENT
RT70 driver firmware