[Review] Klarus Mi1C ( XP-L Hi, 16340/CR123A) ~ A truly tiny EDC

bilakos10 · 2018-02-25T16:10:59.000Z

The flashlight was provided by Fasttech.com for review.
Here's the product's link: Klarus Mi1C

Starting with the packaging, the flashlight comes in a small, luxurious looking box.

The flashlight is seated inside a foam cutout to protect it during shipping.

Accessory-wise, you only get a couple of spare o-rings and a bilingual user manual (English & Chinse).

Don't get fulled by the size of the image, cause the Mi1C is really tiny.
This specific flashlight came with a beautiful green anodization, though other color and material options are also available.

As you might have noticed, the Mi1C is operated through the electronic side switch.
The body of the flashlight has some diamond shaped knurling, while the tail integrates some anti-roll flat spots.

The pocket clip is very strong and matches nicely with the polished bezel and the metal piece around the switch.

The Mi1C doesn't use an ordinary aluminum reflector but utilizes an aspheric lens that creates a very wide beam profile.
Under the lens you can see the XP-L HI cool white tinted emitter.

The flashlight can be disassembled into three pieces.
The threads are square cut, though they aren't anodized so a mechanical lockout isn't available.

A weird feature that I came across is the fact that the battery is inserted with the negative side facing the head / driver assembly.
Thanks to the reverse polarity protection, this weird design choice introduces no problems in the light's daily use.

Thanks to the strong magnet and the flat surfaced tailcap, the light can both tailstand and get attached to metal surfaces.

The compact dimensions of the light make it very lightweight.
It weights just 25gr excluding the battery.

In order to give you a better perspective of the light's size, here's a side to side comparison.
From left to right: Klarus Mi1C, Klarus Mi7 Ti, Wuben TO46R, Klarus XT2CR

An 16340 Li-Ion cell comes pre-installed in the light.
The cell has built-in charging via a microUSB port and is rated for 700mAh of total capacity.

The built-in charging circuity provides 0.25A of current, so a full charge takes around 3 hours.

A discharge test @700mA returned 665mAh of actual capacity, though the cutoff voltage was set at 3.3V so it's quite obvious that the
manufacturer's rating is correct.

A quick IR test returned 0.288 ohms of resistance.

User Interface

The flashlight uses a fairly simple e-switch user interface with some useful modes included.

Turn on: Single press
Mode switch: Single press ( Moonlight -> Low -> Mid -> High)
Turn off: Long press
Strobe: Double press from any mode
Battery check: Triple press while off ( 1 blink = <30% , 2 blinks = 30-70%, 3 blinks = 70-100%)
Lockout engage: Long press while off until 3 blinks occur
Lockout disengage: Triple press
Quick access on moonlight: 1 second long press while off

Performance and Beamshots

In order to get my measurements I used a clamp meter and the Klarus branded 16340 cell that was included with the flashlight.

Mode - Current (A)
Moonlight - < 0.01
Low - 0.02
Mid - 0.11
High - 2.73

As you can see, the light draws 2.73A on High, which is way more than you would expect from a 600 lumen rated flashlight.
It is possible that Klarus has changed the production of the latest batches and has increased the current draw of the driver.

Here's some ceiling bounce measurements of the flashlight's modes.

And here's the high mode compared to my other flashlights.
At this point I am pretty sure that my measurements are not fair for the Mi1C. The ashperic lens creates a wide beam without a noticeable hotspot and as a result a large portion of the light is reflected away from
my luxmeter's sensor which results in a low reading.

And here's some beamshots of the Mi1C's modes.

Moonlight

Low

Mid

High

Overall the Mi1C is a great compact light.
Its green color is very fascinating, while its minimal weight combined with the all-flood beam make it a great option for an urban EDC.

moderator007 · 2018-02-26T02:34:36.000Z

Great Review. :+1: .
.
I have the Cu and Ti version. The Ti version drew 1.5 amps factory. I don’t think I checked the Cu version, assumed it was the same.
I modded the Ti version to draw 3 amps. 1100 lumen 16340 klarus Mi1C Resistor Mod
Its a simple resistor mod, mine used a .050 resistor for 1.5amps. I added another .050 to make it 3 amps.
Its possible they did change the resistor to increase the output. You would have to disassemble to find out.
I believe when I looked up a data sheet for the IC they used I had problems finding one, it seems it maybe some kind of china copy.
I did find a data sheet that matched the IC pin outs extremely close but wasn’t the correct #. That IC had a max of 3 amp output. I modded mine to a 3 amp out put and all seems well. The only problem is finding a 16340 battery that will do 3 amps for any length of time. The best I have found so far is the AWT IMR 16340 550mah (yellow). I had some older 16340’s I tried, they would step down within 30 seconds or so. The voltage sag hits the 3v mark and the driver thinks the battery is almost depleted, so it steps down. The Klarus usb rechargeable battery was also short lived on high but better than most of the other 16340’s I have. I have some of the Trustfire’s on the way, so I’m awaiting testing with them. At 2.73 amps the battery probably last a little longer than my modded Mi1c. Did you notice any step down in high mode after a few minutes of use or after some use of the light without recharging?

beam0 · 2018-02-26T03:35:37.000Z

Thanks for the review, I like the style of your reviews, simple, easy to read and shows the basic facts. Not cluttered up with huge blocks of text, charts and graphs. It also was nice to see all the different lux readings, and the Sofirn SP32A is double the lux of a Convoy S2+ 8x7135 XPL-HI!

How’s the tint compared to neutral?

Trying to decide between this and the upcoming Utorch S1 mini.

I thought green was a new (just released) color for this light but I see it was listed on fasttech back in November. Good to know fasttech have the higher current batch. Now if only we could get a deal from them, like we can from Gearbest, (but Gearbest don’t have the green color) and fasttech don’t seem to do any aff linker or other deals.

And Banggood shows “under restocking-coming soon” for the green color.

beam0 · 2018-02-26T03:20:14.000Z

moderator007:

Great Review. :+1: .
.
I have the Cu and Ti version. The Ti version drew 1.5 amps factory. I don’t think I checked the Cu version, assumed it was the same.
I modded the Ti version to draw 3 amps. 1100 lumen 16340 klarus Mi1C Resistor Mod
Its a simple resistor mod, mine used a .050 resistor for 1.5amps. I added another .050 to make it 3 amps.
Its possible they did change the resistor to increase the output. You would have to disassemble to find out.
I believe when I looked up a data sheet for the IC they used I had problems finding one, it seems it maybe some kind of china copy.
I did find a data sheet that matched the IC pin outs extremely close but wasn’t the correct #. That IC had a max of 3 amp output. I modded mine to a 3 amp out put and all seems well. The only problem is finding a 16340 battery that will do 3 amps for any length of time. The best I have found so far is the AWT IMR 16340 550mah (yellow). I had some older 16340’s I tried, they would step down within 30 seconds or so. The voltage sag hits the 3v mark and the driver thinks the battery is almost depleted, so it steps down. The Klarus usb rechargeable battery was also short lived on high but better than most of the other 16340’s I have. I have some of the Trustfire’s on the way, so I’m awaiting testing with them. At 2.73 amps the battery probably last a little longer than my modded Mi1c. Did you notice any step down in high mode after a few minutes of use or after some use of the light without recharging?

Thanks for the info, good to see the current has been boosted, strange they don’t claim higher lumen output though.

.

moderator007:

The only problem is finding a 16340 battery that will do 3 amps for any length of time. The best I have found so far is the AWT IMR 16340 550mah (yellow). I had some older 16340’s I tried, they would step down within 30 seconds or so

How about this one? Specs show 7 amp max / 5A Max Continuous

.
Efest IMR 16340 700mah 7A Button Top Max Discharge Current: 7A (10C)

Efest IMR 16340@Liion Wholesale
Efest IMR 16340@IMR Batteries

moderator007 · 2018-02-26T03:43:08.000Z

beam0:

How about this one? Specs show 7 amp max / 5A Max Continuous

.
Efest IMR 16340 700mah 7A Button Top Max Discharge Current: 7A (10C)

Efest IMR 16340@Liion Wholesale
Efest IMR 16340@IMR Batteries

Not any better than a klarus LiR 700 mah or a Fenix ARB-L16 700 mah. They all start stepping down in turbo within a few minutes of use on my modded Ti Mi1c. They do work on turbo, just not very long (3 to 6 minutes). I get about 300 mah or less from any of the 3 mentioned above, but the AWT gets about 400 mah at a 3 amp load test. Still not great but the best I have tested so far.

beam0 · 2018-02-26T03:41:05.000Z

moderator007:

I have the Cu and Ti version. The Ti version drew 1.5 amps factory. I don’t think I checked the Cu version, assumed it was the same.

The copper one looks good. There’s a real good deal on it right now (the CU version - $35) it’s tempting but I’m kind of afraid of getting the low current driver.

moderator007 · 2018-02-26T03:46:25.000Z

beam0:

moderator007:

I have the Cu and Ti version. The Ti version drew 1.5 amps factory. I don’t think I checked the Cu version, assumed it was the same.

The copper one looks good. There’s a real good deal on it right now (the CU version - $35) it’s tempting but I’m kind of afraid of getting the low current driver.

Its not that hard to mod, add one resistor and I like the reflector version better from what beam pics I have seen. The copper version is also heavier than the Ti version if that maters any to you.

moderator007 · 2018-02-26T03:57:06.000Z

I checked my factory copper version, I got 2.5 amps from a AWT Imr 16340.
No modding necessary. That’s about where I was thinking the best of both worlds would be (2.5 amps).
The Ti version maybe limited because of its lack of ability to get rid of the heat.

beam0 · 2018-02-26T05:37:25.000Z

moderator007:

I checked my factory copper version, I got 2.5 amps from a AWT Imr 16340.
No modding necessary. That’s about where I was thinking the best of both worlds would be (2.5 amps).
The Ti version maybe limited because of its lack of ability to get rid of the heat.

Thanks for checking, that makes sense about the heat, interesting they would limit the current for that version only, wouldn’t it have less brightness output than the others?

Yeah, got to consider the weight of the copper, but I figured it might not be too bad since it’s so small. Also I didn’t realize the Titanium and Copper Versions are reflectored. Thanks again for all the info.

bilakos10 · 2018-02-26T18:57:01.000Z

Thanks for your positive and informative comments guys.
@beam0 , the tint of the Mi1C is definitely colder that a neutral white tint but it’s nothing to worry about

moderator007 · 2018-02-26T19:35:03.000Z

At these tested currents klarus claims 600 lumen’s using a xpl hi v3, but should be pushing more like 850 to 950 lumen’s given Texas Ace test of a xpl hi v2.
.

XP-L HI 1A V2 LED Output test by Texas_Ace, Well, you have seen the HD, this is the HI. It is exactly what you expect. Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts

See the title, it is another test. do I really need to explain this everytime? I abuse an LED and see what it does, same as all the rest of my victims subjects. Thanks to CRX for donation. Well, you have seen the XP-L HD test, so here is the HI. It tracks exactly the same as expected, just less output from the lower bin. I could have kept pushing it harder but I saw no reason to blow it. The numbers could be a tad low in the high end as my heatsink fan is messed up and I had to rig something …

jon_slider · 2018-02-27T00:18:10.000Z

It is normal for CR123/16340 lights to step down when operating above 300 lumens… they cannot maintain 600 lumens for long. Either thermal regulation or loss of capacity, will quickly drop the initial brightness

liquidretro:

if anyone here owns both an Mi1C aluminum and or Copper or Ti, and an S Mini, could you post side by side beam shots so I can see the difference in size. the intended use is close range indoors, so shining on a wall in a house from arms length, at about 10-50 lumens, would be helpful (no interest in turbo for my application)

pc_light · 2019-03-25T15:17:12.000Z

Please excuse the old thread resurrection but for any readers who might come across this thread in a search for information on the Klarus Mi1C, I thought it worth sharing that the Mi1C clip is reversible!

I only recently got mine and wasn’t happy with the clip position. Fortunately I was able to simply remove and reinstall onto the other end without any problems. The clip does protrude slightly around the circumference but as the edges are smooth, it can hardly be felt, and while it does extend slightly from the end it does not interfer with magnet’s ability to hold the light even in a horizontal position. And the residual gap left from moving the clip is barely noticeable.

The light can now be pocket carried lens down, my preferred position, and button pressing definitely feels better in hand compared to the original position.