IMALENT DM21T 2016 XPL HI 1000LM Tactical LED Flashlight
BangGood was nice enough to allow me a discount coupon code to add for anyone interested in a possible purchase. Use the same URL just below this announcement then when you go to checkout enter coupon code 6b97a9 Normal retail price on this light is $45.95 U.S. This coupon code will lower the price to $29.89 U.S.
That is a pretty good discount.
Enjoy
You can find this light here https://goo.gl/0Rgf4C
And for the NCR18650B protected cells you can find those here https://goo.gl/ir3IWk
Today I will be reviewing the Imalent DM21T Tactical flashlight. The light was provided to me by BangGood.com for my honest and unbiased review.
For those of you that may not know Imalent us a China based company founded in 2010, so they are a fairly new company when compared to many of the flashlight companies. They are creating some very innovative ideas.
Let’s get started.
There are 2 versions of this light, both use the Cree XPL Hi emitter. This is the I guess I will call it the standard version, the other model is identical except the emitter is a neutral white tint. I am sure I saw a review of it a day or two ago.
Main Features:
1. Utilizes XPL HI LED, up to 1000 lumens maximum output
2. Rotate the tail cap to get infinite brightness, one-handed operation, ease to use
3. Designed for fast adjustment of brightness and various modes
4. Built-in USB charging interface
5. The charging circuit utilized constant voltage charging mode
6. Both flashlight head and tail were physically constructed with reversed battery protection
7. All conductors surface were connected with gold plating, making it to the lowest conducting resistant possible and antioxidant.
8. Can fit multi-functional flashlight holster
9. Ultra-clear tempered glass lens anti-scratches and impact resistant
10. Optimized deep quality metal reflector to maintain great throw distance and wide spread beam pattern
11. The flashlight body made with Aerospace-grade aluminum alloy
12. Military Grade Specification hard anodized HA Type Manufacturer description.
What’s in the box.
Package included:
1 x IMALENT DM21T 2016 XPL HI 1000LM LED Flashlight
2 x O-ring
1 x Usb cable
1 x Holster
1 x User manual
I am going to add a picture here of a small part of the user’s manual, it is pretty important so I thought it would be a good idea to include it.
Unpacking…
Believe it or not this arrived to the East coast of the U.S. from BangGoods warehouse in China in 9 days. That is the best shipping time so far. I normally receive my orders from them in 12 to 14 days which is also a very good shipping time. This one got here quick.
It arrived in a grey shipping bag wrapped in several layers of bubble wrap and the box inside was in perfect conditions when I opened it. The box is well designed and items are packaged well for shipping.
Inside I found just as it was described. 2 spare O-rings one large one small, a USB cable, the flashlight of course, and a holster. The holster is made of nylon and elastic but thicker than most and feels durable. I did take it to work with me last night. I kept it on my belt for the whole shift which turned out to be 13 and a half hours. I used it a couple of dozen times with no issues for removing it or replacing it into the holster.
I did try some of my 30q cells and a few others unprotected cells are just a bit too short. And there is a reason for that. Imalent did not design this model with low voltage protection. If you do decide to use and unprotected cell and there are very simple ways to make even a 30q work and work safely but, if you drain the cell too far the light will not shut off. It will just keep going until the cell is dead.
So best bet with this light is a good protected cell. There are a ton of companies either making or putting their label on protected cells now days. I like to go with something I have used and know I will get decent current not great but decent and excellent capacity. So for testing I will be using a Panasonic 18650B 3.7V 3400mAh, I have used these quite a bit and they work great and the capacity is excellent. IF you wish here is a URL for the same cell from BangGood http://www.banggood.com/1PCS-NCR-18650B-3_7V-3400mAh-Protected-Rechargeable-Lithium-Battery-p-90678.html?rmmds=category
I will also just for the purpose of lumen testing use one of my Rofis 18650 cells. I am pretty sure of the actual manufacturer and know I can get just a little more current from it. Both are protected cells and work perfectly in the DM21T
Very well centered emitter...
Well machined metal reflector.
Nicely polished.
Shot of the wheel on the tail cap. Clockwise to brighten and counter clockwise for dim. I know some will not care much for it. Turns out I like it.
Shot of the tail on/off switch and USB port. Cover on here.
Here is a shot of the bottom of the head, no spring and would have been a nightmare to get out.
Here is emitter and MCPCM, I was surprised to see copper so many use aluminum. I started to check to see if it was glued into place but did not see much need to. I have no plans of modding it right now so just leave it where it is, almost perfectly aligned.
Fit and finish.
They have done a good job on the machining. Nice square cut, smooth threads, all of them were well lubricated. The knurling is only on the battery tube above the tail cap and below the head. Not too much and not too little. Comfortable to hold, not head or tail heavy.
The reflector is aluminum and highly polished. There are few tiny flaws that can be seen with a 2x or 4x glass but, they do not seem to cause any issues. There is a tempered glass lens with some type of scratch resistance, and a decent seal at the top.
The Tail switch ad USB cover seem to be a single piece. The USB flap opens easily takes a micro USB (included) without trouble and the flap closes well enough to seal. I do not know to what extent it seals but it does stay closed.
The only time I will trust any light enough to immures it in water is if it is a diving light. Otherwise all that matters to me as far as water resistance is keeping out the rain and occasional drops on very wet ground or even into puddles. I am a certified diver and the only lights I would take into water are my diving lights.
How it works.
The operation of this light was a first for me. Operating this light is very simple. Compared to most lights made now that you have a half click for this mode and a double click for a different mode and hold 5 seconds then click 5 times to go to a setting you will probably never use, this light is very refreshing.
You simply click the tail switch and the light comes on. If you need it brighter the dial located on the tail cap clockwise and if you want to dim the light turn it counter clockwise. Any time in any setting and that includes from off, if you need the strobe just press and hold the tail cap for about a third of a second. I am sorry but there are no more instructions for me to talk about it really is that simple.
I was no sure if a dial on the tail cap would really work so easily. Well, it turns out that it works just fine. There is a bit of delay anytime you either raise or lower the light level but, it is so slight that you must be trying to notice a delay to notice it. For the most part when you turn it up the light brightens and when you turn it down it dims.
The dial is not nearly as tight as I had anticipated it to be, many would say it is not nearly tight enough. If it was not designed as a tactical light I would probably agree but, being a tactical light you really do not have the time to make sure your thumb or finger is set securely enough on the dial to be able to turn it because it is a bit too tight. Or if you mount it to a weapon when the time comes to crank the light up you want to be able to turn that dial as fast as easily as possible. I served with the Mecklenburg County Sheriffs’ office for several years as assistant range master and later as range master. I would love you have had a light with this design to test on the combat and tactical range back then.
Time for some lumen testing and my closing thoughts and remarks.
I didn’t check the current, it really would have been a pain and I do already know from reviews of the sister model that the current will be right around 2.6A. I got 780 lumen with the Panasonic 18650B, then I realized that I had one more protected 18650 that might just get a bit more from it. A Panasonic NCR18650PF Protected 2900mAh, and it fit. Got 830 lumen with that cell. If you read this and are thinking that is still not 1000 lumen. An integrating sphere works very well when you keep it calibrated but, keep in mind that certain lights are going to read lower. Throwers always read lower because they focus the light much tighter and it does not bounce in the sphere as well. A really tight reflector like the one used on this DM21T causes it to throw a lot more than flood so the same applies. It really kind of does both, it throws very well then opens up to a nice flood. I could easily be 100 to 150 lumens low for that reason. A Rofis KR20 which I used in a short video for this light it has a reflector that has an excellent balance of both throw and flood so it measures out almost dead on in my sphere. It is close enough that I am not concerned with it. A light off by several hundred or more I have a problem with but, seeing this light in almost total darkness along with lights I know to have a correct lumen output and I can see that if it is low it is not but maybe 100 to 150 lumen.
My own thoughts. It’s a great light with a lot of potential and I like the dial, I like that a lot. Super-fast access to strobe if you need it, USB charging, polished metal reflector, scratch resistant glass lens and its only about $45.00 normal everyday price. I like the light a lot.
Is it perfect, of course not? I would love to see voltage protection added and some changes to the board so it can accept cells like a 30q. It is slim enough that I would like to have had a belt clip.
No light is going to be perfect this one is no different. I would buy this light, I would probably buy 2 and I would mount one on a rifle I need a light for. That dial would be perfect for that use, the other I would use at work. I come into a lot of situations that I need to change light modes fast and again the dial is pretty hard to beat.
Bottom line.
I absolutely recommended this light. Just remember that it is designed to use protected lithium ion cells so if you do purchase one make sure you have some that will fit, I have named 2 here that I know will fit and worked great.
For beam shots I did make a short video. There was a time I did a video for everything, I have gotten away from that. It is easier to show someone in video. I do wish I had taken the extra time to set up the better video camera but, hopefully this should do okay.
Thanks for reading.