[The Lite Review]: Imalent HR70 XHP70.2 Review

mcorp · 2018-04-08T13:11:20.000Z

Preface

The original review can be found on TLR's website: Click Here

The HR70 is Imalent's latest iteration of its headlamp series with a larger XHP70.2 LED.

It probably is one of the highest output headlamp available now; coming in at 3000 lumens. With all that power on tap - is it the headlamp to get?

Packaging & First Impressions

This is what the light will come with as shown below.

Packaging looks attractive and has a premium feel to it.
The threads and o-rings were mildly lubricated. Threads were rather smooth and clean (no gritty feeling).
The provided clip is reversible. Hence, attachment of the light to a baseball cap for hands-free usage is possible.
Out of the box, the clip does not have sufficient tension to ensure that the light will stay clipped to any material to prevent the light from falling out. A little bending helps increase the tension substantially.
The strong magnetic tail cap is able to bear the light’s weight when attached horizontally and vertically (upside down) to a flat ferrous metallic surface.
The head electronic switch has a nice tactile feel that produces an audible click upon activation.
Anodizing of the light is uniform without any missing specs.
Headband provided is of good quality and should withstand day-to-day abuse without issue.
Battery compartment holds the Imalent non-proprietary 18650 3000mAh battery OR KeepPower 18650 3400mAh battery with sufficient room for a slightly thicker battery width. 18650 3500mAh batteries should be able to fit without issue as well.

Front:

Back:

Sides:

Top:

Bottom:

Box Contents:

Quick Overview (Manufacturer Specifications)

Body Material: Black HAIII Aluminium
LED: XHP70.2
Battery Format: 1 x 18650 ONLY
Output & Runtime (with Imalent MRB-186P30 18650 3000mAh):
- Low - (30 lumen - 50h)
- Mid Low - (300 lumens - 4h 15min)
- Mid - (700 lumens - 1h 36min)
- High - (1500 lumens / 3min) -> (1000 lumens / 69min)
- Turbo - (3000 lumens / 1.5min) -> (1000 lumens / 66min)
Max Beam Distance: 151m
Beam intensity: 5,960cd
Waterproofness: IPX-8 Standard (2m)
Impact Resistance: 1.5m
Dimension: 103mm (length) x 21.3mm (body diameter) / 26mm (head diameter)
Weight: 100g (including battery)
Battery reverse polarity protection
Accessories Included:
- 1*Imalent MRB-186P30 18650 3000mAh battery
- 1*USB Magnetic Charging Cable
- 1*Headband with removable top strap
- 1*Clip
- 2*Spare O-rings
MSRP: ~$89

UI (User Interface)

UI for this light is good for Every Day Carry (EDC) as it is relatively straightforward to use.

Switching ON and OFF is done by the electronic switch on the head of the light, so no momentary activation is possible.

Its UI is somewhat similar to a non-programmable Zebralight H600w's UI which we reviewed previously but at a slightly slower mode cycling.

From OFF:

1 Click – Light will switch ON to last used mode (last mode memory).
2 Click – Direct access to TURBO; 2 Click again to activate STROBE - another 2 Click will return to TURBO/ HOLD (~1 sec) to return to last used mode.
3 Click – Direct access to LOW.
HOLD (till RED indicator flashes 4 times) – LOCKOUT mode is enabled; HOLD (till GREEN indicator flashes 3 times)– LOCKOUT is disabled.

From ON:

1 Click – Light will switch OFF.
2 Click – Direct access to TURBO; 2 Click again to activate STROBE - another 2 Click will return to TURBO/ HOLD (~1 sec) to return to last used mode.
3 Click – Direct access to LOW.
HOLD – Mode change (light cycles through LOW, MID LOW, MID & HIGH); release switch to select mode.

Note:

Avoid using TURBO for more than ~10 sec when using it as a headlight, as it can get uncomfortably warm.
All modes can be memorized except for TURBO and STROBE.
When the light is switched ON, the GREEN indicator will switch ON as well (as seen below).
Low battery indicator - the Red indicator will switch ON when the battery is <3.2V.

Form Factor

For flashlights that are intended to use on a daily basis (EDC) and for possibly a long period of time, form factor is extremely important.

This light fits a medium sized hand easily. For headlamps, there isn't many ways of holding it but rather it would be more of test of comfort whilst it's on your head. The Imalent-branded headband held the light sturdily even when doing more vigorous activity (e.g. jogging/running), at no time did the light feel like it was about to fall off. However, the 2 rubber mounts would leave a mark on one’s forehead after prolonged usage.

While using the light without the headband, the light is able to tail-stand perfectly, providing nice angled light where needed.

Charging Process

With the provided USB Magnetic Charging Cable, the battery was charging at ~0.92A.

The light is capable of operating on a level in between MID LOW & MID modes even when charging (at the expense of a slower charging rate).

The RED indicator depicts charging in progress and GREEN indicator depicts charging has completed.

Magnetic Charging is an extremely easy option of charging. By bringing the Magnetic Charging head close to the Magnetic Charging interface, the magnet will do its work and instantly snap them into place. However, do ensure that the Magnetic Charging head remains seated correctly throughout the charging duration as moving the headlight would cause it to dislodge and stop the charging process.
There is no foreseeable issue with this Magnetic Charging interface, due to the small black insulating ring and recessed Magnetic Charging interface.

Note: Both the Magnetic Charging capability and provided 18650 battery are non-proprietary.

Beam Style/Beamshots

For this light, the spill, corona and hotspot is somewhat predictable due to the fairly shallow Orange Peel Reflector. Despite the larger sized LED used, the beam is still sufficiently "throwy" for recognising items in the near to mid-range distance - due to the sheer output the LED is capable of.

The above beam profiles are a rough interpretation of what is seen when white wall hunting.

The beam has a large hotspot with some slight corona which then blends into a rather wide usable (almost square) spill. It also helps that the XHP70.2 led is perfectly centred in this sample. There are no rings or dark “donut” in the beam when whitewall hunting or in real world usage.

All of the beamshots taken below are done so with the following camera settings (LOW: 0,5, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, MID LOW: 1/4, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, MID & HIGH: 1/6, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, TURBO: 1/8, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB).
Some pictures have been adjusted slightly to depict as close as to what is seen in real life. The distance of the light from the door is 4.6m.

Control shot:

LOW (30 lumen):

MID LOW (300 lumens):

MID (700 lumens):

HIGH (1500 lumens):

TURBO (3000 lumens):

Mode (Output) Spacing

Mode spacing appears to be progressively brighter to the eye and the modes are well spaced enough to be able to know which mode one is currently in. With that in mind, TLR tend to view mode spacing as battery life indicators (amount of runtime left) rather than the specific output (lumens).

The naming convention for the mode levels is rather uncommon with LOW, MID LOW, MID, HIGH & TURBO. An alternative way could be LOW, MID, HIGH, TURBO & TURBO MAX or something to that effect, since both of the brightest output modes are more of a short run "TURBO" before stepping down to 1000 lumens.

It would be nice if Imalent would incorporate a MOONLIGHT mode to one that is at moonlight level (sub-lumen or 1 lumen) for those bedtime runs or during which having 30 lumens is way too bright for the night-adjusted eyes.
However, since this light is primarily targeted for those looking for an outdoor "floody" light, it is understandable why Imalent omitted this mode.

Tint & CRI

Imalent did not disclose the tint (color temperature) and/or the CRI (Color Rendering Index) for the main LEDs used in their light. For this light, a guesstimate would be in the 6000K and 70CRI ballpark.

Surprisingly, despite the LED used, there isn't much tint shifts throughout the beam profile. The hotspot is cool white whilst the corona possess a hint of yellow tint; and the spill having a hint of pinkish-purple tint.
This is however, not noticeable in real life.

Waterproofness

The light was subjected to warm water submersion, followed by cold water submersion and left under room temperature running water tap whilst running on TURBO.

No signs of water intrusion in the head, switch or body was seen.

Lockout Capability

Both electronic lockout and mechanical lockout are possible when needed, like during transportation in a bag.

See UI (User Interface), on how to activate and deactivate LOCKOUT.
When LOCKOUT mode is activated, any button presses will cause the RED indicator to flash once.

A quarter turn (anti-clockwise) of the head section of the headlamp OR a half turn (anti-clockwise) of the tail section of the headlamp will enable mechanical lockout.

Scale Comparison (Ruler)

Summary

To sum up, we believe that the most important part of any review is if given the chance to purchase the same light for our own EDC or to gift to our loved ones out from one's pocket (wallet), would we still do it?
For this light, it is a YES - if not having a MOONLIGHT mode is not an issue for your usage.

The large XHP70.2 LED in a shallow Orange Peel reflector produces a nice floody beam profile with little tint shift - making it extremely useful for outdoor usage. It lights up a large portion of one's peripheral vision while still providing sufficient throw for most up-close and mid-range duties. Plus the included 18650 and USB Magnetic Charging allow for a complete headlamp setup. The UI is extremely straightforward to use and direct access to LOW and TURBO modes are all major plus points.

As with the Emisar D4 we reviewed previously, the quote “with great power comes great responsibility” applies. Even though the light will automatically throttle down when the temperature is 50 degrees Celsius, anything more than 10 seconds in TURBO on dark materials would cause the material to smoke a little. Hence, we definitely recommend restricting TURBO mode usage (when it's attached to one's forehead) to 10 seconds bursts.

As mentioned earlier, we look forward to the day that Imalent incorporates a MOONLIGHT mode for indoor usage as well. That certainly would help make the HR70 - a more all-rounded headlamp for both indoor & outdoor usages.

Here is a bonus size comparison picture next to some of the other headlamps (Nitecore HC65 and Zebralight H600w) which we recently reviewed.

As with all gears, two is one and one is none.

Stay safe,
The Lite Review

Disclaimer: Light was provided for by Imalent (manufacturer) through a local distributor for this review. No other compensation was provided.

Where to Buy Links

Click HERE to check out where to get this light.

SKV89 · 2018-04-08T16:35:14.000Z

Thanks for the great review. I was excited about this light but didn’t buy it because it didn’t have a WW/NW tint option like the Armytek, Zebralights, and Olight headlamps. 3000 lumens is amazing on that little thing. Even my Acebeam H15 with 2,500 lumens is an eye opener.

I also wish Imalent would add back the intuitive rotary brightness control like on the HR20 and Acebeam H15 instead of the button on the top which requires two hands to operate when you have it on the headband. Also a <1 lumen moonlight mode would be great for nightime or camping use. Adding a tail magnet would make it very handy for many different tasks. That would make it the perfect headlamp.

NeutralFan · 2018-04-08T22:17:26.000Z

Thanks for the review mcorp. Agreed a moonlight mode would be nice, but that’s a lot of lumens coming from a headlamp. Personally I only use a headlamp for working on stuff, so a moonlight mode is not a deal breaker for me, but I would prefer a neutral white option.

mcorp · 2018-04-25T04:18:50.000Z

SKV89:

Thanks for the great review. I was excited about this light but didn’t buy it because it didn’t have a WW/NW tint option like the Armytek, Zebralights, and Olight headlamps. 3000 lumens is amazing on that little thing. Even my Acebeam H15 with 2,500 lumens is an eye opener.

I also wish Imalent would add back the intuitive rotary brightness control like on the HR20 and Acebeam H15 instead of the button on the top which requires two hands to operate when you have it on the headband. Also a <1 lumen moonlight mode would be great for nightime or camping use. Adding a tail magnet would make it very handy for many different tasks. That would make it the perfect headlamp.

NeutralFan:

Thanks for the review mcorp. Agreed a moonlight mode would be nice, but that’s a lot of lumens coming from a headlamp. Personally I only use a headlamp for working on stuff, so a moonlight mode is not a deal breaker for me, but I would prefer a neutral white option.

Thanks for the compliments!

A neutral white option will definitely be a welcome decision from Imalent, especially since their bin selection for the cool white version (might still be tint lottery at play here) is on point.

@SKV89 there is actually a strong tail market on the HR70, perhaps we had not mentioned it clearly enough in our review. A rotary control UI would be excellent in a headlamp (like the 2 models you mentioned) but even with a button top switch, one-handed operation can still be used (thumb activates the switch and the middle finger supports the tail) in this case.

Nickerian · 2019-01-09T04:26:12.000Z

Only registered to comment about this lamp.
In overall its a great headlamp but it feels like they didnt even test it because the magnetic charging is a joke on this model. (i have 2 HR70)

meanwhile the same type of charger works great on RT70 (i do not recommend this lamp, very bright spot in the middle only)

The only imalent lamp i have tested so far and actually work as it should is DT70 which is amazing however dont have any place to put a strap so you can have a rope around your arm or hang it up, only a belt storage thingy… (DT35 have the same issue as RT70 just bright spot in the middle)