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In the beginning, when flashlights with 20 lumens were invented in the late 19th century, they were the most dazzling light. Back then, creating a 100-lumen flashlight was beyond the realm of possibility that even Thomas Edison can’t begin to fathom. Fast forward to the 21st century, man is now capable of surpassing what was once deemed impossible — a blinding 100,000-lumen flashlight!
That’s right. Imalent’s MS18 flashlight is the most powerful and brightest flashlight ever (so far). So, how does it do it? How can it be so powerful? Well, let’s go ahead and shed a light on our curious minds.
What’s it Like to Use?
First off, get a better picture of just how powerful the Imalent MS18 flashlight is. A typical smartphone’s flashlight is about 50 lumens while modern cars’ LED headlights are about 3,000 lumens. Multiply them by 2,000 and 33 respectively and you’ll get this Howitzer of a flashlight like none other (so bright you could turn midnight into midday).
The max beam of the Imalent MS18 can reach up to 4,429 feet (1.35 km) — way more than enough to light up an entire soccer field end-to-end. For signaling and rescue operations, you can easily get an aircraft’s attention or see a victim trapped in a deep canyon. And for self-defense purposes, no eyes stand a chance as this is like a constant flash grenade to whoever is caught in the spotlight.
Now, one thing to know is when you go turbo mode (100,000 lumens), it becomes noisy due to the cooling fan dissipating the heat. Moreover, it is heavy at 4.19 lbs (1.9 kg) so holding it one-handed requires some muscles. Good thing it comes with a shoulder strap.
Build Quality and Design
The insane brightness power of the Imalent MS18 flashlight lies in its 18 pieces of American CREE XHP70 2nd LEDs with a lifespan of up to 50,000 hours. It has 9 modes: turbo (100,000 lumens for 60 s, then drop to 25,000 lumens for 52 min), high III (60,000 lumens for 70 s, then drop to 25,000 lumens for 55 min), high II (30,000 lumens for 3.8 min, then drop to 25,000 lumens for 60 min), high I (22,000 lumens for 67 min), middle II (10,000 lumens for 3 h 40 min), middle I (5,000 lumens for 6 h 50 min), middle low (2,000 lumens for 9 h 15 min), low (700 lumens for 14 h 52 min), and strobe.
Powered by a built-in rechargeable 32,000mAh battery with 4h 25min charging time (comes with a charger). With great brightness power comes great heat. To prevent it from burning itself, it’s got a built-in intelligent circuit with thermal control module on top of the pipe cooling system.
Durability is no joke either. Aerospace-grade aluminum alloy body with wear-resistant hard-anodized surface treatment. It is also IP-56 waterproof so you can use it even in a storm (not water submersible though). Overall, you’re looking at a 10.43” (265mm) length, 5” (129mm) head diameter, and 2.32” (59mm) body diameter. The whole package comes in a sturdy carry case.
Final Thoughts
The Imalent MS18 100,000-lumen flashlight is truly a monster of a flashlight. Now the question is, do you need something this bright? For day-to-day applications, it is overkill. But for search and rescue, military strongholds, or coast guards (even UFO seekers) who need a nuclear light option, this works wonders!
Images courtesy of Imalent