herculaneum79
Newly Enlightened
Good day!
Today I present you a flashlight that is quite new on the market.
The LumaPower MRV Sidekick IV is the latest model of the well-known chinese brand.
A deep reflector, 850 lumens, one or two 18650 batteries and the new User Interface "Smart Switch" were the reasons for me to buy this flashlight.
The forerunner Sidekick III with Turbo Force Head is known as a very good thrower. Let's see if the new MRV SK4 is able to be a worthy successor!
Sadly the Turbo Force Head that enlarges the range very much is still not available, but I made a preorder and my german shop will deliver my TFH in the next 10 days. An update follow soon!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6786559254/in/photostream/lightbox/
Package and scope of delivery
The new Sidekick 4 comes in an old package … the printed information on the carton is not so new at all, but that doesn't matter - the inside is more important!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6786559216/in/photostream/lightbox/
You can find some things in the quite stable carton: The flashlight, the battery extender M-65 (which allow you to use two 18650 for longer runtime!), a english manual, a black tailcap silicone and, that was really surprising, 10 black O-Rings!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6786559230/in/photostream/lightbox/
Body, Quality and Size
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6786559240/in/photostream/lightbox/
After unpacking the item you will see that the MRV-SK4 is a typical LumaPower flashlight.
The anodizing is well made without any defects and the aluminium is quite thick I think.
Nearly the whole lamp is black anodized, only the part nera the side switch is brown-grey. Thanks to the ripples, the flashlight is not smooth and does not fall out of your hands.
You can find a tactical forward-clicky on the tail. A green glow-in-the dark (GITD) silicone is mounted, but there's a black exchange piece in the scope of delivery.
There are also two little holes on the tailcap so you can mount a lanyard.
11,5cm from the back end is the side switch which is used to switch between the two main modes and also to chose the brightness levels. But there'll be more information about the handling some lines later.
One of the main parts of the flashlight is the 35mm deep Smooth-Reflector that is quite good for much throw! The reflector in my copy is well made and without defects.
Between front lens and reflector is a GITD O-Ring that glow after the flashlight was turned on for a while.
O-Ring is a keyword: There is one black O-Ring on every screw thread except from the mittle one between head and body where you can find two rings. LumaPower says that the flashlight fulfills the IPX-8 standard. By the way, all screw threads are cutted well and there's no scratching.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6932688797/in/photostream/lightbox/
In general, the body quality is on a very high level!
Just a few measured data:
Length: 17.7cm
Length with M-65: 24.4cm
Diameter Head: 4.5cm
Diameter Tailcap: 2.9cm
LED and battery combinations
Behind the smooth reflector is a Cree XM-L U2 LED that brings roundabout 850 Lumens.
Sadly I can't measure the real brightness, but compared with other flashlights, the 850 lumens are quite realistic.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6932688783/in/photostream/lightbox/
A black plastic plate might bring you to the conclusion that the LED is not centered well - let me tell you, it is! The emitter is exactely in the middle of the reflector.
The manual says that the MRV SK4 runs between 3.6 to 12 Volt, so you can use the following battery combinations:
One 18650 battery (3.7V)
Two 18650 batteries (7.4V) -> With M-65
Two 16340er batteries (7.2V)
Two CR123A batteries (6V)
Two 17650 batteries (7.4V) -> With M-65
Four CR123A primary cells (12V) -> With M-65
Handling and modes
The all-new "Smart Switch" concept is a thing that I really like.
You turn on the lamp with the clicky in the back. It starts in the last used mode.
The side switch is responsible for the brightness- and mode changement.
In "A" mode you can chose between five brightness modes that change in turn:
100%, 50%, 25%, 10% and 3%.
In "B" mode you can chose between three modes: Strobe with 14Hz, S.O.S and "Light House" with 0.2Hz.
Changing the main modes "A" and "B" is quite easy: Just press the side switch more then one second while the flashlight runs.
This effects that the three blinking modes are not part of the normal brightness sequence.
I also checked one point that is important for me: It is possible to handle the Sidekick IV with gloves! The Seiz Supporter CR (fire fighter accessory) are quite inflexible.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6932688749/in/photostream/lightbox/
Battery Extender M-65
Included in delivery there is the M-65 Battery Extender. With this little tube it is possible to use two 18650 batteries so that the runtime is much longer! It is even possible to use four CR123A primary cells. In my opinion the Extender Tube is well made and has got the same colour as the flashlight itself.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6932688799/in/photostream/lightbox/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6788402098/in/photostream/lightbox/
Heating and runtime
In contrast to many smaller flashlights with XM-L emitter the LumaPower has got no heat problems! The big body is good to conduct the heat.
The temperature was measured with an IR-Thermometer on two points: "Head" is a point on the checkered area on the head, "Logo" is the point on the LumaPower logo.
There was no cooling while the test and the MRV SK4 was running on highest brightness.
Beginning:
Head: 22,5° Celsius
Logo: 22,5° Celsius
After 5 Minutes:
Head: 30,1°
Logo: 28,6°
After 10 Minutes:
Head: 35,3°
Logo: 33,6°
After 15 Minutes:
Head: 38,0°
Logo: 36,0°
After 20 Minutes:
Head: 39,0°
Logo: 37,3°
LumaPower says that the runtime is about 80 minutes with two 18650 batteries. I measured a time of 64 minutes with a Spark 2600mAh battery, then the brightness suddenly dropped.
About the beam
Compared to my second XM-L thrower MTE H6-1, the beam of the Sidekick 4 is quite attractive!
The beam is round, there's a bright spot in the middle. You see: It is a real thrower!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6788534498/in/photostream/lightbox/
Seeing the beam in short distances (50cm) you can see a lightly aureola, but that doesn't matter in outdoor actions!
I estimate that the real range is between 250 to 300 metre. The spot is quite wide compared to the "lightsaber" Dereelight DBS-T. That's better for real actions because you do not have a dark region down your feet.
This tower is about 25 metre away. Same settings in the camera (D700).
[url]http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6788540340/in/photostream/lightbox/
[/URL]
Conclusion
To draw a line, the MRV Sidekick IV is a very good thrower from LumaPower! The standard combination is quite good, but the additional TFH and the battery extender are nice because the flashlight can be upgraded easily. The good quality, the stunning brightness and the easy handling are the reason for me to say: I would buy it again!
Just to compare the size, from left to right:
MTE H6-1, LumaPower MRV Sidekick IV, Niteye EYE-30, Spark SL6S-800cw, Maxtoch ED2R-5, Lummi Wee
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6932688791/in/photostream/lightbox/
Today I present you a flashlight that is quite new on the market.
The LumaPower MRV Sidekick IV is the latest model of the well-known chinese brand.
A deep reflector, 850 lumens, one or two 18650 batteries and the new User Interface "Smart Switch" were the reasons for me to buy this flashlight.
The forerunner Sidekick III with Turbo Force Head is known as a very good thrower. Let's see if the new MRV SK4 is able to be a worthy successor!
Sadly the Turbo Force Head that enlarges the range very much is still not available, but I made a preorder and my german shop will deliver my TFH in the next 10 days. An update follow soon!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6786559254/in/photostream/lightbox/
Package and scope of delivery
The new Sidekick 4 comes in an old package … the printed information on the carton is not so new at all, but that doesn't matter - the inside is more important!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6786559216/in/photostream/lightbox/
You can find some things in the quite stable carton: The flashlight, the battery extender M-65 (which allow you to use two 18650 for longer runtime!), a english manual, a black tailcap silicone and, that was really surprising, 10 black O-Rings!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6786559230/in/photostream/lightbox/
Body, Quality and Size
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6786559240/in/photostream/lightbox/
After unpacking the item you will see that the MRV-SK4 is a typical LumaPower flashlight.
The anodizing is well made without any defects and the aluminium is quite thick I think.
Nearly the whole lamp is black anodized, only the part nera the side switch is brown-grey. Thanks to the ripples, the flashlight is not smooth and does not fall out of your hands.
You can find a tactical forward-clicky on the tail. A green glow-in-the dark (GITD) silicone is mounted, but there's a black exchange piece in the scope of delivery.
There are also two little holes on the tailcap so you can mount a lanyard.
11,5cm from the back end is the side switch which is used to switch between the two main modes and also to chose the brightness levels. But there'll be more information about the handling some lines later.
One of the main parts of the flashlight is the 35mm deep Smooth-Reflector that is quite good for much throw! The reflector in my copy is well made and without defects.
Between front lens and reflector is a GITD O-Ring that glow after the flashlight was turned on for a while.
O-Ring is a keyword: There is one black O-Ring on every screw thread except from the mittle one between head and body where you can find two rings. LumaPower says that the flashlight fulfills the IPX-8 standard. By the way, all screw threads are cutted well and there's no scratching.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6932688797/in/photostream/lightbox/
In general, the body quality is on a very high level!
Just a few measured data:
Length: 17.7cm
Length with M-65: 24.4cm
Diameter Head: 4.5cm
Diameter Tailcap: 2.9cm
LED and battery combinations
Behind the smooth reflector is a Cree XM-L U2 LED that brings roundabout 850 Lumens.
Sadly I can't measure the real brightness, but compared with other flashlights, the 850 lumens are quite realistic.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6932688783/in/photostream/lightbox/
A black plastic plate might bring you to the conclusion that the LED is not centered well - let me tell you, it is! The emitter is exactely in the middle of the reflector.
The manual says that the MRV SK4 runs between 3.6 to 12 Volt, so you can use the following battery combinations:
One 18650 battery (3.7V)
Two 18650 batteries (7.4V) -> With M-65
Two 16340er batteries (7.2V)
Two CR123A batteries (6V)
Two 17650 batteries (7.4V) -> With M-65
Four CR123A primary cells (12V) -> With M-65
Handling and modes
The all-new "Smart Switch" concept is a thing that I really like.
You turn on the lamp with the clicky in the back. It starts in the last used mode.
The side switch is responsible for the brightness- and mode changement.
In "A" mode you can chose between five brightness modes that change in turn:
100%, 50%, 25%, 10% and 3%.
In "B" mode you can chose between three modes: Strobe with 14Hz, S.O.S and "Light House" with 0.2Hz.
Changing the main modes "A" and "B" is quite easy: Just press the side switch more then one second while the flashlight runs.
This effects that the three blinking modes are not part of the normal brightness sequence.
I also checked one point that is important for me: It is possible to handle the Sidekick IV with gloves! The Seiz Supporter CR (fire fighter accessory) are quite inflexible.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6932688749/in/photostream/lightbox/
Battery Extender M-65
Included in delivery there is the M-65 Battery Extender. With this little tube it is possible to use two 18650 batteries so that the runtime is much longer! It is even possible to use four CR123A primary cells. In my opinion the Extender Tube is well made and has got the same colour as the flashlight itself.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6932688799/in/photostream/lightbox/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6788402098/in/photostream/lightbox/
Heating and runtime
In contrast to many smaller flashlights with XM-L emitter the LumaPower has got no heat problems! The big body is good to conduct the heat.
The temperature was measured with an IR-Thermometer on two points: "Head" is a point on the checkered area on the head, "Logo" is the point on the LumaPower logo.
There was no cooling while the test and the MRV SK4 was running on highest brightness.
Beginning:
Head: 22,5° Celsius
Logo: 22,5° Celsius
After 5 Minutes:
Head: 30,1°
Logo: 28,6°
After 10 Minutes:
Head: 35,3°
Logo: 33,6°
After 15 Minutes:
Head: 38,0°
Logo: 36,0°
After 20 Minutes:
Head: 39,0°
Logo: 37,3°
LumaPower says that the runtime is about 80 minutes with two 18650 batteries. I measured a time of 64 minutes with a Spark 2600mAh battery, then the brightness suddenly dropped.
About the beam
Compared to my second XM-L thrower MTE H6-1, the beam of the Sidekick 4 is quite attractive!
The beam is round, there's a bright spot in the middle. You see: It is a real thrower!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6788534498/in/photostream/lightbox/
Seeing the beam in short distances (50cm) you can see a lightly aureola, but that doesn't matter in outdoor actions!
I estimate that the real range is between 250 to 300 metre. The spot is quite wide compared to the "lightsaber" Dereelight DBS-T. That's better for real actions because you do not have a dark region down your feet.
This tower is about 25 metre away. Same settings in the camera (D700).
[url]http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6788540340/in/photostream/lightbox/
[/URL]
Conclusion
To draw a line, the MRV Sidekick IV is a very good thrower from LumaPower! The standard combination is quite good, but the additional TFH and the battery extender are nice because the flashlight can be upgraded easily. The good quality, the stunning brightness and the easy handling are the reason for me to say: I would buy it again!
Just to compare the size, from left to right:
MTE H6-1, LumaPower MRV Sidekick IV, Niteye EYE-30, Spark SL6S-800cw, Maxtoch ED2R-5, Lummi Wee
http://www.flickr.com/photos/partypixx/6932688791/in/photostream/lightbox/
