New LumaPower M1-R Ultra-brief Review

[RebelXTNC]

It arrived today and I've only had a few minutes to work with it. I'm running 2x SureFire CR123a's while the 18650 batteries charge up.
It came with the orange peel reflector and tactical momentary/twisty in place.
The quick verdict: It's bright, it's white, it's got a smooth beam, it's well made and operates correctly.
I really do think a light of this caliber should come with an instruction page or two, at least mine didn't come with one. That's my only complaint.
The next brightest light I have is a D-mini. Using a smooth reflector, the D-mini has a tighter hotspot but the M1-R with orange peel is brighter overall.
I will be looking forward to comparing with the Olight T20 Q5 when that comes in.
Now I feel the eye-strain from looking at such bright lights on a white wall. I should stick to using them outside. They really do give a great clarity to everything outdoors within the 150-foot range that I tested. No straining to see objects that become visible but still murky like with my other lights that are all below 100 lumens.

 

[copperfox]

I also just bought the M1-R and I've had it for almost a week.

Good quality overall. Surface is very hard. My titanium wedding ring does not scratch the surface or leave a mark. This is good news for me, as I don't want to have to worry about using the light in my left hand. The light is solid feeling, with the head heavier than the rest of the body, even with the battery(ies) in. It is a little too big for EDC.

Like RebelXTNC said, I would also have appreciated some kind of instruction sheet on how to swap components (clickie, reflector) and at LEAST info on correct battery orientation. It turns out that the positive (+) terminal of a 18650 battery goes in first (toward the head). A Spec sheet would be nice too. I don't appreciate having to search the internet for this information when I spend this kind of money.

Light output is good. The smooth reflector has a couple noticable rings while the orange peel reflector produces a better looking pattern. The smooth reflector does not seem to increase throw very much, so I just leave the OP in all the time. The hot spot is a little small for my taste, but useful when trying to spot things at night from across the yard (50ft?) At long range, throw seems very similar to my 4D Mag LED. However, the color of the M1-R is more natural, and given the size difference, I'd take the M1-R over the 4D Mag LED anyday. I am very pleased with the tint compared to all of my other flashlights. It is slightly warmer than my SSC TLE-5EX for my minimag.

I am using a Tenergy 2600mah 18650 protected, but I cannot comment on runtime since I have not measured it.

The low setting is still fairly bright, useful for doing most close/medium range work. The low setting is not suitable for using in a dark room when trying not to wake the wife --it's too bright for that. The high setting is noticeably brighter. The reverse clickie goes to Low first, then High, then off again. The momentary switch is similar in function to the RiverRock 2xAAA...push and hold for on or twist the tail cap to keep it on.


Pros:
Good Throw for the size
Hard finish
Feels solid and compact in the hand
Very well built, all components secure
Nice clickie feel

Cons:
There is some battery rattle w/18650 protected (fixable)
Could use more knurling (not a big deal)
Reverse clickie , so you can't manually strobe with the two-stage clickie
should be high -> low -> off for tactical use
should say M1-R on the body (does this make me picky?) only says M1
pocket clip is bent (not an isolated case)

Overall, I like it and I would probably buy it again.

 

[MattK]

Hi Guys - glad that you're enjoying your new toys.

A few things you'll want to know:
-Instruction sheets for the M1-R's are in final revisions now and will be available for download. Soon they'll be included in the package with ALL LumaPower lights.

-Forward clickies will be available in ~ 2 weeks for ~ $10. Single stage.

 

[boosterboy]

Cons:
There is some battery rattle w/18650 protected (fixable)

Rattle?

Hmm, which brand of protected 18650s are you using.

I'm using AW protected 18650s in my M1 T, which has the same battery tube as yours, and I don't hear any rattle when I shake my light.

 

[RebelXTNC]

I'm also using the Tenergy 2600 mah protected 18650 batteries from the BatteryJunction. They fit with a little room to spare, not snug or binding at all.

 

[copperfox]

bump. added 2 photos.

RebelXTNC sorry I hijacked. :shrug:

 

[liquidinfo]

-Forward clickies will be available in ~ 2 weeks for ~ $10. Single stage.

Any chance there will be a dual-stage forward tactical clickie available for the M1-R, similar to the DminiD? The single stage is a great addition but it'd be nice to have the capability for momentary-on AND to take advantage of the dual-output.

And this one's for Ricky: When can we get the M1-R in Type III HA Pure Black?

Thanks,

Jojo

 

[MattK]

Any chance there will be a dual-stage forward tactical clickie available for the M1-R, similar to the DminiD? The single stage is a great addition but it'd be nice to have the capability for momentary-on AND to take advantage of the dual-output.

And this one's for Ricky: When can we get the M1-R in Type III HA Pure Black?

Thanks,

Jojo

The D-Mini forward tactical clickie switch isn't a multistage - that's the D-Mini's Digital Epsilon light engine. There are no plans to offer the M1 as a Digital light right now as that doesn't suit it's fundamental mission (tactical/duty light for military/LEO).

There WILL BE another light coming soon that will give you everything you've just asked for...(more to follow)

 

[woodrow]

There WILL BE another light coming soon that will give you everything you've just asked for...(more to follow)

Freakin A MattK! A D-mini, C2, Palmblaze, M3, M1-R, M1-R...new digital D-mini (missed the Q5 by HOURS!) and now something new... How much of my freakin money do you want before you are satisfied????

 

[liquidinfo]

There WILL BE another light coming soon that will give you everything you've just asked for...(more to follow)

 

[MattK]

LOL

Now that I think of there are 2 lights coming that are gonna cause a stir.

 

[Manzerick]

This is worth the wait!!! I have them both already and they are simply amazing!!!!



:lolsign: I gots nuthin'

 

[liquidinfo]

LOL

Now that I think of there are 2 lights coming that are gonna cause a stir.

ETA?

:thinking:

 

[MattK]

Within the next 10-14 days for both.

 

[RebelXTNC]

I have noted that if the bezel is fully tightened, the reflector will short out the contacts on the light engine. Is there supposed to be a thin plastic insulator there? I know that has been mentioned for some LumaPower lights. I have made sure the OP reflector is all the way forward and the retaining ring is tight, but it still touches just a fraction before the bezel is fully tight.

 

[woodrow]

On both M1-R's that I owned, it was important to make sure the pill was properly screwd down to the bottom...or almost the bottom depending on the light. Otherwise, after changing the reflector, or randomly, the light would stop working until the bezel was loosened. This also happened to one of the people (he PM'd me asking advice on how to fix) I sold one of my M1-R's to.

Once I made sure the pill was where that particular light liked it to be, the problem was solved.

Other than that, it was a decent light though.

 

[RebelXTNC]

Thanks I did gently test if the pill was tight and it seemed to be.
With the tiny size of the Rebel emitter, it's almost impossible to keep the dome inside the reflector and not have it also touch the solder joints.

 

[van Christie]

-Forward clickies will be available in ~ 2 weeks for ~ $10. Single stage.

Any news on the availability of those Single Stage?

Regards, vC

 

[MattK]

In stock - I simply haven't had the time/chance to get them listed.

I'll do my best to get them listed this weekend.

 

[van Christie]

In stock - I simply haven't had the time/chance to get them listed.

I'll do my best to get them listed this weekend.

Thanks a lot mate, can't wait to purchase it...got the M1-R from you this wednesday, yipie.

Regards, vC