I have had this for a few weeks now and even though I have not fully tested it (outdoors), I thought I would give everyone my intial thoughts on this light.
The flashlight comes packaged in a nice box with extra O rings and a clickie style switch. Unfortunately, that is it! There are no instructions, no manual, nothing! You would not think you would need an owners manual with a flashlight, but this is not a cheap plastic light like the type that you buy in drug stores. It took me a little while to switch out the switch. I am a computer tech so switching out small parts in electronics is nothing new to me. It was not that difficult to do in the end, I was just overly cautious since I spent about $145.00 on this thing including postage! I also could not initially figure out how to put the light in low power mode. Several folks on this forum have also had the same issues with this light, so I am not alone. A simple little piece of paper in the box could have given one all the information that one needs. It also did not come with any batteries. Most lights I buy these days come with batteries, not to mention a lanyard and sometimes a nice nylon pouch. I have a Rayovac light that I got at Kmart for $30.00 and it came with all of these things! I am not saying that all of these items should be included, but for $120.00, batteries should at least be there.
The MRV's exterior is built very well and looks like it would hold up for many years. It has a nice solid feel to it and for me at least, is just the right size. As far as brightness, it is rated as being over 210 lumens. I do not have any way of measuring this, but I would doubt that this is true. I have a Fenix P3D that is rated at 160 lumens, and it is brighter than my MRV. Keep in mind that I have only tested the MRV indoors and I realize that it was made for throw. The MRV may light up a subject about 100 yards away, where the Fenix would not, but would I be able to make out something that far away anyway?? :thinking:. To put the MRV in low power mode, you just turn the body right below the silver piece below the head. In my opinion you have to turn it too far for this to happen. You almost feel like it is going to come off before the light dims! I am exaggerating, but the body of the light gets a little wobbly when you do this. Batterywise, it takes 2 CR123 lithium batteries or one 18650 rechargeable. I thought about trying a pair of rechargeable CR123As (the 3.6V type), but they apparently only last about 25 minutes. The 18650's seem like the best option for runtime. The MRV does not seem to do a great job of regulating power. I am going by some of the runtime charts submitted by various members of the forum. Apparently, you only get the full output of the flashlight for a very short period of time and then the light slowly dims afterwards. The rechargeable CR123's had a nice steady flat output, but died after 25 minutes. I have decided to stay away from these cells either way as they do not seem to be very high capacity or very good quality.
All in all this is a good solid light with maybe a few QC issues that could be easily fixed or tweaked. Is is worth 119.99? No. These lights, like a lot of electronics, are sold by the numbers. We all want more lumens and maybe we put too much into that when we choose these lights. I am glad that I added it to my collection however. I think for the money though, you can do just as well with an Inova or even a Pentagonlight, and spend a bit less money on a better quality light.
The flashlight comes packaged in a nice box with extra O rings and a clickie style switch. Unfortunately, that is it! There are no instructions, no manual, nothing! You would not think you would need an owners manual with a flashlight, but this is not a cheap plastic light like the type that you buy in drug stores. It took me a little while to switch out the switch. I am a computer tech so switching out small parts in electronics is nothing new to me. It was not that difficult to do in the end, I was just overly cautious since I spent about $145.00 on this thing including postage! I also could not initially figure out how to put the light in low power mode. Several folks on this forum have also had the same issues with this light, so I am not alone. A simple little piece of paper in the box could have given one all the information that one needs. It also did not come with any batteries. Most lights I buy these days come with batteries, not to mention a lanyard and sometimes a nice nylon pouch. I have a Rayovac light that I got at Kmart for $30.00 and it came with all of these things! I am not saying that all of these items should be included, but for $120.00, batteries should at least be there.
The MRV's exterior is built very well and looks like it would hold up for many years. It has a nice solid feel to it and for me at least, is just the right size. As far as brightness, it is rated as being over 210 lumens. I do not have any way of measuring this, but I would doubt that this is true. I have a Fenix P3D that is rated at 160 lumens, and it is brighter than my MRV. Keep in mind that I have only tested the MRV indoors and I realize that it was made for throw. The MRV may light up a subject about 100 yards away, where the Fenix would not, but would I be able to make out something that far away anyway?? :thinking:. To put the MRV in low power mode, you just turn the body right below the silver piece below the head. In my opinion you have to turn it too far for this to happen. You almost feel like it is going to come off before the light dims! I am exaggerating, but the body of the light gets a little wobbly when you do this. Batterywise, it takes 2 CR123 lithium batteries or one 18650 rechargeable. I thought about trying a pair of rechargeable CR123As (the 3.6V type), but they apparently only last about 25 minutes. The 18650's seem like the best option for runtime. The MRV does not seem to do a great job of regulating power. I am going by some of the runtime charts submitted by various members of the forum. Apparently, you only get the full output of the flashlight for a very short period of time and then the light slowly dims afterwards. The rechargeable CR123's had a nice steady flat output, but died after 25 minutes. I have decided to stay away from these cells either way as they do not seem to be very high capacity or very good quality.
All in all this is a good solid light with maybe a few QC issues that could be easily fixed or tweaked. Is is worth 119.99? No. These lights, like a lot of electronics, are sold by the numbers. We all want more lumens and maybe we put too much into that when we choose these lights. I am glad that I added it to my collection however. I think for the money though, you can do just as well with an Inova or even a Pentagonlight, and spend a bit less money on a better quality light.
