[Review] - Imalent MS12W vs Imalent R90C - 53.000 vs 20.000 -by Lock

lock · Jan 17, 2019

Hi guys!!! Today I have the pleasure to review the two most powerful flashlights made by Imalent: we will talk about the Imalent MS12W and Imalent R90C analyzing characteristics and differences.

Packaging and content: MS12W & R90C

The Imalent MS12W and the R90C arrive in a large rigid cardboard box with magnetic closure and carrying handle. The main information and a brief description of the products are shown on two sides of the package.
The flashlights are well embedded inside a thick layer of black sponge packaging. All the accessories supplied in the bundle are hidden on the bottom. My samples come from England, than power supply requires an European adapter.

The equipment is the same for both models and contains:
• Imalent MS12W or R90C flashlight
• Battery pack
• Transport belt
• Spare O-ring
• Charger
• User Manual

Main Features and Technical Specifications Imalent MS12W
• Utilizes 12x American CREE XHP70.2 LEDs, with a lifespan of up to 50000 hours and a maximum output of 53000 lumens.
• Built-in safety self testing intelligent charging circuit, convenient,fast and safe.
• Eight levels which can be exchanged quickly and instant Turbo.
• Six battery capacity indicators around the flashlight head, shows the capacity any time.
• Size: 258mm (length) * 129.5 mm (head diameter) * 55.5mm (body diameter)
• Net weight:1740g (battery included)
• High efficiency constant current circuit will maintain constant brightness
• Built-in thermal control module will automatically adjust the brightness output, keep using comfortably.
• Combination of toughened ultra-clear mineral and anti-reflective coating glass
• Aluminum OP reflector
• Aerospace-grade aluminum alloy body, wear-resistant Type III hard-anodized surface treatment
• IPX-8 standard waterproof (2 meters submersible)

Main Features and Technical Specifications Imalent R90C
• Utilizes 9x CREE XHP35 HI LEDs, with a lifespan of up to 50000 hours and a maximum output of 20000 lumens.
• Built-in self-testing intelligent charging circuit which is convenient, fast and safe.
• Six power levels which can be changed quickly with instant turbo available.
• Battery capacity indicators show the battery level at any time.
• Size: 206mm (length) * 129.5 mm (head diameter) * 55.5mm (body diameter)
• Net weight: 1250g (battery included)
• High efficiency constant current circuit maintains consistent brightness
• Built-in thermal control module automatically adjusts the brightness output to keep the unit from overheating.
• Combination of toughened ultra-clear mineral anti-reflective coated glass
• Aluminium SMO reflector
• Aerospace-grade aluminium alloy body, wear-resistant Type III hard anodized surface treatment
• Waterproof to IPX-8 standard. (2 meters submersible)

Runtime
Following the runtime curves: "Turbo" and "High III" levels for the MS12W and "Turbo" and "High" levels for the R90C.

The MS12W has the distinction of being equipped with an embedded fan that is activated when the temperature exceeds 55°C and which allows to slightly mitigate the heat produced by the 12 voracious XHP70.2

Runtime MS12W Turbo Level

After 2 minutes from Power On, the MS12W embedded fan turns on and stays on for the entire Runtime test. After 1 hour and 2 minutes, the status LEDs on the flashlight head change color from Green to Red to indicate that the battery pack has reached a voltage value lower than 11.8 Volt. After 1 hour and 18 minutes they start to flash red (voltage lower than 11 Volt).
At 1 hour and 29 minutes from the ignition the light switches off.

Runtime MS12W High III Level

Runtime MS12W Turbo & High III Levels Comparison

Runtime R90C Turbo Level

During runtime test of the R90C, after 43 minutes from power On, the status LEDs change from Green to Red (voltage calue lower than 11,8 Volt). At 55 minutes from the ignition they turn Red flashing (voltage lower than 11 Volt) and at 58 minutes the light power off.

Runtime R90C High Level

Runtime R90C Turbo & High Levels Comparison

During the Turbo Runtime test, the two flashlight reached very high temperatures, especially in the initial minutes. the r90c after 10 minutes from the ignition exceeds 60 degrees, impossible to hold in your hands without gloves.

The MS12W seems to have gone slightly better from the point of view of heat dissipation. Thanks to the built-in fan always active during the whole test, but also thanks to the large amount of dissipating mass present, the temperature never exceeded 60 degrees.
In both models, during the runtime test, there were slight fogging of the lens as you can see in the picture.

User Interface

The User Interface is very simple and identical for both flashlights. Thanks to the side switch you can access all the functions.

Power On / Off and Level Selection: To turn the flashlight on or off, just click on the side button. When the flashlight is on, holding the button down will cycle through the various levels.
For the MS12W the cycle will be as follows: Low (300lm) - Middle Low (900lm) - Middle I (1900lm) - Middle II (3800lm) - High I (7500lm) - High II (15000lm) - High III (30000lm-15000lm )
For the R90C the cycle will be as follows: Low (200lm) - Middle Low (500lm) - Middle I (1200lm) - Middle II (2500lm) - Middle High (5000lm) - High (8000lm)

Direct access to the Turbo / Strobe: with the torch on or off, press the button twice consecutively to access the Turbo (53,000lm for the MS12W or 20,000lm for the R90C). With the flashlight on and with two more quick clicks you will switch to the special Strobo level.

Side light mode: The MS12W and R90C are equipped with a series of secondary LEDs positioned around the head. To turn them on just keep the switch pressed for a second. With a further click you will go to the next level according to the Low - Middle - High order. To turn them off, just hold the switch down for about 1 second.

Low Power Warning: With the flashlight on, when the voltage is higher than 11.8V the LED status indicators around the head will be lit in green, when the battery drops below 11.8V it will become colored Red while under the 11V will begin to flash indicating to the user that the battery pack will need to be recharged.

Intelligent Thermal Control: When using the flashlight at high levels, such as Turbo, the temperature will increase dramatically. When 55°C is reached, the torch automatically reduces the output to a lower level to avoid dangerous overheating and preserving the life of LEDs and electronic parts. In the MS12W it will go from 53000lm to 15000lm while in the R90C the stepdown will go from 20000lm to 8000lm.

Memory Mode: The flashlight will remember the last level of output used except for the Turbo and Strobe levels.

Lock-out:[/ b] Press the power button 3 times to lock the interface. To confirm the operation, the status LEDs around the head will emit two red flashes. To unlock it, simply press the switch again three times in a row. In this case the side leds will come up with Green to indicate the success of the operation.

The body and the materials
The Imalent MS12W and the R90C are powerful, heavy and powerful torches.

The MS12W has a length of about 25 cm with a weight of about 1.7Kg.

The R90C is slightly shorter with a length of 20cm, for 1.2kg of weight.

The head of the two torches have the same diameter but have a slightly different shape.

The general invoice of both products is excellent. The materials are of quality, abundant thicknesses and finishes treated in detail.

The power supply is powered by a battery pack of 20700 in 4S configuration for the R90C (MRB207S 3.6V 63.6Wh) and 4S4P for the MS12W (MRB207S 3.6V 92.2Wh).

Before use, we must remember to remove the protective film that protects the lens

The MS12W is equipped with 12 Cree XHP70.2 LEDs in the Neutral White version and a multi-reflector with orange peel treatment.

Instead the R90C mounts 9 XHP35 HI decupolated LEDs and its multi reflector is smooth mirror polished.

The bezel is made of brushed steel, very protruding (about 1 cm) and effectively protects the lens.
The lens is ultra-clear with anti-scratch and anti-reflective.

The lettering is minimal but well made and present only in the queue with the model of the flashlight, the battery pack code, the company logo and the CE certification.

The tail is not flat but also allows the flashlight to be used in tailstanding on flat surfaces.

Here there are 4 holes for attaching wrist straps, paracord or to hook the supplied carabiner hooks

Both the MS12W and the R90C can be disassembled essentially in two parts: the head and the battery pack.

The head is very large with a pyramidal trunk shape. Its surface is worked with vertical and horizontal milling and with a series of elongated holes along the entire circumference.

The MS12W, compared to the R90C, has larger and more numerous holes. These allow, thanks to the action of the inner fan, of which the torch is equipped, a perfect air circulation, and therefore, an excellent heat dissipation.

The particular processing of the head, moreover, guarantees the antirolling on inclined surfaces.

The anodization is perfect everywhere, smooth but not shiny, to the touch offers a beautiful feeling and also a good grip.
The switch is side, in steel, slightly protruding and surrounded by a bezel ring also in steel. The pressure is soft, very easy to activate and emits a silent "click". It is easily detectable even in the dark but a little less if you are using gloves.

Around the head of both models there are 6 status LEDs that light up, with flashlight On, Green or Red to indicate the status of the battery. Moreover, these also act as auxiliary LEDs, with white light available with three different output levels.

The battery pack is cylindrical and with a nice squared processing alternated by vertical and horizontal grooves. It is not possible to exchange the battery pack between the two torches because the thread is different.

To charge the battery, just use the supplied charger (19V 2A). Four status LEDs light up red during the charging phase and Green when charging is complete.

The electrical contacts are well made, golden and with a good section. On the battery pack there are 4 protruding buttons almost 2mm

On the head of the flashlight, however, the contacts are circular.

The threads are well made, precise, flowing and well lubricated. Thanks to the anodization they allow the physical lock-out of the interface by slightly unscrewing the battery pack.

In the hand, despite the size and weight, both torches are well balanced.

Both the R90C and the MS12W are guaranteed to be waterproof according to the IPX8 standard. Tested in the rain and under the snow they both behaved very well. The presence of the fan on the MS12W leaves me a little 'skeptical about the total impermeability, guaranteed as IPX8.
I wonder what could happen if the torch is totally immersed in water if for example the fan is active or what can happen in very dusty and sandy environments.

Comparison with other torches
Comparison between MS12W, R90C and R70C. The diameter of the head of these three Imalent is almost identical, but the weight is very different: the R70C is in fact much lighter.

.... here a dimensional comparison with the small Lumintop GT Mini ....

Beam, Tint and Beamshots
The MS12W beam is diffused, wide and with a lot of throw if used at high levels. Turned on the Turbo the torch is "scary", a real wall of light. The Neutral tint is very beautiful, uniform over the whole beam with an excellent color rendering.

The R90C's beam, on the other hand, is purely shooting, wide and not very focused. The spill allows you to see very well in the immediate vicinity. Tint of this model is Cool but not too cold.

Following Wallshot show the beam on a white wall .

...Low Level...

The beam in both models does not contain artifacts.
Following some Nightshot on the average / long distance and some shots with the comparison of the beams

Beamshot #1 – Imalent MS12W

Beamshot #2 – Imalent MS12W

Beamshot #3 – Imalent R90C

Beamshot #4 – Imalent R90C

Beamshot #5 – Imalent R90C and MS12W Beam Comparison

Beamshot #6 – Imalent R90C and MS12W Beam Comparison

Beamshot #7 – Imalent R90C and MS12W Beam Comparison

Beamshot #8 – Imalent R90C and MS12W Beam Comparison

Beamshot #9 – Imalent R90C and MS12W Beam Comparison

Beamshot #10 – Imalent R90C and MS12W Beam Comparison

Beamshot #11 – Imalent R90C and MS12W Beam Comparison

Beamshot #12 – Imalent R90C and MS12W Beam Comparison

Beamshot #13 – Imalent R90C and MS12W Beam Comparison

Beamshot #14 – Imalent R90C and MS12W Beam Comparison

Beamshot #15 – Imalent R90C and MS12W Beam Comparison

Beamshot #16 – Imalent R90C and MS12W Beam Comparison

Final considerations

The MS12W and the R90C are two exceptional products not only in terms of power, in this time they are at the top of the world's most powerful LED flashlight rankings, but also from the point of view of build quality.

The materials are excellent, the abundant thicknesses. Everything is taken care of in the smallest details. Both torches have unique characteristics and dizzying performance !!!

Very beautiful from the aesthetic point of view, the MS12W and the R90C are characterized by a special processing of their body full of grooves, millings and holes, especially in the head area.

The dissipation, despite the powers involved, is excellent. The heat is dispersed on the battery pack and on the large surface of the head allowing it to maintain, for long periods, very high output levels.
The fan of the MS12W actually works! I was a bit skeptical about its effectiveness, but in I had to change my mind: it allows you to dissipate a good part of the heat produced by the LEDs.

The MS12W beam is very wide, with a good throwing on high levels. The Neutral tint is beautiful, uniform over the whole beam and with an excellent color rendering.
The R90C, has a purely Thrower beam, not very focused, with a wide spot and a bright and bright spill that can be used to see well in the immediate vicinity. The tint is Cool, not very cold, i think around 6000K.

I found particularly intriguing the 6 status LEDs placed around the head, always on when the torches are in use. They return information on the battery status and, but also act as auxiliary LEDs to illuminate in the short distance.

The switch is well done but maybe it is too soft and too simple to activate.
Unfortunately, there is no threaded screw to hook the flashlight to a tripod and I sincerely hope that Imalent adopts some solutions for this, maybe some dedicated accessories.

Simple and intuitive interface, with many levels well spaced, direct access to the Turbo and Strobe hidden. However, there is no direct access to the Low level.

I end this review by making my compliments to Imalent. The MS12W and the R90C have pleasantly impressed me from every point of view, they are really Top products !!!

blackbalsam · Jan 17, 2019

Wow, Thanks for all the time and effort put into this review. Excellent job.

SKV89 · Jan 17, 2019

Very nice review and comparison. That must took a huge effort to put together! I really like the NW tint of the MS12W. Really brings out the colors.

Looking at the runtime charts, I'm very disappointed that Imalent did not include active temperature regulation, which is unacceptable for high end lights like these. These lights only know how to drop output but does not know how to raise output when the temperature cools off.

I have the R90C and it is very well built and definitely very fun light. I just wish it had active temperature regulation.

[Review] - Imalent MS12W vs Imalent R90C - 53.000 vs 20.000 -by Lock

lock

Newly Enlightened

blackbalsam

Flashlight Enthusiast

SKV89

Enlightened

Similar threads

Latest posts