Imalent MS18: Mother Of All Flashlights Reviewed

The Imalent MS18’s fit and finish is excellent. The powder-coating is even, the threading is lubricated and smooth, and the flashlight functioned perfectly right off the bat.

The gold-plated battery contacts keep a solid connection even when the flashlight is jarred.

I do wish the handle had more grippy knurling rather than the relatively shallow horizontal and vertical grooves. The MS18 is a heavy flashlight(4lbs) and you need as much grip as you can especially in wet conditions. Granted, if it did have deeper knurling then the aluminum chassis would be thicker and heavier. This flashlight is heavy enough as it is.

The custom hard case is a very nice, but more importantly, the case is a practical solution for first-responders who need to keep these units on standby in their vehicles ready to go.

Several other reviewers have noted that their independent tests reveal less lumen output than Imalent’s official published numbers. I don’t have the equipment to verify this, but I believe they are probably correct. 100,000 lumens is an awfully convenient number.

One thing all reviewers agree on. The Imalent MS18 is the undisputed brightest production flashlight on earth and has been for quite some time now.

There are a few flashlights out there with forced air cooling fans, but very few with integrated liquid/vapor cooled radiators. The MS18 smart thermostat triggers two cooling fans, one fan pulls the cool air in and through the radiator core while the other fan exhausts the hot air out the opposite side.

The copper radiator core is quite an advanced thing to behold. It is comprised of two vapor-filled heat-tubes encased in cooling fins. A condensing and evaporative process within these tubes cools and transfers the heat out to the heat sink which, in turn, dissipates the heat to the air and out of the through flashlight’s exhaust fan.

The fan cooling system isn’t exactly a quiet. I’d compare it to the low setting on a hair-dryer. I can’t see anyone using this flashlight for stealthy applications. How stealthy is 100,000 lumens anyway! Ha!

You can cycle through the desired output levels by simply pressing and holding the power button while the flashlight is already on. I’ll explain Turbo and tactical strobe later on.

Here are Imalent’s published specs of the MS18’s output levels and runtimes for each mode:

When the MS18’s battery pack sits at about 16.1 volts when it is fully charged and in a resting state.

No matter what mode your are in, double-tapping the power button will unleash the monster within…aka Turbo mode. You can enjoy about a minute of bliss before the MS18 throttles back to 25,000 lumens in order to avoid a nuclear meltdown.

The MS18 is capable of disorienting suspects or dispersing large crowds of people from safe distances. It unleashes the full 100,000 lumen tactical strobe down-range over a large area making it very useful for crowd control.

Alternatively, it can be used as very powerful emergency beacon that could be seen well over 10 miles away.

Each of the 18 XHP 70.2 LEDs has its own “orange peal” textured reflector which disperses the light into an even flood while still throwing the beam downrange over one kilometer. Each LED is perfectly centered with its own reflector which is a good indicator of tight quality control.

The MS18 is IP56 rated which means it will do just fine in driving rain or waves in rough seas. The cooling system requires plenty of ventilation and water won’t hurt it.

My main concern is actually dust which might eventually impede the cooling fans. Should you ever need to clean them, the fans are accessible for maintenance via access panels which are secured by torx screws.

The MS18 delivers its monstrous power through 18 American CREE XHP70 second-generation LEDs. Each ultra-high output LEDs delivers over 5500 lumens! That’s about the equivalent output of two cars with their high beams on!

So, basically it’s like holding the power of 36 sets of car headlights in the your hand!

It takes about 4 hours to fully charge the 8 internal 21700 batteries. a halo of LED’s around the rear charging port go from red to green when it is fully charged.

You should consider buying additional battery packs if you plan on using the MS18 for multiple hours on end. The MS18 battery pack is compatible with the R90TS flashlight which isn’t as powerful as the MS18 but has more throw.

A 4 pound flashlight gets pretty heavy in hand especially after an hour or so. I found the adjustable shoulder strap is huge help. The strap adjusts on both sides of the shoulder pad and features swivel clasps so the strap won’t twists up on you.

The clasps hook into the head and tail cap of the MS18. The strap is long enough to sit cross-body at the hip for easy operation on-hand operation.

performance. Nothing in the world comes close to it. My only quibbles is that the fans aren’t very quiet and the grip knurling could be a little more aggressive. Beyond that, the MS18 performed as expected without any quality issues.

Some folks struggle to see the point of owning a 100,000 lumen flashlight. I can understand that thinking if you live urban area and only need a small light for occasional power outages. However, if you are a farmer, first responder, or security guard the MS18 can be an invaluable tool.