In for review today is another Imalent, in the style of other Imalent’s I’ve had before (RT35, for example). The RT70 differs from the RT35 though, because while the RT35 was a thrower, the RT70 is much more of a mix/wall-of-light type light. The Cree XHP70 makes that happen. Read on for more!

This is actually a follow up review, which I’m treating as a fully independent review. (Since the other one was completed already.) This time I have a working RT70, and the results are starkly different. So this is worthwhile. Also note that once GearVita heard there was a problem with my light, they shipped a new copy with no issue at all. As such, much of the text will of course be the same as in the other post, but the numbers and runtimes are what’s most interesting here.

Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the official product page.

Versions

The RT70 comes in only one version, but as stated above, this body is available with a different emitter, and a different name. The RT35 is the thrower of the family.

Price and Coupon

I received this light from a new site on the scene, GearVita. The Imalent RT70 is available there for $137.99, but I was able to get a great coupon, which takes $60 off: Coupon Code: RT70Light. Price after coupon: $77.99!! Those are tracking links there.

Short Review

I love the RT series from Imalent. Honestly Imalent has made one of my all time favorite lights, too (DX80). I like the RT70 too, and certainly at $78 it seems like a good buy!

Long Review

The Big Table

* Measurement disclaimer: I am an amateur flashlight reviewer. I don’t have $10,000 or even $1,000 worth of testing equipment. I test output and such in PVC tubes!! Please consider claims within 10% of what I measure to be perfectly reasonable (accurate, even).

What’s Included

Imalent RT70

Spare o-rings (2)

Proprietary charge cable (USB to magnetic connector)

Nylon pouch

Lanyard

Manual

Package and Manual

This is the standard Imalent “big light” box.

Something I didn’t know before getting the bad-emitter RT70 before – this “IM” number on the inside flap of the box is an item-specific serial number.

There’s a protective cover over the lens. You’ll want to remove that.

The manual is a fine manual.

Build Quality and Disassembly

The build quality of the RT70 is the same as the build quality of the RT35. I’m satisfied with the build quality. I like all the fins on the head and body – they give the RT70 a very “flashlighty” look. Futuristic even. I like the way they look, and they’re functional too. As will be seen later, the amount of current this light uses needs some good cooling! (Spoiler, over 15A on Turbo.)

The tailcap has a very “the cells are built into this light” look, but the cells aren’t actually built into this light. It would seem that all of this “extra” on the tailcap is basically just to make room for multiple lanyard attach points. Based on my experience with both copies of this light, I’d really rather the cells just be built in.

Knurls for days.

The driver is held in by two Philips screws (unusual!). The positive contact is a brass ring, as is the negative – no springs in the head end.

I was surprised that the threads on this copy were actually not ideally clean, and ended up feeling a bit gritty. More on that in a bit.

All the springs are in the tailcap. They aren’t massive springs but seem to adequate keep the cells in contact when the light gets bumped around. Note here that the cells all go into the light in the same direction. More on that later, too.

In the picture below, you may start seeing part of my issue with the light, and why I think it’d be just as good to have built in cells. See the flecks on there? That’s brass from the brass rings for positive and negative connection. The brass flakes off. Or is scrubbed off by the bare aluminum part of the body.

I don’t think the flaking is enough to cause any shorts, but it’s annoying.

Size and Comps

Officially:

Weight: 420g without battery

Size: 86 x 51 x 161mm (Head diameter x Tail diameter x Length)

Retention and Carry

Imalent includes a directional nylon pouch. The bottom is open, and the light hangs out a little. The straps are double, with one being velcro and detaching at the bottom.

There’s a lanyard included, which connects in these holes in the tailcap.

The lanyard is an interesting and unusual. It’s quite a long piece of cord, and seems as though it’s meant to wrap around the head temporarily during carry, and can almost function as a hand hold. It’s an interesting design, and to be sure, I like it. At least as much as the “normal” lanyards, in any case.

Power and Runtime

The RT35 is powered by four 18650 cells. These cells need to be quite long, but capable of fairly high current. You’ll need good cells for this light – I tested this all the way up to 15.5A on Turbo! So the current used by this light isn’t trivial! The cells I’m using here are specials from LiIonWholesale. Here’s that cell. It’s a protected MJ1 cell, and seems to work well in this light. (To wit, with this cell the light hits over 95% of output claim, which is perfectly adequate.)

Be aware that the light actually needs a quite long cell. I had a set of 3 Efest cells that were long enough. But button top 30q cells were not long enough. And that’s a bit of a rub, because this means the cells have to be cranked down quite hard for good contact to the head, and that’s more rubbing on the brass parts on the inside…. Again, I understand why some makers use cell holders, and some just build the battery in place. This is why.

The cells are in parallel, so the light will actually operate on any number of cells. Even Turbo is accessible with a single cell, though I’m not sure the output will be “real Turbo”. This could be cell-quality dependent, and higher quality cells offering more current can perform better.

Here’s a runtime on Turbo. I measured the 30 second output at around 5400, which is above 95% of the claim, and that’s close enough.

At the end of the runtime, the light just shuts off from around 550 lumens cleanly with no fade out.

High runtime is fairly similar, with a heavy stepdown from the initial output, to around 3400 lumens. High over 2400 lumens is maintained for a respectable 1.5 hours!

At 3.1V, the red switch indicator was solid red. At 2.9V, the switch indicator flashed. At 2.7V, the light shut off.

The charger is unfortunately proprietary, but of course the cable is included. The connector is USB. USB 3.0 would have been fantastic, to harness faster charging.

Over two tests, the light consistently charged at about 1.5A. A little slow for 4×18650, but it did get the job done.

Modes and Currents

Mode Mode Claimed Output (lm) Claimed Runtime Measured Lumens Tailcap Amps Turbo 5500-3300 8-96m 5220 15.50 High 3300 110m 2981 5.72 Middle high 1200 3h45m 1546 2.86 Middle 800 7h18m 783 1.31 Middle Low 400 18h18m 529 0.81 Low 60 96h 236 0.31

PWM

Even though this doesn’t look like all that “good” of PWM, I am not able to detect this by eye.

For reference, here’s a baseline shot, with all the room lights off and almost nothing hitting the sensor. And here’s the worst PWM light I have ever owned. Also one of the very first lights I ordered directly from China!

User Interface and Operation

The user input comes from a single switch. It’s solid metal, and rectangular and very unusual. Very clicky. The indicator (red and green) is above (below? beside? perspective….) the switch, and stays on when the light is on. Green means the cells have a good charge, but red means the cells are <3.2V.

Here’s the green indication.

Here’s a UI table!

State Action Result Off Click On (Mode Memory) Any Double Click Turbo On Click Off On Hold Mode Cycle (LMMH) Off Hold (>3s) Lockout Lockout Hold (>1s) Unlock (and on, to Low) Turbo Double Click Strobe

L ED and Beam

In the RT70 is a Cree XHP70 “2nd Generation” (which I presume means 70.2, though it’s not stated this way). The reflector is smooth, and as is demonstrated by the picture below, has a bit of a double cone shape.

These beamshots are always with the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure.

Tint vs BLF-348 (Killzone 219b version)

I compare everything to the Killzone 219b BLF-348, because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!

Random Comparisons and Competitive Options….

Here’s a link to a relevantly filtered page on parametrek.com. I use that site a lot!

There are some other lights with the same emitter (claimed, anyway, 70.2), which also claim a much higher total output – the lowest of that mix being 5200 lumens. To wit: there are other similar lights with much higher output than this one. This one appears to be the only with an integrated charger, though. Also the others are Thrunite or Acebeam, and likely to be much more expensive than the sale price on this Imalent!

C onclusion

What I like

Very nice size and shape (flashlighty)

Charging works well, and about as good as USB charging can

I really like the switch, even if it’s a little hard to find in the dark, or by feel.

Quite a bit of output!

What I don’t like

Gritty, dirty threads

Brass being worn on the head electrical connections

Indicating switch is underutilized

Notes

This light was provided by GearVita for review. I was not paid to write this review.

This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!

Whether or not I have a coupon for this light, I do have a bunch of coupons!! Have a look at my spreadsheet for BangGood and GearBest coupons. Please subscribe and get notifications when the sheet is edited!!