With great power comes great responsibility! The Imalent MS06 is a true light powerhouse..the closest thing to having the sun on the palm of your hand! The Imalent MS06 flashlight has a total of 6 brightness levels. The lowest is 200 lumens. The highest brigtness level is rated at 25,000 lumens (around 23,000 lumens during testing).

Brigthness levels/runtime are as follows: Level 1 (200 lumens/(30 hours), level 2 (1200 lumens/8 hours), level 3 (2500 lumens/4 hours), level 4 (4000 lumens/2 hours), level 5 (9000 lumens/2 hours) and level 6 (turbo mode/1 minute). 

 

The MS06 flashlight built-in thermal control will automatically decrease the brightness from level 5 (9000 lumens) to level 4 (4000 lumens) when it senses the flashlight getting too hot (~50 degrees). Like all flashlights, hot weather will shorten the runtime performance. When the batteries are low on power/voltage, you are not be able to use turbo mode. The MS06 charging time is 6 hours using a 5V/2A charger (not included).

The spacing of the brightness levels is good, although it would have been better if there was a bigger gap between level 4 (4000 lumens) and level 5 (9000 lumens). For example, 4000 lumens and 12000 lumens. There is no oled lumen level indicator built-in, which would have been a neat addition too. The Imalent MS06 flashlight has a smooth brghtness cycle. You only have to hold down the button and the flashlight will automatically cycle between the brightness levels until you release the button. You cannot ramp up to turbo mode, which can only be done manually by double pressing the button when the flashlight is turned on or turned off.


The Imalent MS06 internal batteries are removal, which is a huge advantage over flashlights with a built-in battery because you can replace them when the batteries become worn. Also, because the Imalent MS06 batteries are removable you can carry spare batteries and keep using the flashlight for longer. The Imalent MS06 flashlight also has a built-in charging facility that lets you recharge the batteries without the need of an external charger. The MS06 flashlight uses proprietary magnetic charging though, rather than USB charging, which has pros and cons.


The biggest disadvantage with the MS06 flashlight magnetic charging it's having to buy a new charging cable when you lose it, misplace it or break it. With a USB charging flashlight such as the Astrolux EA01S (seen pictured), you can use a regular phone charging cable, which is really convenient and, you can use the EA01S whlist charging too (something you cannot do with the MS06). The main advantage of the MS06 flashlight magnetic charging connection is that it's truly 100% waterproof (IPX8). The MS06 can be submerged 2 meters under water, unlike USB charging flashlights. This is because flashlights with USB charging rely on a rubber cover seal which can become faulty and does eventually break.


The MS06 flashlight magnetic charging connection is also less fiddly than having to undo the port cover and plug in the cable into the port. The MS06 magnetic cable works really well, attaching magnetically to the charging contact first time. Another nice thing about the MS06 magnetic charging is longer lifespan. It will not wear down or become faulty like the USB charging port of a flashlight, gamepad controller or smartphone. The included magnetic charging cable has Imalent branding on it and has a durable rubber outer sheath with a grooved texture.


A lanyard is a very useful accessory that lets you tether the flashlight to your wrist when carrying it around. Imalent includes a lanyard with the MS06, although it is on the thin side and doesn't match the beefiness of the MS06 flashlight. A thicker, more robust lanyard would have been a better addition. The MS06 flashlight has two passthrough openings (on either side of the flashlight head) for attaching the included lanyard. Two rubber o-rings are also included to prevent water and dust ingress.


The Imalent MS06 flashlight is only available in black color with a black anodized aluminium alloy construction that minimize scratches and corrosion. Imalent branding can be found printed on the tail base of the flashlight in big bold white letters. The handle of the MS06 flashlight unscrews from the flashlight head in just two parts. There is no tail cap like on most flashlights, which usually disassemble in 3 parts (tail cap, handle and head). The screwing threads on the MS06 flashlight are very long so, it takes longer than with most flashlights to unscrew and unscrew the handle from the head. The threads come pre-greased from factory.


The MS06 flashlight head is beefy and has a deep fin heatsink around it to help dissipate some heat. The flashlight does get extremely hot when running Turbo mode for several times. You will need thick gloves in order to handle it. The metal phsysical power button is also located on the head, along with a status led, which can be disabled. The button is low profile and very responsive physical button. 

 

 

The handle has a partially milled texture for grip. The base of the handle is flat, letting you set the flashlight upright securely. On the MS06 flashlight head, you will also find two gold plated charging contacts, driver (circuit board), 6 Cree XHP70.2 LEDs and an aluminium SMO reflector covered with tempered mineral glass. The SMO reflector is smooth and allows the leds to throw further (~450 meters) than with an OP (orange peel) textured reflector. That said, OP reflectors do make the beam pattern a lot smoother (artifact-free) than SMO reflectors.

There are 3 Imalent MRB-217P40 21700 batteries included, each 4000mAh and high discharge (35A) making it a total of 12,000 mAh battery capacity and 105A. The MS06 also integrates a boost driver to create the necessary voltage. While it is nice having batteries included, the MS06 flashlight has been made to basically work only with button top protected cells, which are hard to find. Flat top 21700 batteries (e.g. Samsung 40T) do not work with the MS06 flashlight because they're too short in length. The MS06 flashlight also requires 35A per battery (the Samsung 40T has 30A discharge). Another thing about the Imalent 21700 batteries is that they are too long to fit a 21700 battery charger.


The Imalent MS06 flashhlight UI (user interface) is simple and easy to use, although not as versatile as Anduril UI, which features a lot more functions such as beacon, bike flash light, lighting storm mode, muggle mode and temperature calibration. That said, the MS06 flashlight built-in thermal control module works very well. It is already pre-set to 65C, which allows turbo mode to run for longer before stepping down slowy and settling at 4000 lumens.


The MS06 flashlight will remember the last brigthness level you use, except turbo mode and strobe. You can lock the power button too to prevent accidental presses and, to keep small children from using the flashlight. Unscrewing the handle (1/4 turn) is another way to disarm the power button.As far as maintenance, Imalent advises to clean the internal gold plated contacts every 6 months. This is to remove any oxidation caused by the high heat. Applying silicon-based lubricant on the contacts (after cleaning) will also help prevent oxidation so, you won't have to clean the battery contact as regularly.
 

The weight of the MS06 flashlight is very noticeable when compared to the EA01S flashlight, which weighs 225 grams (with a Samsung 40T battery). The MS06 flashlight weighs 572 grams with three batteries. If you're using the included holster, it adds an extra 35 grams. The MS06 flashlight head weighs 191 grams, while the handle body (without the batteries) weighs 163 grams. The batteries weigh 217 grams (73 grams each). You can buy the Imalent MS06 25k lumen flashlight from Neals Gadgets.