Review Fitorch MR35 flashlight (White, Red, Green, Blue, UV LED Chips)

[Tahts-a-dats-ago]

Fitorch graciously sent me a copy of their MR35 flashlight for evaluation purposes. Other than keeping the flashlight, I am not compensated for my evaluation. My thoughts on the MR35 are exactly the same thoughts I'd express had I purchased the Fitorch MR35. I would like to thank Fitorch for allowing me this opportunity.



With 5 select-able colors of light (white, red, green, blue, ultra-violet) and a maximum output of 1200 lumens, the Fitorch MR35 is marketed with the outdoors person in mind (specifically hunters, campers, hikers and the like) but it has features that will be very appealing to the average user as well.

Fitorch is known for their excellent build quality and the MR35 is no different, from their other models, in that regard. The body features fine circuitous grooves, from the tail cap to the head, that are intersected by perpendicular (deeper) grooves; a combination that gives the user great grip and outstanding comfort. The finish is an anodized semi-gloss black; applied evenly from head to tail (helps prevent scratches and wear).

Both ends of the flashlight are removable (head and tail cap). The threads are square cut and well lubricated (as received).



The tail cap has a U-shaped cut out on the end, for easy access to the tail switch. On the end of the tail cap are two slots that can be used to attach the lanyard. The MR35 is somewhat capable of tail-standing; albeit poorly. On the inside of the tail cap is a stout spring. I'm not sure if it is gold plated, but it is gold in color. The tail switch is covered in a rubber cap and gives excellent feedback when pressed. There is an audible click when fully pressed and released.



The head features deep cooling grooves cut in the base. On one side is the side switch – stainless steel, with a surrounding stainless steel accent piece. The side switch also features a led (seen between the switch itself and the accent piece) that is used for various purposes. The switch has very good feedback, not too mushy and not too difficult, with a barely audible click when pressed fully and released. Opposite the side switch is the USB port – capped with a snug fitting rubber cap to keep moisture/dirt out.



The orange peel reflector is quite deep and made of polished metal. The lens is tempered glass; coated and impact resistant. Inside the 5 led chips are arranged in a cross-shaped pattern, with the white led taking the center position. There is a smooth stainless steel bezel; it is easily removed to allow use of the included diffuser. On the other end of the head is a small, stout, spring where the positive end of the battery makes contact. It too is gold in color, but I'm not sure if it is gold plated.



Included in the Box

MR35 Flashlight
Fitorch branded 18650 battery (3400 mAh)
Lanyard
Clip
Holster
Spare O-ring
Spare tail switch cover
USB cord
Owner's manual

Specs

Length – 5.8 inches
Head Diameter – 1.57 inches
Weight – 6.08 ounces (excluding battery)

LED – Cree XP-L
Maximum output – 1200 Lumens
Maximum distance – 180 meters

Reflector – polished metal, filmed.
Lens – Coated, tempered, impact resistant glass

Premium type III hard anodizing (military spec)
Aluminum alloy body



Features

White + red, green, blue, UV led chips

4 regular modes (white light) (owner's manual is wrong – it states 3 modes in white)
4 regular modes (red, green, blue, UV)
4 special modes (Strobe, SOS, Strobe in red & blue, Strobe in blue)

Can use 1 18650 battery, or 2 CR123A batteries

IPX 8 waterproof (two meters submerged)
Impact resistant - two meters

Location assistance
Advanced Temperature Protection
Mode memory
Battery status indicator
Over-discharge protection
Auto power detection
Charging status indication
5 year Warranty

 

[Tahts-a-dats-ago]

UI/MODES

The tail switch is ON/OFF. Press/release the tail switch to turn the flashlight ON, or OFF. Half press the tail switch for momentary on (in last regular mode used). It is possible to change modes – pressing and releasing the side switch, while in momentary on.

There are 4 regular modes (white). The manual shows only 3 modes, but there is another low mode (less output than what the manual states for low mode). All 4 modes are shown on the Fitorch website – the lowest mode is 8 Lumens.



Mode changes are made with the side switch. The 4 regular modes are in a ladder setup – up each rung and then back down each rung – Low, Medium, High, Turbo, High, Medium, Low. Press/release the side switch to change the modes. The MR35 has mode memory in these modes only – it will turn back on in the same (regular) mode that was last used.

Low Mode – 8 Lumens, will run up to 350 hours
Medium Mode – 100 Lumens, will run up to 20 hours
High Mode – 330 Lumens, will run up to 6 hours
Turbo Mode – 1200 Lumens, will run up to 1.5 hours

The color modes are reached by press/holding the side switch while the flashlight is on. They run in a cycle pattern: Red, Green, Blue, UV, Red, etc... Release the side switch when you've reached the color wanted. Press/release the side switch to go back to the white mode that you were in prior to changing to the color modes. There is no mode memory for the color modes – light will turn back on in the last used white mode.

Special modes are entered by double clicking the side switch while the flashlight is on. Special modes run in a cycle: Strobe, SOS, Red & Blue Strobe, Blue Strobe, then back to Strobe. Double click each time to run through the special modes. Single click to go back to the regular mode (white) that was last used. There is no mode memory for the special modes.

Location Assistance is entered from the ON position (manual states it is entered from the OFF position). With flashlight ON, click the side switch 4 times rapidly; flashlight will turn off and the green led (side switch) will blink every 2.5 seconds – making it easy to find the flashlight in the dark. Simply press the side switch to turn the flashlight ON (from the Location Assistance mode). Click the side switch 4 times rapidly to shut the light off again (entering location assistance mode) or press/release the tail switch to shut the light off (leaving location assistance mode).

Recharging the battery – insert the micro end of the USB cable into the port on the flashlight. Insert the other end of the cable into the power source. Side switch led will blink green while charging; steady green when fully charged. Multiple protections are built in (voltage, surge, discharge, polarity, electromagnet, etc..). Charging a depleted battery takes (rough guess) about 3.5 hours. I don't measure charging times.

The MR35 will jump down in outputs when the battery has 10% or less capacity remaining. This is to protect against over-discharging the battery.

Battery Status Indicator – Press/hold the side switch and click the tail switch. Release the side switch and count the blinks of the side switch led. Green blinks = 1 volt, red blinks = 0.1 volts. Example: 3 green blinks followed by 7 red blinks = 3.7 volts.

Beam








In the white light modes, the MR35 is geared more to the throwing side of things. It has decent spill, especially in the two higher outputs. There is a definite hot spot though. The light temperature is a cool white, but definitely not what I'd call a cold white. Usable distance is somewhere around 120 meters or so; beyond that and I find it difficult to tell how much the subject is being illuminated. Reflections (such as street signs or eyes) are easily seen at distances that come very close to the stated maximum of 180 meters.

I like the approach taken by Fitorch – placing the white led in the center of the reflector so it has an excellent beam profile. I suspect that most people will use the white light more often than they do the colors, so it makes perfect sense to place the led chips in a manner that favors the color most frequently used.

The other colors are much more of a flood profile. Because of the chip placement, the beams have a dark spot near the center, while the rest of the beam is smooth and quite spread out. To my surprise I found that the color beams reflected eye shine much better than I thought they would. It didn't seem as though any of the color beams traveled all that far – with green being the most capable, it seems (to me) as the usable light was somewhere around 50 meters or so. I did get eye shine (multiple times) at distances that were a bit over 100 meters (but couldn't begin to identify the animal by sight).

There were times when I couldn't tell the UV light was on. Not at much of a distance anyway. Up close it works quite well and it is kind of neat to see how some items glow with the UV light. I can't wait to try it out once the weather warms up and the inspects are out.

Conclusion

There was one thing that I really didn't like about the MR35 – the clip. I typically do like clips and use them (instead of a holster) when carrying a flashlight. The problem isn't so much the clip as it is the size of the head (of the MR35) – it just makes the clip nearly impossible to use. The clip is removable though, and the MR35 fits fairly well in all but the smaller pockets.

I thought the MR35 would prove to be an excellent choice for hunting and other outdoor activities. Nothing has changed to that regard, but what surprised me is how useful the MR35 would be for the average user. I usually don't like the special modes – finding absolutely no valid use for the strobe mode or the SOS mode, but I'm convinced that the color strobe modes would be very handy in the event of a vehicle breakdown (warning oncoming traffic). In fact I believe those modes could well prevent a horrible accident. The MR35 would fit nicely in all but the smallest glove-box, and with the purchase of a vehicle adapter it can be recharged whenever necessary.



The included diffuser cone (attaches to the head of the flashlight) gives the MR35 even more functionality. I suspect it will be very useful for camping, reading at night, and directing traffic in the event of a breakdown.

If you're considering a new flashlight, I strongly recommend that you take a good look at the Fitorch MR35. It is made very well, has a lot of features, great output, great usability, and it is backed by a 5 year warranty. And it's affordable too.