FiTORCH MR35 Review - The Flashlight Guy

What’s in the Box?

1. FiTORCH MR35 Flashlight – Utilizing 5 Different Emitters
   1. Primary: Cree XP-L Emitter
   2. Red 90 Lumen (625-630nm) Emitter
   3. Green 90 Lumen (525-530nm) Emitter
   4. Blue 30 Lumen (460-465nm) Emitter
   5. Ultra Violet (UV) (365-370nm) Emitter
2. Battery – FiTORCH Branded Micro USB Rechargeable 2600 mAh 18650 Lithium Ion Battery with Protection Circuit – Button Top
3. Belt Holster
4. Pocket Clip (Installed)
5. Micro USB Charging Cable
6. Wrist Lanyard
7. One Extra O-Ring
8. One Replacement Tail-Switch Button Cap
9. Instruction Sheet (English Only) – Updated Manual Link
10. Optional Diffuser

Modes & Advertised Run Time with Included 18650 Lithium-ion Battery:

1. Turbo
   • Output: 1200 Lumens
   • Run Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
   • Percentage of Total Output: 100% 
2. High
   • Output: 330 Lumens
   • Run Time: 6 Hours
   • Percentage of Total Output: 28% 
3. Medium
   • Output: 100 Lumens
   • Run Time: 20 Hours
   • Percentage of Total Output: 8% 
4. Low
   • Output: 8 Lumens
   • Run Time: 250 Hours
   • Percentage of Total Output: 1% 
5. Strobe & SOS
   • Output: Not Specified
   • Run Time: Not Specified
   • Percentage of Total Output: Not Specified

Other Specifications: 

1. Maximum Throw: 180 Meters (197 yards) – On Turbo
2. IPX Rating: IPX-8
3. Impact Resistance: 2 Meters (6 ft. 7 in.)

Actual Physical Dimensions: 

• Head – Max Width: 39.92 mm (1.57 in.)
• Body (Grip Area) – Max Width: 25.6 mm (1.01 in.)
• Tail Cap – Max Width: 25.51 mm (1 in.)
• Overall Length: 147 mm (5.79 in.)
• Weight Empty – No Accessories: 169 grams (5.96 oz.)
• Weight Loaded – Battery & Clip Only: 220 grams (7.76 oz.)

Battery & Charging:

FiTORCH includes a FiTORCH branded Micro USB rechargeable 2600 mAh 18650 Lithium-Ion battery with protection circuitry with this set. The on-board Micro USB charging circuit included on the battery is a nice addition and is well executed. I did not notice any loose connection with the plug/port that I’ve experienced on other batteries that include this feature. The battery has a two indicating LEDs on the positive end to indicate charging status (Red = Charging & Green = Charged). Using a 2.4 Amp USB charging block, the charging circuitry charged the battery to 4.22 Volts. While this is a nice feature, in my opinion, you won’t need to use this very often since the feature is redundant of the Micro USB charging circuity included on the MR35 itself. 

As mentioned above, the MR35 contains on-board Micro USB charging circuitry. The port is covered by a tightly fit press-fit cover. To charge the light you will need to plug in any standard Micro USB cable to a charging block and then into the light. Once you plug the charger in, you must turn the tail switch to the on position. This is a must! Unfortunately, the documentation does not list this in the charging instructions. I thought there was a defect with the light as the battery only charged to 3.95 volts and would turn the charging indicator to green. Speaking of charging indicator, behind the side switch is a red/green LED that helps indicate if the battery is charged or not. The on-board charging circuity charged the battery to 4.24 volts which is slightly over charged by .04 volts.

Actual vs. Advertised Run Time:

I used my illuminating shoebox to obtain my relative output and runtime measurements for the MR35. I started the test with a fully charged battery using the MR35’s on-board charging circuit. The light started at 100% output and decreased in a stair-step fashion to 92% over the course of 5 minutes where it then dropped to 48%. Something odd happened after this, the light remained at 48% for about 1.5 minutes until it spiked back up to 68% for about a minute before settling back down at 48% of total output for the next 39 minutes. The light then dropped to 20% of total output for 71 minutes until dropping to 68% for 5 minutes, followed by drop to 5% output over the next 5 minutes . Finally, the light remained at 5% of total output for 39 minutes before turning off completely. Total runtime of the MR35 is about 215 minute or 3 hours 35 minutes of output. Take a look at the graph below to see the oddity I mentioned as well to see how the output decreased over time. 

User Interface:

The MR35 has two switches on it. A black rubber covered tail-switch and a very nice machined aluminum side switch that has a halo ring around it that houses the indicating LED for charging status and another indicating feature that I’ll talk about in a few. Turning the light on and off is simple; just fully press the tail-switch. Alternatively, the light does support half-press to give you momentary of the last mode you were using. 

Once the light is on, you use the side switch to access all 5 LEDs. 

• Primary LED Modes  – Quick presses of the side switch allow you to access all of the regular modes of the primary LED. Each subsequent press cycles through Turbo – High – Medium – Low – Medium – High – Turbo modes. 
• Strobe Modes
  • Regular Strobe – When the light is on, double press the side switch once
  • SOS – When the light is on, double press the side switch two times
  • Red/Blue Strobe – When the light is on, double press the side switch three times
  • Blue Strobe –  When the light is on, double press the side switch four times
• Red, Green, Blue & Ultra Violet LEDS – When the light is on, press and hold the side switch and the light will cycle though the Red – Green – Blue – UV LEDs. Simply release the side switch once you are on the color you desire. 
• Locating Beacon – When the light is on, quickly press the side switch four times. The main LED will turn off and the indicator halo ring will slowly flash green to let you find the light in the dark. If you press the side switch again, the Beacon mode will disable and the main LED will turn on. 

FiTORCH did a great job with the user interface to control 5 LEDs. All in all, you control 13 different modes with the switch and it’s all very intuitive. 

FiTORCH added a battery indicator to this light. Not just a range like most lights do, the MR35 will actually tell you the battery voltage to 0.1 of a volt! This again is very easy to use. To access, press and hold the side switch while simultaneously turning the light on via the tail switch. The indicating halo ring around the side switch will start blinking green. Every green blink is 1 volt. 4 green blinks = 4 volts. After green is done blinking, the indicating halo ring will blinking red. Every red blink is 0.1 volt. 3 red blinks = 0.3 volts. Lets say your battery is fully charged at 4.2 volts, you would get 4 green blinks and 2 red blinks! If your battery is at 3.7 volts, you would get 3 green blinks and 7 red blinks! What a nifty feature! 

What I Like: 

• User Interface – For so many modes on this light. I figured most of them out without reading the manual. It’s a very intuitive interface. 
• 5 LEDs – I love having all of the LEDs on the light – Especially the UV light one! Don’t forget, never shine any UV light into your eyes and wear UV protective glasses when using it. 
• Optional Diffuser – The normal attachment of most diffusers is press on. FiTORCH stepped it up a bit. The stainless-steel bezel unscrews and the diffuser screws on. It creates a very positive attachment of the diffuser to the light and you likely won’t lose it! However, just be sure to keep track of your bezel!
• Battery Voltage Readout – I really like the very precise readout of the battery voltage. There is no guessing or ranges like most lights. Emisar is one of the other brands that have firmware that supports a readout like this. 
• Onboard Charging – Micro USB Charging seems to be the new thing to add to lights. This is nice so people do not have to buy a charger if they are just getting into quality flashlights. 

What I Don’t Like:

• No Lockout Mode – With the exception of loosening the tail-cap, there is no software lockout mode. 
• Mode Output – Turbo Mode is 1200 Lumens and High is 330 Lumens. There needs to be a mode around 500 – 700 Lumens. 
• IPX8 Rating – With this light having just a press on Charging Port cover, I have a hard time believing that this light can survive being left submerged under water for any amount of time. Perhaps there the internal circuity is sealed and it won’t matter. Also, FiTORCH did not list the depth that the light is rated for. 

Overall Comments: 

This is my first light from FiTORCH. Prior to this review, I had never heard of the brand. There’s a lot to like about this light as you see by my list above and only a few things that I have issue with. One issue I have but didn’t list in the section above is more of an administrative  one.  The documentation included with the light is laden with typos and missing information that is listed on the box. For instance, the Instruction sheet leaves out the Turbo Mode on the specifications chart completely. I spoke with FiTORCH and they have published a new version of the user manual. Additionally, I’ve offered to help proof-read their manuals if they would like. The light is the key product, but the documentation should be high quality just the light.  Another small item, which again is more administrative in nature is that their runtime specifications table documents run-times with a Sanyo 3500 mAh 18650 battery. You can purchase that battery from many sites, however, its 900 mAh less than the battery that comes with the light. I know that manufacturers want to have the longest run times, but it’s better to document at least both sets of data. To me the pros outweigh the cons here. This is a fantastic feature packed light!

The light output of the main LED is Cool White in color temperature and does throw quite a bit! The spot is quite pronounced but there is also quite a bit of flooding light being output. There is a middle ring in the beam pattern, but it does not affect the light quality in my opinion. You should see it in the pictures of the output on my light gray wall. I’m also including photos of the Red, Green, Blue & UV (on a white piece of paper) LEDs in my photos as well. The strobe modes are pretty sweet, but if you are not in law enforcement, be careful with the Red/Blue strobe. I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble for impersonating a Police Officer! 

RGB – Diffuser Photos

MR35 – Diffuser – Red MR35 – Diffuser – Green MR35 – Diffuser – Blue MR35 – UV Light White Paper

RGB – Indoor Photos

MR35 – Light Gray Wall – 5 Ft Away – Red MR35 – Light Gray Wall – 5 Ft Away – Green MR35 – Light Gray Wall – 5 Ft Away – Blue

Primary LED – Indoor Photos

MR35 – Light Gray Wall – 5 Ft Away – Low MR35 – Light Gray Wall – 5 Ft Away – Medium MR35 – Light Gray Wall – 5 Ft Away – High MR35 – Light Gray Wall – 5 Ft Away – High

Primary LED – Outdoor Photos

MR35 – Outdoor – Low MR35 – Outdoor – Medium MR35 – Outdoor – High MR35 – Outdoor – Turbo

Primary LED – Other Outdoor Photos

Overall, this is an awesome light that is super flexible with all of the LEDs that you get and the extras that are included in the package. Thank you FiTORCH for letting me have a look at this light!!

MR35 – MSRP: $76.25 – Product Link: https://www.banggood.com/Fitorch-MR35-XP-L2-1200Lumens-5lightcolors-Rechargeable-Portable-UV-LED-Flashlightt-p-1205114.html

MR35 – Optional Diffuser – MSRP: $4.99 – Product Link: https://www.banggood.com/Fitorch-Flashlight-POM-White-Diffuser-Signal-Light-Traffic-Wand-for-Fitorch-MR35-p-1233701.html

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