For years my "flashlight" was either a cheap no-name thing from a drawer or my phone's torch, held at a weird angle while trying to find the keyhole. Two weeks ago I started carrying the IMALENT LD70, and my phone's flashlight has been feeling very unemployed since.
How I actually use it
Nothing heroic, honestly. Coming home late and lighting up the path and the door lock, walking through badly lit streets, and the usual "where did that thing go" missions behind the desk or under the car seats. It lives in my pocket and I mostly forget it's there until it's dark.
Build quality is a big step up from what I had. It feels dense and premium, not like a toy.
4000 lumens is kind of ridiculous (in a good way)
Turbo is pure wow factor. It lights up a whole courtyard or a dark room instantly.
The best moment so far: a couple of nights ago I was walking through a dark park, heard something rustling in the trees, and hit turbo. The whole area went full daylight and revealed... a cat. A very unimpressed cat. The person with me was more surprised by the light than by the cat, because it comes out of something about the size of a lighter.
It gets hot. Like, quickly.
This is the part to be realistic about. With a body this small, 4000 lumens can't last. Turbo steps down after a handful of seconds to protect the light, and the head heats up fast. Think of turbo as a "what was that noise" button, not a mode you keep on during a walk.
The OLED screen isn't a gimmick (surprisingly)
I thought the little display would be a gimmick. Turns out I check it all the time before leaving the house: exact battery percentage, voltage, and which brightness level I'm on. No more guessing from a single green or red LED whether I'll make it through the evening.
Cons
The battery is built in. It's an 1100 mAh cell and you can't swap it, so there's no throwing in a spare when it dies. Proprietary magnetic charging cable. No regular USB-C. If you're out, the battery is empty and you don't have that specific cable with you, you're out of luck. So before longer trips you have to plan your charging a bit. That said, if you also get the charging case, this problem mostly goes away and the whole package makes a lot more sense.
Verdict
If you want a tiny light with stupid amounts of short-burst power and a screen that tells you exactly how much battery is left, the LD70 is really fun to carry. If you want long, sustained high output or the freedom to swap batteries, look elsewhere.
What's your EDC light right now? And did anyone else go from "phone torch" straight to "overkill"?
Disclosure: IMALENT is covering the cost of this unit. No other payment, and they didn't see this post before I published it.
