For years now, torch manufacturers have been challenging each other and competing to see who produces the most powerful light. But as we can imagine, a lot of power means a lot of heat produced and it follows that the management of overheating is becoming increasingly important in high power products. One of the toughest challenges in recent years has been to find new systems and new techniques that would allow high-power lights to be able to dissipate the heat produced by LEDs when high powers are involved. Dissipating the heat produced by the LEDs is very important because if not managed correctly it can lead to a dramatic rise in temperatures and therefore to overheating of the electronic circuits, batteries, gaskets also leading to the destruction of the flashlight. The LEDs themselves could even melt and the lithium batteries at high temperatures could even die completely or in the worst case explode. For this reason it is very important that the lights have active and passive temperature control systems inside them. High power torches can no longer rely only on the dissipating mass of the metal with which they are made but need advanced dissipation systems which allow the heat produced to be dissipated and which allow the light to maintain its maximum brightness for much longer. Almost all torches have temperature control systems which automatically reduce the output when reaching threshold temperatures (50-60°) to preserve the batteries and internal circuits. But turning on a powerful light at its maximum power means reaching critical temperatures in a few seconds, so it follows that within seconds of activation the output level will be drastically decreased. So what's the point of having a powerful and expensive flashlight for a full-power flash of only a few seconds? To improve this aspect, active dissipation systems have been introduced in recent years such as fans integrated into the body of the torches which, by forcefully pushing fresh air inside the dissipation fins, help to disperse the heat produced. An example of this technology is evident in Imalent's high power products which can count on different methods of active heat dissipation. In this article we will list which are the high-power torches that use the fans integrated in the body of the torch as heat dissipation technology:
It is a powerful light of 20000 lumens and with a range of 1160 meters. It is equipped with a dissipating plastic shell that can be detached from the torch which contains two fans inside which improve the dissipation of the heat produced by the LEDs. Inside this shell has a small integrated rechargeable lithium battery that powers the two fans, and via a switch it is possible to turn the ventilation on and off.
This light has a maximum output of 80000 lumens at Turbo and reaches a maximum distance of 1150 meters. The active heat dissipation system it is equipped with is composed of a large internal fan placed under the head that pushes the air forcefully with a copper radiator. The fan is activated automatically when the light is turned on at high output levels or when the temperature exceeds the critical threshold temperature. It is also possible to activate the fan manually and leave the fan on even when the light is off. Included with this torch also comes a silicone cover which, once installed on the head, changes color as the temperature of the torch body grows. In this way the user can understand what level of heat the torch has reached.
It is the most powerful torch in the world up to now, with its 100,000 lumens and its maximum range of 1350 meters. This light has incredible power therefore in order to help heat dissipation Imalent has added two fans placed under the head to this light which push the air forcefully towards a built-in heat pipe radiator. The power supply of this light is guaranteed by a large 92.2W 3.6V battery pack composed of 8 21700 cells. This flashlight is very large in fact its dimensions are 265mm(length)*129mm(head diameter)*59mm(body diameter) and the weight is 1900g(battery included).
It is identical to the Imalent MS18 described above with a single difference: the LEDs with which it is equipped have a color temperature of approximately 5000K therefore they produce a Neutral White light while the MS18 has LEDs with a color temperature of approximately 6000K therefore with a cool tint. This under head light also has a complex cooling system with copper radiator and fans.
Flashlight characterized by extreme power and incredible compactness. In fact, it is able to generate a very powerful light beam of 65,000 lumens which reaches a maximum distance of 1036 meters. But its dimensions are extremely compact, slightly larger than a can of coke. Indeed, the length is
149 mm, while the diameter of the head is 83 mm, the weight including battery (4000mAh 21700 battery pack) is 787 grams. The Imalent MS12 Mini is equipped with 12 pieces of American CREE XHP70 2nd(3nd) LEDs and an aluminum multi dish. Like all Imalent, it has a proprietary integrated charging system via the custom USB cable supplied. The dissipation of the heat produced by the LED takes place via two fans placed near the head which are activated when the heat of the light reaches critical temperatures or which alternatively can be activated manually by the user if necessary even with the light off. The output levels are many and well spaced and range from the Turbo of 65,000 lumens to the lowest level of 1500 lumens. The user interface also features an electronic lock to prevent accidental ignition, temperature control and also provides a stroboscopic flashing level to be used in emergency situations or for signaling.
Barrel flashlight with maximum power of 34000 lumens delivered by 8 XHP 70.2 LEDs. This light is powered by 4 Li-ion rechargeable 21700 cells and when turned on at the highest output level it allows you to reach a distance of 738 meters. Obviously, when used at its maximum, the temperature of the torch rises dramatically, therefore Imalent has equipped this light with a heat dissipating shell which helps in the dissipation of the heat produced and makes its use more comfortable for the user. The dissipating thermal shell is made of impact and heat resistant plastic material and is composed of a series of slits that allow air to circulate freely for cooling the torch. In addition to this, the heat shield has two fans inside which push the air forcefully towards the head of the torch and make it come out on the opposite side: in this way fresh air enters from one side of the shell and from the other side the hot air comes out. In this way the flashlight is able to maintain the highest outputs for much longer. The power supply of the fans is separate from the power supply of the light: in fact, the shell has a dedicated battery inside and a switch that allows the activation and deactivation of the fans. If necessary, the shell can also be disassembled from the body of the torch, just unscrew a small screw and remove it.
Multifunctional torch capable of generating two completely different light beams: one completely spot to reach great distances (1586 meters) and one completely flood to illuminate everything in the immediate vicinity. The maximum output of this light is 50000 lumens when used in Turbo mode. It is powered by a battery pack made up of 4 high-performance 21700 cells. The dissipation system, as for other Imalent torches, is made by two small fans set under the head of the light which are activated automatically when the temperature starts to grow too much. In this way the electronic components, batteries and LEDs are not damaged by excessive overheating. In addition to active heat dissipation, this light, as well as all the other torches seen in this article, has an electronic temperature control system that decreases the light output if the ventilation system fails to keep the torch body cool.
This powerful light allows to light up the darkness with 120000 lumens and a maximum beam distance of 2080 meters. It is a super bright flashlight with a luminous intensity of 1,090,000 cd. The SR32 is equipped with 32 high power CREE XHP50.3 Hi LEDs with a lifespan of up to 50,000 hours. The IMALENT SR32 has a newly developed cooling system that provides excellent heat dissipation optimized for noise reduction and allows for hours of sustained high lumen output. The included 32,000mAh Type-C fast charging battery pack uses 8 21700 Li-ion cells and can be fully charged in as little as 90 minutes (PD 100W Type-C Super Fast Charge). Bi-directional charging is also supported, so the SR32 battery can also be used to charge any type of USB device such as a smartphone or tablet. The IMALENT SR32 has 6 different brightness modes from 2 lumens up to 120,000 lumens, as well as a tactical strobe mode. It features a multifunctional OLED display that shows current lumen output and other information such as current battery level and heat warning icon.
The use of air cooling via fans has certainly been a revolution in the world of flashlights. This has made it possible to create increasingly powerful products which, thanks to air cooling, are able to maintain maximum brightness for longer. Imalent is certainly the leading company in this field given that in recent years almost all of its high power torches are equipped with technology with active cooling via fans. In general, air-cooled torches can be made in different ways: they can have fans installed inside the body, they can use auxiliary handles with cooling fans inside or they can have thermal shells with integrated fans that help dissipate the heat. But all are based on the concept of using air to cool the body of the flashlight: the air is forced against the dissipation fins that are in close contact with the head of the light (it is usually the part of a flashlight that gets very hot when you use it at full power). The heat exchange allows to lower the temperature and protect the internal circuits, the LEDs and the batteries from possible overheating due to the enormous power.
Furthermore, the fans are often made in such a way as to be able to resist splashes and dust: therefore it is possible to use these lights even in the rain.
So if you are looking for a flashlight that has a high power but is able to maintain this power for a long time, you will certainly have to opt for the purchase of an air-cooled light.
