In over ten years of product testing, I’ve only felt uneasy testing a product a few times. Some of those times involved using strange firestarting tools. I also felt apprehensive while backcountry skiing in unfamiliar boots. And I almost injured myself while running in a pair of terrible trail running shoes.
But pressing the “turbo button” on the IMALENT SR32 flashlight was more than just a strange experience; it made me worry about potentially blinding a stranger or even attracting the attention of law enforcement.
That’s because, while it’s just a flashlight, the IMALENT SR32 goes beyond the norm. It is to flashlights what the Nissan GT-R is to cars — extravagant and extreme.
Let’s put it into perspective: If a good EDC flashlight emits 2,000 lumens, this beast is equivalent to firing 60 of them at the same time, all from the same modest lens. To say the IMALENT SR32 is bright is to call the sun “warm.” It is remarkable.
So as I activated the turbo button in the foothills of Colorado, I triple-checked that nobody was coming down the trail before I powered it up. And then I unleashed an orb of light unlike anything I’ve seen outside a football stadium at night, turning that trail into daytime. It made me feel a bit naughty. But this tool definitely has a place, although probably not in most camping kits.
Read on for more details, or check out my article on the best EDC flashlights for those looking for something a bit more practical.
In short: The IMALENT SR32 is the brightest flashlight you can buy as of the time of this writing. But more than just bright, it has a nicely functional low-power setting that emits 30 very useful lumens for an amazing 360 hours. This light is ideal for people who need insane power — search and rescue, industrial workers, maybe farmers or ranchers, or those on motorized expeditions. It’s incredibly bright, large, heavy, and expensive at $680.
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Max lumens
120,000 -
Max beam distance
2,080 m -
Max runtime
360 hrs. -
Lighting modes
Seven plus strobe -
Battery included
32,000mAh Type-C fast-charge battery pack -
Bulb type
32 high-power CREE XHP50.3 Hi LEDs -
Color temperature
NA -
Length
138mm (head diameter) x 56mm (body diameter) x 225mm (length) -
Weight
4.77 lbs. (2,166 g)
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Incredibly bright -
Very useful low- and medium-power modes -
Nice storage crate -
Easy user interface -
Good color rendering and beam
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Big, heavy -
Expensive -
Overkill for most people
IMALENT SR32: Reviewing the World’s Brightest Flashlight
As GearJunkie’s primary lighting writer, I have the opportunity to test a wide variety of flashlights. But the SR32 is
