Rofis MR30 Flashlight Review

The Rofis MR30 is a flashlight using the Cree XHP35 HI emitter. It runs on a single 21700, has built-in charging, and can be a powerbank!

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Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Rofis MR30 Flashlight product page.

Versions

There’s just one version.

Price

This one’s going for $50.99 at GearBest at the moment.

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Short Review

It’s an easy choice to replace my MR70 with the MR30 for a travel flashlight/powerbank combo.  The MR30 is as good, smaller, and easier to carry than the MR70!  Aside from MR70 comparisons, I just like it in general!  It’s could be a good toe-in-the-water for your first 21700 light, since it includes a cell and has charging.

Long Review

The Big Table

Rofis MR30
Emitter:	Cree XHP 35 HI
Price in USD at publication time:	$50.99
Cell:	21700 (Included)
Turbo Runtime	High Runtime
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (A):	?
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Chargetime
Power off Charge Port with no Cell?	?
Claimed Lumens (lm)	1600
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	1500 (93.8% of claim)^
Claimed Throw (m)	335
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	1030lux @ 5.035m = 26112cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	323.2 (96.5% of claim)^
All my Rofis reviews!

^ Measurement disclaimer: Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.

What’s Included

• Rofis MR30 Flashlight Powerbank combo
• Rofis 5000mAh 21700 cell
• Nylon pouch
• Lanyard (with install-helper)
• Spare o-rings (2)
• Spare charge port cover
• Charge cable (USB to micro-USB)
• Powerbank cable (micro-USB to female USB)
• Manual and paperwork

Package and Manual

The package has a window displaying the light, and a bunch of specs included.  GearBest has added its inventory sticker.

The box includes output and runtime specs, too.

The manual is fine and covers the needed information.  It’s a big sheet of paper, with many languages.

Build Quality and Disassembly

This is quite a solid light.  There’s absolutely zero cell rattle. The anodizing feels like good quality thick anodizing.

I’m not a huge fan of this knurling, but it does provide adequate grip for keeping the light from slipping out of your hand.

The fins on the head are moderately deep, and are needed; the light warms considerably on Turbo.

The threads on the tail end of the light are fairly smooth, and possibly too coated with lube.  They’re anodized too, allowing for easy mechanical lockout.

I could not remove the cell tube from the body; possibly there’s Loctite holding it in place.  Both head and tail have springs, and the tailspring is quite thick.  In fact it’s these springs that hold the cell in place and prevent rattle – there’s around 1mm of play around the cell when the tailcap is off (which is fine, of course).

Size

Officially 120.6mm x 29.8mm (head) x 28mm (tail).  It’s not a “small” light.

But for example, if you are comfortable carrying a Convoy S2+, then the MR30 shouldn’t be that big of an increase in discomfort.  I carry it very comfortably where I always carry my 18650 lights (back pocket beside wallet).

Retention

A nylon pouch is included.  It’s a good pouch, with a metal D-ring, and a snap-over-belt loop, too.  The light will fit in either orientation, made easier by removing the pocket clip.

The pocket clip is a standard friction fit clip, reversible for bezel up or down carry.

Bezel up leaves much too much of the light out of the pocket, but it is possible.

And finally, the lanyard attaches through the tailcap.  Or, if you trust the pocket clip, it’s possible to connect the lanyard in a couple of places on the clip, too.  (The clip is quite snug, but I didn’t require a helper to remove it; use the lanyard here at your own risk.)

Power and Runtime

Rofis kindly includes the cell required for this light.  That’s a 21700 cell, and in this case a 5000mAh capacity one.  That’s a very nice addition since many users probably are just adopting 21700 cells now.  This particular cell is a flat top, protected cell (protection circuit on negative end.)

The cell states “overcharge and discharge protection”, and that it’s for “high-drain devices.”

And it’s in an orange wrapper, so it’s clearly a superior cell.

Here’s a runtime on Turbo.  These stepdowns are likely timed and notably match the pictured runtime on the Rofis site.  The stepdowns are truly unfortunate since I think the light could handle much more at much higher output.  It does output ~1500 lumens for a solid minute, however.

Runtime on High isn’t much different, except for the 1 minute of Turbo output.  Interestingly the step of ~500 lumen output lasts longer on High than on Turbo, so overall the total runtime is longer on Turbo.

In my testing, the light gives a 3.0V switch warning (red flash), and at 2.4V the light switches off completely.

Charging

The MR30 has onboard charging, too.  There’s a micro-USB port on the head, covered by a very secure rubber boot.

Charging happens at over 1.5A, which is solid and takes around 3.5 hours.

Rofis includes a charging cable.  Also seen below is the out cable, which is used for the powerbank function.

Powerbank

Here’s a pretty crude graph of the USB out.  The output can be as high as 2.5ish Amps, at which point the output will shut off.  At 1A, the ouptut is very stable and stays at around 5V (good).  Output at 2A is even nearly as good, with just a minor dip to around 4.9V (also still good).  So overall, this is good for charging things like phones, or larger devices.  With the large capacity (5000mAh) included cell, makes for a great powerbank.

The indicating switch will also warn you of the power left in the cell when being used as a powerbank:

4 Green flashes: >80%
3 Green flashes: 50-79%
2 Green flashes: 20-49%
1 Green flash: <20%

When the battery power is less than 2%, the light will stop working.

I wanted to know how close the cell actually measured to the 5000mAh claim, so I did a 0.2A discharge to 2.8V.

Surprisingly, the capacity tested a fair bit higher than claimed, at 5322mAh.

That translates into over 19Wh, too.  Not bad at all.

User Interface and Operation

There’s a single switch on the MR30.  It’s a side e-switch, with an indicating led in the center.  It’s a rubber switch, too.  It has a great size, and there’s just a very tiny bit of reveal – not so much that it’s easy to accidentally press, but not recessed, either.

Here’s a user interface table!

State	Action	Result
Off	Click	On (Mode memory)
Any	Double Click	Turbo
Any	Triple Click	Strobe
On	Hold	Mode cycle (LMH)
Off	Hold 3s	Switch indicating locator beacon (red)
Off	Hold >4s	Lockout (signified by double flash of main emitter)
Locator Beacon	Click	Beacon off
Lockout	Hold >4s	Low
Strobe	Hold 1s	SOS
Any	Click	Off

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
Turbo	1600/750/450	1m/6m/450m	1494	3.85
High	750/450	6m/279m	758	1.35
Mid	200	15.8h	178	0.25
Low	20	88h	20	0.01

LED and Beam

The emitter here is the Cree XHP35 HI, and it’s under an orange peel reflector.  There’s quite a bit of spot in the beam, with minimal (but usable on all levels) spill.

Beamshots

These beamshots always have the following settings:  f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level, and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away.

Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)

I keep the test flashlight on the left and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right.

Random Comparisons and Competitive Options

Here’s a relevantly filtered page on parametrek.com.  There’s really nothing else that compares in the 21700 format.  Much less an option that serves as a powerbank.  The Acebeam EC65 has the same format and emitters, but that’s a quad, so a very different light.  (I’ll be reviewing the EC65 in Nichia in the coming weeks).

Conclusion

What I like

• 21700 format is appealing to me
• Great function as a powerbank
• Output is good, and hits the targets

What I don’t like

• Timed stepdowns (or heavy stepdowns, whatever the case)
• If it was just a shade shorter, it’d be a better edc size
• Tint of this XHP35 HI leaves something to be desired

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Notes

• This light was provided by GearBest for review. I was not paid to write this review.
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