Amutorch E3S 3000 Lumen Flashlight Review

The Amutorch E3S 3000 lumen flashlight is a high output light with an unusual cell (20350), and many body colors. And warm white, too!

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Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Amutorch E3S 3000 lumen flashlight product page.

Versions

There are two emitter options but they’re just CCT differences – 6500K and 4000K (seen here).  There are 5 body color options, though.  Here are those:

Black, ???, Rose red, purple, blue (seen here).  I’m not really sure what the second color there is called.  Only black and rose red are available currently (and also only 6500K, I believe).

There’s also the E3, which could be considered a version of this light.  The Amutorch E3 is longer and runs on a single 21700 cell.

Price

There are price options – just the light ($39.95), light with 20350 cell ($46.95) and light with cell and charger ($49.95).  I’ll cover why later, but I don’t recommend bothering with the charger.  Do grab the cell though.

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Short Review of the Amutorch E3S 3000 Lumen Flashlight

I happen to really like this light.  I’ve grabbed it so many times lately just to putter around the house.  The 4000K output is very nice (I’d say it’s warmer than 4000K), and the user interface is suitable.  Also, strangely, it’s nice that it’s so short – less chance of knocking it over on a desk.  All in all, I’m extremely pleased with this light.

Long Review

The Big Table

Amutorch E3S 3000 Lumen Flashlight
Emitter:	Luminus SST-20 (4000K)
Price in USD at publication time:	$39.95
Cell:	1×20350
Turbo Runtime Graph	High Runtime Graph
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (mA):
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	(Included Charger)
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port	–
Claimed Lumens (lm)	3000
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	424 (14.1% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	6.8
Claimed Throw (m)	279
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	921lux @ 3.608m = 11989cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	219.0 (78.5% of claim)^
All my Amutorch 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. This measured lumens is at 30s, which is after a massive stepdown.

What’s Included

• Amutorch E3S 3000 Lumen Flashlight
• Amutorch 1400mAh 20350 cell
• Spare o-ring
• Lanyard
• Charger (USB hard wired)
• Manual

Package and Manual

Build Quality and Disassembly

The build quality here is good.  There’s nothing bad to mention, and the color is great!

You can see a reasonable amount of cooling fins around the head – you’ll see later why those are necessary.

The tailcap has a bit of branding, including the logo.

Here’s the top-down view.

Threads here are pretty good.  Not too long, anodized, thick…. My only gripe (in fact my only real gripe with the whole light) is that the threads don’t “bite” as readily as I want them to.  The tailcap has to be in just the right place for the threads to grab and then feel smooth.  If you’re off, then they feel a bit gritty.

The tailcap has a spring by there’s no magnet there (I would like there to be a magnet.)

The contact on the head looks like a spring but really it isn’t – it’s just wire that will make contact with the cell and nothing more.

Size and Comps

The size is:
59mm long
29mm (head diameter)
25.4mm (body diameter)
80g with the cell included

This is a short, thick little light.  You may not have the hands for it, truth be told.

If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo).  If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll show that here, too (usually the fourth photo).

Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+.  Mine’s a custom “baked” edition Nichia 219b triple.  A very nice 18650 light.

And here’s the light beside my custom engraved TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light.  I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats.

Retention and Carry

There’s only one way intended for carry of the Amutorch E3S 3000 lumen flashlight.  That’s the included lanyard, which attaches on this metal collar lanyard attachment point.

This collar is removable, but you’ll have to pull it over that clear o-ring (or just remove the o-ring first.)

You’ll probably want to leave the lanyard attached, because otherwise the dimensions of the Amutorch E3S will be unusual.  The lanard gives some extra grip area, though.

Power and Runtime

Amutorch provides in the package what you’ll need for powering the Amutorch E3S.  It’s a lithium-ion cell, in a very unusual size – 20350.  A single 18350 will work as well.

This is a flat top cell, and I couldn’t tell you where to get a replacement (aside from Amutorch.)

The cell goes into the light in the usual orientation – positive end toward head.

I won’t say the cell swims in the cell tube, but I bet a 21350 cell would fit too.  Which leaves open the door for a longer cell tube, and running 21700 cells.  I don’t even know if 21350 exists.  Either way, I’d love a longy tube for this guy – running 20700 cells or 21700 too.  (Also yes I confirmed that a 21700 cell does fit.)  This makes sense because of the bigger version of this light – the E3.  The E3 does run on 21700 cells.

The thing about 20700 (or even 21700) support is that there’s not really a cell tube here.  There’s the head (which has a little depth for the cell) and the tailcap.  So for longer cells, there’d have to be a screw on extension.  I fully support this, actually, and like the idea.  Or, just buy the E3.

Here are a few runtime graphs.  Amutorch states the turbo output to have a 30 second duration, so we’ll call it a “timed stepdown.”  But in my test this high output didn’t last 30 seconds.  As a result, I read this as a “424 lumen light” on Turbo, despite initial output being over 1800 lumens.  And yes, 1800 lumens is nowhere near the 3000 lumen claim – I have no doubt Amutorch rated the 6500K version, which is probably much closer to 3000 lumens.  And for the 4000K version (which I have), the actual output could be expected to be much lower, but Amutorch didn’t include that information.  (Also, anecdotally, I’d say this is quite a bit warmer than 4000K.)

The output on lower modes is nice and flat.

You can see at the end of the test the graph wiggles a bit.  I seem to recall Amutorch having the main emitter blink on previous models, and this one seems to be the same.  So when the light starts flashing, it’s time to recharge.  Either way, there’s low voltage protection at 2.7V.

Charging

Included with the package (if you buy the package) is this charger.

This is a single-bay lithium-ion charger, and hard wired to connect to USB power.

The charger is only suitable for lithium-ion cells (no NiMH!).

The one bay supports the 20350 cell just fine, of course.

Notably though, there’s nothing chemically special about this 20350 – you can charge it in any bay charger that you’d also use for 18350 or 18650, with no issues at all.

I tested a couple of charge cycles with this charger.  This is only a broad picture, and not a “charger test” necessarily.  I logged from the USB source.

Atop the charger is a red and green indicator.  When charging, the light is red.  When “complete” the light is green.  However, I found that the charger switches to the green indicator much sooner than I’d really want – 4.13V in one case (or before, this is only when I noticed and pulled the cell), and 4.17 in the other.  That said, and as you can see from the graph, the charger does continue to charge the cell in a normal CC/CV cycle.  Still, I’d skip the charger and save $3.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
Turbo	3000/400	30s/82m	424 (1823 at startup)	11.3 (or more)
High	750	26m	433	1.41
Mid	400	1h22m	215	0.65
Low	150	5h	109	0.32
–	–	–	17	0.02

I believe the technical rating of Turbo by Amutorch is “10C” so for the 1400mAh cell that is included, they’re saying turbo is around 14A.  That’s a massive amount of current and especially for this tiny light.  So regarding the stepdown (which I mentioned before) of 30 seconds (or less in my experience) – it’s really no wonder.  You should not expect 3000 lumens sustained out of a light this small.  Maybe one day, when emitters are much more efficient….

That’s not to say that I agree with calling this a 3000 lumen flashlight.  I think a more reasonable metric could have been set, and I would greatly appreciate that marketing strategy.

Pulse Width Modulation

No PWM on any mode.  I’ve included an extra graph here because I thought the lowest mode of the ramp might be lower and/or different from the other lowest.  It doesn’t seem to be different.

For reference, here’s a baseline shot, with all the room lights off and almost nothing hitting the sensor.  Also, here’s the light with the worst PWM I could find.  I’m adding multiple timescales, so it’ll be easier to compare to the test light.  Unfortunately, the PWM on this light is so bad that it doesn’t even work with my normal scale, which is 50 microseconds (50us). 10ms.  5ms.  2ms.  1ms.  0.5ms.  0.2ms.  In a display faster than 0.2ms or so, the on/off cycle is more than one screen, so it’d just (very incorrectly) look like a flat line.  I wrote more about this Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight and explained a little about PWM too.

User Interface and Operation

A single e-switch graces the side of the head on the Amutorch E3S 3000 lumen flashlight.

The switch is big, but not proud – it does not stick over the body of the light.

It’s also very responsive, and I quite like it.  There is no indicating function in the switch.

Here’s a UI table!

State	Action	Result
Off	Click	On (Mode Memory^)
On	Hold	Off
On	Click	Mode advance (Low to high direction)
Any (Unlocked)	Double Click	Turbo
Any (Unlocked)	Triple Click	Strobe
Off	Hold	“Infinite Variable Brightness” Mode – Mode memory^
On in Infinite Variable Brightness Mode	Hold	Ramp up to Max (blink to confirm max)
Infinite Variable Brightness Mode Max	Hold	Ramp down to Min (blink to confirm min)
Off	Click 4x	Iterate Lockout (Blink twice to confirm)
Lockout	Click	Blink to indicate lockout
On (for some time, around 4-5 seconds)	Click	Off

Note that mode memory for the clicky mode is separate for memory from ramping mode.

LED and Beam

My sample of the Amutorch E3S 3000 lumen flashlight has Luminus SST-20 emitters, and they’re rated at 4000K.

This CCT – 4000K – is warm but I find the photos (and my eyes) to say that these are warmer than 4000K.  And I’m happy with that.

These beamshots are always with the following settings:  f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure.

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.

I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!

Conclusion

What I like

• 4000K
• Nice big switch
• Great dimensions for not toppling over
• Good build quality
• No PWM
• Complete package (if you buy the cell, I guess)

What I don’t like

• Lanyard only
• Quite short for regular hand carry/use
• UI is quirky
• 20350 cell.  What is this.
• Ramp up is too fast
• No reliable way to get to low from off

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Notes

• This light was provided by Amutorch for review. I was not paid to write this review.
• This content originally appeared at zeroair.org.  Please visit there for the best experience!
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