Manker MC12 II Tactical Flashlight Review
Manker has released the MC12 II, a tactical flashlight. Mine has green output and a simple High/Low output selection. Read on for testing!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Manker MC12 II tactical flashlight product page.
Versions
Only one body is available, but it comes with three emitter options:
1* OSRAM KW CSLNM1.TG LED – White Light
1* OSRAM KW CSLNM1.F1 LED – Green Light (seen here)
1* OSRAM KW CSLNM1.23 LED – Red Ligh
Price
The price ranges froM $49.95 to $54.95 depending on if you get with the 18650 cell seen here and if you get a white or other emitter option.
Short Review
I think this is my first green emitter flashlight and wow is it green! I know there are hunting applications that benefit from a green emitter light, and most of those are likely to need a throw beam profile – the Manker MC12 II tactical flashlight certainly suits that need! The cost is fairly low and a good quality cell with USB-C charging is included.
Long Review
The Big Table
| Manker MC12 II Tactical Flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Osram KW CSLNM1.F1 (Green) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $54.95 |
| Cell: | 1×18650 |
| High Runtime Graph | Low Runtime Graph |
| LVP? | |
| Switch Type: | Mechanical |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C (On Cell) |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | – |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 950 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | – (My setup isn’t calibrated for green!) |
| Candela per Lumen | 174.6 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 650 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 3530lux @ 6.058m = 129549cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 719.9 (110.8% of claim)^ |
| Item provided for review by: | Manker |
| All my Manker reviews! | |
^ Measurement disclaimer:Â 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
- Manker MC12 II tactical flashlight
- Manker 18650 with USB-C charging
- Charging cable (USB to USB-C with USB output)
- Lanyard
- Spare o-ring
- Manual
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
Threads on the Manker MC12 II tactical flashlight are smooth and appropriately lubed. The switch is mechanical so there’s no need to loosen the tailcap for lockout. In fact loosening the tailcap doesn’t work for lockout!
Both the head and tail have nice beefy springs. That’s how a tactical light should be, I think. This one is probably suitable for weapon mount, too.
The cell tube is reversible, and the light does work with the tube in the reverse orientation.
I didn’t drop the optic out but the bezel does remove easily. If you wish to perform emitter swaps on this light, it’s probably fairly straightforward.
One thing IÂ love about the Manker MC12 II tactical flashlight is this tailcap. Something about this tailcap is simply perfect for removal. The grip is fantastic and the threads are very smooth.
Size and Comps
Length: 126.9mm
Head diameter: 40.6mm
Body diameter: 25.4mm
Weight 147.2g (with battery)
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.
Here’s that shorty short tactical flashlight…
Retention and Carry
A belt clip is included. This is a very simple clip, much like many Lumintop clips.
I like this style clip though, so it being somewhat standard is great.
It’s a friction fit clip. There’s only one location to fit the clip, but the cell tube is reversible. Thus, if you wish to have the clip going the other orientation, that’s possible by flipping the cell tube.
Also included is this lanyard, which seems to really only attach in the pocket clip. Since it’s a friction fit clip, that might be the most ideal attachment point.
Power and Runtime
The Manker MC12 II tactical flashlight runs on a single lithium-ion cell. If you buy the package, you’ll get the 18650 seen below.
The cell goes into the MC12 in the usual way. That is with the positive terminal (button) toward the head.
Here are runtimes for both modes.
Charging
While the Manker MC12 II tactical flashlight doesn’t have built-in charging, the included cel does. That’s by way of a USB-C port.
While charging, there’s a red LED flashing on the positive terminal of the cell. When charging is complete, the red LED stops flashing and stays solid red.
Powerbank
Because of the cable included, which has a female USB (A) port, the included cell can be used as a powerbank. I didn’t record any output, but the cell will output moderate current while maintaining USB voltage. Over around 1A though, the voltage drops dramatically.
When being used as a powerbank, the LED indicator on the cell is blue.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | 950 | 2h10m | – | |
| Low | 75 | 21h30m | – |
Pulse Width Modulation
Neither mode uses PWM.
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
Manker uses a very proud mechanical forward clicky in the MC12.
Here’s a UI table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click | High |
| Off | Tap | Momentary (repeated taps cycle between low and high) |
| On | Click | Off |
| Off | “Double half-press” | Momentary Strobe (Click for steady strobe) |
LED and Beam
In this copy of the Manker MC12 II tactical flashlight is an OSRAM KW CSLNM1.F1 LED – Green Light. That green emitter is coupled with a TIR made for throw.
With the smooth bezel, there’s no way for light to escape while the light is headstanding.
The throwy TIR provides a very tight beam profile! The green is quite intense.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
Here’s the CRI report for just one mode – I tested both but couldn’t process the data. It looked about the same as this one anyway. (The data kept crashing my program! Eek!)
It’s a green emitter, so this is probably what you could expect. Low CRI, high DUV, N/A CCT but very green!
Beamshots
These beamshots are always with the following settings:Â 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
- Very tight beam profile
- It’s exceptionally green
- Simple user interface
- Complete package for relatively low cost
- Proud tactical switch
- Available in white and red, too (good emitter options)
- Very high-quality knurling on the tailcap
What I don’t like
- Lanyard attachment point is questionable
Notes
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Â Please visit there for the best experience!
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