Mateminco MT35 Mini Flashlight Review
The Mateminco MT35 Mini is a very throwy flashlight using a single 26650 cell and has the option of Anduril or Narsil. Read on for testing!
Official Specs and Features of the Mateminco MT35 Mini Flashlight
Here’s a link to the Mateminco MT35 Mini flashlight product page.
Versions
Mateminco is a hard brand to track exactly – I’m not sure that they have an official home page. So I’ll just call the “versions” what I see on the FlashQuark page. There are three bodies: blue, green, and black. The non-black option both have stainless steel bezels, too. Every option has a Luminus SST-40, but can be had at 5000K, 5700K, or 6500K.
Also very importantly this light has Narsil user interface by default but can be flashed to Anduril by request (by Flashquark!). I recommend that, and that’s what I have here.
Price
The version of the Mateminco MT35 Mini flashlight seen in this review is $54.99 at flashquark.com.
Short Review
This light is very throwy! Surprisingly so, probably. My version has Anduril and 5000K, and that’s what I’d recommend. I also like the stainless bezel. All in all, this seems to be a solid value light. A 26650 cell is not included.
Long Review
The Big Table
Mateminco MT35 Mini Flashlight | |
---|---|
Emitter: | Luminus SST-40 (5000K) |
Price in USD at publication time: | $54.99 at Flashquark.com |
Cell: | 1×26650 |
Turbo Runtime Graph | High Runtime Graph |
LVP? | Yes (at least, switch to very low) |
Switch Type: | E-Switch |
Quiescent Current (mA): | Switch high: 0.12mA Switch low: 0.06mA Switch off: 0.03mA |
On-Board Charging? | Yes |
Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
Charge Graph | |
Power off Charge Port | Lowest few modes |
Claimed Lumens (lm) | 2400 |
Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 2081 (86.7% of claim)^ |
Candela per Lumen | 91.1 |
Claimed Throw (m) | 875 |
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 2980lux @ 6.082m = 110232cd |
Throw (Calculated) (m) | 664.0 (75.9% of claim)^ |
Claimed CCT | 5000 |
Measured CCT Range (K) | 4200-5200 Kelvin |
Item provided for review by: | Flashquark |
All my Mateminco 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
- Mateminco MT35 Mini flashlight
- Spare o-rings (2)
- 26650 to 18650 adapter
- Lanyard
- Manual
Package and Manual
Note that the manual included covers Narsil. My Mateminco MT35 Mini flashlight is flashed with Anduril, so this manual is completely irrelevant.
Build Quality and Disassembly
Mateminco usually has good build quality. I would say “as I’ve said in all my other Mateminco reviews” but I can’t find any! This might be my first Mateminco review! I know I’ve owned from this brand before though, so I have experience. They’re solid lights!
The stainless bezel is a very nice touch.
On the tailcap is a nice beefy spring.
Same on the head end – nice beefy spring! The tail threads are anodized, but the threads connecting the head are unanodized. This means if you want o mechanically lock out the light, you’ll need to loosen the tailcap.
Size and Comps
Size: 170mm x 69.5 (Body length/Head Diameter)
Weight: 301g not including 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 in 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.
Also above is 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
A lanyard is included for carrying the Mateminco MT35 Mini flashlight. It attaches on the tailcap, through these two holes you can see below.
The whole setup there does allow for nice tailstanding.
No other options are included. There’s no pouch or belt clip or anything.
Power and Runtime
The Mateminco MT35 Mini flashlight runs on a single lithium-ion cell. In this case, a 26650 is the right size, though with the included adapter (below) you can use a 18650 safely, too.
The cell goes the normal direction – positive end toward the head.
Here are a few runtimes! I did calibrate the thermals on Anduril.
Charging
Built into the Mateminco MT35 Mini flashlight is USB-C charging, which is on the head just opposite the switch.
No charging cable is included, and only USB-A to USB-C charging worked for me. Charging is quick, though.
Modes and Currents
Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
---|---|---|---|---|
9 (double click turbo) | 2400 (probably for the 6500K) | – | [1718 0s] | 8.37 |
8 (highest stepped) | – | – | [1051 0s] | 3.82 |
7 | – | – | [673 0s] | 2.00 |
6 | – | – | 482 | 0.95 |
5 | – | – | 239 | 0.48 |
4 | – | – | 102 | 0.20 |
3 | – | – | 35 | 0.06 |
2 (lowest stepped) | – | – | 5.4 | 70.5mA |
1 (lowest ramping) | – | – | 0.10 | 1.61mA |
Pulse Width Modulation
There’s PWM on most of the lower modes.
Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor.
Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.
User Interface and Operation
A single switch controls all operations of the MT35 Mini. It’s an e-switch and has indicating features in green (only.)
Below you can see the switch backlit in green.
As I have said numerous times now, the light uses Narsil by default but can be flashed to Anduril. Mine has been flashed to Anduril. Anduril 2, in fact!
I love Anduril 2. I think it’s an improvement over the first iteration(s). There are some things some users might not love about it, but I think overall it’s much more approachable. I will note though that the nomenclature might be a bit confusing – the light (all lights with Andúril2) ships in Simple UI. This is not Muggle Mode. You may think “well duh” and by now you’ve already seen the blistering runtime on turbo of Simple, so you get it. But just be aware, don’t hand this light to the uninitiated thinking they won’t set their hand on fire while using Simple UI. Here is where I’d tell you how to switch to muggle mode. There is no muggle mode.
Here’s a UI table! This table is directly from ToyKeeper’s Andúril2 manual, which you can view here:
http://toykeeper.net/torches/fsm/anduril2/anduril-manual.txt
I am putting this in a table here with ToyKeeper’s permission. Thanks, TK! This is so much better than me writing it because it’s more reliable, and I completely trust its accuracy (at least, if I can paste it accurately). I’m breaking it up a little differently than ToyKeeper did, though I certainly understand why it was done her way originally.
First, the table for Either User Interface. These actions work whether you’re in Simple or Advanced UI.
State | Action | Result |
---|---|---|
Off | 1C | On (ramp mode, memorized level) |
Off | 1H | On (ramp mode, floor level) |
Off | 2C | On (ramp mode, ceiling level) |
Off | 3C | Battcheck mode |
Off | 4C | Lockout mode |
Off | 13H | Factory reset (on some lights) |
Off | 15+C | Version check |
Ramp | 1C | Off |
Ramp | 1H | Ramp (up, with reversing) |
Ramp | 2H | Ramp (down) |
Ramp | 3H | Tint ramping (on some lights) |
Ramp | 3H | Momentary turbo (on lights without tint ramping) |
Ramp | 4C | Lockout mode |
Lockout | 1C/1H | Momentary moon (lowest floor) |
Lockout | 2C/2H | Momentary moon (highest floor, or manual mem level) |
Lockout | 4C | On (ramp mode, memorized level) |
Lockout | 4H | On (ramp mode, floor level) |
Lockout | 5C | On (ramp mode, ceiling level) |
Batt check | 1C | Off |
A table for only Simple User Interface:
State | Action | Result |
---|---|---|
Off | 2H | On (momentary ceiling level) |
Off | 10H | Disable Simple UI |
Ramp | 2C | Go to/from ceiling |
A table for only Advanced (aka “Full”) User Interface:
State | Action | Result |
---|---|---|
Off | 2H | On (momentary turbo) |
Off | 3H | Strobe mode (whichever was used last) |
Off | 5C | Momentary mode |
Off | 7C | Aux LEDs: Next pattern |
Off | 7H | Aux LEDs: Next color |
Off | 10C | Enable Simple UI |
Off | 10H | Simple UI ramp config menu (1: floor, 2: ceiling, [3: steps]) |
Ramp | 2C | Go to/from ceiling (or turbo if at ceil already) |
Ramp | 3C | Change ramp style (smooth / stepped) |
Ramp | 5C | Momentary mode |
Ramp | 5H | Sunset timer on, and add 5 minutes |
Ramp | 7H | Ramp config menu (1: floor, 2: ceiling, [3: steps]) |
Ramp | 10C | Turn on manual memory and save current brightness |
Ramp | 10H | Manual memory config menu (1: off, 2: set timeout) |
Lockout | 7C | Aux LEDs: Next pattern |
Lockout | 7H | Aux LEDs: Next color |
Lockout | 10H | Auto-lock config menu (1: set timeout) |
Strobe (any) | 1C | Off |
Strobe (any) | 2C | Next strobe mode |
Strobe (any) | 3H | Tint ramping (on some lights) |
Strobe (any) | 5C | Momentary mode (using current strobe) |
Candle | 1H/2H | Brighter / dimmer |
Candle | 5H | Sunset timer on, add 5 minutes |
Party strobe | 1H/2H | Faster / slower |
Tactical strobe | 1H/2H | Faster / slower |
Biking | 1H/2H | Brighter / dimmer |
Lightning | 1H | Interrupt current flash or start new one |
Batt check | 2C | Next blinky mode (Temp check, Beacon, SOS) |
Batt check | 7H | Voltage config menu |
Temp check | 1C | Off |
Temp check | 2C | Next blinky mode (Beacon, SOS, Batt check) |
Temp check | 7H | Thermal config menu |
Beacon | 1C | Off |
Beacon | 1H | Configure beacon timing |
Beacon | 2C | Next blinky mode (SOS, Batt check, Temp check) |
SOS | 1C | Off |
SOS | 2C | Next blinky mode (Batt check, Temp check, Beacon) |
Momentary | Any | On (until button is released) |
Momentary | Disconnect power | Exit Momentary mode |
Config menus | Hold | Skip current item with no changes |
Config menus | Release | Configure current item |
Number entry | Click | Add 1 to value for current item |
To be completely honest, I’m not entirely sure yet what’s the best way to tell if you’re in Simple UI or Advanced UI. Based on what I see here and with the light in hand, I think the fewest-clicks way will be 3 clicks from on (technically “Ramp” in the table, but I think “On” is accurate.) This action – 3C from Ramp – in Advanced UI will iterate smooth or stepped. In Simple UI, this action will do nothing. There are other ways, though. For example, double-clicking from the top of the ramp will either do nothing or go to Turbo. If it does nothing, then you’re in Simple. If it goes to 11, then you’re in Advanced.
Another great way to tell, thanks to a reader is to see what the lowest level of ramping is. Advanced UI has a quite low low. Simple UI has a much higher “lowest level.”
LED and Beam
In the Mateminco MT35 Mini flashlight is a Luminus SST-40 emitter. There are options, but mine is 5000K (and that’s what I recommend.) The reflector is wide, deep, and mostly smooth.
This stainless steel bezel (as well as the black aluminum bezel) has shape, so light escapes while headstanding.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
Mateminco rates the CCT accurately at 5000K. From the low to highest output, the CCT ranges from around 4800K to 5200K. That’s good. CRI is not great at below 70 for most levels.
Beamshots
These beamshots are always with 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.
I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Conclusion
What I like
- Great throw!
- Good build quality
- Uses Anduril, so it’s a “known quantity” (you should have other Anduril lights, right?)
- Uses USB-C charging
What I don’t like
- Doesn’t include 26650
- Inconsistent anodization
- C to C charging doesn’t work
Notes
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
- For flashlight-related patches, stickers, and gear, head over to PhotonPhreaks.com!
- Please use my amazon.com referral link to help support zeroair.org!
- Please support me on Patreon! I deeply appreciate your support!
This is a great light! Even better when you bump it up to 26800 cells with their extension tube. I’m sure you already know that this is the exact same light as the Astrolux FT03 that they made for BLF via Banggood a few years back. I’m glad it’s still around for sale and hasn’t been discontinued. A lot of smaller throwers have been introduced in the last couple years but this one is such a solid mid-size capable thrower.