Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight Review

Speras EST Mini Flashlight Review

The Speras EST Mini tactical flashlight offers a dual-switch interface, good throw and output and a toothy bezel. And it includes the standard 18350! Read on!


Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Speras EST Mini tactical flashlight  product page.

Versions

There’s just one version of the Speras EST Mini tactical flashlight I think. Also available is the bigger version of the same light, the “EST MAX.” I’ve reviewed it already!

Price

MSRP and the going price for the Speras EST Mini tactical flashlight is $56. That includes the cell seen in this review.


What’s Included

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight what's included

  • Speras EST Mini tactical flashlight
  • Speras 1100mAh 18350
  • Charging cable (USB to USB-C)
  • Lanyard
  • Spare 0-rings (2)
  • Manual

Package and Manual

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight manual

Build Quality and Disassembly

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight

Build quality here is fine – it’s on par with what you’d expect out of a flashlight at this price.

The threads are anodized and smooth. The head does not come off the body, but does appear to be a separate piece. I guess the head is thread locked onto the body.

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight tail off showing threads and spring

The Speras EST Mini tactical flashlight is marketed as a tactical light and so as you’d expect, there are springs on both head and tail ends.

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight showing dual springs

Size and Comps

88mm x 25.4mm and 65g (without cell).

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

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight in hand

Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. The version below is a custom laser-engraved Convoy S2+ host by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full post on an engraved orange host right here! Or go straight to GadgetConnections.com to buy your Convoy S2+ now!

Also above is the light beside a TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light. I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats. I also reviewed that specific edition, the “Oveready BOSS FT Collector Vintage Brass” 35. I love it!

Retention and Carry

A friction-fit pocket clip is included. It attaches only on the tail end, allowing bezel-down carry (only).

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight pocket clip

A lanyard is included too. You could attach that on the pocket clip, but the best places is either loop in the tailcap.

Power and Runtime

Speras has chosen to power the EST Mini tactical flashlight with a single 18350 cell. This is a standard 18350 (and that’s a nice change/upgrade from the EST MAX!)

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight with included 18350

The cell goes into the light in the usual way: positive terminal toward the head.

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight with included 18350 installed

Below are a couple of runtime tests. Output is good, but I didn’t measure it as anywhere near the claimed 1900 lumens, even at turn-on. The light does exhibit low voltage protection, as well as having a switch warning.

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight runtime chart

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight runtime chart

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight runtime chart

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight runtime chart

The power level indicators on the e-switch are as follows:

Green: 100-70% power
Orange: 70-30% power
Red: 30-10% power
Red flashing: 10-1% power

Charging

There’s a built-in charging option for the Speras EST Mini tactical flashlight: USB-C on the head-end of the light.

That’s fine, of course, as USB-C is a great way to charge lights like this. A charging cable (USB to USB-C) is included.

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight charging cable

This charging graph may look a bit weird, but charging works fine and doesn’t take long at all (around 1.5h). A to C and C to C both work fine.

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight charging graph

When charging, the switch is red. When charging is complete, the switch turns green. If charging is going incorrectly, the switch will be orange.

Modes and Currents

Mode Mode Claimed Output (lm) Claimed Runtime Measured Lumens Tailcap Amps
Turbo 1900 1.5h 1475 (0s)
1339 (30s)
6.14
High 800 1.7h 828 (0s)
787 (30s)
2.09
Medium 400 2h 400 0.79
Low 100 8h 114 0.18
ECO 10 57h 16 0.02

Pulse Width Modulation

No PWM is seen on the Speras EST Mini tactical flashlight, but there’s a bit of SMS ripple on (looks like) all modes. Nothing to worry about, though.

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

The Speras EST Mini tactical flashlight is controlled by two switches. First is the mechanical tail switch.

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight tail switch

This is a standard forward clicky mechanical switch, and shouldn’t give you any surprises.

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight tail switch profile

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight tail switch actuation

Next is the indicating e-switch near the head of the EST MAX. It can indicate in red, green, and orange.

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight e-switch profile

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight e-switch actuation

Here’s a UI table!

State Action Result
Off Click tail switch On (Mode memory)
Off Tap (shallow press, not click) Momentary mode memory
On Click tail switch Off
Off Double-tap the tail switch Strobe
Off Double tap tail switch (but shallow, and not clicks) Momentary Strobe
Off Any e-switch action Nothing
On Double click e-switch Strobe
Strobe Click e-switch Previous state or mode (which can be confusing, surprisingly)
On Hold e-switch Momentary turbo
On Click e-switch Mode advance (ascending)
Off Hold e-switch, click tail switch ECO

I think that covers the UI but please let me know if I’ve missed something. The user interface can be a little bit confusing if I’m being honest. It’s sort of unusual for a tactical light to still work with the tailswitch off.

LED and Beam

Speras has used a Luminus SST-40 in the EST Mini tactical flashlight. That emitter is coupled with a clear TIR and together they make a very nice and throwy beam.

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight emitter and TIR

The bezel is nice and toothy. Small teeth, but aggressive. I quite like it!

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight emitter on and headstanding

Speras EST Mini Tactical Flashlight emitter on

LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)

The CCT is cool, as you’d expect in a tactical light. But maybe not as bad cool white as you’d guess. It ranges from around 5500K (lowest mode) to around 6100 (Turbo). That’s fairly cool white. CRI is also low, at around 70. Again, this is standard fare for tactical lights!

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. These photos are taken around 18 inches from the door.

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

Summary and Conclusion

The Speras EST Mini tactical flashlight is a reasonable consideration in the $60-range tactical flashlight market. It offers reasonably tactical features, including high output, good (enough) throw, and a dual-switch interface. I appreciate the differences in this (Mini) compared to the other (MAX). This one is much more suited to EDC (particularly if you can swap the emitter!) The indicating switch is nice.

The Big Table

Speras EST Mini tactical flashlight
Emitter: Luminus SST-40
Price in USD at publication time: $56.00
Cell: 1×18350
Runtime Graphs
LVP? Yes
Switch Type: Both
Quiescent Current (mA):
On-Board Charging? Yes
Charge Port Type: USB-C Charger
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port No
Claimed Lumens (lm) 1900
Measured Lumens (at 30s) 1339 (70.5% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen 7.97
Claimed Throw (m) 211
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) 463lux @ 5.018m = 11658cd
Throw (Calculated) (m) 215.9 (102.3% of claim)^
Claimed CCT
Measured CCT Range (K) 5500-6100 Kelvin
Item provided for review by: Speras
All my Speras 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 I like

  • Dual switch interface
  • Indicating e-switch
  • Meets throw claim
  • Nice build quality
  • Good for EDC (even if marketed as tactical)

What I don’t like

  • Cool white output
  • Low CRI
  • Doesn’t meet output claims

Notes

Liked it? Take a second to support zeroair on Patreon!
Become a patron at Patreon!

Leave a Reply