Speras EST PLUS V3 Flashlight Review

The Speras EST PLUS V3 flashlight (dual switch, USB-C charging) uses a Luminus SFT42R emitter and a smooth reflector to produce a tight, throwy beam. Read on!

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Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Speras EST PLUS V3 flashlight product page.

Versions

There’s just one version of the Speras EST PLUS V3 flashlight exactly, but there are quite a few other iterations of the EST series.

Price

The Speras EST PLUS V3 flashlight sells for $89.99 and is available now!

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What’s Included

• Speras EST PLUS V3 flashlight
• Speras 5000mAh 21700
• Charging cable (USB to USB-C)
• Lanyard
• Spare o-rings (2)
• Manual

Package and Manual

Build Quality and Disassembly

The Speras EST PLUS V3 flashlight has a nice build quality. Solid, and on par with the $90 price tag.

The Speras EST PLUS V3 flashlight is marketed as a tactical light, and so as you’d expect, there are springs on both head and tail ends.

Much like the T217 V3, the Speras EST PLUS V3 flashlight has two plus symbols near the spring in the tailcap. I’m as confused by this as you might be – the negative terminal of the cell is what should contact this spring.

Size and Comps

Dimensions 141mm (length) x 40mm (head) x 25.4mm (tube)
Weight 108g / 3.8oz (exclude battery)

Here’s the light in hand:

Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. This is a brass version, which is a good bit heavier than aluminum, but has the same dimensions: 24mm in diameter by 117.5mm in length.

Also in the photo above, my Standard Reference Material (SRM) flashlight is the Hanko Machine Works Trident, an 18350 light. While I have not reviewed or tested the Gunner Grip version seen here, I have tested a Hanko Machine Works Trident Total Tesseract in brass. I love the Trident, and it’s a striking contrast to the inexpensive Convoy S2+, another great SRM.

Retention and Carry

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

A lanyard is included too. It could attach to the pocket clip (a number of holes on the clip would allow it) but the better place is through the loops in the tailcap.

Power and Runtime

The Speras EST PLUS V3 flashlight uses a single 21700 lithium-ion cell. The standard 5000mAh battery below is included.

The cell goes into the light in the usual way: positive terminal toward the head (despite what the little “+” icons near that spring below might suggest.)

Below are a few runtime tests. Output is good, but I didn’t measure it as anywhere near the claimed 3000 lumens, even at turn-on. The light does exhibit low voltage protection, as well as having a switch warning.

The temperature lines in these charts are included as general context, not precise measurements. The values represent the range (min to max) during testing, but should not be taken as exact readings. A temperature sensor is not always attached to the bezel (or even the hottest spot, assuming that could be defined). Even with ideal placement, too many variables affect temperature to definitively state a specific max value.

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

Green: 100-70% power
Orange: 70-30% power
Red: 30-5% power
Red flashing: 5-1% power

Charging

There’s a built-in charging option for the Speras EST PLUS V3 flashlight: USB-C on the head-end of the light.

A charging cable (USB to USB-C) is included.

Charging by C to C or A to C works fine.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
Turbo	3000	3h	2561 (0s) 2307 (30s)	4.97
High	1500	4h	1429 (0s) 1317 (30s)	2.21
Medium	500	5h	427	0.84
Low	100	13h	99	0.17
ECO	10	200h	6.1	[low]

Pulse Width Modulation

No PWM is seen on the Speras EST PLUS V3 flashlight, but there’s a bit of SMS ripple on (looks like) all modes. Nothing to worry about, though.

Click here to 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 PLUS V3 flashlight is controlled by two switches. First is the mechanical tail switch.

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

Next is the indicating e-switch near the head of the EST PLUS V3. It can indicate in red, green, and orange.

Here’s a user interface table!

State	Action	Result
Off	Click tail switch	On (memory)
Off	Tap (shallow press, not click)	Momentary (memory)
On	Click tail switch	Off
Off	Tap then click the tail switch	Strobe
Off	Double tap tail switch (but shallow, and not clicks)	Momentary Strobe
Off	Hold e-switch	No action
On	Double click e-switch	Strobe
Strobe	Click e-switch	Previous state or mode (which can be confusing, surprisingly)
Strobe	Double click e-switch	SOS
On	Click e-switch	Mode advance
Off	Hold e-switch and click tail switch	ECO
On	Hold e-switch	Momentary Turbo

I think that covers the user interface 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 SFT42R emitter in the EST PLUS V3. This emitter provides a tight beam and the smooth, deep reflector supports that.

LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)

The emitter outputs cool to very cool white light, and it’s low CRI. These are reasonable results for a tactical light, but I’d still love something neutral and higher CRI.

CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) refers to the measurement of the color appearance of light, expressed in Kelvins (K), which indicates whether the light is warm (yellowish) or cool (bluish). A lower CCT (below 3000K) is considered warm light, while a higher CCT (above 5000K) gives cooler, bluish light.

CRI (Color Rendering Index) is a measure of how accurately a light source renders colors in comparison to natural sunlight. Scored on a scale from 0 to 100, higher CRI values indicate that colors appear more true to life and vibrant, similar to how they would look under the sun.

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. 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 PLUS V3 flashlight is a quality flashlight at a reasonable price. The user interface seems to be improved from some other Speras lights in the EST line, and everything on the light works great. The total output misses the 3000-lumen mark by a bit, but the throw measurement is right on target.

The Big Table

Speras EST PLUS V3 flashlight
Emitter:	Luminus SFT42R
Price in USD at publication time:	$89.99
Cell:	1×21700
Runtime Graphs
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (mA):	?
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	USB-C
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port
Claimed Lumens (lm)	3000
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	2307 (76.9% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	70.4
Claimed Throw (m)	800
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	4670lux @ 5.886m = 161792cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	804.5 (100.6% of claim)^
Claimed CCT	–
Measured CCT Range (K)	6100-6900 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

• Throw claim is met
• Very tight beam
• Includes 21700
• Uses a standard 21700
• Simple (even “ubiquitous”) user interface
• Access to ECO from off

What I don’t like

• Cool white
• Low CRI
• Mode memory

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Notes

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