A quality flashlight is worth its weight in gold when it’s needed. We got our hands on a SPERAS EST SE rechargeable tactical flashlight; this light is small but mighty!
Our friends over at Flashlight Go sent us a SPERAS EST SE for testing and evaluation. When we first took a look at the light, we were expecting something larger. Honestly it looked like one of those little cheap map lights you might get in bulk. Well, this isn’t some cheap bargain lamp, nor is it granddad’s old-school incandescent penlight. This little monster that’s just under 3 and ¾ inches in length puts out a blinding 1500 lumen on high.
A deceiving little unit
After opening up the package and going through what comes with a brand new SPERAS EST SE, we charged the battery. The included 14500 rechargeable battery has an integrated USB C charging port right on it. While it’s a pain to have to remove the battery from the lamp to recharge it, it does add to the watertight integrity of the lamp with there being no external charging ports on the flashlight body.
The light is advertised to have a “IP68 waterproof rating, capable of withstanding immersion in 1.5 meters of water.” This is handy if you’re deciding to use the light for any number of outdoor activities such as camping, boating, fishing, hiking, etc.
When turning on the SPERAS EST SE for the first time, it takes a bit of a learning curve. But, we did figure out how bright the lamp was.
The modes
The SPERAS EST SE has five different modes. To turn on the light, you need to do a “half press” on the tail switch. This is where some of the learning curve came into play. Once you master the half press on this lamp, turning it on and off is easy.
To cycle through the three different standard modes, you have to turn on the light and then press and hold the switch on a full press. Holding the switch will then change the brightness modes of the flashlight to the next setting. Naturally, the light will go from low, to medium, to high, and back to low.
There’s an “eco” mode. Or, something that might be considered a “firefly” mode. To access the eco mode, you need to do two quick half presses when the lamp is off. That’ll give you the lowest setting the light has.
The final mode that the light has is a strobe. To use the strobe — which is also a super bright 1500 lumen — you need to give the tail switch a full press and hold. This mode and switch configuration makes the light a perfect option for using the light as an EDC self-defense option.
Brightness levels
As noted there are five different modes. The levels of brightness for each is as follows:
- Low: 100 lumen 1780 candela
- Medium: 800 lumen 14,240 candela
- High: 1500 lumen 26,700 candela
- Eco: 10 lumen 178 candela
- Strobe: 1500 lumen 26,700 candela
With these levels, the maximum throw of the light is 326 meters or about 1070 feet. That’s a fair distance.
The body
The flashlight body of the SPERAS EST SE is advertised to be “constructed from aerospace-grade AL6061 aluminum alloy with a military-grade Class III hard anodized finish.” This makes the lamp light weight and the finish is actually pretty durable.
This lamp is equipped with a “two way” spring steel clip. This makes it practical to clip in different configurations as you’d see fit. When equipped with the included lanyard, pocket carry using the clip isn’t as convenient as it might be with a larger bodied lamp like an 18650 series flashlight.
How’d the lamp perform?
This light was used for several months as an everyday carry and for work purposes. The brightness to size ratio is very deceiving. That brightness comes with two costs to bear.
First, when running on high, the light gets wicked hot. Like light something on fire hot. Second, the battery life is not that great.
The 14500 rechargeable battery is the same size as an AA battery, however it’s not the same animal. The one included with the SPERAS EST SE puts out 3.7 volts, whereas a standard AA puts out 1.5 volts. A standard AA battery will not work in the SPERAS EST SE, there’s not enough power — we tried.
Having the battery life be not the best is problematic when you’re dealing with a near-proprietary battery. We were able to find some 3.7 volt rechargeable batteries on Amazon, but have no clue if they’re any good. We’ll likely be buying some to have spares on hand.
The finish on this flashlight did not wear hardly at all while we were testing it. Minimal specs of wear from being dropped or hit against something hard.
Usefullness
As far as usefulness, the SPERAS EST SE might be too bright for many applications when on high. Is this a good light to keep as an everyday carry? Absolutely. The strobe feature is worthy to be used as a self-defense option. Is this a good light to maybe carry around when walking your dog at night? Sure. How about something to keep in the pack or toolbox as a backup for whatever light you have with you? Yes — all day every day.
Would I lean on this as a primary light for those outdoor activities? You certainly could, but I’d like to have a backup, maybe 18650 series light on hand with extra batteries.
The quick and dirty
Pluses: Super bright. Affordable. Durable coating. Small.
Minuses: Gets dangerously and uncomfortably hot quickly on the high setting. Battery life is not the best when running on high and you’ll need to find special batteries if you want spares.
Overall I’d said this is a great little flashlight. Would I buy one? Yes. They’re inexpensive enough to buy just to try in my opinion. I’d caution users against buying these lights for children or the elderly — I can see them being a fire hazard if they’re not looked after properly when being used. Otherwise, the SPERAS EST SE is a great lamp and we can recommend it.
You can purchase the SPERAS EST SE from our friends at Flashlight Go or if you prefer from Amazon HERE.
