Manker E14 review
Manker E14 III specifications
| Brand / Model | Manker E14 III |
|---|---|
| LED | 4x Samsung LH351D 6500K (4000K 90+ CRI also available) |
| Lumens | 4000 lm |
| Beam intensity | 6000 cd |
| Battery config. | 1*18650 |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Modes | 9 |
| Blinkies | Multi |
| Reflector | TIR optics |
| Waterproof | IPX8 |
| Review date | August 2020 |
Introduction:
I’ve been a member of BudgetLightForum (“BLF”) for 4+ years now. During this time, Manker seemed to have faded out of discussions for one reason or another (that will not be discussed here). To the point that I hadn’t heard much about Manker in a long time. So I was quite surprised when all of a sudden several threads popped up with excitement regarding a few new Manker products. Is it time for Manker to step back into the spotlight? Have they produced a new generation of flashlights that will garner the attention of demanding lighting enthusiasts? Read on to find out!
Note: for brevity, I will refer to the Manker E14 III as simply the “E14”. All mentions in this review refer to this third version.
What you’ll get:
The Manker E14 III arrived in a rather plain-looking cardboard box with a label adhered to the front to specify the contents of the package. Upon opening the box, I was greeted immediately with the elegant looking E14 vacuum-sealed in a bag and surrounded in dense black foam. Stuck underneath the E14 was a bag with a short USB-C to USB-A cable, spare o-ring, and a Manker-branded strap. Oh, and there was also a nice manual that, like any good man, I tossed aside quickly. Stuck inside the Manker E14 III was a USB-C rechargeable 1100 mAh 18350 battery. So to recap, inside the box was:
- Manker E14 III flashlight
- Manker-branded, protected, USB-C rechargeable 18350 battery
- Short USB-C to USB-A charging cable
- Manker-branded wrist strap
- Spare o-ring
- User manual
Handling of the light
The Manker is a very compact little hotrod. It tucks away nicely in the hand. And thanks to the copper light engine, there’s a nice heft to it.
There isn’t any knurling to be found. Yet, the E14 grips well because of several rings that are cut into the head and body of the flashlight. The stainless steel tail is perfectly flat and tailstands nicely. Speaking of tail, the lone switch is an e-switch centered in the tail of the flashlight. The switch button is also stainless and has a groove for the buyer to install a single tritium vial.
The pocket clip is very sturdy stainless steel and is nicely formed, allowing for deep carry. It is removable using a small Torx wrench (not included). The clip prevents rolling, but if you remove the clip, the flashlight will roll freely. The included wrist strap is pretty standard-issue, but sufficient.
Build Quality, knurling, threads, and anodization
Aside from the shiny stainless steel tail and pocket clip and the copper mid-section, the Manker E14 III is made of Type III hard-anodized aluminum. That includes the bezel, which is fairly rounded and smooth. The anodizing is flawless. The laser engraving is very clear, including the tiny-print serial number on the bezel. The threads are square-cut and delightfully smooth. The copper section gives the E14 a classy look. Despite the vacuum-sealed package, mine arrived with a small amount of patina already forming. This leads me to believe that there is not a coating applied to it. The copper should acquire a beautiful patina in time.
LEDs, Lens, Bezel, and Reflector
The Manker E14 III is a flood monster. It uses 4 Samsung LH351D LEDs (themselves very floody) under a fairly floody Carclo® TIR lens. On top of that is an AR-coated glass lens to protect the TIR. All of that adds up to a bright, wide, floody beam. The advantage of it using a Carclo® TIR optic is that you can buy other optics if you’d like to change the beam profile.
Manker also snuck a silicone green glow gasket between the MCPCB and the optic. So after you turn the E14 off (from a higher mode), the business-end will have a green glow for a while.
Dimensions:
- Length: 71.2 mm / 2.8 in
- Head diameter: 25.8 mm / 1.01 in
- Body diameter: 25.8 mm / 1.01 in
Weight:
- With battery: 109 g / 3.84 oz
- Without battery: 82.8 g / 2.92 oz
EDC Flashlight comparison
Compared to other great EDC flashlights Flood brothers from left to right: Wuben TO50R, Mateminco MT07, Meote FM1, Lumintop FW3B, Convoy S2+ triple, Manker E14 III
Driver & User Interface:
Historically speaking, Manker UI’s haven’t been my cup of tea. I’m thrilled to say that has changed with the E14.
Modes: there are 5 moonlight levels, 3 general levels, turbo, and 3 blinky modes
From OFF:
- Long press: last used moonlight mode
- Single click: last used general mode (low-med-high)
- Double click: turbo
- Triple click: blinky modes (starting with Strobe)
- Quadruple click: lock-out
From ON, General modes:
- Press and Hold: cycle through low-med-high levels
- Single click: off
- Double click: turbo
- Triple click: blinky modes
From ON, Moonlight modes:
- Press and Hold: cycle through 5 moonlight levels
- Single click: off
- Double click: turbo
- Triple click: blinky modes
From ON, Turbo:
- Press and Hold: cycle through low-med-high levels
- Single click: off
- Double click: low mode
- Triple click: blinky modes
From ON, Blinky modes:
- Press and Hold: cycle through Strobe, Beacon, and SOS
- Single click: off
- Double click: turbo
- Triple click: low mode
Mode memory:
- Yes – both the moonlight modes and general modes have mode memory
Low voltage warning:
- Yes – according to the manual, when the battery falls below 3.2V, the E14 III goes into moonlight mode. And once it hits 2.9V it will turn off. In my testing, the light turned off at 3.0V on a non-protected battery (so it’s not relying on the battery’s protection circuit)
Strobe/blinkies
- Yes – the E14 has Strobe, Beacon, and SOS that can be accessed by triple clicking
Lock-out mode:
- Yes – lock-out is enabled with a quadruple click and will be confirmed with 4 blinks. Quadruple click again to disable the lockout.
PWM
- PWM was not detected and Manker says there is no PWM
Additional info: all of that sounds like a lot, but it’s actually very intuitive to use. Single click on/off. Hold to rotate through modes. Double click for turbo, triple for blinkies, quadruple for lock-out. Well done, Manker!
Batteries and charging:
The Manker E14 III comes standard with a 18350 tube and a USB-C rechargeable, protected 18350 1100mAh “high drain” battery. The circuit has an indicator LED that glows green when it’s fully charged, even after you remove the charging cable. It’ll glow red when charging. A short USB-A to USB-C cable is included. It will not charge from a USB-PD (Power Delivery) charger.
The included battery is a bit long for a 18350, but that’s because it’s protected and has built-in charging. It fits comfortably in the E14. Short, non-protected, flat-top 18350 batteries do fit (at least my black Shockli 1150mAh 18350 works fine).
Manker also sells an 18650 tube that will fit both the E14 III and the Manker MC13, but it was not included in the review package. When used with a good 18650 cell, that tube should provide greater runtimes and perhaps higher output while sacrificing some of the compactness of the E14.
Performance:
For current measurements, a ANENG AN8008 multimeter and UNI-T UT210E clamp meter were used. Lux was measured by a UNI-T UT383 BT at 5 meters. Lumens were measured in a homemade lumen tube using a TSL2591 sensor, calibrated against several known lights including a Wuben TO50R. Temperature was monitored with a MLX90614 IR temperature sensor.
Amp measurements
- Standby: 90 uA
- Moonlight 1: 21 mA
- Moonlight 2: 21 mA
- Moonlight 3: 21 mA
- Moonlight 4: 23 mA
- Moonlight 5: 27 mA
- Low: 234 mA
- Med: 570 mA
- High: 1.6 A
- Turbo, included 18350: 8.9 A @ 0 sec, 6.5 A @ 30 sec
- Turbo, wired Samsung 30Q: 11.5 A @ 0 sec, 8.0 A @ 30 sec
Runtime graphs
In my testing with the Manker E 14 III and the included battery, I measured 2909 lumens at turn-on and 2117 at 30 seconds. It quickly ramped down to 1254 lumens at 1 minute. Then it went into a regulated 518 lumens at 2 ½ minutes. It dropped down to moonlight at 50 minutes.Turbo topped out at a toasty 66 °C.
High mode was a near-constant 826 lumens for 4 minutes then dropped to 339 lumens. It heated up much more slowly, only reaching 51 °C until it dropped down to moonlight mode at 85 minutes.
Lumen measurements (for each mode)
I measure lumens in a homemade “lumen tube”. It’s good, but not perfect. I’d consider these numbers to be +/- 10% of actuality.
- Moonlight 1: [too low to measure]
- Moonlight 2: [too low to measure]
- Moonlight 3: 1 lm
- Moonlight 4: 3 lm
- Moonlight 5: 5 lm
- Low: 128 lm (spec: 180 lm)
- Med: 339 lm (spec: 400 lm)
- High: 826 lm (spec: 1000 lm)
- Turbo, included 18350: 2909 @ 0 sec, 2117 @ 30 sec (spec: 4000 lm)
- Turbo, wired Samsung 30Q: 4135 @ 0 sec, 3274 @ 30 sec (spec: 4000 lm)
Throw numbers:
- 261 lx @ 5 meters
- 6525 cd (spec: 6000 cd)
- Throw: 162 m / 177 yd (spec: 155 m)
Beamshots:
Image 1: Indoor beamshot, left to right: Manker E14 III, Wuben TO50R, Meote FM1 LH351D 5000K, Lumintop FW3B SST-20 4000K
Outdoor beam shots are taken at 25m (82ft) using a Pixel 3 set to ISO 200 with ½ second exposure time
Compared to: Manker MC13, Sofirn SP33 v3, Brinyte PT18 PRO, C8 XPL
Disclaimer: This flashlight was sent to me for review at no cost, by Mankerlight. I have not been paid to review, nor have I been holding back on problems or defects.
Final Verdict
Pros:
- Very compact
- Huge floody beam
- Versatile and intuitive UI
- Efficient, no-PWM driver
- Good temperature regulation
- Full kit with a nice USB-rechargeable battery
- Deep carry clip
- 18650 tube option
Cons
- Lumen figures seem fairly overstated
- Low could be lower (there’s a big jump from moonlight to “low”)
Rating: 5 stars ★★★★★
Yes, I’m a bit disappointed that the observed lumens don’t line up with their factory specs. Unfortunately, elevated specs are way too common in the flashlight world. The specs say 4000 lumens were measured with the 18350 battery and I’m not sure if I buy that. With a high drain 18650 battery, it can hit 4000 lumens. So I think it’s misleading… but it is technically capable of 4000 lumens.Outside of turbo, the driver is really well regulated. It’s a super-compact, elegant looking hotrod. And Manker has finally delivered a great UI. The 18350 limitations aside, the Manker E14 III is an excellent flashlight.