The World's Most Powerful Flashlights: Imalent MS18 and Nitecore P35i

Introduction

Some flashlights are meant for finding keys in the dark. These two are not. The Imalent MS18 is described as the only flashlight in the world capable of delivering 100,000 lumens, and the Nitecore P35i takes a completely different approach with a laser-excited phosphor pencil beam. We spent a night putting both through their paces against stadiums, bridges, marinas, and one very surprised golfer’s local course.

Imalent MS18: What You Get in the Case

The MS18 arrives in a rather unusual hard case that looks like it should hold a 1940s typewriter rather than high-tech lighting kit. Inside you get the flashlight itself, a shoulder strap, and a dedicated power unit for charging. Note that charging is not USB-C: you need the included mains adapter.

The light output comes from 18 XHP 70 LEDs, and the back houses a huge integrated battery pack built from eight 21700 4,000mAh cells sealed into a single unit, so the batteries cannot be swapped. Behind a rear cover sits the socket for the 12V mains adapter. At just under two kilograms it can be held in the hand, but it is genuinely unwieldy.

Operation is a single switch. The lowest level is 700 lumens, and each press steps through the levels; a double press fires turbo. Two internal fans, copper pipes, and cooling fins cope with the enormous heat the LED array generates. At the highest setting it will only hold output for about a minute before stepping down to roughly 25,000 lumens, which it then maintains for about an hour. At the 700-lumen low level you can run it for around 15 hours almost non-stop, which is an achievement in itself.

Real-World Testing: Stadiums, Bridges, and Beyond

To find out what 100,000 lumens actually does, the MS18 was taken out in the middle of the night to a series of locations around Hull. First stop: the MKM Stadium, home of Hull City Football Club, which it lit up convincingly from outside. It then illuminated the Humber Bridge, one of the largest single-span suspension bridges in the world at over 500 feet tall and more than two kilometers in length.

From there it bathed a landmark digital innovation building in the city center, lit up The Deep aquarium from across the River Hull, and made short work of boats in the marina. A golf course at midnight was almost bright enough for a quick round, though the sensible decision was to head home instead.

Nitecore P35i: The Laser-Excited Phosphor Thrower

While the MS18 is all about flooding a scene with light, the Nitecore P35i does the opposite. It uses laser-excited phosphor technology to create a narrow, intensely focused pencil beam that throws a tight spotlight over long distances. At the stadium, it was used to pick out a single person sitting in the stands across the pitch, and the beam held its target cleanly even at that range.

The two lights make a genuinely useful pair: one washes an entire building with light, while the other lets you point at something specific far away. Be warned, though, that the P35i’s beam is extremely bright in the eye, as one very patient test subject can confirm.

Buying Advice: Which One Makes Sense for You

The MS18 is big, heavy, and incredibly powerful, and it is not something most people would want for daily use. But if the goal is to own the most powerful flashlight in the world and light up random buildings for fun, this is exactly the tool for the job. Pricing currently sits at around £530 in the UK and just over $600 in the US.

The Nitecore P35i suits a different buyer entirely: someone who wants extreme beam distance and the ability to highlight specific distant objects rather than flood a whole area. If you can justify owning both, the flood-and-throw combination is genuinely fun and surprisingly practical for night-time exploration.

Conclusion

The Imalent MS18 is a one-of-a-kind floodlight that holds its insane top output for only about a minute before settling at 25,000 lumens, while the Nitecore P35i delivers a razor-sharp long-distance beam. Pick the MS18 if raw, record-breaking output is the point. Pick the P35i if controlled throw matters more. Or pick both and become the most illuminated person in your neighborhood.