The K3500R HID flashlight is currently the highest powered offering by MicroFire rated at 35 watts. Right up the front is a smooth bezel, this can be unscrewed to access in internals of the head or changing the bulb. A thick rubber o-ring sits between the bezel and glass lens providing good water resistance. The lens used here is of good quality and designed to stand up to the intense heat from the HID bulb. It is also tough enough to withstand minor knocks and bumps. The reflector used has a medium-grit texture on it. Finish and coating of the reflector is consistent and well polished. There's a narrow area towards the top of the reflector cup which has a fine and unpolished surface which doesn't contribute to the photon management (note: the rectangular shape seen on the reflector above is just the reflection of my camera). The exterior of the head has some notable design elements. First of, there's a band of holes machined around the upper half which exposes parts of the reflector. This part of the head can be rotated to adjust the focus of the reflector. The rear half of the head has two sets of cooling fins. The first group of three fins are smooth all around and are machined from the same piece of aluminum as the main head section. The second group of three fins have scallops cut along their edges, they also aren't fixed on the head. Instead they screw onto threads, working as a locking mechanism once the desired focus has been adjusted. This is a nice feature which securely retains your desired focus when the light is in storage or when held by the head. The matte Type 3 anodizing throughout the surface of the head is well done with no flaws to be found. The threads are of average thickness, clean and well cut with a rubber o-ring sitting just above providing a moisture seal A brass ring and spring provide electrical contact from the battery magazine to the head.

The second part of the light is the battery magazine which houses every other part, including the switch module, there is no separate tail cap to be unscrewed. Looking from the front end, we can see the electrical contact points of the battery. The K3500R uses a MicroFire K3 battery magazine which is a 3000mAh li-ion polymer. Though this battery magazine may seem large when compared to regular flashlights, it's actually more compact than most other HID flashlight's. Large battery magazines are required to provide decent runtimes for the relatively high wattage of HID lamps. Most of the exterior surface of the battery magazine has a simple and clean design with some shallow bands cut along the length. There are three flat faces machined on which have branding printed on. Incidentally, these also provide some grip for this large flashlight body. The Type 3 anodized finish is consistent and well done throughout. The switch used is a forward push button, the practicality of using this for momentary activation will be discussed later below. The switch has average travel and low tension with almost not tactile feedback apart from a very soft clicking sound. The rubber switch cap is large and easily engaged, it sits flushed to the crenellated tail end and allows the light to tail stand without problems. There are two holes for lanyard attachments on each of the three raised crenellations. As you can see from the image of the K3500R next to a standard AA battery, it's quite a large light to be carried around. It's a shame it didn't come with a holster or some sort of carrying solution. Not to worry though, MicroFire does make a tactical holster specifically designed for the K3500R.

If you're unfamiliar with any of the terms used in this review, click here for explanations on common flashlight related vocabulary.

Relative to it's size, the K3500R provides a huge amount of focusable light. The 35 watt HID lamp outputs 3500 lumens, ensuring that handheld HID lights are still in a class of their own, even against the recent quad-die MC-E and P7 LED's. Though advertised as having a color temperature of around 7000K which is on the cool side, I observed the beam having a noticeable pink hue especially around the corona region. The focusing mechanism allows for angle variations between 5° to 24°. Despite having a textured reflector, it still throws a very well focused and intense hot spot. In addition, the beam profile is also smoothened, reducing the amount of artifacts as compared to that of a smooth reflector.

As mentioned earlier, the K3500R comes with a forward push button switch which allows for momentary activation. However, due to the nature of HID lamps, it requires about 15 seconds to 30 seconds to reach optimum intensity from a cold start. Once heated up though, it can effectively be used for momentary activation. If you plan to use the K3500R for extended periods, do take care not to get burnt as the head region can get very hot. Thanks to it's all aluminum body, the K3500R does dissipate heat rather well, especially in well ventilated environments.

The 3000mAh battery provides average runtime relative the high wattage and amount of light output. Regulation is also good for such a high current drain light, albeit with some slight fluctuations. During the runtime test, the light output drops noticeable to about 50% during the last minute before the batteries' circuit kicks in to cut off power, this protects the batteries from being damaged by over-discharge.

Once depleted, recharging is really simple. Simply unscrew the entire head and drop the batter magazine into the charging stand. There is no need to worry about aligning the contact points. Do take note that when charging, the switch has to be engaged in the on position and not off as is common with most rechargeable solutions. There is a small red LED on the battery magazine which roughly shows it's charge state. I personally didn't find this useful as the red LED still lights up at the same intensity even when the battery is closed to being depleted.

The Good - Huge amount of light in a hand-held form factor. Lockable focusing mechanism. Simple and convenient charging solution. Build quality and finishing is well done.

The Bad - Hefty size. No carrying solution provided in package, though a tactical holster is available separately. HID bulbs are more costly than xenons.

The Relative - Beam has a slightly cool temperature, slightly pink around the corona. Beam is focusable. Bulb takes about 15 seconds to warm up to full intensity.

Charging stand.

Charging stand with battery magazine.

Head (front view).

Head (side view).

Head (rear view).

Battery magazine (front view).

Battery magazine (side view).

Battery magazine (rear view).