The L500R has the largest cluster of LED's of any MicroFire LED flashlight at the moment. As you can see, an array of seven LED's arranged in a radial pattern is housed in its large head. 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 is made of thick glass and is able to withstand shock impacts from drops and such. The individual reflectors are machined out of a single piece of aluminum, each individual reflector cup has a smooth polished finish which was smooth and consistent throughout. The exterior of the head has some notable aesthetic touches, the most prominent of which are the cooling fins which sit towards the rear end of 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 L500R has a stubby looking design with a hefty weight. The second part of the light is the battery magazine which houses the battery pack. Looking from the front end, we can see the electrical contact points of the battery. The L500R uses a MicroFire K2 battery magazine which is a 2150mAh li-ion pack. This large battery magazines is required to provide decent runtimes for the seven LED used in this light. 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 tail cap is removable and houses a forward push button. You will never need to remove the tail cap though, since charging simply requires placing the entire K2 pack onto the charging stand. The switch has short travel and average tension with good tactile feedback and clicking sound. The rubber switch cap sits flushed to the scalloped tail cap and allows the light to tail stand without problems. The larger of the two raised section on the tail cap has a very wide slit which allows for lanyard attachments. As you can see from the image of the L500R 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 which should also fit the L500R.

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

The L500R produces a well focused narrow hot spot, looking at the beam profile from two feet or more, you'd never know it was from a multi-LED flashlight. There's a bright corona right around the hot spot as well. A plus point of having multiple LED's is that the spill beam is much brighter and works extremely well for illuminating a wider area while still being able to throw a good spot. Although smooth reflectors are used, there were no noticeable artifacts in the beam which was a nice surprise. There is some variation in the individual tints of each LED as is the case with all LED's. The collective tint from the L500R is slightly cool when compared to sunlight. The L500R is a multi-mode light, there was no sign of PWM effect at the low level. There is no memory mode. Output modes can be cycled by half-pressing the switch in the following order.

Off > High > Low > High > Strobe

Some people may wonder what the benefit of having multiple LED incurring additional mass to a flashlight, as opposed to using quad-die emitters such as the SSC P7 or Cree MC-E. There are a couple of reasons. Firstly, each LED die is generally more efficient when driven at a lower current. So driving multiple LED's at lower current to each is more efficient that driving higher current to a single or quad-die LED. Secondly, heat also incurs a performance hit on LED's. With a multi-die die LED such as an MC-E, the dies are placed in close proximity right next to each other to fit in a small LED package. This means the head produces by the dies is much more concentrated and doesn't dissipate as well as have individually separated LED's.

The runtime provided is very good, and actually surpasses that of the advertised 100 minutes. Regulation is maintained quite well, although it does slightly reduce over time, but not as bad as a totally unregulated light. Do note that the K2 battery pack has a protection circuit built in which cuts of power as the battery reaches depletion to avoid damage from over-discharge.

The Good - Very useful balance of spot and spill beam. High amount of light output without getting too hot. Simple and convenient charging solution. Build quality and finishing is well done.

The Bad - Heavy and stubby design. No carrying solution provided in package, though a tactical holster is available separately.

The Relative - Overall nice white tint, slightly cool as compared to sunlight white. Uses a reverse push button switch. Is able to tail stand.

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).