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Headlamps are one of the tools that continue to evolve at a rapid pace, especially among outdoor gear. Now we live in a world where high-powered products can easily be obtained for anyone, which can illuminate the darkness with a midday brightness.
But I've been thinking about it recently. "I don't think there's any need to be brighter and more high-performance anymore, right?"
Long-term and high output are certainly important for racers who are pushing their limits in severe conditions, but that doesn't mean they are essential for all outdoor enthusiasts. People start walking when the sun starts rising, and before sunset they relax in their tents, and mountain climbing is mainly for day trips, and for ordinary hikers with headlamps in their backpacks, "brightness and longevity" is of course important, but there are even more important things.
MS-G3 & MS-G4 released this fall by Milestone, a rising headlamp manufacturer from Osaka, is a groundbreaking new headlamp that is modest in terms of brightness and duration, but is unparalleled in terms of its practicality such as light weight, compactness, operability, and price, making it a groundbreaking new headlamp that will blow away the uncertainty that you've felt recently.
We'll give you some reviews of actual use, such as staying in a tent in the mountains, running, and testing indoors.
table of contents
- Rough features of the milestone MS-G3 & MS-G4
- Detailed review
- Weight and storage capacity: smaller than the palm of your hand, lighter than a convenience store rice ball
- Brightness: Easy-to-read light with no issues in both quality and quantity, except for harsh nighttime runs.
- Ease of use: bare minimum functionality, simple and easy operation, and convenient new features
- Summary: From hikers cutting down by grams to those who want to prepare for emergency day climbs, the best "just right" headlamp
Rough features of the milestone MS-G3 & MS-G4
The milestone MS-G3 & MS-G4 are small rechargeable headlamps that are the successor to the company's "MS-G2." Despite its incredibly lightweight and compact size, which is less than 50 grams in the palm of your hand, it has excellent weight versus brightness performance of up to 420 lumens (for the MS-G3). This balanced light mixes spot and wide irradiation, and this one is perfect for walking, not only for your hands and feet. It is also packed with unique and easy-to-use features, including simple and easy-to-use operability, three-color beam color, a fast charging using USB-TypeC, and an "emergency charge function" that allows you to light up while charging.
Favorite points
- With this brightness, it is world-class and compact
- Simple and easy to use operability is created by narrowing down the bare minimum of functions
- "Emergency Charge Function" that can be used while charging with a Type-C charging port and while charging with a mobile battery
- A light bulb color that is warm and resistant to mist and mist
- High cost performance
Interesting points
- The mechanism that adjusts the amount of light by pressing and holding it takes time to adjust
- Brightness and duration are not satisfactory in severe conditions that require high speed and long-term use.
Main Specifications and ratings
| item | milestone MS-G3 | milestone MS-G4 |
|---|---|---|
| Light intensity (lm) | 420 lumens | 380 lumens |
| Official irradiation distance (m) | 120 | |
| Official irradiation time (h) (min/max) |
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| Actual weight (g) |
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| Dedicated battery | Lithium-ion polymer rechargeable battery (built-in) | |
| Use while charging | Equipped with emergency charge function * Can be turned on at 10% light while charging. | |
| Waterproof and dustproof | IPX 4 (splash resistant) | |
| Light type |
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| accessories | USB-Type C cable, clip exclusively for MS-G series | |
| Long distance irradiation | ★★★☆☆ | |
| Close-range illumination | ★★★★☆ | |
| Battery life | ★★★★☆ *Excluding the emergency charge function★★☆☆☆ | |
| Ease of use | ★★★★★ | |
| Weight (actual weight) | ★★★★★ | |
| Waterproof | ★★★★☆ | |
| Durability | ★★★☆☆ | |
Detailed review
Weight and storage capacity: smaller than the palm of your hand, lighter than a convenience store rice ball
The most distinctive feature of this headlamp is that it is, as you can see from the photo below, it is one of the most compact practical levels. When you place it on your palm, you can see how small it is.
When I put it on my palm, I was amazed at how light and small it was.
Of course, since it is so small, it is extremely lightweight. The weight of the main body and belt is less than 50 grams, and is surprisingly lighter than a convenience store rice ball, which is much lighter than a single M-sized egg. Furthermore, this model can be fixed with the included clip, which in this case could be reduced by a dozen grams, so considering the amount of light from the light, this is a very serious incident even globally.
The main body alone is 30 grams, and even with the belt added it is surprisingly light, weighing less than 50 grams.
can be seen more clearly when compared to NITECORE NU25 UL ," which is currently a hugely popular among hikers in North America, the home of ultralight
The NU25 is almost equal, with a brightness of up to 400 lumens and a weight of 46g, while the MS-G3 is almost equal, with a brightness of up to 420 lumens and a weight of 49g, just looking at the numbers. However, as shown in the photo below, considering the comfort of the belt and the compact body, the MS-G3 can even be said to be better. It is more than anything else that it is packed with such a high output into a lightweight and compact body that is unparalleled in the world.
When I lined up with the NU25UL (right), which is popular in the UL community in North America, I was surprised at how small it was.
In any case, this excellent portability cannot be a nuisance to any hiker or climber. Not only can UL hikers who want to cut down even a gram, but also can always keep their backpacks hidden on a day trip for beginners, even if it's a beginner.
Brightness: Easy-to-read light with no issues in both quality and quantity, except for harsh nighttime runs.
Next, let's take a look at the beam performance (brightness) of this headlamp. It is certainly not that the brightness of 420 lumens (MS-G3) and 380 lumens (MS-G4) is a very high output compared to the standard models these days. However, as mentioned at the beginning, we are not confused by the current trend of high-power lights that can be said to be unclear, and if we consider the standard of "the brightness required to walk on actual night roads," this level of brightness is completely acceptable. I tried walking along the trail before dawn with a slight illumination at my feet (photo below), and I was able to walk comfortably without any particular complaints. The center features bright, strong spot illuminated light to illuminate the distance, and the surrounding area is combined with a gentle gradation and a close-range ray that illuminates the surrounding area, allowing you to brighten up the roads at night without any stress.
Even if you walk the trail at night, there's no need to worry if the brightness is enough.
Incidentally, both of the lights of the "MS-G3/MS-G4" featured this time have a structure that allows you to switch between the same three types of light rays: main light, sub-light, and red light. The difference between the two models is the color of the main light (bodied coloring and the G3 is white and the G4 is bulb color, allowing users to choose the one that suits their preferences for the light they want to use most (photo below). Many manufacturers use it because white colors are easier to see brighter to humans in normal weather, but the light bulb color, which is a particular focus on milestones, makes it easier to see deeper into mist and mist, and can also be said to ensure good visibility in a wide range of situations. If you're inside a tent, you might be grateful for the warm light of the bulb color, so it's a good idea to choose one that suits your preferences and purpose.
The difference between the MS-G3 and MS-G4 is whether the biggest main light is "white" or "light bulb color."
Of course, this evaluation is based on activities and scenes that are based on "walking" such as mountain climbing and fast packing, so it is important to note that if you want to brighten your feet and distance as much as possible, and if you need to make it last as long as possible, you may feel a little unsatisfied. This is not the only trade-off between being lightweight and compact, and if you are looking for such power, we recommend a different option.
When driving on roads at night, it requires a large amount of power, as it requires a wide, far and wide brightness, but it is bright enough to just walk.
The duration is never long, but excellent lasting patterns that keep the brightness practical until the end
The results of the usual irradiation time test using a luminometer (how the actual brightness changes over time if irradiation is continued at maximum illuminance) are summarized in the graph below (see below). This time, we are comparing cases where the MS-G4 was illuminated in maximum irradiation state and cases where the irradiation level was continued at around 20% (it is impossible to determine exactly how bright the brightness is, so the illuminance meter determines it is around 20%).
If you continue to use it at maximum brightness, as per the specifications, the brightness will be almost zero after just 120 minutes, but it can be seen that it is maintaining practical brightness as much as possible until about 10 minutes before that. In that sense, it seems safe to recognize the nominal spec duration of "2 hours" as a time that can be used properly.
On the other hand, when the brightness was dimmed to about 20% and continued to be illuminated, it gradually dropped from a state close to the set brightness, but it kept its brightness almost for over 5 hours. It's not realistic to use it at the minimum of 5%, but I also found out that if you use it while it's dark enough, it lasts for more than 5 hours (actually 9-10 hours). Incidentally, this trend is the same for the G3.
If you would like to compare the graph above with other models, please refer to the headlamp feature article below.
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Ease of use: bare minimum functionality, simple and easy operation, and convenient new features
The design attitude of removing waste to the extreme, such as its lightweight and compactness that removes waste to the extreme and the minimum required beam quality, is reflected in the simple individual functions.
For example, button operation. All you can find is just one large, easy-to-press button, and with each press you can "main → sub → red → off", adjust the brightness by long pressing the button while it is on (photo below), and if you keep pressing it while it is off, the button lock will be turned on/off, so you can do the bare minimum of functions.
Once the brightness is set, it will be remembered if it is lit for more than 3 seconds, and it is also casually equipped with a "lighting pattern memory", which will reproduce the brightness the next time you turn it on. The remaining battery level indicator can also be distinguished by the LED installed on the back of the button: "100-60%: green, 60-20%: yellow, 20-0%: red." It is a very smart design, with almost all lamp status and operation consolidated in this big button.
The waterproof protection is also IPX 4 (splash-proof) and has the same waterproof performance as a typical mountain model, so you won't find it inconvenient to use it normally.
The battery is a USB Type-C rechargeable battery that has rapidly become the norm in recent years, allowing for quick charging (photo below).
Moreover, this model (which I personally have long been waiting for) is equipped with an emergency charge function that allows you to turn on the light while charging (powering) using a mobile battery or similar (photo below). While charging, there is a limit of 10% light intensity, but it is at the level where you can act at the very least, so you don't have to worry about the handicap of duration!
The manufacturer recommends genuine battery and cables due to compatibility issues, but as far as I personally have tried it out, I have never been able to use commercially available mobile batteries or cables (although it is only at my own risk). This will allow you to effectively utilize the large-capacity mobile batteries you carry for your smartphone or camera as a light power source during your activities.
However, with a normal terminal cable, the cord will extend downwards and get in the way, so we recommend an original cable with an L-shaped end of the milestone.
As I mentioned in the weight section, this model comes with a detachable clip that comes standard, which will make it even lighter, and by using it as a clip rather than a belt, it can be attached to various parts other than the head.
Summary: From hikers cutting down by grams to those who want to prepare for emergency day climbs, the best "just right" headlamp
Choose headlamps that tend to be swayed by top-class brightness and advanced features. Among these, the milestones MS-G3 & MS-G4 are a unique and highly complete product that has been skillfully put together "This is fine" that has been determined based on practice, achieving exquisite ease of use that cannot be expressed by specs alone, and has finally reached the height of "This is fine." It goes without saying that the tuning that is so balanced that users can agree on is the result of detailed reflection of the many feedback received on the actual field by the creator, who is also a player.
The use of these is to use lightly, such as camping, hiking, mountain climbing, fast packing, and river climbing, and activities that are mainly for overnight walking, as recommended by the manufacturer, will fit the best. It should be comfortable to use with all the factors: lightness, portability, ease of use, and brightness. However, when it comes to trail running, it is undeniable that there is a slight lack of power as a running model, so racers looking for speed and tough runners who need to be on all night long will need to be considered, but otherwise, they should be basically easy to use on trail running.
The actual selling price of several thousand yen is now quite affordable. If an outdoor enthusiast has one, there must be a chance that it will be useful, and in that sense it can be said to be a piece that each person should have.
