Tag: Nitecore

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Nitecore MH12 Pro Review

I wanted to do a written review on the Nitecore MH12 Pro flashlight that Nitecore sent to me to check out. They have been very patient as my personal life has taken precedence over the past several months over flashlight reviews. It’s running Nitecore’s first Proprietary LED the NiteLab UHi 40 and it’s round instead of the more traditional square LED. It’s also running Nitecore’s new higher capacity (5300mAh) 21700 NL2153HP battery. 

 

Pick it up at the Nitecore Store at https://www.nitecorestore.com/MH12-Pro-Flashlight-p/fl-nite-mh12pro.htm

 

What’s inside

The box is typical of Nitecore’s retail experience with quite a bit of info and full color on the outside. Inside you get the light, a clip, lanyard, extra oring, next-generation holster, the NL2153HP battery, USB-A to USB-C charging cable, manual, and warranty card. 

 

Construction & Design

Typical of other recent Nitecore flashlights in this price range the MH12 Pro is well built. The large rear mechanical tail switch stands proud at the tail but the two wings on the side allow it to tail stand. The milling on the tail is shallow and doesn’t really fit aesthetically to the body tube in my opinion. Threads are square cut and anodized with a proper amount of lubrication and oring in the usual places. 

The body tube had deep triangle-shaped rings milled in and then some cuts going length-wise in a slow spiral for contrast grip. I think it looks great and is very functional without being too hard on the hand to hold. Works pretty well with gloves too. The pocket clip is dual direction, nondeep carry, and fits on either end of the body tube. 

The head is glued in place and has your main mode button, USB-C recharging, and emitter. As talked about more in detail below, the light does have power level indicators and mode LED lights to the left and right of the button that are on when the light is on. These work well and are easy to see at a glance. The bezel is lightly crenulated and stands slightly proud of the glass lens. Underneath is a smooth reflector with the new round LED in the center. 

 

User Interface

The UI is pretty easy to pick up the first time you power on the light. The main on and off is a large mechanical button in the rear, and then to change modes you have a large textured electronic button in the head. To the left of the button you have 4 small blue LEDs to indicate what output power level you are on, and on the right you have 4 green LEDs showing the battery level. These remain on when the light is on. The light also has a proximity sensor that is in use on high and turbo modes. It’s reactive and will dim when it senses too much reflection and drop the light down in mode to where it won’t damage any fabrics or burn skin, and the nice thing here is that it steps back up to the mode you were in once the obstruction was removed. This is the way it should operate. You can also override the proxy sensor if it comes on in the use of the light by just clicking that mode button once, and the sensor will be disabled then until the light is powered off and on again.

 

LED

The MH12 Pro uses Nitecore’s NiteLab UHi 40 LED, this is a new LED made by Nitecore’s parent company and is round instead of the normal square LED we see typically. I tested this on my Opple light meter. I tested the tint at about 5440k and CRI at 57.5 CRI. The tint here is a bit yellow-green, more noticeable on lower powers. To my eye not a huge flaw but it’s definitely noticeable more in the spill. No apparent PWM in lower modes or turbo. The beam shape isn’t noticeably different from other Square LED lights. I think the optic that’s chosen has a greater effect than the shape of the LED. Night shots show it’s round shape, especially in the spill with a focused center. This throws well for not being a thrower an easy 200 yards to the building in the distance. A nice choice for a lot of urban or rural uses without being so narrow like a lot of throwers are. 

 

Heat & Runtime Graphs

Heat and runtime are pretty simple here, for my test of Turbo I disabled the proximity sensor (Check the UI section for how this is done), and got about 2400 lumens at peak output but this dropped pretty quickly to around 1250 lumens at the 30-second mark, and after 1 minute it was around 700 lumens where it ran slowly declining and hit its steady output of around 550 lumens for 3+ hours. Total runtime was 3:48:00. Max heat during this time was around 54C at the 50-second mark. 

 

Recharging

The light has a larger port cover opposite the main operation button on the back of the light. It’s a bit unique instead of being solid silicone rubber like most other flashlights it’s got a harder plastic exterior and soft silicone interior. This should be good for durability. Recharging itself is done via USB-C and I had no issues with USB-C PD chargers indicating they have the correct pulldown resistors here. Charging took 4:26: in total, with charging hitting a peak of 2A for the first 110 minutes roughly. No complaints here with the charging curve or terminal voltage of the cell at 4.16v. The battery itself is protected and rated at 5300mAh, but in my testing, it was even larger at 5448mAh. The light takes a nonproprietary button top protected 21700-sized battery.

 

Conclusion

The beam pattern here is good i’m not sure it’s substantially better than square LEDs with a good optic from a similar style of lights. Personally, the somewhat green output here for me is a turn-off, and I would rather take some minor beam artifacts for a more pleasant, neutral or even cool white tint. So I’m not sure this new LED is meeting the marketing hype in this application. That said I don’t think a majority of Nitecore’s fan base will care that much round vs square since Nitecore generally has decent optics but some may care about the tint here. 

The rest of the light has quite a bit to like about it. The size here is nice for a 21700 light in my opinion, controls and user interface are good and it has a nice amount of grip in the hand. I like the LEDs around the button that show mode and power level all the time and the markings are minimal on the light. Overall a solid flashlight, but hopefully as Nitecore continues to use this LED, the binning and tint will improve. 

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Nitecore NB10000 Review (10,000mAh, 18W USB-C, Carbon Fiber, Powerbank)

Today I have Nitecore’s newest powerbank the Carbon Fiber NB10000. It’s made from Carbon Fiber, all around, features 10,000mAh capacity, along with USB-C and A, and is capable of 18W input and output. Thanks to NitecoreStore for sending this to me to check out and review. 

 

Watch this review on YouTube: 

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Packaging & Accessories

Packaging here is quite nice it’s a box that looks like it’s made of carbon fiber and it’s a pull out tray that has the powerbank, included USB-A to C cable, and the paperwork inside. 

 

 

Construction

This powerbank is made from a carbon fiber reinforced plastic case, this is a more expensive stronger material then you find in most power banks. It feels a lot like a high quality tool that’s using a glass reinforced plastic. As for the carbon fiber on the top and bottom, I have my doubts here on it’s authenticity. When I hold it up at a certain angle and press near the front I can get it to deflect easily, there is also no texture in the weave that I can feel. At best it’s a peel and ply carbon fiber, at worst it’s a printed and stuck on. Other then that it’s quite stiff and feels well built. On one side all the inputs and outputs are laser engraved and easily read.

At the front you have one USB-A port for output only, up to 18W, then you have a USB-C port that can be used for In or out at 18W each. Next to it you have the single button on the powerbank with 3 blue LED underneath for power indication.

Oh and it’s water rated at IPX5 which is rare for a powerbank. It means it can sustain a low pressure jet of water or splashes, so it’s perfect for adventuring. Even though it’s not officially rated for it, I did submerge it briefly and it survived. 

 

Size and Weight

I measured it as 122mm long, 59mm wide, and 10.5mm thick. This is nice and thin and slides behind most modern smartphones in a pocket while charging which is convenient when traveling. At 151.2 Grams it’s pretty light too thanks to that use of carbon fiber.

When I compare it to my Aukey 10,000mAh powerbank the Aukey is wider, longer, and 43g heavier. The 10,000mAh Anker powerbank I have is shorter but significantly thicker, I suspect it’s using cylindrical cells (21700?) and is 41 grams heavier. 

 

Performance

As mentioned the NB10000 has one USB-A port for output only, up to 18W, then you have a USB-C port that can be used for In or out at 18W each.

I did my charging tests with my 65W Aukey GaN chargers that I previously reviewed on this channel and had no issues. Total charge time was 3:13:00. Peak charge I saw was 8.9V at 2.0A, or right at 18W. My CT-2 Meter recorded a total of 43.44Wh went into the battery. 

 

Official Specs are as follows

Input – USB-C: 5V @ 2.4A or 9V @ 2A

Output – USB-C: 5V @ 3A or 9V @ 2A or 12V @ 1.5A

  USB-A: 5V @ 3A or 9V @ 2A or 12V @ 1.5A

I ran 3 discharge tests, 5V at 3A, 9V at 2A, and 12V at 1.5A each performed as expected with power being pretty stable. 

 

At 5V at 3A, I measured total energy at 31.29Wh, and average voltage at 5.18V and a total discharge time of 2:01:05.

 

At 9V at 2A, I measured total energy at 29.16Wh, and average voltage at 9.14V and a total discharge time of 1:35:58.

 

At 12V at 1.5A, I measured total energy at 29.71Wh, and average voltage at 12.02V and a total discharge time of 1:38:58, with a bit of voltage step down the last 20 minutes.

 

The NB10000 also offers Passthrough Charging meaning you can connect it to your charger, via USB-C and then charge your phone or other device (Flashlight) via the USB-A port, and both will charge at once. It’s not the full 18W speed but for me both my phone and the powerbank were full in the morning, making this great for backpacking or travel.

 

I charged my good old Note 8 from 15% to 100% in 1:51:00 via USB-C with 2/3 lights lit on the powerbank. I charged my phone again from 50% to 100% and the powerbank was still showing ? full. 

 

It’s nice that the powerbank has a low power mode that you can activate by pressing and holding the single button until a white LED comes on underneath. This is perfect for charging an increasing number of low power devices like wireless headphones, smart watches and other wearables. 

 

Pro’s

  • Carbon Fiber! I am a sucker for carbon, real or fake it doesn’t matter.
  • Really small and compact
  • Supports 18W in or out, and charging via USB-C PD.
  • Low power mode

 

Con’s

  • The indicator LEDs are too close together to easily read.
  • Passthrough charging works but is fairly slow.  
  • On the pricey side these days, but it is a premium build quality.

 

Conclusion

The NB10000 is a small, well built powerbank with a great size to performance ratio. It has the features I am looking for in a powerbank in 2020, like PD support, 9 and 12V, and a low power mode. It doesn’t hurt it’s made of carbon fiber too since I am a sucker for it. That said you pay for these more premium features and this isn’t a cheap powerbank.

 

That said it’s my new travel charger since it’s so easy to put in a pocket and charge on the go. It also fits nicely in my camera bag which is also a plus. The traditional powerbank brands better watch out because Nitecore has them in their sights. 

Pick up The Nitecore NB10000 Carbon Fiber Powerbank at NitecoreStore at https://bit.ly/3lssOiO

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Nitecore MH12GTS (1800 Lumen, 18650, 1” Tactical)

The Nitecore MH12GTS is the upgraded version of the popular tactical MH12GT. It features and upgraded LED, 1800 lumen max output, microUSB charging, and an included 18650 battery. Thanks to the NitecoreStore.com for sending this to me to take a look at.

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/9gaIWVC

The YouTube version of this Review:

Packaging
This light comes in a Nitecore standard black and yellow retail box. On the outside there is quite a bit of info on the light. On the inside the light sits in a plastic tray with all the accessories and manual underneath. Included accessories are the light itself, lanyard, microUSB cable, pocket clip, tactical ring, NL1835HP 3500mAh button top battery extra orings and a velcro pouch.






Construction
The Nitecore MH12GTS is made of machined aluminum and his hard anodized a mostly glossy black. Starting at the tail cap, it has large lanyard holes on either sides, and does tail stand. The sides are cut down to allow for a finger or thumb to access the off center silicon textured button. It’s a pretty stiff button for a full click and mechanical. Opposite the button is a flat facing port cover for the USB charging port. The cover stays in place pretty well. The USB port underneath is waterproof and I will test that later in the review. Spring inside the tail cap is stiff and dual construction



This uses a dual tube style construction, from what I can tell the inner tube is not removable. Threads are a steep ACME cut and unanodized at top. The tactical ring on this light is threaded. I like this and means that it won’t’ freely spin like happens on many other light designs with a similar ring.There is an oring above the tactical ring.The body tube has smooth knurling but has horizontal lines milled in to break this up and then for the flats where the labels are they are milled a decent amount lower. This provides a bit more grip. The body tube looks like it’s removable but I can’t get it to budge. Further up the light has an anti rotation ring that’s small.



The head of the light has minimal heat syncing and heat hasn’t been a major issue here because the light does step down. The button is metal and has a clear Status indicator ring around it with a blue LED underneath. The head is pretty smooth. The bezel is smooth and the glass is anti reflective coated. The reflector is fairly deep for a 1 inch light and the LED is nicely centered.

The pocket clip on this light slots in right below the tail clip on the body tube. My first clip didn’t fit very close to the body of the light. I contacted Nitecore store and they promptly sent me a new one which was a much better and closer fit. I would prefer a clip that allows for deeper carry personally but this seems to not be what is done on most lights similar to this one.

Size/Weight/Water/Comparison
I measured length at 144mm. Maximum diameter is 35mm at the tactical ring, max diameter of the body is 26mm. Weight with the battery and pocket clip is 153.1 grams.

Size comparison with the Olight M2R Warrior is that they are very similar in diameter. The light is shorter at about 15mm. The nitecore is slightly lighter.



LED/Beam/Runtime
This light uses a Cree XHP35 HD LED in cool white. It’s capable of producing upto 1800 lumens in turbo mode. It throws pretty well due to that deep reflector. Overall the beam has a hot center and about 4 distinct rings. It’s not a very smooth transition to spill. The brightest hot spot has a bit of discoloration in the very center. This is easily noticed straight on against a surface that’s all the same texture and color such as drywall or concrete. It’s noticeable at distance as well.

Turbo 1800 Lumens
High 900 LUmens
Mid 240 Lumens
Low 70 Lumens
Ultra Low 1 Lumen
Strobe/SOS/Beacon 1800 Lumens

Power and Runtime
This light is capable of running on 18650’s, CR123a, and RCR123A. 2× 18350’s is not recommended due to too high of voltage. To access Turbo you need cells capable of 8A or more. Total runtime with the included 3500mAh battery was 142 minutes. Turbo run time starts decreasing almost immediately. It has a run time of about 3 minutes. When the light steps down you are getting about 45% relative output for about 20 minutes. Between 20 minutes and 142 minutes the light is pretty stable between 45% and 35% relative output for 120 minutes. Heat is pretty well managed.


Turbo Runtime

Full Runtime

One thing worth noting is that the manual says “When using an IMR 18650 battery and the power level is low please stop using the product when the power level is low to prevent damage to the battery. An IMR battery is what the light ships with. This suggests that the light doesn’t have low voltage protection for this type of battery built in, so using protected cells would be a good idea. Lucky the one that ships with the light is protected.

UI
The tail switch on this light functions as only an on and off. It takes a decent amount of force to press, I think this is good for a tactical light.

For normal operation this light has 5 modes, UltraLow, Low, Mid, High, and Turbo. When the light is on the mode button cycles through them. Memory mode is strong on this light and works everywhere except strobe.

Momentary access to turbo is possible if the light is on by holding the Mode button for 1 second, if you let off it returns to what mode you were in previously.

Strobe on this light isn’t at just one rate. It’s pretty fast and then alternates between fast and really fast. I like it, I just wish strobe wasn’t so easy to access with just a double click of the mode button. When in st4robe you can also get to Beacon or SOS by long pressing on the mode button. To exit a special mode just short press on the mode button to return where you were previously.

Direct access to moonlight mode can be accessed with the light is off by pressing and holding the mode button, while actuating the tail button, so it’s a 2 hand operation.

Recharging
This light has recharging via microUSB on the tail cap of the light. There is a rubber flap that protects the port from dust and moisture. The port is also conformally coated, so it’s protected from moisture even if the flap is open. To test this I dunked it in water and then blew some air in the port with my mouth and proceeded to charge it without issue. There is also a small blue LED built into the tail cap to show charging status. Blinking blue means it’s charging, solid blue means it’s full.

The disappointing thing about charging via USB on this light is the speed. I saw charging speeds at it highest at only 0.64A. So for the included 3500mAh battery that means a full charge took me 10 hours, 9 minutes. This is really slow in 2018 for a premium light. I would expect a minimum of 1A these days, if not closer to 2A to cut down on the charging time substantially.

Pro

  • Comes with a nice high capacity Nitecore battery
  • Waterproofing even with the USB protective cap off
  • Quick access to ultralow 1 lumen mode

Con

  • Slow onboard Recharging .64A means using onboard recharging takes forever.
  • Beam throws well but has a slightly more dim area in the direct center.
  • Not a big fan of double click to strobe, I would prefer double click of the mode button to go to turbo and triple click for strobe.

Conclusion
The Nitecore MH12GTS is a pretty nice tactical style light with a good amount of throw for its compact size. The UI takes a little while to get used to but if this was a light you used often I think most would like it. I like how it’s able to use a pretty wide variety of power, including primary and flat top unprotected 18650’s. I like that Nitecore has put a lot of effort into making the USB port waterproof. I can get past the beam irregularities in normal everyday use, but the slow charging time is hard to live with on a premium light. Overall it’s a nice showing here from Nitecore and one that will be especially useful for a nice throw in a small diameter light.

Link to the NitecoreStore for the MH12GHTS https://www.nitecorestore.com/MH12GTS-1800-Lumen-Long-Throw-Flashlight-p…

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Nitecore EC22 Review (Infinitely variable brightness 0.5 – 1000 Lumens)

The Nitecore EC22 is a single emitter small diameter 18650 light with a rotary switch instead of a more traditional button. This allows Nitecore to make a light that instead of having preset modes make it infinitely variable and ramp via the smooth rotary on the front of the light. Thanks to Nitecorestore.com for sending this to me to take a look at.

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/XRkJ8Gg(link is external)
The YouTube Version of this Review

Packaging
The packaging is Nitecore’s standard Black and Yellow retail hanging box, with pictures of the light, and details on the back. Inside the box is a plastic tray with the light itself, holster, lanyard and extra origin. The holster here is a more basic model and it almost looks like it was designed for a shorter light. The EC22 fits but ther just isn’t much room for the velcro to latch. It does have a D ring and velcro belt loop.




Construction
This light is made from nicely milled aluminium and hard anodized black. It’s pretty narrow for an 18650 light. There is some fairly smooth knurling on the tail cap and body tube. The tail cap has a large recessed flat that would have fit a magnet or tail switch if Nitecore chose to do so. However in the EC22 it was just left blank with a large lanyard hold for easy of mounting.


The clip is “Titanium plated stainless steel” I believe this is most likely a TiN based PVD coating used to increase scratch resistance. The clip can attach at the rear of the light for tip down carry or closer to the middle for use on a hat as a headlamp. I wish the retention was a bit tighter out of the box but you can tighten the clip up by bending it if you wish.

Closer to the front there is a 6 sided hex anti roll ring. At the front there is the rotary switch in machined aluminum. It could use a bit more grip in my opinion as it’s a bit stiff. Threads are square cut and nicely greased with an oring on each side of the body tube.


Maybe I am a little OCD but for me on lights with a milled flat on the body tube with writing it should line up with the button. Unfortunately my example of the EC22 suffers a bit in this regard because to have it line up with the button it won’t make contact. It requires just a touch more rotation to make contact and this makes the flats off axis.

Size/Weight/Water Rating
The EC22 is thinnest at 25.5mm and thickest at 26mm. Overall length is 128.7mm. Weight with a Nitecore IMR 3100mah battery is 126.8G. Water rating is IPX8.

Switch and UI
The UI of this light is very simple due to the linear rotary switch near the front. There is a strong detent on the switch and when you turn it on or off it makes a click that you can hear and feel. The rotary switch rotates clockwise, in my right hand this feels pretty natural to use your thumb and push back. Either way it’s a smooth operation but has decent resistance. I do wish it had a bit more aggressive grip on it due to its resistance. It can be turned on with one finger but is easier with two. I don’t see this light coming on accidentally in your pocket or bag. The light starts in the lowest output it can do which is below a lumen and the further you advance the rotary switch the brighter it gets, do the reverse to turn it off. From off to full is 270 degrees of rotation.

There is no extra modes on this light, shortcuts, or memory mode. This makes it really easy to use.

LED + Runtimes + Temps This light uses a Cree XP-L HD V6 LED in cool white. It’s pretty standard cool white, not too cool and not warm. I don’t notice any significant cree rainbow in this emitter. The reflector is smooth and the lens is anti reflective coated. This light will work with button top batteries and flat tops. It’s nice to see Nitecore evolve into using both types on several recent lights.

Beam Shot
The beam does have some artifacts at the 5-6ft range. I think the bezel causes some distortion as well as the LED Die itself as its kind of square distortions. The reflector itself doesn’t get that close to the LED itself which could be part of it. At further distances it’s not as noticeable.

Parasitic Drain I measured at 1.5uA

Runtime
I did my runtime testing with a Nitecore branded IMR 3100mah button top protected battery. As you can see from the graph the light does have active thermal controls. You can see this as the light ramps down from turbo it dips down, cools off and then for a short time increases in brightness before settling in to about 55% of relative output for a solid 80 minutes. The next 25 minutes the light decreases significantly in output smoothly as the battery runs out. Total runtime of usable light with this 3100mah battery is just at 160 lumens which is quite good. Longer runtimes can be expected for lower outputs as well. Heat was not an issue.

Pro

  • Really easy to use interface once you know which direction the rotary switch operates.
  • Large lanyard hole and tail standing design.
  • Can use flat tops and button top batteries.

Con

  • Body tube flats don’t line up with the button on my example.
  • Pocket clip should have better retention and I would prefer deeper carry.

Conclusion
Nitecore isn’t afraid to try new things with their flashlight designs. For me a rotary switch like this is new and I like it. It’s a little stiff but I expect this to loosen up a bit. I really like the infinitely variable light output this has and I think a rotary switch like this is a decent way to do this. It makes its operation very logical. I think if Nitecore wanted to make a “Tactical” model they could add an electronic switch to the tail cap to add some shortcuts but this would complicate the UI. If you have not tried a light with ramping output it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite features when done right. The output beam isn’t as smooth as I would like to see but I don’t think a non flashaholic would notice this. For me it’s not a deal breaker for what is otherwise a nice flashlight. Thanks again to Nitecorestore.com for sending this to me to evaluate.

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Nitecore SRT9 Revew

The Nitecore SRT9 is the latest light in the Smart Ring series of lights from Nitecore. It offers 8 different modes of light, including Red, Blue, Green, and UV led’s in addition to the main cool white Cree XHP50 LED. The [Nitecore SRT9]-https://goo.gl/qSmr7B was provided by https://bestlight.io Use code LIQUID and save 10% off your orders at https://bestlight.io/ including the Nitecore SRT9

Video Review https://youtu.be/BAJyr8pWEQg

Image Gallery Full – http://imgur.com/a/7F7gO

This entire light feels super solid, like it’s built like a tank. The walls where the cells are is pretty thick machined aluminum. The exterior design feels rugged and with all the cutouts it holds well in the hand. The body design isn’t too aggressive to tear up a hand or pocket. The head is more aggressive. I like how the labeling is minimal on this light too. The anodizing is good and even. It has a bit of a gloss to it.

This isn’t a small or lightweight flashlight. The side by side battery design I really like. It help keeps the light from getting too long and fits nicely in my hand. That said with batteries it’s pretty heavy at 11.4oz.

The head has some nice cooling fins on it as well as a warning to warn that it gets hot. The very front is steel bezel and finished with a silver paint/anodizing. The lense is recessed a bit for protection. The reflector itself has a light orange peel and then but outs for the 4 colored LED’s. I will go over beam pattern a bit later.

The tail cap is also very solid feeling. The latching mechanism takes some getting used to. https://youtu.be/BAJyr8pWEQg?t=2m21s You have to push both buttons/pins in at the same time to get the tail out while pulling. Even with practice it takes me a little bit. I find pushing them back in produces a very satisfying click and is easier. Don’t worry about this coming off accidentally, I just don’t see that happening. The bad is that there are no polarity markings on the tail cap, exterior, or interior of the flashlight. You can put batteries in backwards in this light. While there is reverse polarity protection it would be good if Nitecore would have put markings or keyed the tail cap in a way so it only goes in one direction.

This light is listed as having a beam distance of 246M, impact resistant to 1.5M, IPX8 water resistant.

This light uses a Cree XHP50 LED. It’s a quad package and pretty large die size.

It’s only available in a cool white tint for this light. Nitecore lists its range in this light as 0.1 lumens to 2150 lumens. In my testing and comparison to other lights 0.1 lumens isn’t accurate, I would put it more at 4-5 lumens. The UV LED is listed as having a 365nm light output. It’s not the brightest UV available. I am used to my Convoy S2+ UV being so strong. I think the best use for the UV is to check documents and money and also spot scorpions in your general vicinity while hiking. Red is listed at 13 lumens, green at 19, and blue at 3 lumens. When I tested the UV LED on money I got some interesting results.

On the US $20 bill both the SRT9 and Convoy S2+ UV lit up the security strip without a problem. However on the $100 bill the SRT9 didn’t show the strip, and the Convoy did. Not sure why, maybe the wavelength isn’t complete?



The Selector ring is how you change modes in this light. First you have an on off click button in the rear of the light which can be used for momentary operation. When on there is a blue LED on the side of the light that illuminates to let you know it’s on. It lights up about every 3 seconds. The reason this is there is because the light can be in on mode but you can have the selector ring in the “off position”. This also serves as a low voltage indicator when the light is on. The main selector ring is near the head of the light in a natural position when holding it in your hand. When in this off position if you move the ring to the right you feel a detent and then it starts ramping up the light. This allows you to dial in the exact amount of light you want or need. It’s a cool system. There is a detent at the top of this mode to let you know it’s reached the highest amount. Beyond this there is a fast strobe. Now if you turn the selector right to the left from the center position you get UV, followed by Red, green, blue, strobing Red/Blue, then White beacon mode. Color modes are not adjustable in brightness.

One thing I wish Nitecore would improve on the SRT9 is add some markings on the selector ring to index it. I plan to add a dot of white paint on the ring and body of the flashlight in the middle of the modes. That way I know if I turn to the left I get the colored modes, and if I turn to the right I have the ramping of the main flashlight.

Beam Patterns of this light are a little different. In white mode I was expecting distortion due to the cut outs for the color LED’s however it doesn’t really have one. https://youtu.be/BAJyr8pWEQg?t=8m39s The center is hot with plenty of spill. Nitecore claims this will go 245m and I could easily get it go 200. The color modes however each have significant distortion. You notice it the least on the UV color but Blue, Green, and red all have a lot of distortion and don’t always shine to the center. Run times vary due to all the different configurations available. On 18650 batteries nitecore quote the color modes as lasting for 48 hours, and white, on ultra low 250hrs, turbo for 1 hour.

This light can run on 4x CR123A or 2x 18650 batteries which is my preference for cost and runtime. I only had luck getting this light to run on button top cells. The unprotected flat tops I tried didn’t work. You can’t use magnets to create button tops for flat tops on this light due to the magnetic interference with selector ring.

This light does have a constantly running processor according to the manual. I measured the drain at 12.2mA. When I put this light through my standard 1 minute on Turbo it got to 90F degreese. When I was using it this weekend I found heat to be pretty well controlled and it didn’t feel too hot to hold especially for it’s output.

Packaging is standard Nitecore black and yellow box. Outside has a very retail look to it. Inside you get a plastic tray with the light, lanyard, holster, manual and an extra tail cap rubber piece. The holster is a nice heavy nylon thats shaped to fit this exact light. On the back it has a pretty heavy duty plastic D ring and a velcro belt strap. The front attaches with velcro. It’s decent quality.

The clip is a bit of an afterthought on this light. It’s nearly in the middle, and mounted so the head is up always. and at least on mine it’s not tight to the body. Given this light’s size I don’t see this as an EDC light. I don’t think I will remove mine because I do see some value in being able to clip it onto a pocket temporarily but I think I will use the lanyard for a more secure hand hold.

Summary
Over the weekend I took the SRT9 with me to a Milky Way photography class I went to. It turns out this isn’t the best light for that because it ended up being a bit too bright in red mode, and moon light was brighter than I was hoping for. However after everyone was done I played with it more and found it great to move between sites, and pack up the car etc. People including myself were impressed at how far it could throw. To me the best feature on this light is the selector ring. It works really well and makes it super intuitive to use. The colors and modes make this a very versatile light. I think it’s my favorite light in July.

Pro’s

  •  I really like the selector ring interface
  • This light feels like it’s built like a tank.
  • White beam pattern is good considering the cuts in the reflector. It throws pretty well.
  • It’s nice to have a light with some color options and a great interface to access them.

Cons

  • No polarity markings in the battery compartment. Read the springs on the bottom. Spring = Negative
  • I wish there was an external visual indicator for the beginning of the ramp.
  • Ultra low doesn’t seem to be the 0.1 lumens advertised.

 

Use code LIQUID and save 10% off your orders at https://bestlight.io/ including the Nitecore SRT9

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Nitecore Concept 1 Full Review

This light was provided by Nitecore Store for review and my opinions have not been influenced.

For this review I decided to write a script that could serve two purposes, to provide me with notes during the recording and then for a written review for those who wanted to read it instead. Video is still my main thing but let me know what you think of this Hybrid format. It does end up taking a good deal more time.

Video Review

Entire Photo Gallery – http://imgur.com/a/luddn

 

Construction

Nitecore Stepped up their construction with this light. The fit and finish of the aluminum and anodizing is really nice. The body tube is as thin as it can be, and thinner than most lights I have. I don’t think it’s overly thin.The knurling is a little more for aesthetics then functional use because they are not very aggressive. The light is IPX-8 rated, drop resistant to 1.5 meters. I did notice that the button rattles when shaken. I contacted Nitecore store about this and their response was this was consistent with all of the Concept 1 they have. This is disappointing to me. To me it looks like a bit of a design error. The recessed part of the button is too big for the screw that was used. I tried tightening the screw and it was already tight. From a practical standpoint I didn’t notice a problem with this though. Concept 1 does have a magnetic tail cap, It could be removed if you wanted, as it’s visible and held in with glue or epoxy.

Measurements
4.39” Long

0.96” Head Diameter

0.94” Tail Diameter

2.18oz Empty Weight

 

Size Comparisons

The Concept 1 isn’t the smallest 18650 light on the market but it’s pretty close. Here is a a photo of 5 lights to show the size differences. Olight S2R, Nitecore Concept 1, ArmyTek Wizard Pro, Lumintop Prince, AceBeam EC35.

 

Outputs – Beam – UI

Turbo – 1800LM – 30 min (Heat dependent)

High – 810LM – 90 min

Medium – 300LM – 4hr

Low – 80LM – 15hr

Moon – 1LM – 300hr

This light uses a Cree XHP HD E2 LED in cool white. I don’t notice any contrasting colors in the LED. The reflector is smooth, and it’s backed by an anti reflective coated glass lens. The beam has a hot and focused center with a ring of less intense light followed by a large ring of flood. This light surprised me at how well it threw light, I will show that in my night shots. Nitecore advertises this as a no flicker light and I could not detect any on my camera or by eye.

 

UI

The UI of this light takes (Seperate video showing this https://www.reddit.com/r/flashlight/comments/6iyegp/nitecore_concept_1_ui_demo) some learning and getting used to. It’s a little different from others I have. The light has 2 main groups called General and Tactical. They are largely the same but in General you have a shortcut to Turbo by using a triple click from the off position, in Tactical a triple click gives you strobe and SOS. To switch between these two mode groups you unscrew the tailcap ¼ turn and then while holding the button down screw on the tail cap. The light will quickly flash 1 for general, or twice for Tactical.

Inside each group this part is the same. From Off click and hold the side switch and it will slowly begin to cycle between the 5 power levels starting off from the last memorized position. Stop on the one you want and this will become the memorized mode. While on if you click the button again you get a momentary turbo. If you want to select a new memory mode unfortunately you must turn the light off and then go through this process again. I found this part of the UI a bit frustrating but it gets easier the more you use it. I think if you have a lot of lights like I do and you change what you’re using frequently the Concept 1 will always take a second to relearn before you feel comfortable again with it. I feel like in future models Nitecore should simplify the UI.

This light has a manual lockout mode by unscrewing the tailcap ¼ turn. Nitecore recommends this to prevent accidental activation and to prolong battery life. I measured the parasitic drain at a rough average of 1ma. This light is pretty active when not in use as you can see in the video, it was bouncing between 1.8 and 0.5ma and did not stabilize. This is quite a bit higher then I would expect to see out of a modern flashlight and would drain the battery in about 4 months. I measured 3 other 18650 lights I had with electronic switches and they were all under 0.05ma.

The active heat controls in this light work well, instead of a timed mode for turbo this light measures its temperature and makes small steps down in output if it gets too warm. If I concentrated I was able to see these steps. I ran the light under cold water to cool it down and I could not tell if it got brighter again, I am pretty sure it didn’t. During my usual 1 minute turbo test the light got to 109F degrees.

 

Indoor and Outdoor Beam Shots

 

Power

Nitecore recommends the TM28 battery for use in the light. It’s a new protected button top cell with a max continuous discharge of 10A. It’s rated at 3100mAh and 11.47Wh. I was also able to use a high discharge flat top cell (Sony VCT6) in this light without rattle, due to the raised button in the flashlight and strong tail spring. This is a welcome change from other Nitecore Lights as you usually have to use button tops in most Nitecore products.

 

Pocket Clip

Here is a photo of the light clipped onto the pocket of my shorts. As you can see it rides head up, and unfortunately sticks up out of the pocket a decent amount, nearly ? of the light. Now in these shorts the pockets are low cut and it’s not a huge deal. But in pants that have more straight cut pockets like jeans this does stick up and is uncomfortable when sitting down. I like that the pocket clip uses 2 screws to attach and is in a fixed position. I took the screws off with a T6 Torx bit and the holes are not clear through the body.I would prefer Nitecore come up with a clip that allows for deeper carry or move the location of the existing clip further up.

 

Bundled in the box

You get a nice Nitecore branded nylon holster with DRing. You also get lanyard, product guide, extra orings, and manual. The box itself is a classier version of Nitecore’s black and yellow boxes with a few stats on the back.

 

My take away points are:

Pro’s

  • Attractive Design + Magnetic tail cap
  • Good output and little to no color contrast in the LED
  • Good low lumen mode with quick access as well as Turbo.
  • Active temperature controls vs timed controls we see on some lights.

Con’s

  • Clip positioning isn’t good for EDC because it sticks up quite a bit.
  • UI has a learning curve and is a little clunky until you get use to it.
  • The metal button rattles around the screw. A tiny O ring might fix this or tighter machining
  • Parasitic Drain is higher than expected. Using manual lockout is a must.

Nitecore has a good physical design on it’s hands here but it needs a bit more revision to be a great overall light in my opinion. I like the instant access to turbo on this light and I think it would be pretty good choice for a walk with the dog or neighborhood walker at night with that quick access to turbo if needed. The light has an attractive physical design but the clip position is not great for EDC in the front pocket of pants. If you were going to EDC it in the included holster I think it would work pretty well.

If you are interested in this light check it out on the Nitecore Store https://goo.gl/GrZE4P

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Nitecore TM06s Review

At 4000 lumens on turbo this is quite an impressive light. I did a table top review and then took it out to a park at night to show the beam and distance. It was impressive and the Bugs loved it.

Check out the bugs

 

If you are interested in purchasing please take a look at the links below: http://bit.ly/2nJrPfV

For other flashlights on sale at Banggood http://bit.ly/2pbVS4l