The TIP SE has a battery indicator: when it's off, you tap the mode button; it blinks red for over 50%, 2 times for 30-50% and once for under 30%. The Tip SE is by far my favorite EDC flashlight because of the tiny size.
I'm too dumb for these type of lights. I use a flashlight infrequently so when I do need to use it I can never remember how the interface works so I invariably start pushing buttons and end up stuck in strobe or lockout mode or whatever.
Same and they are always too bright. I need like two modes, super low and super bright. Most of the time I’m using a flashlight is at night trying not to wake people up while I look for something I dropped. And I definitely don’t need the super bright mode to be before the dim mode. I have never been in a situation where a dim flash before my bright mode is a problem. But if I have to turn on turbo just to get to my dim mode Whats the point of it being dim?
I have the T4K and fair enough for just some night walk, and yeah the TURBO is so bright even though it's just 10 seconds. However, you can still force turbo which lasts for only 3 seconds and enough to surprisingly stun some attackers LOL.
My TIP has a lockout mode. It is an early model. Five years old and the battery still works well. I use it on my keychain so it doesn't get a lot of use, but has come through when I needed it. I agree Nick that the shape makes Nitecores easy to carry.
More flashlight yes! I always felt that an actual work light would need to be a flashlight that you can swap cell. You're low on charge? Swap the cell and boom you have a fully charged flashlight. Your review was great btw!! I have a KR1 with XP-L Hi 2850K emmiter and it's great, I've found that you can EDC a thrower this size. It's like the FW4A, only that it's as long as the Convoy S2. It's also a perfect flashlight for outdoor.
So many reasons why I've been a long time subscriber of yours. Today, the reason is for a new adjective: searchy! I love it, albeit I won't be including it in my next college paper, but I love it!
I wonder if they would sell a replacement battery for down the road. Typical lithium ion lifespan is about 1000 charge cycles (100 to 60 and then charge and 100 to 40 would be one charge cycle) and they are at 80% which is a good lifespan but still would like to not put more stuff in the landfill. Is the light usable while charging? If so, you could make do with a battery pack like a Mophie or something. Not as simple or easy as a swappable battery.
I'm one of those odd people who might be considered a flashlight hobbyist and I don't think I've ever heard that referred to as "spread". That would almost always be referred to as "mode spacing".
Definitely flashier (no pun intended) than the baton 3 I just got but the turbo fizzles out on the Nitecore way too quickly for my liking. And while it's proprietary, I can buy a spare battery for the baton, plus I've got the charging case so I can easily top it off whenever. I've been looking for a replacement for my Nitecore tube since it died but so far i haven't found anything that size with the same features. 😞
$90 for a disposable flashlight with a lanyard design that makes the light less functional(can't tail stand) I got a problem with them putting so much work into something you are going to end up throwing away.
i know this is may be unrelated to the review, but have you heard about the bladehq data leak. just got an email last night saying blade hq was having their servers skimmed and from February to late march if you updated your card info, your name, address, card number, expiration date, and even the cvv security code on the back was logged by some scammers. unfortunately i was one of those people and though i havent been stolen from yet, im in the process of getting credit reports and cancelling my card. id love to hear your opinion and also for the word to get out, thus far bladehq has not said anything publicly and even though i called their privacy help line they told me to basically deal with this myself and that there would be no type of compensation or repercussions for their actions. its infuriating and wanted to tell someone who has a voice in the knife community.
Great review Nick, but I have an admittedly sour view of this product from my experience with the prior model. I have a Nitecore TUP, the predecessor to this light with the same shape, clip, and interface, slightly smaller dimensions, and with only 1 emitter and 1000 lumen turbo, and I can say it sits in a drawer instead of being carried. I can't say for sure without holding this, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt, but it looks like all my largest complaints from the TUP carry through to this as well. I really can't hit on enough how the stepped brightness of the TUP isn't useful enough once you're carrying it, and that setup would be even more of a waste on this. The turbo mode can't be toggled, and it doesn't have the thermal mass to run on turbo without overheating for any useful amount of time anyway, which is why it's software locked at 10 seconds. The stepping isn't spaced enough, 200 to 4000 lumens is a huge jump and you very likely will find situations where 200 is too low but 4000 is way too much. I found that situation happening with just with the jump from 200 to 1000 turbo on the TUP. Despite having 4x the max brightness of the TUP, this has the same 4 regular output modes and only differs with a brighter turbo, which, with the wider range of brightnesses this light can provide makes it feel like mostly wasted potential. I find it absurd it jumps output from 0.025% to 0.4% to 1.6% to 5% to 100% (briefly) of max brightness with nothing in between. The 4000 lumens feels like a gimmick to advertise the high output and not really a useful feature. Trying to carry the TUP clipped to a pocket, I found the TUP's large, flat sides of the head along with the orientation and no texture under the clip resulted in it popping off of my pocket just from sitting down. For the brief time I tried to carry it, I had to constantly check whether it was still in place. The final time I carried it, I thought I lost it when it popped out at lunch one day, but thankfully it popped out in a co-worker's car and I found it later. After that I relegated it strictly to household duty for fear of losing it. I feel like Nitecore's marketing for it's lights now is just focused around craming in more LEDs to put down a spec jump on paper rather than having any meaningful improvements that make a better product. There might be a couple people who find the brighter turbo useful, but I can't see the necessity in this when everything else is the same as the predecessor light, for $30 more than what was already expensive for the TUP at $60ish.
I love Nitecore and have 4 of there flash lights. This would be great if they had one more level of maybe 600 lumens. A jump from 200 to 4000. Not great.
My advice is to stay away from devices with non removable batteries when you have the choice. These things are basically disposable. Same with things with proprietary batteries.
Nick, you are missing one important point... this can be charged while running. So, if you need longer runtime you can hook it up to your smartphone or a powerbank. So, you don't need extra batteries. P.S.: The TINI2 can do this too. P.P.S.: the battery will outlast the rest of the tech, degradation of the battery is not as bad as it used to be.
@@GildaLee27 Good to know. For me, that is now an essential requirement for an EDC flashlight. Just about a week ago, the back-light on my bike broke. So, I took the Tini, hooked it up to the powerbank I anyway carry... mounted it with a piece of tape and because it is not read I angled it at my back reflector (red). Worked pretty well. But maybe I could switch to the Tiki. For people who carry a Laptop/Powerbank etc... continuous charging means they don't have to worry about the flashlight, doesn't matter if it is out of battery.
It looks interesting, but not even 4000 LUMENS is going to be enough to part me from my Fenix LD30, which for me, is quite possibly the best EDC flashlight I have ever owned. Small for an 18650 light, 1600 max lumens, but nearly 2 hour run time at 800 lumens, it's a beast. I wish I could afford being able to give one to everyone I know.
For those who want a replaceable battery it is completely unnecessary. The square form factor allows a more powerful battery than a round one. I have used my TUP for 3 years EVERY night on dog walks. Still works great.
200 jump to 4000 lumen? There should be some steps in between. No replaceable batteries? Yeah, I think I'll stay with my O'lights for now. Interesting, but don't see this as a better option.
Hey NITECORE, if you're listening, THANK YOU for sending a T4K to Nick for review! I bought 3 of your products so far because I listened to this guy. My sis is currently carrying a TIP SE & thinks it's awesome, but I really want to get her a T4K. However, as the man says, $90 is way beyond my price point right now mainly due to the pandemic (can't work.) In a few months when sis's birthday rolls around, I hope to be able to get it for her for around $50, so please consider reducing the price. Hey, you can't get what you don't ask for, right? Thanks again, Nick, for another entertaining but serious review (seriously entertaining?) PS YOU GOT ME INTO FLASHLIGHTS NOW AS WELL AS KNIVES. I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY. ;D
This isn't a keychain light nor a pocket carry and quite frankly, it's not a 4000 lumen light either. Only 10 seconds and it murders your battery in the process. If you like this form factor, get the TUP. If you want something that's actually pocketable, get the mini 2.
Not putting 1000 lumens or at least 500 lumens in this light was somehow a mistake. 4000 lumens for 10 seconds in useless. I just wish Nitecore released a Type-C version of the TUP instead. Or at least a 1,500 lumen TUP wuth updated USB Type-C instead of this.
Hmm he has a flashlight, what kind of potential victim has a powerful flashlight? The kind who might also have a knife or firearm is a lot more likely. So a flashlight for self defense isn't the worst idea, especially if it means you don't need the other tools. Dunno, on the fence.
I own multiple nitecores. But there is something to be said for Maglite. Sure, I have car high beam light volume, but the guy with a Maglite can run to a dollar tree for batteries. Points to Nick, for pointing out that captive batteries are the owner being captive. Zombie apocalypse...i have my solar charger, and I'm staying the hell away from dollar tree. I'm not getting my ass shot for small cans of Vienna sausages!!! I want sides of beef!!! The horror of turning a baron of beef into jerky, is worth it. When SHTF last year, the idiots hoarded toilet paper. Not food or water...Effing toilet paper!!!!! like you were too precious to do what your ancestors did. A sponge, a Sears catalog in the outhouse, and some BALLS. Maglite guys are the ones that use the outhouse. Simple, gets it done and easy. Give me a maglite that has all the features and I'll poop in a hole. I want a flashlight that does 2000 lumens and has a half moon on it.
