Noctigon K1 info / review

I found a 21700 cell I had forgotten about — a Samsung 50E. It may not be much higher-amp than the 48G, but it should still be pretty good. So I’ll try to do runtime output tests with it instead.

In any case, even the weak 48G appears to get pretty flat output at all levels up to 7 (out of 7). It’s only turbo where it gets a more direct-drive-like curve.

High-amp cells like the 40T and 30T should stay pretty flat regardless of what level they’re running at. At least, until the battery is actually low.

You cannot always guarantee a clean environment, for example while camping in a small tent. Built-in charging allows to charge the flashlight on-the-go where you don’t have a fireproof, non-conducting space.

Wow!

What I wonder is if and when there will be a version of the D4 that takes 21700, has onboard charging and the switch that shows charge levels?

I share Sammy’s sentiment and your lube remark made it very clear that this style of charging is simply incompatible with one of my most important use cases.
I frequently charge things from powerbanks in tent. The item tends to lie on the tent floor together with 100 other things, some of which may be conductive. A flashlight, unless very small, is too heavy to be put in the tent pocket because it will pull the side wall. While moving around the tent stuff gets kicked around.

With such design a short would be unlikely but possible. Getting stuff dirty with lube would be certain.

I used to be a big fan of how Zanflare F1 did their charging. Now I like it even more.

Agreed. I seriously doubt that flashlights have played a dominant role in the LED industry’s design decisions since the original Luxeons were introduced circa 2004 and you’d pay dearly for anything capable of >100 lumens per emitter. Times have changed, Lumileds has shrank from their once-dominant position, and with Moore’s Law like leaps in performance some ~15 years later we’re seeing some ~10 times the performance at a fraction of the absolute price, which has opened numerous markets to LED lighting.

Mercifully, there’s still demand for LEDs convenient to flashlights in the larger market.

I would tend to assume so as well, given that Osram is a player in the automotive market. One of the vexing problems with automotive lighting is that of precise control over output, which is easier done with a point source than a 1D source (i.e. halogen filament) and especially a 2D source (i.e. LED die). LED headlights are indeed a thing, but they’ve not yet dethroned HID when it comes to tight control over light distribution since their cd/mm² is still lower and they’ve yet to emulate HID’s quasi-point source nature. Based on the throw that the K1 seemingly manages with such a small reflector, this LED has closed the gap significantly.

However, it’s worth noting that one of the more prominent application notes on Osram’s product page suggest that projectors (as in digital projectors like you’d see in a conference room) are a target market for this LED. The 6000K CCT is convenient for this application since that’s close to the typical monitor default of 6500K. Much like vehicle headlamps. projectors benefit from point light sources - and previously used xenon short arc bulbs almost exclusively, which are even closer to being a point source than HID.

I see your point but I don’t get your use case. You’d need a hell of a long camping trip to have to recharge this light in a tent, and charging over USB is way less efficient than just carrying a spare cell.

My remark was more general about this style of USB port in flashlights rather than this flashlight in particular. I did reference its size though I meant more size than the flashlight.
Unless a new emitter option shows up I’m not buying K1 simply because its beam is too narrow for my uses. And in most of uses flashlight is the source of power for other items. And sometimes I charge one flashlight with another simply because it’s easier for me to carry spares in one size. Though that doesn’t happen too often.

A small pouch should solve the tent-charging thing

Except that the grease would still make the items involved dirty.
I don’t want to sound like it kills the feature, it doesn’t. But this style of a charging port is now my third 4th least preferred after:

  • not having any port cover (strongly dislike)
  • having a cover that I may want to remove during use like (strongly dislike)
  • ADDED: non-USB port (forces me to carry extra cable) (clearly dislike, slightly less than the ones above)

This one I dislike.
And I prefer:

  • port on the cell (still a short risk but no grease) (I have mixed feelings)
  • a cover flap (may get lost but otherwise it works great) (like when quality is good)
  • a cover ring (like)

After writing that I noticed there’s yet another way that I would really like but I haven’t seen it implemented.
Place the charger on the cell but deactivate battery pole while there’s USB cable plugged in (which indicates that ends are exposed).

I’d like to see a magnetic charge port on the back side of the raised area, where the button is, like this.

The only problem with this is the proprietary cable. If you bring multiple lights somewhere now you need to bring multiple cables. Also what happens if the cable breaks? This is why the USB C standard is ideal.

Hank, would it be possible to order one with a different switch cover? Preferably black but really anything else then white would do.
Also it the switch you’re using still ALPS?

Eh, I prefer the good old take the battery out and swap in a freshly charged and place them in a dedicated charging bay. I don’t need extra cables and a good charging bay with a few spare batteries works better than having the light out of commission while charging. But that’s my 2 cents.

Oh I agree. I rarely use built in charging. It’s a nice addition for a non-EDC, as long as it doesn’t hurt waterproofing (like Hank’s design on K1). For a EDC I don’t want built in charging, just makes the light bigger.

Thanks TK, nice write up. And thank you Jordan ZHP for the heads-up, ordered the grey one with a 1x1 White Flat for ultimate throw. Didn’t realize just How MUCH Bigger it is than the D1S until I located this thread though. Love it! :smiley: Can’t wait to see it in hand.

First light I’ve purchased in a while, may or may not use the C charging but at least it’s there in a pinch.

It sounds like you’re getting the best one. If you’re getting a thrower, may as well make it throw. :slight_smile:

I didn’t think I’d use the built-in charger, but I’ve found it really useful so far. It can charge at 2A, and my only other 21700 charger maxes out at 1A. So it has been pretty handy for reducing the time between runtime tests.

Once that’s all done though, I might stick with the external charger for the simple reason that my driver isn’t glued and I don’t want to risk breaking any cables or connections by unscrewing the handle a lot. But this wouldn’t be an issue with a production unit.

Anyway, it’s nice having something with a beam similar to a GT but small enough to actually use. :slight_smile:

Someone convince Hank to make a tail switch accessory and I might have to buy one of these - I know Anduril already supports dual switch layouts, and the flashing pads will make firmware modifications a breeze.

Thanks for the review Toykeeper.
It is noticeably bigger than the D1S, but performance is top of its class and makes lights like the BLF GT a little obsolete.

Looking forward to see the specs of the Boost driver version with XHP35.

I’m really eager to see the specs of the boost driver performance. I think driver efficiency is a neglected attribute in the enthusiast market lately, especially in small lights where heat matters (not that the K1 is small or prone to overheating). It may end up being hard to pick between SST-20 and XHP35 HI.