Noctigon K1 info / review

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.

FWIW, runtime tests are still in progress. I’ve added some results to the graph, but I’m still adding more as the tests finish.

It may be necessary to shift-reload to get the newest version of the image though. Browsers might cache it even though the timestamp has changed.

Results are pretty much as expected — nearly flat until the battery voltage falls below the LED voltage, and then it slopes down in a shape directly matching the battery’s discharge curve until LVP activates, and then it stair-steps down for a rather long time until finally shutting itself off at 2.9V.

Even on a low battery though, just before LVP activates, it still makes 100+ kcd. So it out-performs a D1S or GT-Mini until the battery is at like 3% charge.

Nice! Thank you for the runtime tests. I just grabbed 4 more Samsung 50E batteries while they were on sale for $5 a pop. Might have to splurge and get this awesome light. Still having trouble deciding between the 2mm and 1mm. This is an awesome light.

Can we start a thread where we accidentally get drunk and buy things, recently by Hank, and mostly by Hank. I’ll update tomorrow when Elysia knows what I did. What’s wrong with us? Thanks FTK…

Might be interesting to fit the 90.2 to this beauty…

…plus strobe mode.For self defense of course… :slight_smile:

I did the same thing. Had just ordered myself a replacement D4V2 and the K1 wasn’t on the site yet. Sitting down with some beers and popped my head into BLF and theres the K1. Went straight back to Hanks site and there it was. Immediately ordered it in Dark Grey W1……

Me and a few others have suggested that. He said the driver is only 5 amps but the WF2 version is pulling around 8 amps. All he has to do is add a direct drive turbo mode.

I could not resist it anymore and ordered a K1 W1

I don’t have any experience with white flats. Do they have issues with green tints?

Not at all

It hasn’t been measured that I’m aware of.

However, it doesn’t look green to me, and I usually notice even mild green tints.

On the other hand, “white” gets a little weird at 6000K. Some standards actually shift the ideal tint line up at CCTs above 4500K in order to match perception better, so a positive duv at 6000K means something different than a positive duv at 4000K.

Here’s a recent chart from maukka, showing the alternate standard for white:

I’m guessing the White Flat is probably on the dotted line around 6000K, but that’s just a guess. I think it’s designed for use in video projectors, and its color distribution is pretty close to a computer monitor.

Yep, had to order one. Got the W1 for ultimate throw. Will be my first mega thrower.

As TK also noted, tint measurements of the White Flat may not have been posted yet, or I may have missed a maukka test. Here is a quick measurement of the hotspot from a 1mm2 White Flat in a shorty Convoy S8 with smooth reflector, uncoated lens, at three non-exact-defined :innocent: currents.

Low-ish current:
CCT=6500K, duv= –0.0012, CRI=68

High current:
CCT=7370K, duv= –0.0075, CRI=69

Highest current (I assume around 4.5A):
CCT=8488K, duv= –0.0113, CRI=72

So no green, duv is always negative, at highest current tint goes towards purple.

Might as well have Lightning mode, to convince folks three blocks over it’s going to storm.

Thanks, TK & djozz! This is probably going to have to be my first real thrower (that I have no real need for). I have a Catapult V6 already, and it never gets used except for playing, but….I’m still going to have to have a K1!

Wow, that’s really cold and purple. I’m not sure it’s representative of the K1 though. At turbo level, mine doesn’t look anywhere near that cold, and it doesn’t look purple.

Next to a Cree XM-L 1A (~6700K), the XM-L looks bright blue while the K1 looks like it’s just white. If I turn it up all the way though, the K1’s spill area starts looking about as blue as the XM-L 1A, and the hotspot still looks white. It’s hard to tell the hotspot color at turbo though, since it’s bright enough that it kind of hurts to look at.

There’s definitely some CCT shifting going on, but it looks like it stays under 7000K even on turbo.

I don’t have proper equipment to measure this though. The spec sheet says the White Flat should be around 6000K, but by eye it looks to me like it ranges from about ~5500K to ~6700K depending on the power level.

It’s a really good thrower, but not technically a mega thrower. It doesn’t reach 1 Mcd like some of the bigger lights do.

However, it gets at least 0.6 Mcd, and that’s pretty unusual for something this size. The size alone makes it a lot more practical than any true mega throwers I’ve seen so far.

Be warned though… the narrow spot means you only get to see one small area at a time. It’s really not meant for short distance use. For something more general-purpose, I’d suggest something smaller and less throwy, like an Emisar D4S, D1, or D4.