NITECORE EC4 Review (2x18650,1050Lm,XM-L2)

I read another review where the reviewer kept saying how little this light weighed. And yet, with cells, this light is heavier than all others listed! Do those other lights utilize one or two cells? Confused here.

anxiously awaiting the EC4S


+1) If it had an on-board charger it would be the ideal all-round light in the household of a recovering flashaholic (doctors prescription: 1 light only!).

At first, it does not attract me much. But the interface got me interested by it and ask for a unit.
It’s just great, much lighter and adapted to the hand than you might think seeing on the web. Perfect balance, strength, endurance and very good runtime. Perfect for a weekend without extra batteries.

I will make a little review nextly.

Thanks for great job FlashLion (Pics are really Nice, nice
) .

Fantastic, informative review.

Hope to hear more from someone on the coating they are using.

Thanks!

Nice review, terrific photographs (as we have come to expect from you, FlashLion) :smiley:

Just looking at your images makes me want to buy one!

Thanks for the review. Well worth reading,

Many casting grades of aluminum do not anodize well, that is most likely why this light is coated.
I am also interested how durable the coating is.

nice review, great pics :beer:

my only negative comment is that you are swaying me to pick one up with your post :weary:

Excellent review


Thank you all,for the comments!

The Lynx has the best beam of all five lights on the picture and the option for user defined modes is unbeatable option.
What is stopping it,to be one of my most used flashlights is the tailcap-it’s quite bulky and heavy.

All flashlights on the picture,except the EC4 are single cell flashlights.
I don’t have other similar lights to compare-another double cell light I have is the Catapult V5,which is massive,more than half a kilo flashlight

A Keeppower 18650 weights ~46 grams.
Here is the weight of all flashlights,without batteries:
Nitecore EC4 168 gr
Nitecore SRT6 151 gr
ThruNite Lynx 211 gr
Olight M22 147 gr
Klarus XT11 140 gr

The Nitecore P36 and Fenix TK35UE both are 2x 18650 models running the MT-G2.

According to the data published by their manufacturers, the empty weight for both is substantially more than the Nitecore EC4. The P36 checks in at 252g, with the TK35UE weighing 265g. Compare this with a dry weight of 171g for the EC4.

Due to its lower mass than these other models, I have speculated that the EC4S will not be able to sustain high output any longer than the EC4 can. But this is only speculation. I have no information regarding the actual lumen counts that will be offered in the EC4S.

I have the P36, and like it quite a lot. It has 10 constant-brightness levels, and an innovative mode dial that makes selecting one a breeze. On level 7, running on 3400 mAh fuel, it will give you a flat, well-regulated 850 lumens for 3 hours. Of course, with a new model like this, there is no track record of reliability yet. The worst I can say about the P36 is that is has a significant current drain when the power is off. You can lock it out, however, by unscrewing the tail cap one full turn.

The TK35UE also looks very good. It has a slightly floodier beam, and excellent regulation. Unlike the P36, it offers little or no tail standing. If you compare the outputs of the P36 and TK35UE on the runtime charts in the respective reviews by Selfbuilt, you will see that the P36 flickers just before reaching cutoff. I have witnessed this with my P36. The flickering shows up in the runtime charts as a bunch of rapidly oscillating up and down jumps. The TK35UE has none of this.

This flickering is of little consequence, however, because the flashlight has much earlier dropped-down from whatever high-output mode is running, and the light is minutes away from cutting off completely.

First very good review
Second I am a big fan of Nitecore
Third the Nitecore 2x18650 is my favorite light (the p36)

But lets call a spade a spade.

Nitecore cast this light for one reason and one reason only, to save money all the rest is marketing.
The only reason I can see to put 8.4v-12v into a 3.3-4.2v emitter is they wanted to keep the series format (why) they already did the engineering? or to be able to drop in the MT-G2 (my prefered emitter)? I dont really know but I think it a strech to say this is a high efficiency driver. I am sure there are worse, but all that extra voltage has to go somwhere?

It almost looks like the EC4 is a compromise for their EC4S (as some point) I can see nitecore releasing a lower cost/price 2x18650 MT-G2 light :slight_smile:

The only nitpicky thing about your review is, you said “No output step down to prevent overheating” I am very sure that is why Nitecore builds their “ATR” circuit into a lot of their lights (including this one) I can tell you that as much as I want nitecore to use a light hand on regulating their lights the P36 will get “hot” if used (WOT) on non cold days.

Regarding the P36 (2000) vs the TK35UE (1800) the first step down on the P36 is 1500 lumens where it is 750 for the TK35UE. In fact the P36 then goes down to 1100, 850 it is not untill the 4th step down that the P36 drops to 600 lumens. My point being it looks like the TK35UE really is 1800 usable lumens on paper.

It is interesting to speculate what the EC4S will offer. Its cousin, the EC4, has 5 output levels. The manufacturer's ratings (in lumens) for the EC4 are: 1, 80, 240, 520, and 1000. Spacing is not too bad, but it might be nice to have another level, around 25lm, squeezed in there. Something like 1, 25, 100, 240, 520, and 1000 might be ideal.

What will happen if the EC4S goes for big output? The P36 drives the MT-G2 to a nominal 2000lm. What mode spacing would Nitecore offer if it drove the EC4S to a similar level and used a similar interface, i.e., one that has only five output levels? Whatever answer you give, the spacing would not be nearly so nice as the EC4.

That's the problem faced by the designers of the Fenix TK35UE. To make things worse, the Fenix designers limited themselves to only four output levels. For the TK35UE, they chose (in lumens): 25, 250, 750, and 1800.

This is one place where the Nitecore P36 really shines. Its ten output levels—as rated in lumens by its manufacturer—are: 2, 20, 80, 210, 380, 600, 850, 1100, 1500, and 2000. This is very nice, even when you factor in Selfbuilt's lower estimate of 1850 lumens for the output on maximum. The key to this is Nitecore's mode dial. Selecting output levels could not be easier.

For what it's worth, all three flashlights, the EC4, the P36, and the TK35UE, decline from their maximum output level in a matter of minutes. More interesting is the output levels they can maintain—without stepdown—over a period of hours.

I am eagerly awaiting the EC4S. It is decidedly more coat-pocketable than the P36, and it might even be small enough for EDC if stowed in my daypack.

The thrunite is discontinued right? That’s really sad :frowning: Any where I could get one?

Some outdoor beamshots.Enjoy!
Three flashlights with pretty similar throw.

10000 ISO,because of the huge amount of insects,flying around.
Distance ~75 meters


...and something even more interesting.

I call it...FlyPainting

Anyone hear anything new about the EC4S (neutral white version)?

You can check @Flashlion blogspot on his mini review and beamshots for thr EC4S

Thank you. I’m most interested in release date. :stuck_out_tongue:

Indeed. Relase date and street price :bigsmile:

do these lights have DTP ? what kind of star are the LEDs on ?
thx in advance