review: nitecore TM16 - final!

Thanks for the great review! Great disassembling!

Definitely great flashlight. Just wish Nitecore to not take so much care for the weight of their products,which is important for the regular user,but possibly limiting the performance.

Awesome job !!! Thanks for the disassembling. :bigsmile:
thanks…thanks….and thanks…

Excellent review! Many thanks :slight_smile:

I stand waiting with the step - down :wink:

Many thanks for that…

Did you by chance had a k60 in that 14’s lights list?

unfortunately not :frowning:

not easy to get one for cheap …

Yeah I know…

k60 vs tm16 could be interesting maybe also a comparison with a sd75… I’m undecided for the tm16… Since the k60 claims more lumen (and I suspect they could go all with the spill since throw it’s similar) which is not a bad thing…

The driver efficiency seems better on k60 (if we just take the manufacturer specs) the low is lower, the max is higher… So it seems a better light in almost every situation… BUT acebeam reputation is… Hum… Don’t know… And I do not like their MAP attitude… So… Just taking into account the GB price and the unavailability of an equivalent good discount on k60….

Very undecided

Thanks for the disassembly!!

If the TM16 does 135kcd stock imagine what 4x XP-L HI can do, 250kcd maybe?

It seem to fit 4x 16mm mcpcb in there with minor modifications, but I wonder how good does the plastic reflector perform, sometimes they leak light causing low efficiency.

hey guys!

i am very busy these days and i struggle to set up a testscenario to get useable data…

so far i found out that the all modes exept turbo are very well regulated and showthe same output.
on turbo it depends on the voltage sag how it performs…

i think i have to skip lumens (maybe only ceiling bounce) to be able to measure emitter amps, mcpcb temparature and battery voltages over time.
but that needs a bit more time…

Great stuff!

updated post #1

very detailed technical informative review, excellent work there!!

Really good breakdown of the TM16. This gives a very good insight into the working of the torch. Thanks for working through the task and posting the details.

Nice review, i like to See all the innards.

How did you find out that it is no dtp? Did you desolder one of the leds or could you measure the centerpad on the solderblob?

there have been 2 blobs and i also scratched the mask beside a LED with a skalpel….no cuntinuity

Plastic reflectors are a bit disappointing for such a nice light, even if it’s 5% that’s 200 lumens lost!

I’ve looking to mod a monster light like this or the TK75, which also has a plastic reflector.

Thanks M4D M4X -for such a comprehensive review. I found the reflector issue and the output difference[cell draw and current] while using a different cells very interesting. The tear down shots are appreciated as provides and insight for anyone considering modding or upgrading, great pics great review.

Hey M4D M4X! …or anyone, really.

What’s your opinion on the TM16 for a XHP50 swap?

Since the XM-L2s are all in series, you could parallel 4x 12V XHP50s. Even driven mildly, at 2A that’s 6800 lumens, 2.5A gives 8K lumens. The heat means you couldn’t run it for super long, but for a 30 second burst or so it should work, no?

I was asking so if I got one and later got bored with it, I’m thinking a 12v emitter swap shouldn’t be impossible and I could keep the stock driver.

Great indepth review! That has been a lot of work, and you tested it all!

thanks!

that did really take more time than my family liked…

@keithd:
i am already looking for good xhp50 to swap :wink:
banggood tries to find out which bin they have on stock.

So you think it will work, cool! I was debating this light, a cheaper 3x XM-L to mod later, or some 2x26650-style MT-G2 light.

The MT-G2s were all seriously under-driven (like 1400-1700 lumens) and didn’t have enough head mass to push much. The cheaper XM-Ls are okay, but if I know I will mod it immediately, I can wait until I get back. The TM16 seems like it’s good enough to use right now, and if you couple it with 25R/HE2/high drain cells, it can do 4500-ish from what I saw.

Also, yeah, thanks much for the review. One of the best tear-downs I’ve seen.

BTW - would painting the backside of the reflector help?