A friend needs to replace his Nitecore P12GT has his has gone missing. He has always been very happy with it and is planning on a direct replacement.
It has been a couple of years since the P12GT came out so I was wondering if anything better has come out in the same body style with better throw. I could build a Convoy S2+ with the XP-L HI V3 (Mountain Electronics has them in stock) but I don’t know how it would throw in comparison to the P12GT.
Thanks for the input.
Bob
the S2+ with OP reflector has smaller and shallower reflector this wont throw anywhere close to the P12GT
the M2 will outthrow the P12GT but is quite bigger
Can’t get much better in that size range with the XPL HI. An S2 or S2+ with SMO reflector and FET driver would perform roughly like the P12GT, if your friend is interested in a less expensive light that can be customized more.
The S2 (not +) with a SMO reflector and XP-L HI is a comparable setup, paired with the 3.04A Qlite driver. FET is fun, but will overheat fast. The stock P12GT has temp regulation, whereas the Qlite and some FET drivers do not. But the P12GT is ~1000 lumens, which is what you’d get out of an XP-L with 3 amps. I own both (the P12GT and S2 with SMO, XP-L HI, and Qlite) and it’s a toss up. The Nitecore is obviously a bit nicer, but it’s also 3x the price.
I don’t feel there is a substantially better replacement for p12gt. Since he likes it, I suggest to just get another one.
Just saw andrew& amanda has nitecore mh12gt on sale tomorrow. Might be a good choice. Basically the same light with USB charging. The price seems good
check with M4DM4X for a code on a new P12GT from BangGood, if the P12GT is the way you choose to go - makes it a very reasonable purchase with the coupon.
good luck with replacement hunting.
MH12GT is basically the P12GT with optional USB recharging for convenience.
Haven’t seen anything better than these two at this size.
I agree.
I would get another p12gt. On sale can get them under $50 shipped. Mine is a shelf queen mostly now.
Would be great if there was way even black market to get original nitecore hosts
Thanks for the replies guys. I appreciate it.
Bob
I just looked over the MH12GT specs and it looked great until I saw the mode spacing and runtimes:
High- 1000 lumens, 1hr 15 min
Med- 280 lumens, 3hr 15 min (Edit- my mistake, it’s 6hrs)
Seems like such a great light otherwise, but that ruins it for me. It’s really strange that they set it up like that. On almost every light like this I’ve seen with 1000 lumens there is always a 500-600 lumen mode (it’s usually High, while 1000 is Turbo).
For me, 1hr 15 min on high is just far too short (though obviously understandable given the lumens), and 280 lumens is not high enough as the option one step down from that.
There needs to be a mode around 500-600 lumens as that’s where most would find the best balance between brightness and runtime
But, looking at the P12GT, it has the same spacing so I guess your friend wouldn’t mind.
Hey Nord, I’d double check those runtimes. The 3 h 15 m runtime is for 2x CR123. The stated runtime for 18650 is 6 h.
And in practice, I think you’d find the 280 lm mode to actually be a fair spacing. Our eyes don’t interpret light linearly, some say it’s more like cube-root or something. So the 280 lm will probably appear half as bright as 1000 lm. Perfectly normal as far as mode spacing goes.
^ You’re right about the 280lm runtime, my mistake. They are both about the same.
As far as the spacing, I have to disagree. From 280 to 1000 is not common in 18650 lights that I’ve seen, especially given that 280 is Medium and 1000 is High and not a short duration Turbo. I think it’s far from ideal.
It kind of negates the benefits of an 18650- With this light you’re get a really poor runtime on High, at a lumen level that won’t be much different visually than say 500 lumens as you point out, and on Medium you are getting a lumen level that is achievable in AA sized lights for adequate runtimes. For me, these Nitecores don’t really fulfill any need in a great way.
I would recommend the EagleEye X5R, the version with XP-L HI - http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_345598.html
At $30 it really can’t be beat. Here’s a BLF review of the non-XP-L HI version to get a general idea (but not specs)- EagleEye X5R rechargeable 18650 flashlight with a NW LED- Review
EagleEye is really high quality for the price, I have an X2R and love it.
That’s not even close to the throw of the MH/P12GT
I’m not sure how you’re coming to that conclusion.
Both the X5R and P12GT are XP-L HI 18650 lights of similar lumens and candela and both capable of around 300 meter throw.
“Beam Distance: 150-200m ”
The MH/P12GT is 320m
Just because it has the same LED and battery does not mean it has the same throw :person_facepalming:
I never said they would have the same throw because they have the same LED. I’m saying they are going to have similar throw because they have similar specs all around in nearly every way. The nitecore doesn’t have magic throw dust sprinkled on it.
I don’t think either of the Nitecore or EagleEye listed throw are accurate, you can’t go by that, you have to look at the components.
Please point out the the spec that you believe would give the Nitecore twice the throw.
I think I’ve discovered why it lists the X5R XP-L HI with such low - and obviously incorrect - throw… they are using the same exact specs as their XM-L2 U2 version, they simply didn’t change the specs when creating the XP-L HI listing.
The X5R and MH/P12GT are going to have the same throw essentially.