NITEFOX provided this sample light for the review. My first impression of the packaging was very positive, good thick cardboard and with a lot of goodies inside. Inside you’ll find find the light, battery, charging cable, quality holster, pocket clip, cigar ring, manual, and a few other disclaimers about charging.
Holding the light the first thing I noticed was it’s solid feel, nothing seems to rattle or feel loose. The only actual play I found was a very slight amount of lateral movement with the mode switch, but any non-rubberized switch I’ve felt always had a little. This one less than most. The XP-L LED is well centered (the dust is on the outside of the glass), the smooth reflector is well polished, nice squarish threading, good knurling, no flaws that I can find in the machining, deeply cut cooling fins, a removable strike bezel and cigar ring, a rubber charging port, allows for momentary half presses, can tail stand, and a 5 year warrenty. It seems the only access to the internals is through the tail switch. I can’t say for sure that the head is glued on, but I could not get it apart through twisting.
The lights specs are as follows.
Coated and tempered glass, HA-III hard anodizing, IPX-8 water resistance rating, Maximum stated output of 1380 ANSI lumens, Rechargeable micro-USB port, 23,300 candella, 285 meter maximum throw, and an impact resistance rating to 2 meters. The head size is 1.38 inch, 1 inch body, 5.67 total length, and 4.8 ounces.
The stated runtime on high is 1.5 hours at 1380 lumens, 3.8 hours at 300 lumens, and 120 hours at 30 lumens. The included battery is a 2600 mAh protected 18650. 2 CR123A batteries may be used.
To charge the light, turn it on, pull back the rubber charging port cover, and plug in a micro-USB charger. The light will flash green until fully charged and then it will glow a steady green. There is a battery indicator function can be accessed by pressing the mode switch a few times and clicking the rear. The lamp below the side switch will blink green once to indicate 1 volt increments and 1 red blink will indicate .1 volt increments. As in 3 green blinks and 4 red blinks will mean 3.4 volts. When the voltage drops below 3.4 volts the light will steadily blink green, and at less than 3 volts it will blink red. Here’s a link for my run time test draining the light from high with the included battery.
Mode changing is simple, click the rear switch and then click the side switch to change modes. Hold down the side switch to activate strobe. It does seem to have memory.
Here we see the light on low shining at playground equipment at 15 yards.
Medium at 50 yards.
High at 115 yards.
This is clearly not a diving light. Even if a light has a high waterproof rating it shouldn’t be used as a diving light unless specifically designed and stated as such. So to simulate a quick(ish) dunk I placed the light in a dish of water for 10 minutes.
The battery and battery tube were absolutely dry, but I did get some water behind the rubber USB cover. I was sure to press it down firmly before the test. A quick blow of air dried it out quickly and it seems to work and charge just fine.
After carrying this light and using it at work for a couple weeks I’m very happy and impressed with it. The good build, features, accessories, and included battery make this a great value for anyone looking for a house hold or duty light.