Review: Noctigon KR1 pocket thrower with Osram W2 LED

The switch kills this. Accidental activation is a super-duper deal killer!!

is that a common thing with kr1? i havent heard other people mention it before…

also, your british accent is dope, but coupled with your username, it just sounds funny, cuz it sounds so american

My KR4 is not activating in the pocket, but I also do not carry other stuff in that pocket.

That’s good to hear. Maybe it is the way I EDC a light though:

I quite fancied a KR4 too. But if it too would turn on when carrying it. Then it just isn’t going to be worth getting :frowning:

If I put the KR1 in my coat pocket so it is floating in the pocket, it doesn’t tend to turn on. But that isn’t how I EDC a light.

With the likes of the Astrolux MF01 Mini, it is too big to EDC as per the image above. And that does go in a coat pocket free floating. But sadly that is when that one will turn on.

Now if that W2 was green 0.0

Nice video :slight_smile:

Just a note though, double click from off in Anduril takes you to the top of the ramp, not turbo. You need to click to turn on, then double click.

Use 4 clicks to enter Lockout Mode, and your flashlight will not turn on accidentally.

Yes I know :wink:

I mention it in the video.

Horrid solution to an EDC light. No way would I want to faff clicking 4 times each and everytime I want to turn it on. Plus I may use it a dozen times across an hour. So I’d not want the complete ball-ache of clicking 4 times when turning it off either.

I can see it would work if you are packing it in a bag or something for transport to a camping site, etc. But not for regular usage. Can you image how annoying it would be having to click the key fob 4 times every time you wanted to get in your car. Then another 4 times each time you locked it.

hey question, does kr1 use regulated driver like the k1? as in consistent high output until battery dies…

and also, what kinda battery is recommended? aka how much does it drain? is 35E’s 8A enough?

Thanks for doing that review CD. If you don’t know yet, Hank has made deep carry clips. Inspired by your video, I had to have a try for myself.

I have a few KR4s and one KR1. As one of the neighbors was using their fireplace tonight, I took the opportunity to take the cat out. And that as an excuse to try the two beams in the smoke.

There wasn’t enough smoke or enough throw for the light from the KR4 to be seen in the air. But the KR1 easily threw far enough to catch some smoke. It made me glad I got the little thrower. So I played with it some more, easily shining it at the tops of trees across the street and a few houses down the block.

Just then, one if the neighbors and his son took their dog out. So I moved to the tree in the back yard. I heard the little boy excitedly shout, “There it is, that beam again!” With that, I thought it might be a good time to go back inside.

So, I know the KR1 can easily throw a few houses down and a good 50 feet up. I guess I’ll have to find more room to see for myself how much useable throw the little guy has. But I hope between your vid and my little experience, others now have more of an idea about the great beam quality from the KR1.

Thanks about the clip. I found it on Hanks site and have ordered. :slight_smile:

Just unscrew the head literally 4mm, and it won’t turn on in the pocket. I EDC the kr1 and or KR4 everyday and have been since they came out, no bother at all. I can’t imagine a world where having to unscrew the head of the light a 1/8 of a turn annoys me. Nice review, thanks.

Yes 5a constant current I believe. 35e is fine

For me it’s a huge compromise. Depending on what I’m doing I may just want to grab the light and use it for a few seconds at a time, then return it to my pocket. I may do this a great many times during the day/night. And often one handed.

The cap on these certainly needs two hands in order to tighten or loosen it. So straight away it would be a PITA and impractical.

It would also just be so f’ing annoying having faff about unlocking it and locking it again every single time I wanted to use it. And defeats the purpose of having an on/off switch in the first place. Surely loosening one end of the light is akin to having a twisty light…. only needing more user actions and time to get to your desired result.

Not too mention should you forget to lock it out, or unable to do so if still using one hand. Then it will turn on in your pocket.

Hopefully the new pocket clip will largely solve this problem. But it is a problem and lockouts of any kind are just poor workarounds.

I have to agree with OP on this one I love my KR1 but after being used to EDCing with a emisar D1 which after many years never turned on in my pocket this one has done it multipule times in a few weeks and twisting it or locking it out every time is an extreme headache and is making me switch back to my D1 for edc and only carrying the KR1 after work hours or special occasions.

Hey there CD! I like your reviews here, I liked the newer ft03 xhp50 one too!

So I still carry my KR4/ KR1 75% of the time as my main edc. And very often I think about your review here and the dilemma of the accidental activation e-switch. Especially since so many people here had the same problem. And I have had the same problem too, I won’t lie about it, I have had the light turn on even though it was (4 click) locked out. I noticed 95% of the time I had accidental activations though, I was driving. It was how I sat in conjunction to the seat belt and the positioning of the light in my front right pocket.

Do you experience accidental activations while driving mostly, or during normal day today operati9ns?

I’m only asking, and commenting here, because for my accidental activation I found a very good compromise work around (I know just the thought of a “work around” bothers people, but hey the light IS awesome, so it may be worth it?). I have been intentionally NOT locking mine out recently, both mechanical or electronically, to test my work around, and I’ve had success with eliminating many accidental activations. Because yes, if I don’t lock mine out it does turn on often.

My work around is simply to adjust what part of my pocket I am keeping the light in, depending what activities I am doing (really,for me it’s just if I am driving or not since like I said 95% of the time that’s when I’m have accidental activation). So throughout the day I keep it in my front right pocket, closest to my hip, in the back of my front pocket. This is the same pocket as my phone goes. When I drive I (take my phone out of my pocket) and I move the light to the opposite end of that pocket, so it moves it away from my seatbelt holder / buckle.

That one adjustment stopped all of my accidental activations while driving. I’m have not beeen locking it out while driving, and I have not had one accidental activation since doing this, and it used to turn on every time I’d drive if I didn’t lock it out before, keeping the light in the back part of my front pocket.

Sorry for the long message, but your problem, well all of our problem with accidental activation had me thinking of ways to avoid it but while being conscious of the fact that some people do not want to lock their light out and I understand that. 4 clicks can get annoying, even for me and I usually don’t mind it.

I guess one could say having to remember to adjust where in your pocket you keep the light is just as annoying, but I don’t think it is. Because I never have to tighten the head or four click it, I just remember sometimes I have to move the light to the “other end” of my pocket.

Anyway, that’s all, hope all is well!

I use the 4 click lockout, and while I drive if the light is in my pocket near the seatbelt buckle, I have had it many times somehow unlock itself, turn on, and blast turbo. I assume maybe the tail switch keeps hitting the seatbelt holder? Or maybe the seatbelt buckle just holding down the switch long enough to unlock the light. Happens with my fw3a too. So the 4 click lockout, for me, is not fool proof. I have to mechanical lock out or find another way, so I found another way :+1:

Hey all, I have one of these lights and was also irritated by the accidental activation.
If you have access to a 3d printer I’ve designed a shroud to help mitigate this issue.

Nothing fancy. Press-fits over the tailcap and holds in place well.

Here is a photo of it installed.

1 Thank