Review: Nitecore T2s

LED Flashlights – General Info 1 x AAA Flashlights
1

NITECORE T2s

Redone after fixing problem. Legend: Red = omitted, Green = Revised

Overall Rating: ★★★★★ ★★★★★

Summary:

Battery: 1 x AAA
Switch: Head twist
Modes: High, Med, Low, High/Low slow flash signal
LED Type: 1 x CREE XP-E R2
Lens: AR Coated Glass
Tailstands: No
Price Payed: $32.50
From: intl-outdoor
Date Ordered: 18 November 2012

Pros:

  • No visible PWM
  • Comes in nice box
  • Reverse polarity protection
  • Good mode brightness spread
  • Light (mass)
  • Small
  • Waterproof
  • Comes with spare o-rings and pen clip

Cons:

  • BAD TWIST SWITCH OPERATION
  • Expensive

Features / Value: ★★★★★

The packaging of the T2s is nice, though they didn't bother to change any words from the original T2 so the box still says T2 instead of T2s.

The T2s comes with one o-ring, one small key chain ring and a pen clip that clips around the T2s. It did not come with a lanyard.

Pricing of the T2s makes it not very good value and I don't think its worth it unless you really like the Nitecore brand.

The T2s does have some nice modes, if you can switch to them (more on this in design). The low mode is pretty low at 2 lumen.

The pen clip makes it easy to have the T2s sitting in your shirt pocket but if you're like me and like EDCs on a keychain you need to get your own lanyard.

T2s is AAA only.

Design / Build Quality: ★★★★★ < Burnt orange for half star ★★★★★

The build quality of the T2s is very good but something went very wrong in the design of the twist switch. If it is just my T2s that has the problem then it is actually a build quality problem instead of design. T2s has a very smooth outer body, too smooth in fact, the head has no knurling whatsoever so it is difficult to operate one handed. Threads came well greased.

It is the same width as the X3 but it is only 1mm taller.

I think somewhere here above is where my T2s has a big problem, the twist switch has a flaw that makes it very hard to change modes and the emitter flickers because it turns on before the head is twisted all the way down.

Before I go into further detail about this flaw I'm going to say my Solar force X2 and X3 have the same kind switch design and work perfectly. My Balder TD-0 I just got today uses a different twist switch design and turning on/off and changing modes feels so good.

So the Nitecore T2s has problems turning on, off and changing modes. How, you ask? I think it has something to do with not having a clear on/off point. For example, my SolarForce X3 is either on or off. The T2s however, goes half on and flickers as you turn the head down. When the head is fully down as far as the battery allows it works fine. But when you twist the head up to turn it off or change modes it starts to flicker again. Changing modes is very difficult because of no clear on/off point, you either turn it half off then back on again but the light didn't change modes because all it did was flicker and didn't actually turn off. Or you twist past the flicker and the light turns off, but it turns off for too long and when you turn it on again the light starts back up on high mode. It is very frustrating getting the light to change modes, it can be done but its just very hard to get it right.

The above is the only flaw I had with the Nitecore T2s, too bad that is a very big flaw that gives anyone trying to use the light a hard time.

If anyone knows how to fix the problem I would appreciate it a lot, its really a waste to buy a $30+ flashlight to only try use it a few times but put it away without using it as my EDC which I had intended to use it for.

After looking at the flashlight carefully, I noticed on the inside of the battery tube where the negative contact is, there was a wire or metal shaving. I looked at my SolarForce X3 to compare the negative contact design, they were similar but SolarForce's design looked much more robust. I took a small screwdriver to the Nitecore T2s and I found out the negative contact and its rubber spacer could be removed. After I took out the negative contact assembly, I inspected it but could not find anything wrong with it. I then checked for the metal shaving, but I couldn't see it so it must of fallen out. I put the negative contact and the rubber spacer back in then tested the flashlight. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the flashlight no longer flickers or has trouble changing modes. Still, the design of the Nitecore T2s worries me if a single tiny metal shaving can ruin the operation of the T2s.

In the looks department the T2s' design is simple just some knurling on the body and a place for a lanyard to go through. Only missing something for grip on the head.

Battery Life: ★★★★★

Battery life is good in the T2s, with claimed 28 hours on low with a single AAA

High mode has 1.5 hours runtime and medium has 3.5 hours.

Light Output: ★★★★★

At 50 lumen this isn't the brightest single AAA, but it does have good mode spread, 20 lumen medium and 2 lumen on low.

The semi OP reflector does an ok job at smoothing the light beam

Amps: 1.4 on high, 0.2 on medium and 0.02 on low

Summary:

I really like the flashlight, the price doesn't really justify it though. Its a real shame it doesn't work properly. I'm not sure if its just my T2s or the whole batch but at this point its not worth buying one.

It works like you would expect a quality flashlight to, but it has nothing special about it.

Thank you for reading.

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Edited the review after I fixed the flashlight, turns out it was just a small metal shaving stuck in the negative battery contact end. It must of fallen in the tube during manufacturing, or was not cleared out fully.

3

You could have got the T2 for $11.48 from Wallbuys sale and the T5 for $17.45.

4

I bought the T2s over a month ago, and I did not know about Wallbuys. I should do more looking around before buying things.

5

thanks for the review! I agree.

if we are honest to ourselves, most flashlight models dont have anything special about them. it's mostly in our imagination. we pretend to care about the subtle differences .. but in reality in practice the differences (e.g. between P1A vs Quark vs Neutron vs LD10 vs BA10 vs Archer 1A vs D25A vs etc) dont matter much, only flashaholics would believe that they do.

I am clever and sensible enough. So i am realizing this truth. And drawing personal consequences from the insight.

6

Missed this review, but (hopefully) got both T2 and T5 in the Wallbuys sale. $29 for the pair seems like good value. I agree they are nothing special, especially with the new XP-G2 emitters starting to appear, but nice to have a stainless steel light (T5).

BTW, I don’t think there is any difference between the T2 and the T2S - even Nitecore seems to use both terms.

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Do you know the difference between the T2 and T2s?

I got this T2 thrown in with a order the other day.

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The only difference I can find is the T2s includes the pen clip, I’m not even 100% sure on that.

9

The T2 has the pen clip as well.

Ill see if I can find any info else where.

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I think this might be the only difference, its all I could spot with a quick google search.

T2: XP-G R2

T2s: XP-E R2

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A lot of the stores seem to have that mixed up too.

The Nitecore official website only lists the T2s.

12

Yeah I would say the T2s replaced the T2.

I don’t think I will use mine as I already have a Ti that I don’t use either.

13

I just got my T2s in the Wallbuys sale. I am so glad I didn’t pay full price for it. Even at $12 I’m not sure it is worth buying.

My light has the same problem with mode switching.

Another bad thing is the cheap and worthless pen clip that they include. It’s total junk. Will not hold your light secure.

It has a smooth head yet that’s what your fingers must grasp to twist it. Very hard to do. This is why I hate twisty lights. Really need two hands to operate which totally defeats the point of having an EDC. Any EDC that requires two hands to operate is useless to me.

At $30 this would be a shameful price. There is nothing to justify paying more for this light than a Thrunlite Ti. The Ti is better in every way. For that matter, the Olight I-3 Eos is only $20 and is far better in every way.

I already have a I3 but I got another one in the Wallbuys sale. Can’t believe the I3 and T2s were about the same price. The Eos rocks.

14

Thanks for your honest words!!

Appreciated.

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I’ve had my T2 (not T2s) from the Wallbuy sale too. I agree the smooth head is stupid. Left the clip in the box, as it does indeed look useless. At $11.47 it’s more expensive than the Ti’s I have, and, again, I agree the Ti’s are much better lights - very easy to operate one handed, unlike the T2.

My main complaint is that the light comes on long before the thing is screwed together well. - there is a huge gap between body and head In fact, the O ring is still visible even when the light is on, so I doubt it will be of much use keeping water out - not that it will ever see outside the drawer I will be putting it in. :wink:

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Thanks very much! Frontpage’d and Sticky’d.

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Thanks for the very helpful review! This thread pretty much sums up exactly my experiences with this light as well.

+

• Very small: lends itself very well for true EDC'ing

• Good amount of spacing between the output modes

• Battery life is on par with other lights in this class

-

• Very small: difficult to operate

• Smooth and tiny head: difficult to operate

• Not as bright as other lights in this class

• I would have preferred L - M - H - beacon (as opposed to H - M - L - beacon)

• I have had the exact same issues with mode switching as pacbough and Speedsix: very unreliable, even after a good clean and lube

• Like Woody I found there to be quite a large gap between the head and the body when a battery is inserted

This has been the first product I've ever returned, and I was able to exchange it for a Fenix LD01 for a little extra (the dealer unfortunately doesn't carry Olight or Thrunite, but did offer very fast and reliable service :) ).

18

Thanks for the review!
I bought the T2s and have received it today. The brass like ring between the twist switch and the main body is quite different on my T2s. The brass is not even with the body, it ‘goes in’. It’s on the same level as the thread. I first thought my batteries are too long (Eneloop, Duracell stay charged) until I looked at your pictures again as saw that on your torch the brass ring is even with the rest of the body.
Now I wonder whether they changed the design to make it cheaper to manufacture or whether I got a fake T2s. Does any one know more about this?

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please could you share a photo of it?

let's see together what you're talking about :)

20

Thanks.

This is how it looks like. (Click to enlarge)