Open box well packed thanks IS. Umm another cardboard box, Nightcore we are talking about a 300 quid torch not 10 quid, take a look at what other makers supply with their products…… then there is the lanyard In the words of a famous tennis player ‘you cannot be serious’ £10 torch maybe, £300 no way way too thin and not even an adjustment bead. On the other hand the holster is well in keeping, even with a choice whether a permanent attachment to one’s belt or a velcro flap arrangement.
Ahh the torch, I had used one before but now this is my one, looks good nice solid feel, good finish, no blemishes, all LEDs centered, open it up…slightly scratchy feel…needs lubrication… the battery compartment looks the business, check the contacts… all clean same with driver contacts . Insert batteries like a kid at Christmas or a female with her first rabbit, turn on, turn on, umm turn on why the expletive won’t it turn on and stay on…
Like all real men never read the manual….oh well where is it? umm not much clearer… start playing with the button… Ahh you big jessie quick half press not a slowish half press… with that sorted continue the ritual of turning it on and trying to get all the modes. With not a lot of success
Problem the switch, yes with a lot of practicing I am getting better but it (for me) needs to have a more defined difference twixt partial press and full. It is too easy to go past half into full press.
With a camera you are standing fairly still and you have both hands holding it so the control of the button is easier. But walking, moving the torch in a direction and then trying to swap modes, well I still haven’t mastered it, with practice, but it should be easier for old ham fisted duffers like myself. And at the moment it’s glove weather on the night dog walk and which makes things harder. Actually a mag ring for modes would suit me better but hey
That oled display is the nads don’t like gimmicks but sold on this…
The fact that cr123s can be used is I think a bonus, they rattle a bit but that of course is to be expected. But the TM26 works well with them. The runtime with 18650s is pretty good but turbo as you would expect hammers the batteries, only good quality ones (in good condition) should be used.
As luck would have it, on the day I got it a friend lost his dog while out walking it on the downs near me, so the TM26 was used in anger for a protracted time while we searched for it. Well we found the dog and I did need another set of batteries but the TM26 sailed serenely through, later with the rain and the mizzle the high settings were just too bright but the other modes were more than good enough, for me very well spaced.
In use the TM26 is a real minter, level 4 most of the time turbo as and when you need it, if it cuts down just go turbo again and it does no problem… absolute peach, lighted area just right nice colour, very even spread…. it does go further than you think, just the way it lights the area, you just don’t notice how far it actually goes, you just see the landscape. But this expletive cover for the charging port is really getting on my wick… it’s just where I put my finger when I carry the TM~26, it is uncomfortable the edge is just awful like a scab you just keep picking at it. Because of it I have the switch on the bottom and alter the modes with my finger instead of my thumb. I do not doubt it keeps the dirt and water out but it is just uncomfortable for me.
It is small enough to fit in my jacket pocket, even my motorcycle jacket pocket and they are not that big. I find I am almost using it as an EDC, The performance relative to form factor is exceptional. Tremendous S&R capabilities I would say, with it I seem to see things that I would miss with other torches.
In my view Nightcore needs to up their game where presentation is concerned at this price it is just not good enough. Their product pre-production evaluation should have picked up the rubber bung issues. If they need a consultant to evaluate their future products prior to production I would be happy to do so, because whomever told them that rubber bung was ok is IMO nuts.
Now the million dollar question is it worth it and would I buy another. Well even with the few niggles that I have with it. At the price I paid (Illumination supply’s great offer + vat and charges) yes I would and definitely recommend it, But at the full price maybe not! Not sure! £300 is a lot of money, make no mistake it is a premium product the torch itself is that personified. But Nightcore must realise that it is selling at a premium price point therefore the whole package has to be premium and not with some bits of tat included with it and a feel of a pound shop cardboard box.
The problem is that (well to your wallet) when you see what it does and how it does it, turn it on and see the results, it is very hard to describe just how well it lights the world and with the size it is, you are almost compelled to open up said wallet and get one, I did and don’t regret it.
In conclusion, brilliant torch (in more ways than one) but with some faults (at least for me, others mileage might be different). There should be a case, and a proper lanyard included. A more defined switch, it is a torch not a camera. And a rethink about how to cover the charging port or a new position for it. Oh at the price point a set of top of the range 18650s should also be included, it does have a charger.
If you are thinking about getting one, get it I don’t think you will regret it. I am almost tempted to say it is a game changer but…… Anyway if you have doubts see one in action it just might change you mind.