Ok, so I know there’s other reviews for this light out there- but as far as I know- none of them feature 2 feet of snow. That is- in a place that shouldn’t get it. Also there’s jokes, a beamshot section, testing of the output and throw figures, and more. Feel free to ask any questions, or make fun of the way I walk through the snow.
Also you get a discount and free shipping if you use coupon code HANLEN10 on any Nitecore flashlights there.
Nice review. Well done. I just received my EC4S. I like the wide, smooth, bright beam. It is light weight and fits the hand nicely. I find the flat profile comfortable for rear pocket carry (tail down). I really like it. It would be nice to see how it compares with the Fenix LD50 or Klarus RS30 flat profile dual LED lights. Thanks again for the review.
Based on the gradual dimming at the end of a run, this flashlight probably uses a buck driver. It does not have a low-voltage cutoff, so be careful about accidentally activating your flashlight or leaving it on. Those things could lead to an over-discharge. Some of the modes blink in order to warn you that batteries are getting excessively low.
I would like to see more discussion of the standby drain. Given that there is no low-voltage cutoff, storing the EC4S with batteries installed could lead to an over-discharge. My preference, therefore, is to use protected batteries only in this flashlight. A discussion of standby drain should probably mention that.
Your specs match up pretty well with the ones Nitecore published.
Grover’s my dog in law. So I get to see him occasionally, and watch him when the dad-in-law goes out of town. No dog sitting lately… And thanks! Hmm. 7.5? I prefer Neutral tints, and I’d prefer a mechanical lock out switch. Oh and if Nitecore ever started doing Zebralight or Armytek lows they’d be perfect.
Unfortunately my DMM doesn’t read current well, especially that low. I wish to fix this in the future, or maybe do a better job figuring out my DMM. The manual is entirely in Chinese, and following the directions here still gives me a reading of zero.
Yeah, I’d love to see one too. It is a nice light, and I’d love to take it camping now with my gorilla pod. It’d make a pretty stellar campsite light.
Oops! I have nixed music from most of my videos to make things more pleasant for the viewers. Thanks, I wish I could control the videos which play after mine.
Thanks! I try to show a variety of lights, to help put context to output and beam pattern when compared to other lights.
[quote=KeepingItLight]
Thank you for your fine review!
Based on the gradual dimming at the end of a run, this flashlight probably uses a buck driver. It does not have a low-voltage cutoff, so be careful about accidentally activating your flashlight or leaving it on. Those things could lead to an over-discharge. Some of the modes blink in order to warn you that batteries are getting excessively low.
I would like to see more discussion of the standby drain. Given that there is no low-voltage cutoff, storing the EC4S with batteries installed could lead to an over-discharge. My preference, therefore, is to use protected batteries only in this flashlight. A discussion of standby drain should probably mention that.
Your specs match up pretty well with the ones Nitecore published.[/QUOTE]
I use protected cells in most of my lights. I did not try unprotected cells in this particular one, after having over discharged cells from my T20 review. I would not use unprotected cells in a series light. I did check voltages on the end of runtime tests and my results were always one battery 2.8v or higher … and the other one at 3.0-3.1ish. I have a review coming up of the EC11… and for sure that one will over discharge the cells. This information I plan on including in the review.
I need to make it a point to strongly suggest any viewers use protected cells in the light if it’s series. Thanks!
The Nitecore P36 does not get enough attention. It's the one I own.
The Cree MT-G2 emitter is faultless. Its tint is a uniform white all the way from hot spot to spill. There is no tinge of green in the corona, nor purple in the spill.
A simple mode dial makes it easy to select the mode you want. 10 constant-output modes, ranging between 2 and 2000 lumens, let you choose how long your batteries will last.
The P36 has direct access to low, high, and strobe from off. It also has mode memory. The highest modes, levels 9 and 10, have a direct-drive-like runtime curve, but lower levels give you flat runtimes for substantial durations. Level 7, for instance, is rated by Nitecore at 850 lumens. In the review by selfbuilt, output stayed perfectly flat on that level for 2 hours. Level 6, at 600 lumens, was flat for more than 3 hours.
You should do even better with 3500mAh batteries. Selfbuilt's tests used 3100mAh batteries.
I’m asking, because mine has really high standby drain. Full batteries are completely flat within 3 weeks in standby only. This must be a defect and I already got compensation for that… but I’m interested if someone else has this, too.
Can’t wait til your EC11 review! This will be my next light, I think.
The EC11 runs best off CR123A batteries. I can tell you that it has PWM when using lithium ion batteries on all modes- except turbo before the stepdown (then PWM after the stepdown). Using lithium primaries gets rid of the PWM. Plus, it has no low voltage protection, so if you did go the lithium ion route you have to be dilligent about recharging and checking battery voltage. It’s a nice light, but it performs best on primaries. I will say though, my testing yielded over 1000 lumens on turbo using lithium ions.
Do you have equipment to measure the pwm frequency (not that this would be common )? PWM doesn’t really bother me as long as it has not a lower frequency than the BLF D80. Of cause I can see the PWM when I look at the light, but I don’t see anything on the beam… and one is not supposed to look into the light anyway!
What is your standby drain, and what batteries are you using? 3 weeks seems really bad in standby only. I used mines too often to test how long the batteries will last in standby.
I have two EC4SW (MT-G2). One of them has a standby drain of 360µA with PWM on low, med, and high mode. My 2nd EC4SW has a standby drain of 70µA and no PWM in any mode.
Too bad my 2nd one is poor quality, and will be returned to GearBest.
I will review more budget knives in the future. I actually like doing those a bit better because the reviews require a lot less testing. I forgot to mention it in the review but there is now visible PWM on any mode. The d80 has some of the worst PWM on any flashlight I’ve bought in the past year- I need to swap the driver if I ever want to use it. Usually my camera picks up visible PWM, and also I’m sensitive to it as well. If I ever forget to mention PWM in. review, it’s because it wasn’t visible/there.
I did a review of the skilhunt h02c last year… That review shows you what PWM looks like on video- scrolling lines.
Well… when I leave mine without batteries for like 24h and insert them, the standby drain is about 0.5 mA. I would be totally good with that, but the problem is that it’s slowly rising as long as the batteries are inserted. It peaks at 7-8 mA (yes, milliamps) after like 4 days. I have no clue why it’s doing this. I tried two different DMMs. I used protected Panasonic NCR18650B and some Keeppowers (which should have the same Panasonic cells but different protection). I’ll try Samsung INR18650-30Q when they arrive, but I don’t expect any changes.
especially like the comparisom part, great shots!
)? PWM doesn’t really bother me as long as it has not a lower frequency than the BLF D80. Of cause I can see the PWM when I look at the light, but I don’t see anything on the beam… and one is not supposed to look into the light anyway! 
