DESIGN ADN PACKAGE
The whistle is placed in a small box made of thin cardboard. As usual, on the front side is an image of the device inside.
In addition to the whistle, the kit includes literally anything needed:
- USB-C charging cable
- proprietary OUTDOCK mount
- manual
Nitecore NME10 is made of plastic and comes in four color options to choose from. In addition to the one I got for my hands on, there are also black, white and green colors. Considering that this emergency whistle used will obviously be found in nature, I think it is logical to choose orange. Other colors are better for city IMO
Orange color is better for visual location of whistle or the backpack on which it was worn. If the backpack or clothes are of such a bright contrasting color, then you can easily choose any color you like, because the whistle was created to facilitate the search, focusing not on the sight, but on the sound!
Oh well. As whistle is Nitecore product, it does not give the impression of some kind of budget craft . Plastic without casting defects, does not stink and does not dent - the whistle feels solid device. A neat and visually pleasing branded product.
The whistle size is quite small. I would even say a small, relatively sound that he can give. 65x33x32mm is actually the size of the battery from my Canon camera. And this, believe me, is a very small size. Well, perhaps, for comparison, I’ll put the whistle next to the AA battery and another product for tourists - the ultra-compact waterproof power bank Nitecore Carbo 20.
An exit for sound signal is visible on the top of the front side, under the plastic protective crosshair . The manual emphasizes that it must be kept clean and not used if it comes in contact with dirt, water or insects. I tried to see what was inside, and all i saw was sort of metallic membrane.
There is only one button, as expected. It is large enough and prominent enough that it can be unmistakably found unexpectedly.
There are 4 small indicator LEDs that display the battery charge level and charging status. Of course, USB-C charge port is closed with a soft plug, but, in addition , has internal moisture protection. I was skeptical about it, but Nitecore Carbo 20 changed everything - I drowned it in water, and the power bank continued to work as if nothing had happened. Here, due to the open sound duct, the waterproofing is IPX7, which means you should NOT drown the whistle in water. But it should easily withstand heavy rain or jets of water.
The whistle is powered by a built-in 300 mAh lithium polymer battery and supports pass-through charging mode, i.e. you can connect the whistle to the power bank and use it (the whistle). This should give a colossal operating time in SOS mode - despite the fact that it is already stated for 80 hours, more than three days! Ah, Nitecore also claims that battery can withstand extreme cold weather. Full charge took about 100 minutes with 0.2A max charge current. Runtime was really longs. I didn`t charge whistle upon receiving, just turned SOS mode on, wrapped NWE10 in several layers of fabric and put under pillow. It took 3 days to make it finally shut up.
Speaking of the battery, I turned on the SOS mode for it, after a few days (!) the battery was discharged, and it took full charging time!!!
There are a lot of way you can mount and carry NWE10.
A spring loaded clip is located on the back and fits into a pocket or Molle system. If you need to attach the whistle to your backpack strap, you can use the included Outdock mount. It’s very simple, just put on a plastic backing and secure it with an elastic band. So, you can attach and take off whistle quite fast. And it also can be used for Molle as well as spring loaded clip/
Well, as a final mounting option, you can use the lanyard eyelet at the top of the cord and hang the whistle on your chest.
All of these mounting options are shown on the whistle’s promo page.
UI
UI is extremely simple. Keep the button pressed and sound will be heard. Keep pressed for more than 10 seconds - the whistle goes into SOS mode, sounding this signal once every three minutes. Another press in SOS mode starts the sound beacon mode, NWE will make a sound every few seconds. The stated runtime in this mode is the same 80 hours as in SOS mode.
SOUND OF NITECORE NWE 10
And here is the most important thing, the sound. Nitecore claims sound pressure up to 126 dB. Is it a lot or a little? Judging by the information found on the Internet, the pain threshold begins at 130 decibels, and 120d is comparable to the noise of a jackhammer from a distance of a meter.
Yes, the NWE10 has a completely different sound compared to a jackhammer. If he knocks and rumbles, then NWE squeals. But it screeches so loudly that it is impossible to be near the room, the sound is so annoying. The most suitable comparison in my opinion is an acoustic strobe.
Of course, most interesting feature of NWE10 is sound. And here is how it sound.
**Warning!** Set sound at low level before turning on video.
OVERALL
Nitecore NWE is a very distinctive device with different target audiences and modes suitable for each of them.
The first is those who may get lost or lost, and who need to indicate their location - tourists, skiers, mountaineers. In this case, the whistle will provide with SOS mode which will last for several days and doesn’t require blowing a whistle. The latter may be important in the case of a child, by the way.
And if the SOS mode is needed when you are already lost, then the ** acoustic Beacon** mode is designed to help prevent this . Application scenario as i see it: group leader walking in the vanguard with NWE10 turned on. Then the rest of group behind him can locate leader by this sound.
The second target audience is girls and women. In this case, an electronic whistle hanging on your chest while jogging can become a modern analogue of a regular whistle, the loud sound of which can scare off an attacker. And since you don’t need to blow a whistle, you can also shout loudly at the same time. It is clear that the result is not guaranteed, because stoned or drunk people can even withstand pepper spray . But I am very sure that a person of sober mind will not want to attract attention to himself and would prefer to get out of the way as soon as possible.
I do not belong to either of these audiences and am not ready to say how much NWE10 is in demand in both cases. But I’m certainly ready to say that Nitecore NWE10 does what it’s supposed to do - it produces a very loud signal. VERY. Its annoying atonal sound can actually be heard from afar.
In terms of workmanship, ease of operation and mounting, I absolutely do not have any reason to complain. The whistle is easy to use and attach.