An EDC flashlight is a good flashlight if you actually carry it when needed. If it is too big, it may be left at home. A small flashlight on a key ring is more likely to be carried.
The new Nitecore TINI3 is small and light, but at the same time bright and has a few surprises. Its special features include an OLED display with useful information and an adjustable color temperature.
You can find the German version of this review on my website: SammysHP Blog › Nitecore TINI3
The flashlight was provided by the manufacturer for this review. Thank you very much!
Overview of hardware
I got a pre-production model for the review, for which there was no packaging and no instructions yet. However, the retail version comes with the usual accessories:
- Carabiner
- USB-C charging cable
- Manual
The instructions from Nitecore have always been comprehensive and very easy to understand, so I don’t expect any problems here.
After unpacking it, I was amazed at how small the TINI3 is. At just 43 × 25 × 14 mm, it is smaller than a car key and, at 20 g, you can hardly feel it on your key ring.
Length: 43.0 mm
Width: 25.2 mm
Height: 14.0 mm
Weight: 20.1 g
The body consists of two black anodized aluminum shells that are screwed together with three T4 screws. In addition to black, the TINI3 is also available in gray and orange.
An OLED display and the two buttons are located on the front. The TINI3 can be securely attached to the key ring with a robust stainless steel lug at the end. The key ring definitely gives way first!
The back is covered with text, some of which are probably mandatory by regulations. Otherwise, the surface would be perfect for an individual laser engraving to personalize the flashlight.
The TINI3 is powered by an integrated 330 mAh LiPo battery. It is charged via the USB-C port on the side, which is protected from water and dirt by a small silicone cover.
The charging process only takes 90 minutes at just under 300 mA. By briefly pressing the mode button, the charging progress can be tracked as a percentage on the OLED display. All functions (with the exception of the lockout) are available during charging.
The protection is specified as IP54, which means “protection against splashing water”. This should be sufficient for a keychain flashlight.
User interface
There are two buttons on the front of the TINI3 with a precise pressure point. Although they are flat, they are easy to find and can even be pressed simultaneously with the thumb. However, there is a risk of them being pressed accidentally in the pocket.
The front button is called the “Mode” button, the rear button is labeled “Power”. For the individual functions, they are pressed, held momentarily or even pressed in combination.
| State | Mode | Power | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off | Press | Turn on display for 3 s (battery level in percent and selected level), afterwards: change brightness (Ultralow → Low → Mid → High) |
|
| Off | Hold | Turbo | |
| Off | Press | Turn on (in selected brightness) | |
| Off | Hold | Turn on (Ultralow) | |
| On | Press | Turn on display for 10 s (level, lumens und remaining runtime), afterwards: change brightness (Ultralow → Low → Mid → High) |
|
| On | Hold | Turbo | |
| On | Press | Turn off | |
| On | Hold | Lockout 2 s: Semi Lockout 3 s: Full Lockout |
|
| On | Hold | Hold | Change color temperature (Cool → Neutral → Warm) |
| Locked | Hold | Turbo (with Semi Lockout) | |
| Locked | Hold | Hold | Unlock and turn on in Ultralow |
At first glance, the operation may seem a little confusing, but you soon get used to it. The turbo is only active as long as the mode button is held down, which is perfectly fine for a keychain flashlight. There is also a direct access to the lowest level. The brightness can be selected before turning on the flashlight.
I would have liked it better if the flashlight could also be locked by holding both buttons from off. This would not only make it possible to switch in both directions with the same combination, but also without turning on the flashlight first. An (optional) automatic lockout after a certain time would also be nice.
With the OLED display, you always have an overview of the selected brightness in lumens, the remaining runtime in minutes and the battery level as a percentage.
The TINI3 is comfortable to hold both solo and on a key ring. It’s hard to describe, but by slightly shifting your finger, you can press the two buttons individually or together.
Illumination
As if up to 600 lm from a small keychain flashlight were not enough, the color temperature can also be selected in three steps between 3000, 4500 and 6500 K. This is made possible by the two “NiteLab MCT UHE” LEDs, a custom LED from Nitecore. These LEDs have two warm white and two cool white areas each that can be controlled individually.
A TIR optic with a honeycomb pattern mixes the LEDs into a homogeneous beam of light. It sits flush with the front of the flashlight and is unfortunately not protected from scratches by a glass.
The beam is a little floody, but with a nicely even illumination without artifacts or color shifts. The tint appears neutral, perhaps even slightly rosy. The CRI is not outstanding, but not particularly bad either.
The warm color is pleasant for finding your way to the toilet or bed at night with little light. The cool white setting can be used to illuminate shadows during the day.
Of course, you can’t expect a huge throw from the TINI3, but thanks to the bright turbo it still performs quite well outdoors. Up to around 50 m you can still see some details. It is perfect for close range and provides even illumination. The low brightness in Ultralow with a runtime of over three days is also nice. All in all, definitely not just a flashlight for finding the keyhole.
Driver and runtime
Gone are the days when a keychain flashlight only had one brightness level: the TINI3 has five reasonably distributed levels between one and 600 lm with a runtime of up to 85 hours (approximately 3.5 days).
| Mode | Brightness¹ | Runtime¹ | Intensity¹ (Throw²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 600 lm | ––– | 2050 cd (90 m) |
| High | 200 lm | 1 h | 800 cd (56 m) |
| Mid | 65 lm | 2:45 h | 260 cd (32 m) |
| Low | 15 lm | 9 h | 55 cd (14 m) |
| Ultralow | 1 lm | 85 h | 9 cd (6 m) |
¹ According to manufacturer ² ANSI FL1
The continuous runtime of the TINI3 is already remarkable. If you consider that keychain flashlights are mostly used for short bursts at a time, one battery charge should last a long time. And thanks to the good regulation, the battery level is also irrelevant for the brightness (at least at the three lowest levels).
The turbo with up to 600 lm is definitely only intended for short-term use. This is why it cannot be switched on permanently, but only temporarily by holding down the mode button. Theoretically, according to the display, around 20 minutes would be possible with a full battery, but the brightness is reduced after a short time to limit the heating of the flashlight. In addition, Turbo is likely to stress the battery.
All levels are controlled by the constant current driver without PWM. A slight ripple can be detected with the oscilloscope, but this remains completely invisible to the eye.
I was unable to measure the power consumption due to the inaccessible, built-in battery. The flashlight switches off completely when the battery is empty. In this state, the display remains dark even when a button is pressed. After a few seconds on the charger however, the flashlight is functional again, so I assume that the low voltage protection had been activated.
Conclusion
With up to 600 lumens, the tiny Nitecore TINI3 achieves an impressive brightness for its size and with the adjustable color temperatures it adapts to any situation. The practical OLED display provides information about brightness, battery level and remaining runtime. Thanks to its small size and a weight of just 20 g, it is barely noticeable on your key ring, but is always ready for use.
It would have been nice to have an (optional) automatic lockout to prevent the flashlight from turning on in the pocket if you forget to lock it manually. Time will tell whether a glass would have been useful to protect the TIR optic. Other than that, the TINI3 is pretty much perfect.
