“REVIEW”: NITEFOX K3 – AAA Keychain flashlight

MascaratumB · 2018-06-30T00:48:16.000Z

Hi BLF!

This my review of the Nitefox K3. As my previous review of the Nitefox ES10K (“REVIEW”: Nitefox ES10K (Stainless Steel) AA/14500 flashlight) , this flashlight has been sent by Nitefox, for free, after a “call for reviews” opened here on the forum Fresh member come! Nitefox Product Test-80PCS total,10PCS UT20,10PCS UT25,20PCS each 18650/UW360 work light/K3 keychain light .

Thank you Nitefox for this opportunity

Despite being “for free” I will present my honest and unbiased review!

This flashlight can be bought in Amazon. Recently Nitefox member published some codes and promos on this thread: Aug 16th update *Nitefox Weekly Deal* Deal of stainless steel flashlight ES10K $14.95,UT25 $36.9 .

Other BLF reviews for the Nitefox K3 can be found here:
mcorp: [The Lite Review]: Nitefox K3 Review (AAA)
DirtyPierre: [Video] I take a look at the NiteFox K3 AAA keychain light from a flash sale

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

Body Material: Aerospace grade aluminium alloy with durable Type III hard anodize coating
Body Colour: Black
Emitter: XP-G2 (Neutral to Cold White, not specified)
Lens: Glass, not AR Coated
Reflector: Orange Peel (aluminium alloy)
Switch: Twisty head
Beam distance: 45 meters
Waterproof: IPX8 (works in rain or shallow water, to 2 meters)
Impact resistance: 1 meter
Reverse Polarity Protection: Yes
Batteries: AAA (Ni-MH or Alkaline) – use of other batteries (10440) is not mentioned

USER INTERFACE & OUTPUT vs RUNTIME

USER INTERFACE
Twisty the head (tighten) to turn ON.
To change the modes, tighten and loosen the head cycling through Low > Medium > High.
Twist the head (loosen) to turn the flashlight OFF.
A fast double twist (tighten > loosen > tighten) activates Strobe.

The light has no memory. However it appears to have “next mode memory” under some circumstances.
After turning it ON and then turning it OFF, if the head is twisted to turn the light ON again within a ± 20 seconds period, the modes will change. If this 20 seconds period is passed, the light will turn ON in Low mode. There is no memory for Strobe.

OUTPUT vs RUNTIME
Low: 0.1 lumens > 120 hours
Medium: 15 lumens > 6.5 hours
High: 150 lumens> 0.5 hours
Strobe: 150 Lumens > s/d

I think these specs are measured with AAA batteries, but that is not specified.

I have no means to confirm these values; however, the+Low mode seems to be higher than advertised the 0.1 lumens+.
I compared the Nitefox K3 with the Olight S1R Baton (that has a 0.5 lumen moonlight mode), and the one from Nitefox K3 appears to be slight similar or even a bit higher!

THE FLASHLIGHT AND ACCESSORIES

The flashlight arrived inside a plastic box with a Nitefox sticker on the top.
Inside it I found: the Nitefox K3 + a pocket clip + the user manual + a white plastic diffuser :exclamation: + a spare o-ring + a metal ring + a metal clasp.

The flashlight is composed by 2 parts: head and body/tail.

I didn’t open the head, but my guesses are that we can find: o-ring + glass non AR Coated lens + OP reflector + emitter board with XP-G2 (NW to CW tint) + pill + driver + the head The driver has about 10mm diameter and has a brass button on the bottom.

Outside the head we have flat > knurled > flat surface.

The body/tail is made of 1 piece only. On the bottom it has a spring to make contact with negative pole of the battery. The edges near the head are not anodized to make contact when the two parts are tightened together.

The body has 2 grooves to place the pocket clip towards the head or towards the bottom (reversed). It also has knurling and 2 flat surfaces: one has written “Nitefox” and the other “Mini K3”.

The tail’s bottom is flat, so it tailstands and it has a hole for a lanyard or a keyring.

About the size…yeah, this may not be the smallest AAA flashlight (since I saw the Olight I3E EOS :person_facepalming: ) but I surely is small and thin, perfect for EDC’ying!

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USER MANUAL
The User Manual is written in English and Chinese. It contains information about: Specifications, Operation, Parameters, FAQ’s, Warnings (for users) and Warranty.
Like on the ES10K, Nitefox gives a 2 year warranty under certain circumstances.

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DIFFUSER
This is one cool thing ! Having an AAA flashlight with a white plastic diffuser is a first for me and I found it super nice! It surely will be handy in many occasions, to use as a candle or a signal (with Strobe).

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COMPARISON
Here’s a comparison with other lights and with the size of an AAA battery. Only the S1R Baton is smaller than the Nitefox K3.

Flashlights:
Stainless Steel AA (similar o BLF 348) > Nitefox K3 > Olight S1R Baton > Nitefox ES10K

BEAMSHOTS
Despite the tint of this flashlight is tending to a more Cold White, there are no “greenish” shifts on the beam. It has some “artifacts” on the hotspot and the overall beam is not completely round (maybe it has to do with the reflector of the centring of the emitter). But it is not a bad beam and it is not an ugly tint.
However, a warm one would be better, for sure.

There is no PWM in any mode. Nor visible “lines” under the camera lens above the LED.
The light doesn’t illuminate far, but it is supposed to be a “short range” light, so it performs well it’s job :+1:

TINT COMPARISON
Finally, some tint comparisons!
Left photo: Nitefox K3 (XP-G2 NW to CW) > Nitefox ES10K (XP-G2 NW)
Middle photo: Nitefox K3 (XP-G2 NW to CW) > Stainless Steel AA (Nichia NVSW219BT) >
Right photo: Stainless Steel AA (Nichia NVSW219BT) > Nitefox K3 (XP-G2 NW to CW) > Nitefox ES10K (XP-G2 NW)

OVERALL APPRECIATION

What I liked the most

Size. Small, thin, lightweight, perfect to carry on jeans, shirt, backpack, necklage…

+ Possibility to reverse the pocket clip. To use on a cap, this is an awesome feature.

+ Mode spacing. It is quite nice to know if one is on Low, Medium or High without being confused due to similar amount of light being projected. They all serve their purposes on different ranges.

+ Hidden Strobe. The strobe is not easily accessed while twisting the head. Even if one twists it fast to change modes, it will not enter strobe easily. Also, the strobe is quite useful as it is not strong as in other lights (18650s, etc) so it is nice to have a weaker strobe on the flashlight family

+ AAA flashlight and easy to find batteries. Well, AAA batteries are all over the place, so it is easy to find batteries for this flashlight, what makes it useful even in a zombie apocalypse… :smiling_imp:

+ Diffuser. It is just an accessory, but I liked it and I think it will be very useful. People that do camping will surely use this to avoid blinding people during the night :sunglasses:

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What I think that can be improved

Tint. Well, it is one of the few things I would change on this light as a warmer tint is prettier and more pleasant in short range (at least indoors). So, a Nichia or a Warm or Neutral White Led would make this better. In my opinion.

- The “next mode” memory period should be shorter. Well, I just wished that the period to turn ON the flashlight on the lowest mode was shorter than it is. Some seconds would make the job! It is doable, so Nitefox, try to make it Rey Ye (WWEFANS) corrected that bug, maybe he can help you on that

And that’s all folks!!!

I have to say that this is my new EDC flashlight. Its size and easy operation (despite being twisty) make me carry it everyday on the last weeks either on my jeans small pocket or on my shirt’s pocket.
I even used the Strobe in a city party to help my friends to locate me Eheheh

So it is a very well done flashlight and it is awesome for a gift. Being an AAA flashlight, people can easily find batteries for it.

This said, I wanna thank Nitefox for sending the flashlight for review. I will repeat this – I said it on the ES10K review: being a relatively unknown brand, Nitefox delivers high quality flashlights. I have 3 of their lights all with good quality. So keep up the good work.

Thanks for reading and feel free to leave comments or questions.

Best regards :+1:

CRX · 2018-06-30T04:29:00.000Z

MascaratumB · 2018-06-30T10:09:38.000Z

Thanks CRX
Not much space to mod this one, but there would always be some things to do, right? :nerd_face:

Lick · 2018-07-01T09:22:19.000Z

Can you take a picture of the driver? Its size pleases me. Guessing it's "moonlight" is around 3/4 lumens.

MascaratumB · 2018-07-01T11:37:01.000Z

Lick:

Can you take a picture of the driver? Its size pleases me. Guessing it’s “moonlight” is around 3/4 lumens.

Hey Lick! Do you want a picture of the upper side of the driver or the bottom?
I am not sure, but in the comparison I made with the Olight S1R, it was a bit higer, but not that much. Maybe it is between 1 and 3, not much (at least through the comparisons, of course)!

Lick · 2018-07-01T22:05:24.000Z

I mean the upper part of the driver. I wonder if its the same as the thrunite ti3. It has the same body, current control, so I wonder if it can be flashed with the same firmware. I bought other thrunite clones and I don't have the k3 at the moment so I was curious if they're all the same. I can post pictures of the glaree version too.

MascaratumB · 2018-07-01T22:30:28.000Z

Well, here’s a view from what’s inside the head of this light

And the driver Does this help?

anycolourfloyd · 2018-07-02T00:25:31.000Z

I’d be keen if it was a 4500K or so emitter. Is the moonlight really like firefly?

MascaratumB · 2018-07-02T00:36:16.000Z

anycolourfloyd:

I’d be keen if it was a 4500K or so emitter. Is the moonlight really like firefly?

It is not, unfortunately. I would guess it is closer to 5500-6000K or colder. The lowest mode is not firefly, it is probably 1-3 lumens.

Please see these images:
Sofirn SP10B (0.2 lumens) >>> Olight S1R Baton (0.5 lumens) >>> Nitefox K3 (> 1 lumen)

Lick · 2018-07-02T18:28:15.000Z

Thank you. From the other topic it looks like the lumitop tool has the same board, but different components. I have a GLAREE E03 that has the same exact parts as the K3.

MascaratumB · 2018-07-02T18:42:20.000Z

Lick:

Thank you. From the other topic it looks like the lumitop tool has the same board, but different components. I have a GLAREE E03 that has the same exact parts as the K3.

You’re welcome! My guess is that the brands have the same suppliers of these pieces and the use them at their will to compose the drivers