Niwalker is a Taiwanese company specializing in flashlight manufacturing. They did a lot of OEM production for other companies (i.e. Tiablo). Now, they want the enter to the market with their own products.
As a introductory models, they are to release one big XM-L thrower (NWK750) and one small XP-E tactical light (NWK220).
In this review, I'll take a look at the bigger model - the NWK750.
Below are the manufacturer specs:
LED: CREE XM-L U2
750 Lumens for 1.5+ hours (42,000 lux @1 meter)
Tactical forward clicky tailcap switch and electronic multi-mode tailcap (optional)
Smooth polished reflector, focused beam
Digitally regulated
Working voltage: 3V ~ 9V
Supports 2x CR123A, 2x 16340 (RCR), or 2x 18650
Length: 263mm
Head Diameter: 58mm
Body Diameter: 28mm
Weight: 380g (without batteries)
Made of durable aircraft-grade aluminum
Toughened ultra-clear glass lens
Military spec Hard Anodized, matt black finish
IPX8 Waterproof standard
Rugged construction and reliable electronics
Tailcap lockout
Accesories in retail version: lanyard, spare o-rings, holster, mulit-level tail cap
As you see, the "ratings" are rather on the conservative side (no 1000lm, 1000 meters of throw and similiar bollocks). I can tell you already, that they're quite accurate. But more on this later.
The flashlight, I'm reviewing is just a protype sample, so it has a couple of cosmetic glitches visible on photos, but the overall visual design is finished and won't be changed.
Build, apperance, overall quality
NWK750 is suppose to be a rugged, simple, miliatry construction. No fancy features, just on/off switch and single mode operation. For those who really need additional modes, Niwalker made a special tailcap with additional circuit in it. More about it, later.
If I had to compare NWK750 to something, the closest would be the Thrunite Catapult. Both flashlights are on the "heavy" side. They share almost exactly the same reflector, very similiar stainless stell bezel and NWK750 has also very thick battery tube and overall hefty design (but not as overblown as in Catapult).
Instead of traditional knurling, the battery tube has circular ridges/grooves. It can be disconnected and we can use NWK in 1x18650 or 2xRCR/2xCR123 configuration, but due to massive current draw the latter config is not recommended. Unless you use IMR batteries and don't care about 15 min. runtime.
The machining is very well done. All threads are nicely cut (trapezoidal cut). The fitting is tight and the lettering is clear and sharp. Pretty much, this is what you expect from a quality light.
As I said before, the head is almost identical in internal construction to Catapult. What you notice in the pictures, is that Cat uses violet-hue AR coated glass, NWK750 has standard glass without coating. For those who like GITD stuff, there is a glowy oring behind the lens.
The LED is centered by a plastic disc. This is pretty common design.
NWK750 uses tactical forward switch which has similiar feel to the switches used in Catapult or Fenix TA/TK series. Rather on the stiff side with typical travel. Personally, I like it much better than swiches used by Klarus and Jetbeam - soft with long travel.
I was sent also an additional electronic switch with modes. However this switch was just in "testing phase" so it's behaviour wasn't final. The company want to get some feedback from flashaholics, so feel free to post your thoughts in comments. I'll describe you how it works, as I got it. The switch has two modes + strobe. Within the first five seconds after turn on in works in following sequence (on > hi > lo > strobe >off >on >hi....). After five second since turn on, the circuit doesn't jump to another mode, instead it turns the lights off. The whole concept of additional switch is rather uncommon and I suggested Niwalker, to incorporate modes in the main design in the way Olight and Thrunite works (modes changed by twisting the head) but the guys at Niwalker said that design with additional tailcap is more reliable. I disagree with that, but it's not my project, so I can only post my personal opinion. If you have some other thoughts about it, fell free to post it in the comments. The electronic tailcap uses PWM in visible range (270Hz for 2x18650 and 170Hz for 1x18650 configuration). I was told, that in final version of this tailcap, PWM will be moved higher, near 1kHz.
When using "tactical" switch, the NWK750 is just simple one-mode light. Turn on, turn off and thats all.
There are springs on both ends (tailcap, head), so it can be used on weapon. Springs reduce recoil effect, so they're important in such conditions.
Photos without extender - for 1x18650 configuration run:
Overall quality is quite good. The NWK750 feel is very similiar to Catapult, but NWK is a little lighter. Here's the photo with some other flashlights. From left: Thrunite Catapult V2, Crelant 7G5, Niwalker NWK750, Niwalker NWK220, Fenix TA20, Ultrafire C8.
Runtime, brightness, etc.
I did some tests with different battery configurations. Niwalker NWK750 is suppose to drive the XM-L U2 LED at 2.8A level. The brightness and throw values seems to confim that. But the runtime don't. In my opinion it should run a slightly longer, 78 minutes (on Trustfire Flame 2400 cells) is not bad, but could be better. Just for the reference, Catapult driven at 3.5A (which is 20% higher) has runtime lower by only 6% (74 minutes on these cells). I was told that the main circuit has been also tuned up, so in retail version the runtime should be slightly longer.
Good thing is that the flashlight can run on 1x18650 with quite good brightness and efficiency.
I did also lux/1m (or candela if you like) measurements. They look following:
NWK750 - 41600 lux/1m
Thrunite Catapult V2 @ XM-L - 47800 lux/1m
Crelant 7G5 - 59100 lux/1m
Although, the readings put some difference between Cat and NWK750, in reality they're almost indistinguishable. As you'll see on the beamshots, tint is playing a big role here.
Beamshots
As usual, I took some flashlights out of the town to avoid ambient light. The camera settings were following:
t=4.0s
f=4.5
iso=200
WB=daylight
Please note, that the settings were changed from my previous reviews. I increased the exposure time to 4s (from 3.2s) to better show differences between lights. NWK750 worked in 2x18650 configuration.
For images below, do "mouse over" / "mouse out" for more precise flashlight-to-flashlight comparision.
As you see on the beamshots, there's not much difference between Cat and NWK750 in terms of brightness. The NWK750's tint seems whiter/cooler, but no matter how would I measure, the Cat returned always better results on the luxmeter. However my Cat drives the LED at 3.5A level, comparing with retail version of Catapult, NWK750 should be 'slightly' brighter (mostly because of T6 vs. U2 bin difference). Of course Crelant due to wider and deeper reflector (and better LED), outclasses the competition.
Conclusion
I liked this light. Mostly because its simplicity and rugged construction. It's not as heavy as Catapult, but the overall feel is still solid. All parts are very good machined, threads are smooth and anodizing looks good. The main circuit lacks MCU (microprocessor, that is responsible for modes). This increases high temperature resistance and 'should' improve circuit efficiency. The two-tailcap design is a matter of taste. Personally, I don't think it's the best idea to carry additional stuff just in case, I'd like additional modes in the middle of the field at night. Niwalker hides behing reliability, but frankly, I haven't heard about reliablity issues in Fenixes, Olights and Thrunites that use head-twist design of changing modes. If you have some thoughts, feel free to post them in the comments. Niwalker asked me to gather some feedback from potential users, how do they rate such design. All in all, NWK750 is interesting light. Think about it as a lighter version of Catapult. Very simple and solid construction + 3 year manufacturer warranty should attract especially those who use flashlights for work, and they work in harsh conditions
