I forgot I have magnetic cards from hotels and other areas. Office is RFID, so not affected, but others are.
hmmmm
Unless they’re in the same pocket it shouldn’t be a problem
the key ring and the cards would be in the same pocket, yes. it would depend on how strong the magnets are, actually. If this is a tiny light that weighs nothing, maybe the magnets aren’t that strong.
If they hold 5lbs they’re probably 2 fairly strong magnets. I wouldn’t put them against magnetic strips ideally.
It’s like Nitecore has some arcane internal rule that says “include one bizarre/broken feature on every new light design”.
It does seem that way sometimes. My TIP 1 works perfectly fine and has been the best keychain light I’ve ever had.
XPG3
Why is that part bad?
Large tint shift in the beam with reflectors.
If a light has an XP-G3 and a reflector (whether SMO or OP) avoid like the plague or be prepared to do an emitter swap.
If it has a TIR instead then that should help smooth it out (especially a TIR with pebbled surface) but I personally haven’t seen an XP-G3 with a TIR so can’t really comment on that…
Here’s what Nitecore NU32 looked like stock, also with an SMO reflector like the TIP2 and an XP-G3.
(16th picture from the top or just search for “my aim”)
I bought that one my sister as a christmas present and completely forgot about the problems the XP-G3 has at the time of ordering.
Imagine the look on my face when I first turned it on… At first I thought there was something wrong with it but nope, Nitecore confirmed that’s business as usual and not a problem and then I searched a bit and was reminded of the problems with XP-G3’s in reflector lights.
I couldn’t gift it to my sister like that so thankfully I had a Nichia 219B on hand… Had to reflow it which I had never done before, didn’t have proper tools for so I just (quickly) cooked the PCB’s on top of an electric stove (lol) and miraculously I didn’t kill the Nichia in the process. Managed to dedome and kill the XP-G3 though in the process, good riddance.
Looks like everyone hates it already. Hope Nitecore doesn’t bankrupt.
Not so. I like it a lot. I just need them to offer a sst20w/LH351 version before I actually consider buying one.
Or wait until somebody with more financial freedom than I tears one down for us to see the mod friendliness of this one.
I’m out - the magnet is a no-go with all the magnetic-strip entry cards I have to carry. I’m sorry to have to avoid this light - looks very useful, otherwise. I love my TIP 1 and TUP.
This.
Nitecore’s ads say the magnets can hold 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs). That seems like really strong magnets for a keychain light. Unless your keychain is substantially heavier than a BLF GT, it’s not going to fall off this light.
Due to the risk of accidentally demagnetizing magnetic strips in my wallet, this light is not for me. While I normally keep my light in the opposite pocket from my wallet, I still wouldn’t trust it when a moment’s inattention is all it would take. Especially with such strong magnets.
Why would anyone need a key chain light magnet that can hold 5.5 lbs?
Aren’t all the regular keys going to be sticking to this light all day long?
I have a cob workshop light that has very strong magnets and literally everything in my shop that has metal in it climbs onto this light. Whenever I want to use this light I have to remove 4 screws, metal dust, nuts and whatever else clings to it.
It is useful to have a magnet that can hold the light onto a surface, but it shouldn’t be more than that?
5 lbs isn’t even enough in many situations. Holding them static is no issue. Pressing sideways or getting keys caught and a slight tug can easily exert many times 5 lbs… Bye bye flashlight or keys (depending which one you were holding onto). They might be in water, grass, parking lot, or down a drain and now you can’t drive home or get into your home.
This should have been made as an option with also offering a solid version IMO.
whats the price point `?
I think it’s $45
Expensive. Since a few years ago, most chinese quality products have increased the price only because “they can”….
And not only quality things… Even the cheap ones have increased…
Nitecore often comes up with interesting design possibilities and then ruins them. The original Nitecore TIP was way overpriced for what you get, and I dealt with 2 that were faulty… and went elsewhere for a key chain light. This one definitely looks interesting, a welcomed departure from the ridiculous clam shell design of the previous version that suffered accidental button press problems (to the point of Nitecore solving that with a “clip” to cover them!).
But if those are reflectors and not TIR optics? FAIL. Why should a key chain light try to be a thrower? What utter stupidity. They’re meant for near field illumination. You use a larger form factor light for throwing, a higher power consumption task that needs a standard battery with ample mAh.
And I agree about the 5lb magnet. WTH? On a key chain light? I wonder if the magnet is easily replaceable or removable for those who don’t want one. However, it may be a non-issue if the casing provides sufficient shielding so that the magnetic force is contained between the light and the key ring mount.
That’s usually compensated for with discounts. Some can be rather significant, thanks to the diligent work of people like M4DM4X and Neal.