NiteCore Golden Dragon Plus D10 & EX10 Reviews: BEAMSHOTS, RUNTIMES, etc.

[kaichu dento]

Does yours whine on high? I am trying to choose between the D10 GDP and D10 Q5 right now, and that is one of the deciding factors for me.

None of my D10's whine and I have one of the originals, 4 GDP versions. The only reason I can see for choosing the Q5 over GDP would be slightly wider spill, although it includes rings, whereas the GDP is smooth all the way across it's beam spread.

 

[jdong]

How's the color rendition of the GDP vs Q5 side by side in your opinion? There seems to be a lot of differing opinions on this.


Also, to selfbuilt, light-reviews.com's runtime graphs at 100% seem to show the GDP as getting better runtime. Any hunches why there's such a discrepancy? Is manufacturing variance really that big on these lights?

 

[kaichu dento]

How's the color rendition of the GDP vs Q5 side by side in your opinion? There seems to be a lot of differing opinions on this.

I suppose mine is just one more opinion but doing a white ceiling hunt and portrait lighting comparison just now the Q5 is noticeably greenish while the GDP has a warmer yellowish tint to the center spot and somewhat of a purplish hue in the flood.

After comparing the two a few weeks back I immediately put away the Q5 and started carrying the GDP, not only for the tint, but moreso the smoothness of the beam and lack of ringiness.

 

[selfbuilt]

How's the color rendition of the GDP vs Q5 side by side in your opinion? There seems to be a lot of differing opinions on this.

I'm not surprised at the differing opinions - frankly, minor color rendition differences are virtually impossible to compare when you are also dealing with signficant tint variations. Different tints help with distinguishing different colours better (i.e. warm tints for green/brown, cool tints for black/blues, etc.). Basically, I recommend just going with whatever beam profile you prefer, and if you can get a tint you like.

Also, to selfbuilt, light-reviews.com's runtime graphs at 100% seem to show the GDP as getting better runtime. Any hunches why there's such a discrepancy? Is manufacturing variance really that big on these lights?

It's not manufacturing variance per se, but likely Vf variance between different emitters. And yes, it can be qute large - none of the mass-produced light makers currently select for Vf bin, AFAIK. In cases where I have had multiple samples of a light, I have noticed that runtime variation can be quite large (e.g. my Jet-II IBS vs Jet-II PRO). Same circuit, same emitter, considerably different runtimes.

 

[jdong]

Thanks for the informative response, selfbuilt. Your point about color rendition makes sense; after looking over the two beam profiles, I am leaning towards the Q5... the spill seems brighter and better for up-close work (I'm afraid the GDP will just be a hotspot at low levels). Plus, it's an emitter I'm more familiar with and has withstood the test of time around here.

Now, just need to resist reaching for the wallet as long as I can...

 

[FsTop]

It's worth pointing out that color rendition is not an issue when using the light on low settings, as your vision does not see color at very low levels.

 

[Guy's Dropper]

Selfbuilt writes the best reviews. Thanks!

 

[TheTruckingGuru]

Great Review. I will be ordering one of those reviewed lights tomorrow. The question is which one? I read the link on the GDP explanation http://www.nitecore.com/pages/products/OSRAM.aspx
It does not mention the size differences. To me that's a big piece of information I need to know. Interesting that the D10 GDP is shorter then the D10 Cree. I would think they GDP version would weigh less as well. I may also go with a D10 Defender Infinity instead. Now I'm still not sure as to whether or not I will go with GDP or not. Hmm

 

[selfbuilt]

It does not mention the size differences. To me that's a big piece of information I need to know. Interesting that the D10 GDP is shorter then the D10 Cree. I would think they GDP version would weigh less as well. I may also go with a D10 Defender Infinity instead. Now I'm still not sure as to whether or not I will go with GDP or not. Hmm

There's no significant difference in size or weight of the GDP version of the D10 compared to the Cree. The only real difference is in the beam pattern.

The NiteCore Defender Infinity is also a great light, but with a different interface. It is also longer than the D10.

And thanks for the positive comments everyone! :wave:

 

[TheTruckingGuru]

There's no significant difference in size or weight of the GDP version of the D10 compared to the Cree. The only real difference is in the beam pattern.

The NiteCore Defender Infinity is also a great light, but with a different interface. It is also longer than the D10.

And thanks for the positive comments everyone! :wave:

Ohh Opps I got confused when looking at the photos. I see now. There is no size difference. I decided against a Defender Infinity even thought the silver special edition one does look cool. I don't want the extra length though it's interesting to note the website says both models are 40g in weight. Space is a premium in my pants Besides if I wanted to use my flash light as a weapon I would just buy a bigger flashlight. The D10 looks tough as is. The D10 GDP will be my choice and my order for tomorrow. I may buy the combo that include charger and rechargeble batteries from 4sevens.com
Thanks SelfBuilt:thumbsup:

 

[4Pigs]

Re: NiteCore Golden Dragon Plus D10 & EX10 Revews: BEAMSHOTS, RUNTIMES, etc.

After reading your reviews, I've bought 3 Nitecore lights.........EX10, D10, and Extreme......in one week......

Thanks for your nice and detail review.

 

[Robocop]

I am planning on purchasing one of these two versions this weekend also due to this review.

I am curious to know now that these have been out for a while now how the lottery in tint is working out. I understand the few samples in this review were similiar however others have posted their GDPs were a cool tint.

To sum it up if I personally like a more white cool tint ..which one between the Cree and GDP would most likely be more to my liking?

 

[kaichu dento]

Up until last week I had one of the original D10's and 3 GDP's and have been carrying a GDP ever since first receiving my first one about a month ago.

I know there are some beamshots up but doing a quick comparison just now I would have to say that my main reasons for liking the GDP better is the smoothness of the beam itself.

The GDP starts with a white spot in the middle with a narrow yellow ring fading into a purplish spill.

Likewise, the Q5 starts with a white spot with a yellow border, then goes to a dark ring, yellow ring, purplish spill (getting darker towards the edges), another dark ring, and finally one last ring of yellow, which although I suppose it does add a little bit of usable spill, is somewhat outside the main beam and more annoying than helpful for my tastes.

Hope this helps.

 

[jdong]

So is the inductor whine solely a GDP issue or does it affect the Q5 lights too?

 

[EngrPaul]

I have a GDP D10 with no whine whatsoever.

 

[selfbuilt]

So is the inductor whine solely a GDP issue or does it affect the Q5 lights too?

Inductor whine is likely to be rather variable from one build to another, and likely independent of the emitter used.

Like the others here, I tend to recommend choosing between the GDP vs Q5 versions solely on the basis of the preferred beam profile.

 

[2manybikes]

Inductor whine is likely to be rather variable from one build to another, and likely independent of the emitter used.

Like the others here, I tend to recommend choosing between the GDP vs Q5 versions solely on the basis of the preferred beam profile.

If jdong is who I think he is, we have been emailing about the whine on these lights. If it's you jdong, i should mention I also took it to dinner with some friends Saturday and asked three more people.

Anyway- I have read, and also seen on TV about high pitched whines and age. It seems that the older you are the harder it is to hear the whine. This might give CPF D-10 owners differnet answers.

So--how old are you and can you hear it?

So far this i what I found out

62 years old-no
57 -no---me
60-no
61-no
55-no
42-yes just barely
28-yes from anywhere in the room
24-yes ----- ditto ---------

Other opinions?

 

[lebox97]

I have enough white noise around me - and would need to switch every device off in order to hear it - which I don't and won't.

I don't whine about whine....
:thumbsdow

it is a tool that I use frequently and I like the beam pattern and color...
'nough said

 

[Brangdon]

I've just completed my own crude D10 GDP runtime test on low with an Eneloop. I got a total of 55 hours 6 minutes. When I recharged the battery, the charger said it put 1866 mAh back into it, which is a bit below the 2000mAh the battery is supposed to have.

I had charged the battery the previous day and let it rest overnight before starting. For what it's worth, the initial voltage (with no load) was 1.426v, and 0.878v at the end. I also measured during the run and all results except the first and last were between 1.3v and 1.2v. It varied a lot. I suspect it depended on the ambient temperature. My house can get pretty cold. In fact the first time I attempted a run I noticed the light went out during the second night, but it revived the next morning, and I think it was just too cold for the battery. I had to abandon that run because I didn't know how much time had been lost - I don't have any clever monitoring equipment. For the second run, I switched it off overnight, so the run wasn't continuous, but arguably more realistic for all that. (Off times are obviously excluded from the total time.) When it finally went out for real, I tried warming the battery in my hands but that only got me a few extra minutes. When it went, it went quite suddenly.

I have seen people claim that their lights are below 1 lumen on low. I reckon mine is brighter than that, but probably less than 3 lumens. The runtime on high was about 56 minutes, so it lasted about 60 times as long on low. This would be consistent with high being 130 lumens and low being 2.2 lumens, if it scales linearly. (I've not noticed any whine on my unit, but my ears are quite old.)

Chevrofreak here gets 100 hours from a 2650mAh Duracell and a D10. That's quite a bit longer than my run, even allowing for my lower battery capacity (I would have got 70 hours rather than 55). I don't know if that's because the GDP is generally less efficient, or just natural variation between individual LEDs. Maybe his is dimmer than mine? Or would it be more efficient = brighter, at least on high?

Anyway, I am quite pleased with 55 hours. It's longer than the 40 hours advertised. I'm a bit disturbed by the Eneloop failing overnight - it can't have been that cold in my bedroom. I really wish now I recorded the temperature, but didn't think of it at the time (I'm not at my best at 3am) and it's not been so cold since. Eneloops are great, but I am using Lithiums for my back-up spare batteries.

Later... I just put the light in the fridge for a while at 4°c, and it worked fine, so maybe my bedroom got colder than I realised.

 

[jdong]

If jdong is who I think he is, we have been emailing about the whine on these lights. If it's you jdong, i should mention I also took it to dinner with some friends Saturday and asked three more people.
Other opinions?

I don't think I'm the same jdong you're referring to . As far as the whine, I think it is an age-dependent thing. I can hear it, but it isn't prohibitively irritating. I've also been told I'm really sensitive to high-pitched noises. I can hear the smoke alarm in my room taking 5-second samples. My head nearly exploded after working all summer on 640V hybrid auto powertrains that used 15kHz PWM switching. Of course, the classic example, as soon as I walk into the house I can hear my dad left the TV on upstairs in the bedroom.


Interestingly, for me the whine is also like a battery level indicator. The intensity and pitch of the whine appears to change as the battery reaches its last 30min or so of 100% level runtime.