NiteCore D20 Review - 2xAA - RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, DETAILED PICS and more!

[Lite_me]

Yeah OK, so after my last post it all starts going downhill! Erratic switching, switching itself off and from high to low in no order It's been sent back to swap it for a Nitecore Extreme....Hopefully that will be better.
Kam.

Yes, some samples will develop this type of problem from time to time. I've noticed it on all my PD lights. All that is usually required is some cleaning and fresh lubing of the piston and the brass switching ring around the pill. Sometimes just a quick twist of one or the other will cure it for awhile. If this kind of routine maintenance is a problem for you, then this light may not be for you. :shrug:

 

[kts]

I love the fact that Fenix old L2D Q5 still dominates :twothumbs

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

One is STILL none, and two (or more) are STILL one!

And I can't really see anything bumping my P2D CE Q5 off my belt!

 

[selfbuilt]

FYI, my D20 has been running continuously for over 7 days now on the lowest output level on a pair of regular duracell alkalines ... still going strong.

 

[adirondackdestroyer]

FYI, my D20 has been running continuously for over 7 days now on the lowest output level on a pair of regular duracell alkalines ... still going strong.

Unreal! Imagine how incredibly long the runtime on low would be on two Energizer Lithiums (not that I'm asking you to do this. :nana

 

[StarHalo]

Unreal! Imagine how incredibly long the runtime on low would be on two Energizer Lithiums (not that I'm asking you to do this. :nana

I did some equating and worked out that a D20 should do right around 16 days on Lithiums, and was going to wager Selfbuilt that that's how long it'd go until I remembered he's using alkalines. The alkaline test is probably more real-world, at least.

 

[selfbuilt]

My D20 on Low on duracell alkalines finally shut-off sometime last night ... runtime was somewhere between ... [insert needed :drumroll: icon here] ... 10 days 2 hours and 10 days 7 hours.

So, just over 10 days - very impressive.

:wave:

 

[Burgess]

Gosh ! ! !


Thank you, SelfBuilt, for your time and dedication !


:twothumbs
_

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

:bow: to selfbuilt for such good reviewing!

 

[StarHalo]

My D20 on Low on duracell alkalines finally shut-off sometime last night ... runtime was somewhere between ... [insert needed :drumroll: icon here] ... 10 days 2 hours and 10 days 7 hours.

So, just over 10 days - very impressive.

So adding on a 45% difference that lithiums would make over alkalines, that comes out to 14.5 days, nice :thumbsup:

 

[Burgess]

I'm not so sure Energizer Lithium (L91) cells

would perform significantly better at such low current levels.


Just a thought.


He'd hafta' test 'em, to find out.


_

 

[adirondackdestroyer]

10 days on two alkalines!!! That's almost 100 hours more than they rate the D20 for on the lowest setting. Freaking awesome!

 

[drivie]

Impressive review of this light. I'm a relative noob with lights but I need a decent one for work (work inside computers a lot). I currently use an incan SF G2 Nitro. The thing eats 123A batteries and sometimes the 60 lumen output washes out tiny text on IC's etc. I love the idea of a 2AA light with variable output.

I am wondering if I'm missing something...I can't seem to locate physical dimensions for the NiteCore lights on the 4Sevens website. Are they there somewhere?

Thanks,

Drivie

 

[Lite_me]

They're right there on the page, under Specifications. Where are you looking?
https://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=93&products_id=550

 

[drivie]

They're right there on the page, under Specifications. Where are you looking?
https://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=93&products_id=550

I just looked again and I see them now. I don't know how on earth I missed those specs before. I'm a dork and should be ignored.

Thanks for the response.

Drivie

 

[selfbuilt]

I am wondering if I'm missing something...I can't seem to locate physical dimensions for the NiteCore lights on the 4Sevens website.

Also posted in the review:

D20 Weight: 109.3g
D20 Dimensions: Length: 154.0mm x Width: 25.0mm (head), 23.2mm tail (without clip)

You'll note that my measurements (made with a digital caliper) match the reported specs, but weight of my specimen was 10g lighter. Usually, my measurements typically shower larger and heavier results than manufacurer specs.

 

[IsaacHayes]

The LED lottery is still in affect, as my new L2D I had was no brighter than the original L1D I had.... Just to keep that in mind.

Anywho, my 2 cents on 2xAA lights. They are too long to EDC (for me at least). The 1AA nitecore is awesome, and I love the multi levels and everything about it (would love to see the ramp in right direction from low/high put into the new ones too, are they?). With a clip it's a perfect EDC that gives you uber low which I thought I'd never use but I actually do when reading stuff at night.

But for a 2xAA light it's a bit too big to EDC. Only to carry when going in the woods, or what not. And if I'm going to carry something that isn't my EDC, I want it to be a big improvement (in power, or runtime) over my EDC, and will not care about ultra low light levels. For that reason, I would love the D20 if it were a bit of a different animal. Keep the PD design, but make it 2 mode only. Twisting/pushing further to go into high would be great, (much like the original PDs). 2 modes, turbo, and normal. Normal could be long runtime (no crazy 3 weeks needed here!) but bright enough for most everything like 60 lumens. Then turbo would be full tilt for when you need it. And since the light is not edc, and pretty long, might as well make the head pretty large. I wouldn't mind a 27-30mm reflector in a light like this. Give it some throw. Make it powerfull and 2 modes. Make it a ultility light not an EDC that has to cover all situations. Going into the woods you want a throwing light with decent run time, and 2xAA cree can do that without being as big as a C or D sized light. And if you make it 2 levels, you can make it constant current controled for more runtime. A torch like this in the same HA and PD design would rock.

To me the long narrow 2xAA lights don't fit in one category fully. They need bigger heads to throw and put them in the utility/etc category, as they are bit too large for EDC, but don't throw much to put them in the larger light category. Can't we have a middle size between EDC and C/D sized lights in AA flavor? CR123a lights fill this section with some having large reflector heads, but not many 2xAA lights.

My 2 cents.

 

[Federal LG]

...Still need to do runtimes on the TK20 as well ... it will also be included in my eventual 2AA round-up.

Anxiously waiting for that! :wave:

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

If I were to give my D20 a rating, I'd rate it a B. I love the ergonomics, I love the interface, I love the output range, but I'm not completely sold on the piston, which is ironic when you consider that this was the "killer feature" that pushed me towards this light in the first place.

As stated in the review, the "sticky piston" seems to be a fairly regular problem with this light. I cleaned off the stock lube and have been using Radio Shack Precision Lubricant on it which seems to work fairly well for a few weeks, then the piston starts getting stiffer and harder to work, so I have to disassemble the flashlight and do the maintenance thing again, which wouldn't be such a big deal if you didn't need small hand tools to do the job.

Does anybody have any suggestions, or should I just accept that I'll have to disassemble and lube the flashlight about once a month? You know, the Fenix LD20 is looking mighty attractive...

 

[selfbuilt]

As stated in the review, the "sticky piston" seems to be a fairly regular problem with this light. I cleaned off the stock lube and have been using Radio Shack Precision Lubricant on it which seems to work fairly well for a few weeks, then the piston starts getting stiffer and harder to work, so I have to disassemble the flashlight and do the maintenance thing again, which wouldn't be such a big deal if you didn't need small hand tools to do the job.

I'm finding my Radio Shack PTFE oil has also worn off now, leading to a metal-on-metal "clinking" sound when activating the piston (i.e. piston hitting the body tube). I've just re-lubed it with a small amount of Nyogel, which has solved the immediate problem - we'll see how long it lasts.

I'm also the finding the clip screws a little tricky to tighten fully - having to disassemble to access the piston o-ring is a bit of annoyance. We'll see if the nyogel lasts longer. I've updated the main post with these caveats.

Overall, the form factor remains impressive as a heavy-duty light based on regular batteries - as NiteCore intended. But I agree the Fenix remains a great choice as a general purpose light (especially for non-flashaholics)