Nitecore D11

[burntoshine]

i was really into the piston drive at one point. i don't particularly like the traditional clicky switches; the clicky noise is one reason.

i liked the D10 a lot for a little while, but started having issues with the piston o-ring and the switch, too. and some of my nitecore pd lights ramped too fast and/or seemed to skip past the low and medium modes too quickly.

i really like the liteflux UIs and they also have quiet switches which i feel are more reliable. i don't have much interest in the nitecore pds anymore.

 

[calipsoii]

@burntoshine

I hear you! Once you use a piston drive light for a while (with the whisper quiet operation) everything else just sounds loud. Picking up another light and *CLICK!*ing it on always feels a bit weird after using my D10 for a while.

Like you said though, the piston drive can be a finicky system that needs more maintenance than a regular switch. I can pick my h501 up anytime and know that the button will feel the same as it did last time I used it. I can't say the same for the stiff piston on my D10 (which gets more stiff the less it's used).

My dream switch? A solid metal button that can be machined like a D10 piston (for a trit slot) but sits over top of a silent button (like Zebralight uses). I love the look of my D10's switch (polished metal with inset trit vial) but would happily do away with the rest of the piston in favor of a simple button in the tail of the light. I *think* the LF2XT uses a setup like this, but I don't own one so I can't confirm.

Anyways, back to refreshing this thread hoping someone actually buys a D11 and can report back. 🙂

 

[burntoshine]

yeah, i love the zebralight switches, too. i just got a SC50w and it's very sweet. i have the H501w as well.

i don't mean to bash Nitecore or anything; i just had issues with all 3 of my PDs. all three had different piston action / travel distance and feel. i had an R2 that had a nice feel to the switch and piston, but the ramping wasn't great. i sold it after a few months.

i haven't had much experience with the newer versions of the PD system, so i don't know how they might have improved.

the slotted piston was a nice offering. trits are pretty dang neat. yes, the LF2XT indeed has (via Steve Ku) slotted tail switches. i have two; for each of my LF2XTs.

here: http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=211130

sorry for getting off topic.

D11....

 

[jk037]

I just saw on the website of one UK supplier that the D11 costs £149.50!

... it must be good! :sick2:

(if you add it to the basket and go to checkout page it comes up at a much more sensible £49.50 so the silly price is just a typo 😗 )

I'm trying not to order one because I've asked my girlfriend to buy me one for my birthday in a couple of months... question is can I wait that long? (new Quark Mini AA NW helps a little, but... well, you're all on CPF so I'm sure you know what I mean! 😀 )

 

[cave dave]

I'll have to say every time I pick up my old ramping D10 I use the shortcuts to either low or max. It was a great feature. On my lights with SOS and strobe I have never used SOS on purpose and only use strobe a few times a year just for grins. So I have to ask Nitecore why replace a VERY useful feature with a gimmick?

I never cared much for the ramping speeds which varied from unit to unit and made picking anything other than "somewhere in the middle" pretty complicated or near impossible if you wanted something near min or max. I would recommend instead stepping through 5 discrete levels in 4 seconds, kind of like what happens when you hold the zebralight switch.

 

[rayman]

I finally pulled the trigger and ordered the D11. I really like the design the only thing I don't like is that they remove the shortcuts to max and min. But the time will tell if I like it or not.

rayman

 

[guiri]

Wow, I wonder if they'll drop the whole piston deal? I have an original D10 but the latest models seem to have a lot of issues for users.

I agree. I'm having problems with mine too (to get it to ramp)

 

[carl8190]

I agree. I'm having problems with mine too (to get it to ramp)

Remove the oring on the piston and lube the piston. It stays waterproof from rain ect just dnt submerge it. This resolves all piston issues.

 

[Starchaser]

I finally pulled the trigger and ordered the D11. I really like the design the only thing I don't like is that they remove the shortcuts to max and min. But the time will tell if I like it or not.

rayman

Let us know how you like the D11 when you get it rayman, and how you will carry it. I really liked the design also, but was put off with what everyone has been saying regarding removing the shortcuts to max and min. For that, reason I probably will be going with the Jetbeam BK135a instead.

I wonder if Nitecore will rethink the UI change in the D11 and revert back to the old D10 UI. From what I have read, and the comments here at CPF, it sure looks like they are losing lots of sales because of the change.

 

[KuKu427]

I got to try one last night.

First thing I noticed was the lack of clip mounting holes in the new tail.
Second thing is how stiff that piston spring has becomes. I don't really see how this thing is going to turn on in anyone's pockets...
It ramps! But geez was that piston stiff!
Shortcuts to min and high are gone and replaced with short cuts to sos and strobe... :shrug:

Good anno, looks a lot cleaner and more refined than the D10. The new packaging also looks a lot more crush proof than the last one.

 

[guiri]

Remove the oring on the piston and lube the piston. It stays waterproof from rain ect just dnt submerge it. This resolves all piston issues.

You are talking to a dude that doesn't even put the batteries in the right way sometimes and yes, I WOULD somehow mess it up.
I DO appreciate the advice though 🙂

Thanks

 

[Brasso]

I'm wondering who actually does use the strobe and sos? I can see some very rare situations where it might be nice to have, but even then not really necessary. If you have to flash someone, just hit the button a few times. It seems the Chinese like their toys though. Most of the lights coming from there have these features. For whatever reasons. They could at least hide it behind some inane clicky sequence for people who actually use the light as a light. In my entire 42 years I've never needed or wished I had a strobe or sos. And I doubt I ever will.

 

[kkeyser]

I'm wondering who actually does use the strobe and sos? I can see some very rare situations where it might be nice to have, but even then not really necessary. If you have to flash someone, just hit the button a few times. It seems the Chinese like their toys though. Most of the lights coming from there have these features. For whatever reasons. They could at least hide it behind some inane clicky sequence for people who actually use the light as a light. In my entire 42 years I've never needed or wished I had a strobe or sos. And I doubt I ever will.

This.

What gets me is that they should be able to allow the end user to set the shortcuts. Other lights do it, and have for awhile, so the ability is there.

Why not allow the person buying the light to set the shortcut to disco mode, or to min-max, or whatever? That would actually be something that would be useful to everybody and cut out the complaining from both sides about having or not having disco modes.

But that's just crazy-talk. I can't wait for the new nitecore d12 with only one mode, strobe, at 50 lumens. Sure, you might not want strobe, and you might want it brighter, but it can strobe for 8 hours. Maybe they can remove the ability to tailstand as well. Can't wait. 😱

 

[rayman]

@Starchaser

Sure, I will. For me the missing shortcuts are not that big of a problem, I think. The thing I didn't like about my EX10 was the missing SOS and Strobe as I really like those modes in a EDC light. My suggestion would be to keep the old D10 UI and just add SOS/Strobe with triple click/triple click and hold.

rayman

 

[njet212]

I got to try one last night.

Second thing is how stiff that piston spring has becomes. I don't really see how this thing is going to turn on in anyone's pockets...
It ramps! But geez was that piston stiff!

Seem Stiffness will stay forever on Nitecore PD-Series 😗

 

[Starchaser]

@Starchaser

Sure, I will. For me the missing shortcuts are not that big of a problem, I think. The thing I didn't like about my EX10 was the missing SOS and Strobe as I really like those modes in a EDC light. My suggestion would be to keep the old D10 UI and just add SOS/Strobe with triple click/triple click and hold.

rayman

I agree rayman... just revert back to the old D10 UI, or better yet let the user set the shortcuts like the BK135A does, and other lights.

I'm sure you will like the D11 when you get it, since SOS/Strobe is not a problem for you. I love the looks!

 

[DHart]

@Starchaser

Sure, I will. For me the missing shortcuts are not that big of a problem, I think. The thing I didn't like about my EX10 was the missing SOS and Strobe as I really like those modes in a EDC light. My suggestion would be to keep the old D10 UI and just add SOS/Strobe with triple click/triple click and hold.

rayman

rayman... I can appreciate having strobe/sos in a light that will be used in a vehicle, as if you were stopped on a road and needed to signal approaching drivers of an accident or road blockage, etc. But aside from that (which I have never needed) I'm wondering what you might need strobe and sos for in an EDC light?

I agree that it was a big mistake (for the American market anyway) to replace instant min and max with instant strobe & SOS. The former would most likely be used every time I use the light and the latter perhaps once in a lifetime.

 

[rayman]

I really like the look too. Love the color of the anodizing :thumbsup:.

I don't really know when I'll use it but I know it when I'll need it 😉. With my EX10 as my EDC light I used for about 99% of the time the light on max. So I didn't use the shortcuts a lot. So dimming by holding and ramping down won't bother me a lot I think.

rayman

 

[DHart]

I really like the look too. Love the color of the anodizing :thumbsup:.

I don't really know when I'll use it but I know it when I'll need it 😉. With my EX10 as my EDC light I used for about 99% of the time the light on max. So I didn't use the shortcuts a lot. So dimming by holding and ramping down won't bother me a lot I think.

rayman

Dimming by holding and ramping down definitely does get the job done... just not so quickly, that's all. That's how I'm going to need to use the EZ AA R5 I have on the way.

 

[DHart]

EZAA R5 arrived yesterday. I am totally underwhelmed by it. Not sure if it's just my sample of if the model like is this way across the board, but the output was about 25% lower (measured in ceiling bounce test) than my Preon I R5 (both running on li-ion) and the beam was just a little bit ringy. Neither of these things were expected from an R5 XP-G light. The head twisted nicely and the ramping was good, case was nice quality. But overall, I was completely un-wowed by this light so it's being returned. It will be tough to dethrone my D10 R2s and the D11 won't be doing that either.