NiteCore Defender Infinity Comparison Review

[UnknownVT]

I got this sample of the NiteCore Defender Infinity through the kind courtesy of 4sevens (http://Fenix-Store.com) - I understand that he is now the official distributor for NiteCore in the USA.

The NDI (NiteCore Defender Infinity) is a single AA sized light that runs on regular AA as well as 3.7V Li-Ion 14500 - it was designed for it. The LED is a Cree Q5 and it has a forward/tactical clicky. It is advertized as a Tactical light.

Size and Head -

it's average sized for a single AA light - it has distinctive scalloped bezel at the front - which looks attractive but could possible catch on things or be uncomfortable for in-pocket carry.

The light has two modes -
1) Tactical - with the head tightened - has either Max brightness or strobe. To switch between these two - lossen the head, and quickly tighten again.

2) User Defined - with head slightly loosened - the level of brightness is pre-programmable - to enter the programming mode tighten down the head and quickly loosen it again then the light will step though its brightness levels when the desire level is reached switch off the light and that level is retained. The stepping will stop at one end (of the brightness level) and can be reversed by another quick tighten/loosen of the head - so picking the max or min brightness is easy.

There is a bit of inconsistency/contradiction in its specifications.

Specs in the users manual (pdf) -

that photo crop might not show too well - to be clear -
Max on AA battery is 180 lumens
Max on Li-Ion is 190 lumens.

But from the NiteCore page on the NDI (also NDI at the Fenix Store ) -
" Output & Runtime:
AA battery
Maximum output 130 lumens, for about 50 minutes (with brightness declines to 50%)
Minimum output 3 lumens, for about 45 hours (with brightness declines to 50%)

Li-ion Battery
Maximum output 130 lumens, for about 80 minutes (with brightness declines to 50%)
Minimum output 5 lumens, for about 60 hours (with brightness declines to 50%) "

So which is right?

First of all the output of only 130 lumens on 3.7V Li-Ion 14500 just does NOT sound that bright/attractive.

Of course it isn't, as soon as I turned on the light with a 14500 I could tell it was not just 130 lumens - so NiteCore are doing themselves a HUGE DISservice having that on their website.....

NDI on 3.7V rechargeable Li-Ion 14500 -

vs. Fenix L1D-Q5 also on Li-Ion 14500 -

(Notice in this and the other beamshots there is a slight cutoff due to the scalloped bezel, it is most emphasized at about the 8 o'clock position).
Pretty close - the NDI might just have it - but there is probably not any real practical difference. Li-Ion 14500 is not officially sanctioned in the Fenix L1D-Q5 - but it obviously works - so there is no spec for the output brightness using 14500.

However there is for the P3D-RB100 on primary CR123 -

vs. Fenix P3D-RB100 on primary CR123

there is obvious difference in beam smoothness and tint - but I would say that the brightness is about the same......The P3D-RB100 is spec'd at 200 lumens on Turbo.

vs. JETbeam JET-1 MK IBS on Li-Ion 14500

the JETbeam looks a bit brighter but the specs for the JET-1 IBS is 225 lumens.

So from these comparisons I would hazard that the spec for the NDI on 14500 is probably closer to 190 lumens, rather than 130 lumens.

What about the regular 1.5V AA battery?
Is it 180 lumens or 130 lumens?

NDI on NiMH -

vs. Fenix L1D-Q5 also NiMH

the NDI seems a bit brighter than the Fenix L1D-Q5 (rated at 120 lumens)

vs. JETbeam JET-1 MK IBS on NiMH

I think these look about the same level - perhaps the NDI might be a bit brighter? The JET-1 IBS is rated at 130 lumens max on NiMH.

So for regular AA batteries (NiMH) the NDI is probably closer to 130 lumens, rather than 180 lumens.

Hold on a moment........

NDI on NiMH vs. Fenix L1D-Q5 on Li-Ion 14500 -

the L1D-Q5 on 14500 is brighter as expected but not by that much.......

NDI on NiMH vs. Fenix P3D-RB100

er-hum I am surprised - the P3D is a brighter but not by as much as I expected.......

NDI on NiMH vs. JETbeam JET-1 MK IBS on Li_Ion 14500

this is more what I was expecting......

So maybe the NDI on AA battery might be a bit brighter than 130 lumens?

It looks like the manual is correct for the Li-Ion 14500 output, but might be wrong for the AA output -
whereas the website is wrong for the Li-Ion output, and may be closer for the AA output - although I feel the NDI on AA might be a bit brighter than the usual advertized 130 lumens

Lowest level(s) and more to come........

Comparison with NiteCore Extreme (NEX) in Post #6
Minimum/Lowest level comparisons in Post #7

 

[holeymoley]

So from these comparisons I would hazard that the spec for the NDI on 14500 is probably closer to 190 lumens, rather than 130 lumens.

Nice review Vincent!:twothumbs Great job, I like the layout on this one.

I still love my NDI, one of my best purchases to date. Nice fit and finish, and I even think the tint is perfect on that Q5 (although next to the rebel it doesn't look quite as nice).

But, can someone else verify that ~190 lumens figure...I agree it looks higher than 130, but I don't have any of the lights in your review to compare it to.

 

[LightWalker]

It's very interesting to see the beam shots of these lights side by side.
Thanks for sharing.

I noticed that you had the first set of beamshots miss labeled, it is labeled NDI Max NIMH.

 

[UnknownVT]

I noticed that you had the first set of beamshots miss labeled, it is labeled NDI Max NIMH.

Thanks for pointing that out -
Label is correct - it's the wrong photo!
I linked to the wrong photo -
I'll go correct it now.

Many thanks

 

[digitaleos]

I believe when the NDI first came out, Nitecore was listing emitter Lumens, the same way Fenix does. Later they started listing Out The Front Lumens, the way Surefire and a few others do. So the claimed 190 Lumens was their emitter lumens and the 130 lumens is what your actually getting out the front of the light. IIRC

Chris

 

[UnknownVT]

So the claimed 190 Lumens was their emitter lumens and the 130 lumens is what your actually getting out the front of the light.

Thank you for the input.

A loss of 60 lumens between the LED and out of the front of the light is HUGE that's a loss of about 32%! -
reflectors and lenses may give some loss but 32%?

Don't forget NiteCore also spec's the output on regular 1.5V AA at 130 lumens - and this was much closer to the other lights that were also advertized around that mark......

The NiteCore Extreme (NEX) is spec'd at -
" Output & Runtime:
CR123 battery
Maximum output 190 lumens, for about 75 minutes (with brightness declines to 50%)
Minimum output 2 lumens, for about 120 hours (with brightness declines to 50%)
Li-ion Battery
Maximum output 200 lumens, for about 50 minutes (with brightness declines to 50%)
Minimum output 2 lumens, for about 60 hours (with brightness declines to 50%) "

So the following beamshots would be very INconsistent with the ratings?

NDI on Li-Ion 14500 vs. NEX (NiteCore Extreme) on 3.7V Li-Ion RCR123 (rated at 200 lumens)

at least in the same ballpark - the NEX may be a bit brighter.....

NDI Li-Ion 14500 vs NEX primary CR123A (rated at 190 lumens)

this set looks almost the same as the set above - it seems the NEX (NiteCore Extreme) may be about the same level of brightness on Li-Ion RCR123 and primary CR123A?

Either way the NDI on Li-Ion 14500 seems about the same level of brightness as the NEX which is rated at 190 or 200 lumens -

so WHY is the NDI rated at "only" 130 lumens?

 

[UnknownVT]

Lowest level(s) and more to come.......

Lowest level(s).

It was easy to pre-program the user defined level to the lowest output level - since the program stepping of levels stops at one end of the output the lowest output can be chosen with a very high degree of confidence.

NDI lowest level on 3.7V Li-Ion 14500 -

vs. JETbeam JET-1 MK IBS Min also on Li-Ion 14500

seems about the same low level, the NDI might be a bit brighter. The JET-1 IBS is spec'd at 2 lumens, whereas the NDI is spec'd at 5 lumens for Li-Ion......

vs. Fenix L1D-Q5 Low/Min also on 3.7V Li-Ion 14500 (OK, OK this is ludicrous....)

as most people know the Fenix L1D-Q5 is not officially sanctioned for use with Li-Ion 14500 - but it "works" - however all the output levels end up being about the same - that is really bright in the order of about GUESStimated 180-200 lumens. So this comparison is kind of silly.

How about some low ouput lights?
Some typical 5mm 1x AAA lights -

vs. Fenix E01 on NiMH

the dimuitive single AAA Fenix E01 is quite noticably brighter than the minimum level on Li-Ion of the NDI - this is a good thing (for both lights )

vs. classic ArcAAA (circa 2003) on NiMH

even the older classic ArcAAA from 2003 seems a bit brighter than the NDI minimum on Li-Ion.

Minimum on NiMH

vs. JETbeam JET-1 MK IBS Min also on NiMH

again seems about the same level with maybe the JET slightly brighter. The JET-1 IBS is rated 2 lumens minimum on NiMH and the NDI is 3 lumens.....

vs. Fenix L1D-Q5 Low/Min also on NiMH

the Fenix L1D-Q5 is quite a bit brighter on its lowest level - which is rated at 12 lumens.

vs. Fenix E01

the Fenix E01 is again noticably brighter......

vs. classic ArcAAA (circa 2003)

even the older classic ArcAAA (2003) maybe slightly brighter

Looking at the Li-Ion and NiMH sets comparisons with the ArcAAA it would seem the NDI's lowest level looks slightly lower on NiMH than on Li-Ion. However the throw or central hotspot is more concentrated than either of the two 5mm lights - so in a darkened room the NDI reaches further than the ArcAAA, and about the same as the E01 which has brighter total output ........

Anyway the lowest level on the NDI looks like a very useful low to minimize disturbance of one's semi-dark adaption, and others or for drawing less attention; plus the fact the NDI has a tactical/forward clicky means it is easier to get just a momentary shot of low light - I like this.

 

[crossroads]

Thank you for doing this; it's helped me cement my desire for a NDI, despite the fact that it's a pretty damn old thread.:goodjob:

 

[UnknownVT]

Thank you for doing this; it's helped me cement my desire for a NDI, despite the fact that it's a pretty damn old thread.:goodjob:

Thanks for the kind comment
I guess 6 months can be considered "old" on CPF?

However the light is very much current and there are lots of people who really like the NDI for its interface, forward/tactical clicky and of course performance for a light using a single AA.

 

[kraz]

However the light is very much current and there are lots of people who really like the NDI for its interface, forward/tactical clicky and of course performance for a light using a single AA.

+1. The NDI is still a great EDC light. I use mine constantly. And, as pointed out in the review by UnknownVT, it works with both NiMH and Li-Ion rechargeables too.

 

[UnknownVT]

+1. The NDI is still a great EDC light. I use mine constantly. And, as pointed out in the review by UnknownVT, it works with both NiMH and Li-Ion rechargeables too.

Thank you for that - it's one the few 1AA lights that's actually spec'd for rechargeable Li-Ion 14500 usage.

Yes, I know many other 1AA light will work with 14500, but they are not spec'd or designed to do so - some may have long term detrimental effects on regular 14500 use.

 

[h2oflyer]

Great review -- I got the NDI Silver and have been EDC'ing it for about 6 months - Got the Silver reasoning that serial # limited edition might have better tint & output. Nice white to creamy tint.Been trading it back and forth between my new toy , LF3XT as my work carry. TOUGH CALL !

It doesn't have the TOY factor of the newest programmable lights , but it is one heck of a flashlight. I run mine on energizer lithiums for a slightly better output than duracells.

Update: the NDI wins out over the LF3XT as my work light. I need to look under equipment in bright sunlight in the snow. When comparing output, the NDI shines into corners where the floody LF3XT can't make it.

 

[Long RunTime]

Thanks for the kind comment
I guess 6 months can be considered "old" on CPF?

However the light is very much current and there are lots of people who really like the NDI for its interface, forward/tactical clicky and of course performance for a light using a single AA.

Excellent review with lots of pic, thanks for taking you time doing this. Regard to be "old"... to me it is "timeless" good reference source in case later someone's buying a previously owned NDI, I wouldn't be surprised seeing this thread gets bumped up a year from now.:goodjob:

 

[kaichu dento]

The light has two modes -
1) Tactical - with the head tightened - has either Max brightness or strobe. To switch between these two - lossen the head, and quickly tighten again.

2) User Defined - with head slightly loosened - the level of brightness is pre-programmable - to enter the programming mode tighten down the head and quickly loosen it again then the light will step though its brightness levels when the desire level is reached switch off the light and that level is retained. The stepping will stop at one end (of the brightness level) and can be reversed by another quick tighten/loosen of the head - so picking the max or min brightness is easy.

Old post indeed, but it had just what I needed; these quick, easy to understand instructions. Thanks!

 

[ashe18c]

ditto, i guess it might be considered old now, but thanks for the thorough review, i didnt know the defender could be that bright on 14500. I like aa lights that can use 14500, theyre thinner than cr123 lights and are just as bright. the hotspot is just not as defined as the larger heads on the 123's like the extreme, but they feel nicer in the pocket than 123's. Defender= next on my list. The last one to complete my nitecore collection. Basically backordering all the older lights after getting the newer d11 and ex11.

-Vince

 

[BigBluefish]

ditto, i guess it might be considered old now, but thanks for the thorough review, i didnt know the defender could be that bright on 14500. I like aa lights that can use 14500, theyre thinner than cr123 lights and are just as bright. the hotspot is just not as defined as the larger heads on the 123's like the extreme, but they feel nicer in the pocket than 123's. Defender= next on my list. The last one to complete my nitecore collection. Basically backordering all the older lights after getting the newer d11 and ex11.

-Vince

I recently got hold of an NDI with an XR-E R2 from the Marketplace and irt is very bright on an AW 14500, comparable to my Jet 1 Pro v3 R2 on the same cell. It also has a much better beam than I expected from an XR-E cree.

Be careful, though. I think the R2 NDI's out now are using the XP-E emitter, and the driver may not offer the brightness of the older XR-E R2 NDIs, but rather more runitme, similar to the driver on the D10 SP. As I understand it, the older D10 ramping lights, using the XR-E R2 were also dramaticially brighter on a 14500, while the newer D10 SPs with the XP-E R2 are only slightly brighter, but with much better runtime on high on a 14500. (Which is good, because the D10 SP runtime on high on an NIMH really &$#*%! if selfbuilt's runtime plots are accurate...as I suspect they are.)

I could be completely wrong about this, but IIRC, that's what I had gathereed from reading a few threads on the NDI. So if you want maximum brightness, look for an NDI with the XR-E R2.