NITECORE TM26 QUADRAY (4 x XM-L U2 | 1-4x18650 / 2-8xR/CR123) Review

[moldyoldy]

Good Day,

Re: Nitecore TM26

Could You Please tell me:

(1). What is the maximum 18650 battery length & diameter that will fit in this light.

(2). Will a Protected Panasonic NCR18650B 3400mAh 18650 battery fit?
eg from Fasttech, approx length just below 70mm, approx width just below 19mm
Fasttech link: http://www.fasttech.com/products/1141104

(3). Are the battery contacts sprung at one end or maybe both ends (within the TM26)?


Thank You Very Much, :thumbsup:
Roberta:devil:

I have a TM26 and it requires 18650 cells with a protruding PLUS contact. I use the current model of Eagletac 3400mah 18650 cells (not low cost) and have no problem. I would not recommend any 18650 greater than 69mm due to excessive compression of the leaf springs in the TM26. The TM26 does not use coil springs. For a good comparison of 18650 cells, albeit slightly dated, check out HKJs excellent review of many 18650 cells.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?330236-Battery-test-review-summary

 

[roberta]

I have a TM26 and it requires 18650 cells with a protruding PLUS contact. I use the current model of Eagletac 3400mah 18650 cells (not low cost) and have no problem. I would not recommend any 18650 greater than 69mm due to excessive compression of the leaf springs in the TM26. The TM26 does not use coil springs. For a good comparison of 18650 cells, albeit slightly dated, check out HKJs excellent review of many 18650 cells.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?330236-Battery-test-review-summary

Good Day MoldyOldy,

Thank You Very Much for your Greatly Appreciated reply. :thumbsup:

Best Regards, :twothumbs
Roberta :devil:

 

[Bullyson]

I highly recommend Orbtronics or Callie's Kustoms batteries. You cannot go wrong with either.

 

[roberta]

I highly recommend Orbtronics or Callie's Kustoms batteries. You cannot go wrong with either.

Good Day Bullyson,

Thank You Very Much for your Appreciated reply. :thumbsup:

Best Regards, :twothumbs
Roberta :devil:

 

[thedoc007]

TM26 is on sale from Illumination Supply for $195 with coupon. If any of you were still on the fence, now is the time! Great deal for a fantastic light.

 

[rickypanecatyl]

I have a generic throw lovers question. Obviously to get more throw you need a larger diameter head (barring aspherics and such.)

If you were to compare the reflector of the TM26 with say a Fenix TK75 the TM26 has 4 very distinct and separate smaller reflectors whereas the TK 75 has 3 distinct yet semi overlapping reflectors.

My question is, generally when there is overlap in the reflectors do you get more throw?

And a follow up question - is there a reason to seperate the LED's as in the TM 26? Obviously it is a floody light but I was wondering why if you were trying to make a floody light with the same lux and lumens, couldn't you overlap the reflectors as in the TK75 and then shrink the overall diameter of the head and produce the same lux/lumen ratio but with a smaller light?
Or perhaps it's a heat issue? Just curious....

 

[turboBB]

In general, to get better throw, it's not just the diameter but the depth of the reflector as well. Pg.3 of this guide actually gives a very good illustration of this:
http://www.samsung.com/global/busin...sign_Guide_for_Torch_Application_rev1.0-0.pdf

In general, overlapping reflectors should yield better throw for similar-sized overall diameter and output, however, the TM11 features very shallow overlapping reflectors hence its monster flood capability; by contrast, the Shadow SL3 while featuring less lumens but similar overall diameter and deeper overlapping reflectors has better throw. However, the offshoot of these kind of reflectors is that there is a "floral-like" pattern on the periphery of the beam which may be a little distracting especially at closer distances; case in point just check out white-wall shots of lights like: Nitecore TM11, Shadow SL3, Sunwayman T60CS, ThruNite TN30 & XTAR SP1.

The periphery of beams cast by multi-emitter lights featuring true individual reflectors are smoother by comparison (Klarus XT20, Niteye EYE-25/30, Nitecore TM26 & Apex 5T6). Perhaps this is why Nitcore elected to go with individual reflectors on the TM26.

 

[thedoc007]

Well said turboBB. Great points. The TK75 is another light that displays the "clover" pattern, and although it isn't a big deal to me, it is something to be aware of, and obviously a more even beam is better, all else being equal. You can clearly see the pattern when walking a trail, too...it isn't limited to white wall beamshots.

I do think the heat issue plays a role too. Since turbo is already limited to a few minutes before stepdown (with moderate temps) I don't think making it much smaller would be a great idea. Plus I really just like the look of it as is...I guess it is just up to the individual where their priorities are.

 

[cpfdemigod]

TM26 is on sale from Illumination Supply for $195 with coupon. If any of you were still on the fence, now is the time! Great deal for a fantastic light.

Great review, albeit I mistaken it for selfbuilt until I noticed alot of detailed info missing. Anyway's, I ended up buying one from illumination supply for $195 using code "NovemberMonster" and got free super saver shipping. Seems I got the last one, at least until they restock later this week as Calvin was telling me when I chatted with him. Might have to buy another one, just for backup...

I was about to buy a TK-75, but something about the tiny size of this little wonder as well as the LCD, and this review that ultimately led to my purchase. Plus, the wife doesn't know I just dropped $195 on a single flashlight, or else she would probably go into cardiac arrest!!!

 

[Bucur]

I have a question about the OLED display of the TM26. According to Nitecore, the runtimes are based on 2600 mAh batteries. When higher capacity cells are used, can the circuitry initially distinguish the difference in battery capacity and display accordingly? Or does it initially "assume" that the batteries will "behave" like 2600 mAh batteries do?

Since the voltages of the higher capacity cells will drop at a slower rate under the same current, I understand that "x hours remaining" will be displayed later than with 2600 mAh cells but is this "x hours" figure still based on 2600 mAh battery behavior? Or can the circuitry somehow distinguish the increased capacity and display the remaining hours accordingly?

Sorry if this is a dumb question but I cannot figure out how things work in the electronics department.

 

[riccardo]

I believe that the displayed remaining runtime is a joke. A nice touch of the marketing... but it would have been more serious and accurate to measure and display the % of battery left.

 

[Overclocker]

I believe that the displayed remaining runtime is a joke. A nice touch of the marketing... but it would have been more serious and accurate to measure and display the % of battery left.

right. they should've implemented a proprietary battery pack with integrated coulomb counter that communicates over a data bus for accurate runtime and capacity estimates, just like a laptop, right?

increase in price and inability to use loose 18650's

i'm happy with the runtime guesstimates

 

[thedoc007]

I have a question about the OLED display of the TM26. According to Nitecore, the runtimes are based on 2600 mAh batteries. When higher capacity cells are used, can the circuitry initially distinguish the difference in battery capacity and display accordingly? Or does it initially "assume" that the batteries will "behave" like 2600 mAh batteries do?

Since the voltages of the higher capacity cells will drop at a slower rate under the same current, I understand that "x hours remaining" will be displayed later than with 2600 mAh cells but is this "x hours" figure still based on 2600 mAh battery behavior? Or can the circuitry somehow distinguish the increased capacity and display the remaining hours accordingly?

Sorry if this is a dumb question but I cannot figure out how things work in the electronics department.

This isn't a dumb question, but there is no way ANY type of circuitry (in practice) can give very accurate runtime ratings. Laptops change their initial assumptions more often, is all. It can still be off by a significant amount, even with all the fancy monitoring.

The only way I know to actually measure the full capacity of a battery in practice is to fully discharge it, and then see how much energy you got out of it. This is completely useless for our purposes.

One workaround that would offer some more utility is to make the OLED readout programmable...they could in theory allow you to select (nominal) cell capacity, and update the OLED estimates for 3400 mAh runtimes, for example. But as overclocker states, this would introduce needless complexity, might overestimate runtimes if you forget to change it to the appropriate setting, and would be more expensive.

I like a gauge that has a healthy reserve built in, and since you can also view voltage (which for 18650 is a dead giveaway for actual state of charge) I think you can figure out the effective runtimes easily enough. So like overclocker, I'm happy with the way it is set up now. As long as you are aware of the issues involved, it works quite well.

 

[Bucur]

This isn't a dumb question, but there is no way ANY type of circuitry (in practice) can give very accurate runtime ratings. Laptops change their initial assumptions more often, is all. It can still be off by a significant amount, even with all the fancy monitoring.

The only way I know to actually measure the full capacity of a battery in practice is to fully discharge it, and then see how much energy you got out of it. This is completely useless for our purposes.

One workaround that would offer some more utility is to make the OLED readout programmable...they could in theory allow you to select (nominal) cell capacity, and update the OLED estimates for 3400 mAh runtimes, for example. But as overclocker states, this would introduce needless complexity, might overestimate runtimes if you forget to change it to the appropriate setting, and would be more expensive.

I like a gauge that has a healthy reserve built in, and since you can also view voltage (which for 18650 is a dead giveaway for actual state of charge) I think you can figure out the effective runtimes easily enough. So like overclocker, I'm happy with the way it is set up now. As long as you are aware of the issues involved, it works quite well.

Thank you for your reply. I am sorry that somehow, I missed your reply until seeing it today by coincidence. The notification system seems to fail quite often.

What I understand is that when I see, say; ">26 hours" on the display, I shall assume that this would be more or less correct if 2600 mAh batteries were installed. Since I will be using 3400mAh batteries, I shall also assume that the actual remaining time would be about ">34 hours". Is this -more or less- correct?

The TM26 was on the market just after I had got my TM15. I couldn't figure out an excuse for spending that much money for so similar ligths. The XM-L2 version of the TM26, however, together with the 50% IS discount; dropped my guard. My new TM26 will be with me in late December. My question on remaining battery power is all about daydreaming on its features.

 

[thedoc007]

Thank you for your reply. I am sorry that somehow, I missed your reply until seeing it today by coincidence. The notification system seems to fail quite often.

What I understand is that when I see, say; ">26 hours" on the display, I shall assume that this would be more or less correct if 2600 mAh batteries were installed. Since I will be using 3400mAh batteries, I shall also assume that the actual remaining time would be about ">34 hours". Is this -more or less- correct?

Yes, it is, as a rough estimate. The OLED is also pretty conservative, if I recall people have run it for 15 minutes on "high" (1700) lumens after the OLED displayed <1 min remaining. The runtime and regulation are both pretty darn good on this light...and once you use the OLED, you'll wonder how you got by without it. Just so convenient to have all that data right at your fingertips.

 

[Bucur]

Yes, it is, as a rough estimate. The OLED is also pretty conservative, if I recall people have run it for 15 minutes on "high" (1700) lumens after the OLED displayed <1 min remaining. The runtime and regulation are both pretty darn good on this light...and once you use the OLED, you'll wonder how you got by without it. Just so convenient to have all that data right at your fingertips.

Thank you. Perhaps, the people who have run it for an additional 15 mins on high were using higher capacity batteries than 2600 mAh? Anyway, I am already wondering how I got without the OLED, so far.

 

[TEEJ]

If you use 3400 mah 18650 for example, it thinks you have less time left, etc. At least mine is very conservative.

 

[Bucur]

If you use 3400 mah 18650 for example, it thinks you have less time left, etc.

 

[Alfred143]

How is the tint compare to the TM11, much cooler/bluish? Just as bluish as what I've read about the TM15?

 

[Overclocker]

panasonic 3400 has lower voltages than sanyo 2600 for a given state-of-charge. so if the nitecore's lookup tables were obtained using sanyo 2600 then the nitecore would underestimate the true remaining runtime of the panasonics