Nitecore Extreme Q5 and D10 R2 brightness comparison

I received my D10 R2 today. As always, thanks 4Sevens for their quality service and prompt delivery.

This sucker is BRIGHT! Hence, this post...

I now have Nitecore Extreme and D10 R2. So here is the same old question that everyone has asked probably a thousand times over. Is NEX really rated 190~200? When Q5 versions of D10 and EX10 were available, I've read reviews describing how the samples that were reviewed were probably over achievers and not a norm.

Well, now, either I have received a D10 that's an over-achiever or NEX is over exagerated in terms of brightness. Here is a comparison beam shot of my Extreme Q5 and D10 R2. D10 R2 is on the right.


NEX has fresh Panasonic CR123 and the D10 R2 has fresh plain old Duracell coppertop (not even NiMH or 14500). As you can see, other than the slight tint difference and size of the focus, the brightness seems equal.


At -2 exposure, you can see that NEX hotspot is slightly brighter. I tried three different sets of batteries for each light.

I thought perhaps NEX will at least have more throw since it has a tighter focus. So, I took the light outside and tried it (don't have a photo...at least not yet). No perceivable difference in distance and/or brightness, perhaps at least to my naked eye.

Shouldn't 45 or so lumens difference be noticeable? I love the lights but I can't help but feel a little duped. Sole reason I purchased the NEX (a tactical light "specically designed for self-defense and law-enforcement use", some thing a civilian like myself won't find it as necessary...my fingers crossed) was because of the run-time and the advertised brightness. I was expecting a "WOW" factor between 145 and 190 lumens...

Since I now own both, I guess I want to justify spending an extra $25 for the NEX, when I only have gained a forward clicky and usage of CR123 battery.

Has anyone else compared these two lights and had similar findings? Do we have hard lab lumens value of these two lights that could put my question to bed? I guess I'm more concerned with actual lumens value of the NEX vs the advertised (Sorry in advance if actual lab tested lumens values are already available in the forums...).

I dont have lab data for you but I will say this,

Many say you can't tell the difference between 85 and 120 lumens and the like. But, I sure can. When I switch my Novatac between 85 and 120 lumens, I notice quite a difference. Is it mind blowing? no, but it is a difference worth noting.

I love the Nitecores but I do think they go a bit over on some of the lumens ratings. I am actually amazed that your D10 on a DC Alky is almost as brite as your NEX. I would venture to say you might have an "Underacheiver" with the NEX. I wonder what it will do on a 14500?? I think you got a good D10 also!!

My Ex10 GD version is a tad briter than my Novatac in the hotspot so assuming Novatac is accurate on their Lumens output, then Nitecore is pretty spot on with the EX10 GD with an RCR when they say it puts out 130lumens on high.

I just dont think the NEX can do 200 lumens with a Q5 period.

litetube,

That's what I'm afraid of. I would sure be happy if my new D10 R2 was an over achiever but by how much can it over perform? And, how much does my NEX has to under achieve to seem equal to D10 R2?

I think the spill in the Extreme accounts for some of the lumens and the hotspot on the Extreme still looks brighter. I also think you would need to put a freshly charged rechargeable (3.7 volts) in each to get a better idea. Just my 2 cents. Thanks for the beam shots.

try if you notice a difference with a ceiling bounce. it'll take the beam pattern out of the equation.

f22shift said:

try if you notice a difference with a ceiling bounce. it'll take the beam pattern out of the equation.

Click to expand...

+1 Try the ceiling bounce.

The spill of the NEX is much brighter than the D10 in that beamshot.

I'll try that this evening and see if I can post some more photos.

I took TONY M and f22shift's advice and tried the ceiling bounce method...

D10 R2 is on top and NEX Q5 on bottom




You can see that picture on the bottom is slightly brighter.

I used a Canon point and shoot on manual mode. I couldn't adjust the shutter speed (exposure time) and it was done automatically by the camera. D10 R2 was shot at 1/8s and NEX Q5 was shot at 1/15s. I'm not sure how to interpret this but if I understand it correctly, at equal shutter speeds, the result would be brighter for NEX.

Any advice, suggestion, and/or expertise to interpret this result would be greatly appreciated!!! :thinking:

I also bought a Nightcore Extreme Q5 for its increased brightness over my Seouls and Q2 based lights. I carry this light mostly for off duty use, but occasionally on duty law enforcement.

I immediately compared it to all my other Cree/Seoul LED lights and was satisfied that it was noticeably brighter. I can't begin to tell you what additional light (usually in lux/candela, not lumens) means when trying to spot or identify something/someone. It's like the difference between seeing with 20/20 vision and 20/40 (which incidentally is my vision in one eye).

My rule-of-thumb on brightness is that there needs to be an increase of 50% in lumens to justify purchasing a new light. So, my Novatac was rated at 120 lumens and the Extreme was rated at 190 (by their companies), that just clears the bar of 60 additional lumens to justify the new light.

My next light will need to put out at least 285 lumens (190+50%[95] lumens) with no decrease in lux/candelas to be worth upgrading.

145/190 lumens is 45 lumens, but only a 31% increase--too small of an increase to justify a new light for me.

I also bought a Nightcore Extreme Q5 for its increased brightness over my Seouls and Q2 based lights. I carry this light mostly for off duty use, but occasionally on duty law enforcement.

I immediately compared it to all my other Cree/Seoul LED lights and was satisfied that it was noticeably brighter.

Click to expand...

Same here. My Cree NEX is noticeably brighter than my Executive Clicky and two SF U2's (old and new). Sometimes I need that last bit of throw when I'm at work. I've got a Fenix TK10 that's even brighter but I like having the NEX in my pocket for concealed carry.

The NEX has a far more usable beam for up close and mid-range applications. You'll find that the brighter spill helps light up an area, rather than a specific point.

I wouldn't feel duped about the NEX not being significantly brighter by your eye... I'd feel happy that my new D10 R2 came close to your NEX's perceived brightness .

Thank you all for your comments. Perhaps I shouldn't have used the term "duped" and seem a little harsh for such a high quality product. Judging based on brightness (lumens rating) only is something a rookie flashlight enthusiast like myself would do. I hope I learn from this lesson.

I'm more than satisfied with the quality and brightness of both lights. I love the NEX and consider this one of the best single CR123 lights out there (in terms of brightness and runtime, along with practical UI).

That said, inately, I wanted the NEX to be WAAAY better than D10 R2. The thing is, I've used the D10 R2 out on the construction site for few days now and I must say...it is one GREAT light! I had the "WOW" reactrion from the site-super and it just put a bright grin on my face.

I'm content that D10 R2 is flawlessly built with fantastic output (especially for AA), not to mention the Smart PD UI for one hand operation! The fact that NEX is slightly brighter and is noticeable makes me think rather that the D10 R2 is an over-achiever instead of other way around.

Thank you all again.