NiteCore D20 R2

Well, it arrived. I was surprised how underpowered it was compared to my D10 R2, EX10 R2, and even the new Q5 Eagletac P100's.

I was freshly charged running NiMH eneloops.

My D20 is the first NiteCore R2 sample was the first to not be suprisingly bright. Instead, a disappointment. I think much of it has to do with an emitter that sits low, below the back of the reflector. Perhaps it needs a thinner insulating washer?

Anyway, I upgraded it to Q3 5A emitter, and it seems just as bright as before changing the emitter. I even gave the emitter board a copper boost. Maybe that helped make the hot spot better.

As usual, it continues to unintentionally turn on if you bump the tail of the light. This is the biggest disappointment, they've had plenty of time to fix this problem.

The color is not burgandy, thank goodness.

The quality is superb, just not bright or focused as the rest of the family.

In the picture below, the light on the left is (was) Q5. The 3 on the right are brand new R2 versions.

I received my Nitecore D20 R2 recently and love it. Here's a quick summary of the pros and cons from my perspective:

Pros:

• Superb build quality.
• Excellent regulation.
• Great output for a 2AA light (stated lumen output seems fairly accurate).
• Perfect size (for me).
• Has a solid, indestructible button.
• Indefinite variable output levels between low and high.
• Can stand on tail.
• I really like the UI.
• Has military grade drop and shock resistance rating.
• Waterproofing seems better than other lights like it.
• Has momentary on/off feature, a twist on/off feature, as well as a click on/off (very little sound on the click on/off though).

Cons:

• Slight rings in beam (I thought the beam quality would be better)
• Does not throw very well (it's a great light for seeing a lot of detail, within 20-30 feet)
• Batteries rattle a bit.
• Button travel could be longer (to give better feedback).
• The R2 version should be about $10-20 less in my opinion.

Overall I think this is my favorite smaller light so far. I'm big on build quality and this light definitely has it. I was most let down about the rings in the beam, however. Besides the rings, I love the light.

Some rolled up paper in the battery tube may cure the rattle. It did for my Quark AA2.

After having this light for a few days now I've noticed that it gets extremely hot after only 5-10 minutes on high. Anyone else notice this?