NiteCore D10 Q5 vs D10 R2

Hi.

I have owned a NiteCore D10 Q5 for quite some time now and is generally happy with it.

But I can't stop wondering about the differences between the Q5 and R2 model and if it is worth the upgrade.

I have searched for a comparison between those two but havn't been able to find anything at all, hence this thread.

Does anyone care to share thoughts on the R2 light or have a link for a comparison?

In my experience, The R2 Model was a huge improvement over the Original Run Q5 that I have.

The head felt a little tougher (Thicker bezel), The ramping is now smoother then the Q5, And it looks much brighter then I remembered the Q5 model being. It was an impulse upgrade that turned out to be a great idea. The only thing that was not better with the R2 model was the tint, Its a bit colder then the Q5 I had, but still very white.
I almost want to buy another one.:devil:

If you want my advice, Go for it!

-Bobby

Didn't someone also said that R2 ramping is much faster than the Q5?

By the way, how come the GDP model is removed from the Nitecore website?

Did it have problems?

dealgrabber2002 said:

Didn't someone also said that R2 ramping is much faster than the Q5?

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Like this?

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2867763&postcount=129


There a few other of the same observations in this thread. The thicker bezel is found on all the newer lights, Q5 or R2.

The early generation Q5's had the thinner bezel.

I have both, I Like both, for different reasons.

The GDP was dimmer and bluer, and much less popular.

Amplificator said:

By the way, how come the GDP model is removed from the Nitecore website?

Did it have problems?

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It was only a limited run. Special for 4sevens I believe to investigate alternatives to the Cree Q5.

It had tint inconsistencies across the beam, but a smoother beam. A little less effiecient too. No real "problems" tho.

I found this quick comparison of the Q5 and R2 lights.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/225669

The R2 seems to be a tiny bit brighter.

But at the cost of the ramping issues being that it is too fast for actually catching the level you want I think I'm going to keep my Q5 a bit longer unless that is a problem that has been solved?

Did the R2 battery life improve noticeably? Enough that it is worth the upgrade?

Why would switching to the R2 change the battery life? The drive current is not related to the bin.

Flashlights is not my area of expertise so I thought that maybe the battery lief would improve too. Sounds reasonably enough to me, but now I know different

I asked Nitecore if they had any new Piston Drive lights coming soon. They replied that there will not be any new models, but they will be releasing the current models with newer emitters.

cheetokhan said:

I asked Nitecore if they had any new Piston Drive lights coming soon. They replied that there will not be any new models, but they will be releasing the current models with newer emitters.

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Interesting. No AAA models...that will probably be left for the EZ series or possibly a new idea?

If all else is the same, then get the Q5. It's not worth $$$ for an undetectable difference in brightness, and the tint isn't correlated with the flux bins.

lolzertank said:

If all else is the same, then get the Q5. It's not worth $$$ for an undetectable difference in brightness, and the tint isn't correlated with the flux bins.

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Q5 is no longer sold by 95% of dealers.

If you are happy with your current Q5 I wouldn't see any need to upgrade. The UI upgrades referred to in some of the earlier posts also made it into the more recent Q5 models - mine has the fixed ramping for instance, so depending how long you've had yours you may not notice much difference.

The R2 is usually a bit more expensive than the Q5, and the tints are less consistent: you could end up with a yellow one instead of the nice crisp white of the standard D10.

I would wait until they get an XP-G in it. (Come on Nitecore, what are you waiting for ???)

I have both and they will both remain part of the 'favoured stock' at my disposal. If you compare them side by side the R2 is the brightest by far - if slightly cooler in hue ( though not blue as such ). Of all my AA lights ( not using 14500 batts ) the nitecore R2 is the new brightest, edging out the Fenix L1T V2.0.

Of course in practise when you use one light at a time - you cannot tell the difference - except in your head. You might think "this is great...but I know in my heart of hearts the R2 is brighter..." And all the CPFers at your next meeting will say "Cool, you've got a Nitecore R.....Q5?...see you around..."

Only kidding, but you know the CPF creed - if money is no object, buy both. You know you want to. They are both splendid lights. I envy you discovering the R2 for the first time.

One final point, you could always wait for the next jump in brightness instead - they always come along at infrequent intervals.

Good luck. :tinfoil:

Just sent a mail asking NiteCore about an ETA on the XP-G.

If that is not too far off I might as well wait for that, and if not I will probably get the R2

Moonshadow said:

I would wait until they get an XP-G in it. (Come on Nitecore, what are you waiting for ???)

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++1

I asked Nitecore if they had any new Piston Drive lights coming soon. They replied that there will not be any new models . . .

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Bummer. Wonder what's behind that ? Licencing issues maybe ? They seem to be spitting out new models at a hell of a rate recently, and there was definitely talk of an EX20 last year. I was kinda hoping for an 18650 PD too.

. . . but they will be releasing the current models with newer emitters.

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Just sent a mail asking NiteCore about an ETA on the XP-G.

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Please let us know if you get a reply - my tenterhooks are stretched to breaking point already !!

Just received a mail back.

Quote from the mail

There will be some updates for D10/EX10 models in the near future.

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So the XP-G, even tho he didn't mention that specifically, will probably be here within the not-so-far future