Dereelight vs Nitecore - quality/build

I'm trying to decide between Nitecore and Dereelight - I kind of like the look of the Dereelight. It's even more difficult when you can only order them online and not physically touch them, etc. Therefore, I was wondering if either one was significantly better or worse as far as quality goes? In pictures, the Dereelight does not appear to have as high of quality, but I really don't know.

Thanks,
p

Dereelight is excellent build quality. I've never had a problem with my CL1H v4 and I've been EDC-ing it everyday for about 1.5 years in my left pocket. Clip still holds strong as day one. It takes all the abuse I throw at it and still is a beast with my 2-stage MC-E 2.8V drop-in.

Both NiteCore's I've owned (Defender Infinity and a D10) had problems with their functionality.

That's just my experience, but I thought I'd share.

To be honest, I think the consensus around CPF is that both are very good quality light manufacturers and are probably roughly equivalent in build quality.

p.s. Maybe it doesn't matter to you, but both are Chinese made lights. I think a lot of people around here believe that USA made lights (like Surefire and Ra Lights) are the top tier for quality / "bomb-proofness".

My 2 cents... take it or leave it.

Just my $0.02 worth here. Pretty much all Chinese lights I have owned have gave me problems in someway or another. My American made lights, infinitely close to zero. IMO, Dereelight is probably the better of the two. I have seen many threads with functionality issues with some of the Nitecore lights. For this reason, I have never owned a Nitcore. In the past, I had a couple of Dereelight drop ins, and they were pretty good. Moved on to bigger and better things nowadays.

The youtube video of the Nitecore EX10 is what got me into the whole high power flashlight thing; I saw the video and immediately ordered one. That was almost 2 years ago, and I've never had a problem with it. (I did clean the excess lube off the piston early on, though.) I liked it so much, I bought 2 more, one for my dad and one for my brother. Neither recipient is a "flashaholic", but both work in fields that regularly require bright personal lighting, and both of them have EDC'd their EX10s for over a year now (some pretty hard use, too) with no problems. I would heartily recommend any of the SmartPD lights (EX10, D10, D20) if they still made them. :shakehead

On the other hand, I decided I wanted something a little different in AA, so I picked up a Nitecore NDI and have had nothing but trouble with it. The "rapid head twist" interface just doesn't work right and I can never get it to do what I want, when I want. I even sent it back for repair, but the seller said there was nothing wrong with it and shipped it back to me. It's got a beautiful beam, but I never EDC it because I have other lights (the EX10, for instance) that I trust to work when I need them to, and I can't say that about this NDI. I have seen other threads complaining of the same issue, so I'm not the only one. I would not recommend either the NDI or the NEX, as both use the same interface.

The only experience I have with Dereelight is with their Q5 P60 drop-ins, but again, I liked the first one so much I bought two more, and none of the three have ever missed a beat. All three are currently residing in Surefire hosts, and all three get subjected to some hard use / mild abuse, but I have not seen any problems from any of them. The Dereelight UI is the usual boring 3-mode w/ memory, but it certainly gets the job done. If you're looking at tiny lights, then the C2H now has an optional AA extension tube (omnivorous lights are good). Also, the replaceable pill system is brilliant for upgrades or tint changes (and is used with all of their lights).

My lights normally don't get any abuse, so I can only speak of the mechanical quality that I see and feel and the electronic quality I experience. I own both a few Dereelight and Nitecore.

Nitecore PD lights may be lights you need more to care about just because of the piston drive which may need some attention, a clicky switch normally doesn't, it works before it eventually fails. No clicky has failed on me yet though. I had two Nitecore with electronic problems, an Extreme GDP which began to flicker shortlyx after I got it, I returned it and got a new one which works. The second is the SR3, which has the strobe-bug, there's no remedy to this, you have to live with it.

The mechanical quality of my Nitecores it quite high, no obvious problem so far. The finish is excellent, the thickness is OK too, threads usually very smooth, lenses may have a diamond coating on the outside, which is outstanding.

As for the Dereelights I have not much to report. I just received some XP-G and they are great! One of their advantages is, that they don't change the design much and/or often, so the lights rely on a tested and solid, rugged construction. The finish is flawless (I don't use an electron microscope though...), threads are OK. My DBS I received this week has a foggy lens, some errors in the coating I suppose as I can't wipe it off. I dropped them a mail and a new lens is on its way to me. Excellent CS!!! :thumbsup:

A light should light I suppose after all and that means beam quality. There's not much to say, each light is made for a special use and its beam should be adapted for this use according to the output of the emitter. My Nitecore are up to this task, though some are too throwy for me, like the EZ123 or the SR3. That's more or less a personal consideration. On the Dereelights you can mostly choose between SMO or OP reflector (or have both!) and mine are all perfect as I want them too, except the CL1H V4, which I feel also too throwy, but I got it an aspherical head, now it's perfect!

Last but not least, all Dereelights now sport the latest emitters available, the Nitecore don't at this moment. The Dereelights are upgradable, that's their strongest point and you can have most in neutral white (also as an upgrade). Now choose which one you buy first! lovecpf

Can't say much about Nitecore (don't own one) but my Deree CL1H V4 is built like a tank! No kidding, it is really well made with a very solid feel and a nice heft to it (feels good in the hand). I have the three level pill and made a diffuser to turn it into a lantern for camping.

And their service is great. While swapping out a drop in I accidently touched the inside of the lens. :shakehead Of course no matter what I did to clean it, I just could not get it PERFECT (yep, I'm nuts). So I decided to order a replacement (actually I ordered four of them because you never know). They were $4 each including shipping from Hong Kong and arrived in eight days. Email response was good too!

Campdavid said:

Can't say much about Nitecore (don't own one) but my Deree CL1H V4 is built like a tank! No kidding, it is really well made with a very solid feel and a nice heft to it (feels good in the hand). I have the three level pill and made a diffuser to turn it into a lantern for camping.

And their service is great. While swapping out a drop in I accidently touched the inside of the lens. :shakehead Of course no matter what I did to clean it, I just could not get it PERFECT (yep, I'm nuts). So I decided to order a replacement (actually I ordered four of them because you never know). They were $4 each including shipping from Hong Kong and arrived in eight days. Email response was good too!

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+1

Speaking in support of Dereelight: Alan is tremendous (from HK), and Flashcrazy (USA) is a downright great person to deal with.

Have we convinced you yet? :nana:

I have lights from both of the two companies, and it is hard to compare them because the two companies make very different sorts of lights.

Nitecore tends to produce small pocketable lights and the unique piston drive is a lot of fun to play with. They are not built to be very heavy-duty but are still well built.

Dereelight makes larger lights, although they do have a small EDC size light, the C2H. My Dereelights are significantly heavier and feel more durable. The main reason I like my Dereelights is their design philosophy. Their lights can be upgraded over time with the newest LED emitters. So if you want a light that can be upgraded in the future, Dereelight is a great choice.

If you want a small light to keep in your pocket, Nitecore has a wide selection. If you need a larger light and like the ability to upgrade over time, go with Dereelight.

I own some Nitecore (NDI,EX10 R2, EX10 Q5, ez cr2, ez123) and some dereelight (dbs v2, dbv2+aspheric,cl1hV3 cl1hv4, javelin, C2h (an a few D26 pills and reflectors)) , without valuable reason I tend to prefer dereelight . As said by other people here, nitecore lights are good and I like theim, but dereelight feels better.
And I also confirm Alan (dereelight) is a nice and helpful man !

Don't own any Nitecore models, yet. But the Dereelight CL1H V4 is the most comfortable 2xCR123 light I have ever owned. (And I own a $#^%load of 2xCR123 lights).