Upgrade path from Nitecore Smart PD EX10 R2

Xe54

Enlightened
Joined
Sep 12, 2005
Messages
201
Hi:
I've had this in my pocket for a few years. It has served me well. It's still working fine, and I even have a spare. I'd just like MORE LUMENS!!!

It really is a sickness. For instance, the first thing I thought after playing with my new Olight SR90 Intimidator a while back was, "now I need about 4400 lumens!"

Ok, back to the EDC issue. At the time, the Nitecore was close to the best lumens/volume ratio obtainable. Plus, I love the *simple* interface. Memory of the last setting, a very low low, and a decent high. Continuous adjustability isn't that essential.

There is a slight problem though. For all it's strengths, the button design on the Nitecore is also it's weakness. I have a pal who's PD I convinced him to buy doesn't work reliably. He won't buy Nitecore again. My spare is tighter than my EDC, but works. I am open to another Nitecore, though I am disappointed that their current EX11.2 tops out at 200lm. I was hoping to reach the mid to high 200lm range.

While staying within the confines of the "major makers" (or at least who has their models on a regular web site with concice specs, rather than listed in some 421st post of a thread) rather than custom jobs, who might be the TOP 5 flashlights that I should consider for a new CR123 EDC with priority on:
1. lumens on high, preferably >200lm
2. lumens/volume ratio very good
3. lumens on low, prefer <10

Thanks for input.
 

Xe54

Enlightened
Joined
Sep 12, 2005
Messages
201
So I bought a Nitecore EX11.2, which doesn't work. The button switches off after 500 attempts. Then it might turn on once in a while. The full gamut of UI features are unreachable.

I've had an EX10 for 2 years which has been Ok. Every once in a while it needs some exercise to get it back to reliability. My spare EX10 has too tight of a plunger. It works, but you can barely feel the travel. It feels better if unscrewed slightly. A work pal bought one, and doesn't want to buy Nitecore again because his is unreliable.

I carry an EDC for reliablity, and usefulness. Nitecore EX10 has the latter in spades, but 3 out of 4 experiences are now of poor tolerances, or failure to vet assembled products adequately, or just plain poor design. For ex, if someone tells me I ought to clean my brass ring, I'm going to say, "no, they should plate the ring with gold so the stupid thing will contact reliably out of the box."

This is a product that has the potential to be the coolest design in the flashlight world. But it's plagued with unreliability issues.

I think I have had it with Nitecore.

I also bought a Sunwayman M10R. It has about the same output as my EX10. At least the new EX11.2 has clearly more output than the EX10, so Nitecore didn't lie about 200lm. But the M10R looks the same as the 140lm EX10. I'll have to measure the current tomorrow, since if at least it uses substantially less current, then it will have a counterbalancing increased run-time.

Otherwise, besides the disappointment that the M10R doesn't really look like 210lm, I really like the light. It has a tactical switch, which is the next best thing to the Nitecore fwd. virtual clicky, and the ring adjustment is cool. If it were as small as the EX10 it'd be a slam dunk.

The only recent purchase that didn't disappoint in some measure is the Ti Innovations AAA Illuminati. This is the best AAA light I've seen in a long time. I may replace my Muyshondt CR2 for my backup EDC on my keychain with this one, because the Muyshondt has always been more bulky than I like.

Still in search of the perfect flashlight. At least I've got the perfect wife...
 
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