My Nitecore TM11 "Tiny Monster" :)

Hey fellow torch fiends, no one else I know gets excited about this sorta thing so I thought I'd share it here to get rid of some of the excitement LOL!

Ordered this just before Xmas and it arrived the next day!
Wasnt expecting it to be this small as I already have the JETBeam RRT-3 SST50 as my main thrower and that is already very pretty solid & compact for what it contains inside and does!

First impression opening the plain brown cardboard box was of how lightweight it was, but i convinced myself that im just used to my RRT-3 having batteries inside and thats why it weighed much less... Wrong, its seriously light even with batterys inside!
Opened the box and moving the manual and warranty card aside I finally saw the beast... its really tiny but the build quality I was used to with the high-end Sysmax products is definately there... and looking at the business end LED's I knew this going to be the most powerfull flashlight ive personally seen


This flashlight is way lighter and much smaller than the RRT-3... The RRT-3 from my experience is a hard working, indestructable beast of a flashlight and have no issues if accidently dropping it on the floor or putting to hard work and dont worry if it'll survive... This Nitecore TM11 on the otherhand feels more delicate and perhaps thats because its so lightweight in comparison, its brand new and shiny too. The aluminium body isnt as heavyweight in construction obviously so I'm not as convinced its as thick solid yet but only time will tell.
Att he end of the day its a tool for me not a toy... I prefer to use all my gear as tools and not to get too attached with it's looks as long as it performs its task.

If you're looking for a 2K lumens flashlight that I know can withstand massive abuse, get the RRT-3 XML... if you dont need to drive your flashlights over with your truck & want something much, much smaller, easy to carry and lighter that also outputs 2K lumens, get the TM11

Finally, Heres some pics of the "Tiny Monster":





















I'll get my DSLR camera out and perhaps my video camcorder and try to capture some beams that this thing throws... its seriously impressive with CR123's. have to charge up my 18650's and see if thats different



****Oh yeah and dont tell my wife i bought this *****

Hey there,
At the moment, I am considering purchasing TM11 myself too, but I always wanted to ask a few questions from a TM11 owner, which I couldn't find answers for everywhere else

1) This light is meant for four 18650's, but manual says it can work even from one (in emergency situations) - considering that batteries are wired in parallel, I'd guess two or three would work fine too?

2) What bins of XM-L are used in cool white / neutral white? Is visible difference between them really noticeable?

3) I know this may be hard to answer.. but if you can, what is current draw from batteries when running on turbo (2000 lumen) and high mode?

4) Would this light work with AW's 3100 mAh cells (considering they are flat top)? Or I'd need button top cells, like AW's 2200 mAh ones?

Very nice torch!

How is the light fuctioning? Any issues like others have had with flickering on the highest mode?

Shadowww said:

Hey there,
At the moment, I am considering purchasing TM11 myself too, but I always wanted to ask a few questions from a TM11 owner, which I couldn't find answers for everywhere else

1) This light is meant for four 18650's, but manual says it can work even from one (in emergency situations) - considering that batteries are wired in parallel, I'd guess two or three would work fine too?

2) What bins of XM-L are used in cool white / neutral white? Is visible difference between them really noticeable?

3) I know this may be hard to answer.. but if you can, what is current draw from batteries when running on turbo (2000 lumen) and high mode?

4) Would this light work with AW's 3100 mAh cells (considering they are flat top)? Or I'd need button top cells, like AW's 2200 mAh ones?

Click to expand...

I'm not really sure yet on most of these questions unfortunately so hopefully someone else in the forum can clarify for you.



1) 1-3 18650 batteries or 2-6 CR123's

2) I'm not really sure as they are so intensely bright but if I compare it to the RRT-3 on a white wall, the RRT-3 appears to be a cooler colour with a very slight blue tinge to the spill area otherwise both central white spot areas are a similar neutral colour to my eyes (which ive just burnt out staring at the white wall! lol)

3) Have no idea sorry... I just put batteries in and use the torches till they run out!


4) I've never used this battery type and don't have any to check this for you but im assuming it would be ok as there is a large spring at the bottom of each battery holder that should make up for the slight difference in battery length between a flat top and normal. (I am speculating here though).




I find this easier to carry than the RRT-3 but that's just my personal preference of its size, weight, feel & balance. What I do miss however is the easy to use control ring that the RRT-3 has for changing light modes. Instead this uses a single button to access all the parameters so it's not as intuitive to use out the box but I'm sure after a bit of getting used to its better for fully one handed operation.

twicksisted said:

I'm not really sure yet on most of these questions unfortunately so hopefully someone else in the forum can clarify for you.

1) 1-3 18650 batteries or 2-6 CR123's

2) I'm not really sure as they are so intensely bright but if I compare it to the RRT-3 on a white wall, the RRT-3 appears to be a cooler colour with a very slight blue tinge to the spill area otherwise both central white spot areas are a similar neutral colour to my eyes (which ive just burnt out staring at the white wall! lol)

3) Have no idea sorry... I just put batteries in and use the torches till they run out!

4) I've never used this battery type and don't have any to check this for you but im assuming it would be ok as there is a large spring at the bottom of each battery holder that should make up for the slight difference in battery length between a flat top and normal. (I am speculating here though).

... Instead this uses a single button to access all the parameters so it's not as intuitive to use out the box but I'm sure after a bit of getting used to its better for fully one handed operation.

Click to expand...

1) Can use 1 to 3 18650's, or 2-6 CR123's, but output will be reduced.
2) It has a neutral white, with a bit of warmth in it; the RRT-3 SST-50 is more cool white.
3) The Nitecore website says it draws up to 9 amps, probably 3 amps x 3 emitters.
4) The TM11 can use flat tops, but it is a hit and miss affair - sometimes it will work, sometimes it won't.
The design of the positive end requires a proper raised nipple.
This is designed so that it doesn't need a big and heavy battery carrier like an RRT-3.
Use Redilast 3100 mAH Button Tops from the Redilast.com website; only a few cents more expensive than the AW - the Redilast, AW and Callieskustoms are all Panasonic cells, with Japanese made protected IC's, assembled aftermarket.

5) You're right - out of the box, the electronic digital button is harder to use.
However, it has a button similar to a camera shutter, with a half, and a full press:
a) From totally off, 3 full presses in 1 second to turns flashlight on,
b) From standby [wif red light flashing every 3 seconds], half a press held down for momentary,
c) From standby, full press held down for turbo momentary,
d) From half a press hold for momentary lo/med/hi, holding the button down the whole way will give you momentary turbo,
e) From standby, short half press for to switch on constantly, and to cycle from low to med to hi repeatedly,
f) From standby, short full press for turbo constant,
g) Once on, two quick presses for strobe,
h) Once on, one short full press to turn back to standby, with the red LED flashing every 3 seconds,
i) Once on, hold button down, turns flashlight totally off to lock out mode, with the red LED no longer flashing.
j) The TM11 will turn onto standby mode when batteries first inserted, and head screwed down fully to engage the battery for current.
k) The TM11 can also be locked out, totally off, by half a turn of the head anti-clockwise, disengaging the battery contact.
Once you know the software and technique, the TM11 is easy to use one-handed.
A magnetic ring on a large tubular diameter flashlight like the RRT-3 is very difficult to use "one-handed"; though easy enough with two hands.

Hope that helps...

Wow, thanks for so informative replies guys.
About RediLast cells - do they have decent protections (LVC and such)? Price difference between them and AW's is non-existant compared to cost of this flashlight anyways.
Considering batteries are in parallel - does this means that this flashlight will be safer than ones who use LiIon cells in series? Or it's the other way around? :S
Also, last question before I'm ordering it (forgot to ask it on 1st post) - can it run on constant turbo mode till batteries run out? If not (overheating or something), how about turbo?

1) Redilast 3100 mAH Button Tops have built-in protected IC; ask redilast.com for details.
2) Go to battery section of the forum, and ask the super experts like thestandardbatteryguy etc, about safety, but safe enough for me.
Do NOT mix different types of batteries, NOR mix the same make & model with different charge levels.
3) It will run on turbo till it reaches 60 degrees Celsius, then thermal protection will kick in [roughly 10 minutes] where it will drop one level of brightness; then it will continuously cycle between turbo and hi depending on the temperature - no problem for me, but depends on how long you want to run it continuously for.
Put it directly in front of an air conditioning outlet, and it will run on turbo for one hour 15 minutes till the 4x18650's run flat...

Thanks for the info on the TM11's one button interface. I managed to figure out a lot of it through experimenting but wasnt sure of how to lock the buttons etc

Pandorum said:

How is the light fuctioning? Any issues like others have had with flickering on the highest mode?

Click to expand...

Pandorum, apologies I missed your question before. The flashlight performs perfectly, no flickering issues. Im sure if other users have issues like this they should contact their retailler and see about getting a replacement or repair?

I am really contemplating picking up on of these. Especially for its size. Can you post a few picks next to the iPhone again without the sheath? Maybe also next to a coke and a red bull can?

Thx

Selfbuilt has reviewed the Tiny Munster wif pics here:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...18650-3xXM-L)-Review-RUNTIMES-BEAMSHOTS-VIDEO

Just got one more question..
Would it work on A123 Systems LiFePO4 18650's?
They have bit lower voltage than Li-Ion but as this flashlight has boost circuit it shouldn't matter, right?

I'm curious too. Seems safer than 3 li ions.

Mine arrived today. I only embarked on this hobby in the past few weeks, though I do own a few Surefires, though only one pictured below.

What do you all think of the TM11's UI? I've read that the half-presses can be a bit finicky.

The half presses are fine by me.
They design it like that so that you can half press for low/med/hi, then press it the rest of the way down to get turbo.

The only downside to such a flush mounted sensitive switch is that we must do something to prevent accidental activation.
In this case, they design it to turn on by three quick presses in one second.
Alternatively, I just unwind the battery carrier by 1/4 turn to lock out, and rewind by 1/4 turn to switch back onto standby...