Nailbender Nichia High CRI - 4500K P60 Drop In

Bigpal

Enlightened
Joined
Jun 8, 2010
Messages
234
Just a little info if you are considering high CRI or a P60 drop in. I got mine from Dave (Nailbender) and opted for the blue Solarforce L2P as the body, which Dave also supplied for an additional fee.


l2pbody.jpg


Note: The grip ring and lanyard are not included. The ring is from my Jetbeam BC40. I really like the feel of the Solarforce. I hold my flashlights at my shoulder, so smaller ones with flat spots such as this make holding it like a pen comfortable. It has a forward clicky switch with momentary on. To switch modes, I usually turn the light off, then soft press to switch to the level I want and lock it in. I actually prefer it this way - momentary on is a high priority feature for me.

The build quality on the drop in itself is fantastic. I have a the orange peel reflector, pretty well-centered emitter.

SAM_0305.jpg


The voltage range and tint came attached to the drop in so you won't forget which batteries you can use. It uses gold plated springs and the solder joints are well done.

SAM_0306.jpg

SAM_0307.jpg

SAM_0308.jpg


I love the tint and the output on the Nichia 219. This is not meant to be one of the bright powerhouse lights, but to serve a different purpose. The color rendition looks great. For its small size, it does put out its fair share of light. I don't know the specific rating, but I would guess this puts out about 200-220 lumens. It's warm, but not so much that everything is washed out burnt orange or yellow. It's slightly warmer than the BC40 and significantly warmer than the D25LC2.

Here are a couple comparison shots. The shed is about 30 meters away. All settings are the same - 100ISO, 4secEX, f2.5:

Jetbeam BC40W (Neutral)
bc40.jpg


Stanley 500 lumen spotlight
stanly.jpg


Ultrafire V6-T60
ultra.jpg


Eagletac D25LC2
eagletac.jpg


Nailbender Nichia High CRI
nichia.jpg


As you can see, it is pretty bright for its small size. It's got a nice smooth beam with plenty of surrounding light. All in all, I am very happy with it. The brightness is perfect for normal use, the size fits great in the hand, and the color rendition is very nice. Not to mention, the service from Dave was extraordinary. He answered multiple questions in the course of a day and shipped the drop in next day. Very fast, very reliable. So, if you are considering one of these drop ins, particularly the high CRI, you won't be disappointed with this one.
 
Last edited:

A10K

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 20, 2011
Messages
85
Exactly the kind of review I was looking for! I've made my own 219 drop in, but I can guarantee my craftsmanship is nowhere near up to his level, I plan on ordering one once I save up a bit.
 
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