I became interested in Niwalker's lights after seeing run4jc's torture tests, and wanted something for my boat with a little bit of throw that could take some accidental punishment, so I picked up a NWK550N3 in late August.
The Klarus XT11 is often recommended on this forum as a duty light, and I realised that the functionality is similar to the NWK550, so I managed to pick one up for a song from DinoDirect and thought a direct comparison might be of interest.
I do not have the equipment to measure light output, so this is just my layman's observation. Excellent reviews of both lights are already available on the forum, where excellent photographs and beamshots can be foundby Selfbuilt (XT11) and by turboBB (NWK550N3)
On the face of it the XT11 and NWK550N3 lights have quite a few things in common. They are of similar size, both have U2 emitters, forward clicky tail switches, with another button on the tailcap to operate instant strobe. They each have screw in filter and diffuser sets as optional extras, and have three modes at broadly the same low, medium and high levels. Neither have memory, and they come on in high mode.
Starting off with the packaging, and Klarus isn't helped by the fact that DinoDirect simply take the Klarus box, designed for a store stand display, and throw it in a not too well protected jiffy bag, without even a hint of protective bubble wrapping. The box arrived slightly battered, but fortunately intact, although the tailswitch was very loose, and needed tightening up.
The Niwalker light came in a bespoke cardboard box, a la Zebralight, perfectly well protected.
Standard accessories are similar – a nylon holster, lanyard, spare O rings and clip (attached to the XT11, in a bag for the NW550N3). The XT11 clip didn't last long, and came off rather too easily; I didn't put the NWK clip on. The XT11 also has a spare rubber boot cap, which is handy, as it is not standard, covering both rear switches.
The NWK holster is much better quality than the XT11, and is wider, with pockets down the elasticated sides – a spare 18650 battery would fit - and it does afford better protection for the light.
The Klarus has a two year guarantee; Niwalker offers three years.
Build quality of both lights is very good, with excellent anodising. My main complaint would be that the XT11 tactical ring, which I initially thought was plastic, but which is metal, has a lot of play, and not only spins easily, but moves up and down the light too. There is about a one millimetre play up and down, which I find irritating. The NWK550 ring is smaller, made of heavy rubber with one straight edge, that helps it fit very comfortably into the palm of the hand. One consequence, however, is that it doesn't work well as an anti-roll ring - the XT11 one does.
Threads on both lights are good, with the NWK550 particularly well machined, with absolutely no danger of misthreading; both sections are anodised, allowing lockout. The XT11 tailcap is anodised, the head end is not. I have a slight concern over the lanyard attachment point for the NWK550, which appears fairly thin.
The lights are of similar size, with the XT11 181g, the NWK550 208g including Panasonic 3100mAh protected cells. The Klarus head is slightly smaller (35mm against 40mm), and has a textured orange peel reflector – the Niwalker is smooth. Neither can tailstand.
Both lights have a slightly unusual operation using two tailcap switches. Klarus has a dual button on the end of the tailcap. The main one switches the light on, directly to high, and can be used for momentary. A second button changes mode and, if held, puts the light into strobe.
The Niwalker has a forward clicky at the end, that will change modes, but can also be set (by holding the button on the side of the tailcap for a few seconds) to high mode only, allowing momentary to be employed. This side button puts the light instantly into strobe.
For me the Niwalker has much the superior approach. The XT11 mode switch is small, recessed and difficult to find - certainly in the dark. I'm sure people do use it wearing gloves, but I would find that almost impossible. Even without gloves I nearly always have to look to see where it is after fiddling about. Perhaps using the clip in a particular position as a guide might help, but I don't use clips.
By contrast, the NWK550 switches are easy to locate and operate. The end tail switch is bigger, and the side switch can be easily found opposite the raised bit of the tailcap.
On paper, the XT11 is slightly brighter – 600 lumens on high - but it does drop back to 70% of output after just 3 minutes, while the NWK550 has no such drop, remaining on 550 lumen. The beam on the NWK550 is tighter, and has a little more throw.
I only use 18650 batteries, and while the operating voltage of both is rated to 8.4v, Klarus state, "..2x 16340 (use of 16340 batteries is not recommended)". Now this is one of my bugbears – I appreciate many owners happily use 16340 cells to get a brighter light (albeit for only 3 minutes before the step down kicks in) but I don't see how you can list a battery, and in the same sentence say "not recommended" - what are the warranty implications?
I did, briefly, check that 2x18350 IMR cells work with the NWK550, and got a noticeably brighter output.
So, in conclusion while both lights are very good, I much prefer the Niwalker. It is really solid, and just feels great in the hand. The torture tests show the light to be able to withstand a good deal of rough treatment. I liked it so much that it seemed a shame to leave it on my boat, where it is used only at weekends, so that role has been relegated to a Jetbeam PA40.
I find the dual switch of the XT11 just too awkward to switch modes, or find strobe quickly. The marginally brighter advantage (which isn't really noticeable) only last 3 minutes, and the tactical ring is also annoying, although I will probably fix that with an O ring or two.
The Klarus XT11 is often recommended on this forum as a duty light, and I realised that the functionality is similar to the NWK550, so I managed to pick one up for a song from DinoDirect and thought a direct comparison might be of interest.
I do not have the equipment to measure light output, so this is just my layman's observation. Excellent reviews of both lights are already available on the forum, where excellent photographs and beamshots can be foundby Selfbuilt (XT11) and by turboBB (NWK550N3)
On the face of it the XT11 and NWK550N3 lights have quite a few things in common. They are of similar size, both have U2 emitters, forward clicky tail switches, with another button on the tailcap to operate instant strobe. They each have screw in filter and diffuser sets as optional extras, and have three modes at broadly the same low, medium and high levels. Neither have memory, and they come on in high mode.
Starting off with the packaging, and Klarus isn't helped by the fact that DinoDirect simply take the Klarus box, designed for a store stand display, and throw it in a not too well protected jiffy bag, without even a hint of protective bubble wrapping. The box arrived slightly battered, but fortunately intact, although the tailswitch was very loose, and needed tightening up.
The Niwalker light came in a bespoke cardboard box, a la Zebralight, perfectly well protected.
Standard accessories are similar – a nylon holster, lanyard, spare O rings and clip (attached to the XT11, in a bag for the NW550N3). The XT11 clip didn't last long, and came off rather too easily; I didn't put the NWK clip on. The XT11 also has a spare rubber boot cap, which is handy, as it is not standard, covering both rear switches.
The NWK holster is much better quality than the XT11, and is wider, with pockets down the elasticated sides – a spare 18650 battery would fit - and it does afford better protection for the light.
The Klarus has a two year guarantee; Niwalker offers three years.
Build quality of both lights is very good, with excellent anodising. My main complaint would be that the XT11 tactical ring, which I initially thought was plastic, but which is metal, has a lot of play, and not only spins easily, but moves up and down the light too. There is about a one millimetre play up and down, which I find irritating. The NWK550 ring is smaller, made of heavy rubber with one straight edge, that helps it fit very comfortably into the palm of the hand. One consequence, however, is that it doesn't work well as an anti-roll ring - the XT11 one does.
Threads on both lights are good, with the NWK550 particularly well machined, with absolutely no danger of misthreading; both sections are anodised, allowing lockout. The XT11 tailcap is anodised, the head end is not. I have a slight concern over the lanyard attachment point for the NWK550, which appears fairly thin.
The lights are of similar size, with the XT11 181g, the NWK550 208g including Panasonic 3100mAh protected cells. The Klarus head is slightly smaller (35mm against 40mm), and has a textured orange peel reflector – the Niwalker is smooth. Neither can tailstand.
Both lights have a slightly unusual operation using two tailcap switches. Klarus has a dual button on the end of the tailcap. The main one switches the light on, directly to high, and can be used for momentary. A second button changes mode and, if held, puts the light into strobe.
The Niwalker has a forward clicky at the end, that will change modes, but can also be set (by holding the button on the side of the tailcap for a few seconds) to high mode only, allowing momentary to be employed. This side button puts the light instantly into strobe.
For me the Niwalker has much the superior approach. The XT11 mode switch is small, recessed and difficult to find - certainly in the dark. I'm sure people do use it wearing gloves, but I would find that almost impossible. Even without gloves I nearly always have to look to see where it is after fiddling about. Perhaps using the clip in a particular position as a guide might help, but I don't use clips.
By contrast, the NWK550 switches are easy to locate and operate. The end tail switch is bigger, and the side switch can be easily found opposite the raised bit of the tailcap.
On paper, the XT11 is slightly brighter – 600 lumens on high - but it does drop back to 70% of output after just 3 minutes, while the NWK550 has no such drop, remaining on 550 lumen. The beam on the NWK550 is tighter, and has a little more throw.
I only use 18650 batteries, and while the operating voltage of both is rated to 8.4v, Klarus state, "..2x 16340 (use of 16340 batteries is not recommended)". Now this is one of my bugbears – I appreciate many owners happily use 16340 cells to get a brighter light (albeit for only 3 minutes before the step down kicks in) but I don't see how you can list a battery, and in the same sentence say "not recommended" - what are the warranty implications?
I did, briefly, check that 2x18350 IMR cells work with the NWK550, and got a noticeably brighter output.
So, in conclusion while both lights are very good, I much prefer the Niwalker. It is really solid, and just feels great in the hand. The torture tests show the light to be able to withstand a good deal of rough treatment. I liked it so much that it seemed a shame to leave it on my boat, where it is used only at weekends, so that role has been relegated to a Jetbeam PA40.
I find the dual switch of the XT11 just too awkward to switch modes, or find strobe quickly. The marginally brighter advantage (which isn't really noticeable) only last 3 minutes, and the tactical ring is also annoying, although I will probably fix that with an O ring or two.
Last edited:
