[Review] - Nitecore TM10K - 6x XHP35 HD, 10.000lm, 21700 4800mAh - by Lock

lock

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jan 10, 2017
Messages
138
Location
Italia
Hi guys…today we will see the Nitecore TM10K: the last Tiny Monster of Nitecore able to deliver to the Turbo a full 10000 lumens.
The torch was sent to me by the company specifically for the review.


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Packaging and content

The Nitecore TM10K comes in an elegant black cardboard box with printed on the main features of the product. A thick layer of packaging sponge prevents the flashlight and accessories from moving during transport. The package includes:

• The light "TM10K"
• Nylon Holster
• Belt Clip
• Laynard
• TypeC Cable
• Instruction manual
• Warranty Card

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Features

• Utilizes 6 CREE XHP35 HD LEDs to produce a max output of 10,000 lumens
• Maximum beam intensity of 20,000cd and maximum throw of 288 meters
• Lightweight, rigid and fast cooling tube built from unibody die-cast CNC technology
• Multifunctional OLED real-time display for lumens, voltage, runtime and temperature etc.
• Built-in 4,800mAh 21700 rechargeable Li-ion battery
• Intelligent Li-ion battery charging circuit
• High efficiency constant circuit provides stable output up to 200 hours
• Combination of dual side switches and a tail switch controls 5 brightness levels
• Customizable HIGH Brightness Level
• An optical system combined with crystal coating and "Precision Digital Optics Technology" (PDOT)
• Optical lenses with double-sided scratch resistant coating
• Constructed from aero grade aluminum alloy
• HA III military grade hard-anodized finish
• Waterproof in accordance with IP68 (2 meters submersible)
• Impact resistant to 1 meter
• Tail stand capability

Specification

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Size: 110mm x 41mm x 31mm (clip included)
Weight: 246g


Output Level and Runtime

The Nitecore TM10K has 5 levels of brightness. The "High" level is programmable from 400 to 2000 Lumens and by default it is set to 1000 Lumen output. The levels are divided as follows:

Turbo: 10000 lm declared (measured 10980 lm)
*High: 2000 lm declared (measured 2153 lm)
**High: 1000 lm declared (measured 1090 lm) – 2h
Mid: 300 lm declared (measured 310 lm) – 7h
Low: 100 lm declared (measured 135 lm) – 14h
Ultra-Low: 3 lm declared (measured 3 lm) – 200h

*Programmed High level(2000 lumen)
**Default High Level (1000 lumen)

The measured data are to be considered peak (taken within 30 seconds from the ignition and with a fully charged battery) and all have proved to be consistent with what was declared by the manufacturer.

The "Turbo" level can remain activated for approximately 7 seconds, after which the TM10K will automatically switch to the lower level. The Turbo level can be accessed again as long as the flashlight thermal protection allows it.

Runtime High Level 2000Lm (first minutes)
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Runtime High Level 2000Lm
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Runtime High Level 1000Lm
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The body and the materials

The Nitecore TM10K is a small, powerful, easy to use and convenient to carry flashlight. As soon as I opened the package I was really surprised by its extremely small size and its incredible compactness.

The TM10K comes from a single block of aluminum machined with CNC technology. This guarantees the torch high heat dissipation qualities. The weight, also seen the capacious 21700 4800mAh battery welded inside, is generous, about 250g.

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One of the most interesting features of this model is the presence of a comfortable OLED display. This allows the user to know at any time information such as: lumens and current output level, remaining time of use, torch temperature, instantaneous cell voltage and all information about the charging function and the various blocks of the interface.

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The management of the interface is entrusted to three different switches: two lateral "Power" and "Mode" and one in the tail for direct access to the Turbo.
The two side buttons are metallic with a beautiful antique bronze color, both surrounded by a bezel ring with a particular work of circles. They are slightly protruding, very reactive, offer good tactile feedback and at the press a "plush" click. Really well done!

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The Tail Switch in the tail is also metallic, very large and slightly embedded in the torch body. At the center has a status LED that also acts as a locator. Easy to activate, it is only used for direct access to the Turbo (Momentary On). When pressed, it makes a silent click.

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Next to the button in the queue is the TypeC port for charging. This is protected by a rubber cap, a little awkward to open and close but which optimally protects the charging interface from dirt and water.

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The belt clip comes already mounted on the torch, it is big and of good thickness. It can also be removed by unscrewing three small screws. On the clothes and on the belts, it offers an excellent grip also due to its high rigidity.

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The tail is flat and allows the use of the torch in tailstanding. In a corner there is a large hole for the insertion of small carabiners or for the paracord.

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Nitecore anodization is perfect.

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The body, on one side has a squared processing that provides excellent grip, the opposite side (with display and side switch) has only a few horizontal milling.

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The optical part is composed of a reflector with 6 mini SMO reflector, an ultra-transparent lens with anti-reflection and anti-scratch treatment and 6 Cree XHP35 HD Cool White LEDs.

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The lettering is well done, centered and without any deburring.

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Also included in the package is a quality Nylon holster. This is rigid and optimally protects the torch during transport. The closure is tear-off and the belt clip can also be placed under the velcro. On the back there is a plastic D-ring and belt loops.

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Nitecore declares a resistance to falls up to 1m in height and a water resistance according to the IP68 standard, therefore submersible torch up to 2m depth without danger of infiltrations.

User Interface
The UI is simple and intuitive. As we have seen, we have three switches, two on the side and one on the tail, the latter reserved exclusively for direct access to the 10,000 Lumen Turbo.

On / Off
On: When the light is off, short press the Power Button to turn it on.
Off: When the light is on, short press the Power Button to turn it off.

Brightness Levels
When the light and the screen is on, short press the Mode Button to cycle through "ULTRALOW – LOW – MID - HIGH". The flashlight will directly access the previously memorized brightness level when reactivated.

Direct Access to ULTRALOW / HIGH
Directly to ULTRALOW: When the light is off, long press the Power Button to directly access ULTRALOW. Directly to HIGH: When the light is off, long press the Mode Button to directly access HIGH.

HIGH Brightness Level Customization
The HIGH Brightness Level is customizable between 400 – 2,000 lumens (Default: 1,000 lumens)
• When the light is at HIGH Brightness Level, press and hold both the Power Button and the Mode Button simultaneously for over 3 seconds to access the setting mode, during which the screen will flash to show the current brightness level and lumens.
• When in setting mode, short press the Power Button to increase the brightness by 100 lumens each time to a maximum brightness of 2,000 lumens; short press the Mode Button to decrease the brightness by 100 lumens each time to a minimum brightness of 400 lumens.
• When the setting is finalized, press and hold both the Power Button and the Mode Button simultaneously until the light is turned off to save your preference and exit setting mode.
• When in setting mode, short press the Tail Switch to return to default 1,000 lumens and exit setting mode.
• When in setting mode, apply no action in 10 seconds to exit setting mode without saving your preference.

TURBO Brightness Level
TURBO Activation: To prevent overheating, TURBO Mode is preset to be limited no more than 7 seconds. When activating TURBO, a countdown progress bar of 7 seconds will be shown on the display. The progress bar will be discharged while activating TURBO.
• Press and hold the Tail Switch to access TURBO. Release to return to previous status.
• When the light is on, press and hold the Mode Button to access TURBO. Release to return to previous brightness level.


Lockout / Unlock
TM10K has two lockout modes (Half Lockout Mode and Full Lockout Mode).
Half Lockout Mode (Lockout 1):
• When the light is on, press and hold the Power Button, during which the screen will show "Locking…", until the light is turned off to access Half Lockout Mode. After that, the screen will show "Lockout 1" and the current battery voltage.
• When in Half Lockout Mode, both the Power Button and the Mode Button are unavailable to activate the flashlight. Short pressing either button will activate the screen only.
• When in Half Lockout Mode, the Tail Switch is still available for accessing TURBO.

Full Lockout Mode (Lockout 2):
• When the light is on, press and hold the Power Button even after accessing Half Lockout Mode, until the light flashes once and the screen shows "Lockout 2" to access Full Lockout Mode.
• When in Full Lockout Mode, all 3 buttons are unavailable to activate the flashlight. Short pressing any button will activate the screen only.

Unlock:
In either Lockout Mode, short press and then long press the PowerButton, during which the screen will show "Unlock…", until the flashlight is activated to exit Lockout Mode.


Beam, Tint and Beamshots

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The beam of the TM10K thanks to the multi reflector SMO is wide, flooded and with a fair shot. With the turbo you have a real wall of light that allows you to illuminate even up to 100-150mt. The tint is Cool, but not very cold, uniform both on the spill and on the spot.

Beamshot #1

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Beamshot #2
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Beamshot #3
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Beamshot #4
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Beamshot #5
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Beamshot #7
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Beamshot #8
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Final Considerations

The Nitecore TM10K proved to be an interesting product. Beautifully aesthetic, quality materials and refined finishes make this model a little gem. Perhaps a little heavy but extremely small, thanks to the 21700 battery welded inside, offers a respectable runtime even on high levels.


The regulation is excellent as well as the active temperature control that avoids overheating. The levels are well spaced and there is also the innovative feature that allows you to program the High level from a minimum of 400 up to a maximum of 2000 lumens.


The Turbo is really a light bomb, even if it can be activated for a few seconds it can always be useful on many occasions. Convenient the UltraLow ??level of only 3 lumens with a theoretical runtime of about 200 hours.


Good packaging equipment that includes in addition to the torch, laynard and TypeC cable, also a quality nylon holster.


There is a OLED display that allows real-time to know the level of the current output, the remaining time of use for the current level, the cell voltage, the temperature and a series of other useful information on charging and the various electronic blocks.


There is also a very convenient TypeC charging port which, thanks to the QC2.0 technology, allows the TM10K to be charged in a few hours.


Special Strobo / Beacon levels are missing. The plug that covers the TypeC door is a little awkward to open and close. The color of the LEDs is only available in the Cool version.


Surely I consider it a great product, recommended!
 
Last edited:
Joined
Nov 28, 2003
Messages
8,371
Location
Kansas City, MO
Outstanding review. I like what I see here. The only thing I think is cheesy is the "10,000 Lumens!!" printed on the body. Wish they hadn't done that. But that won't prevent me from buying one. Looks awesome!
 

markr6

Flashaholic
Joined
Jul 16, 2012
Messages
9,258
Outstanding review. I like what I see here. The only thing I think is cheesy is the "10,000 Lumens!!" printed on the body. Wish they hadn't done that. But that won't prevent me from buying one. Looks awesome!

They should have just went all out with 10,000 LUMENS ZOMG!!!1
 

djans1397

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 23, 2007
Messages
1,356
Location
Bozeman, Montana
Awesome review! Very detailed. I specifically love the beam shots. I love all of my Notecore lights, but the things that kill it for me are this;

- built-in battery pack. Undoubtedly much easier for a non flashaholic, but in time the pack is sure to fail, then what? I tend to hang onto my older and better lights for several years. In a battery pack though, eventually performance starts to fail. Because of this I will always steer clear of built-in battery packs.

- cool tint only. Always nice to have at least a neutral tint as well.

Overall it looks like a really neat light though in a compact package.
 
Last edited:

Krumbbs1976

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Joined
Jun 6, 2017
Messages
60
Location
Seattle Washington
Very strange holster set up with an open bottom when the only thing holding it in is a clip you can miss clipping if you're not paying attention. Of course who actually uses the nitecore holsters right? :)

But yeah the writing on the side and the built-in battery just kill it for me like many others have said all over the interweb :-(.. I do love every other aspect of the design though!
 

BlackHawkAK

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jul 4, 2019
Messages
1
Does anyone know what can we do if the battery fail on us, where should we send the torchlight?
 

chikendinner

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jul 6, 2019
Messages
5
Thank you for the awesome review. I only have one question. What's your range finder/spotting scope? Like it?
 
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