NiteCore Extreme Review - RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, COMPARISONS, etc.

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Update: Please jump to THIS post for updated information regarding waterproofing. An expressed lack of waterproofing was my inaccurate assumption! :ohgeez:

It might be more educational to verify with another member who has one and opened the head.

There was a tiny amount of tan crumbly stuff that fell out of the threads. I think they tried to pot it, but there wasn't much there. Evidently that's why mine opened.

If they tell me it's defective and I send it back for repair, I'll probably get another one without the o-ring I added.

Potting doesn't make a good water seal, does it? Especially when there's only a dab.
 
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So far, I like the beam and output levels.

I've removed the high viscosity grease they put on the threads + ring and put Krytox on the o-ring instead. Deoxit gold on the threads. Turns much smoother.

Even so, if I don't turn back quickly, the light still goes into strobe before reaching the lower level. Then when I go back to high, I get strobe instead. Gotta be fast!
 
EngrPaul said:
I just received mine. By accident, I turned the bezel instead of the whole head to install a battery, and the bezel came off, releasing the whole reflector assembly and everything! :sigh:

While putting it back together, I found a shameful lack of water sealing. There is no seal between the lens and the front bezel. There *is* two think gasket rings, one between the reflector and the lens, and one between the reflector and the head. But these won't stop the water from entering past the lens and into the head. :shrug:

Secondly, there is no o-ring between the bezel and the head. There is a groove, but no rubber o-ring at all. :thumbsdow

FWIW, I found one that would do the job, and installed it when reassembling.

Third, the o-ring between head and the tail is only engaged when the light is nearly turned down to the high position. When turned back to low too far, there is no o-ring engagement. :shrug:

I didn't bother checking the water tightness of the tail switch. Why bother? The rest of the light fails to have adequate waterproofing. I wouldn't even carry this light in the rain. :ohgeez:
Click to expand...

Well that just stopped me from buying one. I was just about ready to pull the trigger. I think I will opt for the PD20 instead. I cannot live with a light that I could be using in snow (hunting) and in the rain (hiking ) or for fishing that is not sufficiently water resistant. This was my biggest complaint on the T4-MP.

Thanks Paul and FireStik,

Bill
 
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I didn't mean to sway anybody from the light, but if I was able to give you information you could use, I'm glad. The lights you mention are good choices.
 
The lights you mention are good choices.
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Is one any better than the other? I have been looking forward to an Extreme, but now I have severe second thoughts. Currently I EDC a Lumapower ConneXion and now want a more powerful light to supplement it when I know a torch will be needed. Do not want a significantly larger one though.
 
We compared a new Extreme with a PD30 yesterday and the NiteCore looked horribly blue in comparison. Maybe we just got a "bad" one.
 
I just got my NEX in the mail, been playing with it this morning. I am very pleased. Man this thing is friggin bright! Operates smoothly, clicky feels very good -- there is no flicker when pressing for momentary as with my NDI. Passes the splash proof test without issue (clicking on off while running under the tap).

There's just always a dud or two sent out I guess. Either way, I'm sure nitecore will take care of those of you who got duds.
 
selfbuilt said:
Sorry to hear that the waterproofness and retaining ring fit continue to be issues, I had expected those to be resolved by now.

FYI 4Pigs, you may want to contact Edgetac directly - this thread is nearly 5 months old, and I doubt they check it very regularly. You'll find their e-mail in one of their sales threads in CPFMP.
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I've got a replacement from local dealer and happy with it :grin2:
 
Re: Waterproofness

After seeing that the potential waterproofness of this light is causing people to not buy this very nice light, I decided to disassemble it again and further evaluate the waterproofing abilities. I'm glad I did, because my opinion has changed. I feel that there is adequate protection from water ingress, as long as the head of the flashlight is within a turn of being fully engaged with the tail.

Here is a picture of the head disassembled:
IMG_2270.jpg


On closer inspection, you will see there is no o-ring between the bezel and the lens. You will also notice the head does not have an o-ring installed where the bezel turns onto it. These yellow circles show conventional locations for waterproofing, so I improperly assumed the light is not waterproof at the lens/bezel.

IMG_2271b.jpg


IMG_2271.jpg


If you study these pictures, you will notice there is a thin translucent gasket (silicone?) in two places. One goes between the glass and the reflector. The other goes between the reflector and the front of the head. When the bezel is installed (red arrows in picture above), it compresses these gaskets to provide a watertight seal two places. Therefore, although water can get in the region between the bezel and the head, it cannot go further into the light. It is sealed so that water cannot get into the inside of the reflector, and it is also sealed so that water cannot get behind the reflector.

IMG_2272.jpg


The biggest "risk" of waterproofness is unscrewing the head from the tail too far. The gasket at the top of the tail is only engaged fully on the last turn or so of the head. Therefore, a careful practice of only twisting as much as necessary to go into low mode, and stopping there, will help retain the light's waterproofness.

IMG_2273.jpg


My sincerest apologies to NiteCore and retailers for my inaccurate assumptions in an earlier post.

This light has a very effective water proofing design, it just works a little different than expected.

This light gets two thumbs up from me, It is an excellent product :twothumbs
 
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Re: Waterproofness

EngrPaul - apologies accepted. You have a rare unit that has a loose head.
Most bezel can't be opened because they're sealed in with loctite. :)
 
Re: Waterproofness

4sevens said:
EngrPaul - apologies accepted. You have a rare unit that has a loose head.
Most bezel can't be opened because they're sealed in with loctite. :)
Click to expand...
Confirmed with mine - I had tried to verify Paul's original concern with waterproofness, but have been unable to open the bezel. Note that mine is one of the first production runs (which obviously had a good amount of loctite). ;)

Thanks for posting the detailed pics here Paul - it's actually the first time I've seen the inside the head unit. Looks like Edgetac designed it with care. :thumbsup:

And agreed above twisting the head from the body - only the mildest of turns is necessary to go into low/user defined, so there's need to loosen to the point of risking waterproofness.
 
Great. Now can we have someone place it in 6-12 inches of water for around 15-30 minutes just to make me happy?

Bill
 
Very nice of you to check further EngrPaul!

Looks a bit odd, but if it works I'm fine with it:D

Sverre
 
Hitthespot said:
Great. Now can we have someone place it in 6-12 inches of water for around 15-30 minutes just to make me happy?

Bill
Click to expand...

Exactly...this would finally sell me on it. I see the min. runtimes still pending...waiting on a replacement unit or?
 
Jackyl said:
Exactly...this would finally sell me on it. I see the min. runtimes still pending...waiting on a replacement unit or?
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Yes, Edgetac was supposed to send me a revised unit to test. Low output level seems a bit high on my original Extreme sample. Not sure what the replacement status is - and honestly, I've been too busy with other lights ever since to follow up much. I'm currently in the middle of testing the NiteCore D20, and will query this issue with them again when I share my results of my testing of that light.

Anyone else with a currently shipping Extreme want to do a few low mode runtimes? :poke:
 
Are the current units supposedly "revised" now? What's this about an Extreme V2?
 
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FireStik said:
Edgetac/Nitecore is sending replacement parts, but I'm still waiting on an answer as to whether or not we're ok to cycle power while submerged. I sent a reminder (& rephrased teh question) an hour ago, so hopefully I'll get an answer soon.

Edgetac reported having some problems logging into CPF also.
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Just as an FYI here, the "updated" replacement parts that I received from Edgetac looked exactly like the originals. I never did figure out why mine failed, but despite that it's still my EDC of choice because of the brightness level and ultra-cool look.

I just won't be taking mine swimming in salt water anymore...
 
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