Preface
The Nitecore i4000R is the first flashlight from the brand new I Series (I Series Battery) range.
Let’s check out the merits and demerits of this new Nitecore i4000R model.
Fun Fact:
The I Series Battery (21700 I Series) is a proprietary battery which features both positive and negative polarities at both ends of the battery. This in turn helps to provide stable and reliable high output performance to power the I Series flashlight.
Packaging & First Impressions
This is what the light will come with as shown below.
- The threads and o-rings were well lubricated. Threads were rather smooth and clean (no gritty feeling at all).
- The tail electronic and mechanical switches require a fairly firm and deliberate press to activate, and helps in preventing any unwanted activation of the light.
- Anodizing of the light is uniform without any missing specs.
- The provided clip is not reversible.
- The clip has sufficient tension to ensure that the light will stay clipped to any material to prevent the light from falling out.
- The provided lanyard is able to support the full weight of the light and should hold up to the test of time.
- The lanyard can be attached to the pocket clip only.
- NTH20 – Tactical Holster provided is of decent quality and should be able to withstand day-to-day abuse without issue. It is refreshing seeing a specifically built tactical holster included instead of a standard covered holster with velcro closure.
- The clip on the Tactical Holster is adjustable and should fit most duty belts.
- Battery compartment holds the provided Nitecore proprietary 21700 5000mAh (NL2150HPi) battery. For 21700 batteries, this flashlight will operate only with the provided proprietary battery.
- When using the CR123A Battery Magazine, 2 CR123A or 2 RCR123A/16340 batteries can be used instead. There is no battery rattle when the CR123A Battery Magazine is used.
- Scanning the QR code with your phone/tablet on the box’s back would bring up the Nitecore i4000R’s product page.
Note:
- Before using the flashlight for the first time, remove the Insulation Film from the battery compartment.
Front:
Back:
Sides:
Top:
Bottom:
Contents:
CR123A Battery Magazine:
Remove Insulation Film:
Quick Overview (Manufacturer Specifications)
- Body Material: Black HAIII Aluminium
- LED: 4 * Cree XP-L2 V6 Bin
- Battery Format: 1 x 21700 (Proprietary only), 2 x CR123A OR 2 x RCR123A ONLY
- Output & Runtime (with 21700 3.6V 5000mAh battery):
- Ultra-Low (2 lumens / 15days 20h)
- Low (50 lumens / 1day 16h)
- Mid (330 lumens / 7h 45min)
- High (1100 lumens / 2h 15min)
- Momentary Turbo (4400 lumens / 30min) – there is a temperature-based output step down & proprietary 21700 (NL2150HPi) battery is required to access this mode.
- Strobe (4400 lumens)
- Max Beam Distance: 230m
- Beam intensity: 13,300cd
- Waterproofness: IP68 (2m)
- Impact Resistance: 1m
- Dimension: 159mm (length) x 32.6mm (head diameter) x 25.4mm (body diameter) x 28mm (tail diameter)
- Weight: 135g (including batteries)
- Battery reverse polarity protection
- Accessories Included:
- 1*Nitecore NL2150HPi 21700 Batteries (5000mAh)
- 1*USB-C Charging Cable
- 1*Clip
- 1*Lanyard
- 1*NTH20 Tactical Holster
- 1*CR123A Battery Magazine
- 1*Spare O-ring
- MSRP: ~$120
UI (User Interface)
UI for this light is suitable for both Every Day Carry (EDC) and tactical usage as it is rather straightforward to use.
Switching ON and OFF is done by the mechanical switch on the TAIL of the flashlight, so momentary activation is possible.
There is a total of 2 switches on the flashlight – TAIL mechanical switch & TAIL electronic switch (MODE).
Normal Operation
From OFF:
- 1 Click (TAIL) – Light will switch ON to last used mode (last mode memory) – any of the brightness levels (except TURBO mode).
- 1/2 Press (TAIL) – Light will switch ON to MOMENTARY last used mode (last mode memory) – any of the brightness levels (except TURBO mode).
- HOLD (MODE) – Direct access to MOMENTARY STROBE.
From ON:
- 1 Click (TAIL) – Light will switch OFF.
- HOLD (MODE) – Direct access to MOMENTARY TURBO.
- 1 Click (MODE) – Mode change (light cycles through ULTRA-LOW, LOW, MID & HIGH → ULTRA-LOW, LOW, MID & HIGH).
- 2 Clicks (MODE) – Direct access to ULTRA-LOW.
- 3 Clicks (MODE) – Direct access to STROBE.
Power Indicator
There are 3 main types of Power Indicators for this flashlight.
- After removing charging cable after recharging, the Battery Capacity Indicator function will be activated (Tail LED will flash BLUE in the following sequence).
- Each BLUE LED blink signifies 1V
- After a ~1.5 sec pause, the next BLUE LED blink signifies 0.1V.
- Hence, 4 BLUE LED blinks, followed by a ~1.5 sec pause and another 1 BLUE LED blink – signifies 4.1V.
- If 2 x CR123A / RCR123A batteries are used, the battery reading will be the average voltage of the 2 batteries.
- After replacing the battery, the Battery Capacity Indicator function will be activated (SIDE LED will flash BLUE in the following sequence).
- Each BLUE LED blink signifies 1V
- After a ~1.5 sec pause, the next BLUE LED blink signifies 0.1V.
- Hence, 4 BLUE LED blinks, followed by a ~1.5 sec pause and another 1 BLUE LED blink – signifies 4.1V.
- When the flashlight is switched ON, Battery Capacity Indicator is activated (Side LED will be display BLUE) during the following instances.
- Always ON – Power is >50%.
- Slow Flashing – Power is >10% but <50%.
- Fast Flashing – Power is <10%, do recharge immediately.
Form Factor
For flashlights that are intended to use on a daily basis (EDC)/tactical EDC and for possibly a long period of time, form factor is extremely important.
This light feels rather well balanced in a medium sized hand (not head/tail-heavy). Switching between overhand and underhand holding method is easy with its form factor. The knurling on the light enable it to be sufficiently “grippy”, even with wet hands/gloves.
The USB-C charging port is protected by an aluminium rotating protective cover. In addition, Nitecore has applied waterproofing into the charging port as well so it is still IP68-rated to 2 meters, even when the charging port is exposed. Due diligence of drying the charging port must still be carried out before recharging with the USB-C charging port, if it has been exposed to/submerged in water.
Due to the protruding mechanical Tail switch, this flashlight is unable to tail-stand.
Without Clip:
With Clip:
More pics of the i4000R:
Nitecore i4000R with NTH20 Tactical Holster:
Charging Process
With the provided USB-C Cable, the battery was charging at ~1.92A.
The flashlight cannot be operated on any modes when charging.
The blinking BLUE indicator on the tailcap area depicts charging in progress and Solid BLUE indicator depicts charging has completed.
Rotating Protective Cover:
Beam Style/Beamshots
For this light, the spill, corona and hotspot is somewhat predictable due to the 4 fairly shallow overlapping Smooth Reflectors, rather similar in design as the Nitecore Concept 2 model. With the LEDs used, the beam is “throwy” for recognising items in the near to mid-range distance, with the sheer output it produces on Momentary TURBO.
The above beam profile is a rough interpretation of what is seen when white wall hunting.
The beam has a somewhat distinct hotspot with some slight corona and a fairly wide usable (flower petal style) spill. It also helps that the LED is perfectly centred in this sample. There are some rings in the beam when white wall hunting but not visible in real world usage.
All of the beamshots taken below are done so with the following camera settings (ULTRA-LOW: 2.5 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, LOW: 0.5 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, MID: 1/6 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, HIGH: 1/10 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, and Momentary TURBO: 1/25 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB).
Some pictures have been adjusted slightly to depict as close as to what is seen in real life. The distance of the light from the door is 4.6m.
Control shot:
ULTRA-LOW (2 lumens):
LOW (50 lumens):
MID (330 lumens):
HIGH (1100 lumens):
MOMENTARY TURBO (4400 lumens):
Mode (Output) Spacing
Mode spacing appears to be progressively brighter to the eye and the modes are well spaced enough to be able to know which mode one is currently in. With that in mind, TLR tend to view mode spacing as battery life indicators (amount of runtime left) rather than the specific output (lumens).
There is no true moonlight level (sub-lumen or 1 lumen) option available as the “ULTRA-LOW” mode comes in at 2 lumens. However, it is still fairly acceptable for night-adjusted eyes and midnight snack runs (might need to squint slightly at first).
On a side note, it would be nice if Nitecore had went with a HIGH mode of 1000 lumens instead of 1100 lumens to ensure a longer runtime and will run slightly cooler, as the difference in output is almost imperceptible to most human eyes.
Tint & CRI
Nitecore did not disclose the tint (color temperature) and/or the CRI (Color Rendering Index) for the LEDs used in their light. For this light, a guesstimate would be in the 6500K and 70CRI ballpark.
There are tint shifts throughout the beam profile. The hotspot is cool white whilst the corona possess a slight yellowish-green tint; and the spill having a slight purple tint.
This is however, not as noticeable in real life.
This could have been avoided if a “throwier” LED like the XP-L HI was used instead and would have made full use of the smooth reflector, but at a slightly lower maximum output.
Waterproofness
The light was subjected to warm water submersion, followed by cold water submersion and left under room temperature running water tap whilst running on HIGH.
No signs of water intrusion in the head, body, switch or charging port was seen.
Lockout Capability
Neither electronic lockout nor mechanical lockout is possible when needed, like during transportation in a bag.
Hence, we do not recommend transporting this flashlight in an enclosed area (bag, purse, etc.).
That said, as Nitecore designed this light to be a tactical flashlight, it comes as no surprise that the mechanical and electronic lockout has been removed from this flashlight. This being that the user will want to have instant light, without having to fumble with any electronic or mechanical lockouts, especially when under duress.
Scale Comparison (Ruler)
Summary
To sum up, we believe that the most important part of any review is if given the chance to purchase the same light for our own usage or to gift to our loved ones out from one’s pocket (wallet), would we still do it?
For this light, it is a YES, if the tint shift is not an issue for your usage.
The faster USB-C charging capability, included high capacity 21700 battery, battery capacity indicators, waterproofing of the USB-C charging port, rather straightforward UI with direct access to MOMENTARY STROBE from OFF & MOMENTARY TURBO from ON, high output in a relatively slim form factor, inclusion of the NTH20 Tactical Holster and included CR123A Battery Magazine are all plus points for this flashlight.
That said, it would be nice if Nitecore is able to design the future I series flashlights that can accept other high drain 21700 batteries (those capable of supporting >15A continuous), instead of the proprietary battery (NL2150HPi) only.
Here is a bonus size comparison picture with other Nitecore flashlights.
From Left to Right: Nitecore P18, Nitecore TM10K, Nitecore Concept 2, Nitecore MH12GTS, Nitecore MH25GTS and Nitecore i4000R.
As with all gears, two is one and one is none.
Stay safe,
The Lite Review
Disclaimer: Light was provided for by Nitecore (manufacturer) for this review. No other compensation was provided.
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Nitecore i4000R
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