Preface
The Nitecore MH12 Pro is the first Nitecore flashlight that uses the new NiteLab UHi 40 LED.
Packaging & First Impressions
This is what the light will come with as shown below.
- The threads and o-ring were well lubricated. Threads were rather smooth and clean (no gritty feeling at all).
- The side electronic and mechanical tail switch require a fairly firm and deliberate press to activate, and helps in preventing any unwanted activation/mode changes of the light.
- Anodizing of the light is uniform without any missing specs.
- The provided dual-direction clip is reversible. Its orientation allows for attachment to a baseball cap for hands-free usage (note: it is not light, so its a perfect example that just because you can…).
- The clip has rather strong tension and should ensure that the light will stay clipped to any material or prevent the light from falling out. We recommend using the included holster together with the clip.
- The provided lanyard is able to support the full weight of the light and should hold up to the test of time.
- Battery compartment holds the provided non-proprietary Nitecore 21700 5300mAh (NL2153HP) battery with more than sufficient room for a slightly thicker and/or longer battery width.
- Scanning the QR code with your phone/tablet on the box’s back would bring up the Nitecore MH12 Pro’s product page.
Note: Before using the flashlight for the first time, remove the Battery Protector from the battery compartment.
Front:
Back:
Sides:
Bottom:
Box Contents:
Removing Battery Protector:
Quick Overview (Manufacturer Specifications)
- Body Material: HAIII Aluminum
- LED: NiteLab UHi 40
- Battery Format: 1 x 21700, 1 x 18650, 2 x CR123A OR 2 x RCR123A
- Output & Runtime (with 21700 5300mAh ≥15A battery):
- Ultra-Low (1 lumen / 27days 2h)
- Low (50 lumens / 2days 2h)
- Mid (300 lumens / 8h 30min)
- High (1,200 lumens / 4h 30min)
- Turbo (3,300 lumens / 30min) → 15A is required for 21700 or 18650 battery ONLY, this mode is not accessible with CR123A or RCR123A batteries.
- Strobe (3,300 lumens)
- Beacon (3,300 lumens)
- SOS (3,300 lumens)
- Max Beam Distance: 505m
- Beam intensity: 63,500cd
- Waterproofness: IP68, 2m
- Impact Resistance: 1m
- Dimension: 138.5mm (length) x 26.8mm (head diameter) / 26.0mm (body diameter) /27.0mm (tail diameter)
- Weight: 82g (excluding battery & clip)
- Accessories Included:
- 1*Nitecore 21700 3.6V/5300mAh (NL2153HP) battery
- 1*Pocket Clip
- 1*Lanyard
- 1*Spare O-Ring
- 1*USB-C Charging Cable
- MSRP: ~$90
UI (User Interface)
UI for this light is good for Every Day Carry (EDC) as it is straightforward to use.
There are 2 settings (DAILY and TACTICAL). Switching ON and OFF is done by the TAIL mechanical switch on the flashlight and there is a SIDE electronic switch too.
Normal Operation (DAILY)
From OFF:
- 1 Click – Light will switch ON to last used Mode (last mode memory).
- HOLD (SIDE) + 1 Click (TAIL) – Direct access to ULTRA-LOW.
From ON:
- 1 Click (TAIL) – Light will switch OFF.
- 1 Click (SIDE) – Mode change (light cycles through LOW, MID, HIGH & TURBO → LOW, MID, HIGH & TURBO). ULTRA-LOW is not part of the mode change cycle.
- Output Indicator x 1 → LOW
- Output Indicator x 2 → MID
- Output Indicator x 3 → HIGH
- Output Indicator x 4 → TURBO
- HOLD (SIDE) [~3 sec] – Direct access to Special Modes (light cycles through STROBE, BEACON & SOS → STROBE, BEACON & SOS). Releasing switch to select mode, 1 Click (SIDE) to return to previous mode.
Normal Operation (TACTICAL)
From OFF:
- 1 Click – Light will switch ON to TURBO (no last mode memory).
- HOLD (SIDE) + 1 Click (TAIL) – Direct access to ULTRA-LOW.
From ON:
- 1 Click (TAIL) – Light will switch OFF.
- 1 Click (SIDE) – Mode change (light cycles through TURBO, HIGH, MID & LOW → TURBO, HIGH, MID & LOW). ULTRA-LOW is not part of the mode change cycle.
- Output Indicator x 1 → LOW
- Output Indicator x 2 → MID (see below photos)
- Output Indicator x 3 → HIGH
- Output Indicator x 4 → TURBO
- HOLD (SIDE) [~3 sec] – Direct access to Special Mode (STROBE only). Releasing switch to select mode, 1 Click (SIDE) to return to previous mode.
Switching Modes (DAILY ⇔ TACTICAL)
From OFF:
- HOLD (SIDE) + 1 Click (TAIL) – Direct access to ULTRA-LOW
- Keep HOLD (SIDE) [~5 sec].
- Release buttons after seeing the LED flash(es).
- 1 Flash (DAILY mode is activated).
- 2 Flashes (TACTICAL mode is activated).
- Repeat steps 1 and 2 till desired mode is activated.
Sensor Protection (Dimming)
There is a built-in optical sensor next to the LED. When there is an “obstruction” detected, the mode output will temporarily drop to MID level and once the “obstruction” is removed the light will return to original output.
However, this abovementioned function will work on HIGH and TURBO modes only.
If the light is on STROBE (3,300 lumens) mode, then the light will permanently reduce output to 1,200 lumens if an “obstruction” is detected.
Battery Power Indicator
When the light is ON, the Battery Indicator will light up in Green as follows:
- Battery Indicator x 4 → 75% to 100%
- Battery Indicator x 3 → 50% to 74%
- Battery Indicator x 2 → 25% to 49%
- Battery Indicator x 1 → <25%; please recharge or replace with fresh battery
Form Factor
For flashlights that are intended to use on a daily basis (EDC) and for possibly a long period of time, form factor is extremely important.
This light feels rather well balanced and compact in a medium-sized hand (not head/tail-heavy). Switching between overhand and underhand holding method is easy with its form factor. The grooves on the light helps it to be fairly “grippy”, even with wet hands/gloves.
Due to the extended tail cap which “hides” the mechanical Tail switch, this flashlight is able to tail-stand even when the lanyard is attached.
Charging Process
With the included Nitecore-branded USB-C Cable, the battery was charging at ~1.62A. The light cannot be operated when it is being charged.
The flashing GREEN indicator on the Battery Indicator depicts charging in progress and solid GREEN (no blinking) indicators depict charging has been completed.
Beam Style/Beamshots
For this light, the spill, corona and hotspot is rather impressive due to the combination of the relatively shallow Smooth Reflector and new UHi LED used. With the LED used, the beam is more “throw”-orientated for recognizing items in the mid-range distance.
The above beam profile is a rough interpretation of what is seen when white wall hunting.
The beam has a hotspot is almost a perfect circle with some slight corona and a fairly wide (circular-style) spill, with most of the lumens output focused into the hotspot. It also helps that the LED is perfectly centered in this sample. There are some beam artifacts 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 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, LOW: 1/3 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, MID: 1/8 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, HIGH: 1/15 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, and TURBO: 1/20 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 (1 lumen):
LOW (50 lumens):
MID (300 lumens):
HIGH (1200 lumens):
TURBO (3300 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).
The ULTRA-LOW mode of 1 lumen which is what most would call a moonlight mode and is perfect for night-adjusted eyes and midnight snack runs.
It would be nice if the HIGH mode is in the 800 to 1,000 lumens range, rather than a 1,200 lumens to provide a cooler and longer running HIGH mode (i.e. when running at a lower lumen output, the light will have a longer runtime and will operate at a lower temperature).
Tint & CRI
Nitecore did not disclose the tint (color temperature) and/or the CRI (Color Rendering Index) for the LED 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 with some hints of yellow & green whilst the corona possess a rather pronounced yellowish-green tint; and most of the spill having a slight yellowish-green tint.
This is still visible when used in real life situations.
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 TURBO.
No signs of water intrusion in the head, body, switches or USB-C port was seen.
Lockout Capability
No electronical lockout but mechanical lockout is possible when needed, like during transportation in a bag.
A quarter anti-clockwise turn of the tail will enable mechanical lockout.
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 EDC/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 definite YES, if the tint shift are not an issue for your usage.
The relatively compact form factor with 3,300 lumens TURBO output and impressive “throw” for its size (almost like a portable “search” light), relatively strong dual direction pocket clip, direct access to ULTRA-LOW, Sensor Protection when on HIGH & TURBO and Power Battery Indicator are all plus points for this flashlight.
That said, it will be nice if there are improvements to this new LED to enable a more consistent cool white tint, better still if there is a neutral white option!
Here is a bonus size comparison picture with other Nitecore flashlights.
From Left to Right: Nitecore MH12S, Nitecore MH12 Pro, Nitecore i4000R and Nitecore MH12 v2.
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 MH12 Pro
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