Preface
The Nitecore P18 is the latest flashlight from the Nitecore P (Precise) Series and is marketed as a tactical flashlight with an auxiliary Red LED.
Let’s check out the merits and demerits of this new model.
Side note: Before moving on to the actual review of the Nitecore P18, we would like to share Nitecore’s promotion of their “classic Nitecore MH12GT” – click HERE to view.
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 almost silent tail and side electronic switches require a rather 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 angled clip is not reversible and is held down firmly by a T6 Torx screw.
- The angled 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.
- There is no lanyard attachment hole on the flashlight, the lanyard can be attached to the clip only.
- Holster provided is of decent quality and should withstand day-to-day abuse without issue.
- Battery compartment holds the provided Nitecore non-proprietary 18650 3100mAh battery with more than sufficient room for a slightly thicker battery width. However, for this flashlight it is recommended to use a high capacity IMR 18650 battery with a continuous discharge rate of at least 8A.
- Scanning the QR code with your phone/tablet on the box’s back would bring up the Nitecore P18’s product page.
Note: Flat Top 18650 batteries are recommended as most Button Top 18650 batteries will probably be too long for this flashlight.
Front:
Back:
Sides:
Top:
Bottom:
Contents:
Quick Overview (Manufacturer Specifications)
- Body Material: Black HAIII Aluminium
- LEDs: Cree XHP35 HD (1 x RED LED is not mentioned)
- Battery Format: 1 x 18650 (8A battery is required), 2 x CR123A or 2 x RCR123A ONLY
- Output & Runtime (with included IMR 18650 3.7V 3100mAh battery):
- Ultra-Low (1 lumen / 220h)
- Low (65 lumens / 18h)
- Mid (260 lumens / 4h)
- High (850 lumens / 2h)
- Turbo (1800 lumens / 30min) – there is a temperature-based output step down & 18650 8A battery is required to access this mode.
- Strobe (1800 lumens)
- Beacon (1800 lumens)
- SOS (1800 lumens)
- Auxiliary RED Light (10 lumens / 28h)
- Max Beam Distance: 182m
- Beam intensity: 8,360cd
- Waterproofness: IP56
- Impact Resistance: 1m
- Dimension: 105.5mm (length) x 29mm (height) x 34mm (breadth) [including clip]
- Weight: 103.5g (including clip)
- Battery reverse polarity protection
- Accessories Included:
- 1*Nitecore IMR 18650 3.7V 3100mAh battery (35A Max. Pulse Discharge & 20A Max. Continuous Discharge)
- 1*Clip
- 1*Lanyard
- 1*Holster
- 1*Spare O-ring
- Optional Accessory:
- 1*Stainless Steel Bezel with Wrench for Bezel Removal & Installation (MSRP: TBA)
- MSRP: ~$100
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 after the initial learning curve.
There are a total of 2 electronic switches on the flashlight – TAIL switch & SIDE switch.
Switching ON and OFF is done by TAIL or SIDE switches of the flashlight. Momentary activation is possible with the TAIL switch.
Note:
- The TAIL electronic switch functions similarly to an auto-focus button (1/2 Press) on a camera and the same button that takes a photo shot (1 Press).
- Both Main LED and Auxiliary RED LED can be switched ON at the same time and are operated by the TAIL & SIDE switches respectively.
Normal Operation
From OFF:
- 1 Click (SIDE) & 1 Press (TAIL) – Direct access to ULTRA-LOW; 1/2 Press (TAIL) OR 1 Press (TAIL) to switch OFF.
- 1/2 Press (TAIL) – Light will switch ON to MOMENTARY last used mode (last mode memory) – any of the brightness levels or STROBE only.
- 1 Press (TAIL) – Light will switch ON to last used mode (last mode memory) – any of the brightness levels or STROBE only.
- HOLD (TAIL) – Light will switch ON to last used mode (last mode memory) before activating MOMENTARY TURBO.
- HOLD (SIDE) – Auxiliary RED LED will switch ON.
From ON (Main LED – Cree XPH35 HD):
- 1/2 Press (TAIL) – Mode change (light cycles through ULTRA-LOW, LOW, MID, HIGH & TURBO ⇒ ULTRA-LOW, LOW, MID, HIGH & TURBO).
- 1 Press (TAIL) – Light will switch OFF.
- 1/2 Press HOLD (TAIL) – Direct access to MOMENTARY TURBO.
- HOLD (TAIL) – Direct access to STROBE; HOLD (TAIL) activate BEACON & HOLD (TAIL) again to activate SOS (cycles STROBE-BEACON-SOS ⇒ STROBE-BEACON-SOS), 1/2 Press (TAIL) again to switch to last used mode OR 1 Press (TAIL) again to switch OFF light.
From ON (Auxiliary RED LED):
- 1 Click (SIDE) OR HOLD (SIDE) – Auxiliary RED LED will switch OFF.
Power Indicator
There are 2 main types of Power Indicators for this flashlight.
- After replacing the battery, the Battery Capacity Indicator function will be activated (Auxiliary RED LED will flash in the following sequence).
- Each RED LED blink signifies 1V
- After a ~1.5 sec pause, the next RED LED blink signifies 0.1V.
- Hence, 4 RED LED blinks, followed by a ~1.5 sec pause and another 1 RED LED blink – signifies 4.1V.
- If 2 x CR123A batteries are used, the battery reading will be the average voltage of the 2 batteries.
- From OFF: HOLD (SIDE) [~3 secs] – RED LED will switch ON before Battery Capacity Indicator is activated (Auxiliary RED LED will flash in the following sequence).
- Each RED LED blink signifies 1V
- After a ~1.5 sec pause, the next RED LED blink signifies 0.1V.
- Hence, 4 RED LED blinks, followed by a ~1.5 sec pause and another 1 RED LED blink – signifies 4.1V.
- If 2 x CR123A batteries are used, the battery reading will be the average voltage of the 2 batteries.
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 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 ridges-style knurling on the light enables it to be sufficiently “grippy”, even with wet hands/gloves.
During pocket carry, the angled clip somehow helps in easier ingress and egress of the flashlight when placed in either the left or right pockets, whilst still maintaining sufficient tension to ensure that the flashlight will stay clipped to any material.
It is able to tail-stand perfectly. The lanyard can only be attached to the pocket clip and will not affect tail-stand capability.
This rather easy-to-activate & almost silent tail switch is definitely in-line with the requirements of a true tactical-orientated light.
Beam Style/Beamshots
For this light, the spill, corona and hotspot is somewhat predictable due to the relatively shallow Smooth Reflector. With the Main LED used, the beam is relatively “throwy” for recognising items in the near to mid-range distance.
This Auxiliary RED LED are placed behind 5mm LED-style lens which cause quite a bit of artifacts in the beam profiles; for up-close to near range distance usage.
The above beam profile is a rough interpretation of what is seen when white wall hunting.
The main beam has a rather distinct hotspot with some slight corona and a rather wide usable (almost circular) spill. It also helps that the LED is perfectly centred in this sample. There are some rings in the main beam when white wall hunting but not visible in real world usage.
The Auxiliary RED light has a floody-style of beam profile. There are rings or beam artifacts when whitewall hunting, but not as noticeable in real world usage.
All of the beamshots taken below are done so with the following camera settings (ULTRA-LOW: 3.2 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, LOW: 0.6 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, MID: 1/2 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, HIGH: 1/5 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, TURBO: 1/6 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB and RED light: 1 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 (65 lumens):
MID (260 lumens):
HIGH (850 lumens):
TURBO (1800 lumens):
Auxiliary RED Light (10 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.
The Auxiliary RED Light is useful for low light usage when night vision retention is still required.
On a side note, it is great seeing that Nitecore went with a HIGH mode of 850 lumens instead of 1000 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
Main LED (XHP35 HD)
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 XHP35 HI was used instead and would have made full use of the smooth reflector, but at a slightly lower maximum output.
RED Light
RED LEDs are generally poor in CRI as almost everything appears in different shades of red. They are generally used when retaining night vision is required and are excellent in that respect. A guesstimate wavelength would be 630nm.
There is some slight tint shifts in the beam profile and it has a slight varying red (with a slight hint of orange) tint throughout.
This is mainly caused by the 5mm LED style lens used.
Waterproofness
As the light is IP56 rated only, it was subjected to being left under room temperature running water at full blast whilst running on TURBO.
No signs of water intrusion in the head, tail or switches was seen.
Lockout Capability
No electronic lockout or 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, for the main LED to be switched ON, the TAIL switch have to be pressed down completely at a precise angle due to the design of the TAIL switch and the protrusion of the battery tailcap. Thus, the likelihood of accidental activation does diminish substantially.
Whilst a mechanical lockout and/or electronic lockout would have been ideal, it is somewhat understandable why Nitecore chose to remove all lockout options for a flashlight that is marketed as a tactical one. The last thing one would want to have is a locked-out flashlight, 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 included IMR 18650 battery, battery capacity indicators, fairly straightforward UI with direct access to ULTRA-LOW & MOMENTARY TURBO from OFF plus MOMENTARY TURBO & STROBE from ON, almost silent TAIL switch, auxiliary RED LED and angled clip are all plus points for this flashlight.
As mentioned earlier, we look forward to the day that Nitecore uses a “throwier” LED instead to make full use of the smooth reflector and would help get rid of most of the tint shifts.
Here is a bonus size comparison picture with other Nitecore 1 x 18650-sized flashlights.
From Left to Right: Nitecore HC33, Nitecore P18, Nitecore EC30, Nitecore P12GTS, Nitecore MH12GTS and Nitecore MH25GTS.
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.
Where to Buy Links
Disclaimer: Purchasing using the affiliate link below will enable TLR to receive compensation from corresponding affiliate companies (Amazon/ShareASale/etc.) directly.
It will NOT cost you anything and is a way to help support the website to keep pumping out reviews like this.
Nitecore P18
Amazon: Click Here to see best prices on Amazon.
Available Discount Coupon Codes
- Click HERE to view our complete list of discount Coupon Codes.