Preface
The Nitecore T4K comes from the Nitecore’s T series and has a similar form factor as the Nitecore TUP model.
Packaging & First Impressions
This is what the light will come with as shown below.
- Premium style box with magnetic closure.
- The flashlight is sealed and tightened down with 8 screws from factory – disassembly is not recommended.
- The 2 side electronic switches require a relatively light press to activate.
- The OLED display is legible in almost all lighting conditions and at various angles.
- Anodizing of the light is uniform without any missing specs.
- The non-reversible fairly deep carry pocket clip comes pre-installed from factory. Its orientation allows for attachment to a baseball cap for hands-free usage.
- The clip has sufficient tension to ensure that the light will stay clipped to any material to prevent the light from falling out.
- No holster and/or lanyard is provided.
- The provided keychain clasp is of a fairly decent quality to be able to support the full weight of the light and should hold up to the test of time.
- The Quick Release Button is a new feature for this T Series model. The single side release button requires fair bit of effort to activate and helps prevent accidental activation of the Quick Release Button.
- Scanning the QR code with your phone/tablet on the box’s back would bring up the Nitecore T4K’s product page.
Note: The flashlight comes with a screen protector film on the OLED screen & Lens for removal.
Front:
Back:
Sides:
Top:
Bottom:
Box Contents:
Removing Screen Protector Film:
Removing Lens Film:
Quick Overview (Manufacturer Specifications)
- Body Material: HAIII Aluminium
- LED: 4 * Cree XP-L2 V6 Bin
- Battery Format: Built-in 3.7V 1000mAh battery
- Output & Runtime (with built-in 3.7V 1000mAh battery):
- Ultra-Low (1 lumen / 67h)
- Low (15 lumens / 21h)
- Mid (65 lumens / 7h)
- High (200 lumens / 2h 45min)
- Momentary Turbo (4,000 lumens)
- Max Beam Distance: 209m
- Beam intensity: 10,900cd
- Waterproofness: IP54
- Impact Resistance: 1m
- Dimension: 82.3mm (length) x 30mm (width) x 29.5mm (height)
- Weight: 77g (including battery & clip)
- Accessories Included:
- 1*Built-in 3.7V 1000mAh battery
- 1*Keychain Clasp
- 1*USB-C Charging Cable
- MSRP: ~$90
UI (User Interface)
UI for this light is suitable for Every Day Carry (EDC) as it is rather straightforward to use.
There are 2 settings (DEMO and DAILY) and 2 electronic switches on the side of the flashlight – MODE button (closer to the head) & POWER button (further from the head) to operate the light.
Switching ON and OFF is done by the electronic switches on the side of the flashlight. There is momentary activation (MOMENTARY TURBO) using the MODE switch.
Normal Operation
From OFF:
- 1 Click (POWER) – Light will switch ON to last used Mode (last mode memory).
- 1 Click (MODE) – OLED Display will switch ON and show the following information:
- Current Battery Voltage
- Battery Indicator Bar
- Mode Level (LV. 1, 2, 3 or 4)
- DAILY or DEMO Mode
- HOLD (POWER) [~1 sec] – Direct access to ULTRA-LOW.
- HOLD (MODE) [~1 sec] – Direct access to MOMENTARY TURBO.
From ON:
- 1 Click (POWER) – Light will switch OFF.
- 1 Click (MODE) – Mode change (light cycles through ULTRA-LOW, LOW, MID & HIGH → ULTRA-LOW, LOW, MID & HIGH). TURBO is not part of the mode change cycle.
- LV. 1 is ULTRA-LOW.
- LV. 2 is LOW.
- LV. 3 is MID.
- LV. 4 is HIGH.
- HOLD (MODE) [~1 sec] – Direct access to MOMENTARY TURBO, releasing switch will return to previous mode.
Note:
- “LV.” for the OLED Display information is short for “Level”.
- If OLED screen is not ON when during Mode Change, 1 Click (MODE) first to switch ON the OLED screen before another 1 Click (MODE) to switch modes.
- There is no STROBE or SOS (blinky) modes for this light.
Switching Modes (DEMO ⇔ DAILY)
From OFF:
- HOLD (MODE & POWER) [~1 sec].
- Release buttons after seeing the LED flash(es).
- 1 Flash (DEMO mode is activated).
- 2 Flashes (DAILY mode is activated).
- Repeat steps 1 and 2 till desired mode is activated.
Note:
- DEMO mode will cause the light to switch OFF after 30 seconds (no matter which mode one is in) whereas DAILY mode does not have this shutdown timer. The DEMO mode is an available option for those who prefer to not use the electronic lockout for this light.
- DEMO mode will show a 30 seconds countdown timer on the bottom left of the OLED Display.
- Switching ON the flashlight within 3 seconds after the 30 seconds, will put the flashlight into temporary DAILY mode until switch OFF.
Electronic Lockout
There are 2 Electronic Lockout mode options:
- Half Lockout (Lockout 1): POWER switches is locked out. MODE switch can still be used to activate MOMENTARY TURBO.
- Full Lockout (Lockout 2): All switches (MODE & POWER) are locked out.
From ON:
- HOLD (POWER) till OLED display “Lockout 1 Logo” – Lockout 1 is activated, release POWER switch for Half Lockout mode only.
- Continue HOLD (POWER) till OLED display “Lockout 2 Logo” – Lockout 2 is activated, release POWER switch for Full Lockout mode only.
- 1 Click & HOLD 2nd Click (POWER) – Lockout is disabled (this works for Lockout 1 or 2) and light will switch ON in last used Mode. The OLED Display will show a “loading bar” style to indicate unlocking in progress.
Half Lockout (Lockout 1):
Full Lockout (Lockout 2):
OLED Display
When the flashlight is ON, the OLED will display information in the following sequence:
- Mode LV. Status, DAILY or DEMO Mode & Mode Level Lumens
- “NITECORE” brand wording
- Mode LV. Status, DAILY or DEMO Mode & Estimated Runtime on current Mode Level
For MOMENTARY TURBO mode, it will also display a countdown progress bar. Once progress bar has emptied, the light will revert to HIGH mode.
Mode LV. Status, DAILY or DEMO Mode & Mode Level Lumens:
Mode LV. Status, DAILY or DEMO Mode & Estimated Runtime on current Mode Level:
Form Factor
The T4K is roughly the same size or even larger than most car key fobs and it borders on the line of being a little too large for keychain EDC, with the included keychain clasp. That said, it falls nicely into a similar sized 18350 or CR123A-style EDC flashlight alternative with the included fairly deep carry pocket clip.
This light feels rather well balanced and compact in a small to medium sized hand (not head/tail-heavy). Switching between overhand and underhand holding method is not easy due to its relatively short form factor. There is no knurling on the light but the less conventional shape and pocket clip enables the light to be sufficiently “grippy”, even with wet hands/gloves.
It is not able to tail-stand with the protruding keychain attachment point on the tail.
This T4K comes with a new feature – a Quick Release Button. This feature works great when the T4K is attached as a keychain and require it to be detached to be used as a flashlight. However, the mechanism which is meant to enable easy/quick release when required, had to be made it difficult enough to prevent accidental release as well. This makes the Quick Release Button substantially more difficult to activate when wearing gloves and/or with much larger hands.
Charging Process
With the included Nitecore-branded USB-C Cable, the battery was charging at ~0.87A. The light is capable of operating on all modes even when charging (at the expense of a slower charging rate). However, it is recommended to limit the usage to “ULTRA-LOW” or “LOW” mode only, to ensure that the battery does get charged.
The slow blinking BLUE indicators on the MODE & POWER switches depict charging in progress and solid BLUE (no blinking) indicators depicts charging has completed.
Note: Charging will disable the Electronic Lockout modes.
Beam Style/Beamshots
For this light, the spill, corona and hotspot is somewhat predictable due to the TIR optics. Surprisingly, the LEDs are not covered under the TIR (Total Internal Reflection) optics. With the LEDs used, the beam is suited for recognizing items in the near to mid-range distance.
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 (rectangular-style) spill, with most of the lumens output focused into the hotspot. It also helps that the LEDs are 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: 2.5 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, LOW: 1 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, MID: 0.5 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, HIGH: 1/5 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, and 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 (1 lumen):
LOW (15 lumens):
MID (65 lumens):
HIGH (200 lumens):
MOMENTARY TURBO (4000 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 there was an actual TURBO mode within 500 to 1,00 lumens range, rather than a 4,000 lumens MOMENTARY TURBO mode. However, Nitecore probably went with a MOMENTARY TURBO instead, much like the Nitecore TM10K model.
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 whilst the corona possess a slight yellowish-green tint; and most of the spill having a slight yellowish-green tint.
This is however, not as noticeable in real life.
Waterproofness
As the light is IP54 rated only, the light was subjected to being left under room temperature running water whilst running on HIGH.
No signs of water intrusion in the head, side switches or USB-C port was seen.
That said, it would have been nice if Nitecore had added a USB-C port cover for added protection from dust & water ingress.
Lockout Capability
No mechanical lockout but electronic lockout is possible when needed, like during transportation in a bag.
See above “UI (User Interface)“, on how to activate and deactivate electronic LOCKOUT.
When LOCKOUT mode is activated, any button presses will cause the OLED display to show “Lockout 1 Logo” or “Lockout 2 Logo”.
Note: Charging the flashlight will disable Electronic 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 and beam profile are not an issue for your usage.
The relatively compact form factor with 4,000 lumens burst output, informative OLED display, relatively deep carry pocket clip and direct access to MOMENTARY TURBO and ULTRA-LOW are all plus points for this flashlight. The built-in battery might seem as a major disadvantage to some but it helps decreases the overall size of the flashlight, when compared with other 14500, 18350 or CR123A flashlights.
The Quick Release Button option is an excellent plus point but it will be a huge hinderance to activate with gloves and/or with users with much larger hands.
With the amount of MOMENTARY TURBO (4,000 Lumens) that this light is capable of producing, it is crucial to enable the Electronic Lockout when not in use.
Here is a bonus size comparison picture with other Nitecore flashlights.
From Left to Right: Nitecore TINI 2, Nitecore TIP2, Nitecore TUP, Nitecore T4K and Nitecore TM10K.
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 T4K
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