Preface
The Nitecore TINI2 comes from the Nitecore’s T series and is the second generation version of the original Nitecore TINI model.
Note: The model reviewed here is the Metallic Grey version.
Packaging & First Impressions
This is what the light will come with as shown below.
- The flashlight is sealed and tightened down with 6 screws from factory – disassembly is not recommended.
- The 2 side electronic switches require a relatively light press to activate. The slightly recessed switches does help mitigate the possibility of unwanted activation of the light.
- The OLED display is legible in almost all lighting conditions and at various angles.
- Anodizing of the light is uniform without any missing specs.
- No pocket clip, 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.
- Scanning the QR code with your phone/tablet on the box’s back would bring up the Nitecore TINI2’s product page.
Note: The flashlight comes with a screen protector film on the OLED screen that can be removed.
Front:
Back:
Sides:
Top:
Bottom:
Box Contents:
Removing Screen Protector Film:
Quick Overview (Manufacturer Specifications)
- Body Material: HAIII Aluminium
- Colour Options:
- Hi-Tech Black
- Metallic Gray (as reviewed)
- LED: 2 * Osram P8
- Battery Format: Built-in 3.7V 280mAh battery
- Output & Runtime (with built-in 3.7V 280mAh battery):
- Ultra-Low (1 lumen / 60h)
- Low (15 lumens / 8h)
- Mid (65 lumens / 2h 30min)
- High (200 lumens / 45min)
- Momentary Turbo (500 lumens / 15min) – there is a temperature-based output step down.
- Max Beam Distance: 89m
- Beam intensity: 2,000cd
- Waterproofness: IP54
- Impact Resistance: 1m
- Dimension: 46.6mm (length) x 25mm (width) x 12.5mm (height)
- Weight: 18.8g (including battery)
- Accessories Included:
- 1*Built-in 3.7V 280mAh battery
- 1*Keychain Clasp
- MSRP: ~$40
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 the MOMENTARY TURBO period (minutes) coutdown.
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 TINI2 is tiny for the output it is capable of delivering (500 lumens of MOMENTARY TURBO mode) and is a great size for keychain EDC, with the included keychain clasp.
This light is so tiny that it can disappear almost entirely in a clenched small-sized hand. Switching between overhand and underhand holding method is not easy due to its short form factor. There is no knurling on the light but the recessed groove for the dual switches and keychain clasp attachment helps to provide some “grip”, even with wet hands/gloves.
It is not able to tail-stand with the protruding keychain attachment point on the tail.
Charging Process
The TINI2 does not come with any USB-C cable. Using a XTAR-branded Micro-USB Cable, the battery was charging at ~0.26A.
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 LED is not covered under the TIR (Total Internal Reflection) optics. With the LEDs used, the beam is suited for recognizing items in the up-close and near distance only.
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: 0.8 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, MID: 1/3 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, HIGH: 1/5 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, and TURBO: 1/8 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 (500 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 500 lumens mode version was an actual TURBO mode, rather than a MOMENTARY TURBO mode. However, Nitecore probably went with a MOMENTARY TURBO instead, as a light of this size would start to get uncomfortably warm rather quickly.
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 6000K 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.
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.
Quick Comparison to Nitecore TINI
| Description | Nitecore TINI 2 | Nitecore TINI |
|---|---|---|
| Body Color Options | 2 (Hi-Tech Black & Metallic Gray) | 7 (Black, Gold, Green, Blue, Red, Gray & Silver) |
| LED Used | Osram P9 | Cree XP-G2 |
| LED Quantity | 2 LEDs (Dual) | 1 LED (Single) |
| TIR Optic Type | Clear | Bead |
| MOMENTARY TURBO Mode Output | 500 Lumens | 380 Lumens |
| No. of Modes | 5 Modes | 4 Modes |
| Max Beam Distance | 89m | 64m |
| Beam Intensity | 2,000cd | 1,020cd |
| Weight (including battery) | 18.8g | 13.4g |
| OLED Display | Yes | No |
| Charging Port | USB-C | Micro-USB |
| Electronic Lockout | Yes | No |
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 small form factor with 500 lumens burst (MOMENTARY TURBO) output, informative OLED display, 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.
That said, it would be nice if Nitecore included a USB-C cable to make a full flashlight package (flashlight + battery + charger cable) and it would make the Nitecore TINI 2 a great option for gifting purposes and such.
Here are 2 bonus size comparison pictures with other Nitecore flashlights and when attached to a car key fob.
From Left to Right: Nitecore TINI 2, Nitecore TIP2 and Nitecore TUP
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 TINI 2
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