Nitecore T4K Review - the World's smallest 4,000 lumens flashlight - but is it any good?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ค. 2024
- This is the Nitecore T4K flashlight. It is the world's smallest and lightest 4,000 lumens flashlight. In this review of the T4K I run through all the features of this blindingly bright (4,000 lumens is insane at this size!) flashlight so you can decide if it is worth all the hype. When it comes to everyday carry (or EDC) I carry a very small and lightweight flashlight because I don't expect to need it much during the day. But for Everynight Carry - this could be the one!
My name is Jonathan, I have a passion for all things 'gadget, travel and EDC' which has filled both my personal and work life for many years. This includes sourcing, reviewing and product development and the creation of two UK national retail chains. Find out more here: • About Jon Gadget - Who...
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Contents of this video to help you navigate:
00:00 Intro
00:15 Unboxing
01:00 First impressions and dimensions
05:04 Light levels, battery life, and operation
08:45 Beam distance
09:25 The OLED screen
11:00 Demo and Daily Mode
12:02 Lockout modes
13:50 Carry options
16:35 Charging
17:32 IPX rating
17:55 Night time demo
19:18 Price and conclusion
20:56 Outro
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Great review! I had the Nitecore T4K for about 6 months now and its battery is still at full capacity. I had the Imalent LD70 way back in January but it failed and doesn't work anymore. So, I got the T4K last March and until now it still works perfectly fine. Worth the price :)
great to know - thanks for sharing 👍
Thank you Jon for all the great videos. Keep up the fantastic work, you are super!😉👍
What a brilliant review....couldn't be any better !!...👏👏
Thank you Jon for all the great videos. Keep up the fantastic work, you are super! 🔥
thank you 🙏
I really like how your videos are produced (lights, camera angles, sound…) and the fact that you always have a clear and interesting talk. I’m sure you will get many more subscribers soon and I’m one of them. 😁 Greetings from France 🇫🇷
Bonjour! and thank you so much for the kind comments 🙏 and thank you for subscribing.
I completely agree with im4 k0. I love your backdrop. So cozy and Gothic. It’s fun to watch your videos on a rainy day. I have many Nitecore Torches and they are up there with the highest quality torches available in the industry. Yes, of course I own this exact model along with several other different “keychain “ models from Nitecore. They are not inexpensive torches but you know what they say: You get what you pay for. I highly recommend this awesome torch. You will get many many great years out of this torch.
Good review Jon. I have a few Nitecore products and have always been impressed by their performance and quality. I really like the look of this one and the 10 second bursts in the highest mode seems a sound idea. I can see it residing in a jacket pocket during the darker months. The price you quoted does not seem excessive, I think Nitecore have a winner on their hands here.
I am surprised by how much I like it. Quite small and light but very practical.
Great review!
Another fantastic review! I have owned the T4K for a year now. No problems and worth the money.
thank you - a favourite if mine too
Great review, I especially appreciate your analysis of what this product is and is not, and why it works for you I have the TUP 1000 lumen and think of it the same way. It is my EDC light. The functions and operation work very nicely. Another Nitecore 4K lumen light is on my radar for a field flashlight, the E4K. Also, the clip does work great on my cap bill, the main reason it is my EDC.
Great feedback - thanks Doug
Thanks for the video, a nice, detailed review. 👍
Thanks for the kind feedback 👍
One thing i missed it s the lock mode 2, i believe this model has that.
Another which would be nice, is when a powerbank is attached, it would actually read that as well. So you get real good time measurement
I bought my T4k before Isaw your review and I agree it's worth the money. Especially the screen.
Agree with you Jon regarding the reality of modern torches that sell on a high lumen count when in fact that is only for a few seconds upto a couple of minutes LED's and batteries have got better but you have to look at the mid modes and look at duration. I have an Olight pro seeker 2 that has 3200 lumen but I have it set on 200 as that is sufficient for most needs. The turbo is usefull in an emergency or self defence.
Great feedback. Thanks for sharing.
Hmmmm... I've been looking at this light for a while. I think displays on lights are the future. As function get more advances on lights, the small display makes more and more sence. Awesome content buddy 👍
Thank you 👍🙏
Well done. Thanks!
Just found your channel,,, great stuff... Are you about to do a review on edc belt pouches of good quality leather would really be interested in that too. Keep up the good work Mate..
thanks for kind comment on the channel - I keep a note of all requests and try and work through them 👍
Nice piece of kit, very well designed.
Agreed 👍
Got the TUP the 1000 lumen. That’s also a brilliant light, a lot smaller and carry it every day.
it is a very good light
I have the Nitecore TUP and Nitecore Tini 2 which both have
almost the same UI as this TK4.
I bought the Tini 2 as it is a lot
lighter than the TUP.
I use both of these on a neck lanyard and even the Tini 2 puts out 500 lumens.
I've just bought the upgraded Olight
Warrior 3 (2300 lumens) in desert
cam and I've only had the M2R
Warrior in Ocean camouflage for about a month.
I blame Black Friday.
I really like your reviews,
you tell us all we need to know.
I hate it when some of these reviewers throw the lights around.
The manufacturer has already drop tested these lights so why is it necessary to repeat this abuse ?
I'm looking forward to your next review.
I have the 1000 lumen version of this light. I was surprised how much I like being able to see exactly how much runtime is left at each power level. While this wouldn’t replace my Fenix LD30 as an edc due to runtimes and the fact that I like to carry only 18650 lights, it looks pretty cool and I will no doubt add one to my (far too large) collection.
The 1000 lumen is not the T4K but the TUP. Both are great.
I am impressed with the screen too!
@@TTTbasco I know, but it’s clear they are the same design.
18650 lights are obsolete already. 21700 cells are what powers high end and good quality lights now
@@jayling8086 21700 is too big for my pocket. 18650 is as big as I want to go. 21700 is ok for a bag.
i've actually leaned against a stansion on my boat at work with this clipped to me belt and it DID burn the crap out of my shirt and forearm (in feeling. luckily no physical damage). gave me a good scare, and that was IN lockout mode 1. I've been more careful since, and still use lockout mode 1. But I can definitely see a need for lockout mode 2. 10 seconds is enough to start a fire against some paper or light material. as I've done deliberately with many fast food bags over the last few months i've owned this light as I showed others.
Great review and agree it’s nicely designed . I have the 1000 version too.
But my only concern with this and other Proprietary battery types is what happens after it’s exceeded it’s charge /discharge cycle count.
Is the battery(s) replaceable ( it can be opened), sent to the manufacture (probably not) or meant to be disposed of & buy a new torch? 🧐
not replaceable 😬
Take the screws out and replace the battery. Inside is essentially a standard rechargeable battery.
I own a Nitecore Tip S.E. (keychain) and a Fenix TK-15 U.E. = both incredible. oNe LovE from NYC
Thank you Michael - love NYC 😊
What is size comparison to the tini2? I want one for keychain light.
Jon, you should do a review on the Nitecore 10000 or 20000 mah light battery. It works great with the T4K and the usb-c silicone cord.
That would give some great duration 👍
Thank you
You can always put a rectangle magnetic charger tip so it helps cover the charging port.
Hello, I enjoyed the review video~! I have a question. If you operate T4K by mode, it turns off in the middle. Is this a failure? Or is it because of fever? There is a phenomenon that turns off in the middle when you operate T4K outside in winter. (This article translates into a translator, so there may be an error.)
I just ordered one after watching other comparisons. Haven't received it yet. I bought this for one reason only-self defense. It won't be an EDC for me. Many flashlights will temporarily "blind" a potential attacker at night with lower lumens - but I want one that could do that in daylight/indoor light at room distances. It is yet to been seen if this will do the trick.
Manker e14 iii- 4000 lumens. D4v2 with short tube- 4000ish depending on leds. Both smaller (unless you use optional 18650 tube) and brighter. They also let you go well above 200 before turbo with surprising battery life. And down to .5 lumens... The manker is my go to edc (flood)
I have heard about some quality concerns but I haven't had any personal experience - must check out when I get the chance 👍
One of the biggest issues with these is that they’ll only work with unprotected cells - that’s asking way too much of the average user. It’s fine for flashaholics like us if we’ve really delved into the nuances of battery management and we know everything that’s required to prevent burning our houses down with them, but that’s an absolute deal killer for everyone else.
What about the lumintop GT3 Mini? It is 6500 lumens and of similar size. I love mine. Would be cool to see a comparison between the 2.
This flash light and the victorinox Swiss champ xavt on my key ring and I'll be good to go🥵all jokes aside i really like this little light 🔦 thanks for sharing with us much appreciated 👍
thanks William 😁 - yes, I like this one too
The T4K is one of the rare flashlights which can be charged and utilised at the same time.
This feature require the doubling of component parts in the circuit, and has big impact on the final price.
Of the hand torches, only the SRT7i and the Tiny2 can be charged and used at the same time.
Worth the money if you need the features...
The obvious remedy for the short duration of the 4000 lumen mode is to carry 6 of these lights and actuate them in serial fashion for a combined 1 minute of bright light. Come on, people - this is not that difficult.
🤣
@@JonGadget im getting 12 i aint stupid. 🇬🇧👍🤓
@@andrewdaley3081 🤣
@@JonGadget 😁🇬🇧👍
lol 😂😂😂😂
Thanks!
Thanks Mike for the 'Thanks' - really appreciated
Theres one thing i haven't seen people mention is if u hold the power button to turn it on for 10 seconds the oled display will come on and the light will turn off only showing the oled display in a demo like display. To de activate press power button once.
I haven't watched the whole video but i'm wondering if there is a tactical attachment to attach this to a rifle.
I hope you can also review sofirn new q8 pro.. use quad xhp50 led which give 12k lumen.. for the price that only under $80, its really mind blowing.
it looks really interesting for the price!!
@@JonGadget it still newly release, still no review been made by flashlight channel on youtube.. i just got mine last week..
Can you compare it with imalent LD70 it's 4000 lumens
Better than Imalent LD70?
Maybe I missed it, but didn't see any mention of the specific battery and whether or not it is user-replaceable. All batteries wear out. For as much money as they want it would be good to be able to replace the battery. If not replaceable, how many charge cycles?
Thanks.
John
Thanks John. Good point. No mention of the battery being replaceable. This I see more and more on smaller lights where standard cylinder batteries wont fit. It is an important consideration and often the cost associated with going for the smaller form factor.
@@JonGadget Hi Jon,
Has the T4K lived up to your expectations? I've seen at least one user who said the "time remaining" function wasn't linear - that it remained at 1+ hours and then dropped abruptly to just a few minutes time remaining. Has that happened to you?
@@johnbauman4005 good question - not sure as I keep it charged - will find out now you have mentioned it
Do you have a machine or is there a way to measure The true power or lumin Of lights. I have a 1000 lm flashlights. And when you were shine that in your backyard, mine appears way brighter.
Then again I skipped through the video maybe it was on a lower power mode
Just ordered one
I think you’ll like it.
@@JonGadget I love it. However I wish the clip were reversible. I would like to be able to put this on my MOLLE and have it facing down. Doesn't make much sense to clip it on and have it facing upwards. I do see though how it works the way it is when clipping it to a hat.
I also bought the Fenix TK-16 version 2 after your review. Hard to believe this little thing is brighter than that. They make a great combo when I'm on patrol.
@@GlobalCop thanks for the feedback - I guess facing down might encourage water to sit in the usb-c socket in the rain! Great combo. Fenix obviously better duration at higher levels butt Nitecore great for short bursts and as a back up.
It's really ridiculous that this doesn't have a 500-1000 lumen mode, especially when 4,000 is turbo & it has that copper for added heat dissipation. Even a 800 lumen for 30 seconds would be ideal, as a "higher high #2" after 200 lumen mode. The core lumen selection is all over the place haha.
I think their logic is to protect the battery life as much as possible outside the short 4k burst - battery is small
@@JonGadget Yeah I suppose that's the case. I guess for me it's gimmicky without 1 more lumen mode. From 200 to 4,000 is a *crazy spectrum* to skip over. I'm fine with the timed burst' to help protect the light & manage battery life. Either way.. appreciate your review! Definitely a pass for me.
@@doejon9424 Thanks for the feedback - much appreciated 👍
You should check out emisar. The dt8 can do 6700 lumens, has a bigger battery, is cheaper and waterproof. D4V2 is a similar story. No on-board charging though
thanks, will check its out
Those flashlights are a non-starter for anyone who isn’t a dedicated enthusiast, however, because they can only run on unprotected cells. That’s fine for people who use their lights a lot and who have learned all the ins and outs of managing an unprotected, unregulated lithium ion battery, but for most people, this is an almost guaranteed way to burn down their house eventually when it’s forgotten about.
What power bank is that?
I hate to say this but these Chinese companies (nitecore & rovyvon) are smashing it in the flashlight industry.
not to mention Olight and Fenix!
its not in amazon anymore jsut the tup 1000
I honestly cannot imagine a situation in which I would ever need a flashlight that can produce 4000 lumens for 10 seconds. Most of my flashlight needs are met by a Fenix E12 v2.0, a single AA flashlight with modes of 5/30/160 lumens, and the vast majority of the time, the 5 lumen mode is what gets used, to preserve my night vision. That is my EDC flashlight, and I always carry a spare battery. If I am going into the backcountry, then I carry a Fenix HM23 headlamp, as well, again a single AA model, because light weight is the priority.
Sometime in the next day or three, I will take delivery of a Fenix PD36 TAC, a 21700 battery model, which will serve as a dual-purpose bicycle headlamp and tactical flashlight should that ever become necessary. The PD36 TAC has a High mode of 2000 lumens, and a Turbo Mode of 3000 lumens, but what I find most compelling are the Eco, Low, and Med modes of 30/150/350 lumens, all of which have flat brightness curves for the entire duration of the battery life, which is 160/18.5/10 hours on a full charge. Its long battery life and flat brightness/discharge curve at brightness levels which only a few years ago would have been cutting edge for tactical flashlights are what make it so compelling.
yea the PD36 seems really nice but I would like to see more 21700 medium size flashlights from fenix, something like a TK-22 V.3 because I would like a 2-3-4K lumen turbo mode that wont step down after 2 minutes because I don't really like modes that work for 1-2 minutes then step down because these modes are more like marketing numbers than anything else. But I think LED and battery technology might not be here yet for 2-4K lumen modes on a medium size flashlight with 15min usetime. Also these high power modes are ofc totally unlessesary in every day work but they are nice when out in the woods or fields when its pitch black and you might need to see far ahead or you want a high candella flashlight for self-defence where guns are not allowed for law abiding citizens
that is my view too - which is why I like the T4K - useable sensible light levels with good battery life and a 4K burst for brief flood light or self defence
thanks for sharing Gemma - I agree the battery life is more relevant than headline brightness - I think the T4K gets the balance right for such a small flashlight - I think the short burst can be genuinely useful
See my recent comment above for my reason for purchasing.
You don’t carry this light on your keys. You carry your keys on this light. 😂
Perhaps I'm too critical, but looking at that time table i was confused. How is it possible that 15lm can still do 21 hours? I mean if we divide the initial 67/15=10h. The higher the lumens the weirder total hours. It makes no sense why the 1lm would just do 67 hours then. Is there a reason for that?
I don’t know enough about the control circuitry but my guess is that at 1 lumen, the LEDs aren’t using very much power and a larger bulk of the energy is being used by all the control circuitry. Purely a guess, though.
This is my backup light. Currently my only light, thanks to me torturing my poor p10ix until it died.
It still works fine, since many months now. The battery inside must be top quality.
For the price of the T4K, you can buy a proper professional flashlight, so I imagine this T4K isn't that popular - just because of the alternatives.
It truly makes 4,000 lumens for max 20 seconds, but I don't feel comfortable to discharge the battery at that current.
The T4K is the best keyring flashlight with an ooOOhhHH surprise included. For the same money you can buy an EDC33 - a more rational choice. Otherwise this is the Queen of Gadget Lights...
First view! Woop woop!
I am afraid to get a flashlight with a screen, I really think there is no going back from it and my other flashlights won't see any use 😳
It does feel a bit like that Eyal!
But you can watch Netflix on your flashlight
The only thing that keeps me from buying this flashlight is the lack of other brightness settings between 200 and 4000 lumens.
i feel like this is one of those lights that you show off to your friends, like, you think your flashlight is bright? watch this. but seriously, it's impressive a light this small can put out four thousand lumens, if only for a few seconds.
4K lumen is quite useless (in this size of a flashlight) unless you can focus the light to get the Candella up. The only reason why you would need a super turbo mode like this would be to blind/scare someone that might be looking for trouble but if you have a lower lumen flashlight with better focus then that will do a much better job than this
I find it useful to be able to briefly light up a wide area
Usefully when hillwalking to illuminate a large area for route assessment or threat detection. Can also be used as an emergency light. The 4k light output is useful as a defensive weapon, if used close in to blind a aggressor.
@@robertwillis4061 You dont know how lumens and candella works do you?
If I were hillwalking I would carry a real flashlight with me
@@reahs4815 If I was looking for a focussed light beam I would consider something else - but this light as would be the case with most with an LED array flashlights has a spread light pattern to light up a wide area and in that situation the more lumens the better - which is why I like it. It wouldn't be my sole choice for hillwalking though but nice as a backup for the weight. As a pocket light for general use it is in my view brilliant (literally).
Nice flashlight… but not the smallest 4K …. the Imalent LD70 is 81mm long by 25mm diameter … it would fit inside the shell of the Nitecore
Yes, I picked up on this recently - I think Nitecore might need to re-think their marketing!
I own this light and quite frankly I regret buying it. I haven't had any issues with it and it works as advertised by honestly it's pointless. The reason I bought it is because I wanted a USB-C refresh of the TUP which I also own. Throwing both of these lights at turbo the T4K is noticeably brighter but the TUP is bright enough. You can't really use either of these as a keychain lights unless you want to walk around with a cancerous tumor in your pocket, even more so with the T4K. I got the Tini 2 on the way which I would have gotten the original Tini over the TUP if it had USB-C.
I would not recommend this light to anyone looking for a keychain light or just a plain old EDC. Either get the TUP or the Tini 2 instead as both are much more practical.
Pity about the ipx rating
I know - only really disappointing feature
I'm not sure that anyone actually understands how LEDs work. They are more akin to magic than science.
I am sure the word photon would feature! I agree, probably witchcraft 😁
Hahaa!
The battery is not replaceable? Once the battery’s life cycle is complete… the flashlight is trash?
Yes!
D4v2 with 18350 is far smaller and powerfull
looks interesting - will check it out!
I can hear from your tone of voice that you were having a bit of a hard time when you made this video. Hope things are better now.
I would always prefer the TUP over the T4K.... "sustained" Turbo/1000lm vs super short 4000 Lumen Turbo only.
The 200lm setting is too often not enough so i just enjoy 1000lm with the thermal regulation which drops to about 400-500lm in long term but increase the runtime from 15 minutes at 1000lm to about 20-30 minutes when the temperature gets higher/hot.
And well, if i need really SUSTAINED 1000lm+... i just use my loved Noctigon Meteor M43... small, robust (looking at least...), good capacity with 4x 18650 and good enough for sustained 2000lm for sure, for a very long time. Even sustained 4000lm+ if you have a good blood cooling circuit and withstand the heat.
Looks cool but its kinda useless compared to for example a Fenix Tk16 V2...
For hardcore use, yes, but I am likely to have this with me more due to size and weight!
Or just get the new olight seeker 3 pro
That would need to be compared with other 21700 lights 🙂
If only it had a magnet
Another thing which is kinda weird. There is this nitrocorecuannle which actually dunks ipx54 into water and submerges it.
Not sure where the worlds smallest comes from.. my tm9k is the same size and over 2x as bright.
Nice light, just not for me. Keeping my beat up olight Baton II.
Baton III is another great light - hard to choose between them - pros and cons for both depending on use-case but both great flashlights.
Imalent is smallest 4K
Nitecore might need to think it's marketing message!
@@JonGadget Yeah the Imalent LD70 looks smaller to me.
Made of metal?
Lights like this only appeals to collectors. No real use for "search and rescue" or law enforceent roles.
Instead of focusing on increasing max lumens and throw distance work on "heat dissapation" to increase run times in practical lumens mode ranges e.g. under Turbo mode.
Make sure the lights have an always visible LED battery power indicator e.g. 4 LEDs. That sstay on. ...not blink ON when powered on.
this video is proof, review free shit means you won't find a balanced evaluation. i.e. Cons
Bad video with you taking up the whole screen and not allowing people to see the flashlight much.
it's terrible shit