Nitecore is a Chinese manufacturer of flashlights that has been in business since 2007. Nitecore specializes in compact multi-mode lights. The company is currently owned by Sysmax, who also owns JETBeam and a couple other offshoot light manufacturers. Nitecore has often been recommended to those on a budget looking for a decent flashlight.
Today, we are looking at their P10i Tactical flashlight which is a flashlight geared specifically towards law enforcement, military, and search and rescue users. It is supposed to be built tough and is waterproof. In fact, Nitecore actually demonstrates this flashlight with it being charged underwater, completely submerged. The light is rated for IP68 which means that it is supposed to withstand drops from one meter in height. When you hold the P10i in your hands, it certainly feels like it can easily sustain such a fall.
The full specifications are as follows:
- Max Output: 1800 Lumens
- Max Beam Distance: 290 m
- Max Beam Intensity: 21100 cd
- Max Runtime: 50 h 0 m / 2.08 d
- LED Luminus: SST-40-W LED
- Battery: 1 × 21700, 2 × CR123
- Special Modes: Strobe
- Length: 147 mm / 5.79 in
- Head Size: 25.4 mm / 1.00 in
- Weight: 84 g / 2.96 oz
I enjoyed using this light. I felt like it fit in the hand nicely and it was easy to operate. All the switches and buttons are in the right spots and you do not have to look at the flashlight to change modes or use it. The P10i sports 1800 lumens in its top mode which is impressive. I also like that Nitecore gives you a whole set of accessories such as a holster, a clip, a lanyard, and a spare o-ring as well of course as the charging cable and a battery. Nitecore also has a slew of other accessories you can purchase that will allow you to mount this flashlight onto essentially anything from a rifle to a helmet without much issue.
However, I was disappointed that the P10i flashlight uses the 21700 series lithium-ion batteries as they cost about $25 to replace. The one included in the box should get you 500 recharges according to Nitecore, but $25 to replace a battery in an $80 flashlight doesn’t make much sense. You could probably do some hunting around the internet to source a cheaper battery but that is of course buyer beware.
In conclusion, the Nitecore P10i Tactical flashlight offers a lot of bang for your buck. It is not a “cheap” light by any means coming in at $80 in typical markets. However, when you consider the specifications, this flashlight certainly seems underpriced. It is no secret that Nitecore has been trying to make waves into the flashlight market and this could be a Chinese manufacturer just simply undercutting the market with a quality product. Time will tell if the Nitecore P10i tactical flashlight is worth the money but for now it gets a thumbs up. 8/10.
Ben