By: Greg Chabot
Photos by author
Note: Nitecore provided the test sample before release to the public.
Nitecore, established in 2007 with innovative and industry-leading products, has been a rising force in the industry for the past 16 years. Recently I was contacted and asked if I had interest in testing their soon-to-be-released EDC33 flashlight. Having never tested a light I seized the opportunity and said yes and eagerly awaited its arrival by snail mail. If you have been following me, you know I tend to run gear into the dirt, lights included. My current EDC light is a SureFire 6P I bought in Iraq in 2004 which is on its last leg.
EDC33 specs are available at Nitecore’s website, so I won’t bore you with a list. What I was interested in was power for the size, ease of use and battery life from use and in adverse conditions. And overall quality and value for one’s money.
Testing
I’m not a light geek so I’ll be keeping testing simple and to the point. According to Nitecore the EDC33 comes with their Lumin Shield technology which will provide a high intensity light for defensive purposes with an impressive 4000 Lumens, which should cause a blinding effect on a threat and not cause discomfort to the user by flickering. I was interested in trying out the light’s “spear” mode which claims to have a range of 450 meters and for the size of the light is impressive.
After the light arrived fully charged my first test was to leave it outside overnight in below-freezing temps. Bringing it inside the battery had kept a full charge according to the built-in indicator. I then took the time to test and set the light to my preferred setting. The EDC33 comes with four settings that can be changed on the fly if needed. The light is activated via a tail button. The manual is well written and explains everything very clearly on how to use the light. The clip keeps the light firmly in place so there is no worry of losing it while doing activities. The EDC33 also comes with a lock to prevent accidental activation in one’s pocket. The EDC33 ergonomics worked for me. The grip texture was very aggressive, and I had no issues using the light with gloves on. The EDC33 also comes with a lanyard and clip to attach to gear if one chooses too.
I picked a clear night to test the spear mode and the Lumin Shield. I wasn’t disappointed; shining the light into the woods I could see clearly, and the light did not flicker or fade with continuous use. The Lumin Shield was impressive and was blinding as you can see in the pictures. I caution end users to be careful if using it indoors. The EDC33 also comes with a sensor protection function that detects a close obstacle such as a door and it automatically dims the light to prevent overheating. It works, I held the light a few inches away from a wall and it dimmed. Backing away it went back to its setting. The battery has held up and I have not had to charge it yet with heavy use. The battery is a 4000 mAH 18650 Li-ion that is rechargeable via a USB-C port that is accessed by twisting the end cap.
The test sample was dropped and treated roughly with no decrease in performance. It worked great in wet/cold conditions. The light is submersible up to 2 meters and leaving it in a bucket of water overnight did not cause any issues. With continuous use the light did get hot at the emitting end. At no time did I experience discomfort from heat while holding it. Let it cool off before putting it in your pocket after continuous use which is common sense.
Overall, I was happy with my testing experience, the light worked as advertised. It held up to rough handling and freezing conditions. For the price point you get great features and performance compared to higher priced competitors. The EDC33 MSRP is $69.95 USD direct from Nitecore which in my opinion is a good deal. If you are looking for a new EDC light that won’t let you down, check out the Nitecore EDC33.
More information and specs at https://www.nitecore.com/