Nextorch E52C 21700 Rechargeable Flashlight Review
The Nextorch E52C flashlight uses a single 21700 cell and is rechargeable, too! There’s a built-in USB-C charging port. Read on for testing!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Nextorch E52C 21700 rechargeable flashlight product page.
Versions
There’s only one version of the Nextorch E52C 21700 rechargeable flashlight.
Price
The Nextorch E52C is $79.95 and is available today at nextorch.com.
I also have a referral coupon for Nextorch.com that’ll give you 10% off! The code is “ZEROAIR“.
Short Review
The E52C is a powerful flashlight and hits the claimed 3000 lumens. Nextorch lights are built well, and the E52C is no exception – build quality is great! I appreciate that there’s a 21700 cell included. Three modes might be too few, though, and the mode order (highest to lowest) is opposite to my preference. The switch is really great and has a very pleasant actuation.
Long Review
The Big Table
| Nextorch E52C 21700 Rechargeable Flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Cree XHP50B |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $79.95 |
| Cell: | 1×21700 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Questionable |
| Switch Type: | Mechanical |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | No modes |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 3000 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 2983 (99.4% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 4.7 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 210 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 586lux @ 5.063m = 15022cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 245.1 (116.7% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 6400-7700 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | Nextorch |
| All my Nextorch reviews! | |
^ Measurement disclaimer: Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.
What’s Included
- Nextorch E52C 21700 rechargeable flashlight
- Nextorch 4800mAh 21700
- Charging cable (USB to USB-C)
- Spare o-rings (2)
- Lanyard
- Manual etc
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
As stated above, the build quality of this Nextorch E52C 21700 rechargeable flashlight is exceptional. It’s hard to describe why that is, though. In hand, you know it immediately. The anodizing is “soft” in a matte way, and the knurling is even and adds a good amount of grip.
The tailcap has a nice, thick double spring. Threads on the tail are very smooth, square cut, and not too long.
Inside the cell tube on the positive end is also a spring. This spring looks a bit smaller than the tailcap spring.
Size and Comps
Size: 153 mm (Length) x 30 mm (Head diameter) x 27 mm (Body diameter)
Weight: 130 g/4.58 oz (Without battery)
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo). If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that (usually in the fourth photo).
Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. Mine’s a custom “baked” edition Nichia 219b triple. A very nice 18650 light.
Also above is the light beside my custom engraved TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light. I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats.
Retention and Carry
The Nextorch E52C has a nice friction-fit pocket clip that attaches only on the tail end. This clip isn’t designed as a “deep-carry” clip but due to the length of the light, it does function that way.
The clip has a nice design, including a stamped logo near the shoulder.
Clip hug!
A lanyard is also included. You could attach that through the pocket clip, but these two holes in the tailcap are a much better option.
That’s it for the included means of carrying the E52C. However, Nextorch also sent the Nextorch FR-2. This tactical grip is available for $10 and is a perfectly reasonable add-on to your purchase of the E52C.
The FR-2 attaches just as the included pocket clip does. They can not be used at the same time.
This tactical ring adds quite a bit of grip variety on the E52C.
Power and Runtime
Nextorch includes a single 21700 cell with the E52C. It’s a 4800mAh cell, and has a button top.
The cell goes into the E52C in the normal way – positive end toward the head.
In case you for get this, note that here are polarity indicators on the cell tube, as seen below.
Below are a couple of runtime tests. I’m disappointed by how quickly the light steps down from High. Not just that, but it steps down to a fairly low level – the same level as Medium.
I get it – there’s not a ton of mass here for dealing with heat of three thousand lumens. But stepping down to something higher than Medium would be great!
Low voltage protection was not really observed – I stopped both of these tests with the light still on. Granted, output had dropped to nearly nothing, but the light was still on and draining the cell. So be aware of this.
Charging
The Nextorch E52C 21700 flashlight is rechargeable – there’s a USB-C charging port right here in the head.
To access it, the head needs to be loosened quite a bit. The head doesn’t come off (through normal operation).
A USB to USB-C charging cable is included. Note the touch of “Nextorch green” there on both ends of the cable. I really like that! Small touch, but it points out that Nextorch tries to do things right!
Charging is pretty good, and it finishes in under 5 hours. That’s not the quickest, but this is a large cell, too! USB to C and C to C both work fine.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 3000 | 2h30m | 2983 |
| Medium | 550 | 4h15m | 562 |
| Low | 30 | 65h | 36 |
Pulse Width Modulation
Only the middle mode uses PWM, and it’s fast so really nothing to worry about.
Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor.
Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.
User Interface and Operation
The switch of the E52C seems like a forward clicky and it feels much like a mechanical switch. (Since the light has onboard charging that doesn’t require any switch actuation, I’m not sure if it’s a mechanical clicky or not, though.)
As stated above, I really love the switch. The actuation, the profile, the dome, the access from sides – it’s all fantastic!
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Tap | Mode select (HML order) |
| Off | Click | On (steady) in selected mode |
| Off | Double tap and hold | Momentary strobe (disorienting) |
| Off | Double tap and click | Strobe |
| On | Click | Off |
| On | Tap | No change (it’s a forward clicky style) |
LED and Beam
Nextorch uses what they’re calling a Cree XHP50B. I don’t see where they’ve claimed a CCT.
It’s a single emitter and has a textured reflector.
The bezel is smooth, so light doesn’t escape when headstanding. Below you can also see the charge level indicator (orange, in this photo). I am very fond of this indicator!
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
With a single emitter pushing 3000 lumens, it’s no surprise that this light tends toward the cool side of CCT. Very cool on the highest mode, in fact, at around 7700K. On low (far right), CCT is much more reasonable at around 6400K. CRI is unsurprisingly low, too, at around 72.
Beamshots
These beamshots always have the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level, and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away.
Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)
I keep the test flashlight on the left and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right.
I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Conclusion
What I like
- Great build quality
- Fairly reasonable price
- Very high initial output
- The switch action is fantastic
- Charging indicator seems very refined
- USB-C to C charging works
What I don’t like
- Stepdown is to “too low” from turbo
- Could use 4 modes (not 3)
- High > Medium > Low isn’t my preferred mode order (but probably great for tactical users)
Notes
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
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