Nitecore EDC27 Slim Flashlight Review
The Nitecore EDC27 Slim flashlight is a slim tactical/EDC flashlight that packs quite a punch. It’s a thin light, too, slipping easily into a pocket. Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Nitecore EDC27 slim flashlight product page.
Versions
There’s just one version.
Price
The Nitecore EDC27 slim flashlight currently sells for $89.95 and is available at NitecoreStore.com.
Short Review
I figured this wouldn’t be too interesting of a light, but I have to say, it’s pretty neat! I like the slim nature of the light, much in the same way that I liked the Olight Arkfeld. Output is staggering from this (ultimately) tiny light, but the stepdowns on Turbo are unsurprisingly quick. The user interface is pretty good, and the OLED display is fairly well utilized, too. It’s a solid light!
Long Review
The Big Table
| Nitecore EDC27 Slim Flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Luminus SST-40 (2) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $89.95 at NitecoreStore.com |
| Cell: | Internal |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | E-switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | Yes, but not really turbo |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 3000 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1060 (35.3% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 4.61 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 219 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 385lux @ 5.825m = 13063cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 228.6 (104.4% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 5600-6200 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | flashlightgo.com |
| All my Nitecore 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
- Nitecore EDC27 slim flashlight
- Charging cable (USB to USB-C)
- Lanyard
- Manual etc
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
You may be surprised to know (or not, if you read the product literature) that the Nitecore EDC27 slim flashlight has a metal body. In fact, it’s stainless steel, and the steel is coated with “titanium-colored PVD.” It’s a nice look. Also, it feels great to use!
The head has a little icon that says “HOT” and let me just tell you right here: that’s no joke!
On the tail end is an OLED display.
I didn’t do any disassembly on the Nitecore EDC27 slim flashlight at all. It does look to be held together with a number of TORX screws, though!
Size and Comps
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 on the left is a new feature light!! Laulima Metal Craft sent this titanium Todai for some size comparison photos like the ones above. Laulima has a bunch of incredible items. I’ve tested one (the Laulima Metal Craft Hoku) (the official site for Hoku is here) that was a Friend Fund Friday review. I was impressed enough by that Hoku that I bought a Laulima Metal Craft Diamond Slim (also in tumbled aluminum) (review is upcoming!) These lights by Laulima have impeccable build quality and not only that, they’re quite configurable. There are some (great, actually) default configurations, but Joshua Dawson (of Laulima Metal Craft) is open to ideas and emitter options and the like. I haven’t reviewed this Todai, but I have to say, it feels absolutely fantastic and I love it thus far. (Notably, I love how warm and eggy those emitters look through the TIR.)
Retention and Carry
This pocket clip that ships attached is extraordinarily beefy! It’s so peculiar, in fact, that I feel like it probably fits some role I just don’t even know about – like it’s utility-built and fits some specific [whatever] [wherever].
Regardless if that’s fact or imagination, it’s a great clip and very secure.
The clip has a number of holes, too, including this loop seemingly ideal for attaching the included lanyard.
That’s it for included carry options.
Power and Runtime
Nitecore says the EDC27 slim flashlight runs a 1700mAh 6.29Wh battery but doesn’t say much else. It’s certainly a built-in LiPO, and is not intended for exchange by the user. It’s definitely not field-serviceable!
I tested the top three modes, including Turbo, which resets (or steps down) in relation to heat build up. So Turbo can last a second or less, or whatever, but let me tell you: it can get hot. Very hot.
Here’s a better view of Turbo. Each of those blips to Turbo is me manually clicking and holding the switch.
Nitecore doesn’t even state a runtime duration for Turbo, so I guess this sort of gets a pass – except they do claim 3000 lumens. It’s unclear if this is aimed at being the “FL1” claim (but probably). I think anyone should be able to observe from the light size that it would be unreasonable to expect 3000 lumens for very long – even if it was capable, there’s nowhere for all that heat to go.
Charging
The Nitecore EDC27 slim flashlight has built-in charging by way of a USB-C charging port in the tail near the switches. A press-in cover protects this charging port.
An appropriate cable is included: USB to USB-C.
While charging, the OLED displays battery voltage.
Charging is quick! The rate is around 2A and in total takes only around 1.25 hours. That’s great! USB-C and USB charge about the same.
When charging is complete, the OLED displays 4.2V.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 3000 | – – | 3353 (0s) 1069 (30s) |
| High | 1000 | 1h45m | 1104 |
| Mid | 200 | 3h45m | 220 |
| Low | 65 | 11h | 92 |
| Ultralow | 15 | 37h | 15 |
Pulse Width Modulation
None of the five steady levels seem to use PWM.
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
Two switches control the EDC27. There’s a power switch – you can see it below at right. The other bigger and flatter switch is a mode switch. Both are e-switches.
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click Power Switch | On (Mode memory) |
| Off | Hold power switch (half press) | Momentary mode memory |
| On | Click power switch | Off |
| On | Half press power switch (if OLED is active) | Mode advance (lower to higher, excluding Turb0) |
| Off | Half press power switch (if OLED is not active) | Activate OLED display |
| Off | Full press power switch | High |
| Off | Half press power switch | Ultralow |
| Unlocked | Half press mode switch | Momentary Turbo |
| Unlocked | Full press mode switch | Momentary Strobe |
| On | Hold power switch | Lockout 1 (“Half lockout” mode) |
| Half Lockout | Half press mode switch | Momentary Turbo |
| Half Lockout | Full press mode switch | Momentary Strobe |
| Either Lockout | Short press then long press the power button | Unlock |
| Off | Hold power switch through Lockout 1 | Lockout 2 (“Full lockout” mode) |
| Full Lockout | Any | No change |
LED and Beam
Nitecore has used a couple of Luminus SST-40 emitters in the EDC27, along with what looks to be a custom TIR optic.
The beam profile is great, and it really follows a long line of two-up emitter lights by Nitecore. They’re experts in the field here.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
CCT and CRI are as expected (probably) for such light. It’s high output! That often (and also here) comes with higher CCT (cool white, in this case) and a low CRI of around 67.
Beamshots
These beamshots are always with 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
- Robust build – it’s stainless steel!
- Not just stainless but also coated which probably makes it more durable
- Hits the output spec (at least sort of, but not in an FL1 way)
- Slips so smoothly into the pocket
- Dual switch interface is pretty good
- OLED display seems adequately taken advantage of
- USB-C Charging works great and is quick
What I don’t like
- Gets hot! So hot!
- Battery is not replaceable
- The format (not just this light specifically) is a bit unwieldy
Notes
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
- For flashlight-related patches, stickers, and gear, head over to PhotonPhreaks.com!
- Please use my amazon.com referral link to help support zeroair.org!
- Please support me on Patreon! I deeply appreciate your support!
