Niwalker Blight N01 Flashlight Review
The recently released Niwalker Blight N01 flashlight uses one Osram NM1 emitter. It also has bodies for either 18350 or 18650 and an e-switch interface.
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Niwalker Blight N01 flashlight product page.
Versions
Just one emitter option exists for the Niwalker Blight N01 flashlight but the light is available in either white (seen here) or black.
Price
MSRP base price for the Niwalker Blight N01 flashlight is $42.95. Opting for “Unique White” will add $3 and adding an 18350 cell will add another $5. Both of those are good choices and push the cost to just above $50.
In fact, at flashlightgo.com, the Niwalker Blight N01 flashlight is just a bit cheaper than at the Niwalker site. The light as seen in this post (white, with both bodies and a cell) is just $47!
Short Review
I love small throwers and the Niwalker Blight N01 flashlight in 18350 format absolutely hits that mark. I also love this “Unique White” body. I am not sure this is the famous MAO white. To be blunt about MAO… the coating on this N01 feels more substantial! Using the Niwalker Blight N01 flashlight is great – I love all the modes. There are some user interface quirks, but all the features of this light work very well!
Long Review
The Big Table
| Niwalker Blight N01 flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Osram KW CSLNM1.TG |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $42.95 at flashlightgo.com |
| Cell: | 1×18350 |
| 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 | with cell: all modes without cell and/or body: all modes (but some flicker) |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 750 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 596 (79.5% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 155.44 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 650 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 3830lux @ 6.074m = 141302cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 751.8 (115.7% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 6600-7400 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | Flashlightgo.com |
| All my Niwalker 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
- Niwalker Blight N01 flashlight
- Niwalker Blight N01 18350 body
- Niwalker Blight N01 18650 body
- Niwalker 18350 cell (900mAh)
- Lanyard
- Charging cable (USB to USB-C)
- Spare o-ring
- Manual
Package and Manual
I’m sure you’ll immediately notice how similar this manual is in design to the manuals presented by Thrunite.
Build Quality and Disassembly
I haven’t had a bunch of “these” white flashlights. I say “these” (in quotation marks) because I’m not sure this is really one of these “white” flashlights. I don’t think this is MAO white. Probably not powder coated, but it definitely feels like a coating of some sort. That’s not a problem, though. This white is great!
Just to add more thought to this already belabored point – I don’t think the black version of this light is simply black either. I don’t think it’s a typical anodized black. I think that’s also coated. I expect it’s also very nice!
You can buy this light in any combination of parts. 18350, 18650, or both. My package has both bodes, and so there are photos here of both. I tested with only an 18350 cell though, because that’s what was sent in the package. I don’t think using an 18650 cell should affect performance (no higher output or throw) but an 18650 would have runtimes of longer duration.
Interestingly the 18650 tailcap is not the same as the 18350 tailcap. Functionally they’re the same. In fact, they’re swappable!
Alignment between the head and 18650 parts is a bit different than that with the 18350 parts, too. Because of this, I really consider this an 18350 light with a bonus that it can run a 18650.
My biggest complaint about this light is that it’s very easy to unscrew the head from the body, thus exposing the emitter. That’s great for modding, but for daily use and cell removal and whatever, it gets annoying.
The positive end has only a butotn for contact. Also note those shiny threads on the cell tube. They’re unanodized. Interestingly, the inside of the cell tube is coated, though.
Both tailcaps have nice beefy springs. The cell tube isn’t reversible, either, and threads on the tail end are much longer.
I never know what’s the best option for offering multiple cell size fitment. In usage, I like that the body is specific in size. But in theory, I’d rather that there just be one body that can or might run either cell. We’ve seen that in other lights (like this Manker MC13 II). I often wonder if a simple 35mm extension tube with threads on both ends would be satisfactory. Sure it’d be another part to keep up with, but at least it’d be smaller and probably add less cost. (Note that I would say the same thing about BOSS lights too, and I definitely love those! They essentially use the same extra-tube setup seen here.)
Size and Comps
Diameter (head): 56.8mm
Length (18650): 128mm
Length (18350): 96mm
Weight: 121g
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. I also reviewed that specific edition, the “Oveready BOSS FT Collector Vintage Brass” 35. I love it!
Retention and Carry
A lanyard is included with the Niwalker Blight N01 flashlight package. This lanyard attaches in an unusual place, and that’s a loop built into the body. This loop isn’t removable. Both bodies have a loop, too.
Power and Runtime
The Niwalker Blight N01 flashlight runs a single lithium-ion cell. My package was shipped with both bodies but just the 18350 cell, so that’s what I’ve tested with here. The included cell is a flat top, but I don’t see any reason any type of 18350 would have problems working with the 18350 body.
The cell goes into the light in the usual direction – the positive end toward the head. Due to the much shorter threads on the head end, I typically opted to access the cell in the way seen below and not via the tailcap.
Below you can see a few runtime tests. The light practically hits the output rating but easily hits the throw rating. I found this light to be incredibly throwy.
Charging
The Niwalker Blight N01 flashlight offers USB-C charging via a port in the switch area. The charging port cover is very flat and despite being otherwise similar to the switch in size, is fairly easy to differentiate because of how flush to the body it is.
Niwalker includes a USB to USB-C charging cable.
Charging is good and should work fine for both 18350 and 18650 cells. Around 1A is ~1C for the included 18350 but would be much slower for the (any) higher-capacity 18650 cell.
While charging, the switch lights in red. When charging is complete the switch turns blue.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 750 | 3h | 683 (0s) 596 (30s) |
3.87 |
| High | 460 | 3.5h | 387 | 1.72 |
| Medium | 210 | 7h | 184 | 0.61 |
| Low 1 | 80 | 15h | 65 | 0.17 |
| Low 2 | 25 | 30h | 20.6 | 0.08 |
| Firefly | 1 | 200h | 6.25 | 0.02 |
| Lowest | – | – | 1.63 | [low] |
Pulse Width Modulation
Every mode from lowest (left) to highest (right) uses PWM. It’s fairly fast, though.
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
A single e-switch is used for controlling the N01. The switch is fairly small while still being easy to find without looking. It’s also an indicating switch.
When the light is on, the switch is blue. I don’t see it in the manual and I can’t tell otherwise if the switch is just blue all the time or responds to cell voltage.
Here’s a user interface table! The manual seems to describe the user interface except for one tiny bit that I can’t suss out. The light definitely has 7 modes, but the manual does not seem to describe those seven.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click | On (Mode Memory) |
| Off | Hold | Lowest low |
| On | Hold | Mode advance (through just 5 modes) |
| On | Click | Off |
| Any | Click 2x | Turbo |
| Turbo | Click | Previous state |
| Any | Click 3x | Strobe |
| Off | Click 4x | Lockout (blink 3x to indicate) |
| Lockout | Click | No change (blink 2x to indicate lockout) |
| Lockout | Click 4x | Unlock |
| Off | Click 5x | Battery voltage indicator (repeating). Blinks slowly for the ones position and quickly for the tenths. |
| Battery Indicator | Click | Exit battery indicator to off |
LED and Beam
The N01 uses an Osram NM1 emitter. This emitter usually offers very good throw and in this specific light, with the deep smooth reflector, the throw is particularly good.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
CCT is cool to very cool (6600K to around 7400K) and the CRI is low (around 70).
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
- “Unique white” is a great colorway!
- Offers both 18350 and 18650 bodies
- Build quality is very good
- Lots of stepped modes – 7. Some of those might be unnecessary but I prefer more to fewer.
- Charging works well
- Incredible throw
- Low cost
What I don’t like
- Very cool white and low CRI emitter
- Head can unscrew easily, exposing emitter (this is better than threadlocked threads, though!)
Notes
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