Nextorch P86 Electronic Whistle Flashlight Review
The Nextorch P86 electronic whistle flashlight features three modes, USB-C charging, and an ear-piercing whistle! It has great throw and a tailcap magnet, too!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a referral link to the Nextorch P86 electronic whistle flashlight product page.
Versions
The P86 appears to have just one version.
Price
MSRP for the Nextorch P86 electronic whistle flashlight is $85. You can use my discount code (ZEROAIR) for 10% off! Here’s a referral link to the Nextorch P86 electronic whistle flashlight.
What’s Included
- Nextorch P86 electronic whistle flashlight
- Nextorch 2600mAh 18650
- Charging cable (USB to USB-C)
- Lanyard
- Manual
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
You might immediately note that the P86 is very similar to the Nextorch P83. That’s right! The P86 offers an electronic whistle and the P83 offers red and blue secondary emitters. The build quality of the Nextorch P86 electronic whistle flashlight is fantastic.
This P86 shares many features of the P83, which shares many features of the P82 and could be seen as a good smaller companion to it.
The 120dB electronic whistle seems to emit through these four holes that go through the head of the P86. If you’re here to see if the 120dB whistle is loud, let me confirm for you: it’s loud.
Only the tailcap is fully removable, and it’s very smooth. These anodized threads are long, smooth, and appropriately lubed. You can see a beefy spring in the tailcap.
Below you can see the head end has a spring, too.
Size and Comps
160mm x 37mm x 28mm and 191g (without cell).
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+. The version you see below is a custom Convoy S2+ host that’s been laser engraved by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full post on an engraved orange host right here! Or go straight to GadgetConnections.com to buy your Convoy S2+ now!
Also above is the light beside a 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
The only means included for carrying the Nextorch P86 electronic whistle flashlight is a lanyard. This lanyard attaches only through this hole in the tailcap.
The ample-sized hole makes installing the lanyard very easy.
Power and Runtime
Nextorch includes the cell type that’s required for the P86. That’s a button top 18650, and in this case, has a capacity of 2600mAh.
The cell goes into the P86 with the button toward the head, as is the case with most flashlights. Only the tailcap comes off fully, so you’ll change the cell as seen below.
In case you forget the cell orientation, Nextorch has added some logos to remind you.
Below are a couple of runtime tests – the highest two modes. While initial output is good, the stepdown is fairly quick and dramatic – from around 1600 lumens to around 450 lumens (and falling). One thing to note is that the initial (and shortly-sustained) output is a good bit higher than that of the P83. So it seems like this light is in fact updated, and not just simply different in secondary features.
There’s a LED array near the switch which does provide information about the charge level. This array lights briefly when you turn the light on, but stops indicating after a couple of seconds. When the cell is low (around 3V or so), this normally blue array blinks with one red LED.
Charging
Charging on the Nextorch P86 electronic whistle flashlight is via USB-C. This charging port is in a well-protected spot – hidden under the head!
There’s a little USB charging logo on the side. Honestly if not for this, it’d be hard to get any idea that there’s even built-in charging on this light! That’s not a bad thing; it’s a nice and stealthy bonus feature.
Nextorch includes a short USB to USB-C charging cable.
When the charging port is exposed, the head looks like it does below. The light is usable in this state, and the beam profile is really not changed very much.
Just like when using the light, this LED array does indicate the charge level. While the manual doesn’t cover what the indications mean, it’s very straightforward – When the light is fully charged, all the emitters are blue. Anything less than that means the light is charging. For example, if three are solid blue and one is blinking, the cell is “nearly charged.”
Charging is a little strange, seeming to oscillate between two currents. I am not sure this is “bad” but it’s also probably not ideal – if nothing else, it causes charging to take longer than you’d really want it to. Still, the charge time is within the range Nextorch claims, of around 2.5 hours.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | 1600 | 2h15m | 1625 | 4.29 |
| Medium | 240 | 6h30m | 226 | 0.32 |
| Low | 25 | 60h | 20 | 0.05 |
Pulse Width Modulation
The mode order of the user interface is high > medium > low, so that’s how I’ve organized all the information in this review. All modes use PWM, but it’s fairly fast.
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
Nextorch uses an interesting switch setup here on the P86. There are two fully separated switches. I am really unsure if these are e-switches or mechanical, but the switch for the light (switch at right in the photo below) acts like a reverse clicky. The switch on the left is only for the electronic whistle.
As far as I can tell, there’s no way to disable or even lock the electronic whistle. That switch is also proud. I never pressed that switch accidentally but if you do, you’ll get noticed!
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Any | Click front switch | Electronic whistle (momentary) |
| Off | Click rear switch | On (High) |
| High | Tap rear switch | Medium |
| Medium | Tap rear switch | Low |
| On | Click rear switch | Off |
The light switch is fairly sensitive. When turning the light on, I nearly always hit the “high” level then upon release, hit medium. So I can almost never actually start in High. I have to cycle back around to high. I have experienced this on other Nextorch lights with this switch setup.
LED and Beam
Nextorch does not say what they use in the P86, but other similar lights by Nextorch use an Osram P9. This emitter coupled with the orange peel reflector makes for a throwy light.
The bezel, which like the TA30 has multiple glass-breaking balls, has a “tripod” feature to allow light to escape when headstanding.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
Nextorch doesn’t make a claim about the CCT or CRI but below you can see it’s cool white (very cool white on high, left) and the CRI is low.
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!
Summary and Conclusion
The Big Table
| Nextorch P86 electronic whistle flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Unstated (Probably Osram P9) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $85.00 |
| Cell: | 1×18650 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes, with warning |
| Switch Type: | Mechanical (maybe?) |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | No |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1600 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1622 (101.4% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 15.4 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 304 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 884lux @ 5.569m = 27416cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 331.2 (108.9% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 6500-6800 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 I like
- Great build quality
- USB-C charging port is well-covered and protected
- Very good beam profile
- Throwy beam
- Reasonable cost for a complete package light
- The electronic whistle is pretty neat! (But can surprise you if you forget what that switch is for)
What I don’t like
- Mode switch presses too deeply and causes a bit of mode skip
- Low CRI
Notes
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