Niwalker N50T V2 Flashlight Review
The Niwalker N50T V2 flashlight has a very throwy emitter and a smooth deep reflector. The low price and two-mode interface make it a good tactical option!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Niwalker N50T V2 flashlight product page at flashlightgo.com.
Versions
This is version 2, so there’s a version 1 of course. Version 2 comes in green (seen here) or black. There’s just one emitter, though.
Price
The Niwalker N50T V2 flashlight sells for $45.99 with the 21700 included, at flashlightgo.com.
What’s Included
- Niwalker N50T V2 flashlight
- 5000mAh Niwalker 21700
- Charging cable
- Lanyard
- Spare o-ring
- Manual
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The Niwalker N50T V2 flashlight has a very nice green finish. (Or, you can get standard black, of course.) I like that! The green is also very nice (aside from simply being different.) This is a tactical light and so you have to evaluate the features from that standpoint. It offers quite a few tactical features, and is nicely built for around $40!
On the tail end is a very beefy spring. The threads are unanodized, making mechanical lockout by unscrewing impossible. (It’s a mechanical switch, though, so the thread aspect doesn’t matter, necessarily.)
The head end also has a spring. Dual springs (head and tail) – exactly what you’d want on a tactical light.
The head doesn’t come off – you’ll see why the light is this way later. I didn’t spend a ton of time with it, but the bezel will budge. Swapping the emitter is probably possible.
Size and Comps
Dimension: 41 x 25.4 x 150 mm
Weight: 152 g (21700 battery excluded)
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 below is a custom laser-engraved Convoy S2+ host 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
You’ve got a few options here. First, I’ll mention this two-way belt clip. It’s a collar-style clip, so very secure. It’s not glued down or anything, so you can move it around the body to find the ‘best spot for you.’
The clip has a lanyard hole and also a lanyard slot but you’ll want to avoid both of those. That’s because there’s a tactical grip built into the tailcap, and that grip has lanyard holes.
There’s no belt pouch or anything else for carrying the Niwalker N50T V2 flashlight.
Power and Runtime
Niwalker includes (possibly optionally, but it’s included at flashlightgo.com, I believe) a 21700 lithium-ion cell with 5000mAh capacity.
The cell goes into the Niwalker N50T V2 flashlight with the positive end toward the head.
There are just two modes, and I’ve tested both. You can see the graphs below. Toward the end of the cell charge, the light blinks. You’ll noticed this, surely, but the light will also shut off around 3V to protect the cell. (That might not be your desired feature in a tactical light – that’s for you to decide!)
Charging
The Niwalker N50T V2 flashlight offers USB-C charging. There’s a charging port in the head under a screw-down collar. The collar is very secure and unlikely to loosen unintentionally.
An A to C cable is included.
Charging proceeds at around 2A, which is great, and perfectly acceptable for a 5000mAh cell.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 2300 | 3.5h | 1838 (0s) 1704 (30s) |
8.7 |
| Low | 240 | 10h | 383 (0s) 371 (30s) |
0.65 |
Pulse Width Modulation
Turbo (left) doesn’t have PWM. Low (right) does.
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
There’s just one switch for controlling the Niwalker N50T V2 flashlight. It’s a mechanical tail switch, and very proud.
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click | On (Selected mode)^ |
| On | Click | Off |
| Off | Soft press | Momentary (Selected mode)^ |
| Off | Double soft press (release) | Sets output to Strobe^^ |
| Off | Double soft press (but hold) | Sets output to Turbo or Low^^^ |
^ Very technically this is mode memory. You can select either Turbo or Low but generally can’t have them both – you do not “cycle modes” on this light.
^^ Another “very technically” – Very technically, you aren’t turning the light on to strobe. You’re setting the light such that the next on (either momentary or steady) will be strobe. In this action, you’ll briefly get strobe, but it’s not even “momentary usage” – it’s just mode setting. Once you’ve used strobe (either momentary or steady), the next mode will be steady output.
^^^ Interestingly in the “turbo/low” selection, you can turn the light on (steady). So it’ll vacillate between Turbo and Low (indefinitely, I suppose.) Generally, you’ll want to select the mode in a half-press (not fully clicked) position, though – just release the switch when it’s on your choice of outputs.
For just two modes (and strobe), there are a surprising number of wrinkles in this user interface.
LED and Beam
The Niwalker N50T V2 flashlight uses a Luminus SFT-40 emitter. Niwalker states it’s a 6500K emitter. There’s a deep, smooth reflector to go with that emitter.
I like the stainless bezel Niwalker uses here.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
The output is cool white – much cooler than 6500K, though! CRI is low but the Duv is below 0, which is good.
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. These photos are taken around 18 inches from the door.
I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Summary and Conclusion
I like the Niwalker N50T V2 flashlight in spite of those user interface wrinkles. It feels like a good “one mode” light and you even get to have that one mode not be blinding, if you want. The build quality is good, especially at $40, and charging works very nicely.
The Big Table
| Niwalker N50T V2 flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Luminus SFT-40 (6500K) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $39.49 |
| Cell: | 1×21700 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | Mechanical |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | No |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 2300 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1704 (74.1% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 67.39 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 796 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 3920lux @ 6.031m = 142582cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 755.2 (94.9% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | 6500 |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 7700-8200 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 I like
- Good build quality (especially for $40)
- C to C charging works well
- Nice green color
- Low cost
- Throwy emitter and reflector combo
What I don’t like
- Some interesting aspects of the user interface
- Very cool white
Notes
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