Nextorch TA21 Portable Tactical Flashlight Review
The Nextorch TA21 portable tactical flashlight is an updated version of the TA20, a light I enjoy! This one has two white and one red emitter. Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a referral link to the Nextorch TA21 portable tactical flashlight product page.
Versions
There’s just one version of the Nextorch TA21 portable tactical flashlight, but as I mentioned above, this is the new version of the TA20. So those two are at least related. There’s also an option (at least in the manual, though I don’t see it on the website), of having IR instead of Red for the secondary emitter.
Price
What’s Included
- Nextorch TA21 portable tactical flashlight
- Nextorch 800mAh 16340
- Tactical grip ring
- Charging cable (USB to USB-C)
- Lanyard
- Manual etc
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The Nextorch TA21 portable tactical flashlight, just like the TA20, is a very solidly built tactical flashlight. This tactical ring ships already attached, but it’s easy to remove if you don’t want it. (I didn’t want it on, so many of these photos show it without.)
The anodizing is great, notably. While it’s not “matte” (like Armytek), it’s also not glossy. There’s a nice grippiness to it, in fact.
The tailcap has a nice beefy spring, and the threads are fairly short.
Inside the cell tube, you can see that the head also has a spring.
The head or cell tube does not come off, though (at least not readily).
I would love for this to be an 18350 light (instead of 16340) – I’d accept the sacrifice of 2mm in diameter.
Size and Comps
DIMENSIONS: 98mm x 32mm (Head) x 23mm (Body)
WEIGHT: 97g (Without Battery)
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here. If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that here too!
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
The Nextorch TA21 portable tactical flashlight has a nice friction-fit pocket clip that attaches only to the tail end.
The clip has a nice design, including a stamped logo near the shoulder. All of this is really underselling it – I love this clip. I love the design. I love that it’s not oversized. I love that it’s a friction-fit clip but is captured by the tailcap.
This lanyard is also included. The only real place to attach it is through the pocket clip. Since the clip is captured, this is a perfectly reliable place to attach the lanyard.
I don’t ever operate, so I suppose I’m not exactly sure how people usually hold lights with these grips. But this one feels standard and also is held in place with the tailcap, so will absolutely not fall off. It also allows the pocket clip to be left in place.
Including the FR-1 is an update/upgrade – previously this was a separate purchase!
Power and Runtime
Nextorch includes a single 16340 cell with the TA21. It’s an 800mAh cell and has a button top.
This 800mAh cell goes into the TA20 in the usual flashlight way – positive end toward the head.
In case you for get this, note that there are polarity indicators on the cell tube.
Below are runtime graphs for all three output levels. The performance for this TA21 is just like the performance of the TA20 – no change there. Output is higher here, though!
Here’s one runtime with the red emitter. This is only relative output, as I don’t have any red setup calibrated. Still, it’s important to be able to see the driver performance.
Charging
While the Nextorch TA21 portable tactical flashlight itself does not have built-in charging, the included 16340 cell does. There’s a USB-C charging port right there on the positive terminal.
Also not shown, but there’s a tiny indicating LED near the button, too. Red when charging and blue when charging has completed.
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 does things right!
The charging is good and finishes in around 2 hours. A to C and C to C both work fine.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 1300 | 1h | 1108 (0s) 1015 (30s) |
| Medium | 230 | 2h15m | 186 |
| Low | 30 | 20h | 21 |
| Red High | 150 | 3h30m | Value relative to other red levels (not lumens): 62 |
| Red Medium | 30 | 5h30m | Value relative to other red levels (not lumens): 11 |
| Red Low | 3 | 50h | Value relative to other red levels (not lumens): 1 |
Pulse Width Modulation
Turbo doesn’t use PWM (in red or white), but the lower modes do.
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 one switch on the Nextorch TA21 portable tactical flashlight. It’s a tail switch and possibly an e-switch but it functions much like a forward mechanical clicky, though. The switch, however, doesn’t click.
This switch is great.
Aside from that actual switch, there’s a rotary control. This rotary control can be put in four positions. Those are “TAC,” “DUTY,” “LOCK,” and “RED”). These are largely self-explanatory. There’s also a version of the Nextorch TA21 portable tactical flashlight that has IR instead of red!
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| TAC Off | Tap Switch | Momentary High^ |
| TAC Off | “Click” Switch (quickly fully depress) | Momentary Strobe^ |
| DUTY or RED Off | Tap Switch | Momentary Low |
| DUTY or RED Off | “Click” Switch (quickly fully depress) | Low |
| DUTY or RED Off | Tap switch | Mode advance (LMH) |
^ In TAC setting, there are no steady on states – only momentary.
This user interface is updated and much better than the TA20. The DUTY modes are much more EDC-friendly. Mode order is ascending and strobe isn’t in the DUTY group. Those are vast improvements!
LED and Beam
I can’t see anywhere that Nextorch made a claim about the emitter here but they look like a Luminus SST-20 to me. They each have a little reflector.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
The white output is fairly white – over 6100K. Cool white. CRI is low and the Duv is positive. All of these are fairly standard things for tactical lights.
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 love this little light, just like I loved the TA20. And the TA21 is worlds better, honestly! It’s very flashlighty, which is important to me. Running a single 16340 is ok but 18350 would be better – those cells offer 50% more capacity (or more!) and could have much better runtimes. The rotary selector is neat, effective, and frankly hard for a user to mess up. Nextorch’s pocket clips are usually great and this one is too, and the FR-1 tactical grip accessory really sets the TA21 off, especially since it’s now included by default.
The Big Table
| Nextorch TA21 portable tactical flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Luminus SST-20 (2), red secondary |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $94.99 |
| Cell: | 1×16340 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | Two-Stage |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C (on cell) |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | – |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1300 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1015 (78.1% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 5.52 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 160 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 229lux @ 5.503m = 6935cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 166.6 (104.1% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 6100 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
- Interesting (and effective) rotary control
- Switch has a very nice actuation
- Adds a second emitter option over the previous iteration (TA20)
- Great pocket clip (seriously, the pocket clip alone is worth writing about)
- Vastly improved user interface
What I don’t like
- Just three levels in DUTY mode (I always want at least four!)
- 16340 instead of 18350
- Cool white
- Low CRI
Notes
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