Nitecore EDC29 Luminblade Flashlight Review
The Nitecore EDC29 Luminblade flashlight features two NiteLab UHi 20 MAX LEDs for very high output. It has two e-switches and USB-C charging, too! Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a referral link to the Nitecore EDC29 Luminblade flashlight product page.
Versions
There’s just one version of the Nitecore EDC29 Luminblade flashlight. There are many similar flat lights by Nitecore though!
Price
The Nitecore EDC29 Luminblade flashlight sells for $109.95 and is available now at nitecorestore.com.
What’s Included
- Nitecore EDC29 Luminblade flashlight
- Charging cable (USB to USB-C)
- Lanyard
- Manual etc
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
Just like other lights in this size and shape category by Nitecore, there’s a whole lot about the EDC29 Luminblade flashlight. I’ve reviewed others, like the Nitecore EDC23 Saber. These are very solid lights! Just like the EDC27 UHi and EDC23, the Nitecore EDC29 Luminblade 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!
I didn’t disassemble the Nitecore EDC29 Luminblade flashlight at all. It does look to be held together with a number of TORX screws, though! Unlike the bigger variants, this one has just 4 screws per side (not 6).
Both sides of the Nitecore EDC29 Luminblade flashlight have this grip. I quite like it just for texture; I can’t say that it adds a ton of grip. These pads are metal, too.
Size and Comps
Length 133.5 mm / 5.26 in
Head Size 34.6 mm / 1.36 in
Weight 160 g / 5.64 oz
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!
In the photo above, you may note that the SRM (standard reference material) flashlight for comparison has changed! I used a TorchLAB BOSS 35 for ages. Now what you can see as the 18350 SRM is the Hanko Machine Works Trident. While I have not reviewed or tested the Gunner Grip version seen here, I have tested a Hanko Machine Works Trident Total Tesseract in brass. I love the Trident, and it’s a nice juxtaposition beside the inexpensive Convoy S2+, which I also love to use as an SRM.
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 of whether that’s fact or imagination, it’s a great clip and very secure. The clip has a number of holes, too, including this loop, which seems ideal for attaching the included lanyard.
The included lanyard is paracord with a sort of D-clip which is plastic with a metal gate.
That’s it for included carry options.
Power and Runtime
Nitecore says the EDC29 Luminblade flashlight runs a 2500mAh 9.25Wh 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 not field serviceable!
Nitecore’s output claim is definitely for the highest level. That output is so brief (seconds, you can see that below) is so brief that I tested Nitecore’s claim for the High mode. I also didn’t spent a ton of time resetting the light to either of the highest two modes – output is so brief…
The higher two modes also skew the graph of High (below). This is quite respectable at over 1240 lumens, then settles after minutes to around 500. Also respectable!
The Nitecore EDC29 Luminblade flashlight has a proximity sensor, too. Normally I’d fuss about it until checking the manual to see how to turn it off. In this case, I wasn’t bothered by it, and then I checked the manual to see how to turn it off, and it’s possible. I don’t love the sensor, but I really never had any problem with it.
I wasn’t able to check the battery voltage after a test, but the OLED does display that information. According to the OLED, the Nitecore EDC29 Luminblade flashlight does have low voltage protection.
Charging
The Nitecore EDC29 Luminblade 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 nearly 2A and in total takes only around 1.5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lumin Shield (Floodlight) | 6500 | – | 6482 (0s) 1279 (30s) |
| Search (Spotlight) | 3000 | – | 3055 (0s) 1130 (30s) |
| High | 1200 | 22 | 1237 |
| Mid | 400 | 3h | 407 |
| Low | 100 | 13h | 99 |
| Ultralow | 15 | 61h | 15 |
Pulse Width Modulation
There a bit of ripple on a couple of the lower modes, and the highest level seems to have what looks like PWM but could also just be bigger ripples.
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 Nitecore EDC29 Luminblade flashlight. There’s a power switch – you can see it below on the left. 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 Ultralow |
| On | Click power switch | Off |
| On | Half press (and hold) power switch (if OLED is active) | Momentary Ultralow |
| Off | Half press power switch (if OLED is not active) | Activate OLED display – Continued half presses advance the modes without the light being on |
| Off | Full press power switch | On in mode memory or purposefully selected mode (see steps in previous row) |
| Unlocked or Lockout 1 | Half press mode switch | Momentary Search (Spotlight) |
| Unlocked or Lockout 1 | Full press mode switch | Momentary Lumin Shield (Floodlight) |
| On | Half press (click action) power switch | Mode advance (Lowest 4 modes) |
| Off | Full press mode button and slide lock | Semi Lockout (Lockout 1). Light is on in Lumin Shield (Floodlight) for as long as the press action takes. |
| On | Half press mode button and slide lock | Semi Lockout (Lockout 1). Light is on in Search (Spotlight) for as long as the press action takes. |
| Any | Slide lock to locked position | Full Lockout (Lockout 2). |
| Lockout 2 | Any button | No change in state. OLED will still display battery information. |
| Lockout 1 | Power button | No change in state. OLED will still display battery information. |
LED and Beam
The Nitecore EDC29 Luminblade flashlight uses two NiteLab UHi 20 MAX emitters. They’re cool white but do provide nice high output.
The emitters can’t be operated independently.
Below is the “Search” (Spotlight) output.
Next is the Lumin Shield (Floodlight) output.
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 70.
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. 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
These flat-style lights seem very popular lately and the Nitecore EDC29 Luminblade flashlight is a great example. The metal body is solid, the output is briefly incredible, and the lower modes provide a nice flat output. USB-C charging works very well and the user interface is feature-rich. It’s a good version of flat light from Nitecore!
The Big Table
| Nitecore EDC29 Luminblade flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | NiteLab UHi 20 MAX x2 |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $109.95 |
| Cell: | 1xInternal LiPO |
| 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 | Lowest 4 modes |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1200 (High mode) |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1237 (103.1% of claim)^ (High mode) |
| Candela per Lumen | 15.63 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 190 (High mode) |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 307lux @ 5.952m = 10876cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 208.6 (109.8% of claim)^ (High mode) |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 5600-7000 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | NitecoreStore.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 I like
- Robust build – it’s stainless steel!
- Not just stainless but also coated which probably makes it more durable
- 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
- Smart proximity sensor implementation (it’s not bothersome)
- Output is truly remarkable if brief
- Does hit the output claims!
What I don’t like
- Battery is not replaceable
- Positive Duv output (green)
- Low CRI
- Turbo steps down soooo quickly.
Notes
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
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