Weltool T12 Plus Nine Dragons Flashlight Review
The Weltool T12 Plus Nine Dragons flashlight uses one 21700 (included), robust build quality and a versatile interface. It’s great for tactical use! Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Weltool T12 Plus Nine Dragons flashlight product page.
Versions
I believe there’s just one version of the Weltool T12 Plus Nine Dragons flashlight.
Price
What’s Included
- Weltool T12 Plus Nine Dragons flashlight
- Weltool 4000mAh 21700
- Single-bay charger
- Charging cable
- Spare o-ring
- Manual, etc.
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
Weltool makes absolutely robust flashlights. This one is tactical, so it must have sufficient build quality to withstand recoil and the like.
It should also have sufficient grip, and this Weltool T12 Plus Nine Dragons flashlight certainly does – there’s diamond-pattern knurling on the tailcap and cell tube too.
A side note here about the Weltool T12 Plus Nine Dragons flashlight is that it has the design language from previous tactical Weltool lights, such as the T2 Elegant Panther. That light was great, and so this T12 Plus being similar is great, too.
The head has a few holes, and yes, they go completely through the head. These probably aid in cooling. Here’s a demonstration that the hole in the head actually goes all the way through the head. Neat!
The threads on both head and tail end are very nice and not overly lubed.
Size and Comps
Dimensions (±0.5mm): (head diameter) 39mm, (body diameter) 27mm, (length) 157mm
Weight (without battery): 173±0.5g
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 striking contrast next to the inexpensive Convoy S2+, which also makes a great standard reference material.
Retention and Carry
A pocket clip is included and attached by default.
The clip is a very simple friction-fit clip – probably best suited for belt carry.
Power and Runtime
The Weltool T12 Plus Nine Dragons flashlight is powered by a single 217000 cell. With both ends having springs, any type of 21700 should work just fine, provided that it’s 71mm or shorter (according to Weltool’s specifications). Weltool includes this 4000mAh flat top 21700.
The cell goes into the Nine Dragons in the usual way – positive end toward the head.
Below you can see a few runtime tests – the profile is very similar to other similar Weltools, which is a fine thing.
The light shuts off with low voltage protection in all of those tests.
Charging
While neither the flashlight itself nor the included cell have charging built-in, Weltool does include a single-bay charger with the light.
This charger fits the included 21700 but I do not expect it will fit a button top 21700. So don’t buy this light just to have a 21700 charger!
The included charger is powered by USB-C.
Weltool includes a USB to USB-C charging cable.
Charging proceeds at a fairly-slow 1A, which is only around 0.25C for this 4000mAh 21700. 2A charging would be much better here!
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Full power” | 2000 | 1h21m | 1691 (0s) 1640 (30s) |
| High | 1000 | 1h32m | 809 (0s) 809 (30s) |
| Medium | 560 | 2h40m | 448 |
| Low | 20 | 73h45m | 10 |
Pulse Width Modulation
None of the modes use PWM.
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 a single switch on the Weltool T12 Plus Nine Dragons flashlight. It operates like a mechanical forward clicky (but seems to be an e-switch – take note of the inner sleeve on the cell tube). The switch is very proud (exactly as you’d expect with a tactical light), which means easy access with or without gloves but also no tailstanding.
The Weltool T12 Plus Nine Dragons flashlight has three user groups – A, B, and C. Based on my reading of the manual, it’s not possible to access all 4 modes in any one of the groups.
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off, Group A | Tap | Momentary Full power |
| Off, Group A | Click | High |
| On, Group A | Tap | Mode advance between Low, High |
| Off, Group B | Tap | Momentary Low |
| Off, Group B | Click | Full power |
| On, Group B | Tap | Mode advance between Full power, Medium |
| Off, Group C | Tap | Momentary Full power |
| Off, Group C | Click | Strobe |
| On, Group B | Tap | Mode advance between Strobe, High |
| On | Click | Off |
| Off | Press switch 9x or more | Flashlight will flash. Click within the flashes to select that group High 2x: Group A Low 2x: Group B Strobe: Group C |
LED and Beam
Weltool call this a High Performance X-LED, but I’d say it’s almost certainly a Luminus SFT-40. That’s a pretty good choice for this light, making high output and also good throw.
The reflector is smooth and deep.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
The Luminus SFT-40 provides high output and good throw but is cool white, ranging up to around 7000K on the highest mode. CRI is also low, at around 67. Weltool says it’s a 6500K emitter, and the tests bear this out (on average).
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
The Weltool T12 Plus Nine Dragons flashlight is a very solid choice as a tactical flashlight. It seems very robust, with a proud switch (great with gloves) and ample knurling (also great for use with gloves). The user interface seems to have everything you’d need for specific tactical applications, and sort of ropes off modes so that other things you might not want access to will not get in the way. Charging with the included charger is fairly slow (1A, 0.25C), but since the light accepts a standard flat top 21700, it’s easy enough to pick up spares to swap in.
The Big Table
| Weltool T12 Plus Nine Dragons flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | High Performance X-LED |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $147.99 |
| Cell: | 1×21700 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | Questionable – possibly e-switch acting like a forward clicky. |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | Charger included |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | – |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 2000 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1640 (82% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 93.34 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 750 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 4030lux @ 5.979m = 144066cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 759.1 (101.2% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | 6500 |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 6200-7000 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | flashlightgo.com |
| All my Weltool 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
- Very robust build quality
- Complete package (includes cell)
- Great throw (specifically cd/lm)
- Programming options for various tactical scenarios
- Great grip
- Very accessible switch
- No PWM
What I don’t like
- The price
- User interface for non-tactical purposes is not great
- Low CRI
- Greenish output on low modes
Notes
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