Nitecore EDC17 Flat EDC Flashlight Review
The Nitecore EDC17 Flat EDC flashlight has a fun design similar to a popular knife. It offers four LED modes, with the bonus of a green laser and UV. Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a referral link to the Nitecore EDC17 Flat EDC flashlight product page.
Versions
There’s only one version of the Nitecore EDC17 flat EDC flashlight.
Price
The Nitecore EDC17 flat EDC flashlight is currently on sale at $71.22. This may be a Black Friday/Cyber Monday price, so now is the time to buy! (It’ll go back up to the MSRP of $94.95 soon!)
What’s Included
- Nitecore EDC17 flat EDC flashlight
- Charging cable
- Lanyard
- Ball replacement option
- Manual etc.
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The Nitecore EDC17 flat EDC flashlight has a distinctive look. It is reminiscent of certain out-the-front knives (Microtech, maybe). Aside from having a fun look, it’s also feature-rich.
The build quality is excellent, but the light is not intended for daily or field-disassembly.
Nitecore includes a “blank” of sorts, for replacing the glass breaking ball.
Size and Comps
Dimensions L-4.84″ x W-1.26″ x H-0.63″
Weight 3.74 oz
Here’s the light in hand:
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 in the photo above, my Standard Reference Material (SRM) flashlight is the Hanko Machine Works Trident, an 18350 light. 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 to the inexpensive Convoy S2+, another great SRM.
Retention and Carry
The Nitecore EDC17 flat EDC flashlight ships with a deep carry pocket clip installed. The clip attaches with two (looks like Torx) screws and is not reversible or two-way. Still, it’s a solid clip.
A lanyard is included.
The lanyard attaches through the pocket clip, and there’s a nice big opening the shoulder to accomodate it.
The Nitecore EDC17 flat EDC flashlight does not have magnets or a pouch or anything else.
Power and Runtime
Nitecore says the built-in battery is a 1500mAh LiPO. Being built-in does mean it’s not really removable, which is a bummer. But both sides of the Nitecore EDC17 flat EDC flashlight have screws, so it’s probably feasible to swap in new one eventually.
Below are runtime charts for the highest three modes.
The temperature lines in these charts are included as general context, not precise measurements. The values represent the range (min to max) during testing, but should not be taken as exact readings. A temperature sensor is not always attached to the bezel (or even the hottest spot, assuming that could be defined). Even with ideal placement, too many variables affect temperature to definitively state a specific max value.
Charging
The Nitecore EDC17 flat EDC flashlight features a USB-C charging port in the head end. That charging port cover looks like the little doors Olight uses, but it’s not. It’s a hard cover that’s on a pivot.
Nitecore includes a USB to USB-C charging cable.
Charging is just fine, and works in a consistent way with A to C and C to C as well. A full charge takes around an hour and a half, and the little green indicators light up green when the battery is fully charged.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 1500 | 1h45m | 1414 (0s) 995 (30s) |
| Mid | 220 | 3h30m | 251 (0s) 241 (30s) |
| Low | 50 | 16h | 49 |
| Ultralow | 1 | 260h | 1.5 |
Pulse Width Modulation
None of the modes use PWM.
Click here to 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
The Nitecore EDC17 flat EDC flashlight has two switches. One is a standard e-switch button but the other is a slider-style switch, again reminiscent of the OTF knives.
The slider is really quite fun to actuate, and in certain outputs, you might just use this as a fidget.
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Hold e-switch | Momentary Laser and battery indicator |
| Off | Click e-switch | Battery indicator |
| Off | Slide the switch toward the front | Increasing output (Off>Low>Mid>High for LED Off > Level 1 > Level 2 > Level 3 for UV) |
| On | Slide the switch toward the back | Decreasing output (High>Mid>Low>Off for LED Level 3 > Level 2 > Level 1 > Off for UV) |
| On | Click e-switch | Iterate between Laser, UV, and LED |
| Off | Hold the e-switch, slide the switch forward | Ultralow LED |
| LED On | Hold e-switch | Laser on with LED |
LED and Beam
The white LED emitter is Nitecore’s NiteLab UHi 25 LED. Also, below you can see the UV emitter (which does not have a filter) and the laser (in the center).
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
The CCT of this NiteLab UHi 25 LED emitter starts cool white and drifts very cool by the highest level. CRI is low, too.
CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) refers to the measurement of the color appearance of light, expressed in Kelvins (K), which indicates whether the light is warm (yellowish) or cool (bluish). A lower CCT (below 3000K) is considered warm light, while a higher CCT (above 5000K) gives cooler, bluish light.
CRI (Color Rendering Index) is a measure of how accurately a light source renders colors in comparison to natural sunlight. Scored on a scale from 0 to 100, higher CRI values indicate that colors appear more true to life and vibrant, similar to how they would look under the sun.
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 Nitecore EDC17 flat EDC flashlight is a neat light, if for no other reason than the design novelty. It carries very slim, which is great, and the deep carry clip helps with that. The output is good, but low CRI and high CCT, but I appreciate the ability to always get to ultralow from off. With the current sale price, it’s an interesting light for sure!
The Big Table
| Nitecore EDC17 Flat EDC Flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | NiteLab UHi 25 LED |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $71.22 |
| Cell: | Internal |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | ? |
| Switch Type: | E-switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | All modes |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1500 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 995 (66.3% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 10.7 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 230 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 379lux @ 4.937m = 9238cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 192.2 (83.6% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 6100-7500 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | Nitecore |
| 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
- Interesting design (to look like OTF knives)
- Good use of a knife-like design for a good user interface.
- Very grippy
- USB-C charging
What I don’t like
- Low CRI
- High CCT
- Built-in battery
Notes
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