A black Nitecore P40 flashlight is lying on a wooden surface with a blurred wooden background. The ZeroAir logo appears in the lower left corner of the image.

Nitecore P40 Ultra Long Throwing Flashlight Review

Leave a Comment / 21700, Chargers, Complete Package, Cool White, E-Switch, Flashlights, LED, LEP, Mechanical Clicky, Nitecore, On-Board, Thrower, USB-C, USB-C Charging, Wall o' Light

Nitecore P40 Ultra Long Throwing Flashlight Review

The Nitecore P40 ultra-long-throwing flashlight uses an array of LEDs for high output and a LEP for incredible throw. And it has USB-C charging! Read on!

Official Specs and Features

Here’s a referral link to the Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight product page.

Versions

There’s just one version of the Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight.

Price

List (and current) price for the Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight is $339.95.

What’s Included

A flashlight set includes a Nitecore P40i flashlight, carrying case, wrist strap, USB charging cable, rechargeable battery, two O-rings, user manual, safety warning, and a ZeroAir branded patch, arranged on a wooden surface.

  • Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight
  • Nitecore 5500mAh 21700
  • Charging cable
  • Lanyard
  • Hard pouch
  • Spare o-rings (2)
  • Manuals, etc

Package and Manual

Box of a Nitecore P40 ultra-long throw dual beam flashlight, showing product image, features such as floodlight, spotlight, and mixed light, with 2900 meters range and 2000 lumens output, on a wooden surface.

A black box with technical line drawings and labeled parts of a flashlight, including buttons, indicator, power button, and charging port, sits on a wooden surface. Brand and product information are printed on the box.

Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight manual

Build Quality and Disassembly

The build quality of this Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight is fantastic. The hard anodizing has an unusually nice quality. It’s like Malkoff and Oveready hard anodizing – it’s that good.

A black Nitecore P40 flashlight is lying on a wooden surface with a blurred wooden background. The ZeroAir logo appears in the lower left corner of the image.

It’s a fairly big flashlight for being a single 21700 light, I’d say. But more on that later.

The tailcap has a capped spring. I like these! Often, a spring will have a sharp tip (where the wire ends), and these caps totally prevent that!

A close-up view of a disassembled flashlight showing the metal battery contact at the tailcap, placed on a wooden surface. The ZeroAir logo is visible in the bottom left corner.

The tailcap has a good bit of grip area and a built-in metaltactical grip ring. In the photo above, you can also see where the lanyard attaches.

A close-up of a black flashlight with its tailcap removed, both parts resting on a wooden surface. The background is blurred, and a ZEROAIR logo is visible on the lower left.

The positive contact does not use a spring. A little surprising but this isn’t really a tactical flashlight, so we can allow it!

A close-up view of a cylindrical device with a metallic threaded opening, placed on a wooden surface. A branded ZEROAIR logo appears in the lower left corner. The background is blurred.

As this is a LEP (or “also has a LEP”), there are requisite warnings on the head. Don’t blind yourself.

Close-up of the base of a black flashlight on a wooden surface, showing a warning label with text and the words RISK GROUP 2. A ZEROAIR logo is visible on the left side of the image.

The “LASER 1” does only refer to the LEP (accurately, of course) – there is no laser mode on the Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight.

Close-up of the base of a black device with a “LASER 1” warning label, placed on a wooden surface. A round logo with the text ZEROAIR appears in the bottom left corner.

Size and Comps

Dimensions Length: 7.32″
Head Diameter: 2.64″
Tube Diameter: 1.14″
Tail Diameter: 1.46″
Weight 13.76 oz

Here’s the light in hand:

A hand holds a black Nitecore P40 flashlight with a ribbed grip, against a blurred wooden background. A “ZeroAir” logo appears in the lower left corner of the image.

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 P40 ultra long throwing flashlight ships with a formed hard fabric case. The light goes into the case in only one direction.

A black Nitecore flashlight in a fitted, padded case sits on a wooden surface in front of a blurred wooden background. A ZeroAir logo is visible in the bottom left corner of the image.

The light is not meant to be used from inside the case. You could, but you’d melt your world doing this.

A black, fabric holster rests on a wooden surface in front of a blurred wooden background. A ZeroAir logo appears in the lower left corner of the image.

The back has a simple D-ring.

A black nylon belt with a rectangular metal buckle lies on a wooden surface. The ZeroAir logo appears in the lower left corner of the image, and a blurred wooden background is visible.

Also included is a lanyard, which attaches to that loop in the tailcap that I mentioned above.

Power and Runtime

The Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight runs on a single 21700. NItecore includes this 5500mAh button top, but I believe the package can include other cells if you opt for those other cells.

A black flashlight lies on a wooden surface with a yellow cylindrical 5500mAh rechargeable battery in the foreground. A ZeroAir logo is visible on the left side of the image.

The cell goes into the Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight in the usual way – positive end (button) toward the head.

A black flashlight lies on a wooden surface with its battery compartment open; the battery and tail cap are visible. A logo reading ZEROAIR is in the bottom left corner. The background is blurred wood paneling.

Below you can see a smattering of runtime tests. My calibrated setup isn’t perfect for capturing lumens on something as throwy as a LEP, so I wouldn’t get all bent out of shape that the output numbers don’t hit the claim. Feel free to regard that information, but don’t make your purchase decision based on it. More important for the LEP, at least, is that it hits the throw numbers (and it does!)

Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight runtime chart

Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight runtime chart

Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight runtime chart

Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight runtime chart

Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight runtime chart

Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight runtime chart

The Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight has low voltage protection and a switch warning (blinks blue) when the cell power is getting low.

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 P40 ultra long throwing flashlight has built-in charging. There’s a USB-C charging port on the opposite the e-switch.

A close-up of a black tactical flashlight lying on a wooden surface, showing detailed grooves, buttons, and a USB charging port. The ZeroAir logo appears in the bottom left corner.

That press-in cover is hard plastic and fits securely.

Nitecore includes a USB to USB-C charging cable.

A black flashlight lies on a wooden surface with a coiled USB-C charging cable placed in front of it. The ZeroAir logo is visible in the bottom left corner. The background is blurred.

The Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight does charge at 12V in my C to C test (and probably would with A to C if you had the right power source? Not sure). So C to C is fairly quick at around 2 hours. A to C took around 4 hours.

Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight charging chart

While charging, the switch blinks blue. When charging is complete, the switch is solid blue.

Modes and Currents

Mode Mode Claimed Output (lm) Claimed Runtime Measured Lumens Tailcap Amps
Turbo – Both 2000 1h 1455 (0s)
1387 (30s)		 10.62
High – Both 600 2h30m 478 (0s)
460 (30s)		 2.44
Medium – Both 300 4h 245 1.28
Low – Both 80 20h 56 0.35
High – Flood 800 2h30m 599 (0s)
587 (30s)		 2.07
Medium – Flood 400 4h 294 1.15
Low – Flood 100 20h 79 0.33
High – LEP 400 2h30m 345 (0s)
312 (30s)		 2.61
Medium – LEP 200 3h45m 152 1.19
Low – LEP 50 20h 30 0.36

Pulse Width Modulation

The top row below is the LEP output. Every other level uses PWM! Even Turbo (far right on the third row).

Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight PWM charts

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

There are two switches for controlling the Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight. First is this mechanical tail switch. With this switch off, the light will do nothing.

A close-up, top-down view of a black flashlight standing upright on a blurred U.S. one-dollar bill, placed on a wooden surface. A ZeroAir logo is visible in the bottom left corner.

A hand holding a black flashlight, with the thumb and index finger pressing the textured button on the end cap. The background is blurred, and a ZeroAir logo appears in the lower left corner.

A hand presses the textured button on the end of a black flashlight. The background is out of focus, and a ZeroAir logo is visible in the lower left corner.

Remember that tactical grip ring! It’s good enough!

A hand is holding a black flashlight, pressing the textured button on its end; the background is blurred and there is a ZeroAir logo in the corner.

Next is the e-switch. Technically, this is two e-switches. One “forward” and one “reverse.” There’s a blue indicator LED between the switches, and the switches share a cover.

A hand holds a black flashlight with a digital display showing a blue light. The flashlight has textured grip details and two arrow buttons. The background is wooden. A ZeroAir logo is visible in the bottom left corner.

A close-up of a hand pressing the side switch on a black flashlight, which is lying on a wooden surface. The flashlight has engraved symbols and grooves along its body. A “ZEROAIR” logo is partially visible in the corner.

Action on both e-switches is very low.

A close-up of a hand adjusting a black flashlight resting on a wooden surface. Certification symbols are visible on the flashlight body, and a ZeroAir logo appears in the bottom left corner.

Initially, I found the user interface very confusing. I still find it very confusing, but I did initially, too.

That said, I can tell you a trick that will help you realize what’s going on. I still don’t like it, but it helps to know this. Each mode has mode memory. (!!!) Yes, if you are in Low and LEP-only and advance to medium, where previously you were in LED-only, you will be in LED-only. As far as I can tell, you can’t advance through the levels of one output type (like LMH LEP, or LMH Both, or LMH LED) (unless you have whatever specific type in memory).

It was absolutely mind-boggling at first, but I did finally figure it out. Please reread that paragraph above before you buy this light. Having the light in hand will be just as confusing as that paragraph is. Maybe a user interface table will help!

State Action Result
Off Click tail switch On – memory
Off Tap tail switch Momentary on – memory
On Click tail switch Off
On Click button A Mode increase (Low > Medium > High > Turbo)
Output Type memory
On Click button B Mode decrease (Turbo > High > Medium > Low)
Output Type memory
On Hold button A Turbo
On (LMH) Hold button B Step through: 100% Spot > 100% Flood > Both (“Mixed” they call it)
Off Hold button A and B then click the tail switch (power button) Reset to factory default
On Hold button A and B Light flashes to indicate Adaptive Cruise Mode is on
Adaptive Cruise Mode Click A or B Adaptive Cruise mode off

In Adaptive Cruise Mode, the light output is based on the tilt of the light. Tilt down and the output drops. Tilt forward (outward, toward a distant object) and output increases. Nitecore has done this before in a line of lights called “SENS.” I don’t know that it was popular then, and I don’t know that this is the feature that will cause you to want this light. I found this feature to be annoying.

LED and Beam

The Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight features a LEP module (which accounts for the light being bigger than you might assume a single 21700 light would be) and five LED emitters.

A flashlight lies on a wooden surface, lens facing the camera, showing reflections. A Zeroair logo appears in the bottom left corner. The background is blurred wood paneling.

A black flashlight with a large lens emits a bright white beam onto a wooden surface. The background is blurred, and a ZeroAir logo appears in the lower left corner of the image.

It has a shaped bezel, so light can escape when the headstands.

A close-up of the base of a black flashlight emitting a faint glow onto a wooden surface. A HOT warning symbol is visible on the flashlight. The ZeroAir logo is in the lower left corner of the image.

In no particular order or level, you can see the modes below. “No particular order” is the experience you’ll have with this user interface, too.

LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)

Here is CRI and CCT info for just the flood emitters. There are five flood emitters, and Nitecore doesn’t say what they are. I also can’t tell, but they have a tiny footprint. Well smaller than 3535, I think! The CCT starts cool and drifts higher as the output increases. The CRI is low.

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

As a body of light that includes both LEP and LED output, the Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight is a fine example. Actually using any of those can be frustrating because of individual level mode memory. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an instance of worse implementation of mode memory. But I already don’t like mode memory. If you’re inclined to like mode memory, this could be a fantastic light for you! Each individual output is good. We could wish for four modes for each type of output, but that’s a minor concern. At $340, the light is definitely not inexpensive! But the build quality is great, and the throw is fantastic!!

The Big Table

Nitecore P40 ultra long throwing flashlight
Emitter: Both (Flood and throw)
Price in USD at publication time: $339.95
Cell: 1×21700
Runtime Graphs
LVP? –
Switch Type: Both
Quiescent Current (mA): –
On-Board Charging? Yes
Charge Port Type: USB-C
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port
Claimed Lumens (lm) Flood and throw: 2000
LEP only: 400
LED only (5): 800
Measured Lumens (at 30s) Flood and throw: 1387 (69.4% of claim)^
LEP only: 312 (78% of claim)^
LED only (5): 587 (73.4% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen Flood and throw: 308.4
LEP only: 1701.6
LED only (5): 3.9
Claimed Throw (m) Flood and throw: 2000
LEP only: 2000
LED only (5): 95
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) Flood and throw: 46100lux @ 6.01m = 1665137cd
LEP only: 30000lux @ 6.081m = 1109357cd
LED only (5): 100lux @ 4.852m = 2354cd
Throw (Calculated) (m) Flood and throw: 2580.8 (129% of claim)^
LEP only: 2106.5 (105.3% of claim)^
LED only (5): 97.0 (102.1% of claim)^
Claimed CCT Flood and throw: –
LEP only: –
LED only (5): –
Measured CCT Range (K) Flood and throw: –
LEP only: –
LED only (5): 6800-7300 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

  • Build quality
  • High quality cell
  • Throw is incredible, even on the mixed mode.
  • USB-C charging works at 12V

What I don’t like

  • The user interface is absolutely confusing
  • Low CRI from LED
  • Just three modes for each output type (not considering Turbo)

Notes

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