Nitecore EDC07 Flashlight Review
The Nitecore EDC07 flashlight is a flat light that offers Nitecore’s neat multi-color temperature (MCT) emitters. You get cool, neutral, and warm in one light!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a referral link to the Nitecore EDC07 flashlight product page.
Versions
There’s just one version of the Nitecore EDC07 flashlight, but it is available in a tan body (seen in this post) or black.
Price
List price for the Nitecore EDC07 flashlight is $45.95, and it’s available now at NitecoreStore.com.
What’s Included
- Nitecore EDC07 flashlight
- Charging cable
- Lanyard (with installation helper)
- Manual and other papers
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The Nitecore EDC07 flashlight is another flat light. This one offers a few interesting things. More on those things later, but since this is the build quality and disassembly section, I’ll note that I did not disassemble the Nitecore EDC07 flashlight at all. There are four screws on the back where it could probably be disassembled, though.
The build quality is good. I really like this light, and that has a lot to do with how the plastic body feels in the hand. It’s not heavy, but it also manages not to feel cheap, too. It’s a win.
Size and Comps
Dimensions L-4.72″ x W-1.22″ x H-0.83″
Weight 2.47 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 EDC07 flashlight has a screwed-in pocket clip. I think these two screws are structural, too. I think they hold this end of the body together.
The clip offers a reasonably deep carry.
Nitecore includes a lanyard, too.
Power and Runtime
The Nitecore EDC07 flashlight is powered by a built-in 1500mAh LiPO battery. I didn’t disassemble the light to have a look at that. Here are runtimes on various 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 EDC07 flashlight offers USB-C charging. A charging port is on the head. This press-in charging port cover looks a lot like the e-switch.
The cover works fine, but I found it to be a bit fiddly and to get in the way.
Nitecore includes a USB to USB-C charging cable.
A to C and C to C charging both work just fine.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo – Cool white | 1500 | 2h15m | 1510 (0s) 1127 (30s) |
| High – Cool white | 300 | 2h45m | 286 (0s) 283 (30s) |
| Mid – Cool white | 80 | 11h | 81 |
| Low – Cool white | 15 | 52h | 14.9 |
| Ultralow – Cool white | 1 | 360h | 0.97 |
| Turbo – Neutral white | 1300 | 2h15m | 1374 (0s) 1178 (30s) |
| High – Neutral white | 260 | 2h45m | 244 |
| Mid – Neutral white | 65 | 11h | 68 |
| Low – Neutral white | 13 | 52h | 12 |
| Ultralow – Neutral white | 1 | 360h | 0.81 |
| Turbo – Warm white | 1000 | 2h15m | 993 (0s) 703 (30s) |
| High – Warm white | 220 | 2h45m | 194 |
| Mid – Warm white | 55 | 11h | 54 |
| Low – Warm white | 11 | 52h | 10 |
| Ultralow – Warm white | 1 | 360h | 0.58 |
Pulse Width Modulation
Below you can see the charts for cool white output. The other two outputs were just the same – no PWM to speak of.
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 operating the Nitecore EDC07 flashlight. First is this mechanical tail switch. (Also below you can get an idea of how the two halves of the plastic body connect together.)
This feels like a very standard mechanical tail switch and has the usual amount of loudness.
Next up is the e-switch on the head. It has a big “M” for “mode.”
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Any e-switch action | No change |
| Off | Click tail switch | On |
| Off | Tap tail switch | Momentary output |
| On | Click e-switch | Mode advance (through 4 levels) |
| On | Hold e-switch | CCT advance (CW>NW>WW) |
| On | Click tail switch | Off |
| Off | Hold e-switch, click tail switch | Ultralow |
| Holding e-switch through Ultralow | Continue to hold e-switch | Advance through and memorize special modes (Ultralow > Strobe > SOS) |
LED and Beam
The Nitecore EDC07 flashlight uses two of Nitecore’s own quad-core MCT UHE LEDs. There’s a TIR for each emitter, and they can not be operated independently.
The plastic allows a little bit of light to shine through. I like this, even though I can’t state a good reason to like it, or any useful case for it to be this way. Also below you can see the battery indicator all green.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
Below you can see CCT and CRI reports for five modes of each CCT. Cool and Neutral don’t really hold any surprises, but the warm white is pleasantly warm (around the claimed 3000K), and it is extremely high CRI!! Nitecore does cover this in the product page, but it still seems to me to be an overlooked aspect. This light should be promoted for having such a remarkably high CRI!! Check out the bottom row below, and note how closely the red circle (the test LED) matches the black circle (“perfect”). It’s so good!!
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
Much like the Nitecore EDC09, the 3000K output is the real standout here. It’s right at 3000K (as claimed) and also very high CRI. That’s great! The cool white is useful if you need higher output, though (and it does deliver higher output!). I’m pleased that this light has an MSRP of just $46 and hope the street price will be in the mid $30s. At $30, I think this is a great way to check out these high CRI MCT emitters by Nitecore!
The Big Table
| Nitecore EDC07 | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Two quad-core MCT UHE LEDs (Multi-color emitters) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $45.95 |
| Cell: | Internal |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | ? |
| Switch Type: | Dual |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | Yes |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1500 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1127 (75.1% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 3.9 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 132 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 171lux @ 4.813m = 3961cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 125.9 (95.4% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | Multi-color emitters Various |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | Multi-color emitters 3000-6200 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
- 3000K is a very high CRI!
- 3000K is even an option, such a nice option!
- Build is appealing (I’m not exactly saying it’s “high quality” or “well made” – I’m just saying I really like it)
- Reasonable cost
- We got a 5th mode when compared to a light like the EDC09!
What I don’t like
- The battery can’t be replaced
Notes
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