Got my new Nitecore D11

[jama12uk]

Ordered flashlight from flashaholics on fri with free delivery and it arrived saturday morning. Great service flashaholics thank you.

Ok, so ive been wanting an edc torch for a while now after the purchase of a Fenix LD20 around a year ago but I have been torn by many lights and was initially put off by many comments by members of this forum in relation to the D11 and so didnt buy straight away. I thought I would wait for the new Zebralight SC51 but after issues with zebralight reliability I decided I was willing to go for less runtimes and output in exchange for a more rugged build quality. I am glad I did and while it remains to be seen whether I will still buy a SC51 I am very happy with the D11, it feels bomb proof!

As many other members have commented the light is floody which is excellent for my purposes and contrasts with the LD20 and I have seen no issue with tailstanding (It tailstands far better than the LD20).

I find the UI good and the ability to lockout and momentary on features fantastic. This light does not have very much throw but the flood means that you are not blinded by the hotspot when working on tasks up close and is great for illuminating a path on a night walk.

Further review and pics to follow

 

[Bass]

Glad you like your D11!

Stick a AW 14500 Li-ion in there and be really impressed :naughty:

 

[jama12uk]

I have thought about that but have never used li-on rechargeables. Are protected cells as good as non protected? I have read that 14500 's fit if the D11 spring/piston is modified. Do you know which cells (SHORT) will fit without mods.

Thanks

 

[jaws revenge]

a protected AW 14500 fits in my d11 with no spring modification. the downside is heating up quickly, and ramping may be a little inconsistent.

 

[Bass]

I use the AW brand of 14500's - you can pick them up at the Market Place or from LEDfiretorches / Flashaholics in the UK. I would recommend protected, especially if you are new to Li-ion.

You may have a D11 that can run a 14500, out of the box. There is some manufacturing tolerance in the D10 / D11 series and also the batteries can vary in length slightly. If not here is a thread explaining what to do: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/3545107#post3545107

It looks a bit of hassle but it is worth it

 

[10.10.2010]

My D11 need some "adjusment" on the spring piston. Did not works well with AW14500. I have read somewhere D11 could works fine using Trustfire and Ultrafire 14500 without cutting the piston spring.

If you plan running 14500 on your D11 it would be great if you ask the dealer to test the light and see if it works fine with 14500 before it get ships to you.

 

[Marbouk]

Thanks jama12uk I've ordered one today from flashoholics.. Look forward to your review.

Being new to this torch malarky I was just going to use an eneloop battery or duracell alkalines.
How much more performance/brightness would I get from using an 14500 cell?
Also is it possible that it could damage the torch by getting to hot with 14500 batteries? I don't really want to cut the spring so would also be looking for shorter 14500's.

 

[Henk_Lu]

You get MUCH more brightness with a 14500.

When I got my light, I was kinda disappointed, as I'm used to my beloved D10, the D11 seemed less bright because it's floodier thanks to the XP-G. Then I put an AW 14500 in and WOW!!! I'd say nearly double Lumen or to make a comparison, it's as bright as a Quark AA on the 14500, which should be around 200 Lumen OTF.

My spring didn't need modding with the AW cell, but I cut it nevertheless, I like smoother piston action with less force, the piston surely gets harder to push with a 14500 inside. The light still works with an AA, have no fear, just with less force, but still more than enough...

As for a possible damage, well, I'm used to Customs which you can damage in several minutes on high, so I don't care about this really, I think I have the right feeling not to let it go too hot. What's more, this one ramps, so you don't have to go down brutally to a medium output or something half as bright, but you can slowly go down until teh light feels good again.

Never leave the light unattended with a 14500 on high, not even for minutes! I wonder that Nitecore officially allows the use of li-ion, perhaps they tested it and it can take more than I think? :shrug:

 

[CarpentryHero]

In the descriptions of battery junction and light junction it says whether the nitecore can handle a 14500 cell. The newer ones can. I ordered a D10 camo addition on Sunday, if anyone wants me I'll be that weirdo waiting by the mailbox

 

[Henk_Lu]

In the descriptions of battery junction and light junction it says whether the nitecore can handle a 14500 cell. The newer ones can. I ordered a D10 camo addition on Sunday, if anyone wants me I'll be that weirdo waiting by the mailbox

All D10 can use the 14500, but they don't get much brighter with it. The D11 however goes on steroids, and you can feel that in less than a minute at the head...

 

[JS_280]

I got my D11 in today and here's a few hours worth of observation:

Likes

Piston -- very quiet and easy to use
Tint -- much purer white than my Quark AA
Focus -- slightly tighter beam than my Quark AA
Finish -- nice gunmetal gray anodizing


Dislikes

UI -- Really? Shortcut to strobe and SOS but not low or max?
Ramping -- inconsistent ramping with 14500 (will sometimes ramp up and then down without stopping -- could be my button press though)
Clip -- oh wait, there's not one...
LED position -- badly off-center



Should this light ever be re-introduced with the clip and UI from the D10 I might purchase another, however for now my EDC will remain my Quark AA Tactical and this light will probably become a nice Christmas present for a family member.

 

[CarpentryHero]

All D10 can use the 14500, but they don't get much brighter with it. The D11 however goes on steroids, and you can feel that in less than a minute at the head...

Right on

 

[JCDLE]

Excellent thread. Lots of interesting information. I have read a lot about Nitecores on this site, but have not heard a lot of positive things about the D11 model. I was definitely going to buy a D10 to try out, but now I may have to spring for a D11 as well.

 

[jama12uk]

The LED in my D11 is perfectly centred but still being tempted by 14500's will order and try but if does not fit I won't be moding the spring/piston as I will screw it up lol.

Used the light tail standing alot these last few days and it is very stable. I have no problems at all with the UI and the piston although a little stiff at first has bedded in perfectly.

 

[BillMPL]

Can someone tell me how the brightness of the D11 compares to the D10 R2?

I've read where the D11 is much brighter on 14500's than on eneloops and the head quickly gets hot whereas the D10 is only slightly brighter on 14500's and doesn't get real hot.

So is the D11 significantly brighter than the D10 and if so is the runtime less?

 

[goldenlight]

Can someone tell me how the brightness of the D11 compares to the D10 R2?

I've read where the D11 is much brighter on 14500's than on eneloops and the head quickly gets hot whereas the D10 is only slightly brighter on 14500's and doesn't get real hot.

So is the D11 significantly brighter than the D10 and if so is the runtime less?

If you put an alkaline, NiMH or Energizer lithium in both, there is little difference in how bright the D10 and D11 is. I compared mine side by side, but the D11 is MUCH more 'floody', so I had to do it pretty close up....and then it's hard to see.

I finally remembered the ceiling bounce test, and couldn't see any real difference. I can't remember what battery type I used, though. Probably NiMH. Both lights had the same battery, though.

I suspect there is enough variation between individual emitters that some people will see more variation comparing their D10 and D11 than I did.

Run time, according to factory specs, should be significantly better for the D11 over the D10 better using all 3 cells listed above.

Again, there is variation in emitters, but the D11 has a significantly more efficient emitter than the D10.

That was why I bought one, not knowing of it's several significant shortcomings, compared to the venerable D10. I should have done more research.

Many people are lamenting the lack of a clip, particularly, so I'm not alone there.

I don't have any rechargeable Li-ion batteries: they seem like a real mixed blessing, in terms of problems they can cause with some lights.

I'd hate to 'modify' an AA light to reliably use Li-ion rechargeables... and then find it didn't work with primary or NiMH cells.

I have too many single AA lights to buy Li-ion cells for all of them...you really need at least two cells per light....and they are about $8/ea....special recharger....or two...and if I bought just a 'few', it might 'spoil me' for using NiMH or even primary lithiums in the lights that won't easily use them....I'm staying off that road, for now.

I can live with the factory 'rated' output from primaries or NiMH cells at $2/ea. I have yet to 'smoke' a single LED in my entire life; which CAN happen even with lights that ARE factory 'rated' to use rechargeable Li-ion cells, if you aren't careful. Maximum output can come with a hefty price tag.

If a flashlight quickly gets HOT, you could be putting your expensively acquired new flashlight at significant risk. The D11 has no extra mass of metal or fins to dissipate the heat from a Li-ion cell at max output, as many other larger, heavier, and usually more expensive, flashlights do.

If I need more light, I'll get a bigger flashlight. Hmmm that would make a decent sig line....probably get me permanently banned from the 'modders' section. LOL!!

 

[BillMPL]

I guess the real question is how the D10 compares to the D11 when both are running 14500's.

 

[10.10.2010]

D11 is much brighter and floody on 14500, below the beam shot.

 

[BillMPL]

Thanks! Very helpful to see the pics.

 

[10.10.2010]

Glad you found my post was useful

As for the runtime, i can't give you exact time ( don't have the data logger ). But rough runtime using 14500 from current measurement ( assume it's draw constant current ) on High Mode :

D11
current: 670 mAH
Estimated runtime: 750/670 = 1,1 hours

D10 SP
current: 780 mAH
Estimated runtime: 750/780 = 0,9 hours

The XP-G R5 got more runtime because it much more efficient emitter compared with XP-E R2.