New Product Announcement - Nitecore TINI Metallic Rechargeable Keychain Light

[LetThereBeLight!]

Have ordered.
Also suggested they create a leather "holster" for protection in the pocket because I know how badly my keys beat things up.

Consider using scotch tape to cover the entire surface area so that your keys will only hit the tape!

 

[KITROBASKIN]

The silver colored model should show scratches less.

 

[zespectre]

Consider using scotch tape to cover the entire surface area so that your keys will only hit the tape!

LOL... I'd like a -little- more style than that, though I did coat one light in truck bed liner just to see how it would hold up.

 

[NitecoreStore]

We just got NITECORE TINI in stock today!

 

[terryoregon]

Yep, received my "shipped" notice from the Nitcore Store today, Wednesday Nov 22nd. USPS shipping started near Austin TX.

Update Nov 25th - "out for delivery"

 

[tom6]

Can you lock tiny?

 

[terryoregon]

Can you lock tiny?

Not exactly, but per the manual (here), the following two notes will make total discharge less likely:
(1) "When the light is off, press and hold the power switch on for 2 seconds to turn the light on"
(2) "Demo mode: If no further operation for 30 seconds, the TINI will automatically turn off".

 

[tom6]

Not exactly, but per the manual (here), the following two notes will make total discharge less likely:
(1) "When the light is off, press and hold the power switch on for 2 seconds to turn the light on"
(2) "Demo mode: If no further operation for 30 seconds, the TINI will automatically turn off".

What means demo mode?

Not exactly, but per the manual (here), the following two notes will make total discharge less likely:
(1) "When the light is off, press and hold the power switch on for 2 seconds to turn the light on"
(2) "Demo mode: If no further operation for 30 seconds, the TINI will automatically turn off".

 

[tom6]

Ok I see it. Thanks. Its satisfied i think

 

[schiesz]

My TIP CRI has held up pretty well over the past year, and (since I'm not bothered much by the TINI's smaller battery) it looks like there are enough improvements vs. the TIP to consider this an upgrade. However, like others here, I will probably hold off until there is a high CRI version released.

Not sure about exact CRI, but the tint is nice. Very neutral.

 

[moshow9]

Not sure about exact CRI, but the tint is nice. Very neutral.

What would you say the approximate color temp for it would be?

 

[denenstein]

I just received four TINI's today, two red and two gray. I have about a dozen TIP's, a couple of Thumb's, a T360, and lots of Tube's so i am familiar with Nitcore's keychain lights. This is an amazing little light and I would only make one request for a future UI change and that would be a direct access to the low setting like the TIP has. I find that very handy at night in a totally dark room so your eyes don't have to adjust. The only issue that I have so far is that some of my micro USB cord plugs are a little short and don't seat far enough to charge the light. The charging port has a ridge around it for the rubber plug which keeps the plug about 1/16" out of the hole.

 

[terryoregon]

Arrived today:
.

.

 

[zespectre]

oh it's so pretty

Mine was delivered... but I'm out of town visiting family so I don't get to play until I get back.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Picked mine up this evening (the usual fast shipping from illumn) and though it is quite a bright, even area of light, it lacks the red we love coming from a good Nichia emitter. It is probably 6500K, equal in quality to the TIP, and pretty nice.

 

[moldyoldy]

Received my copy of the TINI today. definitely small! general impression is good. all features are functional as described.

A curious UI action: The press/hold to turn on the TINI light is a bit longer than the Fenix timing, but the TINI turns off the instant you depress the on/off button.
hmmmm, not sure about that. because it is so small, the off button is likely to be pushed accidentally.

one clear difference from the TIP 2017: on the TIP 2017 the turbo mode could be invoked from a light off condition, and the turbo mode would be maintained after releasing the mode button.
Not so the TINI light which exits turbo the instant the mode button is released.
Otherwise the TIP and TINI operate the same from an on condition - press and hold the mode button for momentary turbo. release the mode button and the turbo drops out.

I miss the larger battery and long run-time of the TIP. but size is size. The TIP was a shade too large for my key ring - was wearing out my pockets.

 

[moldyoldy]

after an intense day of usage including a complete discharge of the battery, there is a lot to like about the TINI, and a few items that I do not like at all - borderline rejectable.

Pluses: good beam, good choice of levels, small - almost too small, battery charge indicator is same as TIP - nice to have, the light blinks warning you of low battery charge, besides the higher levels not being available. etc.

neutral: battery is smallish - which the price paid for the small size. I appreciate the TIP battery size relative to the output, which admittedly increased the size of the TIP.

negatives:
==>> the on/off button UI is not good!
- a press+hold to turn on takes so long that frequently I am unsure if I am pressing the correct button.
- worse is that an accidental press or bump of the on/off button is sufficient to turn the light off.
-- over a dozen times last night and this morning I accidentally turned off the light. then trying to turn it on again took too long. grrr!
=> caveat: I normally hold my smaller lights in a hand that is holding on to or manipulating something else.
therefore a finger or even the other object can easily bump the light and trip off a button that is too sensitive, if buttons are used. I never had this problem with the TIP.

my bottom line:
I will not return the TINI in spite of a clear dissatisfaction with the on/off button UI.
Time to learn to mitigate the problem of a bump turning off the light.
for my first attempt, I will run a bead of hot glue next to the on/off button to attempt to block random bumps. TBD after that.

Strong recommendation to Nitecore:
1: Shorten the excessively long delay for a turn-on.
2. change something to reduce the high probability that a simple bump on the light buttons will turn the light off, which then is aggravated by #1.

 

[moldyoldy]

update:

I applied a hot glue strip along the body of the TINI just behind the power button.
after a bit of usage, I realized that the hot-glue strip was not high enough and applied a thicker strip.
Now ok for the ON/OFF button.

but the next problem that in the process of handling other items in the same hand that held the TINI, the lumen level was switching repeatedly. disconcerting at best.
So I applied a hot glue strip in front of the mode button.
not much more to be done in the current version.

Yes, I am well aware that my activities are a candidate for a headlamp. I have 2 headlamps. but I do not normally carry a headlamp wherever I travel.
so the EDC or keychain lights are used.

FWIW, ref the TIP: I had no problems with the TIP inadvertently switching.
Unfortunately the TIP was a bit too large for my pockets - wearing on the pocket cloth.
BTW, I will not carry my keys etc outside a pocket that can flop/swing around. either firmly fastened to a belt or inside a pocket!

The 2 second turn-on delay problem remains. Very irritating!

 

[zespectre]

So now that I've had mine for a while here are my thoughts....

1) Tini is right, it's even smaller than I thought it would be.

2) Small flaw in mine. The emitter is not exactly centered. My beam shines slightly down, not straight out parallel with the body. Not a big deal just something I noticed.

3) It's so nice looking, I am super-reluctant to get it scratched up.

4) Let's see now, to get TURBO-mode you hold this button and..... GREAT HOPPING THOMAS EDISON!!!! (I knew how many lumens we were talking, still amazing from a tini package)

Some folks really don't like the 2 second delay to turn it on (in order to avoid accidental activation). I honestly doesn't bother me though I do wish the "turn off" also took a half second delay)

Gotta say, I really like it.

 

[ronniepudding]

The 2 second turn-on delay problem remains. Very irritating!

I got mine in the mail yesterday, and I agree wholeheartedly -- 2 seconds to turn on is too long. Since the buttons are so small, I'm not positive I'm actually pressing the power switch properly, and this uncertainty gets magnified by the power-on delay.

Having carried the TIP for a while, I got used to locking it out after every use by holding down the two buttons simultaneously in order to avoid accidental activation... which is admittedly clunky, but I still found it to be a better UI in practice than the TINI's power-on delay.

The much bigger problem with the TINI, however, is the lack of waterproofing and dustproofing. My expectations were not very high -- meaning I had no plans to dunk it in water on purpose -- but when I turned it on last night, I could see light coming out through the seams in the body and behind the bezel. :thumbsdow Dust and lint from my pocket will certainly get inside the light, and drop into a puddle would likely be fatal. I don't have much faith that the internals will stay dry during normal use in the rain either.

Perhaps I got a bad sample with poorly-made or poorly-aligned parts, but in any case the design should have included some sort of gasket to prevent modest exposure to the elements. That might have added $1-$2 to the cost of the light. I'm glad that they covered the charging port (that should have been included on the TIP IMHO), but the rest of the body being unsealed undermines that improvement completely.

Since I foresee the light having a very short lifespan, I plan to return it unused.