New Product Announcement - Nitecore TINI Metallic Rechargeable Keychain Light

[KITROBASKIN]

I have what appears to be a small gap between the two aluminum shells. It is probably the color seam on the plastic internals with the irregularity, not a compromise on water resistance. Nitecore has never said this light (or the TIP) is meant for full immersion of any significant duration.

The user interface concerns, while real, could be rectified with continued use. That is, take some time to learn the UI then see if it is what you want. I have not had ant unintentional activations at all. This is not a tactical light that should come on instantly. The turbo does come on faster but not instant on. I like it so far.

 

[ronniepudding]

I have what appears to be a small gap between the two aluminum shells. It is probably the color seam on the plastic internals with the irregularity, not a compromise on water resistance. Nitecore has never said this light (or the TIP) is meant for full immersion of any significant duration.

Thanks Kitrobaskin, do you also see light coming through the gap between the two aluminum shells? Just looking at my sample of 1, I'd say that water resistance is very likely compromised by the gap I'm seeing, but perhaps yours is better assembled. (I'll post a pic tonight.)

Both the TIP and TINI are rated at IP54, which to my reading is:-- Limited protection against dust ingress (no harmful deposit).
-- Protected against splash water from any direction.

No argument here with your point that this rating doesn't cover immersion... I also concede that I haven't subjected the TINI to any testing in this regard. Nevertheless, based upon my observations, the TIP meets the IP54 rating, but the TINI appears likely to fall short. Part of the reason for my posting was to see if others have noticed the same gap, and I appreciate your response.

EDIT: are you saying that the electroplated frame is plastic? I thought it was metal...

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Thank you for your polite response to my hurried post. Near the reflector on the switch side is the gap between the two plates where the plastic is not silver coated as well. It is about a half inch long where light can be seen. Because I have not disassembled it (but have taken a Nitecore Tube apart) I surmise that the clear plastic internals that hold the electronics in place did not receive a consistent coating on that half inch sliver (in my case silver color). The distance between the two aluminum plates is very uniform throughout the perimeter of the plates joining on my sample. The old, much used Tube I opened up had some dust ingress that did not affect the switch or function. Hopefully someone will have those micro torx or whatever screwdriver that nice fastener is, and open one of these.

Was hoping I could get more realtime use out of the TINI before commenting in detail. The long 2 second delay is not appealing to me, but unintentional activation is much worse. I thought that because my everyday carry TIP is on lockout while on standby, that I would be able to adjust quickly to the 2 second delay. Not so, but I am adjusting. There are other elements that need familiarization until it is a routine. Remembering that turbo is just a momentary hold away has been helpful; And the timed shut off can be disabled.

The beef I had about some of the critical comments regarding the TIP was that some members wanted it to be something it is not. Now Nitecore has come up with answers to some of those concerns, and other design elements will naturally emerge that do not suit others ideally. IF you give it a positive chance and take some time to go with this UI, it may work for you (or may not). I like the looks of the TINI and enjoy its small form. I needs to be on a keychain or grimloc or something to be used efficiently. Yes the buttons are close together; gloved use requires training.

The tint has absolutely no green or rose cast to it. It is cool, with subpar rendering of medium brown or light brown objects, but is not distracting in my normal use.

 

[zespectre]

Near the reflector on the switch side is the gap between the two plates where the plastic is not silver coated as well. It is about a half inch long where light can be seen.

Mine as well.

 

[ronniepudding]

Near the reflector on the switch side is the gap between the two plates where the plastic is not silver coated as well. It is about a half inch long where light can be seen. Because I have not disassembled it (but have taken a Nitecore Tube apart) I surmise that the clear plastic internals that hold the electronics in place did not receive a consistent coating on that half inch sliver (in my case silver color).

That's helpful, thanks. I thought that the 'frame' showing around the perimeter of the light (and the bezel) was die-cast, electroplated metal! My concern was a visible gap between the aluminum body plates and the metal frame ... but it makes sense that the frame is actually molded plastic. Light bleeding through the plastic is a minor aesthetic flaw that I can live with.

As for the TINI UI -- I concede that accidental activation in the pocket is the biggest evil with this type of light, and Nitecore appears to have effectively mitigated accidental activation with the UI changes (as compared with the 2016 TIP UI). While I was trying it out last night, I quickly gravitated to the momentary Turbo option ... and I suspect that will be my most common method of using the light. It would have been ideal if that momentary brightness could have been user-adjustable to one of the other modes, but I understand why Nitecore chose Turbo.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Thinking maybe the switches also have some kind of metallic looking plastic coating on them. Close viewing reveals uneven edges on the sides of the switches.

That said, this daily user is still looking good.

While it has been ever-so tempting to go back to the beloved Nitecore TIP CRI, Now that a few weeks are under the belt, have to say that this is a winner for me. It is a good looking piece and the battery is plenty long lasting enough for occasional use. Initially forced myself not to switch to 'daily mode' for every day carry just because of the sometimes inopportune timed shutdown, until I got a good feel for this recently released model. Now it has become simple habit to press mode switch from off to get a (reasonably) quick blast of light for momentary needs. Then much of the time, it is easy enough to hold the on switch for that very handy medium mode (last mode memorized) for most common uses, allowing it to go off on its own if the illumination need is fairly brief. But then if it turns out that the task will take longer than 30 seconds, it really is a simple matter of holding down both switches with a thumb until two flashes. That will keep the light on as long as needed (placed into 'daily mode'). Then when the job is done and if it is best to get back to timed shutdown mode, holding both switches will result in one flash. This takes it back to demo mode and the TINI will shut down on its own in 30 seconds. That whole thing about turning the light back on within 3 seconds when it goes off after 30 seconds is a crock of... uh, it just didn't work out for me.

Never have there been any unintentional activations with this tool, Never.
Unintentional deactivations? Early in the learning process it was frustrating, Odin knows. Now it is not happening except with not-careful gloved use.

This may seem too complicated for some folks, understandably, but it doesn't have to be. Daily mode may be best for people like my wife. It does take familiarization-time to remember to hold for 2 seconds to get the thing on, though. I gave one to a friend who works with his Nitecore TIP doing remodeling. It will be interesting to hear what he has to say.

The color temperature is good for everyone but the most diehard Nichia (warm color temp) people, swear.

 

[Driftermickh]

Got a nice black TINI as an early gift from the Gran kids. Nice for around the house use.
Put the TIP aside for now. The only thing I don't like about it is the 2 second wait before
it turns on. Seems longer, but I guess it's worth while, won't come on in the pocket. It's
a keeper, for now...

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Photo showing the TINI, like the Nitecore TIP, can be charged directly from a solar panel.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zW249GJz6ie2kolw2

This handy light continues to supplant the TIP for everyday carry. Once a person is familiar with the delay at turn on (and turbo does come on quicker by pressing and holding the mode button) this flashlight works fine for that role.

 

[Kilovolt]

At the end of the second day of EDCing I found that something in my pocket had actually managed to press the switch repeatedly and when I got the TINI out to open the door of my house the cell was completely flat. I guess it was the car keys fob.

So to add my 2c to the already ongoing discussion: the U.I. in this light is less than ideal - in my view a simple solution would be to place the two buttons in a more recessed position.

 

[zespectre]

So I leather wrapped mine. As a side effect the buttons are recessed even deeper.
I've had no problems since I did the wrap.

 

[flashfan]

Okay, got my TINI a few days ago. Overall, I like this tiny and powerful light, but it does have its drawbacks.

1) The light feels flimsy overall, so I wonder about durability and longevity. The TIP feels much more solid.
2) The switches also seem very flimsy, and are too small and spaced too closely together. I keep harping back to the Photon, but their single button operation on the Microlights and the now-defunct Rex were very much superior. The thumb-sized button on the Rex also made it easy to operate even if you have large hands/fingers or are wearing gloves...
3) The switches seem to be chromed plastic buttons, which will likely wear off over time. Likewise, the printed wording on the back of the light seems like it will wear off over time. The rubberized buttons and "carved" Nitecore name on the TIP by contrast, seem much more durable and of higher quality.
4) The cover for the plug is too close to the micro USB port, so I needed to hold the plug out of the way and really push the charger in...or it wouldn't work. Over time, repeated pressure on the rubber cover could eventually break it off completely.
5) Turbo works only while the button is pressed. I realize battery capacity probably makes this a must, but it is disappointing.

Hopefully future generations of the TINI will correct some of the above "problems," but in the meantime, this TINI will replace my EDC TIP. We'll see how it performs and compares over time.