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Outdoors

Nitecore "Tiny Monster" flashlight belts out 3,500 lumens

By Ben Coxworth
April 22, 2013
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Nitecore's Tiny Monster TM26
Nitecore's Tiny Monster TM26
The hard-anodized aluminum TM26 utilizes four Cree XM-L LEDs, protected by coated mineral glass lenses and powered by four 18650 or eight CR123 rechargeable lithium-ion batteries
The batteries are charged via an AC adapter that plugs directly into the flashlight
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When it comes to electronic gadgets, consumers like to see more power packed into a smaller device. With that in mind, all the flashlight geeks out there should be fans of Nitecore’s new Tiny Monster TM26 – it’s billed as the world’s smallest 3,500-lumen flashlight.

The hard-anodized aluminum-bodied TM26 utilizes four Cree XM-L LEDs. These are protected by coated mineral glass lenses and powered by four 18650 or eight CR123 rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Those batteries are charged via an AC adapter that plugs directly into the flashlight.

Should you not feel the need for 3,500 lumens at all times, you can switch between eight brightness levels – along with other modes – via a single multi-function switch. An OLED display indicates not only the selected level of brightness, but also battery status, battery voltage, approximate run time remaining, and operating temperature.

The hard-anodized aluminum TM26 utilizes four Cree XM-L LEDs, protected by coated mineral glass lenses and powered by four 18650 or eight CR123 rechargeable lithium-ion batteries

Run times vary with the brightness level and the type of batteries selected. If the four 18650s are used, however, it can reportedly put out 3,500 lumens for 45 minutes, ranging to an output of three lumens for 1,000 hours.

The flashlight is also waterproof to IPX-8 standard, meaning that it can be submersed down to two meters. It has a beam distance of 415 meters (1,362 feet).

The Nitecore Tiny Monster TM26 is available now, for US$390. It can be seen getting tossed around in the video below.

Source: Nitecore via ThinkGeek

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Ben Coxworth
Based out of Edmonton, Canada, Ben Coxworth has been writing for New Atlas since 2009 and is presently Managing Editor for North America. An experienced freelance writer, he previously obtained an English BA from the University of Saskatchewan, then spent over 20 years working in various markets as a television reporter, producer and news videographer. Ben is particularly interested in scientific innovation, human-powered transportation, and the marine environment.
21 comments
Vince Pack
Ok, at 3500 lumens, it's a cool flashlight. That said, that was the silliest video demonstrating it's "ruggedness" I've seen in a long time. I have a half dozen AA maglights and tiny Coast LED lights that easily handle the same "tortures". Oh, and they all cost less than $20.
So, that said, this looks like a really cool light and, if it's built to high enough standards to last a long time, it may well be worth the price (which isn't totally outrageous considering it's output at it's size).
As for the video, don't bother unless you want an example of it's output. I've rolled myself down more rugged terrain that that light saw...
Anne Ominous
3,500 lumens, maybe.
But for around $60 (less than 1/5 the money), you can get an LED headlight for bicycles on Ebay that puts out 3,000 lumens. Bolted to the battery pack, it would be even smaller than this flashlight.
Don't get me wrong, this looks like a nice product. But it's over-engineered and over-priced.
Jabboson
If anyone actually believes that a stated lumen output of 3500 lumens is the actual working lumens then more fool them.
John in Brisbane
+1 to the comments above. This thing is awesome but too pricey. Packs of 4 x 400lm, 4w, 12v downlights are under $25 online. Try saying that fast 3 times! OK, I'd like one of these in my bag if the landing lights on the old Cessna fail but for now, I'll wait for prices to come down.
Daishi
Most the stuff didn't look too hard but he did kind of throw it in a stream to clean it off which was cool.
If it is really 3,500 LM and not just claimed it is impressive. A lot of LED "spotlights" aren't more than 300 lumens. I think that would put it up there with some of the halogen spotlights rated in millions of candle power.
Jay Finke
Vince I agree he basically slapped it, it came to the point when I thought he was going to throw it left handed into a bush or a pillow, what a joke. if he would have hooked it to a fishing pole and dropped it down a few fathoms, or kicked it like he had a pair. this would have impressed me, but he treated it like it was a 6 cell Mag light. These new CREE lights are amazing, they have came a long way with LED's in the last few years.
Daishi
@Jay
Cree seems to be dominating LED flashlights. You can find a handful of flashlights that use just one Cree XM-L LEDs for a mostly reasonable price. They list anywhere from 750 to 1000lm.
My best flashlight is an older $45 EagleTac rated at 220 lm that uses a Cree Q5 which itself is pretty blinding. Every year I go camping it is usually the brightest flashlight in camp. A $60 800 lm flashlight like the Nitecore MT26 is tempting but I don't think I would have night vision left if I used one.
I recently bought one of the mini $6 "300lm" cree lights and it isn't as bright as my EagleTac but for a $6 light that uses a single AA battery it is a steal.
habakak
I think the XML bin T2 LED's can produce about 900 lumens at peak power, but when driven this hard it won't last as long as it should. Most of the Chinese manufacturers just multiply the max possibly output of the LED's they use by the number of LED's and slap that on the product as the output. They normally only produce about 40% (the really low end ones you buy on eBay for $50) to 65% (more established manufacturers like Magicshine) of stated lumens. MTBR.com does really good reviews on all sorts of bike lights (some self-contained or cordless lights like this flashlight). My guess is that this light truly only makes about 1800 lumens. Not bad at all, but way short of the stated output. See http://reviews.mtbr.com/2013-bike-lights-shootout
Also, the batteries this light will ship with most likely will not be high quality. Battery life is about the most important thing in a light.
Richard A. Springer
HAHAHA. It's an impressive flashlight on paper. But the "toughness" demonstration had me laughing like a drunkard. Seriously, they rolled it down some muddy banks and the kid kicked it like he was playing soccer with toddlers. I have a 1.5 year old nephew that would give it a better go than that!!!
Bill Bennett
I have the TM11 at only 2000 lumens, it kicks serious light, robust, and people avoid you when it is on high, think your are a cop, brighter than a car head light, And I have no intentions of throwing or tossing my TM11, I am not a moron, I take care of my stuff, throwing my flashlight would be like kicking my car, and that would be STUPID.
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