Did anyone really think Nitecore was going to stop at 6,000 lumens? Well, full confession, we did think it might stop for a few more months, at least. But adding more output to its sleek, remote control-like EDC torch lineup seemed a certainty in time. And the time is now – the new flagship EDC37 launches a full 8,000-lumen strategical attack on darkness without growing but a couple ounces. No, that full power burst won't last long at all, but you will enjoy over seven hours of four-figure lumens, which should suffice in even Earth's darkest recesses.
Take a look at the photo and imagine all that light exploding out of the palm of your hand like you're some kind of dark-thwarting superhero.
Okay, you're not a superhero, and the light isn't flowing out of your actual palm. But the new EDC37 does fit comfortably there with a 4.3-in (10.9-cm) length that makes it shorter and more grabbable than the 6,000-lumen EDC29. The bad news? It's also a little thicker, becoming the first in the EDC series to break an inch at 1.2 in (3 cm) – so less of a freshly honed knife blade, more of a dull axe blade.
Either way, the 7-oz (198-g) EDC37 is optimized for pocket-sized compact carry and fast deployment.
If you've followed Nitecore torches at all, you know that the headline lumen figure tends to be saved for an instantaneous burst and/or strobe of light, not wired for long-term use. Thus is the case with the EDC37's 8,000-lumen "Lumin Shield" flood mode, 8,000-lumen strobe mode and the 3,000-lumen search spotlight. The 1,378-ft (420-m) max throw comes via the "search" setting.
The good news, though, is that when Nitecore cranks up instantaneous burst output that high, you also get some solid runtimes on lower settings that are still plenty bright. In this case, you can run the EDC37 at 1,500 lumens for 7.5 hours before draining the battery, according to the company's estimate chart.
We've only ever used a light approaching that level of power for mountain biking at night, and that one tops out at 1,200 lumens, so not even sure what you'd do with a handheld 1,500 lumens for over seven hours. Whatever it is, you can get it done with the EDC37, though.
Or you can dial the lamp back to 400 lumens and add an hour of runtime. If you can get by with just 100 lumens, the EDC37 will keep glowing for the whole trip – or 30 hours of flashlight time, at least. There's also a 15-lumen/180-hr option. Those estimates are all well higher than the EDC29's respective runtime numbers thanks to an 8,000-mAh rechargeable lithium battery that dwarfs the 29's 2,500-mAh pack.
Users control the light via a two-stage round button on the butt; a half press toggles through brightness levels and a full press turns the light on and off. The longer rectangular two-stage button below lets users customize the flood/search/strobe settings so they can immediately flash on the burst they need. A rapid-lock slider on the top of the flashlight body prevents accidental power-ups that threaten to erase the battery's power bar in a hurry.
Nitecore packages in the usual OLED display, IP54 water resistance, 6.6-ft (2-m) impact resistance, and USB-C fast-charging for a two-hour charge to full. It also throws in a quartet of detachable silicon nitride ceramic tips for fast, effective emergency glass-breaking and self-defense.
The EDC37 is available now for $139.95 through Nitecore's online store.
Source: Nitecore
