Nitecore EDC23 finish after just two days with keys

My EDC23 already has visible scuffs and discoloration after just two days in a pocket with my keys. I tried wiping it with alcohol, but the marks won’t come off.

For comparison, the TINI 2 in the photos is three years old and has been used heavily. Its finish started wearing almost immediately, and this is how it looks now. I bought the TIP SE at the same time. It’s had a somewhat easier life, but its finish has held up much better.

I really like the EDC23’s form factor and was planning to get an EDC29 next. Then I checked the reviews on Nitecore Store and found a verified buyer reporting that the green coating was coming off the edges in under a month. I’ve included screenshots of that review alongside my photos.

I’m not buying the EDC29 now. This finish durability is a dealbreaker for me.

Scratches are expected when carrying a light with keys, but this much wear in two days is pretty disappointing. Anyone else seeing this on their EDC23 or EDC29?

Price Range: $50-$200

Purpose: Security

Battery Type & Quantity: Rechargeable or AA or AAA

Size: 7 to 9 inches ish

Type: Handheld for the main light and a ball cap mounted light for admin

Main Use: This light will be carried on a belt and used to search bushes, through car windows, searching dark alleys

Switch Type: A side button and a rear button or a side switch

Anything Else?: This mall is nearly 100% outdoors and has a lot of shrubbery, trees, bushes, and weirdly shaped buildings creating a lot of dark corners and spaces, it will also be used to search cars through the windows and i need to be able to get around the tint a lot of cars have now

I have the Warrior Ultra 2500 Lumens and love it. I'm looking for a similar flashlight with the same 2500 lumens that can take standard batteries. AA, AAA, C, or anything "standard"

Price Range: $100 ballpark

Purpose: Used mostly in for short range in a wooded area, secondary as a light to see mid distanced with a focsued beam

Battery Type & Quantity: Something more standard I can quickly replace. aka not rechargeable

Size: Fits in a deep jeans pocket

Type: Handheld

Main Use: Wooded area and/or small field illumination

Switch Type: Will be handheld so any switch type

Anything Else?: Really just want a reasonably sized, removable battery, high lumen flashlight I can use while I camp without access to a power source to recharge a lithium battery. I'd rather just pop in some fresh batteries and not have to wait. I have a good headlamp, looking more for some high powered handhelds. Thanks!

The one for the Baton Turbo says its 3D printed but the in photo its clearly kydex. Did I get scammed?

Did anyone else see the short lived $50 off coupon on Olight yesterday? I managed to get a new Oclip 2 Ultra for $20. Pretty excited for it. Curious what everyone else snagged.

I’m looking at this flashlight, is this a good price and a good light thanks in advance anything else I need or I’m missing?

Hi, im looking to get the sofirn sp36. It comes in 5000 and 6500k. For those who have it, which would be the most preferable? I dont have any lights nearly as strong, so im not sure which to choose. The 5000k has 5300lumens and 6500k has 8000lumens... But i have nothing to compare it to.

Is it worth sacrificing color temp for brightness? Please advise. Thanks!!

edit: forgot to add, i also intend to use this as a lamp indoors during emergencies. thanks!

Hello, I have a Nitecore P12 flashlight and I bought these batteries.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08YJQYD5Z

They work well and the flashlight is very bright. I keep the flashlight in my console. I know with the cold weather coming that thermal runaway is a non-factor, but what about during the warmer months?

Thanks.

Just recently got rid of an X4Q for the X4 stellar. Great light, but carrying it around made me miss the sleekness of the Q. Wanted it in blue, saw it was out of stock, so emailed to ask when it would come back in stock. Fiona replied and said it would not restock because it’s no longer being produced. Asked for clarification, and she confirmed the X4Q was being discontinued.

I work on generators manually testing them and taking them apart.
Need something pocket sized, with a magnetic function, preferably 350LU and up, with a strobe function to get someone attention in case of an emergency. Would also be nice to have a laser pointer. I’ve been looking myself and the closest thing I have found is this Klein Tools light, but wanted to get some outside input. Thank you for any advice

I'm looking to replace a white LED emitter in my car's factory headlight halos with a yellow emitter (ideally around 2000k) to achieve a golden-yellow appearance.

I'm new to LED electronics (only soldered/crimped stuff for car audio) and could use some guidance on two things:

1. Identifying a compatible replacement: The existing emitter measures approximately 3.5 × 3.5 × 0.77 mm. I haven't removed it to check for markings underneath, and the back of the PCB is entirely silver. Beyond physical dimensions, how can I determine the correct replacement in terms of voltage, current, solder pad configuration, etc.?
2. Actually replacing it: I only have a conventional soldering iron. Is it realistic to remove and replace this type of SMD LED without a hot-air rework station or specialized equipment? I'd prefer not to invest in tools I'd just use once.

Appreciate any guidance you can chuck my way.

Looking for an 18650 flashlight with ~40–45k candela, instant turbo, and a pocket-friendly switch

Hi folks!

I'm looking for recommendations for an 18650 flashlight with around 40–45k candela, instant access to turbo, and preferably a side switch that won't accidentally activate in my pocket.

I currently own several ThruNite TN12 Pros, and I really like the instant turbo access from the tail switch. It's great for quickly checking an area for potential threats, snakes, or anything else that might be lurking in the dark. Unfortunately, I've dropped one of mine, and the tail switch has become unreliable unless I fiddle with it.

There are two things I don't particularly like about the TN12 Pro:

1. Accidental activation: The side switch is too easy to bump while carrying it in my pocket. I've had it turn on unintentionally and heat up my pocket.
2. Driver efficiency: The driver isn't particularly efficient, and the light heats up quickly. Since I primarily use turbo for brief, intermittent searches and scans, this isn't a dealbreaker, but I'd love something with a more efficient buck driver.

Ideally, I'm looking for:

• 18650 battery
• Around 40–45k candela (or more)
• Instant turbo access, preferably via a tail switch
• A recessed or protected side switch that won't accidentally activate in a pocket
• Efficient buck driver, if possible
• Around $50 or less

I'd like to keep the price reasonable because I'm planning to buy several—one for each car and one for each family member to carry.

Bonus points if there's also an 18350 version (or a compatible short tube) for easier purse or pocket carry.

I'm not necessarily looking for maximum sustained turbo output. Quick, reliable access to a powerful beam is my main priority.

Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks!

https://mblwtmw.wordpress.com/2026/10/27/tmobile-lantern-review/

Long time lurker here. I rarely ever post, but I recently made a simple website to share my thoughts on stuff, mainly flashlights.

T-Mobile was giving these away today, and I saw no one talking about them. It’s probably super basic and not really desired, but I want to share it just in case someone was interested.

Thanks again!

Hello everybody. I am looking for a gift for my beloved partner , she works with patients and works late hours in the dark too , I want to give her something like the rovyvon a1 keychain or fenix e01 v2 , I would also consider something similar to the Wuben plo1. Now I would prefer something that comes with a battery that can be charged itself but also throw another spare Standard one in like perhaps 14500 , 18650 . Thanks for reading !

New to all this but looking for an EDC that is small enough to fit in a wallet pouch, prefer it to use batteries like AAA/AA just incase of power cuts etc, would like it to be strong enough to light up an average room and potentially take on small walks with me, below £30 or $50, it being durable is also a must and available in the UK.

Grabbed a 6d maglight because it was 8 bucks. Anything to be done with it? Like make it not need 60 bucks in D batteries? Leds?

I’ve got a DJI osmo action 4 with a headstrap mount.
I do a lot of night time fishing so I’ll need a flashlight.

I’m looking for a headlamp or flashlight that I can attach to my action cam headstrap comfortably.

Is there a small flashlight that I can clip onto the headstrap right above the ear? This will give me both good POV footage as well as illuminate what I’m seeing.

Unless I am mistaken, the UV filter patent expired yesterday. US7,781,751 B2. When can we expect the preorders for the arktac pro ultra expert professional 2 to start?

Hello, I’m definitely a newbie in collecting flashlights of any merit and I’m seeking some guidance and advice, please.

Recently bought the Convoy 3X21C 21700 flashlight LED type SST40 and 3PCS Molicel P50B 5000mAh batteries and I’m disappointed with the LED brightness and throw. I was wondering if it’s possible instead of ordering a whole brand new flashlight with a different LED is it possible to just swap out the LED emitter?

I was looking at the luminous SFT60 high power LED emitter or the LMP space LHP531 light emitting diode and wondered if I could just swap it out for the SST40. If so, do I need a MCPCB? And if so, does anyone know the correct diameter or size? 16 mm, 20 mm 25 mm? Not even sure what I would be measuring to be honest.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Price Range: $50-$200 rechargeable

Purpose: Outdoor mall security purposes

Battery Type & Quantity: Preferably rechargeable, AA or AAA works too

Size: Not too large to weigh down a duty belt but not so small that it barely works either, fits comfortably in your hand, 7 to 9 inches

Type: Handheld for main use, a ball cap mounted headlamp as a secondary for admin/close up work requiring both hands

Main Use: Carried on a belt, it will be used to search through car windows, through bushes, dark alleys, and as "the f*can you doin over there?" Purposes

Switch Type: A side button or switch and a rear button would be great

Anything Else?: This retail location has a lot of shrubbery, bushes, short trees and weirdly shaped buildings, creating a lot of dark areas, also needs to work in the rain. Everywhere ive been looking online are just those mass marketed crap that is really bright but are cheaply made and break out so working, and I need something reliable I can depend on, but i dont need a heavy duty light like a mag light for intimidation or defense

So the Wuben E8 is the only light using ultem?

Hello all, I am having trouble sourcing a certain type of reflector. Similar to Olight's balder s 800. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Pictures is pulled from an old Votatu M9L-G.

I don’t collect torches but appreciate something decent.
I decided to retire my old Ledlenser P14. It’s been a good torch but I’ve recently been thinking that the AA batteries don’t seem to last very long in it and I was also kinda worried they’d leak inside it and ruin it - which is what happened to my previous Ledlenser torch.

I automatically started looking at new Ledlenser torches, aiming for more light output, longer run time and a rechargeable battery. I then made the mistake of googling “are Ledlenser torches still good?” and stumbled across this sub.

After falling down the rabbit hole I spent around 5 hours researching and watching YouTube reviews 😂

I was initially looking at an Olight Warrior X4 but then stumbled across the Fenix range and decided I preferred the look of them.

So I’ve bought a Fenix PD35R ACE and an E06R for on my keys. It’s crazy to think the E06R is only 100 lumens less than my massive old Ledlenser 😂

And the PD35R is more than I’ll ever need.

They arrived today, I’ve charged them both and had a quick play about with them now it’s gotten dark outside and I’m really impressed. Hoping to get many years decent service from them 🤞

The two of them combined cost £140 which I think is reasonable.

I’ve taken the AA batteries out of my old Ledlenser so they don’t leak inside it and stored it away to keep in reserve.