NiteCore D10
Review by Phil Elmore
4Seven's NightCore D10 is a compact, daily-carry, pocket-sized, knurled and anodized 7075-grade aluminum body LED flashlight that features programmable brightness levelss. Shipped with thoughtful accessories (including extra O-rings and an adjustable lanyard), the light makes a great utility flashlight that could also be used for "tactical" applications. The best part about the D10, in my opinion, is that it does everything it does powered by a single, commonly available AA alkaline battery.
4Sevens' website states that the company's goal is to provide "the best lights for the best value, without compromising quality." Based on my experience with the D10 and its Quark Tactical model siblings, I would have to agree. For context, the company is also responsible for the Fenix line of lights, with which many consumers of tactical and utility flashlights will be familiar.
The NightCore D10's technical specifications are as follows:
Power: 1 AA Alkaline Battery
Output Max/Min: 130 Lumens/3 Lumens
Runtime Max/Min: 80 minutes/60 Hours
Light Modes: Programmable Across Spectrum
Length/Diameter: 3.5 inches/0.75 inches
As the battery power diminishes, the maximum output of the
light
also diminishes, but this is common in LED flashlights and the battery
is easily and cheaply replaced. What's notable about the D10
is
that it's not just programmable from among set levels of brightness.
I won't reproduce the instructions here in writing; you'll need to read them with one of these lights in hand, anyway. The pattern one taps on the piston tailcap switch determines whether the light enters minimum mode, maximum mode, or some level of brightness between those two extremes. Maximum and minimum brightness are always accessible by tapping the switch a few times (holding it for the maximum brightness setting). The light can also be ramped down from maximum brightness with a couple of quick taps or, if you want to get fancy, you can hold the switch with the light on and watch while it adjusts itself from maximum to minimum and back again (giving you time to stop the process and choose a brightness level).
As someone who's not the most mechanical fellow in the world, I had to play with the light for a while before I got the hang of programming the brightness. The nature of the NightCore D10's switch setup makes it easier to program than its Quark cousins, at least for me, but it's not as if any of these lights are so complicated that you can't manage it. I guess the exception would be if you were one of those people who could never program his or her VCR in the 1990s.
Once you've read the instructions, played with the light, and gotten comfortable with adjusting the settings, you'll find you have a very powerful lighting tool in your possession. You can choose the brightness that is best suited to your particular utility task, emergency, or self-defense application.
These lights are bright enough, on their brightest settings, to be used as weapon lights, for example. By this I mean you could hold the light in your off hand and quickly switch on (or click to) that maximum setting, using the light with a weapon or simply (potentially) to blind (temporarily) an assailant in low-light conditions.
On the lowest settings, such as the dim "moonlight" setting, the light is perfect for tasks like checking your watch in a darkened movie theater (while not blinding everyone around you, or drawing undue attention to yourself with a pillar of staggeringly bright white light). Depending on your preferences, you could choose one of the other settings along the spectrum between the light's lowest and highest levels of output. Your desire to spare the battery, extending its life for the duration of a specific scenario, might drive your choice. Incidentally, the light produced is nicely white, not nearly so blue-tinted as one gets from some LED lights.
Fit and finish of the light is superb. It exhibits good workmanship throughout, feels very solid, and has holes in the tail end that allow the user to affix the provided lanyard. The piston switch feels incredibly solid and it is easy to use.
The utility benefits of such a light are obvious. The tactical function of a light used with a weapon is also obvious, and as I've said, the D10 could be used in this capacity. Physically, the light can only be used as a fist load, however. It's not quite long enough for use as a yawara/pocket stick as I describe in the book Flashlight Fighting, but I have long carried a light of just this size as a daily pocket carry item. Larger lights sometimes get in the way, or aren't compatible with the mode of dress required. The D10 is a light that can be carried all day, every day, in your pocket or hanging from its lanyard.
I can't say enough good things about this light. I absolutely love it. It's of high quality, offers features desirable in a daily carry tactical and utility light, and its programmable brightness levels allow you to choose the illumination that best meets your needs. While it may have more features than some consumers want or need, it is ideally suited to a great many users who know exactly what they do want in varying day-to-day, first response, emergency, and tactical scenarios. >>
