The PD25R is very simple to operate. The tail switch turns it on and off and the side switch cycles through the brightness levels. From a 70 hour 5 lumen eco mode, to a 16 hour 30 lumen low mode, a 2 hour 50 minute 150 lumen medium mode, 1 hour 30 minute 350 lumen high mode and a 800 lumen turbo mode that will operate for up to 45 minutes but will step down in brightness as the torch heats up. The side switch LED will indicate the battery remaining just like the E18R when the torch is on. It’s actually in Nitecore’s keychain torch lineup – I looked at the two smaller torches in this lineup in my last article– the Tiki and Tini 2. It’s a bit of a stretch calling this a keychain torch, but it does come with a keychain attachment, unlike any other torch I’m looking at today. The flashlight is sealed and tightened down with 8 screws from factory – disassembly is not recommended. Turbo can be called up almost until the low battery flashes. I got to operate it for about ten seconds with the T4K display showing 3.40V. This behavior of the T4K is excellent. As we can see from the graph below, I did some tests on and off with the T4K in Turbo mode for about 10 minutes with the T4K fully charged at 4.20V.

Olight Warrior Mini 3 (new model): UK: https://www.olightstore.uk/s/DS85DL US: https://www.olightstore.com/s/6QEQ5S I’d really like to see a 1 hour 400-500 lumen high mode to make it a more versatile torch that I might grab for my morning walk. In some ways it is best suited as a keyring torch, if you’re ok with the bulk, and it’ll certainly impress your friends! Sofirn SC31 ProUsing the flashlight is easy. Pressing the power button will power the TK4 on in the ultralow mode (or the last used level) and then continued pressing the mode button will cycle to the next brightness levels of low, medium, and high. To use turbo, you hold down the mode button with the flashlight on or off. The flashlight will only remain on for 10 seconds in this mode and the OLED display will show a progress bar counts down the time limit. Like the thought of many, mine too is that of an intermediate level between the 4000 lumens turbo and the high 200 lumens level. Despite everything with 200 lumens I can see well the walk up to about ten meters. The torch came on at 1271 lumens in turbo, dropped to 1245 lumens after 10 seconds, 1206 lumens after 30 seconds – pretty much exactly its spec’d 1212 lumens. It slowly dropped to 487 lumens at 5 minutes and then slowly dropped to 327 lumens, where it remained constant for the remainder of my measurements. This is impressive performance for such a small torch – almost 2 minutes at over 1000 lumens.

Like most Fenix torches I’ve tested there’s no way to get straight to moonlight or turbo mode – something most other torches offer in one way or another. And I’d prefer a slightly warmer, higher CRI LED with a more neutral tint. But the size, build quality, magnetic tail cap, well regulated outputs and Fenix reliability I’ve had first hand experience with for many years with numerous torches, makes this a very tempting offering. Baton 3 Premium Edition It’s important to realize that the built-in 1000mAh battery in the Nitecore T4K is not user replaceable. This is disappointing because it essentially means that the flashlight because trashcan fodder once the battery no longer holds a charge. The 4 LEDs sit behind a TIR lens and the beam is floody, but with the huge amount of output the throw is still 209 metres with an intensity of 10900 candela. Although this is still less than the Fenix PD25R with only 800 lumens of output – which it can also hold for a lot longer. It really does depend on what you want. I measured a colour temperature of 5612K with a slight green tint and a CRI of 66. That doesn’t sound hugely impressive but for its size and intended use I didn’t have any issues with it. To put that in context, that old Mini Maglite you have in your drawer weighs over 100g, is almost 15cm long and has an output of around 15 lumens, similar output to your smartphone torch but with a longer range!

Brightness modes and max runtimes

A red charging LED underneath the lid comes on when you insert the torch and turns green when the torch is fully charged.

In its brightest turbo mode I measured 822 lumens at turn, 808 lumens after 10 seconds, 788 lumens after 30 seconds, and 642 lumens after 5 minutes – very impressive for a small torch like this. And then 356 lumens after around 8 minutes which it held constant for the remainder of my measurements. The beam of the Nitecore T4K has a not too cold white tint and no particular artifact or dominant. The beam is alluvial in nature but in any case the "HIGH" level of 200 lumens allows a good view during the walk. Instead, leave you amazed by the large amount of light (4000 lumens), even if for a few seconds, of the Turbo level. The clip has sufficient tension to ensure that the light will stay clipped to any material to prevent the light from falling out. I measured 4180K for the LEDs with a pretty neutral tint and a very high 95 CRI. They’re behind a TIR or Total Internal Reflection lens and I measured a throw of 104m with a beam intensity of 2700 candela. It’s less than what’s quoted in the manual but still a useful throw for a small torch like this. Again if you’re unfamiliar with any of these terms, I explain them in detail in my previous video.

What I’d change

The Nitecore T4K can be turned on and work while charging or remain always on using a USB device such as a power bank (Turbo excluded). The operational buttons comprise of a power button and a mode button. The power button turns the T4K on with a short press and then the mode button cycles through ultra-low, low, mid and high with each press. A single press of the power button will turn the light off. The T4K will remember the last used brightness level the next time it is turned on. Note: *Turbo mode is a manually operated momentary function and therefore a run-time is not available. There are tint shifts throughout the beam profile. The hotspot is cool white whilst the corona possess a slight yellowish-green tint; and most of the spill having a slight yellowish-green tint.

The Nitecore T4K is a torch designed for versatile and practical use. Its compact size and lightweight construction make it easy to carry and handle. The torch features a maximum output of 4,000 lumens, providing excellent brightness for various outdoor activities and emergencies. Nitecore did not disclose the tint (color temperature) and/or the CRI (Color Rendering Index) for the LED used in their light. For this light, a guesstimate would be in the 6500K and 70CRI ballpark. And the torch does come with a better than average IP68 dust and waterproof rating like the two Fenix torches in this roundup. The battery’s red turns green when the battery is fully charged.

Final thoughts

With the torch off pressing the mode button shows the battery level of the torch with a graphical icon and its voltage. It’s fully charged at 4.2V. The torch runs off an included 700 mAh protected 16340 battery – the same Fenix ARB-L16-700P in the Fenix E18R V2.0. You can’t use third party batteries in the Warrior Mini 2 but I was able to charge the battery in my external charger, although it’s not recommended since the positive and negative terminals of the battery are next to each other, separated by a thin insulator. If you’re not careful you might short the battery. DMM: UNI-T UT139C and UNI-T UT210E – 16AWG wire is used directly into the 139C via some banana plugs, and 8AWG wire in a loop for the UNI-T. The DMM I use depends on how high the expected current will be – I use the 139C for <10A, and the 210E for >10A. And an arguably more useful torch for day to day jobs around the house, working on the car and DIY tasks – especially in the winter months is a head torch. I also use one for running sometimes three times a week at the moment with these short days. I’ve already started collecting the best options I can find for another roundup – that video and article should be out soon!