NICRON N7 Flashlight

I own dozens of lights, I have owned dozens more and this Nicron N7 is a heck of a value. What’s more, it’s not particularly what I would call a “value light” either. It stands on its own as a quality light with great features that just happens to be a great value. My work requires the regular use of lights. In addition to that, I ride (motorcycle) and I am somewhat ‘outdoorsy’. I use lights ALL the time. There are MANY criteria to take into account when choosing the right light for the right job and, at the end of the day, priorities become a judgement call. There is NO perfect light so, in this case, maybe I value ruggedness over optimal usefulness. In that case, maybe I value portability over brightness. After years & years of using dozens & dozens of lights for numerous situations I have a starting point for light purchases. I want my lights to have a rechargeable power source that can be replaced with commonly available batteries. There are exceptions to every rule (my core lights for work are Milwaukee Red Lithium... judgement call on priorities) but I’m tired of going through tons of disposable batteries or being caught in a situation where I can’t use the light because I used up the battery & I have to charge it. The N7 meets that basic requirement. I have a rechargeable lithium 14500 battery in the light and a backup. In addition, in a pinch, I could use regular AA batteries which I commonly keep on me but, also, I could get anywhere. I can literally buy them at any gas station. That is the height of power source flexibility and the best of both worlds since the 14500 rechargeable lithium version gives outstanding performance due to output and the standard alkaline gives longer life with a lower output. The size is excellent. The brightness is excellent for the size. The battery longevity is very good considering the brightness and size. This light balances these three features exceptionally well. The build quality is very good. The light is quite sturdy. The magnetic base is strong enough and improves the usefulness of the light. The head, which turns to 90˚ and can be left anywhere in between does the same. The spring steel pocket clip enhances that usefulness even further. While I prefer a tail cap button I understand that the magnetic base makes this impossible and feel that is a fair trade. I like the button operation. It has a positive click & engagement even without perfect finger position & at imperfect angles. The 2 second hold for on & off decreases the likelihood of accidental engagement. Additionally, you can loosen the tail cap 1/4 turn or so to “lockout” the light so, if you’re carrying it in a full pocket, you don’t have to worry about accidental engagement. As if all that wasn’t good enough I have never seen a better button cycle operation. 2 seconds on, 2 seconds off, single click back & forth between high & low. It is straight forward & simple. It takes absolutely no deep thought & causes no confusion even if you haven’t picked up the light in 6 months. Strobe & SOS are a 4-5 second hold on the button. Light manufacturers could learn something here. Options are nice. Everybody loves options. WAY too many options & settings to cycle through creates confusion & wastes time when you don’t use the light EVERY single day. Well, even then it still wastes time & sometimes you need to see something RIGHT NOW. Another 3, 4 or 5 seconds cycling through options just shouldn’t be necessary. That’s a lot of features! What does all this mean? It means this is one of the best options I’ve ever seen for an EDC light. For daily work I have better options. Headlamps & lights with longer battery life & more secure mounting options. For trips & every day carry this light is perfect for me. It has the right balance of features to make it one of a few favorites for this purpose and this $17 light is among much more expensive company for that role. Just a heck of a value.

UPDATE 2023; Ive owned this flashlight since 2018-so for 5 yrs now. Its still just as rugged, bright and reliable as it was the day I got it. I liked it so much, I found a AAA version by the same manufacturer that is exactly like this one(except for the AAA part of course!) and bought it too. The AAA version also has the rotating head and rugged metal body and is 4 yrs old. Being my favorite flashlights, both have been heavily used and abused to absolutely no detriment in their function. I would buy them again in an instant but dont think Ill ever need to. I have a lot of flashlights. I figure flashlights are safer to collect than guns. No one ever died when their flashlight went off during a cleaning-unless it was attached to a gun I suppose. Anyway, this little flashlight has become my new favorite and the one I reach for 99% of the time now. Its VERY well made and just as bright as a couple of my cheapo Ultrafire 18650 flashlights. This light can take a 14500 battery as well, which will make it even brighter. I use a high capacity AA though, since it lasts far longer than any 14500 and gives off plenty of light. I have tried a 14500 in this light and it worked fine, just so you know. This is a small light but feels very solid in your hand. The magnetic base is extremely strong as well. I hang the light beside my bed by touching the magnetic base to the head of a screw on a nearby shelf. I'll see if I can post a pic. I like this light so much, I ordered another Nicron of similar style from Eby.

I have to say that I was very pleasantly impressed by this light and it quickly has become a keeper in regular use. It's not a 5-star light but it's very very good. I ordered the similar rotating head Rofis R2 at the same time and except for a few extra features and a bit higher quality construction overall, I find little reason to suggest paying the $60 for the Rofis over the $9.95 Nicron N7/B74. To really bring out the power with the Nicron you need to use 3.7v lithium 14500 cells, but those will have a shorter run time as well. I had the best results with a Nitecore usb rechargable 14500 which gave 40 mins on high and 180 mins on low before cutting off (two other cells gave 10-15% less run time). With a Duracell Duralock 2500mAh Nimh battery the light is still pretty bright (maybe better for use in close quarters) and that cell gave me a run time of 120 mins on high (down to 1.0v before recharging) and somewhere around 6h 20mins on low (amazing) and shows one difference between Nimh qualities vs. lithium even though they hold so much less energy. These tests were just continuous use in still air until the light cut off completely...driver must have a constant current and low voltage feature built in, nice. The magnet on the tail cap works great and is a little stronger than what is on the more expensive Rofis - very adequate for it's job but still needs a decent flat-ish surface to stick to securely. Beam pattern is really good without rings or overbearing tint/color shift, just a bit on the cool side of a crisp neutral white. The one big fault is that the switch is super easy to engage and well raised above the surface, so you'll need to be aware and pack/carry it carefully. However, the tail threads are anodized so it's simple to just unscrew the cap a half turn and break the circuit so inadvertent switch presses have no effect and won't leave you stranded in the dark (this is easier than removing the battery but it will need to be come a habit). I swapped the (decent) pocket clip on the Nicron with another deep carry clip and that works out great since the clip, with a slight bit of bending, covers the switch and protects it, and it's easy to rotate it out of the way with my thumb. Time will tell how the head holds up over time - it's not accessible but others have said the connecting pieces are plastic, and tolerances are not tight to begin with. New out of the box and after a couple weeks of regular use, the head on mine is still easy to rotate with a finger while holding the light in the same hand, but holds its position well even on vibrating surfaces. I think Nicron made a winner here and the price on it is fantastic (but it fluctuates a few bucks apparently). There is a lot of low-priced junk in the led flashlight market but this is a decent and useful light. (for those unsure about or shopping for a lithium 14500 battery cell, just make sure you get a 3.7 volt version and not something like the energizer 1.6 volt lithium primary although it would work, too (just expensive and won't give you the extra brightness). Nitecore has some good ones and they're on amazon in standard or usb rechargeable versions. Other good brands are Keeppower, Efest, and Sanyo/Panasonic if you can find those. Anything advertising more than 840mAh for this size lithium cell is lying to you.)

This is a great light with alot of features. I've used plenty of flashlights through the years and this one is impressive. I'm mostly a recreational user, hiking, camping, night trail running, night road running, etc. I'm always looking for a small lightweight functional light with good lumens. So far, this is my favorite. The 2 trail pics are with light on the hi setting with AA battery. I like the ability to clip the light in a pocket and rotate the head where I need it. Iv Don alot of trails at night and find a Headlamp attracts bugs right into my face and mouth. This light I can attach to a backpack shoulder strap, waist belt, whatever I need. With the current output, I don't plan on buying the rechargeable. I like the flexibility of have an extra AA or 2 and swapping when it goes out. So far I've used it about 2 hours and no changes in brightness. And the on/off feature requires a 2 second hold to turn the light on. Nice so you don't accidentally turn it on in your pocket or bag. Great little light for the money, very durable, and bright with 1 AA battery

I'm writing this review after owning this flashlight for a short time, but I have to say that I'm blown away with how capable and really cool this little flashlight. I have owned several different flashlights and none has been anywhere near as useful this flashlight. If you have any kind of steel you can position this little torch and shine a lot of light where you need it. Under the hood, or over the fender to aid a tire change are why I have 1 in my car. This thing is so useful I'd want one in my car, pocket, drawer and you name a place you could use a light like this. That's why I just bought four more. Which I don't normally do, but I'm really afraid that it'll disappear. You know how it goes a company makes a really cool product and people buy a lot, and then they discontinue it. It's like they say " oh they're buying and loving this flashlight we better discontinue it". That's how I imagine it anyway. If you get this flashlight you won't be disappointed by it's abilities (tons of lumens) or it's compact size (1 AA battery)(you can get literally anywhere)--oh yeah it can swivel it's beam like an owl's head and stick to any piece of steel. There is one caveat though! I don't mean to complain, but it should have a lanyard. There could have been a rind with eyelet so you could lanyard from the side and not interfere with the magnet. I put a lanyard to the pocket clip, but it's not ideal. Maybe when they discontinue this model they'll do that. Kidding better get before this little gem ain't no more! I'm gonna!

I am a flashlight-aholic. Always have been. With the new LED technology that has evolved over the past few years, there are some incredible lights out there. This is one of them. In my workshop, this is my “go to” light. It has a strong, rare earth magnet in the base, so if you are working on a car for instance, you can attached to anything steel. The flashlight swivels from zero to 90 degrees. If you are working in a tight space, you can angle the light to shine where you need it the most. Some positionable flashlights are hard to turn, some don’t stay put at anything other than zero or 90 degrees. Not a problem with Nicron N-7. One of the most important benefits of this light is it is “dual fuel”. This means you can use a standard AA battery, or the same size in a rechargeable lithium ion (called a 14500). The lithium battery is 3.7 volts, instead of the standard 1.5 volts of a the AA. This means you will be putting out a much more significant beam and brightness level. I prefer to run the 14500 that has a built in micro USB charging port. Super convenient! With my last Amazon order, I’ve actually purchased more than 20 of these lights. I equip them with the lithium battery that I described in this review, and laser engrave my ranch’s logo, and have given them to family members and friends. THEY ALL LOVE THEIR LIGHTS!!! Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, you can’t go wrong with this light.

I wanted to love this light, it has a great feel and could be a great EDC flashlight. It has a fatal flaw as it sometimes DOES NOT TURN ON, stay on, or FLICKERS with a fully charged battery. I will include a video to show what I mean. It has decent brightness for the price point and a nice anodized aluminum case with a 90-degree swivel head for tight spaces. I have had it for a few months and have tried different batteries. It has not proved to be reliable or effective as a go-to flashlight. The ONE JOB this flashlight had it failed on. Again I could have received a dud, we will see. I purchased this in August of 2020 and this defect was present here and there initially but has gotten much worse with time. I should have returned it immediately, I thought it was the battery I was using, so I tried 3 different kinds of batteries to no avail. There is an off chance that I received a "dud". I will contact the manufacturer to voice my complaint and see how they respond. It has not been abused or used improperly. It just plain does not work consistently and that makes me not want to use it at all. I am kind of a flashlight and knife geek so the fact that this one does not stack up against my $6 go-to model from tractor supply company is a problem. I have more expensive lights, the 6 dollar model from tractor supply simply works, is bright, and has NEVER gone off or flickered with electronic issues. Still carry that, my gear light, my coast rubberized flashlight, and a few other models from amazon. Hope to see the maker come through. Also the rubberized button on the side comes off regularly and pretty easily, it is kind of a pain to get back on while in use, could be lost easily. All in all this could be a great little light with some quality control improvements. I will update to see if NICRON contacts me, I will update to see how their customer service is and if they support their product.

UPDATE: The replacement flashlight they sent me has the same issue. Still a good light and I kept but I wonder if the smaller size of the AA battery is causing the issue. It shouldnt be happening but I wonder if that's why. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This flashlight was in my wish list for a while for a good AA / 14500 flashlight. As you can see in the video, when you sit the flashlight down, the light turns off. So I'm going to see if I can exchange it for one that doesn't have this issue. I'm using a AA battery in it and I cant test the 14500 because the only one I had stopped working. The the video I am putting it down on a mouse pad at first to show the issue and then showing that the cap is twisted tightly and then I am sitting it down normally on my desk which is metal. Overall Review / Thoughts I like the quality of the light. I'm not crazy about magnetic tailcaps as my everyday carry but its a good around the house flash light. The light seems to remember which mode you turn it off on. I would have preferred a different configuration but its no big deal. I prefer my lights to default to low with a long press or something like that. I wonder about the button quality and how long it will last so I thought about using the twist cap as a power on / off alternative at times. The swivel feels good and doesnt feel cheap. I can also confirm that I do hear the hum when the flashlight is on low. I also like that the tail cap is not a circle so it wont roll off a table if you dont have the belt clip on it. I also use the belt clip as a tactic indicator of where the power button is on flashlights that have a side button.

Within a month my tourch led has gone.

Excellent item. Works as described. Would buy again. Bought 2nd one as i lost the first one.

14500バッテリーを使えば明るいです。ただ、バッテリーのサイズと本体サイズがギリギリなので、かなり蓋を閉めるのにはかなり力任せな感じに…。背れを繰り返すとネジ山が壊れて使用不能になります。 乾電池使用では、普通のライトの明るさは出ますが、すぐに電池切れになります。

Like the product, Use it for tiny ranges such as the carpet, beneath the rack, and pipe management.

Buen producto puede usar pilas AA Y PILA 14500 muy buena potencia lumínica voy a comprar otra