It’s never been a better time to be into flashlights. Whether for tactical or practical use, from the smallest keychain lights to the the brightest, there’s something useful for every EDC. Even better is that companies are evolving how they build flashlights, innovating and iterating on familiar form factors, such as the new E4K from Nitecore. While at first glance it looks like the usual palm-sized 18650 flashlights we’ve gotten used to over the years, it’s instead packing a powerful combination of battery and multiple LEDs to offer exceptional output in a profile that’s still pocketable. And by adding plenty of thoughtful, user-friendly features, it’s one of the best options yet for your next EDC flashlight.
The E4K‘s use of the 21700 battery gives plenty of benefits to its output and runtime, all while being only slightly larger than the popular 18650 battery of recent years. In exchange for an extra 5mm of length and 3mm of diameter, Nitecore’s 21700 cell allows the E4K to output 4,400 lumens on Turbo, while also offering a capacity of 5,000mAh (translating to 700 hours of runtime on its Ultralow 2-lumen mode), while also offering onboard charging via USB Type-C on the battery itself. Simply put, the use of this battery format offers tremendous gains over the previous generation of flashlights, all in a single, slightly larger cell.
The other half of the output equation lies in the quadruple Cree XP-L2 V6 LEDs in the E4K, which are able to emit the mentioned 4,400 lumens with a candela of 11,100 that lets its beam throw up to 211 meters. The combination of 4 LEDs offers wide beam coverage, while a smooth reflector helps focus the hotspot for further throw.
A large side switch built into the E4K’s CNC-machined aluminum unibody design manages its 5 brightness levels and 3 special modes via a simple, easy-to-use interface, offering useful operations like shortcuts to Ultralow and Turbo/Strobe. The button itself also conceals a power indicator to notify you of remaining power from a single click. Nitecore also makes thoughtful use of the rest of the E4K’s body, from cooling fins to knurling for grip to a flat bottom for tailstanding. An included two-way clip and holster complete the options for EDC, along with a battery magazine to allow the use of more easily acquired CR123A/RCR123A batteries.
The next generation of powerful pocket flashlights is here, and it has a bright future ahead. Pick up the Nitecore E4K from Amazon at the link below.
