Nitecore P23i tactical flashlight review

REVIEW – We Gadgeteers love our flashlights. Big whopping flashlights, tiny flashlights, EDC flashlights – we love them all. Today, we get to look at a new EDC Nitecore P23i tactical flashlight.

The Nitecore P23i tactical flashlight is a tactical flashlight. Its solid construction is built for abuse and it is capable of putting out a copious amount of light.

The Nitecore P23i tactical flashlight is a nice-looking light. The anodized aluminum body and steel bezel look like they’re built for business. You can see the dual-purpose tabs on the bezel. First, they are part of the cooling system and help dissipate heat. Second, they are designed to be able to break glass when the light is used in tactical situations.

Here's a glimpse of the single LED light source.

The end of the light holds all the controls.

There are two buttons with several functions.

The raised button is the main power button. A half-press works as a momentary power button. Pushing halfway turns the light on, and letting go turns it off. Pressing fully until it clicks turns the light on. The lower mode button steps through the lighting modes in different ways, depending on the operating mode – more on that in the performance section. When the light is off, it provides momentary access to either the strobe or turbo mode. When the light is on, pressing and holding accesses the strobe. This is called Strobe Ready and is a Nitecore trademarked design.

The tail cap of the Nitecore P23i tactical flashlight has two large tabs, one on each side of the light. This helps to prevent accidental activation and provides an opening for attaching the included lanyard.

The flashlight recharges via USB-C. Woo! No new chargers to keep track of. The port is protected by a rubber cover.

The side of the Nitecore P23i tactical flashlight holds the status LED.

The LED flashes when charging and turns on solid when fully charged. When using the light, the LED turns on when the battery is above 50% charge. It flashes slowly to indicate a 10%-50% charge and flashes quickly when the charge drops below 10%.

The light is nicely sized and fits well in the hand.

Like most flashlights, you remove the battery protector, charge the light, and you’re good to go.

Generally speaking, the Nitecore P23i tactical flashlight works well. The multiple output levels meet a variety of lighting needs. The long-throw design does a terrific job of focusing the light output to produce a long-reaching beam. It is comfortable to hold and the rear buttons work well and make sense.

What I don't like are the two operating modes and the swap between them.

Confused yet? I guess the design is done as some users will use the tactical mode more, featuring turbo mode and quick access to the strobe. Daily users can only momentarily access turbo, but still have quick access to the strobe. Having to hold a button, twist the tail, release the button, tighten the tail – well, that just seems crazy complicated not to mention increasing wear and tear on the o-ring.

Regardless of the idiosyncrasies of the user interface, this is still a very nice EDC flashlight. The excellent selection of light output levels means this light can meet just about any flashlight need. For its size, it has great runtimes as well. The included clip, lanyard, and holster mean this can easily become your favorite EDC flashlight.

Here's a look at the different lighting modes.

The Nitecore P23i tactical flashlight is a nice flashlight. It's small, powerful, has lots of lighting modes, and best of all, charges via USB-C so there's no charger to lose. I wish the user interface wasn't so cumbersome, but I’ll guess that most users will pick the tactical or daily mode and leave it there forever. User interface aside, this light is a winner.

Price: $99.95Where to buy: Amazon; NitecoreSource: The sample of this product was provided by Nitecore.