This Flashlight Could Be an EDC Dream: NITECORE EDC27

Out of thousands of products at SHOT Show, the NITECORE EDC27 slim flashlight grabbed my attention like few others.

Walking the vast aisles of the SHOT Show in Las Vegas, I came across a small booth with some top-tier flashlights . And among the offerings, a new model stopped me in my tracks.

Flat, powerful, and very innovative, the NITECORE EDC27 checks a lot of boxes that should grab the attention of not only flashlight enthusiasts, but also the general public.

Officially the EDC27 Ultra Slim High-Performance EDC Flashlight, this small, easy-to-pocket torch has two Luminus SST40 LEDs and a total reflective optic lens for a blazing output of up to 3,000 lumens and a max throw of 220 m. That's a lot of light in a small package. And it can run for a long time, with a max runtime of 37 hours on low.

But while those numbers are impressive, the real innovation comes in the user experience. First, the EDC27 goes to the next level by providing an OLED digital readout with lumen output, remaining battery life down to the minute, and mode. That means the user can glance at the screen and know they have an exact amount of minutes left at an exact lumen output.

It's a level of detail that, while it may exist elsewhere, I haven't yet seen in a small EDC flashlight.

Next, the light is wonderfully pocketable.

Its body is just 0.56 inches thick, about 44% thinner than most compact flashlights. Coupled with a pocket clip, it sits in the pocket much like a knife would. I played with it at the SHOT Show and found it extremely easy to carry.

The NITECORE EDC27 has a stainless steel body with PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) titanium coating. The Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) frame has antislip textures in four places. Six sets of connector bolts and cap nuts provide impact and torsion resistance.

Turning it on and off, and toggling between modes is easy and intuitive. The two tail buttons at different heights are easy to feel with the thumb. Push the mode button to access TurboReady (half press and hold) and STROBE READY (full press and hold).

The EDC27 is equipped with a hybrid heat dissipation system. NITECORE has lots of fancy terms to explain it, but in short, copper, an external aluminum plate, and an Advanced Temperature Regulation module keep it from overheating — a big problem in powerful flashlights.

Finally, NITECORE uses exclusively USB-C recharging. That means you probably already have a cable in your kit.

This isn't a cheap light, retailing for $110. But with a deep feature set and a great user interface, I expect this to be popular with those who use flashlights every night.

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