NEXTORCH TA30C Tactical Torch Review
NEXTORCH TA30C⌗
- Specifications
- Introduction
- Torch in use
- Build quality
- LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam
- Size and comparison
- User interface
- Batteries and charging
- Performance
- Beamshots
- Conclusion
- Price
- Product page
Specifications⌗
| Brand/model | NEXTORCH TA30C |
|---|---|
| LED | Luminus SST40 |
| Maximum lumens | 1,600 lm |
| Maximum beam intensity | 22,952 cd |
| Maximum throw | 303 m |
| Battery | 1*18650, 2*CR123 |
| Onboard charging | No (USB-C battery) |
| Material | Aluminium |
| Modes | 3 |
| Blinkies | Strobe |
| Reflector | Smooth |
| Waterproof | IPX8 |
| Review date | June 2023 |
Introduction⌗
I reached out to NEXTORCH to see if they would like a review of the UT41 signal light so that I could improve my safety while walking across pedestrian crossings at night. I also offered to review a tactical torch and give it to a relative in law enforcement for real world feedback.
NEXTORCH kindly sent a UT41 signal light, and a TA30C tactical torch with an optional tactical ring and holster for review.
Here is a short video of the UT41 signal light. It is water resistant too.
Let’s take a look at the NEXTORCH TA30C!
I have not been paid for this review nor have I held back my opinions of this torch.
Packaging⌗
The TA30C comes in a white and green box with NEXTORCH branding.
The following was included in the box:
- NEXTORCH TA30C
- NEXTORCH 18650 2600mAh USB-C cell
- USB-A to USB-C cable
- CR123 Flashlight Magazine
- Two spare o-rings
- Lanyard
- User manual
Optional NEXTORCH FR-1 tactical ring:
Optional NEXTORCH V31 holster:
Torch in use⌗
The NEXTORCH TA30C has been designed for military and law enforcement use.
It has a rotary switch where you can reliably turn the torch on. I found that I can either twist the rotary switch with my thumb and index finger or simply flick the rotary switch with my thumb to turn the torch on.
It also has a big button at the tail end with two sensitivity levels: press lightly for momentary High, or press hard for momentary Strobe.
The torch fits comfortably in my hand.
The pocket clip has a lanyard hole if you prefer to use a lanyard. The TA30C has been designed with a tailcap that screws over the end of the pocket clip to keep it secure.
The torch cannot tailstand due to the big button for quick access. The larger TA30C MAX can tailstand.
The optional V31 holster is made of plastic and has two main parts: the clip and the holster. The angle of the holster can be adjusted by twisting it.
The optional FR-1 tactical ring is also made of plastic.
The tactical ring can be installed by first unscrewing the tailcap and then by pushing it over the pocket clip.
The TA30C can be inserted into the V31 holster while the FR-1 tactical ring is attached.
Build quality⌗
The NEXTORCH TA30C is constructed of aluminium. The body has a dark gray matte anodised finish on both the outside and the inside. The torch feels smooth and there are no sharp edges.
The head and the tube appear to be made of one continuous tube of aluminium. Sometimes torches have a head and a tailcap that screw onto a tube, and manufacturers end up using glue to prevent the head from turning while you are trying to unscrew the tailcap and to improve water resistance. It is nice to see NEXTORCH use wht appears to be one piece. It is one less thing to fail.
There is plenty of grip on the head, tube and tailcap.
The rotary switch clicks into place while changing between TAC (off), Low, Medium, High and Strobe. There is about one millimeter of play in the rotary switch before it clicks into the next position. The ring feels secure enough to avoid accidentally turning the torch on.
The anodised square-cut threads came lightly lubricated and turn smoothly. I love how I can shove the tailcap back on and not worry about cross-threading it. But I have found that I sometimes accidentally twist the rotary switch while unscrewing the tailcap and then when I screw the tailcap back on the torch is on.
The pocket clip is not deep carry. I found that this makes it easier to operate the rotary switch and unscrew the tailcap. It is nice that the pocket clip has been integrated into the design and not slapped on as an afterthought.
There is a single spring at the head and a single spring at the tailcap. The springs are short and do not allow an unprotected flat top 18650 to fit.
LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam⌗
The NEXTORCH TA30C has a Luminus SST40 emitter with a smooth reflector to provide a throwy beam.
It has a strike bezel with three nano-ceramic beads for breaking car windows. These three beads protrude into the edge of the beam (as seen in the beamshot).
CCT, CRI, and duv⌗
I have taken Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) and Colour Rendering Index (CRI, RA of R1-R8) measurements with the torch positioned one metre away from an Opple Light Master Pro III (G3).
The CCT is around 6100K. The CRI is around 66.
The Delta u, v is positive (green) on low and less green on Medium and High.
The beam has a white hotspot, a slightly green corona, and a slightly purple spill. The beads create some shadows around the edge of the beam. The beam itself is quite throwy and it creates a wall of light on High.
| Mode | CCT (K) | CRI (Ra) | x | y | Duv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 5786 | 64.5 | 0.3255 | 0.3551 | 0.0101 |
| Medium | 6144 | 66.7 | 0.3184 | 0.3414 | 0.0067 |
| High | 6468 | 68.4 | 0.3131 | 0.3308 | 0.0039 |
Calculate Duv from CIE 1931 xy coordinates
Dimensions and size comparison⌗
Dimensions⌗
I took the following measurements using a vernier caliper.
| Measurement | Unit (mm) |
|---|---|
| Length | 134.5 |
| Head diameter | 30.0 |
| Tube diameter | 23.0 |
| Tail rotary diameter | 21.8 |
Weight⌗
I took the following measurements using a digital scale.
| Weight | Unit (g) |
|---|---|
| Torch | 96.70 |
| Battery | 51.77 |
| Torch with battery | 148.47 |
Size comparison with its competition⌗
From left to right: Olight Warrior Mini 2, NEXTORCH TA30C, Sofirn C8L
From left to right: Olight Warrior Mini 2, NEXTORCH TA30C, Sofirn C8L
User interface⌗
The rotary switch can be rotated anti-clockwise to access: TAC (off), Low, Medium, High and Strobe. The switch may then be rotated clockwise to move the switch back into the TAC (off) position. It does not continuously rotate in one direction. It will stop.
The button can be pressed lightly to enter High momentarily or pressed hard to enter Strobe momentarily.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Rotate switch to TAC | Off |
| Off | Rotate switch to I | Low |
| Off | Rotate switch to II | Medium |
| Off | Rotate switch to III | High |
| Off | Rotate switch to Strobe | Strobe |
| Any | Press button lightly | Momentary High |
| Any | Press button hard | Momentary Strobe |
Strobe⌗
Strobe has an alternating frequency.
Battery capacity indication⌗
When the rotary switch is turned to TAC (off), a battery capacity indicator will light up in the button for a second or two.
| Colour | Battery level |
|---|---|
| Blue | Capacity ≥ 75% |
| Blue flash | 50% ≤ Capacity < 75% |
| Red | 25% ≥ Capacity < 50% |
| Red flash | Capacity < 25% |
Low voltage protection⌗
The torch does not have low voltage protection built in. I recommend using a protected 18650 battery so that you do not accidentally leave the torch on and discharge the battery to 0V.
That said, the torch comes with a protected 18650 battery. I measured about 3.0V at the end of the High and Medium runtimes when the light turned off. The battery appears to have low voltage protection.
I tested low voltage protection by connecting the head of the torch to a bench power supply and then by lowering the voltage from 4.2V to 0V. The emitter turned off at 2.20V and the current dropped to 20 mA. I expected the emitter to turn off between 2.50V and 3.20V, and for the current to stop.
That test did not rule out whether or not the torch has a second driver in the tailcap with low voltage protection so I decided to sacrifice an unprotected 18650 cell.
I also tested low voltage protection by inserting an unprotected button top 18650 battery with a spacer, turning it onto High, and then by measuring the battery voltage after a day. The battery was 0.99V.
PWM⌗
I did not notice any visible PWM (flickering).
What I like about the UI⌗
- The user interface is simple to use.
- The rotary switch and button are easy to use while wearing gloves.
What could be improved⌗
- It might be worth replacing Strobe with a Turbo mode.
Batteries and charging⌗
Battery⌗
A button top NEXTORCH 18650 2600mAh cell with USB-C charging was included inside the torch. The cell arrived with a voltage of 3.75V, and it was isolated with a piece of plastic.
I tried to use an unprotected flat top Samsung 30Q 18650 but it was too short. I was able to use other brands of button top 18650 cells with built-in USB-C charging.
Charging⌗
The indicator LED went red while charging and it went blue when charging was complete.
Power supply: PinePower Desktop USB-C
USB Meter: AVHzY CT-3 (recommended by LiquidRetro)
Room temperature: 13 C
I charged the cell with its built-in USB-C charger from 2.95V to 4.18V. Charging completed after 2 hours. The charging rate was approximately 5V 1.3A.
Power supply compatibility⌗
I tried the following power supplies with the built-in USB-C charger:
| Power supply | USB Type | Protocol | Does it charge? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple 20W Power Adapter | USB-C | PD | Yes |
| Google Pixel Power Adapter | USB-C | PD | Yes |
| PinePower Desktop | USB-C | PD | Yes |
| PinePower Desktop | USB-A | QC | Yes |
| PinePower Desktop | USB-A | Yes |
USB-C to USB-C charging works.
Performance⌗
Specifications from the manual:
| ANSI / PLATO-FL1 | Momentary on | Tactical Strobe | High | Medium | Low | Strobe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output (lumens) | 1,600 | 1,600 | 1,600 | 330 | 20 | 1,600 |
| Runtime | 2h 30min | 4h 30min | 50h | |||
| Beam Distance (metres) | 303 | 130 | 24 | |||
| Beam Intensity (cd) | 22,952 | 4,225 | 144 |
Lumen measurements⌗
I used a UNI-T UT210E clamp meter to measure the current at turn on. The torch entered High mode when bypassing the tailcap.
| Mode | Amps at start | Specs | Lumens @turn on | Lumens @30 sec | Lumens @10 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | |
| Medium | 330 | 338 | 332 | 313 | |
| High | 5.16 A | 1,600 | 1,755 | 1,731 | 580 |
Runtime graphs⌗
I used my own DIY lumen tube with a TSL2591 sensor and forked bmengineer’s project RuTiTe to record runtimes.
Note: Lumen measurements may be off by 10% with my DIY lumen tube.
The room temperature was approximately 13 C.
Runtime⌗
Here is a summary of the runtime results:
| Mode | User manual | Runtime result | Turn off | Final voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | 2h 30min | 2h 24min 26s | 3h 20min 20s | 2.95 |
| Medium | 4h 30min | 5h 11min 37s | 5h 36min 49s | 3.06 |
| Low | 50h | 10min+ | 10min+ |
“Runtime” is the time until the output reduces to 10% of the output at 30 seconds (as per the ANSI/PLATO FL1 2019 Standard).
“Turn off” is the time until my DIY lumen tube no longer detects more than 1 lumen.
“+” indicates that the light remained on after recording had stopped.
I stopped recording after 10 minutes for the Low mode.
The runtime results look similar to the official specifications but I found that the torch managed to keep running for longer at a lower output.
The TA30C performed better than expected. High stepped down quickly within the first three minutes to around 580 lumens. The light output appeared to be fairly stable for the first 1 hour 20 minutes of running it on High after that initial step down.
Throw⌗
I took lux measurements with a UNI-T UT383BT at 30 seconds. Low, Medium and High were measured at five metres.
| Mode | Specs (cd) | Specs (m) | Candela measured (cd) | Distance (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 144 | 24 | 250 | 31 |
| Medium | 4,225 | 130 | 5,625 | 150 |
| High | 22,952 | 303 | 32,450 | 360 |
Beamshots⌗
I went to a local park and aimed the NEXTORCH TA30C at a tree 70 metres away while using High.
Beamshots were taken using a Sony RX100M2 using 3.2", f3.2, ISO 100, 5000K WB.
NEXTORCH TA30C (High)⌗
Olight Warrior Mini 2⌗
Sofirn C8L (Turbo)⌗
Klarus GL4 (Turbo)⌗
Conclusion⌗
The NEXTORCH TA30C tactical torch has an excellent build quality.
I was a bit skeptical at first but I found the rotary switch and button simple to use.
It would be nice if the springs were a bit longer to allow a shorter unprotected flat top 18650 battery to be used. You are pretty much stuck using a long protected 18650 battery with USB-C charging. Luckily a few brands make these.
The Luminus SST40 LED produces a cool white beam with a bit of tint shift. It is not a pretty beam, especially with the strike bezel getting in the way, but it is practical. There is sufficient spill to light up a room and the hot spot reaches over three hundred metres.
The 1,600 lumens claim on the front of the box is pretty accurate. It lasted two minutes before the light output stared to significantly drop. It hit 580 lumens at 3 minutes and maintained that output for another 1 hour 17 minutes.
There are other tactical 18650 torches available around this price but I highly recommend the NEXTORCH TA30C due to the simple user interface and excellent build quality.
Pros:⌗
- Excellent build quality.
- Simple user interface.
- Good beam distance (300m+).
- Beam is wide enough to light up a room.
- 18650 battery has USB-C charging.
Cons:⌗
- It does not take a short unprotected 18650 battery.
- The strike bezel interferes with the beam pattern.
- No low voltage protection built into the torch (the battery has protection).
Price⌗
The NEXTORCH TA30C is about US$89 with a discount code at the time of writing.
It is priced competitively. You may find an Acebeam P16 or an Olight Warrior Mini 2 for a similar price.
Product page⌗
Promo code: TIM
TA30C at nextorch.com (affiliate link)
UT41 at nextorch.com (affiliate link)
I may earn a commission if you use an affiliate link or a promo code. This will help fund future torch reviews and tutorials.