Editor rating
+ 8/10 Great gear
Pros:
+ User-friendly software
+ Flexibility of outputs
+ Simple operation
+ Smooth beam
Cons:
– No holster
– Big and bulky
– Battery charged inside the light
– Lack of extra/tactical features

Introduction

Back in the old days, you could choose any colour for your car as long as it was black.
Not so long ago, flashlight manufacturers used to be equally authoritarian when providing a choice of outputs – accept or reject.
These times changed with the introduction of IBS (Infinite brightness setting) where users could decide which brightness level(s) suited their needs with a few simple twists and clicks.
With their myTorch series of lights, Nextorch appear to have taken this to the next level so that you can now program an almost infinite variety of light levels from your computer and save them for future use.
So what do we have here? A true innovation, a marketing gimmick or something in between? More importantly perhaps, lest we get too carried away, is the flashlight itself any good?

Specifications

The Nextorch myTorch 18650 is powered by a single NT18650 rechargeable battery and has the following dimensions:

• Length: 156mm (6.14 inches)
• Width: 26mm (1.02 inches)
• Head diameter: 36mm (1.42 inches)
• Weight: 132g (4.61oz)

The light also has the following features:

• Impact resistance: 1 metre
• Water resistance: 1 metre
• Cree XP-G R5 LED
• Orange peel reflector
• 6061 T-6 aircraft grade aluminum
• Output: 10-200 lumens
• Runtime: 3-70 hours

First Impressions

The myTorch 18650 comes in a cardboard pack containing a USB cable and an instruction manual.

At 156mm (6.14”), the torch is relatively long for this battery category and feels big and beefy in the hand.

• The material is aerospace grade aluminum 6061-T6 with a hard type II anodised finish. The lettering on the light is very clear.
• The threads are very good and unscrewing the tail and bezel is easy. They are both protected by o-rings – a thick one at the bezel and a thinner one at the tail.
• The user interface is very simple. For the first mode you simply press the tail cap switch. To access the next one you tap the same switch lightly and repeat the process for all further modes.
• The USB slot, which is used to connect the torch to a computer, is hidden under the bezel. To access this you simply unscrew the top of the torch.

Unlike other flashlights in this category, the myTorch does not come with a clip or ring. I actually found this positive as I didn’t need to strip the light of such decorations before using it. Other users, however, may regard these as must-have features.

Despite this, the torch does not roll on flat surfaces due to the ridges on the bezel and tail cap. The body has large rectangular-shaped knurling. This makes it look rather smooth, but it also feels rather slippery in the hand.

The myTorch does not have a memory function. This means that it does not memorise the output last used before you switched off.

No lanyard or holster is supplied with the flashlight. There is, however a green glow-in-the-dark tail cap which is already fitted. In my opinion this is good, as I would not usually take such an accessory with me. The downside is that the cap protrudes so the light is not able to tail stand and it does not have momentary activation.

Charging the Battery

• The proprietary NT18650 battery usually takes a little over three hours to charge.

Mine was already partly charged when I received it, and it took about an hour to fully charge it. This is done by connecting the light with the USB cable to your computer. It is not possible to charge the battery in a 18650 battery charger, but the myTorch does operate with standard 18650 cells. I tried using one of these and noticed a very slight rattling. A normal 18650 battery is slightly smaller than the NT18650.

According to the instruction manual, the myTorch has a ‘multi-charging design’ and you can charge the light via a socket as well as a USB port, but there is no explanation as to how you do this. I contacted Nextorch and they explained that they will soon be launching a charger which you can power from a normal socket or your car.

Nextorch also informed me that you can use a standard micro USB cable to program the light outputs, but you must use the Nextorch cable to charge the battery.

I tried using my camera USB cable to program the torch several times but was unsuccessful. I was, however, able to use the Nextorch cable to download photos from my camera.

You can also buy replacement cables and spare batteries from Nextorch. No prices were quoted for the cable but they did mention that the battery would be ‘around €12’.

Warranty

• The Nextorch comes with a ‘hassle-free limited lifetime warranty’.
• The battery and charger cable are guaranteed for one year. The light is not covered if you use a non-Nextorch battery or charger cable.

The software

I approached this part of the review with some trepidation as software and I are not the most affectionate of bedfellows. I needn’t have worried. The software is called Nextuner and you can download it from the NexTorch site.

It took about 15 minutes to download the software, program 3 different light settings and save them to my computer.

Our video here tries to demonstrate how simple it is. There is only one screen for the software with eight possible things to click on. Only one of these provides you with any options to think about, so even I was able to find my way around within a short space of time.

After you have programmed the brightness settings, with or without strobe, you can test that they are the ones required. If any mode does not meet your requirements you can alter or delete it.

You can program the flashlight with 50 different modes. Yes, you read that correctly. I did not add the zero by mistake.

For strobe you have a choice of ranges between 0.5HZ to 20HZ. If you choose 20HZ, it flashes 20 times per second. You can program strobe to appear first, last, anywhere in between, or not at all. In addition, you can program the torch to blink at intervals of your choice.

Good or Bad?

I’m not really a fan of IT intruding everywhere, but even a cave-dweller like myself can see the benefits of the Nextuner software.

First of all, you decide which light settings you would prefer. More importantly perhaps, you also decide in which order they will appear. Some people prefer to switch on in maximum mode. Others prefer the low mode first. All of this is child’s play with the software.
When you consider the number of different outputs on offer, then even the most fickle user will surely be satisfied.

Furthermore, unlike adjustments with IBS, where you have to trust the naked eye, you know what percentage of output you are using because the software tells you. This will therefore give you at least some indication of how much you are draining the battery with each level chosen.

In addition, if there is a combination of outputs which you particularly like and may need to use again, then you simply save them to your computer.

As for strobe, things could not be more flexible. For those who see this function as a curse, you can banish the pesky disco-lights forever by simply not choosing them as an option. For those who regard it as indispensable, you can customise it to your heart’s content.

One obvious weakness, of course, is that you need access to a computer if you want to make any changes. The simple solution is to program many different outputs to cover all eventualities and leave your computer at home, but you will not have the same flexibility when you are outside.

All in all, the benefits of the software are overwhelming, so what about the torch?

Outside

The light has an output ranging from 10 to 200 lumens. In theory, the maximum output is not very high for this category of flashlight, but some producers’ lumens can be brighter than others depending on how they are measured, so I was not overly concerned here.

According to Nextorch, it will light up to 200 metres away.
I went to the local fields at night and tried the myTorch on maximum output. The beam has a good combination of spill and spot, but those 200 metres, fondly quoted by manufacturers for this category of light, proved to be rather elusive. I measured just over 90 metres, and was able to see (and frighten) a rabbit 60 metres away.

The illuminated tail cap also worked well. I could see it from about 5 metres away, which is quite reassuring if you ever drop the torch in complete darkness.

Biking

Although rather long, the myTorch is certainly nowhere near as chunky as some bike lights powered by four or more AA batteries.

First of all, I chose light settings of 45% and 15%. I deliberately chose a very dark and winding path with plenty of bumps and stones. This meant that I was completely dependent on the flashlight to detect potential hazards ahead.

The higher mode was more than adequate for this. The broad beam not only lit up the path, but also ensured that the path was lit up when I was cycling round a bend. Moreover, the simplicity of tapping the tail switch with one finger to switch between modes was refreshingly biker-friendly.

I used 15% brightness when I was back on normal streets. It was certainly brighter than my normal dynamo lighting.

Beamshots

The indoor beamshots show the light on maximum (200 lumens) and minimum (10 lumens) mode. In low mode the hotspot on the wall is considerably more pronounced than it is outdoors.

Water Resistance

The light is supposedly water-resistant to a depth of one metre. Instead of insulting it with a few specks of rain, I just put it in a washbasin filled with water for 30 minutes. I then took the myTorch out, switched it on and was pleased to see that the torch was ok. The o-ring in the tail cap kept everything dry here, but I did notice a tiny drop of water next to the bezel o-ring. This was immediately below the USB port, so I checked to see if the software and charger still worked. It did.

Impact Resistance

This is not always quoted by flashlight makers. The myTorch is allegedly impact-resistant from a height of one metre. This is a very useful feature to have but not one which you would like to test with a brand new torch, so I did precisely that. I dropped it six times on the concrete floor outside, tail, body and lens-down, with the torch switched on and off. There was slight damage to the silver coverings around the lens and tail caps but the light still functioned properly. It switched on once when I dropped it even though I had not dropped it tail-down.

Runtime

The runtime is said to be anywhere between 180 minutes and 70 hours, depending on how the myTorch is programmed. Three hours on max seems very good so I tested it. After 50 minutes, the myTorch was warm to touch but not uncomfortably so. It stayed at this temperature (I didn’t measure it) until running out of steam just after three hours. I had usable light for about 165 minutes, but after this point the brightness decreased rapidly.

Some Issues

As already described, the myTorch has obvious benefits, but as with any piece of outdoor equipment, there are also weaknesses.

Firstly, as I pointed out in the ITP R01 review, you cannot use the light while the battery is being charged. Even a spare battery will not help you here, as the flat battery has to be charged inside the torch.

Is there an advantage in being able to charge your battery from your computer, which itself is powered by electricity? Surely it would be better to cut out the middleman and enable the battery to be charged from the plug socket, preferably with a separate charger, so you could use the flashlight with a spare battery.

Secondly, as already mentioned, the torch is a little longer than others in this category. This is certainly no pocket torch, and for this reason, and at this price, a holster should have been included. I tried using a holster from my Olight m20 Warrior but it was too small.

Thirdly, I was surprised to see that the instruction manual failed to mention the lockout function, which is activated by twisting the tail cap. While this may kindly be put down to company modesty, a more mundane explanation could be that they simply forgot.

Conclusion

The Nextuner software is certainly not a marketing gimmick and I would not be surprised to see other manufacturers adopting this idea in one form or another.

I understand that this is the first time such software has become available to the domestic user, so I was expecting some teething problems, but I could not establish anything significant. It is fast to download, easy to operate and provides an almost infinite variety of outputs, but you need your computer to do all this.

Those flashaholics with an engineering or computing background will surely be fascinated by the software. The tweakers out there who are constantly tinkering with their equipment to fine-tune its performance will also appreciate the adaptability via the PC. In addition, users who need different light settings or strobe for the job at hand have more than enough flexibility here.

The torch has a lot of positive aspects, too. For one thing, it does everything Nextorch claims it will, which is not always a given. The output is respectable without being spectacular, the beam is very good, and the runtime is amongst the best for this class of light. In addition, the water and impact resistance confirm that the myTorch will not let you down when the going gets tough.

Be aware, however, that there is no candle-mode, momentary activation, clip, tactical ring, lanyard, spare o-rings, or holster, and a battery which must be charged inside the light. Some of these points may be regarded as benefits by people who favour simplicity. When added together, though, they should be seen as a lack of too many of the trimmings normally provided as standard with such lights.

I also found this torch too big for my own use. It works well as a bike light, but juts out too far from the handlebars. It fits into all my rucksack and jacket pockets, but feels too bulky for a portable lighting device. I can carry it in my hand, but I would not want to for a longer period. A holster really should have been part of the package here.

Despite all this, Nextorch has made a solid entry into the flashlight market and it will be interesting t o see if they can continue with the momentum gained with the myTorch.

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