NITECORE EDC27 UHi Flashlight review – Flat out lumen power

REVIEW – The NITECORE EDC27 UHi flashlight is an easy to carry and handle, flat design flashlight that can run from blindingly bright to inconspicuously dim. It has one of the best, meaning most obnoxious, strobe functions I’ve seen and it may well work as a mild defense. The light is comfortable in the hand, and operated perfectly during my testing. Does it have a fault at all?

What is it?

The NITECORE EDC27 UHi FLASHLIGHT is a candy bar shaped, rechargeable flashlight.

What’s included?

• EDC 27 UHi Flashlight
• USB-A to USB-C charging cable
• Lanyard
• User manual

Tech specs

Design and features

The NITECORE EDC27 UHi Flashlight review is the first full-function, flat flashlight I’ve handled. The style really grew on me. I’m used to round flashlights – from keychain to lights needing holsters, most every light I’ve had has been the traditional round. It took a couple of uses of the EDC27 to get used to retrieving the light from my pocket and getting my grip and fingers ready to make light. But with a bit of getting used to it, the light feels natural in the hand and operation of the buttons is simple and intuitive.

Button or switch? I’ll say ‘button’. The main power button is raised prominently and can be held for a second for momentary light at the lowest lumen level or the button can be full-pressed to go to the previous lumen level you last used.

The larger power button yields strobe if fully pushed and Turbo mode if half-pushed. Both those modes require the button to be held while those modes are on. Neither can be turned on to stay on. The thumb must stay on the button at full or half-press for those two modes.

The EDC27 has two lockout modes to prevent the light from accidentally coming on. Lockout 1 allows for the strobe function to be used. Lockout 2 keeps the light completely off until purposefully unlocked. Unlock is easy – A short, then long hold on the main, raised power button returns the light back to normal operation. The display shows a progress bar which indicates how long you hold for the light to come out of lock.

The battery in the EDC27 is not removable. There is no rattle from the light when shaken. It’s so solidly constructed that you can’t squeeze or twist it.

The carbon fiber, side grip areas are the best implementation of ‘cross-hatching’ that I’ve seen. If you had an old Maglight, you’ll recall the barrel is cross-hatch engraved but the work is so shallow the light is more slippery with their cross-hatching than it would be without it. The EDC27 grip cross-hatching feels pleasantly prominent without being painful to grip. I can squeeze the cross-hatching areas as hard as possible and it’s not uncomfortable.

I usually held the EDC27 in my right hand, with the extended power button up, which placed the pocket clip in my palm.

While the pocket clip is well secured to the light it has no sharp areas that felt uncomfortable in my hand.

The clip held the EDC27 securely onto my pocket and was neither too tight nor too loose. The EDC27 is quite a commitment to a pocket due to length and heft but at 4.3 ounces its weight isn’t out of line with other flashlights I use. 

The EDC27 has a unique feature via the OLED display. When I turn on the light it shows the lumen level of that mode and the remaining battery time if the light remained on at that brightness level. At Turbo mode, the progress bar moves down quickly but at the other modes the time remaining is more stable.

While the light head has two LEDs, they are perfectly tuned to project a single circle of light. The beam is more of a floodlight vs. sharply focused spotlight style of beam.

There is a brighter central beam with diffuse edges, and a less bright outer beam with a diffuse outer edge. The outer beam seems round from normal distances. 

I’ve never understood flashlight and spotlight makers’ claims of the number of feet their light projects. 305 feet? Not 304 or 309? I get more from lumen claims and real life use of the light in my hands.

Assembly, Installation, Setup

The light only needed a brief top-off charge when it arrived, and then it was ready to use.

Performance

The EDC27 makes more light than you will practically need with its Turbo mode, unless you’re signaling the moon, but it will make a perfect amount of light with any of its other modes, depending on the task you are on. And you might need Turbo when boating, hiking, camping, in public safety, service, or utility work, or who knows? It’s there in all its glory if you need it. During my testing I needed every light mode except Turbo and Strobe but having those modes was reassuring.

This is a demonstration of cycling through the various light modes with the EDC27.

I wouldn’t consider the EDC27 Strobe to be one you’d use for night running, walking or biking. It’s not a safety strobe in that sense. This strobe is a defensive strobe. It won’t make an attacker fall in a weeping heap, but it might cause a distraction that allows you to make a well-placed strike or an escape. This is not a strobe that should usually be aimed at traffic or people. The steady light modes would be perfect for those after-dark activities. 

The EDC27 never failed to perform during my testing. I carried it daily and used it for home, yard, night dog walking and whenever I needed illumination. One charge lasted for the duration of my review. Obviously ‘time on’ vs. battery capacity may cause your mileage to vary.

What I like about the NITECORE EDC27 UHi Flashlight

• Solid, professional construction and finish
• Works flawlessly
• Convenient size and shape
• Comfortable to carry, handle, and use

What needs to be improved?

• Not a thing

Final thoughts

The NITECORE EDC27 UHi flashlight turned out to be a Goldilocks product for me. It really is ‘just right’. I don’t do many reviews with no recommendations for improvement at the end yet this flashlight brought no suggestions to mind. To me, the NITECORE EDC27 is a winner.

Price: $89.99
Where to buy: FLASHLIGHTGO
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by FLASHLIGHTGO and the company did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.