I tested the Tiki from Nitecore and they immediately became the new companions of my keychains! I tell you why in this article.
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SMALL, ROBUST BUT SUPER POWERFUL!
The Tiki is really designed to go unnoticed on your keychain. It measures less than 9 cm, weighs 10g but delivers a power of 300 lumen max !!!
I can assure you that it’s a blast!
In terms of modes, the Tiki offers 4 power levels (1, 15, 60 and 300 lumens). This allows it to adapt to many situations.
But above all Nitecore has integrated additional leds on the body of the lamp to offer additional functions depending on the model.
On the basic Tiki, there is a UV led, and a white led with two modes: a permanent mode and a “beacon” mode (a flash every second). The white led can be very interesting to light an area as a lantern. For example, you can leave your keys on the front door with this mode activated to guide you to it, but also to see a little the area in front. You can also use it to light up the path in front of you, when you are carrying bulky objects, without having to point the lamp in front of you. Of course, this “lantern” mode does not light as far as the main lamp but it is still very interesting.
The “Beacon” mode is also very useful as a locator or in case of problems. You can switch to this mode if you are lost or stranded and you want to be seen. You can also use this mode to locate your car or your house at night.
The UV led allows you to check banknotes, identity papers or simply to see traces of body fluids, for example, on sheets. This can be interesting for people who need to check this kind of things but since the led is not very powerful, I think that a UV lamp specially designed for this will be much more effective. Besides, there is a “Tiki UV” model with a more powerful UV lamp.
The Tiki GITD (Glow In The Dark) is identical to the basic Tiki but its body is phosphorescent. It is very practical associated with a set of house or car keys. If you drop your keys in the grass in the middle of the night, you can find them more easily. You can also use the phosphorescence as a point to guide you discreetly in the dark, without illuminating the whole area with the “beacon” mode.
Nevertheless, the phosphorescence lasts less than ten minutes. If your keychain has been in your pocket or bag for several hours, chances are it won’t emit light. However, the body reacts super strong to UV light. If you turn on the UV lamp for even a few seconds, it will charge the phosphorescence to the max!
This model exists in green and blue phosphorescent.
Finally, we have the Tiki LE for “Law Enforcement”. The lamp is black and has the same lighting power as the other two but this time integrates a red and a blue led. The leds can be used, either individually in continuous lighting, or in flashing as a police indicator.
These leds in continuous lighting can be interesting as a locator to not lose someone or something from sight. For example, attached to the guide’s bag during a night hike or to a child’s bag. The fact that there are two colors allows to differentiate who is looking at. In addition, the red light allows you to read a map without being dazzled and risk losing the adaptation of your vision to the dark.
The flashing mode is also interesting to locate a danger. For example, if you have to leave your car in a dangerous place while you help someone, you can hang this lamp on the body to tell other drivers to be careful.
The front glass of the Tiki is plastic. This is not a big problem, but it may get scratched over time. The body of the lamp is made of hard plastic with a metal front and has a loop for a key ring, but it is very narrow and will only accept small rings, but the fact that it is made of plastic scares me a bit. However, it looks very solid but I fear that if you put a ring a little too wide and that it forces on the plastic, the latter will end up cracking and breaking. So be sure to put a ring that moves freely in the loop.
The lamp comes with a carabiner and a small key ring. It remains to be seen how long this ring will last compressed in a pants pocket.
The Tiki uses an internal battery and is therefore rechargeable via a micro USB port. It offers a more than respectable autonomy for such a small lamp!
The Tiki is guaranteed for 2 years.
QUE MANQUERAIT-IL AU TIKI ?
For me, it would miss a slower beacon mode on the basic and GITD. Like, a flash every 2 to 3 seconds. This would extend the autonomy for about the same use.
Then, there should be a flashing mode only for the red led and one for the blue led, in addition to the police style flashing for the Tiki LE. The idea is to be able to use the lamp to locate an object or a person without signaling a danger.
CONCLUSION.
Nitecore is doing great with its Tiki series. These lights are for me ideal in an EDC or in a back-up equipment for hiking. They still lack two small functions to make them perfect in my opinion. I have spread them on my keychain as a replacement for my Nitecore Tube and the Mec Army. I’m just afraid for the durability of the plastic loop but time will tell. Anyway, I will give you an update after a few months of use.
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