The Noctigon KR1: A High-Performance Budget Handheld

Introduction

I recently reviewed the Emisar D1K, which I see as an interesting alternative to high-candela lights like the SureFire EDC2-DFT.

The Noctigon KR1 is another offering from Hank Wang, the owner of both Emisar and Noctigon. In contrast the the D1K, it uses an 18650 battery and has a tail-switch.

First Impressions

I ordered this light with the Osram W2 instead of the W1. Since the W2 has a higher lumen output (Hank claims 1300 lumens vs the 900-lumen W1), it will be a bit more floody than the D1K, albeit with a reduced runtime.

If you want more candela, you can always opt for the Osram W1 instead. This would yield very similar results to the D1K I tested.

This light looks nice. It is currently listed for sale on Hank’s website for $34.68, plus $8 for shipping.

It uses the same software as the D1K, known as Anduril 2. I have mixed feelings about it but have found a way to program it to perform the way I like.

One knock against this light is how easily it turns on in the pocket. I’ve found others online experiencing the same issue. I’ve designed a shroud to help mitigate the issue, if you have access to a 3d printer.

Manufacturer Claims and Specs

Spec	Noctigon KR1 W2
Lumens	1300
Candela	100,000
Runtime	Unspecified
Price	$34.68 (as of 12/2/2023)

Into the Lab: Lumens, Candela, Runtime, and CRI

Lumens

I bumped the thermal ceiling on this light to 50°C (122°F), up from the default 45°C (113°F). On the Emisar, I did the same thing, which yielded 30 seconds more runtime at full power before stepping down, at the cost of overall runtime. I did not perform tests at the default 45°C setting.

It goes without saying that 122°F gets uncomfortable to hold. I can always step down the output manually, but bumping the ceiling up gives me the option to run full-bore for longer should I need/want to.

For batteries, I used Cloud Defensive 18650’s, since I had a few laying around. I suspect you would get similar results from Samsung 30Q’s.

While not an apples-to-apples comparison, I included the D1K and the EDC2-DFT in the runtime charts for reference:

Let’s get a closer look at the first ten minutes:

The charts above confirm my suspicions: the smaller battery and higher-output LED make for worse runtimes. That being said, the lumen output is solid for about an hour and a half, and far in excess of the other two lights for the first ten minutes.

The ANSI-Plato lumens for this light come out to 1,162, a bit short of the 1300 lumen claim. Not bad.

Runtime

ANSI-Plato runtime is defined as the amount of time a light can emit lumens in excess of 10% of its claimed max output. For the Noctigon, this would be 130 lumens. With my settings, this comes out to one hour and twenty-six minutes. Again, not bad for a high-lumen light running an 18650.

Candela

The Osram W2 in this light is often not as throwy as the W1 given the same reflector, despite it emitting more lumens overall. This has to do with the density of these two emitters.

The W1 has a radiating surface which is 1.03 x 1.03 mm, or 1.0609mm². It emits a maximum of 450 lumens in Osram’s testing, giving it a lumen-to-mm² ratio of 424.17.

The W2 has a radiating surface which is 1.59 x 1.25 mm, or 1.9875mm². It emits a maximum of 630 lumens in Osram’s testing, giving it a lumen-to-mm² ratio of 316.99.

Given the difference in lumen-to-mm², I’m expecting 25% lower candela from the KR1 compared to the D1K, despite its higher lumen output overall. After all, 424.17/316.99 = ~.75.

Here are the results from my testing:

	Noctigon KR1 W2	Emisar D1K W1
0s	92970	113500
30s	88290	106400

For ANSI-Plato spec, candela is measured at thirty seconds from turn-on. This means my KR1 with its current settings produces 88,290 candela by this measure, and the D1K, 106,400.

106400/88290 = .83, so the KR1 has 83% of the candela of the D1K. This is greater than my predicted 75%, so I wonder what I’m missing here.

Each LED is slightly different, so maybe the W1 in the D1K is particularly dim, and the W2 in the KR1 is particularly bright. But this is just speculation.

Color Temp, CRI

Here are the results from the spectrometer:

I’m surprised by that R9 reading. For lights with the W2 this is often around -15.

Besides that anomaly, these readings are fairly average for a high-powered thrower. 6946 kelvin (very cool), and 73.4 CRI (fairly low).

Takeaways

Overall, this light is solid. If I can address the negligent discharge issue I’ll make it my new EDC for the time being.

A couple notes: I have had this light fail to turn on a couple times after I’ve swapped the battery. This is because I hadn’t tightened the head down hard enough. This light needs to be very tight for reliable activation.

Also, I would strongly recommend changing out the battery through the head only. The o-ring on the tailcap is prone to tearing, which happened to me the first time I screwed it on. Thankfully the light comes with spare o-rings.

Here are some pro’s and cons of the KR1 with the Osram W2:

Pro	Con
1,162 ANSI-Plato Lumens 88,290 Candela Tailswitch Inexpensive	ND issues Not made in US Shorter runtimes

What do you think? Would you rather have the D1K or the KR1? Or neither? Let me know down in the comments!