Nitecore MH12 Pro Review

Nitecore MH12 Pro Review 

 

 

Introduction

If you're a fan of Nitecore, you'll recognize their tagline "Keep Innovating". As a brand that has existed for more than 16 years, Nitecore is one of the market leaders in the industry of professional lighting. Their company is dedicated to making quality products along with innovation every year, with many achievements worldwide.

Today I'm going to review the newest product from Nitecore, the MH12 Pro. This is another example of Nitecore products reflecting ideas from their community. Big innovation that Nitecore provides for every Nitecore fan!

The MH12 Pro isn't like the older MH series; it comes with plenty of new features that make the new MH12 Pro special and different from others.

The new MH12 Pro is the first product from Nitecore to use their own LED, called UHi LED. Their new type of LED is from Nitecore Nitelab R&D.

The MH series from Nitecore stands for Multitask Hybrid Series; all the line-up from the MH series will suit most of the daily tasks.

What's Inside

Once again, Nitecore always provides their products as a complete kit package, which I really appreciate with their quality package, especially for their holster. The MH12 Pro comes with a new generation holster; they don't use quickdraw holsters like the MH series before; instead, the new holster is made from quality nylon with double loop velcro. For me, this kind of holster is perfect; the MH series is not tactical like the P series, so I don't think we need a quick-draw holster.

1 x Nitecore MH12 Pro
1 x Lanyard
1 x 21700 battery inside the flashlight
1 x Clip
1 x USB Type-C Cable
1 x Spare O-Ring
1 x Really great quality Holster
1 x User Manual
1 x Warranty card
 

Build Quality and Impression

I have to admit that Nitecore is evolving; their tagline, Keep Innovating, is a real spirit of their company. The new MH12 Pro is an example of how they keep changing, following the ideas, the spirit of the flashlight community, and market demand. MH12 Pro is the first line-up from Nitecore that uses their own LED called UHi LED 40, which stands for Ultra High Intensity. The new type of LED claimed to be more efficient yet more powerful. The body of the MH12 Pro is fundamentally changed from the predecessor; it is more aggressive, and the 1mm texture knurling on the body maintains a secure grip while using a glove or sweaty hand.

The MH12 Pro also uses a two-way clip in two positions: front and rear. I'm not sure if this is the first two-way clip from Nitecore, but the clip is tough and not so cheap like other brands. Personally, I don't buy a flashlight that uses a two-way clip; it's not practical in a real-life scenario (clipping on a hat), and I hate a flashlight that uses a clip on the front with the head position on top; that's so weird. Nitecore does understand this is a simple thing that matters, so two-way clip with two positions front or rear, kudos!

The MH12 Pro is also the first Nitecore that has a built-in optical sensor on its LED to prevent accidental activation. The sensor will detect any close obstruction and automatically decrease the output to a safe level of 300 lumens, so no more burned pants! Beside that, you can also turn off the sensor by pressing the mode button while it's on.

The MH12 Pro also has an output level and battery indicator on the side of the mode button—the four blue and green dots that represent output and battery level—in an intuitive design for every user.

The MH12 Pro comes with a compact body, and although it's powered by a 21700 battery, compared to most 18650 flashlights, the MH12 still looks good and is not bulky.

 

 

Specifications

LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam

Now comes the interesting part: the new UHi LED from Nitelab (Nitecore R&D) for their own LED. The MH12 Pro uses UHi 40 LEDs that claim to be equivalent to or much better theoretically than Luminus SFT-40. The UHi 40 is 32% smaller than the SFT-40; it's only 4,53 mm2 in rounded shape and can produce up to 3,750 lumens!

From the Nitecore datasheet, the MH12 Pro's max output is 3300 lumens with a max intensity of 63500 candela, which means you can shine your flashlight at any object up to 505 meters away!

Compared with the Luminus SFT-40, the beam profile from UHi LED is very interesting; it has a good spill and a wide amount of perfect rounded hotspots on a smooth reflector.

The MH12 Pro also has a new design bezel; it isn't an aggressive type bezel, and as an EDC flashlight, the MH12 Pro is a perfect flashlight to carry everywhere with no worry.

 

Size and Comparison

User Interface

The MH12 Pro has two different modes: daily mode and tactical mode. The tail switch for on/off and the side switch or mode button. The UI is very simple: press the tail switch to turn it on, press the side switch to choose the desired output, and half press to temporarily turn it on.

There's special output for strobes, beacons, and SOS. To access the special output, when the flashlight is turned on, press and hold the side switch to cycle between strobe-beacon-sos. Mode memory won't work on SOS and beacons.

You can access moon mode by holding the mode button first, then pressing the tail switch to turn it on.

The last UI is tactical mode, to change from daily mode to tactical, similar to accessing the moon mode but keeping pressing until it blinks. One blink for daily mode and two blinks for tactical mode

The tactical mode is always on turbo when turned on, and you can cycle to lower the output from the side switch. Both daily mode and tactical mode can remember strobe as an output.

Batteries and Performance

The MH12 Pro is powered by one protected 21700 (NL2153HP) battery. It's a 20A max discharge with a 5300 mAh capacity. The MH12 Pro doesn't use Nitecore proprietary I series batteries; you can use other 21700-protected batteries, but make sure the current discharge is 20A to get its potential output performance.

From the Nitecore datasheet, the internal USB-C port is 5V/2A, and you can fully charge the MH12 Pro in about 3,5 hours using standard 10 watt chargers.

Using the included battery, 50 lumens of output can last for two days without charging, and 8 hours and 30 minutes for 300 lumens of output.

 

 

Beamshots

 

 

Conclusion

Here it is: the final verdict. I have nothing to say about the MH12 Pro; it's a great EDC or tactical flashlight to have. It has everything that a perfect flashlight should have: fast charging USB-C, a standard battery, a level indicator, a good throw, good runtimes, and everything in a compact, good-looking flashlight. Once again, good job, Nitecore!

The MH12 Pro is the beginning of the new era of Nitecore's top-notch flashlight line-up with "UHi LED Inside," with many possibilities in the coming years from a well-experienced company. As the first arsenal from Nitecore, the MH12 Pro is exceptionally a must-have Multitask Hybrid Series flashlight for every Nitecore fan.