This flashlight here is a very personal gift that I've received from the Director Support Services of NovaTac, Inc. Mr. Jim Schecter. A person that some of lucky owners of NovaTac flashlights will meet, if any faults arise in their EDC 120P.

And here it is, the NovaTac EDC 120P

With a special dedication for a certain Mr. Luxlover - the most devoted supporter and living Wikipedia of EDC line :D

Size comparison between EDC120P and A2 Aviator

Body alone has not changed much compared to the previous EDC's. Body consists of following parts:

- Head
- Battery Tube
- Tailcap (with switch)

Anodizing: all external, aluminum parts have hard anodizing type III (HA III). Since I'm having my flashlight for only few hours, I'm not able to evaluate it's strength, I expect it to be as good as it was in the previous EDC flashlights. My old EDC B42 survived more than 7 month with me and no signs of wear on the anodizing were to be seen.

II. Head

The head of EDC 120P is the biggest part of the weight and dimensions of the whole flashlight, that is quite rare. It consist of:

- Crenulated bezel ring - probably aluminum (sealed with some thread glue)
- Polycarbonate lens
- Orange peel reflector
- LED Emitter
- Highly sophisticated electronics (including thermometer and voltmeter)

III. Switch

i. Mechanically:
- Is a simple momentary type switch - if You press it the current will flow once released there is no connection.
- Is hidden in the tailcap
- Is protected from the outside world by a thin and smooth rubber cover, which does not protrude outside of the body. Thanks to such configuration candle mode is possible.
- Works smoothly and silently
- Has a small pitch - about 1mm or less
- Has a big surface --> can be used with gloves.
- In the tailcap, around the spring, a rubber tube can be found. It prevents the cell from rattling.

ii. Electronically it's far more complicated. Why ?

a. Thanks to programming it can act as:

- Simple momentary - after pressing the switch the flashlight will be turned on and:

. if the switch will be released within 1/3 of a second the flashlight will remain on
. if the switch will be released after 1/3 of a second the flashlight will be turned off

- Tactical momentary - After pressing the switch the flashlight will be turned on, after releasing it will be turned off.

b. After turning the Automatic Button Lock on, the switch will be locked after five minutes of inactivity. Thanks to it, the flashlight will not be turned on while in storage (for example in a rucksack). In order to unlock it, three clicks are needed.

c. Through a special sequence of clicks (less then 1/3 s) and presses (longer than 1/3 s) the flashlight can be completely programmed. (the flashlight interprets the logical states of the switch - beloved 1 and 0 - one can not get rid of them)

 IV. Supply

In this matter, the flashlight is very impressive. It works together with the following.

i. Primaries:
- Li-FeS2: 2 cells (3.3)
- Li-MnO2: 1 cell (3.2V)
- Li-SOCl2: 1 cell (3.6V)
- Alkaline: 2 cells (3.3V)

ii. Rechargeables
- Li-ion: 1 cell (4.2V)
- NiCad: 2 cells (2.5V)
- NiMH: 2 cells (2.6V)

In simple words:
- CR123
- RCR123 - protected and unprotected
- AA - Alkaline, NiCad, NiMH (require separate accessories)

Additionally:

- after removing the cell and waiting 30 seconds and inserting new one, it detects with which kind of chemistry it has to do (primaries or rechargeables)

- it protects the unprotected rechargeables from overdischarge. That means: in case of a foreseen voltage drop, the flashlight warns the user with a special sequence about the need to change the cells (if the user ignores it, the flashlight will assume his life is endangered and will drain the cell empty, irreversibly damaging it in this process).

V. Performance

This flashlight is one hell of a performance itself !

But from the beginning, it has:

a. 4 brightness settings - Primary, Secondary, Minimal, Maximal

b. 22 brightness levels ranging from 0.008 to 120 lumens (each one can be assigned to one of the 4 brightness settings)

c. Full regulation of each of the 22 brightness levels !

d. SOS, strobe, disorienting strobe (each one can be assigned to one of the 4 brightness settings)

e. The ability to be always switched on the chosen setting

f. The ability to be switched on the last used setting

g. Locator flash (when off the flashlight will flash dimly each 3 seconds)

h. Ability to ramp the brightness: increase or decrease the current brightness level while using a setting.

i. Ability to turn off automatically

j. Overheating protection (brightness will be automatically decreased to limit the heat generated, once the flashlight cools itself it'll return to the previous setting)

k. Ability to adjust itself to the amount of energy in a cell, that is. In case of a power drop it decreases the brightness level to the highest one that can be achieved with the current amount of available power)

Can I say anything more ? You will not find it all elsewhere.

Please forgive me, but due to the availability of 22 brightness levels I'll limit myself to beamshots of primary (10 lumens) and maximum only (120 lumens)

IMPORTANT! DO NOT PUT THAT MUCH VALUE IN COLORS !

- From top: Primary, Maximal, A2 Aviator

- From top: Primary, Maximal, A2 Aviator

- From top: Primary, Maximal. Both with a F04 Beam Shaper from SureFire

Runtime: 

Maximal setting (Factory default 120 Lumens )

50% after about 27 minutes.

Primary setting (Factory default 10 lumens)

I'm expecting a CR123/Rechargeables delivery by the end of the week, once I have those I'll inform You about the updates.

I have probably written everything I could about the flashlight. The graph above tells all about the runtimes. When there is insufficient power, the flashlight decreases the brightness to the highest possible level that can be powered by the sell and stays in it as long as possible. Then lowers it once again... until the cell dies.

If it's able to run for 27 minutes on 120 lumen level, how long will it run in the lowest setting available 0.08 lumens ?

Throw:
- Maximal:        48,68    (2370)
- Primary:         15,46   (239)
- Secondary:     27,57   (760)
- Minimal:          3,32     (11)

(value in brackets is Lux at 1m - bold values are directly comparable to the throw values from the flashlightreviews.com chart) 

Overall Output:
- Maximal:        435
- Primary:        42
- Secondary     140
- Minimal:        1,8

Details on programming, detailed description of each option can be downloaded here.

VI. Waterproofness

Acc. to NovaTac it should be waterproof till 66 feet (ca. 20m). By the look of the o-rings and the tolerances I can believe such a claim.

VII. Ergonomics

Tactical grip: since I'm used to longer flashlights, I the beginning I've been having the feeling that EDC120 is too short, and was lacking the comfort. Though after playing with it the whole day I must admit that it works well in such a grip. If it will suit a different person is a case of individual preferences. But i have no reservations for this grip.

Between Index and Middle finger: almost ideal. Thanks to the knurling on the narrowing on the battery tube both fingers have a good and comfortable grip, and the thumb has an easy and comfortable access to the switch. I like it more than tactical grip, but it is a matter of a personal preference.

Pros:
- rounded edges
- unaggressive knurling on the head/tube/tailcap
- easy work of the switch
- knurled narrowing on the battery tube
- steady grip
- switch is more comfortable to work with than the previous models

Cons:
- might seem a bit too short
- lack of a clip or a mean of attachment. If You need one then you'll have to DIY.

UI Pros (compared to U42 and U60)
- Ability to nearly directly access the Max setting (click push)
- Ability to change the brightness level while using it
- Ability to access the options menu from each level without having to turn the flashlight off
- Lesser amount of clicks to access the menus (click click press and click click click press)
- Ability to disable the brightness ramping

UI Cons:
- I see none. Do You ?

Grip test:
- 20 trials, all O.K.

Flashlight is lying head down on the table and I'm picking it fast with one an then the other hand (each time the light will be picked differently). The task is to switch the light on without having to change the grip in any way.

VIII. Conclusions.

One I've written than Henry Schneiker has created the first equivalent of a Multi-tool among flashlights. With EDC 120P he has outdone his own work.

This is the worlds most universal flashlight. Instead of taking a thrower, something to light a path before you, some dim flashlight to protect night vision one can take EDC120P and adjust it to his needs,

No flashlight in the world has so many options, abilities and so many protections agaist damage as NovaTac EDC 120P.

And I do not expect a challenger to arise soon.

Technical data: