NEXTORCH Artorch#

• Specifications
• Introduction
• Torch in use
• Build quality
• LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam
• Size and comparison
• User interface
• Batteries and charging
• Performance
• Beamshots
• Thermal Images
• Conclusion
• Price
• Product page

Specifications#

Brand/model	NEXTORCH Artorch
LED	White
Maximum lumens	1,600 lm
Maximum beam intensity	22,500 cd
Maximum throw	300 m
Battery	1*18350
Onboard charging	No (USB-C battery)
Material	Aluminium
Modes	3
Blinkies	Strobe
Reflector	OP
Waterproof	IP68
Review date	March 2026

Introduction#

The NEXTORCH Artorch is a solid fist-sized torch with a tactical ring integrated into the body.

There is a rotary dial at the tail that can pushed with a thumb to change between: Low, Medium, High and Strobe.

NEXTORCH make a lot of torches for law enforcement and military use.

I have reviewed a few of their torches and I visited their factory:
NEXTORCH TA30D
Inside the NEXTORCH factory!
NEXTORCH TA20
NEXTORCH TA30C Max
NEXTORCH TA30C

NEXTORCH provided this torch as a Christmas present. No review was required. I have not been paid for this review nor have I held back my opinions of this torch.

Packaging#

The torch comes in a white and green NEXTORCH branded box with an image of the torch on the front and specifications on the back.

The following was included in the box:

• NEXTORCH Artorch.
• NEXTORCH 18350 3.7V Li-ion 1400mAh USB-C cell.
• USB-A to USB-C cable.

User Manual#

Torch in use#

The torch feels pretty solid. It is lightweight but chunky at the same time.

It dangles off my hand easily.

The strike bezel looks like it can inflict some damage but there is not much room left when gripping the torch.

An optional V42 holster is available for quick access.

I have been using the pocket clip on a NEXTORCH TA30C to keep the TA30C attached to my backpack front strap.

The V42 looks much more secure and the angle of the holster can be adjusted.

Build quality#

The NEXTORCH Artorch is made out of two chunks of aluminium with a matte black anodised finish.

The first chunk of aluminium is the tube with a wall thickness of 3.25mm.

The second chunk of aluminium is the tactical ring with an inner diameter of 26mm.

The rotary switch snaps into place nicely with clear indents. I noticed a half-second delay when turning the torch on.

The torch can headstand.

The threads turn smoothly.

The threads and the inner tube are also anodised. This allows the torch to be physically locked out by turning the tail slightly.

The springs look pretty good and they work well with the included protected button top 18350 battery. But the spring at the head is too short for unprotected flat top 18350 batteries.

LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam#

NEXTORCH has used a domeless white LED with a colour temperature of around 5500K and a CRI of around 66.

The LED is behind an orange-peel reflector, a glass lens with an anti-reflective coating, and a strike bezel with beads.

CCT, CRI, and duv#

I have taken Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) and Colour Rendering Index (CRI, RA of R1-R8) measurements with the torch positioned one metre away from an Opple Light Master Pro III (G3).

The CCT is around 5500K. The CRI is around 66.

The Delta u, v is positive (green) on low and less green on Medium and High.

The beam has a white hotspot, a slightly green corona, and a slightly purple spill. The bezel and beads create shadows around the edge of the beam. The beam itself is quite throwy.

Mode	CCT (K)	CRI (Ra)	x	y	Duv
Low	5483	65.8	0.3330	0.3623	0.0103
Medium	5494	66.2	0.3326	0.3609	0.0098
High	5542	66.6	0.3314	0.3586	0.0092

Calculate Duv from CIE 1931 xy coordinates

Dimensions and size comparison#

Dimensions#

I took the following measurements using a digital caliper.

Measurement	Unit (mm)
Length	110.48
Head diameter	28.27
Tube diameter	26.49
Tail width	28.29
Tail height	60.08
Ring inner diameter	26.02

Weight#

I took the following measurements using a digital scale.

Weight	Unit (g)
Torch	121.0
Battery	28.2
Torch with battery	149.2

Size comparison with its competition#

From left to right: NEXTORCH Artorch, NEXTORCH TA30D, NEXTORCH TA30C, NEXTORCH TA30C MAX

User interface#

The torch is controlled with the rotary switch at the tail.

Rotate the switch to cycle between: Low, Medium, High, Strobe and Off.

Strobe#

Strobe appears to have a constant frequency.

I measured Strobe with a Zoyi ZT-703S oscilloscope.

Mode memory#

There is no mode memory. You can select the mode by rotating the rotary switch.

Low voltage protection#

There does not appear to be low voltage protection built into the torch.

The included battery has low voltage protection.

Pulse Width Modulation#

I did not notice any visible PWM (flickering).

Low, Medium, High

I measured the PWM of the light with a Zoyi ZT-703S oscilloscope.

What I like about the UI#

• The user interface is simple to use.

What could be improved#

It would be nice if the rotary switch could be enhanced to allow for a momentary push so that Strobe can be accessed that way instead of having it in the main group when changing modes.

Batteries and charging#

Battery#

A button top NEXTORCH 18350 1400mAh cell with USB-C charging was included inside the torch. The cell arrived with a voltage of 3.67V.

I measured a capacity of 1,410 mAh for the NEXTORCH 18350 1400mAh cell using a Gyrfalcon S8000 by discharging it from 4.20V toward 2.50V at a rate of 0.5A. Low voltage protection kicks in around 2.75V.

The cell was isolated with a piece of plastic.

I tried the following cells:

Cell	Top	Compatible?
KeepPower IMR18350 Li-ion 1200mAh 3.7V	Button	Yes
Manker 18350 Li-ion 1100mAh 3.7V USB-C	Button	Yes
NEXTORCH 18350 3.7V Li-ion 1400mAh USB-C	Button	Yes
Sofirn 18350 3.7V Li-ion 1100mAh	Button	Yes
Vapcell F14 18350 Li-ion 1400mAh 3.7V	Flat	No
Vapcell M11 V1 18350 3.7V Li-ion 1100mAh (purple)	Flat	No
Vapcell M11 V2 18350 3.7V Li-ion 1100mAh (yellow)	Flat	No
Vastlite 18350 3.7V Li-ion 1100mAh USB-C	Button	Yes
Wuben ABJ1100C 18350 1100mAh 3.6V	Button	Yes

Unprotected flat top cells are too short.

Charging#

The torch does not have built-in USB-C charging. The battery has built-in USB-C charging.

Power supply: PinePower Desktop USB-C
USB Meter: ChargerLAB Power-Z KM003C
Room temperature: 15 C

It took 59 minutes to charge the included 18350 cell with built-in USB-C charging from 3.16V to 4.15V at a rate of 5V/1.8A. The current seems a bit high for an 18350 cell. Some high drain 18350 cells usually have a maximum continuous charge current of 1.1A.

The charging status indicator at the head of the battery is red while charging and it is blue when charging is complete.

Power supply compatibility#

I tried the following power supplies with USB-C charging built into the cell:

Power supply	USB Type	Protocol	Does it charge?
Apple 61W Power Adapter	USB-C	PD	Yes
Google Pixel Power Adapter	USB-C	PD	Yes
PinePower Desktop	USB-C	PD	Yes
PinePower Desktop	USB-A	QC	Yes
PinePower Desktop	USB-A		Yes

USB-C to USB-C charging works.

Performance#

Specifications from the manual:

ANSI / PLATO-FL1	Low	Medium	High	Strobe
Output (lumens)	25	300	1,600	1,600
Runtime	19h	2h 30min	1h
Beam Distance (metres)	35	130	300
Beam Intensity (cd)	306	4,225	22,500

I used the included 18350 cell to test the torch.

Lumen measurements#

I measured the current at turn on with a bench power supply.

Mode	Amps at start	Specs	Lumens @turn on	Lumens @30 sec	Lumens @10 min
Low		25	21	22	22
Medium		300	263	262	258
High	4.70 A	1,600	1,475	1,433	356

Runtime graphs#

I used my own DIY lumen tube with a TSL2591 sensor and forked bmengineer’s project RuTiTe to record runtimes.

Note: Lumen measurements may be off by 10% with my DIY lumen tube.

The room temperature was approximately 20 C.

Runtime#

Here is a summary of the runtime results:

Mode	User manual	Runtime	Turn off	Final voltage
High	1h	1h 31min 56s	2h 17min 21s	2.81
Medium	2h 30min	2h 57min 23s	4h 11min 28s	2.80
Low	19h	22h 34min 56s	24h+	2.75

“Runtime” is the time until the output reduces to 10% of the output at 30 seconds (as per the ANSI/PLATO FL1 2019 Standard).

“Turn off” is the time until my DIY lumen tube no longer detects more than one lumen.

“+” indicates that the light remained on after recording had stopped.

The runtimes are better than expected.

The light gradually decreases as the battery voltage decreases.

It would be even better if the light could remain constant and then drop a few times as the battery goes flat.

Throw#

I took lux measurements with a UNI-T UT383BT at 30 seconds. Each mode was measured at five metres.

Mode	Specs (cd)	Specs (m)	Candela measured (cd)	Distance (m)
Low	306	35	300	34
Medium	4,225	130	4,675	136
High	22,500	300	27,350	330

Beamshots#

I went to a local park and I aimed the torch at a tree 70 metres away while using High.

Beamshots were taken using a Sony RX100M2 using 3.2", f3.2, ISO 100, 5000K WB.

NEXTORCH Artorch (High)#

NEXTORCH TA20 (High)#

NEXTORCH TA30D (High)#

NEXTORCH TA30C (High)#

NEXTORCH TA30D (High)#

Acebeam Defender P16 Gray (Turbo)#

Olight Warrior Mini 2#

Olight Warrior Nano (Turbo)#

Thermal Images#

I used a Thermal Master P3 to take thermal images of the torch while using High. Get 10% off the Thermal Master P3 with code Mcmahon10

Room temperature: 23 C

Time (mm:ss)	Max Temperature
00:00	23.7 C
01:00	32.8 C
02:00	35.3 C
03:00	34.2 C
04:00	33.7 C
05:00	33.7 C

The temperature peaked at 35.3 C within the first two minutes and then it cooled down.

Conclusion#

The NEXTORCH Artorch performs better than I expected.

The beam distance is good and the runtime is better than expected.

It has been designed for law enforcement and military use. It is a chunky torch / tactical ring and it packs a punch with the beam.

The user interface is simple to use. You can rotate between off, Low, Medium, High and Strobe. But there is no direct shortcut to High from off.

The Artorch may be worth considering as a backup torch. It is definitely an upgrade over some AA-sized and CR123A-sized work-issued torches.

The NEXTORCH TA30D is a better all-rounder.

Pros:#

• Excellent build quality.
• The beam has an intense hotspot.
• Good beam distance.
• Good runtimes.
• Tactical ring is built into the body.
• 18350 battery has USB-C charging.

Cons:#

• A short unprotected 18350 battery will not work.
• The strike bezel interferes with the beam pattern.
• No low voltage protection built into the torch (the battery has protection).

Price#

The NEXTORCH Artorch is US$99.99 at nextorch.com (affiliate link)

Product page#

Promo code: TIM

Artorch at nextorch.com (affiliate link)
V42 Holster at nextorch.com (affiliate link)
Artorch at nextorch.com.au

Promo code: A1TUYNG921G5Z8

Artorch at amazon.com (affiliate link)
Artorch at amazon.com (affiliate link)

I may earn a commission if you use an affiliate link or a promo code. This will help fund future torch reviews and tutorials.