“Flat” flashlights that have a lower profile for easier everyday carry have become a thing in recent years. There are now plenty to choose from with a range of features and price points. One of the most full-featured — and most affordable — is NiteCore’s EDC07. It does a few things that set it apart from its competitors.
The first thing you’ll notice is that unlike most of the others, the EDC07 doesn’t have an aluminum housing. Instead, it’s made of polymer. The biggest advantage there is that the plastic housing makes the EDC07 lighter. It weighs a mere 2.5 ounces where a couple of its nearest competitors tip the scales at either 3.3 or 4.1 ounces. That might not sound like much, but the difference is noticeable in the hand.
Nitecore has also molded in a range of textures into the housing that give you a good grip on the light.
The EDC07’s shape is also different. While it has the same long-ish, flat-ish design as its competitors, the others are basically rectangular blocks. The corners on the EDC07, though, are angled, giving it an octagonal shape. That shape is more ergonomic in the hand and makes the EDC07 feel slimmer, even if its overall thickness is pretty much the same as the other lights in the field.
And yes, the EDC07 has two LEDs. Those two emitters crank out a range of brightness levels from 1 to 1500 lumens depending on the color. Yes, the color. The Nightcore EDC07 lets you choose from three color temperatures, if that’s important to you (it really isn’t to me). You can select a warm, yellow light, a neutral white or a cooler blue output (the cool blue gives you the most light output).
The EDC07’s beam is more floody than spotty, as you can probably guess from those textured reflectors. It’s a useful beam that works well in the majority of situations you’re likely to need a flashlight for.
The EDC07 has two buttons. The rear is the standard rubberized on/off arrangement. Click it for on and again for off. Push it partially and hold it for intermittent use. The rear button is guarded by four nubs molded on the housing that keep it from being turned on accidentally and also allow the light to strand up on end.
The other rubberized button is what Nitecore creatively calls the M button. Probably because there’s an ‘M’ on it. I’m guessing that stands for ‘mode’, but the manual doesn’t say that, so, whatever.
The M button is where you select brightness and color temperature. There’s also an ultra-low ‘moonlight’ setting, a strobe and even a Morse code SOS feature. It probably seems complicated at first, but it’s really pretty intuitive after a couple of minutes. I’d run through all the options the EDC07 gives you, but Nitecore has put together such a good, short (1:32) video that lays out the functions that I’m just going to refer you there.
As for power, the EDC07 runs on a rechargeable internal battery. There’s a battery level readout above the M button so you can see approximately how much juice you have left.
On the flip side is a rubber USB-C charging port cover. The EDC07 has an IP67 waterproof rating, which means it will handle being rained on or splashed. I ran mine under a tap and the cover kept the charging port dry and the light kept on cranking.
The light is also equipped with a very good deep carry pocket clip. That’s no small thing. Other similar lights I’ve tried have clips that are too long or too strong, making them difficult to get over the edge of your pocket (no, really). A good clip that’s easy to use is a feature that too many people take for granted (and too many companies don’t take enough time designing).
As for battery life, again, it depends on your light color preference and the brightness lever, of course. Open the above image in a new window to embiggen it and see the details.
My light charged fully in a little over an hour and I haven’t let it get below one LED bar on the readout before recharging. Battery life simply hasn’t been an issue and I carry it just about every single day.
In addition to all of the above, the Nitecore EDC07 may be the most affordable of the full-length flat flashlights. At about $46, it’s less than half the price of some of its competitors and does virtually everything most of us need an EDC light to do. You may need the ability to choose between wide and narrow beams and you may need a laser pointer, too. But those features will cost you. If you don’t need those things, the EDC07 is likely to be your best option.
“Yes, the color. The Nightcore EDC07 lets you choose from three color temperatures, if that’s important to you (it really isn’t to me).”
Light color temperature is important for specific use cases. The color temperature can determine how deep shadows are and level of detail seen, and can affect clearly-distinguishing ‘object’ color distinction from background colors (for example, two darker colors may seem to blend at distance, thus in a defense situation you may not be able to quickly pick out the stationary bad guy in dark clothing from a dark colored background.). So light color temperature can be important.
replying to you since i don’t wanna compete with your chicago post (which belongs on your own personal blog that noone will read either).
the flashlight: not round, won’t roll off stuff, check.
tailstands, check.
has moonlight low, excellent.
color options… mmm… kinda neat.
how proprietary is the battery if it eventually needs replaced? tubes may some advantages, like being able to swap out to cr123 or whatevs.
Does the Mayor of Chicago Really Need a 150-Member, $30 Million Security Detail?
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MRC Video
@mrcvideo
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson believes the solution to teenagers murdering people in his city is making more ‘safe spaces for youth.’
How about you start charging them as adults and see if that corrects their behavior?
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The Firearm Industry Trade Association (FITA) took a closer look at just how Johnson is doing just that.
‘Reports now circulating in Chicago political media and on social media reveal Mayor Johnson’s personal armed security detail includes as many as 150 Chicago Police Department officers at a cost to taxpayers of roughly $30 million a year,’ wrote FITA.
Imagine surrounding yourself with 150, taxpayer-paid, armed, police officers, all for own protection, while denying the average Chicago resident the chance to defend himself with a gun in one fraction of the manner in which you are protected.
‘Mayor Johnson has backed some of Illinois’ most restrictive firearm policies,’ wrote FITA. ‘After the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 2023 reversed a lower court’s preliminary injunction against Illinois’ ban on so-called ‘assault-style weapons’…as well as state’s magazine restrictions, Mayor Johnson praised the ruling and called the law an ‘important step’ that would keep ‘weapons of war’ out of neighborhoods.’
In other words, Johnson will spare no expense, and he really doesn’t care what you think, if it means protecting himself from his own policies.
At the end of the day, the mayor of a city the size of Chicago does need protection, especially in the world in which we live. But how can you be that mayor and look around you and see all the guns in your very presence 24/7, and then turn around and work to deny your citizens adequate opportunities to protect themselves from things like this?
NEW: Chicago ‘teens’ ambush a man in a parked vehicle in a shooting with nearly 40 seconds of continuous gunfire
Chicago police say a 31-year-old man was sitting in a parked vehicle when two cars, a light blue sedan and a red sedan, pulled up alongside him
Occupants from both vehicles opened fire on his car
The man got out of the vehicle and was struck multiple times by gunfire
He suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken for treatment. No arrests have been made so far.
[see video at link]
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ht* tps://pjmedia.com/tim-o-brien/2026/04/24/does-the-mayor-of-chicago-really-need-a-150-member-30-million-security-detail-n4952152
it’s a flashlight article.