Bayco Products announced the addition of the NSR-9854XL to its line of flashlights. Also called the Tactical Dual-Light Flashlight, this handheld torch is rechargeable and offers two different illumination methods.

Juice It Up

The flashlight has a lithium ion battery that can be charged via a micro USB port. The company does not state if the battery is an 18650 or some other cell. However, the light can also be run from two CR-123 batteries, something that many 18650 powered flashlights can do.

On high output, the light is rated for 850 lumens with a runtime of 2 hours. That does not mean, however, that the light will throw 850 lumens for 2 hours. Rather it means the initial output is 850 lumens and the time it takes for the battery to drain down to an output of 85 lumens (10% of initial output) is 2 hours.

The following is the performance curve provided by the company. It shows output over time. As you can see, the initial output of 850 lumens is held for a very short time before falling significantly.

In fairness to Bayco, this curve looks better than some of the flashlights I have tested in the past. However, it should serve as an illustration that the specifications provided by manufacturers on the package do not always tell the whole story.

Dual Output

There are two different LEDs on the light. One is a high output light that is located in the normal place. This is the light rated at 850 lumens.

A second LED is located on the body of the light at a 90˚ angle to the main light. This one is a 200 lumen floodlight. The side flood light makes for a good work light or navigation light. As a 200 lumen white light, it would seem obvious that it is not good for “low profile” navigation.

Previously, I tested a NSR-9944XL flashlight that is similar to this one. The light proved to be extremely durable and well built. It survived my drop testing (6 drops onto cured concrete from a 2 meter height) and water intrusion test (30 minute immersion at 1 meter done after the drop testing.) I found the switches were easy to work, and the dual light system was handy in specific circumstances.

The light output over time performance curve looked pretty good on that light, taking more than 2.5 hours to drop from 100% to 50% output. My measured results also lacked the sharp drop that this light shows in the initial minutes.