NEXTORCH TA30 Max

1lumen selects and reviews products personally. We may earn affiliate commissions through our links, which help support our testing.

NEXTORCH TA30 Max specifications

Brand & Model	NEXTORCH TA30 Max
LED	CREE XHP50.2
Lumens	2,100 Lumens
Beam intensity	Not Listed
Battery config.	1*21700
Onboard charging	On-Cell USB-C
Modes	3
Blinkies	Strobe
Reflector	Orange Peel
Waterproof	IPX8 / 2m
Review publication date	August 2022

I was recently asked to describe what makes a flashlight “tactical”.That’s easy enough to answer. It should include a tail switch and instant access to either strobe or high mode. Grippy in all sorts of adverse conditions, waterproof… I mean, the list could go on. Then, I received the NEXTORCH TA30 Max to review. I feel like NEXTORCH may have heard my response. I’ll be darned if this light doesn’t meet most of the requirements I laid out. The only thing that fell short was the exclusion of a pressure switch to be able to use it as a weapons mount light, one of my favorite uses for a light. Although this TA30 Max does utilize a tail switch, it is something that could happen in the future… wink, wink. This all makes perfect sense, considering it is coming from a forefront in standardizing ANSI and a founding member of PLATO, in which a group of industry experts spell out specific testing and reporting measures for portable lighting.

Package quality.

Packaging with the TA30 Max seems to be pretty standard fair for NEXTORCH . It is in white cardboard retail packaging with a hang tab. The print is very clear and everything looks as professional as the light inside. Everything is held in a plastic insert that stops the rattling and hugs the flashlight snugly.

Included in the package are:

• NEXTORCH TA30 Max
• Battery
• Spare O-Rings
• Lanyard
• Manual
• USB-C Charging Cable

As a 6’2” 210 pound man, I do not have the smallest hands. And while I do have a fascination with small but powerful lights, I do appreciate the fact that flashlights have moved towards larger batteries. The TA30 Max being a 21700 celled flashlight is larger than the hot 18650 lights, and thus more easily fits in my hand without feeling like a toy. I just love when something feels solid enough to the point in which I just don’t have to worry about it. The TA30 Max fits in this category quite well.

The knurling on a matte anodizing, plus the larger frame makes me feel certain it will not go anywhere I don’t want it to go. The grip is quite nice whether I am using it in a forward facing position with my thumb near the head of the light, or if I am primed to attack the two stage momentary switch on the tailcap. In addition to the tailcap switch, the magnetic rotary switch is immediately above the momentary switch and can be manipulated from either hand. Again, being a larger 21700 light, the TA30 Max feels too large to be a true “pocketable” light, but there is a cut in the frame that looks like it WANTS to hold a pocket clip. I feel that the light doesn’t want to be in your pocket anyway.

An available accessory (not included for review) is a tactical flashlight ring, which would clip on in this location. This light is the epitome of a tactical light. It has an anti-roll system machined into the head, thumb cuts in the tailcap to allow pressing the momentary switch without ACCIDENTALLY pressing the switch. The cuts leave enough material where the light will tailstand all day, probably even if you bump into the surface it is standing on. On the cuts, there are also provisions for a lanyard to be attached and a lanyard is included.

Time for my favorite part. I love the way this thing feels. In the last light I reviewed, I had noted a slight inconsistency in the knurling that I couldn’t unsee. The TA30 Max? None. Imperfections? None. Grinding on the threads? Nope! This truly is remarkable. The TA30 Max is made from 6061-T6 aircraft grade aluminum and the matte black hard anodizing is incredibly smooth, yet grippy. If you are holding this light, it isn’t going anywhere.

The thing is, when I buy a flashlight and spend my hard earned money, I like knowing I am getting something of quality. Or at least something that justifies the price point. With more budget lights, I understand if a corner has to be “trimmed” to keep costs low, but the TA30 Max doesn’t seem like it skimps on quality at all. The Magnetic rotary dial has very distinct clicks for each detent and feel, yet again, fantastic. If I have to get picky and point something out, I would say that the rubber button on the tailswitch could keep the spring pressure throughout its whole travel. There is almost a shelf right before the high mode engages and it acts almost like a three stage switch, where the first stage does nothing. Minimal, i know.

Other than that, I just couldn’t find anything I didn’t like about the TA30 Max. In the off-chance you do find something to be amiss with yours, NEXTORCH does warranty their equipment. NEXTORCH will replace any defective product within 15 days and will provide maintenance services for quality problems with the light for five years. If you drive over it, that does not fall under the purview of the warranty. The included battery is only warrantied for one year.

The NeNEXTORCH Torch carries in it a CREE XHP50.2 inside its head. There is an orange peel reflector that helps distribute the claimed 2100 lumens and, like the only other NEXTORCH flashlight I have experience with, stays right at a temperature (color) 6500k which is a similar shade that the sun will give you on an overcast day. Not quite accurate true-to-color color rendering, coming in at a 75.4 RA rating.

This was measured using an Opple Lightmaster Pro at 2 feet on low mode.

This will wash your reds and make them appear darker with a touch of blue, but, you’ll still be able to tell what you’re looking at. In addition, the beam pattern is quite smooth, especially with the orange peel reflector. An obvious hotspot that is quite definitive and is encompassed by a light yellow corona. The Bezel is made of stainless steel, with crenulations at the top which allow light to bleed if you are head-standing your light. On top of even those, are some zirconium strike beads, which are even tougher than ceramic and serve as a very effective glad beaker. Gets the job done quite nicely.

Dimensions: 

NEXTORCH TA30 Max Dimension	Millimeters	Inches
Length	153mm	6.02in
Head diameter	38mm	1.5in
Body diameter	28mm	1.1in

Weight: 

NEXTORCH TA30 Max Weight	Grams	Oz.
Without battery:	145g	5.11oz
With battery	217g	7.65oz

Flashlight size comparison with its competition

For size comparison, I have set it up against other familiar 21700 lights, including another 21700 offering from NEXTORCH themselves.

From left to right: NEXTORCH P82, NEXTORCH TA30 Max, Convoy S21B, Surefire 6P, Wurkkos FC12

I am quite familiar with Anduril and could do most things without having to glance at a manual, but there are times when I need to remember if it is *7 clicks and hold* or just *8 clicks* but I found that with the TA30 Max, this shouldn’t be the case. The control and user interface are quite intuitive and for the amount of labeling, I found I could explain to my wife exactly what to do without even having used the light. My daughter too. And she is not even 7. I mean, this thing is easy. 4 spots on a rotary dial to choose your brightness and a push button for when you just want to take immediate control. I can’t think of a simpler way to operate a light with these modes as quickly, at least until we get this whole “mind control” thing down.

Available modes: Low, Medium, High, Strobe

From OFF:

• Rotate dial to desired output
• Half Press tail switch: High output
• Full Press tail switch: Strobe

From ON:

• Tail switch will allow to to override with High or Strobe
• Rotate dial to desired output

Mode memory:

• If the light is on and you activate the tail switch, it will go back to your previous mode after release

Shortcuts:

• To High: Half press of tail switch
• To Strobe: Full press of tail switch

Low voltage warning:

• No low voltage warning

Strobe/blinkies”

• Full press of tail switch or rotate the dial to STROBE

PWM:

• No Visible PWM to the human eye

Additional info on the UI:

• This is what a tactical light should be!

The battery, labeled as a 5000mah cell, does have a protection circuit and on-cell charging. Very convenient, especially since the charging port is USB-C. The charging circuit works well and seems happy charging at 6.5W. The 21700 has a small LED built into the top of the cell that lets you know when it is done charging. Red while charging, and blue when done.

That light? It will turn blue after 3h and 27 min, when you unload 4237mah of torch lighting electrons into the battery at 5V. Please note, as soon as the battery IS full, keep in mind the direction of install. The positive end goes near the tail switch, unlike what most might be used to. There are indicators on the light to remind you. The TA30 Max ran for me with an unprotected cell in place, but it felt loose. I could not find on the NEXTORCH site as to whether or not they officially “approve” the use of unprotected cells.

Lumen measurements:

Outputs were taken in a purpose-built integrating sphere with measurements coming from an ExTech SDL400 with an ND16 filter. Base measurements performed off a source light with known numbers. The battery used is the included NEXTORCH cell.

Mode	Specs	turn on	30 sec	10 minutes
Low	70	66 lm	68 lm	70 lm
Medium	380	364 lm	371 lm	373 lm
High	2100	1953 lm	1982 lm	1982 lm

Battery Life: Runtime graphs

Mode	Specified	Measure Runtime (ANSI)	Time till shut off
Low	23h	29h 24min	29h 24min
Med	6h	6h 25min	6h 25min
High	2h 30min	3h 23min	3h 23min

*MEASURE RUNTIMES (ANSI)*

For the runtime tests, I was unable to get accurate times for an ANSI measurement because the driver kept the lights well above the 10 percent mark until the LVP kicked in and shut them off completely.

ANSI FL1 standards: The runtime is measured until the light drops to 10% of its initial output (30 seconds after turning on). This does not mean that the flashlight is not usable anymore. The last column shows how long the light actually works till it shuts off. If there is a + symbol, it means that the test was stopped at that particular point, but the light was actually still running. This happens on certain occasions, with certain drivers, firmware, or batteries.

Peak beam intensity and beam distance measurements

Throw numbers were calculated using an Opple Lightmaster Pro as I find it to be more consistent than other methods. Measured at 10m at 30 seconds.

Mode	Specified	Candela measured	Meters	Yards
Low	*506 cd	875 cd	59.16m	64.7y
Medium	*2500 cd	4,275 cd	131m	143y
High	*15,625 cd	21,175 cd	313m	343y

Manufacturers Specs were only shown in Meters, not candela, so these numbers were reverse engineered.

Extra info: Peak beam distance according to ANSI FL1 standards: The calculated value of distance in meters at which the flashlight produces a light intensity of 0.25 lux. (0.25 lux is about the brightness of a full moon shining on an object).

All beamshots were taken at a distance of 70m using a Lumix G7 at ISO 6000, EV 0.00

Beamshots compared to the following flashlights:

• Convoy S21b
• Acebeam E70 mini

Disclaimer: This flashlight was sent to me for review at no cost by NEXTORCH . I have not been paid to review, nor have I been holding back on problems or defects.