The NiteCore SmartPD D11 takes the features of the D10 and D10 SP and crams them into one light. You have the adjustable infinite brightness of the D10 plus the quick access to strobe and SOS of the D10 SP. You lose the quick access to max and min brightnesses, which may or may not make you happy.

The D11 has a CREE XP-G R5 LED, which is the latest, greatest, and overall brightest LED of the small LEDs. The D11 can easily light up a backyard or inside of a warehouse, while also dropping low enough that it can be used for up close work. The light is part of the SmartPD line, meaning that it has a piston that travels the full length of the battery tube instead of a switch. The system is very reliable (if you keep the contacts clean) and is a pretty cool use of a different sort of light technology compared to what 99% of what everyone else uses. Most people’s eyes will glaze over if you start talking about pistons, lumens, and adjustable brightness in a flashlight, so just keep the light in your pocket and let people be impressed by its brightness when appropriate. Unless you are talking to me, of course. Then, you will have a two hour conversation to deal with.

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