Saturday, September 27, 2014

ThruNite T20T Titanium EDC flashlight

The ThruNite T20T is a small flashlight with a tail switch,body made of Titanium alloy(TC4),powered by single CR123A or 16340 battery.
Shares the same design with the previously released AA flashlights T10.
The T20 model is available in Titanium(T20T,reviewed below) or Stainless steel body(T20S).
Equipped with a cool white or neutral white LED.
Brightness levels:
Firefly:0.04Lm 100hours, Low:11Lm 19hours, High:255Lm 55min



45 grams without battery. ~63gr with a 16340 battery
81 mm Length
20 mm body diameter

Precise machining with no any defects or sharp edges.
There are grooves on the head for better grip and easier twisting the head if you prefer to change a mode this way.
The pocket clip fits well as size and stays as it should-not too tight,not too loose.


UI
The User interface is easy and convenient.
3 constant brightness modes Firefly-Low-High (in this sequence)
Firefly:0.04Lm 100hours, Low:11Lm 19hours, High:255Lm 55min
In terms of spacing,the lack of medium mode leaves a gap between Low and High.
Firefly mode is quite low brightness.Great for using in full darkness.
I feel the Low mode(having in mind the lack of Mid mode) too dim for my EDC needs,but this is just a personal preference.
No additional flashing modes.
ON/OFF by fully pressing the physical tail switch.
Half press the tail switch to change mode.
There is a memory for the last used mode as it requires the light to stay for two seconds in Off position and then the last used mode is memorized.
These 2 seconds are needed because of the reverse clicky switch interface.

Modes can also be changed by loosening/tightening the head. ON/OFF is possible too.
I personally don't feel this way of operating quite convenient in my hand.

Short video,presenting the UI and design specifics.
(turn on annotations)



The T20T comes in a nice metal box.
Good protection while storing or transporting the flashlight and great looking if the flashlight is a gift.

Diffuser cap,pocket clip(comes unmounted) ,small hex key,spare screws,user manual.

Diffuser lens or cap is always a good accessory.

Spare screws included.


Cree XP-G2 LED. Cool white on my sample.
Textured(orange peel) reflector.A good choice for an EDC pointed light,especially equipped with a small size LED,
which gives more narrower beam than the bigger XM-L2 led.
Perfectly centered LED on my sample.

Barely visible,toughened ultra clear glass lens with anti-reflective coating.

The tail switch cover is also made of metal.
It has a good size for comfortable use.
The switch is a reverse clicky switch,which activates the light after the click with no momentary ON option.
This of course is required of the UI. The tail switch takes care of the ON/OFF and mode switching.

Precise laser engraving. The titanium body is not fully polished as there is some very light relief and doesn't shine too much.
Improves the grip too.

The diffuser/ cone cap gives a good option for using the light as a candle.

As with other compact flashlights,some of the protected RCR/16340 batteries are just too long for the battery tube .
The flashlight works only after fully screwing the head. Only then the - is delivered to the driver board.
The only battery I have and fit well,but still tightly pressed is the Nitecore NL166.
CR123A batteries should fit well. I don't use primary lithium batteries and don't have for test.
16340 IMR batteries also should fit well,because they come with no protection board to extend their length.

Normal triangular-cut threads with well rounded tops.
Good machine work.

Physical reverse polarity protection for improper battery instalation.

Normal for this type of material thickness of the body.


The T20T stays well in hand,comfortable in use and I didn't find it slippery,at least in my hand.
Access to the switch is easy.

I measured initial output of 230 Lm and 220 Lm 30sec after activation.
The light is constant,with no sign of pwm.

Well regulated output,almost flat line throughout.
The thin Titanium body is heating while working on High mode for a long time.
I used a small cooling fan to keep an optimal temperature for the test.

This is a runtime test on High mode using a Keeppower 16340 700mAh battery.
This battery is too long to fit T20T,so I added a piece of copper wire to ensure delivering - to the driver.
Battery voltage
U start= 4.17V
U end=3.10V


Beam

The beam is a good combination of throw and flood with smooth transition between them.
Hardly visible on the small pictures due to an image host compression.
Clean cool white beam with no greenish or bluish tint,as can be seen in the comparison shots with other lights.


Closer to the wall.



1 meter, 1/20sec white wall


1 meter, 1/250sec white wall


5 meters, 1/6sec


5 meters, 1/50sec




Thanks for Reading!

Check out ThruNite's web stores to see all available flashlights and flashlight accessories:
http://www.thrunite.com/
http://www.thrunite-store.com/
Amazon store

-All links are not affiliated or tracking.-
Thanks for reading!

ThruNite Neutron 2C v2 (1x18650 or 1(2)xCR123A/16340/18350) REVIEW

Practical compact design,highly efficient electronics,convenient user interface,compatibility with different size batteries,impressive lumen output for the size and battery type. This is what is achieved in the new 2014 version Neutron 2C v2 and Neutron 2A v2 from ThruNite.
The review below is on the ThruNite Neutron 2C v2.
The 2C v2 could be used in 1x CR123A/16340/18350 short variant as well as 2x CR123A/16340/18350 or 1x18650 form with an extension tube(included in the package).
1040 lumen maximum output on Turbo mode.
The 2C features also a more and more required Moonlight mode of 0.1 lumens.
No flashing modes to overload the user interface.

The ThruNite 2C uses only a side switch for ON/OFF and mode changing operation.
The switch has metal feel and is probably made of metal or at least with metal covering.
No click sound when pressing it.

The switch is electronic push button,placed low in the body.
It is well protected from accidental activation.
As many other side switches,finding the switch in the dark requires some time.
The switch has no easy to find by touch shape,but most important is that you don't have to worry too much about accidental activating the light.

Nice cardboard packaging.
Good protection for the flashlight and its accessories.
Also looks great as a gift packaging.

Very nice holster,two spare O-rings,tube extender,user manual.
There is no pocket clip included.

The holster is high quality.Right size for 2C in 18350 form,but too short for 18650 form.
All in one is not possible,of course.
No velcro on the back. Regular loop for belt attaching.

Very good anti-roll design thanks to 6 flat edges of the cooling fins.
There is wide flat surface on the opposite side of the switch.
This helps also finding the switch by touch.
Stable tail-standing.





Features and Specifications:
(from manufacturer)

Runs on: 1x18650
Peak Beam Intensity: 11230cd
Max beam distance: 212m
Output mode/Runtime
Turbo : 1040 lumens / 90 minutes
High: 650 lumens / 95 minutes
Mid: 220 lumens / 5 hrs
Low: 11 lumens / 3days
Moonlight:0.1 lumens/ 90 days

Dimensions:
Weight: 70g (excluding battery)
Length: 118 mm
Diameter: 25.4 mm

Size comparison with other 16340 flashlights.
Sunwayman S10R,Klarus RS16,JetBeam RRT0,ThruNite 2Cv2,Skilhunt DS10,Olight S10L2 (left to right)

Sunwayman S10R,Klarus RS16,JetBeam RRT0,ThruNite Neutron 2Cv2,ThruNite Neutron 2Av2,Keeppower 3400 (left to right)

Sunwayman S10R,Klarus RS16,JetBeam RRT0,ThruNite Neutron 2Cv2 with extender,ThruNite TN12,Keeppower 3400

With and without 18650 extender. A compact flashlight in 16340/18350 form.Very compact in 18650 form.




High quality Ultra-clear glass lens with anti-reflective coating.
18mm diameter aluminum reflector with smooth surface.Visually identical with the ThruNite TN12's reflector.

Perfectly centered Cree XM-L2 LED.

Comfortable in hand.

Great machining and anodizing on my sample.
Beautiful and very effective knurling. A little bit deeper than the TN12's knurling.
4 cooling fins with well rounded edges.

All three parts. Protected 16340 battery in the main battery tube.

Relatively thin,still sufficient battery tube for less weight.
Wide positive and negative contacts.
All batteries that I have for test,fit well.


Triangular-cut threads with round edges.





User Interface

5 brightness modes.
3 main modes High-Mid-Low repeating in order High-Mid-Low-Mid-High...
Turn ON/OFF by short click.
Press and hold the switch to cycle between all modes.
Very smooth transition between all different modes. Very pleasant to the eyes,without sharp changes with stepping from High to Low or Low to High,which is hard for the eye adapting. Mode changing reminds me on a flashlight with magnetic ring brightness control,not only because of the mode sequence,but also because of the smooth transition mode to mode.

Max lumen output with 18650 battery.
Turbo : 1040 lumens / 90 minutes
High: 650 lumens / 95 minutes
Mid: 220 lumens / 5 hrs
Low: 11 lumens / 3days
Moonlight:0.1 lumens/ 90 days

There are two hidden modes-Turbo and Moonlight.
Turbo is accessible by double click from Off.
Press and hold the switch from Off to activate Moomlight mode.

There is an instant memory for the main modes High-Mid-Low.
Turbo and Moonlight are not being memorized.

Definitely one of the best User interfaces I have tested.
Easy and quick to use. Instant memory and good choice of modes are really important for any EDC light.

The ThruNite 2Cv2 is impressively bright on Turbo mode,about 1000 Lumens. This is really an excellent achievement for such a small flashlight.
I tested my sample on Turbo and High mode with a 18650 battery. The current draw on Turbo mode is too high for a single regular ICR 16340/18350 battery.
I did a runtime test with Keeppower 16340 only on High mode. High current draw compatible IMR 16340/18350 batteries should be used for Turbo mode.

There's no Strobe or SOS.

The light is current regulated on all modes with no any sign of pwm.

A very important feature of the driver is the Low voltage warning combined with a low voltage protection.
Many other flashlights ignore this important option. It's great to see it here in Neutron 2Cv2.
The light flickers two times at ten seconds interval when the output is ~1/10 of the initial.

The 16340 battery was 3.2V after the test which means the flashlight triggered its low voltage protection.
There was no low voltage protection whit a 18650 and the battery was fully discharged after the test.
(I will do some more testing on this)

Due to the electronic switch,the 2Cv2 draws a low Standby current,which is really small ~5.5 µA.
Threads are anodized=lock-out is possible.

Short video,presenting the UI and design specifics.
(turn on annotations)



My lumen measurements-1x18650 Keeppower 3400
All measurements taken 30sec after activation.
Turbo= 1040 Lm (yes,I got the same number on Turbo as the advertised)
High= 613 Lm
Mid= 210 Lm
Low= 15 Lm

A runtime graph illustrating how the flashlight works on High and Turbo using 16340 and 18650 batteries.
Blue- High mode Keeppower 3400mAh (18650)
Red- High mode ICR Keeppower 700mAh (16340)
Green- Turbo mode Keeppower 3400mAh (18650)
There is a step-down only on Turbo mode,4 minutes after activation.
The flashlight gets hot at this output and this decreasing the output is really needed.


Beamshots

The beam of the Neutron 2C is almost the same as ThruNite TN12's beam(click to see it).
Both flashlights use Cree XM-L2 LED and visually the same reflector.

The LED on my sample gives a cool white light. A little warmer than the light from the TN12(2014).
As max brightness the 2C is also on par with TN12(2014).

As expected from a smooth reflector,produced beam is not clean of artifacts and transition from hotspot to spill is not quite smooth.


1 meter, 1/20sec white wall

Neutron 2C with 18650 battery


1meter,1/250sec white wall

All flashlights on Li-ion batteries(Neutron 2A on 14500)
Neutron 2C with 18650 battery


5 meters,1/6sec

Neutron 2C with 18650 battery

5 meters, 1/50sec
Neutron 2C with 18650 battery



ThruNite Neutron 2Cv2 is a quality flashlight in proper EDC size and form.
Impressive maximum output for its size.Good runtime.
Quite wide range of modes.Instant mode memory. Very good output regulation.
Low voltage warning=unprotected batteries can be used.
There are not many flashlights that can be used in 1x18350 form.

The switch is relatively small and could be a problem for some people to find and press it,but on the positive side,it is hard to press accidentally(lock out the head is possible too).
The 2C comes without a pocket clip.Would be good if they include a clip in the future,because its lack reduces the range of options for carrying the flashlight.

Thanks for reading!

Check out ThruNite's web stores to see all available flashlights and flashlight accessories:
http://www.thrunite.com/
http://www.thrunite-store.com/
Amazon store

-All links are not affiliated or tracking.-