Hello
I am happy to review for you another interesting flashlight from Thorfire. The VG15.
All of the flashlights I tested so far from Thorfire impressed me at some point,with the quality they offer for not that much money.
Build quality is really good and does not differ from the higher class flashlights,at all.Very well machined aluminum,great anodizing.
Thorfire VG15 is a compact 18650 powered flashlight. Cree XM-L2 LED. Orange peel reflector.
Standard for Thorfire cardboard box.
The amount of accessories is impressive.
Nice holster-it is very thin and basic,but I prefer to have it,in case I need it.
Good lanyard is also included.
The amount of spare parts is impressive-spare glass lens(AR coated as the mounted one),three spare O-rings,spare switch boot,spare LED centering ring(or this is what I think it is),spare switch together with its mounting board with a spring.
There is also an user manual and warranty card.

The holster is just the right size.


Comparison with other popular flashlights.
(left to right) Olight S30, Thorfire VG15, Olight M18 Striker, Thorfire VG10, ThruNite TN12(2014)
Thorfire 18650 battery, 3000mAh (Samsung cell)

In size Thorfire VG15 is very compact and only flashlights with a side switch,like the Olight S30 are shorter.

Unlike the model VG10,here the switch is a reverse clicky switch(the light is activating after the click).
This type of switch is good for mode changing.Allows to select the mode while the light is On.
Momentary On is not possible,but this is not a big disadvantage in a single switch flashlight,because the switch is used for turning On/Off and mode selecting.
If you try to use the momentary activation on a flashlight with a forward clicky switch,you will most probably end up changing the mode.
So,in my opinion the reverse switch is a right choice in this flashlight.

A closer look at the well rounded edges of the tailcap and the switch cap.
There are four holes for lanyard attaching.
Tail-standing is possible.Access to the switch is not affected and pressing it is easy and comfortable.

All three main parts are machined impressively well and each of them has enough thickness.

Black matte finish.Does not look cheap.
Excellent knurling and anodizing.Just look at the square cut threads at both ends of the battery tube.
Good,sturdy removable pocket clip. I found it a little too stiff,but this may be because of my preferences and concerns.

The glass lens has some kind of anti-reflective coating,which is great to see in a flashlight with this price tag.
However the coating is nowhere near as good as the coating on the more expensive,well known brands.
I have not tested the efficiency of the different type AR coating,but I can clearly see the stronger reflection on this one.

Stainless steel front bezel. Well machined.Not sharp.
At the head is the only problem I found in the flashlight and I see that other people also report about it.
The glass lens is easily rattling,even the existence of an O-ring.
I did not try to fix the problem,yet. A thicker O-ring,or tightening any part may help,but I had no time yet to try it.

The Thorfire VG15 with its compact form is definitely intended for EDC use and I am very happy to see a textured reflector,instead of smooth,which means the beam will be smooth floody beam,without circles and artifacts. A great useful beam for EDC use. And this is what I am missing in many of the late Olight Baton flashlights.
Perfectly centered Cree XM-L2 LED.

User interface.
4 different brightness modes,plus Strobe mode.
Press the tail switch(all the way down) for ON/Off.
While On,briefly press the switch half way to change the mode.
Double press the switch half way(while On) to activate nice effective,slow Strobe.

This is a Lumen vs time graph on High mode.
To prevent overheating,the VG15 decreases its brightness automatically after 3,3 minutes on High mode.
Battery charged to about 4.25V(the Samsung cell is the 4.3V version).

There is a flashing low voltage warning,which starts when the output is about 100 lumens.
Because of the line thickness it is not well illustrated on the graph.

I am very pleased with the UI and mode spacing,but I can't say the same for the output/brightness controlling.
As all other Thorfire flashlights,the VG15 light is PWM controlled. I was hoping for a high frequency PWM as this in the VG10.
Unfortunately,the frequency is low. About 243Hz on Mid and Low mode and 390Hz on Eco mode. I would say,the flickering is easily noticeable.
There is also slight buzzing sound,but it's hard to hear and not annoying as the 1kHz pwm noise.
High mode is PWM free.

My lumen measurements show-
High mode=750 lumens @30sec (790 initial)
Mid mode=327 Lm
Low mode=106 Lm
Eco mode~1 Lm
Flashlight powered with the Thorfire 3000mAh battery.

Below is a beam comparison at 5 meters.

Thorfire VG15 all modes.
5 meters 1/6 sec

5 meters 1/50sec

Thanks for reading!
I hope the review was helpful for you.

Thanks to Thorfire for providing the VG15 for test and review!