[Review] Thorfire TA14 Zoomy

**Full Disclosure** I reached out to Thorfire since there were no reviews for this light, and they sent me one to review **************

I ran across this light on BLF, and thought the features looked interesting. I couldn't find any reviews for it at all, so I decided to reach out to Thorfire and see if they would send me one to review. I figured people have to get started somehow.

First, the basic specs -

  • LED: XM-L2
  • Lumens: 600
  • Battery: 1x18650
  • Switch Type: Side Switch
  • Modes: High, Low, Strobe
  • Secondary Modes: White, Red, Red Flashing

Features:

I was looking at this light as a possible light for a car/emergency kit. This light seemed to have quite a few features that make it an ideal car/emergency light:

  • Flood to spot for versatility
  • diffuser for are lighting
  • USB rechargeable, so batteries are not an issue
  • And to most intriguing for emergency carry: a red, flashing beacon mode

Review:

This flashlight can be found on Amazon for $15.99 or on Banggood for $16.99 For a ~$16 light I'm actually VERY impressed with this light. It would not be my choice for an ever-day carry light, but for its intended purpose as an emergency light it seems perfect. The 600 stated lumens seems accurate and all of the features work well. The zoomy feature on it is the twist-style which I much prefer to the pull-style like on the SK68 clones. As you can see in the beam shots, the beam profile is distinctly square, although it is very smooth!

There is good gnurling on the zoom-ring which allows easy one-hand operation. The there are only 2 constant-on modes, and they're fairly well spaced. The lower mode is very functional for close-range work, and the high has solid throw and output. As far as throw goes, it seems to do pretty well. Flood mode is also very functional. The other interesting feature of this light is a secondary emitter opposite the switch. This has a plastic diffuser to create an area light. This light can be switched from white to red, and the red light has a flashing mode as well. The red flashing mode actually really pleased me. It's a beacon-style with 2 quick flashes and a pause. It would be ideal for signaling or as an emergency beacon. I tested the red beacon mode using a fresh Panasonic NCR18650B 3400mAh and found a runtime of more than 24 hours. Since this is the most important mode for a long runtime I thought that was pretty good.

The light from the diffuser and the red light doesn't wrap all the way around the light since it is opposite the switch. The construction of the light is decent. It has springs in both ends, which is a nice touch, although they're relatively small. I do have a couple of concerns regarding construction. It has o-rings under nearly every threaded section, which is good, but the lens is not sealed with an o-ring. Instead, there is a plastic ring between the lens and the bezel. It would be simple to replace this with an o-ring for better water-proofing. Thorfire claims (on Banggood at least) that the light is IPX-8, but I find that unlikely. The lack of an o-ring under the bezel plus the construction of the head would likely be an ingress for water. Additionally, the USB charging port's rubber cover doesn't fit very tight or seem like it seals well. That being said, I did not want this light for an EDC or for water-proofing, but as an emergency light. With my own testing, it holds up well for rain exposure and incidental water exposure. The light comes with a pocket clip, 2 spare o-rings, and a USB in the box.

Summary:

For the purpose that is seems designed for and for which I want to use it, this is a pretty incredible value. USB recharging, decent throw, and a flashing emergency beacon makes this a perfect fit for a car/emergency kit. For $16 I don't think you could go wrong tossing this in with your other gear in the car.

Does it come with a cell?
Nice review and indeed a good car light (does a 3*AAA holder fit?)

Smart concept light

i think this light may suffer heat issue transferring to the body based on the photo below

Thanks for a great review aremihc

They seem to have addressed that. There’s actually a shelf that the brass part sits directly on a shelf (pictured below) and the emitter is on an aluminum pill that has okay contact with the head. It wouldn’t be amazing, but at only 600 Lumens…

I doubt it, there’s not much room in there.

I have taken pics of the SkywolfEye $5 knockoff. It looks to have a LatticeBright on a nameless star. It is exactly 100% the same as the Thorfire with the exception that no one has shown the emitter of the real deal.

Elfeland 320 is also the same light. German guy says it charges to 4.15v so they all should in theory.

http://www.taschenlampen-forum.de/threads/elfeland-320-1x18650-zoom-cob-seitenlicht-rotlicht.54436/

http://imgur.com/a/vv19S

Here are the best pics I can get. It has 2 bond wires it looks like, and the light creates a checkerboard/polka dot pattern when zoomed. No lines like my SK68s, and it won’t show on film.

Originals: http://i.imgur.com/ZLbok2D.jpg http://i.imgur.com/hXYaz5R.jpg