Thrunite Ti3 Review

Using the search I did not see a review for this light and I think it deserves one. As it is the Ti3 model I thought the review appropriate from the perspective of my left pocket where it has resided for 3 years now.

What good is a flashlight if you don’t have it or it doesn’t work? For the past three years if I was wearing pants I had this flashlight and it works! This light is well made and has served me well. It is one of the smallest things in my pocket yet the outstanding knurling makes it easy to locate. It does not take up any unnecessary space.

Like others my idea of a good flashlight used to mean maglite. I used to carry a 2AA Mini-Mag on my belt and thought it great to have such a useful amount of light available in such a small package. The middle mode of the Ti3 puts out about the same amount of light and will do so for 6-7 hours on a single AAA LADA or Eneloop. I used to keep a 3D maglite in the car and thought that was a monster bright light! Now, in my pocket always, I have a light that puts out even more light than the 3D mag! Granted it doesn’t have the throw and will only do it for about a half an hour or so but still it is an amazing amount of light, roughly 100 Lumens or so, in such a tiny package.

One thing that sets this light apart from the competition is that it has a sub-Lumen low. I love this feature!!! Only light I have that has it and I truly like it. I can move around the house at night without waking up my wife. You can use it without affecting your night vision as well. Not sure how long it will go on this mode but likely days.

Pros:
Tiny
100+ Lumen high
Sub-Lumen Low
Durable
Reliable
AAA battery

Cons:
Twisty switch
AAA battery

Explanation of the cons as they are both pros as well. I like the twisty because it makes for the light being tiny and reliable. However, the UI is that it always starts on low and then cycles to mid then high when you untwist and re-twist quickly. Sometimes you will jump a mode or two as the light goes on and off while twisting it down. If you go through two full cycles it brings out the hidden strobe feature which can be really annoying. It is also annoying if you can’t hit the mode you want. As for the AAA I just put that in because it is only good for about a half hour on high. Of course AAA are cheap and readily available and it is very easy to maintain a fresh cell. I have done serious car maintenance with this light on high and when it took too long I just put in another battery. Clipped to a hat or in the mouth it is a very effective work light.

In summary if I had to choose only one flashlight (thankfully I don’t;-) it would be very hard for me to choose between this and my Convoy silver C8. It does not have the throw or the 1k Lumen brightness of the C8 or the amazing run time of an 18650 but it is so unobtrusive to carry, always works, and provides such useful light that almost makes up for those shortcomings.

I have a Lumintop tool with a defective driver and decided to install the Pill, the driver and the LED of my Thrunite Ti3, into the tool. The whole thing went very smoothly down to a small detail, the tool now has a small gap between battery tube and head, but it is still splash proof. You could sand the reflector down a bit to make it fit better, but for me it’s fine :+1:
And so now I have a Lumintop Tool with a very nice and very low Moonlight Mode and a Clicky Switch :slight_smile:
And since I also like to use leftovers I made a container for my keyring out of the magnetic tailcap of the Lumintop Tool and the battery tube of the Thrunite Ti3, in which I always have a replacement AAA Eneloop with me. However, I removed the magnet and took out both springs and glued a piece of rubber as an insulator into the battery tube, is even a GITD :wink:






I really like the battery holder! If thrunite is monitoring this thread by chance PLEASE take the Ti3 body with a lid and put 2 insulating washers with it (one of them a soft few mm) and sell it as an accessory. Personally I wouldn’t keep a Ti3 on a key ring due to the consequences of the head unscrewing. As a holder, with the O ring, that would not be likely. Worst case loose a AAA cell.

Not sure what I think of the added length or the clicky. If the added length didn’t get in the way and the clicky was reliable and didn’t make a habit of going off in my pocket frankly I would try to figure out the water proofing and consider it near perfection.

Thanks for sharing. Great Mod!

Instead of the Lumintop Tool with the clicky you can also use a Lumintop Tool Ti or this one here: Drop Aluminum AAA Flashlight | More Community Picks | Other or this one: Drop Brass AAA Pocket Flashlight | Flashlights | Pocket Flashlights
They all have an electronic switch and are therefore much shorter than the mechanical clicky switch on a Lumintop Tool like the one I use.
These flashlights are all made by Lumintop and therefore have identical threads and dimensions, I have tried everything out :+1:

Ah, the good old Ti3. Liked it so much, I got myself three:

- The first one was a cool white in late 2014, crapped out but received a replacement. Gave this one away to my teenager brother after I got the second one below, he let an alkaleak do its thing inside it despite my warning so sucks for him.

- One in “neutral white” (according to TN; my eye says it’s 4300-4500K, 4D in the Cree tint chart) in mid-2015 that I incidentally have on my chest pocket right this instant. It’s a real survivor, my oldest working light, and it’s been so abused over the years that the bezel went from round to a curved triangle and none of the sharp edges have anodising anymore. It lives in the small pocket of my belt bag, where it’s store-and-forget.

  • One in stainless steel, also cool white, off a giveaway I won. That one I gave to my mother since I already had the NW one and a Lumintop Tool, it’s very shiny and elegant and more female-appealing than brutish black anodising, and the scratch resistance is important when it’s carried inside a purse.

Crazy keeps his in the pocket of his trousers, I keep mine clipped to the collar of my undershirt when it’s in use. Easy to access, doesn’t draw attention, and the deep-carry clip is tight enough that it stays put nicely. It’s so handy that I often find myself pulling it out instead of the 18650 that’s always in my pant pocket or belt holster (the Ti3 is strictly a backup light to something bigger and burlier).

The firefly mode is appreciated, but it’s so darn dim I don’t get any mileage out of it. Maybe if I travelled by car at night more often to look at maps, but I don’t. Not that I mind, it’s good in case I ever need to keep it running a long time for visibility’s sake.

The Lumintop Tool is IMO plain better because of the switch, but it doesn’t fit my biking setup as well as the Ti3, so it stays at home or for when I go out with the car. In typical bicycle commute days, the Ti3 tucked away in the bag is my go-to.

One of my favorites too. Also one of my oldest. I recently discovered, however, that the V2 versions do not all start in the low (FF) mode but rather have a “next mode memory” which is horrible (IMO). I never knew which mode it would be when turned on unless I happened to remember (which is rare).
The sad part is that ThruNite said that some do and some don’t. Apparently they have them mixed together. I asked for a replacement and they could not assure me that I would get the one I wanted. Back they went.
Unless this UI is ok with you, I would beware of the V2 versions. Seems to be random.

Does this light available on AliExpress or Banggood?

No. You can get it from HK Equipment.

Or from Thrunite. Google it.