Thrunite T10
Reviewer's Overall Rating: ★★★★☆
Summary:
Battery: | AA (14500 not recommended) |
Switch: | Twisty |
Modes: | Firefly>Low>High w/ Memory |
LED Type: | CREE XP-G (R5) |
Lens: | Glass |
Tailstands: | Yes |
Price Payed: | $30 (Also got free Ti on promotion) |
From: | Thrunite-Store.com |
Date Ordered: | August 14 2012 |
Specifications (from manufacturer):
- Cree XP-G LED (R5) with lifespan of 50,000 hours
- Three modes of output:High (115 lumens, 1.5hrs) > Low (9 lumens, 39hrs ) > firefly(0.09lumens 147hours) with memory (Tested with Ni-mh battery with actual capacity 2500mAh)
- Stable current regulated circuit, stable brightness
- Uses one 1.5V AA battery (ni-mh, alkaline ). 14500 batteries are not recommeded, because they heat up quickly.
- 17-gram weight (excluding batteries)
- Made of durable aircraft-grade aluminum
- Premium Type III hard-anodized anti-abrasive finish
- Waterproof to IPX-8 Standard
- Toughened double ultra-clear glass lens
- Reliable twist switch
- Candle mode (Capable of standing up securely on a flat surface to serve as a candle)
- Accessories: key ring.
- Size: 81x17mm
Pros:
- Firefly Mode
- Current Regulation
- Build Quality
- 2 Spare O-rings and A split ring keychain
- Thrunite Warranty and ANSI/NEMA F1 Certified Specs
Cons:
- Price
- No clip
Features / Value: ★★★★☆
This light's most unique feature is a very useable firefly mode. At 0.09 lumens, it is twice as bright as the firefly mode in the Ti, but I can’t really tell the difference.
Thrunite Firefly modes. T10 on left and Ti on right.
Please excuse the fingerprint on the lens, I had just put on a piece of screen protector to protect the lens from scratches (which I do to most all my lights). I like how the light goes lo to high in modes, and the memory feature is well done. It sets in after being off for around a second. It’s also awesome that all these modes are current regulated and so there’s no PWM. The firefly is way lower than the low on the BLF E07 and the DQG AA.
Head shots and also LEDs at lowest levels. Left - DQG AA XP-E, Middle - Thrunite T10, Right - BLF Tank007 E07
My greatest complaint is the cost. I think it was a fair deal with the promotion, but the asking price of $30 seems a bit steep. Various XM-L lights like the Balders and Xeno can be found cheaper or at similar prices.
Design / Build Quality: ★★★★☆
PCC and Match touched on this already here. Nice machining and anodization on my light with a well centered LED. It’s a bit longer than the DQG AA due to the reflector, but that gives it some nice beam patterns. It is still slim and very pocket-able. I like the well-lubed, anodized threads and the design they use to close the circuit, where the bare aluminum rim needs to contact the driver board rather than the battery needing to touch the board. This allows them to use a spring in the bottom so there’s no battery rattle and it’s always in contact with the driver. I like that better than the standard foam discs that seem like they’ll wear out. My only fear is that if the anodizing layer comes off the threads then the thing might be stuck on. I don’t know how hard that would be to do though. It would be awesome if it came with a clip standard, and Match’s mod is stellar. The light tailstands well enough (better than the Ti), and there is a hole to attach a split ring that was included. I’ll probably fashion another dangle clip for this light like I did for the DQG AA.
Battery Life: ★★★★★
I haven’t done any in depth testing myself, so I hope the specs are right. The firefly mode on the light will definitely run a long time. I got over an hour on high on a fresh eneloop, but I didn’t check it again until much later, so 1.5 hours seems respectable, and the given 9 hours on low is nice. I'll update if I find anything different.
Update 2 December 2012 - I did some quick current draw tests with gen 2 eneloop at 1.353 V open with my cheap DMM and a paperclip. These might be causes for the discrepancy in my numbers vs. the manufacturer ratings. I am still a fan of the battery life so far in my practical usage. Also, I don't know if this light will lower brightness to prolong usable light time as of yet.
Moonlight - 35.5 mA (est. 56.3 hours runtime on 2000 mAh vs. 147 rated)
Low - 178 mA (est. 11.2 hours vs. 39 rated)
High - 2.23 A (est 0.9 hour vs. 1.5 hr rated)
Light Output: ★★★★☆
Again, I have no gear to test this myself. For an AA light on NIMH, this light performs well. It compared well with the other similar form factor lights. The 115 lumen high is nice for when you need it, and the low/mid is good for basic tasks in the dark. The firefly works great for me in the middle of the night to just get around, but I suppose that’s a “your eyes may vary” situation. I think a fourth, medium mode might be nice to get more brightness and good runtimes. Something like 40-50 lumens for 2.5-3 hours, but I suppose it would get annoying to cycle through so many modes on a twisty. Here are all the comparison beam shots at a off-white cinder block wall about 1 m from the lights. Camera was on auto, so you can't compare between levels, just between lights. Sorry for the mixed up order on the lows, I had to redo that pic.
Highest mode: Left - BLF Tank007 E07, Middle - Thrunite T10, Right - DQG AA XP-E
Middle Modes: Left - BLF Tank007 E07, Middle - Thrunite T10, Right - DQG AA XP-E (on Low)
Low Modes: Left - DQG AA XP-E, Middle - BLF Tank007 E07, Right - Thrunite T10
Summary: ★★★★☆
All in all, the T10 is a nice pocket AA light. It’s well made and brings a firefly mode to the table while providing sufficient high and low modes for numerous tasks. I’ll give this a whirl as my EDC for a while, but I doubt it will dethrone my DQG AA. Stainless steel seems more robust to me for some reason, plus I like the magnet in the tail. As for this light, I think there’s one big advantage. I can give it to little kids to play with at church and babysitting and stuff while on in firefly and the kid’s parents won’t shout “that’ll blind him/her” as I sometimes hear now :P Good thing water resistant = drool resistant too. I think this would be a great deal $15 and a good deal at $20.
Stop blinding my baby: Left - DQG AA on low. Right - Thrunite T10 on firefly.