Review: TrustFire 500A

Flashlight Review: TrustFire 500A

Reviewer’s Rating:

(note: aid links are for tracking purposes only, no compensatory affiliation)

SKU:H14725: http://bit.ly/1kRcLfs

Special thanks to TOMTOP : http://bit.ly/1HcKjup for providing the light for review.


Manufacturer’s Features:
Equipped with LXPR-SW65 LED from PHILIPS, dispel darkness around you.
5 modes to get different brightness - High, Medium, Low, Strobe and SOS.
Maximum output brightness can come to be 1150LM.
Housing of aluminum alloy, sturdy and durable.
Delicate and stylish appearance, wise choice for personal use or gift for others.
Suitable for most indoor usage and outdoor activities like caving, camping, fishing, hiking and so on.
Manufacturer’s Specifications:
LED type: LXPR-SW65
Light color: White
Lumen: 1150LM
(1)High:1150LM
(2)Medium:580LM
(3)Low:150LM
(4)Strobe:580LM
(5)SOS:1150LM
Power supply: 2 * 18650 (not included)
Material: Aluminum alloy
Item size: Approx.22 * 5.5cm / 8.7 * 2.2in (Length * Head diameter)
Item weight: 284g / 10oz
Package size: 23.5 * 7.5 * 7.5cm / 9.3 * 3 * 3in
Package weight: 340g / 12oz


For most flashlight enthusiasts, Cree is regarded as the leader in LED technology. And while their reputation is highly deserved, other manufacturers aren’t far behind in claiming their place as comparable competitors. This TrustFire 500A is said to have a Philips LXPR-SW65 LED inside. We’ll see how it performs, but first, let’s look at the host and its build quality.

Here is the LED sitting in a wide, but shallow orange peel reflector.


Here is a close up of the heat sink fins on the head. The overall shape of the flashlight is reminiscent of an elongated C8 with a shortened head.


The threads came very well lubed and seem to be triangular in their cut. They’re relatively smooth and I didn’t experience any cross threading. Also notice the double o-rings to help keep everything nicely sealed.


A closer look at the tail cap assembly shows a quality switch inside. The spring on the right is actually from the head and not the tail cap.


As we make our way into the head of the flashlight, we see that the ring is made to contact the driver board and the flashlight body tube.


A quick disassembly of the head shows something promising…. could it be?


Yes it is. A solid copper pill. A solid brass pill. (thanks for pointing that out JM!) But the interesting find is this Cree labeled star. As the specs showed earlier, it’s supposed to be a Philips LED. I looked online and couldn’t find a Philips LED with that model number, and initially thought that this emitter looked very much like the Cree MK-R. It’s still possible that this is the Philips emitter just sitting on a Cree star, but I think it’s more likely that it is in fact the MK-R emitter. A little disappointed, but still a good emitter overall.


Here’s a size comparison of flashlights in the same class and some commonly known flashlights.


Let’s take a lot at two sets of beam shots. The first is done in my living room while the second is aimed at a building about 75 meters away. As you can see from the living room beam shots, the hot spot is tight yet the spill is still fairly wide.

Pros:

  • Solid build quality
    • brass pill
    • good heat dissipation
    • reliable, trouble free switch
  • Can use protected or unprotected batteries
  • Respectable lumen output
  • Reflector produces good balance between flood and throw
  • Great host for modding
  • Has mode memory

Cons:

  • Doesn’t seem to be a the Philips LED (edit: Djozz suggests it may be a Philips with a different model number)
  • Tint is a little too green for my liking
  • Not quite 1200 lumens as the manufacturer claims. Ceiling bounce tests estimate it closer to 700-800 lumens.
  • Blinky modes are still annoying

Conclusion:

If you’re looking for a reasonable 2*18650 flashlight with a good option to mod, this is a decent choice. Compared to the Roche in the lineup picture, the reflector opening for the emitter has much better placement and is already bigger to easily accept another emitter with little to no modding. The only drawback there is that the shallowness of the reflector isn’t going to give you the same amount of throw as something like the Roche. The solid copper brass pill also allows for great heat dissipation to the tube and the head’s fins. At the price point of just under $20, it’s a reasonable option for someone who wants a good working flashlight now with an option to upgrade in the future.

Nice review, OrionLight. It's good to see an older host like the TR500 being updated with a newer LED. I did want to point out that the pill appears to be brass, not copper. Did you take any tailcap readings to figure out roughly what the output is?

I think the led is Philips after all, it is a Luxeon M

I can not find back a LXPR-SW65, but I can find a LXR7-SW65, but that one is 12V:

Voltage Nominal
CCT
Minimum
CRI
Luminous Flux
(lm)
Test
Current
(mA)
Part Number
Minimum Typical
12V 3000K 70 900 1000 700 LXR7-SW30
4000K 70 970 1076 700 LXR7-SW40
5000K 70 1040 1100 700 LXR7-SW50
5700K 70 1040 1110 700 LXR7-SW57
6500K 70 1040 1130 700 LXR7-SW65
2700K 80 730 800 700 LXR8-SW27
3000K 80 780 850 700 LXR8-SW30
3500K 80 780 870 700 LXR8-SW35
4000K 80 840 905 700 LXR8-SW40
5000K 80 840 920 700 LXR8-SW50
2700K 90 600 660 700 LXR9-SW27
3000K 90 640 736 700 LXR9-SW30
5700K 90 800 880 700 LXR9-SW57
6V 3000K 70 900 1000 1400 LXR7-RW30
4000K 70 970 1076 1400 LXR7-RW40
5000K 70 1040 1100 1400 LXR7-RW50
5700K 70 1040 1110 1400 LXR7-RW57
6500K 70 1040 1130 1400 LXR7-RW65
2700K 80 730 800 1400 LXR8-RW27
3000K 80 780 850 1400 LXR8-RW30
3500K 80 780 870 1400 LXR8-RW35
4000K 80 840 920 1400 LXR8-RW40
5000K 80 840 920 1400 LXR8-RW50
2700K 90 600 660 1400 LXR9-RW27
3000K 90 640 736 1400 LXR9-RW30
5700K 90 800 880 1400 LXR9-RW27
3V 3000K 70 900 1000 2800 LXR7-QW30
4000K 70 970 1076 2800 LXR7-QW40
5000K 70 1040 1100 2800 LXR7-QW50
5700K 70 1040 1110 2800 LXR7-QW57
6500K 70 1040 1130 2800 LXR7-QW65
2700K 80 730 800 2800 LXR8-QW27
3000K 80 780 850 2800 LXR8-QW30
3500K 80 780 870 2800 LXR8-QW35
4000K 80 840 920 2800 LXR8-QW40
5000K 80 840 920 2800 LXR8-QW50
2700K 90 600 660 2800 LXR9-QW27
3000K 90 640 736 2800 LXR9-QW30
5700K 90 800 880 2800 LXR9-QW57

Thanks for the comments guys! I’m glad I have people like you to correct my findings! :smiley:

Hadn't heard of this emitter. Thanks. Nice review!

I recently got some better leads for my DMM and while the readings are closer to real numbers, they’re still not accurate. Here’s what I got so you can compare and estimate:

2800mA Convoy M2 on high: 2.3A
2800mA Convoy S2+ on high: 2.31A
TrustFire 500A on high: 1.62A and 1.65A on two different sets of cells.

Have any of you guys tried modding this light? JM, you said it was an older host so I wonder how many people have used it to do various mods. I really like the fact that it looks similar to a long C8. It’s a classic look.