Review: Thorfire VG15 (XM-L2, 1x 18650 battery or 2x CR123A)

Thorfire VG15


Reviewer's Overall Rating (Out of 5):

★★★½




Summary:

Battery: 1x 18650 battery or 2x CR123A
Switch: Reverse Tailcap Clicky
Modes: 5 Modes: Moon - Low - Medium - High
+ Hidden Strobe (Double Tap to activate)
Memory: Yes (2 second on-time)
LED Type: 1 x XM-L2 (Neutral White)
Lens: AR Coated Glass
Tailstands: Yes
Price: $29.95 (With Amazon Prime)
Provided By: Thorfire: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011E9N480


Pros:

Great build quality.
Nice, buttery smooth beam with a great tint.
Lots of extras, good lanyard, good clip.
Smoothly machined edges.
Tight tolerances/great fitting parts.
Fits all ranges of battery length (Short, unprotected to Long, protected cells)
Perfect Moon mode (Not too bright, not too dim).
Integrated shelf for the MCPCB to sit on.
Well spaced modes.

Cons:

The hidden strobe is kind of difficult to get a handle on. I've sat down and fiddled with it for quite some time and still can only get it activated about 50% of the time.
Price is a bit steep with all things considered.

Function/UI:

Tailcap current (Amps):

Moon .002
Low .350
Medium 1.15
High 3.05

Standard reverse clicky switch operation with an extra, hidden strobe mode.

Click on. Half press for mode change. Moon - Low - Medium - High

2 rapid half presses will activate the hidden strobe mode.

Strobe is a fairly slow, constant-rate strobe.

The moon, or Eco mode, really is fantastic. I've got several flashlights with a moon mode ranging from sub-lumen (.2L, TN4a) to an SC01 with 14lm, TM16 with 5lm. I find sub-lumen to just not be bright enough, and 14lm is too bright.

The ThorFire VG15 seems to be in the 1-5lm range and is perfect at night for indoor roaming about in the pitch black.


Pictures:


Arrived in a small, well packed box.

Goodies a plenty! Nice lanyard, 3 o-rings, led spacer, replacement glass, tailcap boot cover, tailcap switch, holster, and a manual.

The holster is okay quality, nothing too special here.

Very sturdy clip. Fairly difficult to remove, but after doing so a few times the anodization remains unmarred.

Very good fitment among the parts. Square threads abound, and perfectly fitting O-rings.

Nicely lubed and square threads.

Some machining marks are visible on the bezel. The tailcap switch cover sits just below the raised edges on the tailcap; the VG15 tailstands fairly stable. The 2 cutouts allow for very comfortable mode switching.

There are 2 very small bumps underneath the anodization on the lower most cooling fin.

The driver is 17mm wide. The led sits on an integrated shelf.

Comparison Shots:

From Left to Right:

Solarstorm SC01, Convoy S2+, ThorFire VG15, Solarforce L2, Eagle Eye X6 BLF-SE, XinTD X3


Convoy S2+ next to the ThorFire VG15.

I haven't measured it yet with the calipers, but the VG15 feels ever so slightly skinnier on the tube portions. You may notice the VG15's anodization is slightly more shiny.


Beamshots:

Here's the lineup:

Flashlight Emitter Tailcap Current (Amps) Throw (cd)
SolarStorm SC01 XML2 (NW) 1.60 3600
Convoy S2+ XML2 (CW) 2.80 5400
Thorfire VG15 XML2 (NW) 3.05 6200
Solarforce L2 (P60) XML2 (CW) 3.04 10600
Eagle Eye X6 BLF-SE XML2 (NW) 2.90 18000
XinTD X3 XML2 (CW) 2.80 44000

The throw column values are measured via lux meter at a distance of 7 feet and 30 seconds after turn on. The lux value is then converted to cd.

The tree limbs on the upper left of each picture is about 10 yards away. The bare tree trunk in the center of each picture is about 50 yards away. The row of cypress trees on the water's edge is 40 yards away.

The following series of pictures are all Mouse Out, Mouse Over pictures. The Thorfire VG15 is the Mouse Over for each picture.

XinTD X3 vs Thorfire VG15

Eagle Eye X6 BLF-SE vs Thorfire VG15

Solarforce L2, P60 (XM-L2 on Noctigon, 3.04A) vs Thorfire VG15

Convoy S2+ vs Thorfire VG15

Solarstorm SC01 vs Thorfire VG15

ThorFire VG15

Moon-Low-Med-High


Conclusion:

The ThorFire VG15 is a very nice flashlight and is packaged with all the amenities and features I look for in a tube flashlight. A spectacular moon mode, a solid max output, and a couple intermediary modes. Removable clip, 2 sets of dual lanyard holes, holster, great build quality, and solid fit and finish.

I do wish the hidden strobe activation was a bit more consistent.

All things considered the VG15 is a very nice flashlight, and the package deal is decent. I rate the ThorFire VG15 a 4.5 out of 5.

Got the foundation in place. More to be added soon. Feel free to ask questions.

Edit: Bulk complete. Just a few things remain.

In the last photo, what is the UFO in Med. mode, a fast Bug?

Beam shots are nice, good job!
Later,
Keith

The X3 looks like a monster comparatively

Looks like a high quality EDC light.

Thanks!

Yep, lots of mosquitos, moths, and other bugs flying around. Had to take a few minutes in between some shots to let the bugs scatter a bit.

Yep. Really a completely different flashlight. I just wanted to show a variety of beams from fairly common flashlights.

Finished up the review. Great flashlight. It has taken over as my go-to nightstand flashlight.

I agree. :slight_smile:

Looks like a convoy s8 with a shiny bezel

another great review of this light. My thoughts as well it being the s8 cousin.

I also have one, but the S8 is a little higher quality in my opinion

Thank you for the review!

Just a few questions:

1) What size/diameter are the driver and MCPCB boards? Are they the usual replaceable ones?
2) How difficult is it to remove the MCPCB and driver boards?
3) length? weight? For comparison, the Convoy S8 is 123mm long, 24mm wide, and 79 grams.
4) Does anyone have both the VG15 and the Convoy C8 to compare which one throws more?

  1. What size/diameter are the driver and MCPCB boards? Are they the usual replaceable ones?

2) How difficult is it to remove the MCPCB and driver boards?
Very easy. The driver is secured by a threaded retaining ring.

3) length? weight? For comparison, the Convoy S8 is 123mm long, 24mm wide, and 79 grams.

4) Does anyone have both the VG15 and the Convoy C8 to compare which one throws more?
Definitely C8. C8’s have a much larger reflector with similarly driven leds.
VG15 6.2kcd
Convoy C8 18kcd (OP), 24kcd (SMO)

I’ll fill in the rest later on.

I just found a VG15 video so here are the latest size comparisons:

Thorfire VG15: length: 122mm, width 24mm, weight: 79 grams
Convoy S8 : length: 123mm, width 24mm, weight: 79 grams

Since they are almost identical in length and width, I wonder how and why the reflectors are so different in size?

Also the Cd numbers may have been different, not just due to amps but also by tint differences?

As far as beamshots in this review, the VG15 and Convoy S2+ look really similar.

I am leaning a bit toward the VG15 over the S8 since some reviews seem to say the build quality of the VG15 is slightly better, the AR coated lens, and the stainless bezel ring - all of which add to the slightly higher price which I am more than willing to pay for those nice extras. What’s an extra $10 when you get all that? I spend more than that just going out to buy a bowl of noodles for dinner. But still looking into it more. Now I just need to find a host-only seller.

Oops, in your post with the original questions you had C8, not S8 in 4).

I don’t have an S8, but from what I’ve read the S2+ is very similar as far as reflector size and build quality is concerned.

If you’re trying to decide between the VG15, and the S8 (and you’re replacing the LED and driver) I would go with whichever looks better to you. S8 has a removeable, threaded pill and the VG15 has an integrated led shelf in the head. The rest of it is just some fairly minor differences.

Oops, sorry about the C8 vs S8 typo. Thank you for your suggestion about the looks, which on the surface may seem like a superficial concern, but I guesstimate most of us look at our lights while off at least as much as while on, LOL!

I think I’ll get the VG15 while on sale for $18.80 right now at Aliexpress. You pushed me over the edge……

Personally, I greatly prefer the S8. I wasn’t that impressed by the quality of the VG15.

I was just about to pull the trigger! OK, let’s consider this purchase some more…let me look into the reviews a bit and compare.

I can’t remember what the S8’s finish was like (because I stripped it all off) but it just felt more sturdy than the VG15, and I like the brass pill better than the shelf.

I’m probably the only person who feels this way though, so I’m sure you’ll be happy with the thorfire at the sale price.

I don’t have a S8, but I thought I read somewhere that the reflector in the S8 was the same size as the S2. If that is the case, the S8 should throw further than the VG-15 but also have much less spill.