Thrunite TH20 - AA / 14500 headlamp first look

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1

So I was one of the lucky ones to get the TH20 from Thrunite to review and wanted to share my first impressions with you guys.
I will be updating as I go along and do more performance testing with the light. I might not get to that for a week or so, and thought I should get this started now.

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Official Store: http://www.thrunite.com
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Factory Specs:

LED: CREE XP-L V6 LED with a lifespan of 20+ years of run time.
Mode & Runtime (Tested by one Eneloop AA 2450mAh NIMH rechargeable battery):
-Firefly (0.3 lumens, 14 days）
-Infinity Low (1.6 lumens, 21 hours）
-Infinity High (230 lumens, 95 minutes )
-Turbo (250 lumens, 93 minutes)
-Turbo 14500 (500 lumens, 37 minutes)
Batteries Applicable: 1x AA battery, 1x 14500 battery.
Working voltage: 0.9-4.2 V.
Reflector: Orange Peel.
Peak Beam Intensity: 1120 cd
Beam Distance: 67 m (max.)
Dimensions: 70 mm * 24.5mm
Weight: 96 g (without battery).
Waterproof: IPX-8 (1.5 m)
Impact Resistance: 2 m.
Material: Aircraft grade aluminum body with premium type III hard anodized anti-abrasive finish.

User Interface:

The interface may scare you initially as the “infinite brightness” has been used unsuccessfully in so many lights in the past. In my humble opinion, this is because manufacturers have made it difficult to access. This light does not have any pre-set brightness with the exception of turbo and firefly. So changing the brightness is a simple matter, and once you get used to it, it is pretty intuitive. It is refreshing not to have to click through 7 different modes to get to where you want to be.

Firefly - long press while the light is off. press the switch again to turn it off.

turn on - press the switch

change brightness - long press the switch while the light is on. The brightness will increase, then beacon, then decrease, beacon, and increase again.
Release the switch at the desired brightness.

Turbo - double tap the switch while the light is on.

turn off - short press of the switch.

The light uses a memory and goes to the last setting you used in the brightness range.

Construction:


Performance:

I haven’t had a chance to do my charts. Thats is because I’m going to have to re-calibrate my ceiling bounce for this light. It is super floody and my setup is really not very accurate with floody lights. Runtime and brightness seems to be on par with the advertised amounts, but brightness is going to be difficult to accurately gauge with my setup.

I did not do a full run with a 14500 battery because of heat. This is a pretty small light and I wouldn’t recommend going 500 lumens for more than a few minutes at a time. I did do a series of 5-7 minute bursts and the runtime was around 35 minutes with a 700mah battery. However, once again not the most accurate because the light gets a chance to recovery and cool down in between runs.

The thing I really like about this light is that the specs are pretty much identical with a NIMH and 14500. The only difference is the turbo. With NIMH the turbo tops out at 250 lumen Vs the 500 with a 14500. With either cell your still going to have the same lumen range for the infinite brightness mode (1.6 - 230 lumen)

The Good:

Once you get used to the UI it is pretty convenient and fast to use. I find this light to be very useful as a close up work light. It doesn’t have much throw and the hotspot is very weak as well. This is a great light for working under a car, or when soldering, or even reading a book at night in a tent or hammock. It’s very simple. One click to turn it on, hold the switch to adjust to the brightness you want and release. Easy access to firefly and turbo as well. The 14500 battery option is a huge plus to me. I can charge a 14500 on the trail with a solar charger in 1-2 hours, as opposed to a NIMH AA which could take 4-5 hours to charge. Overall it has good threads, good construction, and seems to be put together well.

the Bad:

Tint! This light has a bit of a green tint to it. I made Thrunite aware and am waiting to hear back about it. It is supposed to be cool white. Is it the end of the world? no, but is a bit distracting when you are white wall hunting. The UI could be a problem for you, I enjoy it, but I also recognize that there are going to be guys out there that will hate it.

Comparison to Fenix HL23:

These lights are pretty much the same size and shape. The HL23 can only use 1-AA battery and has a 3,50,150 lumen mode setup. It also utilizes the XP-g2 LEd. The HL23 throws significantly further, but is outclasses when it comes to brightness, runtimes, and versatility. Build quality is about equal. Do I like the HL23… yes. But having a light that is 100 lumen more, and can utilize 14500 makes the Thrunite much more appealing to me.

Beam Shots:


The green tint is accentuated by the camera in this shot. It does not look this way in real life.


Thrunite TH20 Vs Fenix HL23


Thrunite TH20 Vs Skilhunt H15

My Youtube Review:

Conclusion:

This light isn’t going to be for everyone. The interface may not be comfortable for you. However, I think the light makes up for it with the fact that it can use 14500 batteries and has a 500 lumen turbo mode with those 14500s. For the price point I think this is a fantastic option. There are not many headlamps out there in the under $30 category that aren’t pretty sketchy. I think this light is going to have a great niche as a work light. It is very small and lightweight and the switch is easy to access and use, even with a gloved or dirty hand. The beam is more floody than your usual headlamp and this can be pretty useful under the hood of a car or in a tight space doing some plumbing or electric work. I also see this as being quite a useful headlamp for backpackers. You can easily pair this with a small usb charger and a small folding solar panel and you can have a working light for a long long time. With the 14500 your runtimes are enough for a casual backpacker and with the 700mah 14500 you can recharge it in about an hour of bright sun. Whereas it may take you 3-4 hours to successfully charge a NIMH AA.

So like I said… may not be for everyone because of the interface, but nonetheless a good rock solid budget light!

2

Thanks for initial impressions ;)!

What I would like to see is “zebralight” shaped headlamp, that makes it more versatile.

How about PWM, is it noticeable?

Color me suspicious, but after 2 or 3 out of 5 Ti’s being somewhat less than perfect(1DOA, 1 stopped working after single drop and 3rd one, dont remember, perhaps messed it up myself and still complained to TN) I have somewhat cautious look at their lights, their crude design also plays a role, albeit biased :D!

3

Nice review already!
Interesting light.
Thanks

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Lot of things to like, starting with the price point, advertised high mode runtime, and NW option. But low mode runtimes seem poor compared to other 1aa headlamps like Fenix HL23 or HL50 or Zebralight’s options, and if it really is 45g heavier than all of its 1aa competition as the specs seem to say, then it’s in the same weight class as some 18650 headlamps.

5

Yep, PWM need-to-knower here too. I have the 18650 headlamp and it doesn’t use PWM but, it also doesn’t have infinite brightness adjustment… (Didn’t notice any PWM flicker in the video :smiley: )

6

I’m interested to know the max dimensions of 14500s that will fit in this light?
(Or will the Keeppower 840mAh 14500 fit?)

7

Nice review
I asked Martin (M4D M4X) recently for a code for this and he is asking around, see what happens

8

A question:
It can work with one AA alkaline battery?
Has anyone tried it?
thank you

9

I would expect do, but runtime would be less than NiMH.
Hopefully my NW version will arrive for review very soon!

10

I bought ThruNite TH20 yesterday.
I have no lithium battery and even a NIMH battery.
So I put in a simple Alkaline AA battery.
The torch works.
But I have a problem

11

What is the problem?

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First jo because I have to be screwed to the bottom of the battery cover, otherwise it will not turn on. I mean that contact occurs only at the end. It seems to me strange.
With the Alkaline AA battery, at the beginning everything worked: 1 clicks to turn on; 2 clicks to turbo; long press to decrease increase etc. light.
Then this morning, it not turns on anymore.
Next, I tried so many times, and later it was turned on my flashlight ThruNite TH20.
Always, it does not go the turbo.

13

I think turbo only works with 14500. An alkaline would struggle with the current draw.

14

OK thanks. I imagined this cause. But I wanted to hear you say as an expert. You think that the Alkaline AA battery can damage the torch?

15

Only if it leaks. I would advise reading the instructions for the light and getting quality NiMH batteries.

16

a name, please, and also where to find it, and for both NiMH and Lithium

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NiMHs - Eneloop or Eneloop Pro (or other FDK produced cell)
Li-ion - Keeppower 840mAh 14500
Where to buy them depends on where you live and delivery time requirements.
Please read up on threads in the battery and charger forums, especially on li-ion safety if you go that route.

18

thanks, thank goodness c you here on the forum, which otherwise seems it was abandoned.

19

I’ve had this TH20 for about a month now. Awesome lamp. The only thing is that the button can be depressed very easily. I drained my battery whilst hiking. Wasn’t impressed. I think a lock function should be incorporated into the UI to mitigate this problem.

20

unscrew the tailcap a 1/4 turn and it’ll mechanically ‘lock out’ the light as long as there is sufficient anodizing on the body tube.