I’m considering the Manker U21 as a second pocket spotlight which will have slightly longer reach than my current ‘pocket rocket’ the ThruNite TN4A HI. I have read on these forums about a handful of U21s which failed after a month or so. Can any other owners of this light give me their experiences? Also, if there was indeed a problem with early versions, how likely is it that Manker simply ‘dialled down’ the power of the U21 (instead of upgrading the electronics) for the sake of reliability? This would obviously render the various lumen and distance ratings incorrect.
Welcome to BLF!
The TN4A is not using li ion cells right? You can read in the li ion safety topic (see my SIG) about them.
Hey how are you? Welcome to BLF! I don’t own the light, but I’ve read about it, and its clone, the Utorch UT02. From my understanding, the original batch of the U21 indeed had problem with fried drivers. And yes, it seems Manker has dialed down the U21’s output to about 1000 lumens IIRC. The Utorch was tested at about 1000 lumens, which is less than 1300 lumens Manker claims for the U21, but when the U21 was tested (new batch) to compare to the UT02, it turned out it also had an output of 1000 lumens. Meaning the same (most likely) driver is used. But I haven’t heard much about failing Mankers recently, and I guess it was a problem only with the first batch of the U21. Hope this helps.
The reflector of the U21 is bigger than that of the TN4A but the TN4A is probably more reliable. I have a Utorch UT02 and have had it for a few months with no issues.
I have Thrunite TN4A HI and Convoy C8 XPL Hi.
And C8 has better throw.
TN4A HI is bulky and can not say it is pocket rocket.
U21 also is not pocket freandly.
I have a modded U21 and I modded one for light junkie. LJ was using it regularly when the switch failed. It was actually the e-switch itself. He had to send it to me for repair - I fixed it up by replacing the e-switch - removed the old, reflowed on a new one. Someone commented about the quality off the stock switch - suspect quality because of the type, and sure enough it went. Now I can't say if it was a one off thing or not. Maybe with ramping Narsil, the switch takes more of a beating, dunno.
Do you still have the stock driver in your U21?
No, stripped with a sandwich style:
Not sure, might of swapped out the Mtn board with a DEL FET+1
Bad pic, but this is the stock switch:
This is the switch swapped in, showing the stock in lower left - just what's left. The switch I used is one I bought a bag of a while back. Think same switch as Richard sell, but pre-mounted:
Were you able to preserve the on board charging?
No. I've only been able to do that on one light I believe, because the charging circuitry was located on an independent board.
Thanks for all the information guys, very helpful. Also, thanks for the welcome!
I define “pocket rocket” as a thrower which fits into a jacket or coat pocket, not trousers or jeans. For me, the TN4A HI is perfectly sized as I prefer ‘hand fillers’ rather than thinner torches like the C8 (which is longer than the TN4A HI and only 1mm thinner at the head).
But hey, there’s room for every preference in this hobby right? 