Thrunite TN12 (2016) review

Sunrise:

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But…. who needs the sun if one has a Thrunite TN12 at hand:

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Thanks Thrunite for sending me a gem like this!
It is a pleasure to use, has a nice quality feel and is versatile because of the bright turbo and dim moon. With its elegant design and clever clip I like having it hanging outside of a pocket all day.
I had read about Thrunite being a high end manufacturer and am honored and happy to be able to experience this first hand :+1:
They asked me to post some links and a coupon:
Official Website: (5% OFF Coupon Code:THRUNITE , limited time!) http://www.thrunite.com
Amazon US: Amazon.com: ThruNite
Amazon CA: http://www.amazon.ca/shops/A1BNV2EQ2FFXQR
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Lets just start with the box:

Besides the standard stuff we kind of expect to find in a box (extra orings, a lanyard, manual and warranty card) Thrunite put more in it.
Am extra tail switch cover and more important a nicely fitting holster and a sturdy clip.
All is thought out, even the manual folds in such a way one sees a nice picture of the light and not a bunch of small letters.
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Clearly a typical no nonsense 18650 EDClight
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Sleek elegant design with a nice metal sideswitch for the modes:

Dual switch, I love this setup for easy lock out and prevention of accidental presses on the side switch without the need for a lock out.
When off pressing the tail switch a bit turns on the light and clicking it leaves it on.
Another click turns the light off.
Thrunite implemented mode memory.
The light cycles from moon, low, med, high to turbo via the side switch.
The side switch is easy to find, has a direct feel and enough travel before it clicks.
Hold it in any mode and strobe kicks in on full power, click again to turn that off and go back to mode used before.
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The battery tube can be used either way, making it possible to wear outside pockets or on belt head down or clipped on a cap head forwards.

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The knurling is grippy but does not bite, if feels smooth with grip, it is by far the most pleasant knurling I have ever felt:

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Long fat protected panasonic cells fit perfectly:

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Thrunite lubed all threads and they run smooth as can be:

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Lockout (if the tail switch is not doing it for you :wink: ) can be done by unscrewing tail or head ever so slightly.

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The non anodised rims of the cell tube touch the drivers edge, a rubber insulated brass ring surrounds the spring for the + cell contact, just look at it:

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Thrunite is big on doing things thorough, at the tail end a rubber ring not found in any of the lights I have looked at:

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Hey! Did we arrive the the calliper part of the review? I guess so:

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The head is slightly bigger, the cooling fins are deepest right at the level of the LED.
On turbo the well centered NW XPL Hi V6 LED produces 1100 ANSI Lumens and heat.
The head gets really warm using a unprotected 20Amp Keeppower cell, but even then, not too hot to tough.
The cell tube stays much cooler, thus the cell too.
And that is just having it laying down.
Holding it in the hand in real life use, the hand cools the tube even more so it is safely possible to run a cell down without any problems.
Other EDC type lights I have do not preform this well, a Convoy S2+ with 6 7135 chips is less bright and gets much hotter due to its lack of finning and it being a tad shorter then the TN12.

Thrunite claims 95 minutes tested with their own branded 3400mAh cell.
And well turn it on turbo and you get turbo all the way or as long as a cell can provide the juice.
After playing with some Olights that step down or comparing the S70 to the L6 it is clear I like to decide when not giving full blast so I prefer this not stepped down how decided to do it.

When the cell is around 3.1V the TN12 blinks twice and you lose the high and turbo modes.
Set it in moon and you have manymany hours of light, on the low and med modes the light will give light but blinks twice regularly.
Again comparing it to the S2+ that starts blinking at 3.5/3.6V the Thrunite TN12 does this way better.

At night or really dark environments the moon mode is useful and more important, it gives me a nice chance to take a picture of the well centered LED while on:

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The lens is ultra-clear glass with anti-reflective coating,
Hard to take a picture of something designed NOT to be seen, but let’s give it a shot:

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And finally, the beamshots.
As usual, the house from 100 meters away and 30 meter.
100m LOW

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100m MED

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100m TURBO

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30m moon

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30m LOW

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30m MED

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30m HIGH

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30m TURBO

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Ceiling
MOON

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TURBO (no idea why this looks so dim camera must filter out a lot closer by)

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Counter beamshot 25m, blinding 1100 lumens, do not shine in eyes :wink:

Thanks for the review, nice house : ) I had to think about louis de funes “La soupe aux choux”, this style of houses is definately french, i like it.

Thanks, every time I see the gendarmerie I think of Louis de Funes and chuckle a bit :smiley:

I would expect a little more attention for a light like this.
it is one f the reasons I did this one first in the catch up game :wink:

Thanks for the review sir. Looks like flashlight heaven where you live :wink: I’m drawn to Thrunite, but often pity how their lights lack a bit of sex-appeal, which is of course very subjective. They seem to be really well made though…

Lovely review and the light looks like a very good bit of kit but it just lacks something to me in those pictures.

I’ve got a couple of Thrunite lights but this just doesn’t make me want it from the pictures alone. Well, the beamshots look great but the light just looks boring.

Maybe it looks/feels better in the flesh.

— hey Thrunite, if you want to send me one to check out I won’t complain!!

Again, great review and the light looks great in all respects other than the actual look of the light.

Well my wife kind of attaches to things easy.
So at first she would not part with a zoomie (the first 18650 light I gave her)
She liked it so much and I tried to get her to use something else.
I got a Sunwayman C22C (nice tinted hotspot-less side LED) yes she used it besides the zoomie. (hating hotspot)
So I got her a red S2+, TIR optics to get rid of the hotspot, a shorty tube, magnetic ring aroung the tailswitch. A really cute flashlight. She still wanted to keep the zoomie.
Then the driver failed and off course I could not fix it :wink: so she went for the S2+
But it got too warm on high, I removed some chips and all fine and dandy.
After I made the review, I showed her the TN12, how bright it was and still cooler then the much less bright S2+
She liked the feel, the easy of operation, no messing with half presses (some people just hate half presses) for modes, good tint.
So low and behold, even though the S2+ in red is cute, she swapped it for the Thrunite, a first she actually choose to swap.
She hates hot spots and still chooses this one.
Holding it is loving it:

it is very hard to describe, but the knurling feels just perfect, enough grip but still smooth, the areas without knurling feel like silk.
So seeing this one vanish in her bag did not make me all that happy. I can only hope lots of review lights will come here so I do not feel inclined to find her a new light :smiley: