PD68 Review: Thrunite TI4 - Excellent 2xAAA penlight

Thrunite sent me the “NW” version of this light at my request (coupon at the bottom). As always you can click on the pics for larger versions.

The specs (from Thrunite):

LED: Cree XP-G2 LED with a lifespan of 20+ years of run time
Mode & Runtime (Tested with 2*Ni-MH/900mAh)

-Firefly(0.3 lumens, 137hours)
-Low (24 lumens, 12hours)
-High (252 lumens, 51minutes)
-Strobe (252 lumens, 90 minutes)

Working voltage: 0.9-3 V
Battery: 2xAAA Batteries(not included)
Peak Beam Intensity: 1120 cd
Beam Distance: 67 m
Waterproof: IPX-8
Impact Resistance: 2 m
Material: Aircraft grade aluminum body structure with premium type III hard anodized anti-abrasive finish
Weight: 22.3 g (without battery)
Dimension: 132.9 x 14.2 mm
Accessories: 2x spare o-ring

My thoughts:

The only direct competitor to the TI4 that I have tried is the Nitecore MT06, which I will compare it to. I no longer have it, but here is a reference picture:

I really like the style of this light. It isn’t flashy at all, (like the BLF-348 is, by nature of the SS) just understated and functional. I prefer the smooth curves of the TI4 over the more “stepped” appearance of the MT06. It goes in and out of your pocket very smoothly, but the clip is quite strong so it should stay in your pocket much better than the 348. The finish is every bit as good as the VN4A I tried a few months ago, which is great. It has a “satin” feel that feels higher-quality and less slippery than that on my S15R.

I did have a couple of drawbacks. The tube is very tight. This could be a good thing because there is zero battery rattle at all, but wits tight enough that when using alkalines the rear battery won’t slide out. I have to take both ends of the tube off and push the battery out. Also I wish they had used a broader switch cap. This one feels like a pen cap, which might make it harder to depress accidentally, but the broad flat SS switch on the MT06 feels much nicer.

It is a 4-mode UI always starting Firefly, with strobe at the end. That is just about perfect IMO (though they could have left strobe off entirely), and the mode spacing is great as well. I would wager that “Firefly” is actually more like 1-2 lumens, and low more like 50-60 lumens, though I have no way to test that. The middle “Low” mode is very close in brightness to my BLF-348 Nichia which is good for many uses, but there were always times I wanted the 348 to be either dimmer or brighter. The TI4 solves those issues. It is also much better than the MT06, which only has two modes which are way too close together and too bright for a low mode. The tint on my sample was pretty good, some people might feel it has too much green but I only notice that indoors when comparing to other lights. In actual use it’s just a nice ~4000k. The tint is still another great improvement over the MT06 which was a nasty cool white.

Overall I really like it, it will replace the 348 as the light I keep in my toiletries bag when travelling. I’ll also grab it the times I might need a light but I’m note sure enough to carry around something larger.

Pro’s

  • Great size and shape for comfortable carry
  • High quality finish
  • Excellent UI and Mode spacing
  • Better tint than many competitors (NW version)

Con’s

  • Tube is too tight for some batteries
  • I would have preferred a wider button like the MT06 and others have
  • Some might find the tint a little green (NW version)

Coupon from Thrunite

Thanks for the review pd, I like this light and might just pick one up.

Really a nice-looking light and 252 lumens on high is great for a light this size running of Ni-Mh AAA. Thanks for the review.

Thanks for the review and the coupon!
I’ve had the Ti4 NW for a while now, and I really like it - as you mention, it feels well made, it’s comfortable to hold & use, nice mode spacing, impressively bright on high, and the warmish-neutral tint is gorgeous. However, IME the switch is way too easy to activate in a pocket… I ended up with a hot pocket or a dead light on multiple occasions in the month or so I tried carrying this. I thought about gluing on some sort of ring to effectively make the switch flush or slightly recessed, but never got around to it. Also, I wish there were a way to disable the strobe, but it’s really just the switch that’s an EDC-killer for me.

I can see how it could be a problem. I haven’t had an accidental activation yet but I’d wondered about it.