Ahem... Thorfire VG10S, another review! Good light!

Ok, lets get the business out of the way… This light was provided by Miranda at Thorfire.

This light can be purchased at Amazon.com.

Official Specs

Product name: ThorFire VG10S XP-L2 1100Lumens EDC LED Flashlight
Brand: ThorFire
Model: VG10S
Emitter Type: XP-L2
Material: Made of aircraft-grade aluminum
Mode: Moon,Low,Mid,High,Hidden Strobe
Lumens: 1LM,50LM,300LM,1100LM,1100LM
Battery Configurations: 1 x 18650 battery (not included)
Switch Type: Clicky
Switch Location: Tail of the flashlight
Peak Beam Intensity: 11200cd
Max Output: 1100Lumens
Range: 280meters
Lens: High-Efficiency Reflection Lens
Waterproof: Waterproof to IPX-8
Color: Black
Weight: 168g without battery
Size: 5.2 x 1 x 1.3 inches

Whats included?

1 x ThorFire VG10S XP-L2 1100Lumens EDC LED Flashlight
1 x Clip
2 x Spare o-rings
1 x User manual

A few quick beauty shots!

Nice kit of contents, but notice the missing tactical ring? Not an option on this light.

Side by side with it’s predecessor. Please note the VG10S does not have a tactical tail ring or cigar holder. I really miss that, did not think I would but I do. Also the VG10 is a tiny bit longer. Also, a couple of other minor changes. The bezel ring has 5 bumps and is a little thinner than the VG10, looks nice to me. The pocket clip has also been reversed. I does make it fit a pocket much better now.

Typical Thorfire construction, very solid and can also be disassembled for modding!!!

Nice cutouts in tail cap for use with gloves. Mine tail stands well.

What about the UI?
Thorfire stuck with a simple and easy UI, I do like this tendency, makes it easy to share a light with a non-flashaholic!
Full click turns the light on in the last mode that was used.
Each half press will increase the output to the next highest mode and after high mode the light will return to moonligh.
To turn the light off, fully depress the switch.

It does have strobe, but strobe is hidden. 2 quick full clicks from on engages strobe and a half press turns it off.

They have changed from a reverse click to a forward click switch. With the VG10 one could select the mode they wanted and then full press to turn on in that mode. This is my preferred method of operation. With the VG10S one must fully click the switch before making any half press mode changes. I really like to be able to power the light up without locking it on, but this is a personal preference and not a fault.

I do have one complaint about the UI, choice of MCU or firmware used. I have noticed on all “S” suffixed lights that I own, mode changes are not instant. The VG10S seems to suffer this flaw as well. When changing modes there is a noticeable delay. Drives me nuts!

The bezel change is more visible here. Also notice the slight changes in the reflector on the VG10S, the emitter hole is smaller, the reflector has been reshaped and she now sports a much better tint bin of XP-L2. I would guess that the bin on this led is likely a 3C and it is a fairly high out bin as it is considerably brighter than the XM-L2 that came before! I am estimating the tint to be around 4500k as the output looked the whitest with my camera white balance set to 4500k. I love the tint!

Very minor artifacts in the beam, the reflector was well designed.

Did I say moonlight??? The moonlight mode on this is awesome, somewhere sub 1 lumen! I loved the moonlight on the original VG10, but this blows it away. I do not have a way to measure moonlight, but I would place it around .4 - .5 lumens! Output opinions based on ReyLights, Olights and my personal build preferences.

Turbo output is dramatically increased over the original VG10. The specs state 1100 lumens. Again, no real way to measure, but I would place the output on the high end of 1100 and maybe into the 1200 lumen range.

The VG10S draws 3.52 amps from a rested, fully charged 30Q and my sample drew withing .1 amps of this measurement with multiple batteries. If memory serves, the stock VG10 drew 2.8 amps.

White balance set at 5000k and same exposure chosen for a realistic look.

VG10S Turbo, tree line at 105 yards!

Same shot with a stock VG10.

VG10S Medium mode, 300 lumens spec’ed but seem a little higher.

Stock VG10 Medium mode.

Closing thoughs…
I have noticed with this light there is not a hard step down from high mode, it is a very gradual ramp down and I really appreciate that! This is something new in this line of driver. The light will get warm, but not melt your fingers or face off hot. I have not taken it apart yet, but I suspect that it has a very good heat path to the body. The head has deeper fins than the VG10, should help with heat dissipation. The threads are perfect, smooth and well lubed from the factory. I have not pulled this light apart, I am not sure I will until I find something special to do with it. Stock it really is a great performer! Thorfire continues to hold their machining and manufacturing process to a fairly high standard!

Pros
Awesome moonlight!
Awesome high mode!
Very good hand feel.
Very nice sub C8 throwy beam.
Wonderful tint in a factory light, manufacturers are listening!
Very nice anodizing.
Works well with cells of all lengths, from 30Q to Xtar protected cells.

Cons
Mode gap maybe a little wide between moonlight and low…
Lack of cigar ring, on a light this size they are very handy!
Delay when switching modes, very annoying.

Thanks for looking!

I have this light as well and really like it. I didn’t miss the removal of the cigar ring at all but that is personal preference. Like you, I too miss the momentary-on feature with the old button switch. Also, you noted the change in the bezel but didn’t mention that the edges are much softer now. Maybe ThorFire got complaints that the edges of the bezel were too sharp but I liked the original bezel better. I don’t notice any delay in mode changing. The only ThorFire I’ve had that had a ridiculous delay in mode changing was the TK4A. It was unbearable! So much so that I returned it for a refund. Other than that the TK4A was awesome but I just couldn’t live with that delay.

Thanks for the great review :+1:

I tested my VG-10S and I’m only getting 2.4 amps with a fully charged battery (4.15 v). I’m getting ~2.1 amps on my old VG-10. Both seem pretty bright, but no where near what most reviewers are saying in terms of current.

I’m using these batteries:

Any ideas why the current is so low? I believe I have them both on their highest setting, unless there is a special mode?

I am not sure why you do not have a good high current. I use unprotected cells for my current draw tests and they are taken with the tail cap removed. Are you using a longish set of leads to take the reading? What meter? I use the Uni-T clamp meter with a loop of 12ga wire from the battery - to the body tube. So, very little loss in the cable.

I used a Fluke 87V with the tailcap removed. I connected between the body tube and the battery -.

Stock leads or larger guage short leads?

stock leads. I could try some 12ga wires.

Just tested my vg10 with a fluke 73 lll with a 30q fresh battery and got 2.35 A