Thrunite Catapult Mini VS. Noctigon KR1

I’d go with the Noctigon because of the hackable software.

I have a couple KR1's but no Mini cat.. I have seen people reviewing and also selling the Mini cat on reddit recently. Looks like a cool mini thrwer but that huge diameter head size has stopped me from buying it. Thats the same size as the astrolux ea01 which i do have, and the 40mm head will not carry well in the pocket. that right there would be enough for me to look no further and land on the KR1.

basically, the KR1 is one of, if not the, best edc pocket throwers made right now. the design, size, usefulness and Performance make it Very hard to beat. the Lumintop GT Micro would be a worthy contender if it had a workable pocket clip, but i havent found anything that does work.

The KR1's only downfall (not for me but for others and i understand) is the tail switch can turn on in your pocket. i LOCK mine out, but others do not want this extra step. If you do not want to lock your light out (4 clicks) then do NOT go with the KR1, because it will turn on in your pocket.

Feel free to ask any questions. I think you can go over the numbers all day, but they are both going to impress similarly, the more important things are their function, their design, and what you like or dislike the most.

yeah the KR1 has the best dimensions in 18350 mode out of the three lights I’m comparing in this pocket thrower category, The KR1, Mini Catapult and the Manker MC13. My only problem with the KR1 is the lack of on board charging that the mini catapult has or the ability to atleast use a 18350 with a usb port built in like the battery that comes with the manker. The KR1 apparently only uses unprotected cells so the manker battery is too tall for it so unless i can find a suitable battery im kinda stuck on this light… Do you know any 18350 with built in usb port that can work in the KR1?

sorry, I didn't see the part where you mentioned onboard charging, my fault! Ummm .. I don't know if there is one that would work, mostly because of the length requirements of rhe KR1 18350 tube, meaning anything with a a charging port may be too long. I don't know that 100% though, I wonder if anyone else has experience with what size 18350's can fit in the KR1..

is on board charging important to you for convenience? Or for overall price (not needing to buy a seperate charger), or something else? I only ask because the reliability over the long term of on board charging is, well, hotly debated but also I consider it questionable. It seems like it would be one of rhe first things to "break" on a light. But I could be wrong, I never use it on my lights so I don't know ..

Lol its cool but yeah it like on board charging either on the light itself or atleast on a compatible battery (The manker MC13 does this with its included battery) for the convience of being able to top off with a power bank if necessary.

Yes i realize i can bring spare batteries but i would have to remember to always keep my spares charged… while that may not seem like a problem, nowaways with a million things to remember to have to charge i rather have the peace of mind and simplicity that if i charge my power bank i can top anything off if needed vs needing a separate battery charger for everything on the go lol

I think coming from olights has spoiled me a bit in this regard haha but dang do they make me miss my magnetic charging tail cap so bad lmao thats why i edc my warrior mini but i want a compact pocket thrower for the fun of it ya know?

Which throws further the manker mc13 vs noctigon kr1 vs thrunite mini catapult? Pretty sure the catapult is in last place here right?

yeah I totally get what you're saying and it makes sense. Lol, I can attest to how difficult it can be to remember to keep things charged and bring the spare batteries!
One thing that I do now is keep a Xtar PB2 (actually it's an Astrolux version but it's the same 2ah harder) two bay magnetic cover charger in my car, with two batteries in it at all times. That way no matter where I go I have charge batteries I keep one of each size.just I thought you can buy them for like 15 bucks. And they charge real quick.

between the three I would have to look up which one throws the furthest as I only own one, but I would say your right either the mc13 or the KR1 W2

yeah between smartphones, smart watches, power banks and flashlights things can get kinda crazy… haha. I think you might like this product based on your enjoyment of the Xtar PB2. I never tried the Xtar but I plan on getting this:

It is a three in one - Lantern/Multi direction flashlight, Power bank AND battery Charger than can charge both 21700 and 18650 batteries. Power bank is up to 10000 Mah if you use two 21700 batteries.

I think I’m leaning towards getting the Manker MC13 just cause of the battery it comes with allows built in charging and I just looked it up, the MC13 with white light led can do 760 meters beam distance while the noctigon kr1 can do approximately 663 meters. I honestly would go for the Noctigon over the Manker because of the considerable head diameter and body length size difference, if only I can find the right 18350 battery I’m looking for that works in the light :frowning:

Not familiar with the Thrunite but the KR1 is off the chart.

I’ll be your huckleberry…

If I had to pick ONLY one it would definitely be the KR1. If somebody doesn’t like that you can’t charge the battery while it is in the KR1 then they need to overcome their fears! lol…But really, both are cool lights. I shared that link to say I’ve done the reviews you are saying need to be done. They are on my channel. Hope it helps!

know any 18350 batteries with an usb port that works in the light?

Leaders of the 18350 Tube Force said, “no way no how.”

All of my Thrunite lights have been very solid and practical. On the other hand, I wouldn’t take the number of Youtube reviews into consideration at all; Thrunite is aggressive about sending out review samples.

I’m not saying they shouldn’t try to get lights out to reviewers, just want to point out that the buzz you see on YouTube is a bit artificial despite the fact that Thrunite does make some very nice lights.

I know, sometimes a light can be all marketing but doesn’t hold up to real world testing but that’s why I’m trying to do my due diligence and consider all my options in this pocket thrower category.

So far from what I’ve seen/found the Thrunite mini catapult is quite the interesting little light, at least to me and my specific requirements of having multiple battery charging options.

Size wise it’s slightly bigger than the Noctigon KR1 but way smaller than the Manker MC13. Throw wise it loses to both but not too far away from the Noctigon KR1 while fulfilling my requirement of having an addition charging option through a on board usb C port. The Manker MC13 has both the best throw and available alternate charging option through an include battery with built in usb port however, it is the least compact of the three lights.

It's strange that in comparing these lights, you bypass the ease of control ... I personally, got rid of all the lights with a back button. I think this is extremely inconvenient and archaic.

That’s like…. your opinion, man.

But really…I do hope Hank recognizes everyone has different tastes in button locations and brings us an Emisar D1V2…<—- hint hint, Hank.

he is! He announced a new 21700 side switch light smaller than the K1 will come out. He said it in the hanklights Reddit sub forum last week! d1v2 is coming!

and it is most likely to have a TIR like the manker!

edit- I'll take a tail switch light every day though, especially for a small light. A big light not so much (I'm looking at you, Convoy L21a)

thanks RJ! Great video reviews!

thanks for that! The Astrolux charger I have is a power bank as well, and can deliver 10,000mah with 2 21700, nice little hardware. Plus it charges at 2ah. The lantern is a nice touch tho!

the one thing I'll say based off of what I have read and seen- the manker is more of a "fun" light- throws really far but almost no spill (the TIR makes it LEP like). So it is a wow factor light but not very "general purpose".

the KR1 is quite the opposite, between its shape, size, emitter options, and honesty the nicest designed reflector I have had or seen on any small light (every led has an awesome balanced beeam) it is a VERY useful general purpose light, with nice spill even with the W2, and nice throw. You could pretty much use it as an edc as well as a pocketable thrower.

so I guess considering those factors- it comes down to what your looking for? A fun pocket thrower that can also be a walking light or borderline a daytime edc, or a wow factor light for seeing things far off and that's pretty much it.

one thing I'll say, don't get caught in the hype- Reddit can be an awful place to find a light everyone else "likes", for instance. Not so much here, which is good.. Hence why I buy and sell so many lights- I just buy it and try it! If I don't like it - I sell it. Lol. I mean, that's one crazy way to do it!

No problem man and sorry for the late reply I had to handle a few stuff. Regarding everything you said, yeah i know about how easy it can be to get caught up with the hype coming from the knife collecting world lmao But yea i might just use your buy and try approach and get the KR1 as well since its a cheap enough light anyways, i just wanted to hear everyone’s opinion xD

Based on on the 1lumen review the KR1’s highest sustainable output is just 275 lumens though. I like the design and the idea of it, but that is kinda pathetic for the size in my opinion.