Review: Trustfire Mini-01

Hi Steve

I used a needle nose pliers. They fit perfectly. But you cold also probably use a small flat head screwdriver or two.
Only thing is to be careful not to unscrew too much or the o’ring and lens could end up loose. I did try a thicker o’ring to try and compensate, but it was too thick to work.

Cheers
Matt

Nice, I’ll give it a go. I would love to put in an SMO reflector too. A liitle more throw won’t hurt.

Steve

A smooth reflector could be a good mod :slight_smile:

I’d like to get another one and put a U2 XM-L into it. Never modded a light before, but when i took the Mini-01 apart, it looked like it would be fairly straight forward.

I guess heat would be an issue though with the U2?. I picked up a few months ago a small light in which the reflector looks to be identical in height and width. I’ll take both apart and see if the fit matches.
The Yetzl makes all the difference in light output. Not the same with the Trustfire batteries but close.

I’m not sure how the U2 XM-L would work, but i could be fun to try anyway :slight_smile:

I hope the reflector fits, sounds interesting. Could you do before and after beamshots if you go ahead with the mod?
Also, do you have a DMM to measure the current drae of your mini-01?

Cheers
Matt

I tried the mod last night with the SMO reflector but it was 3mm too long. Bummer.
Unfortunately I do not have any way of measuring the current draw.
I’ve eyeballed it at around 500+ lumens. My other EDC is rated at 320 lumens and it is significantly brighter. I do believe if the SMO reflector were smooth it would certainly have a brighter hotspot. If I can manage to cut the SMO by 3mm it would be a perfect fit. I’ll definitely post some beam shots if I can pull it off.

That’s a shame.

Yeah 500+ lumens is what id guess it to be. I’ve compared it to my XP-G s2 that is around 350+, and a triple XP-E that is around 600 lumens.

Cheers
Matt

I find with the Yetzl batteries, if you push in the body a little towards the LED the rotation is much smoother. This is the reason why I’d like to shorten the inner spring. Less pressure pushing upwards therefore a smoother rotation. I also like the fact that there is no clicky. It makes this little light unique.

Yeah its a nice light.
See if the spring loosens up after having the 16340 in it for a couple of weeks. I also put a bit of silicone spray(that can be used for electrical connections like spark plugs on cars) on a cotton bud and rubbed it onto the driver board where the positive end of the cell touches. Just to reduce friction/wear from the pressure of the cell.

Thanks for the tip! I’ll wait a few weeks to see how the spring goes and will add some silicone on the driver board.

Cheers!

No worries Steve :slight_smile:

Good info. I’ll keep this in mind as well. I just got my mini today. WOOOO!!! :slight_smile:

Good news, how are you liking it? :slight_smile:

Cheers
Matt

I totally dig this little guy. It’s running off a TF Flame 16340. Eyeballing the beam shot, compared to let’s say an L2T with a MF UF T6 3-mode, This mini-01 on high is almost as bright as that L2T in medium, which I suppose would be about right. But outside at night, it is shocking and delightful to see this much light come from something in my hand the size of my thumb.

Yes, it obviously gets hot, which I expected. And mode-switching isn’t the most solid operation. I don’t always hit what I thought would be the next mode, and I can’t find strobe very often (I’m okay with that). But all in all this is a heck of a cool little torch! Very attractive, feels nice in my hand.

I almost don’t want to carry in my pocket to preserve its good looks, but I did anyway all last night while I was out, and I forgot it was there. :slight_smile:

Went to see a movie today with the kids. Before the previews started I lit up the mini….I just had to.
Over a dozen guys asked me where I got the light from. Little did they know the size of it to begin with. When I showed them they were left in disbelief.
I am extremely happy with this little guy and just like JAFFO mentioned, it’s so small you forget it’s in your pocket.

Did you refer them to BLF? :)

One other father was overly interested (wife rolled her eyes) and I told him he can search on eBay to pick one up. He asked if I had any other lights of similar brightness and the conversation got started. I did mention BLF was a great place to start to learn the basics and then take it from there.

Nice. :D

Good to hear your liking it. I know what you mean about almost not wanting to carry it. Just keep telling yourself it was only $15 or whatever you paid, that will make it easier. Or buy another :bigsmile: I think i will.

Not hitting the modes perfectly sounds like the issue i had at the start where it felt like i had to tighten the head too much to activate. Loosening the pill/reflector with a needle nose pliers slightly might help. It fixed my problem. Its now smoother in operation and hits high, low, strobe everytime i change modes.

Cheers
Matt

:smiley: I like that you ‘just had to’ light it up in the cinema. I bet that was fun :bigsmile: