PD68 Review: Thorfire S70 - XHP70 Monster

Packaging

I ordered from Amazon. It came very well packaged with closed-cell foam cut specifically for the light and accessories, packed in its own box. Then that box was in a larger shipping box with air-pack bubble things all around it. It arrived in perfect condition. Included in the box are the light itself, extra switch boots, extra o-rings, an extra AR-coated glass lens, a big lanyard/shoulder strap that attaches to two points on the light, and two 18650-to-26650 adapters. Installed on the light was a “tactical ring” near the tail that threads off if you don’t like it.

Build Quality

I like it. The machining and anodization overall look fantastic to my eyes. It has a good heft, deep cooling fins, and though the threads aren’t very deep, there are a lot of them and they are squared off. The ano is not the super flat-black that is found on some of the newer Convoy models, it’s more of an eggshell type finish. I really like it, though some people might disagree.

The only issue with the ano I found was around the front attachment point for the strap. I also removed the tactical ring because it feels very sharp in my hands. The ridges on the body tube look nice and give an okay amount of grip, but I think traditional knurling may have been a better choice. The branding on the side is crisp and clean, and not too gaudy.

A nice bonus is that the mcpcb is copper and DTP, and screwed down to the shelf with a good amount of thermal paste underneath. The emitter wires are thick and short.

Using it
The UI is dual-switch based. The side switch controls modes. A single click cycles through the 4 mode levels: 0.21amps > 1.09amps > 2.15amps > 5.5amps (measured with UT210e). A quick double-click enters strobe mode, and holding enters SOS. The rear switch is a “tactical” forward clicky/momentary on that only turns the light on/off. Mode level is memorized so you can easily signal on high mode without inadvertently changing modes. High mode will step down after 3 minutes.

I have a small complaint and a larger complaint about the UI. The small complaint is that I wish there was a way to reverse through the brightness levels instead of having to cycle forward every time to get back to low. The larger complaint is that the side button has a long reset. What I mean is that you can not click quickly to advance modes, you have to give a brief pause between clicks. Thankfully it doesn’t trigger strobe every time you click too quickly, it just simply won’t register the second click much of the time. We aren’t talking a full second pause here, maybe half a second, but it still can be annoying.

Under the side switch button is a battery level indicator. It is bright enough to be easily seen, but generally not distracting. It is green normally, then around 3.45v it switches to orange, then around 3.1v it starts flashing red. Eventually the light shuts off completely. I measured this at 2.9v; after 15min the cell had recovered to 3v.

The reflector is a heavy OP, and it does a decent job of fixing the XHP beam “donut”, but if you are white-wall hunting a faint dark spot can still be seen in low mode. If you simply turn the brightness up or go outside, it vanishes into the wash of light. (You really have to click on the dark picture, it is under-exposed to show the slight dark spot)

Moddability

I think many people will be satisfied with this light without modding. The UI is decent, the battery indicator is very useful, and an XHP-70 at 5+amps gives a massive amount of light for a stock flashlight. I think it’s safe to say Thorfire has under-rated this one at 3000 lumens.

Having said that, this light is an utterly fantastic host in my mind. Dual switch is nice for modding because almost any custom firmware will work with it in some way. The head is a solid chunk of aluminum with a thick shelf under the led and deep fins. There are nice fat retaining rings on the driver and switch, and the side switch is on a separate board with long wires attached.

I will say that getting the driver out was a bit tricky, because the wires are short enough that you have to desolder them at the emitter first, and that big mcpcb really sucks the heat out of your iron. Finally I got it unstuck, but still had to push the driver out from the front with a hex key.

I will probably shave the XHP70 down for a tighter hotspot, and either find a way to resistor-mod the driver or replace it with a FET. Either way this light is a beast.

Conclusion

I like it alot. It’s not as “budget” as most of my other lights, but you get a lot for your money. I think people will be very happy with this even without modifying it at all.

Thorfire has sent me review samples before, and I was honest and said I didn’t like them much. They risked sending me this one to review, and it paid off. I think they have a winner here.

(DST, S70, Courui, L2)

Edit: Details found later in the thread.

- Tint is a cool white, but not too blue

  • Dimensions:
    Reflector OD: 67.42mm
    Reflector ID: 62mm
    Reflector Height: 49mm
    Lens: 67.8mm x 3mm
    Mcpcb: 31.5mm
    Driver: 29.5mm
    Driver bay height: 17mm

Quick and dirty beamshots

Control

Headlights

Thorfire

Distance

Your other reviews seem to cover any questions I have… Just awaiting your review…

I’d love to get a look at one of these, just to see how much brighter the XHP70 is than an XM-L2 :slight_smile:

I got one yesterday. I haven’t had much time with it yet but my initial impressions are good. A light like this for this price from Amazon was impossible 2 years ago.

edit: beamshots moved to reply #1

Can’t wait. Subscribed.

I’m interested. It looks like the color temp might lean neutral from the pics. My AceBeam K60 is like that. Does it have anodized threads or can it be easily locked out?

I have gotten to where I really like the 2X 26650 configuration. When my pocket light (ZL SC62w) isn’t enough, I find myself reaching over my P60 and C8 lights and grabbing my 2X 26650 flashlights. Very utilitarian. They are multi-emmiter flashlights but this Thorfire should fit right in.

The description at Amazon says the tail switch is tactical. Does this mean forward clicky? I love a forward clicky that can be used as a one mode light, i.e., won’t change modes while using momentary.

Very promising beamshots, looking forward for more.

Review is up. Click on pics for full-size.

I meant to have a few physical measurements included, but my digital calipers are missing at the moment…

Thanks for the review I like the driver output settings. It’s got nice throw with flood.

Thank you Pilotdog68 for this review. It looks like a well built light with easy accessible components. I’ll definitely consider this one in my future builds.

I’d definitely be in for a group buy!

Nice review, thanks

Nice review! Thank you.
Really interesting light, and not too expensive either.

So it looks like the XHP series is becoming more popular by the big brands.

The color temp is definitely a cool white, but it’s not too bad. The typical Cree “rainbow” is present, with the spill light being much more blue than the hotspot. The AR lens may be contributing to this too.

Yes, it is a forward clicky.

Btw guys, for more/better pictures take a look at this review on CPF. He clearly has a better camera than me and beautiful lighting conditions.

My own pictures are courtesy of my cell phone, taken on a throw blanket spread across my living-room floor. Lighting is provided by my SP03 in ceiling bounce.

Very professional :slight_smile:

It is going to happen soon. :slight_smile: >>” https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/35973”:https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/35973

Very nice review…looks like it’s pretty moddable.

Need to know Reflector size, driver and mcpcb diameter’s? Also where is the shelf depth in relation to the outside of the head? Something like this…