Thorfire BL30 Bicycle Light Review Thorfire provided me with this light on the condition I would provide an honest review.
Observation out of the box:
Light Head
The light head housing is an aluminum extrusion having a black anodized finish, with shallow cooling ribs along sides of the housing. The light features two Cree XM-L2 (advertised) LED’s are centered into deep smooth reflectors 11/32 dia (18mm), 7/8 inches (22mm) apart. The LED’s are set behind a glass lens, anti-reflective coating (tint) is not apparent. The light head attaches to the bicycle handlebar with the rubber-ring type mount. This light has five (5) modes low, medium, high, turbo, and a hidden flash. The light gets warm to hot when in use, especially on high/ turbo mode. The power button is Illuminated, the illumination changes from green (full), to red (less than 6.43 V). When LED changes to red approximately 10 minutes remain when light is on high. Run time on high 2 hours 55 minutes.
From green to red
10 minutes left!
The light head is Solarstorm battery box compatible.
Remote operated switch. Is machined aluminum base and cover having a black anodized finish the switch incorporates a rubber switch cover similar to tail cap switch from a tactical style flashlight. The remote switch is 11/32 inches (18mm) high x 1 ¼ inches (35mm) diameter; it is not for the weight conscience bicyclist. The remote wire lead is 22 inches (56mm) long. The remote also attaches to the bicycle handlebar with the rubber-ring type mount.
Battery- Pack 4 cell 18650 shrink wrapped with exposed paper/cardboard (end caps), sealing to prevent moisture ingress is not evident. I measured 7.38 volts of charge when delivered. Low voltage and over charge protection is not known. Charging time from fully discharged to full, is 5 hours 45 minutes
Charger- Labeled “Li-Poly Charger”, model number PD-05, Input 110-240 V 50/60 H, 0.35A Max, output 8.4V 1A, CE is mark present. The charger is constructed with US type prongs (two blades, without ground), two non-US adapters are included. The adapters fit onto the charger. I did not use the adapters as I am in the US. The charger has a charging indicator, which illuminates red during charging and changes to green when the battery pack is full (8.4V)
Use:
I mainly use bicycle lights for single track mountain bicycle riding. When I road ride I use flashing lights to for increased visibility to oncoming traffic. I did not use this light during any road rides. For single track mountain bicycle riding, the high and “turbo” mode are the most usable. The other modes do not have enough light, unless you are walking and pushing your bike. The high mode produces a wonderful amount of light; it is very adequate for my use. I did experience that when using turbo at or near the three (3) minutes the light will drop down to high. I cannot verify if this is due to temperature regulation or a built in timer, but I consistently observed a three (3) minute step down. The light gets hot during use; it can be uncomfortable for an un-gloved hand. I was not able to use the remote switch, other than an initial out of the box observation; I broke the connections to the remote when I started to un-screw the housing from the base. Unfortunately my soldering skills are not up to the task to repair this switch. Using this light alone on my handlebars, I found the beam shape inadequate for single track mountain bicycling.
9 feet from door
The light intensity is good; the distribution or pattern of the light which I found lacking (spot beam). The light does not provide peripheral illumination beyond the ends of the handlebars, or down onto the ground, this makes seeing obstacles, holes and turns somewhat more challenging. When I paired this light with one of my helmet mounted lights the visibility improved.
When I mounted the light to my helmet using a commonly found adapter, then the scene changed dramatically, to an acceptable level. This light performs better on the helmet than on the handlebars.
The barriers are 15 feet apart into the distance (turbo)
The centerline ends at 80 feet distance, from left to right the lines are 20 feet apart (turbo)
I generally do not ride in the rain, especially during the colder time of the year, however I tested the light outside during a rainy day, the light performed as advertised, it worked in the rain. I was extremely cautious not to let the battery pack get wet. I feel that the battery pack is an Achilles heel of this light.
Conclusion:
Good value for the price, it is a budget light, you could spend more for a similar product.
Performs very well on the helmet (mountain biking). Helmet mount not included.
Runtime on high 2 hours 55 minutes, 75% of manufacturer’s claim. (Other modes not tested, inadequate for mountain biking)
Must cycle through the modes after turbo step down in order to get back to turbo.
Battery pack does not appear to be sealed (moisture resistant).
edit- fixed images