Thorfire VG10S review

I figured out how to post pictures so this post is no longer “delete” :slight_smile:

Review of the Thorfire VG10S flashlight.

20% off code: QKZIWBAN
Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2tEJDfb

Thorfire asked if I would be willing to review their VG10S flashlight and I agreed to do so after telling them that I had essentially zero experience in such reviews (something to keep in mind as you read my review) and would be as honest I could be in reviewing it.

Sorry for the poor quality pictures but I could only use my cell phone since my regular camera seemed to have been gone away somewhere with my kids.

Disclosure: given the controversy among some over vendor supplied or compensated products be advised that I was given a code to purchase the flashlight at a 99% discount. While some may feel that this will influence my review that will be for the reader to decide. I will say that I’m a contractor programmer and can work any number of hours that I want at my present company. For the time I spent working on this review I could have made a boatload of actual money and not ‘what my time is worth money’.

Thorfire asked that I include a 20% off code for the VG10S when purchasing it from Amazon which I feel is reasonable, especially since anyone interested in purchasing the flashlight can save money using it. Keep in mind that I am not getting anything for clicks or purchases using this link.

Not having the expertise and equipment as others my review will not be as technical as many of the other excellent reviews you can read on BLF.

Packaging
The flashlight arrived in a sturdy well packaged cardbox box held together by a sticker with the Thorfire label. Included with the light is a manual, an attached clip and 2 spare o-rings.

No lanyard was provided but this is not an issue for me since I never use them.

Specification from the manual:


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

Batteries:
All my flattop and protected batteries (Panasonic 3400 and Samsung 30Q) fit without issues.

Initial impressions:
The VG10S is a slightly larger head than tube flashlight that is similar in size, weight, and in my opinion function, to lights such as the Convoy M1. Out-of-the box it is looks to me that it is a well made high quality flashlight but this is not surprised given the other Thorfire products that I have. The knurling and squared indentations on the tube make it easy to grip. For those of you with a Convoy M1 the body tube on the VG10S feels very similar to it. The attached clip feels solid and durable and for me the tension on it is perfect for clipping it to my a backpack or belt. With the clip attached the flashlight is row resistant but rolls easily on a smooth surface without it. I would have preferred that the head have squared surfaces like the ShiningBeam Blaze to make it roll resistant but many lights are similar to the VG10S in this respect.

There are visible flaws in the black anodizing on the threads of the head as can be seen in the picture below. These are the only flaws can I can see on the flashlight.

Any holster that fits the Convoy M1 will also fit the VG10S.

The square cut threads came lightly lubed and are anodized so the light can be physically locked out.

The bezel is not glued so it’s easy to unscrew it to get access to the reflector and the led. The bezel is scalloped which is not something I prefer in my lights but it is not overly aggressive and since I don’t carry lights of this size in my pocket I don’t see this as a negative. It does makes it a better impact weapon for those inclined to use flashlights as such and allows you to see if it’s on when it’s head-down on a table. For me as a defensive weapon my preference would be for something that emits lead particles rather than photon beams.

A threaded retaining ring holds the driver in the head.

An o-ring fits into a reflector groove to keep water out of the light.

The size of the VG10S is virtually the same as the Convoy M1 and in my opinion is targeted at the same market.

Shown below left to right are the VG10S, Convoy M1, BLF X6, and ShiningBeam Blaze for size comparison. As you can see the VG10S and Convoy M1 are virtually the same height and width (as measured on my analog calipers).

Switch:
The VG10S uses a reverse clicky tail switch to turn the light on/off well as to change modes.

- A press will turn the light on in the last mode used

- Each additional short press cycles though M-L-M-T in that order

- A double press when the light is on enables blinky mode. A short press returns you to the last mode used. If the light is turned off while it is in blinky mode it will turn on in the last mode it was in.

  • The feel of the switch is typical of the well known Omten 1288 switch

Pros:

- Strobe/bike mode is hidden and easily accessible

- Switch works fine

  • Nothing to speak of which is good in a switch

Cons:

- Moonlight is too low for me and is even dimmer than the .1% moonlight on drivers flashed with Biscotti. In fact it is the dimmest moonlight of all of the 20+ flashlights that I have. Some may like this but I would have preferred that it be several lumens brighter.

  • The switch protrudes a little bit making the light a bit unstable when tail standing and it results in the light not standing straight up.

Carrying the light:
Pros:

- The clip provides enough tension and is high enough to allow me to comfortably carry it on my belt. Unlike some clips it feels secure enough that I didn’t find myself worrying about losing the light.

  • The switch had a nice tactile feel to it and was easy to use without inadvertently changing modes or turning it on by accident

Cons:

  • Nothing that came up

Output:
As mentioned above the moonlight is extremely low and for me could stand to be brighter.

Unlike all the other flashlights that I have the VG10S ramps down in brightness beginning at about 5 minutes after it is turned on in high. This continues for approximately 15 minutes at which point it is at medium. Since there is no distinct shift from high to medium it was not noticeable to me that the light was ramping down. I like this more than lights that automatically step down from the highest level to the next level due to the visible brightness change.

In a side-by-side comparison the VG10S was noticeably brighter on high than my Convoy M1with a XM-L2 U3 3D under the original driver that came with my BLF X6. However low and medium levels were brighter on the M1 than the VG10S.

This is not surprising given the relative lux values that I measures for the 2 flashlights using a phone app. The numbers in of by themselves are meaningless to me but I feel that it allows a rough comparison of brightness’s at various settings.

On the 3 highest modes I measured these lux values in my ceil bounce tests:

- VG10S: 5.15 / 24.75 / 85.98

  • Convoy: 16.25 / 40.75 / 63.51

Thorfire states that the VG10S in high outputs 1100 lumens and I can believe this since my BLF X6 on high is 92.60 lux. Note the I have a XML-L2 U3 3D in the X6 under a Mountain Electronics FET + 7135 - A6 driver.

Tint:
The flashlight has a nice neutral white tint which I liked very much. But of course preferences vary from person to person.

Beam shots:

VG10S on the left and Convoy M1 on the right


VG10s on the left and BLF X6 on the right

Drop test:
Flashlights are tools and I occasionally drop tools when using them. To test how impact resistant the VG10S is I dropped it several times from chest high at different angles onto our entryway’s fake marble floor with a battery inside of it. I didn’t see any sign of external damage and the light worked perfectly fine afterwards.

Water test:
According to Thorfire the VG10S is rated IPX-8 so should be waterproof up to 8 meters. I tested this by submerging it in a bowl of water after putting it into the freezer with the tail cap off for 15 minutes (to make the air denser inside after screwing the tail cap back on). After 15 minutes I took the light out and disassembled it and did not see any moisture inside the light.

I also took the VG10S for a test drive when I was taking a shower to simulate using it in the rain. After a leisurely shower I disassembled the light and did not find an moisture in it.

Low voltage indicator:
At around 2.7v the light began to flash at approximately 2 blinks per second.

Reverse Polarity Protection:
Putting a battery in backwards and then trying to turn it on (no light of course) did not prove to be a problem when the battery was reinserted correctly.

Conclusions
What I liked:

- The VG10S is clearly a well made light that feels good in my hands.

- I liked the neutral tint and the spacing of the modes

  • The downwards brightness ramping

What I didn’t like:

- The flaw in anodizing on the head threads

  • The moonlight is too low for me. For others this might be perfect so this clearly a personal preference.

The Thorfire VG10S compares favorably to other flashlights in its class such as the Convoy M1 and is priced around the same. In terms of usage the M1 and VG10S perform the same with just minor differences but this is to be expected. I’d be just as happy to use either the M1or VG10S under similar circumstances and I feel both would perform equally as well.

If I had to buy a M1 or VG10S it would come down to price since in my opinion they are essentially interchangeable and both provide reliability and performance at a very fair price.

You don’t delete threads, now you wait for the spam to set in :smiling_imp:

Sadly that will be the case :frowning: