Thrunite T1S

The Thrunite T1S is the updated version of Thrunite’s original 18350 powered Thrunite T1. The T1S features the Luminus SST-40 emitter in cool white, which is rated for 1200 lumens on turbo. The original T1 used the Cree XHP-50 emitter which is rated for 1500 lumens. The beam profile is very smooth thanks to the TIR lense, while the original T1 used a traditional reflector. Because a TIR is used, the beam profile is more intense with minimal spill. Overall it’s a nice beam profile for an edc light. Included in the package is a 1100 mah button top 18350 non-proprietary battery, usb c cable, spare o-rings, and the dual direction pocket clip. The included battery is not proprietary and the light functions and charges just fine with my other flat top 18350’s. I am pleased to see that Thrunite stayed with the 18350 battery format instead of using smaller 16340 batteries.

The T1S utilizes the same usb c charging found on the original and because of that, this light is a great gift idea to non-flashaholics. The rubber flap is not as secure as I would like, but still stays in place just fine. The switch button also acts as a battery indicator to show battery status when the light is on. Blue is fully charged and red means the battery needs to be charged. The light design has been updated with new knurling and a black bezel which looks very nice and feels well in hand. The older T1 model used a grey bezel. The black bezel and simplified knurling on the T1S looks much cleaner. The included dual direction pocket clips attaches nicely to the tail cap of the light and provides deep carry in the pocket.

UI is straightforward Thrunite but with one disappointing setback. The older T1 model featured smooth strapless dimming while the T1S uses traditional stepped modes. A single press turns the light onto the last memorized mode. A long press from off is moonlight, a hold while on cycles through low, med, high, and a double click activates turbo. However if you are in moonlight mode and do another long press, it puts the light in lockout mode. You cannot proceed from moonlight mode into the regular modes. You have to turn the light back off and then single click to get into the last memorized mode. Mode spacing is pretty good here with the low mode rated at 7 lumens, med at 94 lumens, and high at 407 lumens.

I am quite impressed with the runtimes of this light. As you would expect, the light gets slightly warm on turbo. High mode is great with an output of 407 lumens for 80 minutes. Two competitors to this light would be the Sofirn SC21 and the Olight S1R Baton 2. The Sofirn is a little longer because of the traditional reflector that is used. The Olight is smaller because it utilizes the same battery found on the Sofirn, a 16340. The Olight also has a similar beam shape to the Thrunite because they both use a TIR. I much prefer the form factor of the 18350 compared to the 16340 batteries. I do have to say that the SST-40 is quite green on low modes but goes away when the brightness increases. Overall, I am very impressed with the power, size, and simplicity of the updated Thrunite T1S.

Things I like:

  • 18350 form factor that is non proprietary

  • Great 1200 lumen output

  • Onboard USB-C charging

  • Magnetic tail cap

Things I don’t like:

  • Cannot cycle from moonlight to regular modes

  • Greenish tint on lower modes

  • Button is a little mushy

I just ordered one of these and I’m waiting for it to arrive. I really liked the regular T1, except for how floody it was. It put out a great amount of light, but is was so unfocused that it required much higher output to reach a usable intensity that its longer runtimes were negated.

I’m disappointed that the light cannot go from moonlight into the regular sequence of modes, and I did enjoy the 5000K of the XHP50, but I am confident this will get more use than the original.

Thanks for the review. I had the T1 NW version but found it to be way too green for my liking. I considered swapping the emitter (I did a GT FC-40 swap on my T2) but decided to give it to a friend instead. This T1S seems like it should have many more options for emitter swaps being 3V instead of 12.

1500 lumens on turbo looks like it’s under 5 amps so it should be safe with say 219Bs.

FYI, it’s on sale on Amazon right now. $40 with a $10 coupon. Tempting…

So I’ve been EDCing this light for a couple of weeks. While, yes, the tint on lower modes is a bit green, the beam profile is much more usable than the floody blarf of light the original T1 puts out. The modes are spaced out nicely and I prefer the stepped levels vs. Thrunite’s ramping, which was a touch slow and if you didn’t remember which way you last ramped, it was a guessing game which way it would go.

I have found an interesting quirk which I’m pretty sure is an “unintended feature.” When using the light on the mid setting for more than around ten seconds, holding down the switch does NOT proceed to high mode; rather, it switches to low. Continuing to hold the button down will then return to mid before proceeding to high (and then rolling back over to low).

I kind of like that it does that; it’s predictable and is nice to be able to go down to low without having to pass through high. It can be a bit of a pain if one were to want to go directly to high after using mid for a little bit though.

And of course, not being able to get to the regular cycle from moonlight still stinks.

The TN4a always goes down to low on press and hold from on. With 3 normal modes this makes a great deal of sense to me and I appreciated it for that light. Of course it takes shortcuts to moonlight and turbo to make this OK. The step down preserves your vision, it only takes a tick more to get to high level, and you could always just double click to turbo if you want a bunch of light right now;-)