Thrunite has updated their small EDC offering with the T1S, it features an 18350 battery, SST40 LED, and is said to produce up to 1200 lumens. They have updated the design a bit, added USB-C charging, and a new TIR Optic. Thanks to Thrunite for sending it to me to review.
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Pickup the Thrunite T1S on Amazon on the links below. For the discount click the coupon on the page.
Black: Amazon.com (Affiliate Link)
Grey: https://amzn.to/3qz2SY0 (Affiliate Link)
The coupon thing has been a bit messed up here. The original coupon code was just a checkbox on the order page you clicked. However that’s been changed and is now only 10% off. However Thrunite has given me a coupon that stacks that will be active in a few hours that will knock 15% off, so it should be about 25% off. I will post an update on the Video when that’s live later today.
Packaging & Accessories
Packaging is standard Thrunite here, Not much to explain that the pictures won’t answer. You do get the note to remove the battery isolator before using the light, a key point for new users. Accessoires you get with the T1S are a 1100mAh 18350 battery, lanyard, extra oring, snap on pocket clip, and a USB-A to USB-C charging cable.
Construction & Design
The T1S is made from aluminum, and anodized in a semi shiny black. Fit and finish is good, above average for this price point I would say. Everything feels good, threads are anodized. The tail is flat, with a magnet inside. The clip attaches at the rear only, more on that later. The body is has 3 smooth sides, and 3 sides with small shallow slots milled into them for grip and style. The head is slightly larger, with minimal fins to dissipate heat. The electronic switch sits on a shallow platform which helps make it indexable, it has LED’s under to server as power indicators too. Opposite the button is the USB-C charging port, with standard silicone rubber cover.
Internally there is a spring and magnet at the tail, and a brass post up front. Tolerances here are good, the battery is slip fit and the light can run standard flat top or button top cells from whomever you choose. Nothing is proprietary.
Retention
The T1S comes with the same pocket clip that the T1 had, this is a press fit on the rear only. It has a bit of a step in it and the top of the loop is small both of which are not my favorite, but works well here and carries super deep. It’s a dual direction clip so it can clip onto a hat well too. Don’t forget the tail is magnetic too.
Size, Weight, and Comparison
I measured the length of the T1S at 69.3mm, minimum diameter at 22.2mm, maximum diameter at 26mm at the button in the head. Weight with the battery and clip installed was 2.47oz, or 70.1g. Size wise it’s extremely similar to the original Thrunite T1. When I compare it to the Olight Baton 3, it’s longer and larger in diameter, and that’s expected given the different batteries the two run. The T1S is IPX8 water rated.
LED & Beam
The T1S is running a SST-40 in Cool White. When tested with my Opple meter, I received an unscientific 5375k tint in turbo, and 5230k in high. Ra value is somewhere in the 60s. What my eye saw was in the lower modes there is a significant amount of green tint shift that disappears in the higher modes.
The optic here makes all the difference in my opinion, the T1 was a traditional reflector but super short, the result was all flood. The T1S has a TIR optic so you get a very useful balanced beam for EDC tasks, a reasonably large hotspot with most of the beam intensity and some spill. One thing to note is the TIR is concave, plastic, and doesn’t have a glass lens on top. Not a big deal at this price point, but expect it to get scratched some with use.
Official Outputs
Runtime & Heat
Turbo output on the light is rated at 1212 lumens for 5 minutes, but in my test I really only saw that for about 2:30 before that stepdown started. It was a slow stepdown that took about 10 minutes to reach around 30% relative output where it ran for an additional hour before running at its low/firefly modes for the remaining 3 hours or so for a total of 3:20:00. Max heat during that time was 50C. I then ran a runtime in medium mode where it was extremely stable and outdid the rated runtime out to 6:30:00.
UI
The Thrunite T1S has the pretty standard flashlight UI from Thrunite. From off, long hold to get to firefly mode, when off a single click turns on in the last standard mode used. Long press when on to cycle through the 3 main modes. Double click to go to turbo, triple click to go to strobe. This is simple and definitly an improvement over the slow ramping UI of the original T1.
Recharging
The light recharges via the onboard USB-C that’s opposite the main switch. It is USB-C PD Compatible which is great to see. When recharging the button on the light turns red and turns blue when charged. Maximum charging speed I saw with the included 1100mAh battery was about 0.6A which is conservative. Total charging time from LVP at 3.033V to full at 4.144v was 2:20:00. One other note is that the light uses a standard 18350 battery, I was able to swap in a flat top Vapcell or Keeppower brand battery without problem here.
Final Thoughts
If you were looking for a small EDC light, with USB-C charging, and a non proprietary battery, the Thrunite T1S is a great place to look. At an MSRP of $40, but with a $10 off currently the Thrunite T1S is a bargain at just under $30 and remember that includes the 1100mAh battery and USB-C charging cable. That’s a great bargain for what you’re getting, and fast shipping from the USA. If you’re looking for a new EDC light in this form factor that’s small and don’t mind the greener tint’s at lower outputs, I can recommend the T1S. Hopefully when the chip shortage eases we will see some neutral white emitters and other body colors soon. Thanks for watching or reading.
Pickup the Thrunite T1S on Amazon on the links below. For the discount click the coupon on the page.
Black: Amazon.com (Affiliate Link)
Grey: https://amzn.to/3qz2SY0 (Affiliate Link)
