OK, so after more than month and a half of waiting I receive my so awaited Ti :bigsmile: And not only one, but two. A big thanks to TN for resending me the light because of such long waiting I received different versions though, and after a pleasant conversation with support staff (Sabrina, David) I want to share with you and them my thoughts and to try to āimproveā this great little light that I really do like (despite being direct driven on HI. Yeah, I love regulated lights :bigsmile:)
Moon low Ti, 2011 version, will appear always on the left, and 2012 version (3 lumen low) on the right. For beam shots comparison I have added Lumintop Worm also, always in the middle (on 3 light beamshot comparison)
OK, lets start with the outside comparison: both lights have no anodizing flaws and knurling (there are veeery minor differences on the heads, but nothing naked eye can notice :bigsmile:) is excellent, great for one hand operation
Lenses: double AR coating on 2011 version, normal(?) coated lenses on 2012 version.
Well, Iām quite noob in this, but David told me that 2012 version has coated lenses also. Maybe Iām wrong, but I thought that lenses with hue (purple in this case. That blue tint on 2012 version is just the sky, it doesnāt have any hue) are better, i.e. less reflectance.
Both are crystal clear, but Iād suggest to TN to switch back to 2011 version lenses if they can
Reflectors: H (eavy)OP on the left (2011) and L (ight)OP on the right (2012). The shape/size is identical on both.
Well, I was quite amazed after I received this light. With that reflector, Ti has better defined hotspot than my Worm with SMO reflector! Definitely a very good reflector for XP-E emitters that can still provide a very good throw.
Beam patterns are very similar but (donāt know if itās due to slightly off center emitter on 2012 version) I can see more artifacts on the new version So, in my opinion, Iād suggest to keep the HOP reflector for smoother beam (beamshots to follow).
Ok, hereās the biggest āflawā IMHO: in this pic and also on pic where I compare reflector (upper part of the pic) you can clearly see how ābadlyā the head is mounted :bigsmile: (on both lights)
Looks like the inner, brass part, is smaller (in diameter) and thereās is a gap between. Both parts are glued I suppose, but in my opinion, a bigger brass part will fit better and that diff in diameter will not be noticed so much.
Another thing: o-ring. Looks like it doesnāt have a, lets say, special place, thus it can be slightly off sometimes. Solution? Well, a narrower place to put that o-ring in or just a thicker o-ring maybe, just in case
Hereās an example of Worm head, Lumintop did it right I think.
Other thoughts: I like that TN used that foam to switch between modes and prevent rattling, instead of the spring. On the first pic you can see that āgapā when the light is off (I have used GP Eko for my testings, they are 44.3 mm long).
Despite of the design, it tail stand quite well on flat surfaces (very useful for some :P)
OK, lets see how it performs - time for beamshots.
As I said before, I chose Worm (1xAAA light, LO-HI 2 modes) to compare it with Tis. All batts where almost fully charged, so Ti could be slightly less bright on HI because itās direct driven. Worm is fully regulated, so it will keep HI at almost 100% till batts are depleted.
Hereās both Tis on low (remember, 2011 version on the left, 2012 on the right).
BTW, tints are good on both, on a cold side. 2011 version has very slightly yellow, hot spot tint.
Yup, moon low is almost unnoticeable!
Hereās a 3 light comparison (all in low mode). Worms low, as stated in the official specs, is 10 lumen only.
All on HI.
NOTE: 3 lumen Ti looks a little bit brighter, yes. It has LOP reflector that helps throw better, but (!) 3 lumen version Tis has brighter HI mode, itās driver related. So, which beam profile would 3 lumen 2011 version have? Even more similar.
Hereās my manual, Photoshop tweak to lower the exposition. 2012 Ti won here
To sum up, great little light. If TN can smooth out these small āimperfectionsā, Ti will be one of the best AAA lights
Thanks for reading.
PS: special thanks to Xenoās E03 fingergrooves, helped me a lot to make pics :bigsmile: