I originally asked if anyone had a Thrunite Archer Mini on what was apparently its announcement date, but at the time it was unavailable for sale. Once sales began, I ordered it, and it arrived today. Here’s my 1-day review of this subminiature, rechargeable EDC penlight.
Thrunite claims its SST-20 puts out a 405 lumen burst stepping down to a 105 lumen high and an 18 lumen low. The cost was $20 on Amazon. See the manufacturer’s details for specifications. The model I purchased is cool white, which seemed to be the only one available at the time of this writing.
First impressions are positive. The light’s finish is similar the other Thrunite lights I own, the TH-20 and W1. The clip is steel and seems more substantial than that on the W1: thicker, and retains its tension better when flexed. This was my main problem with the W1; I bent the clip after a couple days of usage. The clip is held on with spring tension and can be rotated on the body or removed, with some effort (it doesn’t rattle or spin freely).
The light does not disassemble; the 10400 cell is non-removable. The head is captive and unscrews only far enough to reveal the charge port. When screwed down, it is o-ring sealed. This is a nice touch and a vast improvement over the typical rubber charge port plug. The o-ring is pre-lubricated and sits in a machined groove so it doesn’t migrate. It will probably require frequent lubrication and cleaning, depending on how often you use and recharge the light, since it can collect dust while it’s open. There were no spares in the box. While charging, you can access all modes. The TIR optic is protected by an non-AR glass lens held on by a retainer ring.
The tailcap e-button is aluminum and has quiet but distinct click that has a light touch. I usually carry EDC lights clipped to a front pocket, with the light sitting on the inside. If you pocket your lights like I do by engaging the tip of the clip and then pushing down on the top, you will actuate it every time you pocket the light. I prefer shrouded tailcaps for this reason; I have something on the top of the light to push down on. The light is so small that you won’t have anything to grab. The Archer mini seems better suited for a shirt pocket, pocketed like a pen, and it’s certainly small enough for that. It has a lockout function with a single-blink notification if you try to turn it on when it’s locked, so you won’t just think it’s dead. I don’t shirt-pocket carry, and I won’t remember to lock it out after every use, so I do expect to find this light on low in my pocket regularly. At least there’s no risk of pocket fire.
I have no test equipment, so I can only guess and use my other cool white lights to compare light quality. I would put the CCT around 5000K, and the tint is pleasing. It’s much less green than a Surefire EDCL1-T on low, but more green than a Streamlight ProTac 1L, both of which have roughly the same color temperature. . I would guess CRI is <80 due to the dull color of natural wood as seen under this light.
The hotspot is wide for a light with such a narrow head, with two clearly defined coronas and and a wide spill. There are not a lot of other beam artifacts to be seen here. In actual use, you won’t notice the corona rings. It will do well for up-close work on low, and can operate in a pinch on high for outdoor use. A side effect of unscrewing the head while you’re using it is that you can cut down on the spill, but since the inside of the head is not reflective, you’re just adding to the heat and it’s probably of minimal benefit.
The turbo mode seems a little less than the stated 405 lumens. The turbo is limited by a timer, and after almost 3 minutes on turbo, begins stepping gradually down every second until it reaches its normal “high” of 157 lumens. There is no direct access to the non-turbo high mode. If you turn the light off and back on turbo again, the timer resets and it is back at the highest output. It becomes warm in as little as 30 seconds on turbo, but throughout normal operation doesn’t become hot. The heat is mostly constrained to the head and does not migrate easily into the body. Since Thrunite doesn’t recommend high mode for more than 10 minutes, the Archer mini is probably thermally limited because of its size; you can probably push it too far and it will let you permanently degrade its emitter.
For the price it’s a great buy if you need a small light. It’s probably one of the brighter penlights you’ll see. I’m going to try carrying it instead of my neutral Malkoff MDC to see if it can unseat a light 6x its price, but I doubt that will happen for everyday use, even though it is brighter. I do see myself pocketing this in occasions where I can’t deal with the bulk of the MDC, like when in more formal wear.
Edited: added info about turbo timer
