Thorfire BL30 Waterproof Bike Light Review

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
1

Hi there!

Earlier this week I received this Thorfire BL30. It’s a 1400 lumen bike light powered by an external 8800mah 18650 battery pack. (Included in package)

Here’s the box it came in:

Why yes, Thorfire, yes I am.

Package contents are as follows:

  • Light
  • Manual
  • Remote Button
  • 8800mah Battery
  • Charger
  • UK Plug Adaptor
  • Euro Plug Adaptor
  • 2x Rubber Straps

The light has two XM-L2 cool white emitters set in deep, smooth reflectors.

The anodized finish is Type III and it is waterproof to IPX7 standards.

On the back side we have a reverse clicky button which lights up when the light is on, and a port for the remote button.

The plug from the remote button

The light puts out a single, well defined hotspot.

  • Hold the button to turn light on/off
  • Click to cycle through modes
  • Mine has 5 modes. (Turbo/High/Med/Low + Hidden Strobe)
  • There is mode memory
  • Double click from off or any other mode to access strobe

The tint is cool white, probably around 6500k. Here it is next to a 5000k Blf 348.

Here’s a comparison to a Convoy C8. Convoy on left, Thorfire on right. (C8 has ugly yellow tint because of AR lens)

Summary:

The light is currently $36 shipped from Amazon. This seems like a good deal to me considering you get a battery and charger in the package.

Pros:

  • Lightweight
  • Good run times
  • Nice beam pattern
  • Rubber bands hold it securely in place

Cons:

  • Remote button sometimes needs to be unplugged and plugged back in to work
  • I would have preferred a neutral tint

Edit: Upon further testing, the light does in fact have 5 modes. When the battery is not fully charged the difference between the Medium and Low modes is imperceptible, this is what led to me believing that there were only 4 modes.

2

yes, on mine also I have trouble with the remote plug making a good connection, doesn’t seem to quite lock in.

3

Thanks for the review. I’m not all that up to speed on bike lights, but do they make them with a cutoff line like on autos? I run the bike trail about every day and some of those bikes coming the opposite way are blinding. I don’t ride a bike often, so maybe a cutoff line doesn’t make sense when you’re actually riding.

4

I’ve never seen one with a cutoff line, but you can get elliptical optics from Carclo. One of those paired with an S2+ might make for a good bike light, albeit a very floody one.

5

WillyD, something as simple as a small piece of plastic glued to the top of the light, like the brim of a hat, will help with oncoming traffic.