ThorFire TG06S Set Review

Winnowill1984 · 2018-03-22T23:04:37.000Z

ThorFire contacted me asking if I’d like to review this light with no additional compensation. I’m not an engineer or electrician, just a simple hobbyist who likes flashlights. I spend a good amount of time outdoors for my job and can appreciate the the compactness of the light and the availability of AA batteries. However there are times where I need more than just 150 or so lumens to light up an area for a short period of time or reach out and see in the distance. This is where the 14500 compatibility is much appreciated.

The light came in ThorFire’s usual no nonsense packaging. I appreciate simple boxes with simple packing materials for items that aren’t extremely delicate. If I’m just going to throw away the packaging, I’d just rather save money for something simple and effective. The set contains the light, instruction manual, spare O rings and bike strap, pocket clip, charger, and 14500 battery.

Build quality seems good with even machining and anodization on the exterior and threads. The anodized threads on the tail cap are square cut and triangular on the head end. The light has a well centered Cree XP-G2 R5 LED, a smooth reflector, ample knurling, a glow gasket, and can tailstand. I could detect no PWM in any setting.

Operating the light is very simple, a quick full click on and a full click off. To cycle modes simply click the light on and half press to cycle through options. A quick double click will activate strobe. The light always turns on from high and has no memory. At 3.78 inches long and .82 inches wide it nearly dissapears in the pocket.

The manual states the light has an IPX-8 rating, 2 meters underwater for 30 minutes. The O rings came lubed just fine but I always like to add some more before I do any waterproof testing. The light was submerged for one hour in a bath of ice water and the subsequent results were absolutely no water leakage.
Video,

Completely dry

The towel was for cleaning up the water that dripped off the outside of the light. I swear (:

ThorFire States that the runtimes are as follows,
14500
High 500 lumens, 35 min./Medium 200 lumens, 75 min./Low 50 lumens, 3hrs./Moonlight 1 lumen, 72 hrs.

AA
High 150 lumens, 55 min./Medium 80 lumens, 135 min./Low 20 lumens, 8 hrs./Moonlight .5 lumens, 120 hrs.

I just happened to have a TG06S I bought myself prior to them offering my sample. Although the version I bought didn’t include that battery and charger. This provided me a good side by side comparison of both lights running down different batteries. The light on the left has the 14500 battery and the one on the right has an Eneloop. Both batteries were freshly charged beforehand.

Beamshots!
With a 14500
The Trash can is 20 yards away.

Moonlight

Low

Medium

High

A comparison of a 14500 on hight and an AA

14500

AA

I am always plesantly surprised with ThorFire’s offerings. Not everyone can afford some of the bigger names and feel a bit uneasy about spending fourty plus dollars on an edc light.

bucky · 2018-03-23T01:09:25.000Z

I just picked up one a couple weeks ago, really like it and the fit and finish and out put are quite good ,better then i hoped

pennzy · 2018-03-23T14:22:29.000Z

Me too. Unlike some here , I like the start on high always. Makes it a no brainer under stress.

jt_bennett · 2018-03-23T17:33:42.000Z

Thanks for the review. This is a great flashlight as-is; it’s also inexpensive ($10-15) and easy to mod.
I upgraded one with a 17mm FET driver, 16mm XPL2 and spring bypass for ~1,800 lumen on a fresh 14500 (windyfire or e-fest).
My only 2 complaints were the extremely tight retaining ring on the tail (couldn’t be removed) and the lack of lube on the threads and o-rings.

I used a little vegetable oil on the o-rings to keep them from rubbing and binding up and it’s now one of my favorite flashlights.

I call it the “noisy cricket”.

pennzy · 2018-03-23T17:55:55.000Z

I have that same driver and emitter ready to go into something. Originally planned on a C8 but the PCB was accidentally ordered 16mm rather than 20mm. I am hesitant to put that combo into such a small host as a TG06S. Can you run yours on high for more than 30 seconds before frying your hand? How is the beam? My driver is the Sofirn C8A model which steps down after about 3 minutes.

jt_bennett · 2018-03-23T21:49:51.000Z

I put thermal paste behind the LED board and on the pill threads to help dissipate heat better.

Testing it from a cold start w/ fresh battery, just sitting out, the head of the light will get too hot after about 30 sec. This is due to the whole light and battery absorbing heat.
From a warm start (ie going from med to high) it will get too hot at around 10-15 sec.

While gripping the light during use I can probably go for over a minute on high due to my hand absorbing heat. My driver doesn’t have a thermal stepdown so I have to be careful when running on high.

So, yes it can heat up fast with a fresh battery but keep in mind that IMR14500 batteries are only 600-700 mah. They won’t last long at 6 amps (6 minutes).
After a minute of use the amps and volts drop and you will be able to get longer run times on high.

I normally only use the light on the 2 lowest modes, say when reading in the dark, walking down a trail or rummaging through my car at night.
The high mode is only for short bursts (5-10 sec) outdoors for route finding and the wow factor.

I wouldn’t recommend this setup if you are looking to get 1800 lumen constantly. Your C8A driver will work but don’t rely on the 3 minute step-down, by then your light might be melted :).

Also, the hot spot of the beam is wider than the factory LED due size. And with this particular reflector there is some tint shift going from the hot spot to the spill area (not sure why though).

pennzy · 2018-03-23T22:01:56.000Z

Thanks for the info . Sounds like a real hand warmer.