REVIEW: ThorFire TG06S AA/14500 Flashlight (w/Pics, Beamshots, Runtimes)

Bdm82

Flashlight Enthusiast
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[Submitted as a REVIEW]


Introduction

This light was provided by ThorFireDirect for review and shipped from their Amazon distribution center in Kentucky.

The TG06S is the newest iteration of the ThorFire TG06 flashlight. It claims output up to 500 lumens, up from 185 and 300 for previous versions. The TG06S has a 4th​ brightness mode and returns to a reverse-clicky switch. It features a cool white Cree XP-G2 R5 emitter.

Here are the key review details in one table for the TL;DR folks:
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Packaging

The light was shipped with the product box inside a padded envelope. The VG-15S box is consistent with other ThorFire flashlight packaging: a simple brown box with label on top.
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Opening the box, we find the ThorFire TG06S in bubble wrap with an instruction manual, two spare o-rings, and the pocket clip already installed. There was a thin layer of foam on the bottom of the box but none on top.
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The user manual, fully in English:
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Make note of the output ratings and runtimes; these will be discussed more in the Performance section of this review.
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Design

The ThorFire TG06S is a single AA or 14500 light similar in size to other single AA lights. It follows the same design theme as recent ThorFire lights like the VG-15S I reviewed here.

It is 96 mm long with a width of 21 mm. Weight without battery is 37 grams – right on par with comparable lights like the Manker E11.
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The ThorFire logo and model name are on the side of the body tube within flat sections of the tube. The printing is clean and clear. The knurling is a diamond pattern that looks nice and adds some grip but isn't very aggressive. Other than the "Hot" warning on the head, there are no other markings on the TG06S.
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The head of the light has a flat HA bezel. The flat bezel is easy on pockets, but when set down while on, no light escapes as it would with a crenulated bezel.

Somewhat unique in this category, the TG06S features a glow-in-the-dark (GITD) ring between the glass and bezel. While it won't glow indefinitely like tritium, it does help the TG06S get found in the dark between uses – particularly if dropped accidentally in the dark. The glass is not AR coated.
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The reflector is of the smooth variety. I observed no imperfections or oddities in the reflector. The Cree XP-G2 LED was well-centered.
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The side of the head has six flat sections that appear to resemble a standard nut. These stop the light from rolling freely on flat surfaces to some degree; they are not aggressive enough to deter rolling on an inclined surface. These edges will be the first to show wear on the anodization.
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The pocket clip is reversible for head-up or head-down carry. The clip is strong but slides well onto jean pockets and hat brims. The clip attaches very securely; it is unpleasant to remove by hand due to the force required.
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The TG06S does not come with a lanyard, yet the tail has two holes for lanyard attachment. This allows lanyards to be used without compromising tailstand capability with a cable in the way. The switch itself is a reverse-clicky design with normal/moderate stiffness but a somewhat spongy feel.
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Removing the tailcap, we find nice square-cut threads. They were lubricated well. They are also anodized, so a quarter turn of the tailcap is enough to lock the light out mechanically.
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The tail has a gold-colored spring. The internals were clean and free of solder or other remnants of assembly. The tailcap assembly can also be disassembled if the switch needs cleaning or servicing using snap ring pliers to unscrew the retaining ring.
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The body tube unscrews from the head leaving the light in 3 pieces. Both junction points have o-rings and ThorFire presents the light as having IPX-8 protection to 2m underwater.
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The head-end threads are also square cut but lack lubrication and anodization. Obviously, the head should not need to be detached from the body tube often. This picture also shows the fine level of detail in the diamond pattern knurling.
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The head itself has a solid connection plate for the positive battery terminal – no spring here.
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To give perspective of the overall size, here is the ThorFire TG06S surrounded by a Convoy S2+, ThorFire VG-15S, Manker E11, Lumintop Tool, and Olight S1R.
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Performance

The moderately deep, smooth reflector and small footprint XP-G2 combine to produce a fairly tight hotspot. The corona is also fairly tight, quickly blending the hotspot to spill. Thanks to the smooth bezel, edges of the spill are clean and even.
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The CCT of the beam is on the cooler side of neutral; I'd estimate it is between 5500K and 5800K in the hotspot. In real world use the hotspot seemed like a clean, neutral light. The spill is cooler and bluer; there's a very cool blue ring at the edge that is very noticeable indoors.


To demonstrate the color balance, here is the TG06S alongside lights with emitters of various tints. (L to R: Olight S1R with cool XM-L2, Manker E11 with neutral XP-L, ThorFire TG06S with cool XP-G2, Lumintop Tool Cu with warm 219B, Astrolux S41S with neutral 219B, and BLF348 with neutral 219B. As you can see, the TG06's hotspot appears neutral but the spill appears cool.
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ThorFire rates the TG06S at 500 lumens on High with a 14500 li-ion battery. I was unable to produce more than 364 lumens regardless of battery used – so either the High mode lumen claims are overstated or this sample happened to be a bit of a dud. The other ThorFire lights I tested previously (C8S and VG-15S) performed within 2% and 5% of specifications respectively, so the TG06S's output was a bit of a surprise.

Three cells were tested: Fenix ARB-L14-800 800mAh protected, Efest IMR14500 V1 700mAh unprotected, and Nitecore NI14500A 650mAh unprotected. The unprotected IMR cells did outperform the protected cell by approximately 50 lumens.

As ThorFire states the runtimes were tested using a ThoreFire 750mAh 14500 protected battery (which I do not own), I used the 800mAh Fenix protected cell for runtime testing.

On high, the TG06S maintained about 300 lumens for the first 3 minutes. At exactly the 3 minute mark, the output was reduced to about 150 lumens. It slowly reduced from 150 to 120 lumens over the next 55 minutes but at minute 58 an accelerated decline began. At minute 66, the light shut off from 75 lumens – likely due to the cell's low-voltage protection.

With an Eneloop Pro, the TG06S produced 104 lumens at the 30 second mark – falling short of the rated 150. With the NiMH AA there was no 3 minute stepdown. Rather, the output slowly and evenly reduced from turn on to about 60 lumens at the 60 minute mark. The output then began dropping more quickly and was down to 11 lumens at minute 76. I terminated the test at minute 90; output was 3 lumens and battery voltage was 0.85V.
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Medium is rated at 200 lumens (14500) or 80 lumens (AA). Testing found Medium to produce 186 lumens with the 14500 but only 49 with the Eneloop Pro. The output curve on Medium shows a fairly even drop from about 90 seconds after turn-on to minute 70. At that point the output drops from about 120 lumens to 75 lumens at the 78 minute mark – and then promptly shuts off (likely due to the battery's protection circuit). Eneloop runtime on Medium was not tested.
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Low is rated at 50 lumens (14500) or 20 lumens (AA). Testing found 14 and 46 lumens respectively – both numbers close to rated specifications. No Low runtime tests were performed.


Finally, the Ultralow (moonlight) mode is rated at 1 lumen (14500) and 0.5 lumen (AA). Testing showed 4 and 3 lumens produced, respectively. This will also be a disappointment for many people who want sub-lumen moonlight modes.


Outputs as tested with Li-ion 14500 batteries:
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Outputs as tested with NiMH AA batteries:
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I tested beam distance with the unprotected 14500 cell at 1.45 meters and the resulting candela was 5067 - equivalent to 142 meters of throw. This exceeds Thorfire's 100 meter rating. (Oddly, Thorfire rates it for 100 m but 12000 Cd. 12000 Cd is 212 m, not 100 m.) An Eneloop AA produced 1263 Cd or 71 m of throw.


PWM is prevalent, used on all modes except High with the AA. The frequency is slow enough that multiple cameras and the mirror test all picked it up easily.


The light never got too hot to be comfortable in any mode due to the timed stepdown on High.




Outdoor Beamshots

All photos taken with a Canon SD4000IS camera. 1/4" exposure, ISO1600, Daylight white balance. The night was clear.

White deck railing in lower part of picture is at 15 ft. away and the white fence in the distance is 75 ft. out. Pictures match what I observed with my eyes pretty closely. Pictures were taken with Eneloop AA battery only; I will attempt to take pictures with a 14500 and update the review in the future.


Control shot
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High
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Medium
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Low
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Interface

The TG06S is a simple one button reverse-clicky interface. On/off and brightness are controlled from the single tail switch. There is no momentary on; the light only turns on with a full press. There is no mode memory; the TG06S always turns on in High mode.

Half presses then switch between High, Medium, Low, and Ultralow in succession. A fast double half-press activates strobe.

I did not find strobe easy to activate by accident when toggling brightness levels; it takes two very fast half-presses to activate strobe.



Problems

No problems were experienced. The TG06S has a 24-month warranty. Repairs after 24 months will be charged the cost of parts.



Commentary

I had high expectations for the TG06S based on reviews I performed on the C8S and VG-15S, but unfortunately the TG06S fell a bit short. Output fell short of claims, PWM was common throughout modes, there's no mode memory, the switch was spongy, the spill was too cool, and the ultralow mode was too bright.

I do really like the GITD head ring and the reversible pocket clip. Also, for about $17, it has quite good build quality and undercuts rival lights like the Manker E11 and Klarus Mi7 on price significantly. It still represents a good value.




Meter: Dr. Meter LX1330B
Integrating "sphere": Homebuilt tube-style device calibrated on other known lights and test results. Numbers should be considered relative to each other and my other review figures but accuracy is not certified or guaranteed.

 
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