# Review of the Thrunite Ti with Firefly mode 0.04 / 60 Lm



## subwoofer (Jan 5, 2012)

‘Thrunite Ti - The first AAA lights with firefly mode in the world!’; and eye catching statement, especially for a fan of low low modes like me.

The second interesting feature is that the two modes are accessible, not by turning off and on again, but instead simply by tightening the head more. This very simple interface is very user friendly and makes it an easy light to use and gift or lend out.

PART 1 – Initial Impressions:

For a very reasonable price the quality of this torch is excellent. Everything is precise and well finished and the knurling deep and crisp.

The head turns more smoothly than any other EDC light I have used and the first sign of resistance that you feel is the point at which the low level (firefly output) comes on. Firefly, at 0.04Lm is barely visible in normal lighting, but is a very good level for fully dark adapted eyes, then about 1/16th of a turn more and the high level comes on….and what a high it is!

From an AAA light the Ti produces a surprising amount of light and without having to resort to li-ions can really impress. It may not be able to keep up with li-ion output levels, but from AAA is surprisingly good.


What is in the box:

A nicely presented box with the ‘first…in the world!’ proudly emblazoned on the front.







The plastic carrier tray out of the box






The Ti comes with two spare o-rings, a split ring and instructions.






The Ti’s LED is well centred, and the reflector comes right up to the LED dome (unlike some other lights where the reflector only comes up to the edge of the LED support).







Looking inside:

With the head removed you can see the positive and negative contacts of the Ti. The Ti does not have a normal spring, instead having a circular foam pad on the positive terminal which pushes the battery terminal away from the contact as you unscrew the head to turn it off. I will be curious to see how well this holds up in the long term.






Shown here with the head removed and brass threads visible







Modes and User Interface:

The Ti has two output levels and is available with either 0.04Lm (firefly) or 3Lm for the low level and 60Lm for high. The one I am reviewing here has the firefly low.

To access the low level turn the head until you feel the first hint of resistance and the low level comes on. Turning the head a further 3mm (at the circumference) and it switches to high.

This is very simple and intuitive to use.


Batteries and output:

The Ti takes AAA batteries and will work with alkalines and NiMH. There is no significant measurable difference in output between these types of battery. I have been using NiMH as my preference is for rechargeable batteries.

The Ti’s high output is very bright for a single normal AAA battery and noticeably brighter than the popular iTP A3 as shown very clearly by the lab testing.



PART 2 – In The Lab

As in a previous review, I decided to try and quantify the actual beam profile. There are probably many flaws in my method, but it is simple and easy to carry out and seems to provide a good enough comparison.

The method used was to put the light on the edge of a table 1m from a wall, with a tape measure on the wall. The zero of the scale is placed in the centre of the hotspot and a lux meter is then positioned at points along the scale, with the measurements recorded. Beam shots are often taken with the light shining on a flat white wall, so this method is simply measuring the actual intensity across the beam on a flat surface, not the spherical light emission.

The results are then plotted on a graph.

For the best throw you want to see a sharp peak with less of the distracting spill. For the best flood light the trace should be pretty flat.

Here the Ti is shown next to the Fenix LD01, E01 and iTP A3. You can clearly see how the Ti has a much brighter hotspot.







Taking this a little further, I calculated an approximate factor to apply to the lux measurements, as each measurement gets further from the centre of the beam, it corresponds to a larger area onto which the light is falling. It seems to me that this should also be taken into consideration, so I applied these area corrections and came up with this odd looking graph.

The key quantity here is the area under the graph line. This should correspond to the total light output. Here you can see the diffuser has put more light energy into the spill and widened the hotspot.

The Ti, despite having a brighter hotspot and better throw, has less total output than the LD01 although more than the A3.







PART 3 – The beam

The beam is very well formed with strong hotspot but reasonable spill as well.






Firefly is a great low low output and here is show next to (from left to right) the Zebralight SC51, Quark AA Regular, Thrunite Ti and Photon Freedom Micro all in lowest output mode.








PART 4 – Using the Ti

Looking at them and a few graphs doesn't tell you much about what this is like to use and how it performs in different situations.

An EDC torch is going to fulfil different roles to larger heavier duty torches. Each of us will have different every-day tasks for a light, be it as a back-up for a larger light, lighting the path to and from a car, helping get a key into a lock, peering down a drain, looking inside computing hardware or the boot of your car, the list is endless.

The Ti with firefly fits a specific role when you need the lowest low. The contrast between high and low is extreme and in general use you might feel it could do with a low of 3Lm or so…well you are in luck as the Ti comes in version with 3Lm instead.

For a general EDC I would choose the 3/60Lm version. For a bedside light used for night time wandering about the house the firefly version is the best choice.


I’ll update post 2 of this thread once I have some more comments to add....

(Note: this light was a personal purchase and not supplied by anyone for review)


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## subwoofer (Jan 5, 2012)

Reserved for further comment...


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## nanucq (Jan 5, 2012)

Received two Thrunite Ti (3-60) today.
Runtimes on High with Eneloop in a glass filled with fresh water: 145 and 165 minutes :thumbsup: very impressive.
A very little wobbling in the head was resolved by applying silicon grease on the threads.

Thank you for your review.


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## Loomin (Jan 5, 2012)

In the picture with the 4 lights shining at the wall, I believe your post should read, "from left to right" as opposed to "from right to left"... ???


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## subwoofer (Jan 5, 2012)

Loomin said:


> In the picture with the 4 lights shining at the wall, I believe your post should read, "from left to right" as opposed to "from right to left"... ???



Thanks for pointing that out, I have corrected the post.


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## Racer (Jan 5, 2012)

Thanks for the great review. I've been carrying my Ti Firefly with me for about a week and I'm really impressed with it.

I've probably done a good 1,000 twists on it and it's holding up well. Though when I first got it the distance between modes was about 1/8 of a turn and it's stabalized to about 1/16 of a turn. Not a big deal, but worth mentioning. This seems to be mostly due to the foam being slightly compressed from heavy use.

The UI has a great feel to it, and clearly a lot of thought was put into it.

It is certainly an innovative design. I have some concerns about long term reliability of it, but they could be unfounded. How well is the foam going to hold up? Is there going to be any issues with metal fatigue with the metal contact piece for low mode? Going from low to high bends that piece until it makes contact with the plate below it.

But so far I have been fairly abusive towards it and it's proven to be a good light. I plan on buying a few of the 3 lumen version and give a couple of them as gifts to non-flashaholics. So while I'm not sure how it would hold up to long term use versus something like a Fenix E01, I think it's going to be fine going from out of the box onto someone's keychain. I'm confident that someone I give one of these to will get light from it in an emergency!


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## shadeone (Jan 6, 2012)

how easy would it be to make a new little foam disc to replace the one in there if it ever does get too worn out?

also subwoofer, what versions of the LD01 and ITP A3 do you have to compare this against? LD01 XPG R4? Upgraded ITP A3 XP-G R5? I was surprised to see that the "60 lumen" thrunite appears brighter than the "96 lumen" (if upgraded r5 version) ITP A3...


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## nanucq (Jan 6, 2012)

> I was surprised to see that the "60 lumen" thrunite appears brighter than the "96 lumen" (if upgraded r5 version) ITP A3...


I've got an ITP A3 upgraded R5, and a Thrunite Ti. The main difference is that ITP is a more floody light. The beam is 70% wider, same with the hotspot.
ITP has a MOP, Thrunite an LOP.
That's why it seems brighter.


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## zs&tas (Jan 6, 2012)

great review thanks ! buying one based on your review 

I need to get one of these to rotate with an old olive ld01
thanks again keep up the good work


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## Swedpat (Jan 6, 2012)

Thanks for the review!

This is an interesting light. But I consider the difference between low and high too big. 1500 fold difference really is extreme! I like the mode of 0,04lm, but the high should be 20-30lm, in my opinion.


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## egrep (Jan 7, 2012)

Seriously, the light is made of ALUMINUM and is named the 'Ti' ??? WTF?


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## SuLyMaN (Jan 7, 2012)

What about regulation? I read somewhere that the Thrunite Ti was not regulated?


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## subwoofer (Jan 7, 2012)

shadeone said:


> how easy would it be to make a new little foam disc to replace the one in there if it ever does get too worn out?
> 
> also subwoofer, what versions of the LD01 and ITP A3 do you have to compare this against? LD01 XPG R4? Upgraded ITP A3 XP-G R5? I was surprised to see that the "60 lumen" thrunite appears brighter than the "96 lumen" (if upgraded r5 version) ITP A3...



The comparison was with the Q5 iTP A3



Swedpat said:


> Thanks for the review!
> 
> This is an interesting light. But I consider the difference between low and high too big. 1500 fold difference really is extreme! I like the mode of 0,04lm, but the high should be 20-30lm, in my opinion.



I am going to get the 3/60Lm version as the contrast between firefly and max is massive, but I really like the firefly mode.



SuLyMaN said:


> What about regulation? I read somewhere that the Thrunite Ti was not regulated?



In my run-down test which is running right now, the Ti is getting dimmer and dimmer and even the firefly is lower than it was before.


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## SuLyMaN (Jan 8, 2012)

subwoofer said:


> The comparison was with the Q5 iTP A3
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Damn. Unregulated output for this price is a no go for me! The lumintop worm is more and more looking like a real winner.

sent from my mob. Excuse misspelling. thanks!


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## subwoofer (Jan 8, 2012)

SuLyMaN said:


> Damn. Unregulated output for this price is a no go for me! The lumintop worm is more and more looking like a real winner.
> 
> sent from my mob. Excuse misspelling. thanks!



$16 - is that really too expensive to have unregulated output?

Even the Fenix LD01 after the battery drops too low to maintain regulation gets dimmer.


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## SuLyMaN (Jan 8, 2012)

subwoofer said:


> $16 - is that really too expensive to have unregulated output?
> 
> Even the Fenix LD01 after the battery drops too low to maintain regulation gets dimmer.



Heh I think yes but then again every people value the same dollar differently  For $2-4 more, the lumintop worm has regulated output.


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## FlashKat (Jan 8, 2012)

I am curious why regulation is so important? I am not being sarcastic, but want to learn more about the reason why. Thanks 
I like it more when a flashlight starts to dim.


SuLyMaN said:


> Heh I think yes but then again every people value the same dollar differently  For $2-4 more, the lumintop worm has regulated output.


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## Vesper (Jan 8, 2012)

egrep said:


> Seriously, the light is made of ALUMINUM and is named the 'Ti' ??? WTF?



:thinking: Ya, I was thinking that too. Odd name.


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## SuLyMaN (Jan 8, 2012)

FlashKat said:


> I am curious why regulation is so important? I am not being sarcastic, but want to learn more about the reason why. Thanks
> I like it more when a flashlight starts to dim.



About 17 years ago my dad bought a 3D mag lite which here where I live was supposed to be THE sh!t. While it was damn expensive at that time, I was not amazed by the flashlight output dimming as the battery was consumed. Mind you, I was 13-14 at that time, with no internet and was at this age/point in time thinking "damn this stinks, cant they make something that has the same output until my battery dies?"
I joined CPF in 2010 and saw this was possible... Imagine my JOY.

To cut a long story short, since my early adolescence, I hated lights with diminishing light output  I saw it, and just hated it! That's the story and its true 

EDIT: It just occured to me when I showed my brothers the options of a regulated light, he just said to me "dont like it" and that he prefers dimming output. It just boils down to personal preference I guess.

EDIT2: Replied via PM so as not to derail OP's thread further. Thanks for the great review


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## FlashKat (Jan 8, 2012)

With a regulated light you are left in the dark once the light shuts off, or is there something I don't know. At least once the light starts to dim you know the battery is getting low.


SuLyMaN said:


> About 17 years ago my dad bought a 3D mag lite which here where I live was supposed to be THE sh!t. While it was damn expensive at that time, I was not amazed by the flashlight output dimming as the battery was consumed. Mind you, I was 13-14 at that time, with no internet and was at this age/point in time thinking "damn this stinks, cant they make something that has the same output until my battery dies?"
> I joined CPF in 2010 and saw this was possible... Imagine my JOY.
> 
> To cut a long story short, since my early adolescence, I hated lights with diminishing light output  I saw it, and just hated it! That's the story and its true
> ...


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## RI Chevy (Jan 9, 2012)

I don't think you need regulation for a 1.5v light. It really isn't necessary. 

I have the firefly light. The firefly doesn't do much for me, and I think I would like the 3/60 lumen light better. This Thrunite Ti is a very well made light for $16. Light and rugged.


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## SaVaGe (Jan 9, 2012)

Thanks for the review....i was actually looking for 1. Im gonna b buying it.


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## GaAslamp (Jan 9, 2012)

subwoofer said:


> Even the Fenix LD01 after the battery drops too low to maintain regulation gets dimmer.



But until then, it's consistent.



FlashKat said:


> I am curious why regulation is so important? I am not being sarcastic, but want to learn more about the reason why. Thanks



Some people prefer to have a predictable level of output when they turn on a flashlight (especially on the high modes, I would guess). For instance, if they bought a "bright" (relative, of course) flashlight, then they want--and sometimes need--it to always be bright. In addition, while this implies shorter runtimes overall, they want/need longer runtime at a consistently bright level, and regulation is a more efficient method of accomplishing this than changing batteries more frequently--they want virtually all of the batteries' energy devoted to the level(s) of output they desire rather than arbitrarily lower levels, and changing batteries more frequently is wasteful.



FlashKat said:


> I like it more when a flashlight starts to dim.



Is this just a personal preference, or is there a practical reason for it? While dimming is not quite as much of an issue today, given the efficiency of LEDs (and speaking in the broadest possible terms), the era when incandescent flashlights and alkaline (or worse) batteries dominated even the flashaholic world was not so long ago, and most of us weren't fond of how flashlights noticeably dimmed over short periods of time (even just a few minutes). This helps reinforce the usefulness of regulation for certain types of efficiencies (mentioned above), even if they're not quite as immediately apparent today, and it shouldn't be necessary to point out that most folks here wish to get the most out of their flashlights and want them to conform to their ideals (e.g. predictable output) as much as possible. So if a product of similar size, price, and other parameters has regulation while another does not, many folks here would have a reason to prefer it.



FlashKat said:


> With a regulated light you are left in the dark once the light shuts off, or is there something I don't know.



A well-designed regulated flashlight will drop down to a lower level once it cannot maintain the intended level. Even some single-mode flashlights, such as the Fenix E01, have a "moonlight" mode that they drop to, by design, after a certain point. Some people insist that their regulated flashlights exhibit this behavior, particularly if the flashlights are intended for critical tasks, but for non-critical tasks it's not necessary, so cutting out with little or no warning could be viewed as a minor trade-off by some.



RI Chevy said:


> I don't think you need regulation for a 1.5v light.



Perhaps on "low" or "medium" modes, NiMH and lithium cells can inherently provide sufficient output stability to satisfy many people, but on "high" modes (i.e. 50+ lumens for 1xAAA flashlights) or when using alkaline cells, the output can decline fairly rapidly and noticeably just like in the old days.



RI Chevy said:


> It really isn't necessary.



Few things in the world are truly, profoundly *Necessary*, but for some people regulation in flashlights is nice to have, and all else being equal, preferred.


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## SuLyMaN (Jan 9, 2012)

@GaAslamp: Superbly well said mate. Back to the topic, if I had to EDC one of the versions of the thrunite, the 3/60lumens takes the cake though to be honest, I prefer a 10-15/60 lumens version that would be way more useful in outdoor EDCing situations (for me at least)

Say you need to navigate on a bit darky streets, check something under the hood of your car, find something lost in the dark, etc the 10lumens would cut it more than the 3lumens which I assume is more useful in EDCing indoor situations. Then again, if there was a power failure, I'd prefer to have 10 lumens instead of 3. Ideally, 2,10 and 60 lumens modes would be great on regulation


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## Flying Turtle (Jan 11, 2012)

Nice work subwoofer. I'm also interested in this light. I don't know of another AAA that goes this low, except maybe a Peak with QTC. 

Geoff


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## Flying Turtle (Jan 12, 2012)

After another night to talk myself into it I visited the local LightJunction shop this morming. Needed a D11 clip anyway and they only had two Ti's remaining. I was powerless. 

Nice little light. I see nothing different from the great review. Think I'll really like the firefly mode. And, no, it won't replace the LiteFlux, but it does go a good bit lower. It could push the Arc off the keychain.

Geoff


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## 127.0.0.1 (Jan 12, 2012)

I haz this light and last night I woke up to check on something and didn't want to wake up fully, and the firefly mode
was perfectly what I needed


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## tobrien (Jan 16, 2012)

Flying Turtle said:


> After another night to talk myself into it I visited the local LightJunction shop this morming. Needed a D11 clip anyway and they only had two Ti's remaining. I was powerless.
> 
> Nice little light. I see nothing different from the great review. Think I'll really like the firefly mode. And, no, it won't replace the LiteFlux, but it does go a good bit lower. It could push the Arc off the keychain.
> 
> Geoff


i think i just bought the second one from their site that you didn't buy haha

i'm looking forward to getting this ti!


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## toby_pra (Jan 17, 2012)

Very cool Review!

Thanks for your work!


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## tobrien (Apr 19, 2012)

so after comparing my two Ti lights side by side (one is a 4 lumen low model, the other is the .04 lumen low), it appears both are pretty different.

the 4 lumen model is a bit greener on max and the hotspot is more consolidated. the .04 version (again, on max) is more diffuse and almost neutral white.

any idea why such a discrepancy?


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## run4jc (Apr 26, 2012)

I'm gonna bump this great review / thread up. After using a Ti Firefly both bedside and another on my keyring for the past 6 months, I find that, IMHO, it remains one of the better values in AA or AAA lighting. I have T10s also (AA) that I also really like.

I have more of these sitting in backup stock devil than I'm willing to admit, but the 2 I have been using are still on the same batteries - simple Duracell alkaline. When I walk my dogs I'll typically carry a brighter light - or for EDC I might carry a single 123 factor light like a Haiku or the new Jetbeam TCR1, but should the battery die on one of these, the Ti is always at the ready.

The only single AAA light I like more is the outstanding Mako flood, but it's a different 'animal.' Designed with low levels, amazing regulation, long run time, etc. 

But day in, day out, there's a Ti Firefly on my key chain, and it has continued to impress. Just sayin'... :thumbsup:


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## Henk_Lu (Apr 26, 2012)

I also ordered 2 Ti with my Nichia 219 Malkoff, one with Firefly mode and one without. I still haven't found a light which wouldn't be bright enough for me to go to the bathroom by night (not even my Luce de Notte). 

One of these beauties id for my wife and I wonder if they take the Enegrgize Lithium L92 cells? Specs say 0,9-1,5V while a fresh L92 goes towards 1,8 V. Has anybody tried yet? I love these cells, they weight nothing, they don't leak and my wife still has the first one in her Fenix LD01ss, I popped it in when she got the light...


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## AMD64Blondie (Aug 10, 2012)

Energizer L92 lithium AAA batteries work just fine in my Ti Firefly.

Quite astounding how much light pours out of such a little flashlight.(Mine's the 3 low/60 high lumen version).


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## ThirstyTurtle (Dec 5, 2012)

Well I've been searching and searching and SEARCHING for beam shots comparing the Ti on an Eneloop to the Ti on a 10440 and FINALLY found them on a german website's review of the light and thanks to some Google translating I figured out which pictures were which. I have already ordered some 10440's from DX.com but they aren't here yet for me to take my own beamshots, but these will hold me over until they arrive. So now for your viewing pleasure:

Thrunite Ti on 1.2V Eneloop (~60 lumens):






Thrunite Ti on 4.2V Trustfire 10440 (~200 lumens):





And for comparison

iTP A3 on 4.2V Trustfire 10440:





As you can see this thing is RIDICULOUSLY bright on a 10440 and seems to be at least as bright or brighter (tighter hotspot though) than the iTP a3 which I've always lusted over. So there you go, hope some of you enjoy this as much as I did!


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## ThirstyTurtle (Dec 5, 2012)

PS_here's a link to the German review through Google translate if you're interested:
http://taschenlampen-tests.de/?p=10714


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## Badbeams3 (Dec 5, 2012)

Wow! Even on 1.2 volts it puts out well. 3.7 is really bright. I have SS Rofis AAA...85 lumen on high, or so they claim. I hardly ever use anything but the 30 lumen setting...but wonder what would happen if I ran a 10440. Would not want to ruin the light...I like it pretty well.


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## GordoJones88 (Dec 10, 2012)

I just ordered the Thrunite Ti2 XPG2 3/80 lumen.
Thanks to you I now have to order some 10440s,
even though the Ti/Ti2 doesn't officially support 10440s.


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## ThirstyTurtle (Dec 10, 2012)

GordoJones88 said:


> I just ordered the Thrunite Ti2 XPG2 3/80 lumen.
> Thanks to you I now have to order some 10440s,
> even though the Ti/Ti2 doesn't officially support 10440s.



Glad to "help"! I would assume the XP-G2 will be even brighter on one 10440!

I am STILL waiting on my Li-Ions (damn you DX.com) but I'm pretty sure my Ti will be replacing my SC51W as my favorite pocketable light  

I might even put up some of my own beamshots


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## ThirstyTurtle (Dec 14, 2012)

In case you're interested, here's a review on ANOTHER german website which shows a few more comparison shots to the iTP on eneloops and li-ions.

http://www.taschenlampen-forum.de/thrunite/9153-review-thrunite-ti-vs-itp-a3-eos-upgraded.html


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## GordoJones88 (Dec 14, 2012)

I received my Thrunite Ti2 XPG2 a few days ago. I give it 5 stars. It is noticeably brighter than the Ti XPE I have to compare it to. The Ti2 hotspot is about twice as big as the Ti hotspot. The throw seems to be exactly the same as I have spent the last 2 nights with fresh batteries trying to discern a difference. The tint is totally pure white. The beam profile, hotspot size, and tint match my Eagletac D25C XMLU2 clicky almost exactly.

I don't think the Ti2 XPG2 really needs a 10440 to double the brightness. I find the beam and brightness to be very useable as is.


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## mcnair55 (Dec 21, 2012)

I have one on order,with luck should hit the doormat before Chrimbo.Will give it a go as an edc for a month or so.2 mode should suit me,high level for work and the low level at night for the bathroom visits.

Must admit I prefer the AAA format and the un regulation does not bother me on a 1.5v light,by nature I just charge the Eneloop each Friday after work,ready for Monday then.


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## snakyjake (Dec 21, 2012)

This light is now my EDC pocket light. Plenty of brightness and runtime. Can easily twist and operate in my hand. Can also hold in my mouth when I need two hands free. My only complaint is that it doesn't easily tailstand.

My favorite part is it twists off-low-high. You don't have to wist on-off to switch modes.


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## jomox (Dec 22, 2012)

Really great light for the money, plenty of brightness, beats out quite a few more expensive lights for the light it omits. I have the 3 lumen version, handy in a number of situations. T10 is also good value, got one of these the other day. 

Brought a load of Ti's for Christmas presents also ,being so cheap and of good quality they are a good present for anyone. (On top of the color choices for variety)


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## JJohn (Jan 2, 2013)

Am I the only one that had a problem with this light? I loved the interface and levels but after just a few months use (some of it hiking or jogging) I found I had a one mode light. The little metal tab in the head fatigued and failed. I could bend it back into place only to have it fail in the next few days. Great light and it was one of my favorites. I would love it, if it didn't fail for me. I bought two just hoping the first one was a fluke. Maybe it was the bouncing around while on that makes it have a problem in my application.


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## subwoofer (Jan 3, 2013)

JJohn said:


> Am I the only one that had a problem with this light? I loved the interface and levels but after just a few months use (some of it hiking or jogging) I found I had a one mode light. The little metal tab in the head fatigued and failed. I could bend it back into place only to have it fail in the next few days. Great light and it was one of my favorites. I would love it, if it didn't fail for me. I bought two just hoping the first one was a fluke. Maybe it was the bouncing around while on that makes it have a problem in my application.



I've not had it fail, but was slightly concerned about this. If the tab was made of thinner, but proper spring steel (operating within its normal range), I think it would last better, but I get the impression that the existing design uses plain steel, and relies purely on the material's spring-back, which will reduce as it fatigues.


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