Why am I posting a flashlight review on geekhack?
I got my first quality flashlight over a year ago. I thoroughly enjoyed owning the flashlight for various reasons and I’d like to share this experience on a forum where I wouldn’t have to make a review on all the nitty-gritty aspects of the flashlight. The Thrunite is my second tactical flashlight.
This is a review of a “tactical” flashlight. It’s a small-medium size flashlight that runs off of a 18650 battery. The selling point of this flashlight is that you can recharge the battery via USB so you don’t have to spend ~$20 on a charger that charges the 18650.
As a disclaimer, by no means am I a hardcore EDC or flashlight enthusiast. Since geekhack is less of an EDC forum than it is technology, I won’t be getting too detailed. I will not be making graphs or anything of the sort for this review. If you like that kind of stuff, candlepowerforum is a great place where you can read reviews of flashlights with lots of stats. I just want to share my experience with this flashlight from a practical standpoint.
Basic DetailsThrunite TC10
-Rechargeable over USB; no battery charger needed
-Runs off an 18650 battery
-Max lumens is 900 with low, medium, high, and turbo modes. Also has a strobe.
-Price: $55 for flashlight. 3400maH rechargeable battery is around $15-$20 (Orbtronic, Thrunite, and Nitecore are all good brands for these batteries). Both of these items will last for very long.
Unpacking...minimalistic packaging. Nice. Fits well in the small cardboard package and comes with standard accessories and a few replacement parts. The sheath fits great, like an intelli keyboard case. I’m not the type of person that carries stuff on my belt though, so I won’t be using the holster.
USB ChargingThis feature comes in handy, and is a money saver. I can charge the flashlight with my computer, or plug it into a power bank while I’m not home. The white button on the flashlight has an LED underneath that indicates the charging state while it’s plugged in. It’s a simple and effective system, so no complaints here.
Build QualityI love the excellent build quality on most tactical flashlights. This one is no exception. Everything is aluminum, including the tactical ring, and is anodized in a smooth matte black. The knurling feels great, and adds grip to the flashlight. Everything feels super solid. I wish they made the model number a bit smaller, as the white “TC10” letters are rather large and take away a bit of the stealth design that the flashlight has. I would have preferred more muted text, like with Ivan’s Pitch Black keycap set
The part of the flashlight where the reflector and LED is flat in some places. This adds some aesthetics, but more importantly, stops the flashlight from rolling around when you put it down.
The flashlight can stand up on both ends. It uses a relatively new design on the tailcap end that allows the flashlight to stand up. It’s a small but useful addition.
BrightnessIf you haven’t tried a quality flashlight before, you’ll definitely be blown away at how bright flashlights like this can be. At its max, this flashlight is ridiculously bright. Of course, since it heats up pretty quickly on the max setting, it’s more practical to keep the flashlight running at medium or high instead. The high setting is still extremely bright. I find myself mostly using the medium setting, and switching to high/turbo when necessary.
I’ve compared this flashlight with my Nitecore P12, which is supposed to have ~100 lumens more. I compared both of these flashlights and I’ve come to the conclusion that the Thrunite feels brighter. This is mostly due to the larger and more effective reflector that makes the flashlight seem brighter. While there wasn’t a huge difference between the two lights, 900 lumens is really bright no matter how you look at it.
SizeCompared to other tactical flashlights, this one is about a standard size. It isn’t super small, but it isn’t overly large either since it only uses one battery. In general, tactical flashlights are usually pretty small to begin with so it fits inside your pocket and such. At the same time, a flashlight of this size might still be too big to carry around all the time. Depending on the brightness you need out of the flashlight, this may be overkill. Part of the larger size is due to the bigger reflector on this flashlight. The advantage of the larger reflector makes the light feel brighter.
(My hands aren't that big)
18650 or AAA/AA18650 is bigger, has higher capacity (the Thrunite battery I’m using with this flashlight is 3400maH) and will output higher lumens than AAA/AA. 18650 flashlights are bigger than AAA or AA flashlights. AAA flashlights can be really small, but usually only do 50-150 lumens and lose charge faster, versus the 900 lumens on this flashlight. The 18650 flashlights still aren’t that big though, so I prefer the extra brightness and battery life that it offers. Even using the Thrunite TC10 on my bike every night, I still haven’t had to charge the battery yet, and it’s been several weeks now.
Recommended? In the end, I think that everyone should make some level of investment into a quality flashlight. It’s an item that lasts long, isn’t overly expensive and comes in handy a good amount.
This flashlight is handy if you don’t already have a charger for 18650 batteries, saving you some money from that. This flashlight outputs a nice amount of lumens and is a good size.
If you’re looking for a flashlight that is even cheaper and smaller, then I think a AA or AAA powered flashlight would be the best option. That being said, I like the extra headroom in available brightness that bigger flashlights like these offer. Sometimes I bike through areas where I want others to see me and me to see others, so it’s nice to have more lumens available.
I think this flashlight is pretty well rounded. Smaller flashlights might be more practical for some, but I appreciate the feel of a bigger flashlight, the extra brightness and the longer runtime with 18650 batteries. There are many bigger and brighter flashlights out there that can do do over two or three thousand lumens, but I feel like they aren’t practical for the majority of people. Many of them are big and require multiple 18650 batteries, so both the flashlight and the batteries will be expensive. For me, a flashlight like the TC10 represents a sweet spot in both price and practicality.
a small anecdote
One night, there was a power outage in my area. As my neighbors walked outside with flashlights, I smiled to myself when I saw their weak LED and incandescent flashlights. The TC10 was so much brighter than everyone else’s flashlights that it felt a little ridiculous. That was a fun little moment I remember while using the flashlight. That night, I used a lamp shade and created a makeshift lamp for myself at my desk using my flashlight.
On a side note, I’ve been using one of the Thrunite chargers to charge the batteries on my Nitecore flashlight. It’s a universal charger and comes with an LED display. I’ve been charging my Eneloop batteries with it as well. Works well for flashlights that don’t come with built in charging like the TC10 does.
Overall, I couldn't find any flaws with this flashlight, but because everyone's needs and preferences are different, this might not be the right flashlight for everyone. Despite this, I personally enjoy having and using this flashlight and I think that the built-in charging is a plus for people looking for their first 18650-powered flashlight.
