Thrunite T1 Military Tan Flashlight Review

Here’s the Thrunite T1 flashlight in Military Tan. It’s generally the same as the T1 I reviewed except this one is neutral white! Read on!

Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Thrunite T1 Military Tan Flashlight product page.

Versions

There are a couple of versions of this light. There’s the original T1 which is black with a silver (colored) bezel. I reviewed that one here. That one was cool white. What I have in hand today is the NW version, which also has a “Military Tan” body. As far as I can tell, both bodies are available with both emitters.

Price

The Military Tan is going for $45.95 right now, but there’s also a sale ongoing! (The sale price puts this light under $30, which is a fantastic purchase.)

The Flash Sale on ThruNite’s official website. Use code “FS” at checkout to get one of the following:

the all-new Desert Tan T1 for 35% off
the bundle of a T1 and a TC20 for 35% off
TC20 for 35% off!

Short Review

Just like the original T1, I like this little light a lot. I’m super happy that it takes 18350 cells (and even comes with one)! I think it could be made shorter because the included (protected) cell is quite long. But overall, I’m very happy with this light, and I’m taking into consideration the price. At the price, it’s a great light.

Long Review

The Big Table

Thrunite T1 Military Tan Flashlight
Emitter:	Cree XHP50 (NW)
Price in USD at publication time:	$45.95 (see coupon above!)
Cell:	1×18350
Turbo Runtime	High Runtime
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (A):	?
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	Micro-USB
Chargetime
Power off Charge Port with no Cell?	–
Claimed Lumens (lm)	1500
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	1526 (101.7% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	4.4
Claimed Throw (m)	102
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	170lux @ 4.948m = 4162cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	129.0 (126.5% of claim)^
All my Thrunite reviews!

^ Measurement disclaimer: Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.

What’s Included

Thrunite T1 Military Tan Flashlight
Thrunite 1100mAh 18350 (protected, button top)
Charge cable (USB to micro-USB)
Spare o-rings (2)
Pocket clip
Lanyard
Spare charge port cover
Manual and papers

Package and Manual

A cardboard box labeled “thruNite” with the slogan “Leading You Through The Night.” A white barcode sticker with product details is on the box, which is placed on a weathered wooden surface.

Build Quality and Disassembly

This tiny light has a quality bit of heft to it. The anodizing is still great on the Military Tan but it’s different from the black version. This one has a little bit of matte finish to it. I can’t measure the thickness of it but it feels as high quality as almost any light like this. The alternate take on knurling is a nice feature and doesn’t sacrifice grip.

A bronze ThruNite T1 flashlight stands upright on a weathered wooden surface, with a side button and a pocket clip visible. The background is blurred.

A compact, cylindrical brown flashlight with a black clip stands upright on a weathered wooden surface. The flashlight has ribbed texture sides and a visible button near the top.

A small, cylindrical, brown flashlight with a ridged grip stands upright on a wooden surface. The flashlight has a side clip and visible compliance markings and serial number.

A compact, brown, cylindrical flashlight stands upright on a wooden surface. The flashlight has ridged grip details and a button near the top. The background is blurred, and “ZEROAIR.ORG” is faintly visible on the left.

The head has a brass button. The button isn’t shrouded, nor is it springy, but the light does work just fine with any 18350 (including those that are actually sized according to their name – 35mm long cells). The tail end has a big spring, and also a magnet. The tail/cell tube is one piece.

The threads on the cell tube are anodized, square-cut, and short. There’s a little unanodized lip on the cell tube. The head really has to be squeezed onto the body to get the threads to grab.

Size and Comps

Weight: 71.5g with battery
Dimensions: 69.5mm26.5mm22mm. I confirm these measurements.

A brown ThruNite flashlight is placed horizontally on top of a U.S. two-dollar bill, both resting on a weathered wooden surface.

A small flashlight is placed horizontally on top of a two-dollar bill featuring Thomas Jefferson, on a weathered wooden surface.

A round, brown object is placed upright on a blurred two-dollar bill, which is lying on a wooden surface. The image is out of focus except for the top of the brown object.

A blurred two-dollar bill lies on a wooden surface. In sharp focus above it is the front view of a flashlight, showing its bulb and reflector.

A person holds a compact, brown ThruNite flashlight in their palm against a blurred outdoor background. The flashlight is cylindrical with textured grip and a prominent button near the top.

A hand holding a small, cylindrical black flashlight labeled ThruNite Ti against a blurred outdoor background. The fingers are wrapped around the flashlight, showing its compact size.

A light-skinned hand holding a small, dark-colored flashlight outdoors, with a blurred grassy background.

A hand holding a small flashlight pointed toward the camera, showing the lens and LED bulb. The background is out of focus grass. The word ZEROAIR.ORG is faintly visible on the left side.

Two copper-colored flashlights stand upright on a wooden surface outdoors. The larger flashlight is labeled “Convoy,” and the smaller flashlight is labeled “ThruNite T1.” The background is blurred.

Close-up view of the front ends of two flashlights placed side by side on a wooden surface, showing different bulb and reflector designs. The background is blurred.

In case you’re wondering what it looks like beside the original black T1, here you go. Note that the black has a CW emitter, and the Military Tan has NW – that’s visible in the photo at the right.

Two compact ThruNite T1 flashlights, one black and one brown, are standing upright side by side on a wooden surface. Both have ribbed bodies and a large round power button on the front.

Close-up view of the ends of two AA batteries lying side by side on a wooden surface, with the battery terminals facing the camera. The background is blurred.

Retention and Carry

First, let’s mention the magnet in the tailcap again. The magnet is quite strong and holds the light easily. I think it’d be possible to pull the spring and take the magnet out, but I did not try.

Next is the pocket clip. It’s a friction-fit clip and lives only on the tail end of the light. It’s a double-direction clip, though the mouth doesn’t allow too great access for bezel-up carry. In fact, the shoulder doesn’t offer great ease of access either – I had to fiddle with the clip (ie two-handed operation) every time I put the light on my pocket. Not a huge deal, but just another reason I don’t care for these types of clips.

A compact Thrunite T1 Military Tan Flashlight stands upright on a wooden surface. The bronze-colored light features ribbed sides, a black side button, and a black pocket clip. The softly blurred background adds depth.

A Thrunite T1 Military Tan Flashlight stands upright on a weathered wooden surface, with a black clip attached to its side. The background is blurred and the text ZEROAIR.ORG appears on the left side.

There’s also a lanyard, which should be connected through the hole in the tailcap.

Close-up of a brown Thrunite T1 Military Tan Flashlight standing upright on a wooden surface, showing textured grip, pocket clip, and power button. Background is blurred.

A close-up of a Thrunite T1 Military Tan Flashlight stands upright on a blurred, wooden surface. The brown, cylindrical flashlight features a textured grip and a matte finish.

The clip should allow the light to be used as a hatlight, too.

Power and Runtime

Thrunite includes the cell intended for powering the T1. It’s an 18350 cell, with Thrunite added protection and a button top. Those two things make it quite long to be sure, but of course, it fits in this light easily. I measure the cell at 39.7mm long.

A close-up of a white cylindrical rechargeable battery with a red stripe, labeled 1100 MAH 3.7V, resting on a wooden surface. Text and specifications are visible on the batterys side.

A close-up of a single cylindrical lithium battery lying on its side on a wooden surface. The battery label includes text such as “Tenergy” and “17000mAh.”

As you can see, the Thrunite 18350 is much longer than an unprotected flat top 18350.

The Thrunite cell protrudes around 3mm out of the light, while the unprotected 18350 is around 1mm below the lip.

The cell does go into the light in the usual way – positive end toward the emitter.

Two runtimes follow. Turbo holds out for a couple of minutes around 1500 lumens (fewer than the 3m claimed) with reasonable strength, then steps down heavily to around 700 lumens (“High”) (as claimed, but the claim is actually “408 lumens” on stepdown). Once the cell voltage drops off, so does the light, and then shuts off with the cell around 3V. The indicating switch starts warning at around 3.2V with a blue indication, then turns red at 2.9V. (It’ll also flash red, but that’s at ~2.8V, and fairly dim.)

High looks just like Turbo, but without the Turbo. Note that “High” is the highest mode in ramping. Turbo is a double click from anything, so not within the ramp. This High is called “Infinity High” I believe.

Charging

The light also sports onboard charging, via a micro-USB port in the head, opposite the switch. The port has a big rubber press-in cover and seems well-protected.

Close-up of the Thrunite T1 Military Tan Flashlight standing upright, showing a covered USB-C charging port, certification markings, and part of a black pocket clip. The background is blurred.

A cable is included. It is USB to micro-USB.

A black USB to micro USB charging cable lies coiled on a wooden surface, with the USB connector and micro USB connector both visible in the foreground.

A close-up of a black USB cable with a standard USB-A connector and a micro-USB connector resting on a wooden surface.

Both charge tests proceeded at around 0.57A, and also confirm that the cell is indeed around 1100mAh (remember, this test is recorded from the USB source at 5V, not 4.2V like the cell). Charging takes just over 2 hours. During charge, the indicating switch is red. After the cell is charged, the switch is blue. The claimed charge rate is 0.5A, so that’s confirmed, too.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
Turbo	1500/408	3m/52m	1526	3.00
Infinity-High	685	65m	715	1.60
Infinity-Low	15	35h	15	0.04
Moonlight	0.5	12d	~	0.02

Pulse Width Modulation

No PWM is noted. Various modes are tested, with the left 2 being the lowest discrete, and the right two being the highest discrete. Middle 3 are just random modes along the ramp.

A digital oscilloscope screen displays a mostly flat yellow waveform with minor fluctuations, horizontal and vertical grid lines, and settings such as 0.1V DC, 50µs per division, AUTO, and -0.01V indicated at the bottom.

A digital oscilloscope screen displays a repeating sawtooth waveform in yellow, with gridlines and settings visible: 1V, DC, 50µs, AUTO, Int, and a -0.12V offset. Status indicators read HOLD and Waiting.

A digital oscilloscope screen displays a yellow waveform with small, regular oscillations. The settings show 2V per division, DC coupling, 50 microseconds per division, and the signal reads -0.24V.

An oscilloscope screen displays a yellow waveform signal with minor fluctuations, set to 2V per division vertically and 50 microseconds per division horizontally. Various measurement settings are shown at the bottom of the display.

A digital oscilloscope display shows a mostly flat yellow waveform near the top of the grid. Settings shown are 2V, DC, 50 microseconds per division, AUTO mode, and input voltage at -0.24V.

Oscilloscope screen showing a mostly flat yellow signal near the 0V line, with minor fluctuations. Display settings include 2V per division, 50 microseconds per division, and a measured value of -0.24V.

A digital oscilloscope screen displays a mostly flat yellow waveform near the zero line, grid lines, and status indicators including HOLD, Waiting, 2V, DC, 50 μs, AUTO, and -0.24V.

Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor.

Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.

User Interface and Operation

There’s a single switch on the T1. It’s an indicating e-switch on the head. The button has a black look but really seems to be an opaque gray – of course, since it’s also an indicating switch. The feel of the switch and charge port are different but similar enough that it’s a bit difficult to differentiate them without looking.

Here’s a user interface table!

State	Action	Result
Off	Click	On (Mode Memory except Firefly, Turbo, Strobe)
Off	Hold 1s	Firefly
Firefly	Hold 3s	Lockout
Lockout	Click	No Output (switch indicates red)
Lockout	Hold 3s	Firefly
On	Click	Off
On (Except Firefly)	Hold	Ramp up to “Infinity High” (not Turbo) then back down to “Infinity Low” (not Firefly)
Any	Double Click	Turbo
Any	Triple Click	Strobe

LED and Beam

The emitter of choice in the T1 is a Cree XHP50 NW. There’s a reflector, albeit a shallow one with orange peel, so the beam profile is unsurprisingly floody. There’s quite a spot though, so it does make a useful beam.

These beamshots always have the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level, and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away. That’s Firefly, then Infinity Low and some intermediates, then Infinity High and Turbo.

A completely dark image with the text ZEROAIR.ORG vertically aligned on the left side. No other details are visible.

A nearly black image with a faint, barely visible circle in the center and the text ZEROAIR.ORG vertically along the left side.

A very dim, circular area of faint light is visible in the center of a mostly black image. The text ZEROAIR.ORG appears vertically along the left side.

A faint, circular yellowish-green light is seen in the center of a dark background. The text ZEROAIR.ORG is vertically aligned on the left side of the image.

A dim, circular beam of yellowish light is projected onto a dark surface. ZEROAIR.ORG is faintly visible on the left side of the image. The rest of the background is mostly black.

A circular beam of soft yellowish light is projected onto a plain gray wall. The text ZEROAIR.ORG appears vertically on the left side. The background is simple, with no distinct features.

A circular beam of yellowish light is projected onto a plain white wall. The words ZEROAIR.ORG appear vertically along the left side. A ceiling fixture is partially visible in the top right corner.

Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)

I keep the test flashlight on the left and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right.

A dark image showing a circular beam of white light on a wall with faint greenish light nearby. The text ZEROAIR.ORG appears vertically on the left side of the image.

Two flashlight beams, one yellowish and one white, are projected side by side onto a closed door with raised panels. The website text ZEROAIR.ORG appears vertically on the left side of the image.

A flashlight beam shines on a white paneled door in a dark room, creating a circular spot of light in the center. The left side of the image shows the faint text ZEROAIR.ORG vertically.

A bright flashlight beam illuminates the center of a white paneled door, with the edges of the door fading into shadow. The text ZEROAIR.ORG is visible on the left side of the image.

A bright flashlight beam is shining on a white, paneled door, creating a circular area of intense light in the center of the image. The rest of the door is dimly lit.

A white door with two raised rectangular panels is illuminated by a bright flashlight beam, creating a circular light spot at the center. The text “ZEROAIR.ORG” is visible along the left side of the image.

A bright flashlight beam illuminates a white door in a dark room. The hand holding the flashlight is partially visible at the bottom of the image. The website zeroair.org is faintly visible on the left side.

I compare everything to the Killzone 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!

Conclusion

What I like

Complete package
NW and CW availability
Size
It’s a good E-Switch 18350 light
Included cell has good capacity
Indicating switch
Updated Military Tan color is a nice new interesting flavor

What I don’t like

I think it could be even shorter!
Included cell is quite long
I don’t like these two-way clips

Notes

This light was provided by Thrunite for review. I was not paid to write this review.
This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
Use my amazon.com referral link if you’re willing to help support making more reviews like this one!
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Thrunite T1 Military Tan Flashlight Review

Thrunite T1 Military Tan Flashlight Review

Official Specs and Features

Versions

Price

Short Review

Long Review

The Big Table

What’s Included

Package and Manual

Build Quality and Disassembly

Size and Comps

Retention and Carry

Power and Runtime

Charging

Modes and Currents

Pulse Width Modulation

User Interface and Operation

LED and Beam

Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)

Conclusion

What I like

What I don’t like

Notes

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