Thrunite TH02 The Outsider Headlamp Review

The Thrunite TH02 Red Outsider is a headlamp packed with features. Micro-USB charging, included 18350 cell, indicating e-switch, and more!

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Official Specs and Features of the Thrunite TH02 Red Outsider Headlamp

Here’s a link to the Thrunite TH02 Red Outsider is a headlamp product page.

Versions

There are at least two body colors – black and red (seen here).  The product page lists two emitter options too – just CCT differences.  Cool white (CW) and neutral white (NW).  My sample is cool white.

Price

The Outsider Red version sells for $49.95 right now.  The black version is a little less expensive, at $45.95.

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Thrunite TH02 Red Outsider Headlamp  Short Review

This headlamp really churns out the lumens.  It’s rated at 1500 lumens, but I’m seeing so much more in my testing…. And fairly well sustained, too.  Nice user interface, available in NW and also red body, with overall great quality and reasonable cost – this seems like a good headlamp option.

Long Review

The Big Table

Thrunite TH02 Red Outsider Headlamp
Emitter:	Cree XHP50.2 (CW)
Price in USD at publication time:	$49.95
Cell:	1×18350
Turbo Runtime Graph	High Runtime Graph
LVP?
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (mA):	0.03
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	micro-USB
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port	“With cell: Lowest 2 modes Without cell: Lowest on but immediately off”
Claimed Lumens (lm)	1500
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	1841 (122.7% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	2.8
Claimed Throw (m)	118
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	458lux @ 3.409m = 5323cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	145.9 (123.6% of claim)^
All my Thrunite reviews!

^ Measurement disclaimer:  I am an amateur flashlight reviewer.  I don’t have $10,000 or even $1,000 worth of testing equipment.  I test output and such in PVC tubes!!  Please consider claims within 10% of what I measure to be perfectly reasonable (accurate, even).

What’s Included

• Thrunite TH02 Red Outsider Headlamp
• Thrunite 1100mAh 18350
• Head band with mount
• Charging cable (USB to micro-USB)
• Spare mount for headband
• Spare o-rings (2)
• Spare charge port cover (2)
• Manual and papers

Package and Manual

I feel like the light is in the package upside down.  Not that it really matters…

Thrunite TH02 Red Outsider Headlamp Build Quality and Disassembly

Solid build quality overall here.  There’s nothing I’d ding on this light at all.  First here are pics of all the sides.

Now a top-down view of the “front.”

Might be confusing if I don’t put some text here to break up these two photos.  It’s just a one emitter headlamp. 😀

This branding is of course by The Outsider, a popular YouTube channel.  You can see more here.

You can see above that both ends have reeding which makes for easy removal.  But only one end is removable, so I’m calling that the tailcap.  The tailcap reeding really aids in removal, and the threads are very short (and anodized, so a mechanical lockout is just a very short loosening away).

Here in the tailcap is a beefy spring.

On the opposite end, the “head-end” is just a button for positive contact.

The tube is quite bigger than the 18350 cell that’s included, which allows room for the internals and all that stuff to be put in.  It’s also keyed or some such, and if you look down into the tube just right, you can actually see the back of the copper mcpcb, which just presses up against the cell (!!)

Size and Comps

64mm x 33.6mm x 8.5mm, and 52g without the cell.

If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo).  If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll show that here, too (usually the fourth photo).

Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+.  Mine’s a custom “baked” edition Nichia 219b triple.  A very nice 18650 light.

And here’s the light beside my custom engraved TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light.  I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats.

Retention and Carry

The Thrunite TH02 Red Outsider headlamp is just that – a headlamp.  Not only is the headband the primary way intended for carry of the headlamp, it’s the only way intended.

You can see that the TH02 ships installed onto the headband.  One thing I’ve always enjoyed about Thrunite is how the package is so efficient.  By “efficient” what I really mean is: You’ll never get this package put back together the same way as it came out of the box.

That’s one reason I’m always reluctant to take these rubber bands off…

The over head strap section is integral in some sense but could be permanently removed easily with little issue.  You’d leave the plastic bits, and just cut off the band.  I doubt you’d want to do that though – the TH02 benefits from the extra support.

The band is uncoated and has Thrunite branding.

In the place the band contacts forehead, the band itself softly cushions the light.  There is no extra grip like some other brands use.

Twisting the light while it’s in the headband is easy because of the reeding on both ends.  You could also set the light up for right or left handed operation.

There is no magnet in the tailcap (I do wish there was…).  There is no pocket clip.  There is nothing else for carrying the headlamp.

Power and Runtime

Thrunite includes the cell intended for powering the TH02 Red Outsider headlamp.  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.

The cell fits into the cell tube in the normal way… well I say “normal” but it’s “normal” only if you consider the removed part to be the tailcap, and the other end to be the “head.”  But really that’s just a bit ambiguous since the light faces outward from the body.  It’s a pretty reasonable convention, though, so let’s just go with “normal orientation” – positive end of the cell toward the head.

Here are a few runtimes.  Turbo measured way above the specification of 1500 lumens.  even at the stepdown, we’re still seeing well over the 1500 lumen claim.

High output is very flat for nearly the full duration.

Same with Medium – very flat, which I like, and toward the end (as with the other tests) the main emitter flashes a warning, as well as the switch flashing a warning that cell voltage is low.

There seems to be low voltage protection, and the information in the manual supports that.

Charging

The Thrunite TH02 Red Outsider headlamp also sports on-board 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.

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	1500/430	155s/60m	1841	4.01
High	450	70m	526	0.86
Medium	85	6.5h	90	0.13
Low	9	44h	10	0.01
Firefly	0.6	20d	~	1.76mA

Pulse Width Modulation

No PWM on any mode.  Yay!

For reference, here’s a baseline shot, with all the room lights off and almost nothing hitting the sensor.  Also, here’s the light with the worst PWM I could find.  I’m adding multiple timescales, so it’ll be easier to compare to the test light.  Unfortunately, the PWM on this light is so bad that it doesn’t even work with my normal scale, with is 50 microseconds (50us).  10ms.  5ms.  2ms.  1ms.  0.5ms.  0.2ms.  In a display faster than 0.2ms or so, the on/off cycle is more than one screen, so it’d just (very incorrectly) look like a flat line.  I wrote more about this Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight and explained a little about PWM too.

User Interface and Operation

There’s a single switch on the Thrunite TH02 Red Outsider headlamp.  It’s an indicating e-switch on the “head.”  The button has a black look, but is translucent; 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.

In fact, the switch is quite proud.

Here’s a UI table!

State	Action	Result
Off	Click	On (Mode Memory except for Firefly, Turbo, SOS)
Off	Hold 1s	Firefly
On	Click	Off
Any	Double Click	Turbo
Any	Triple Click	SOS

LED and Beam

The emitter of choice in the TH02 Red Outsider is a Cree XHP50.2 CW.  The manual just calls it a “Cree XHP50” and doesn’t specify the “.2” but this is clearly the updated emitter.

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.

In case you haven’t realized it by now (and I’m not saying that because I’ve only realized it just now), the TH02 Red Outsider is very much a headlamp version of the Thrunite T1.  There are differences sure (the TH02 does not have ramping, or Strobe, for example).  But they’re still very similar (check out the similarity in their charge graphs!).

What I mean is, these two would make a great pair.  The cells are interchangeable between the two, too!

LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)

Beamshots

These beamshots are always with the following settings:  f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure.

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.

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

Conclusion

What I like

• Complete package
• NW and CW availability
• Size
• Massive output for a small headlamp
• Sustained flat output on all modes under Turbo (even Turbo does quite well)
• Included cell has good capacity
• Indicating switch

What I don’t like

• No magnet in tailcap
• micro-USB and not USB-C

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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!
• For flashlight-related patches, stickers, and gear, head over to PhotonPhreaks.com!
• Use my amazon.com referral link if you’re willing to help support making more reviews like this one!