Thrunite Catapult Pro Flashlight Review

The Thrunite Catapult Pro is a new flashlight made for throw! It achieves that purpose – over 1000 meters of throw, plus high output, too!

---

Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Thrunite Catapult Pro flashlight product page.

Versions

There is only one version of the Thrunite Catapult Pro flashlight.

Price

This flashlight is listed at $99.99 on Thrunite’s website.  The Thrunite Catapult Pro flashlight is also available on amazon.com if that’s more your speed.

---

Short Review

The Thrunite Catapult Pro flashlight really throws!  Output is just incredible, reaching well over the claimed 1005 meters of throw. The user interface offers a ramping output that we’ve seen before on some Thrunites, too. USB-C charging works great, as does the indicating e-switch. This is a solid light!

Long Review

The Big Table

Thrunite Catapult Pro Flashlight
Emitter:	Luminus SFT70 (Cool White)
Price in USD at publication time:	$99.99 at Amazon (referral link)
Cell:	1×26650
Turbo Runtime Graph	Turbo Runtime Graph
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (mA):	0.08mA
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	USB-C
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port	Lowest two modes only
Claimed Lumens (lm)	2713
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	2572 (94.8% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	130
Claimed Throw (m)	1005
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	7680lux @ 6.136m = 289156cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	1075.5 (107% of claim)^
Claimed CCT	–
Measured CCT Range (K)	6100-7500 Kelvin
Item provided for review by:	Thrunite
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 5000mAh 26650
• Charging cable (USB to USB-C)
• Lanyard
• Nylon carrying pouch
• Spare o-rings (2)
• Split ring
• Spare charging port cover (2)
• Spare e-switch part​

Package and Manual

​

Build Quality and Disassembly

Thrunite always makes a solid product. The Thrunite Catapult Pro flashlight is no exception to that!

This is a dedicated thrower (I would say, anyway), so the build is very much “thrower build” – big head on a nice handheld-size body.

The threads are nice and thick square cut, with a big beefy brass button for the positive contact in the head.

Size and Comps

150.5mm x 65mm x 33.5mm, and 206g (without 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.

Also seen is 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

Two means of carry are included. First is the lanyard, which attaches through this hole on the tailcap.

It’s a very simple lanyard.

Next is the nylon pouch, which is also fairly simple.

Power and Runtime

The Thrunite Catapult Pro flashlight uses a single lithium-ion cell. It’s 26650 sized and is included at the purchase price.

Thrunite typically uses high-quality cells, and this one seems to fit that mold, too.

The cell is installed in the usual orientation – positive end toward the head. This cell is a “flat-ish top” 26650 – there’s a bump but it’s definitely not a “button top.”  With the spring in the tail end and reasonably exposed brass button in the head, I would expect other 26650 cells to work fine here too.

Here are a few runtime tests. One thing to note here about the Catapult Pro is that there are four specific modes. Turbo, “Infinite High,” “Infinite Low,” and Firefly.  I tested the two highest modes.

Charging

Charging is by way of a USB-C port on the head-end of the Catapult Pro.

Thrunite includes a USB to USB-C cable.

Charging looks great. I was only able to log USB to USB-C, but having watched a C to C cycle, I can say they’re about the same (and C to C does work).

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
Turbo	2713 – 961	9m+90m	2572 (at 30 seconds)	8.86
Infinite High	1482 – 909	24m+120m	1578	4.46
Infinite Low	42	53h	27	0.07
Firefly	0.7	42d		3.72mA

Pulse Width Modulation

There’s really no PWM to be seen on these specific modes.

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

Thrunite sticks with their standard (and very good) indicating e-switch.

The switch doesn’t sit too proud, and has fairly low travel, but is positively clicky.  It’s not a hollow click though, and not too loud.  The switch feels like actual metal, and the rubber part under the switch is replaceable.

Here’s a UI table! This ramping style is the same as we’ve seen on other Thrunites such as the Archer Pro.

State	Action	Result
Off	Hold	Firefly
Off	Click	On (Mode Memory)
On	Click	Off
Firefly	Hold	Lockout to Off
Lockout	Hold	Unlock to Firefly
Lockout	Click	Switch blinks red to indicate lockout
Any	Double Click	Turbo
On (Except Firefly)	Hold	Ramp up or down^
Any	Click 3x	Strobe

^The ramp here is fairly logical except for one thing – the direction is remembered, and the next iteration of ramp is opposite to what it was before. So if you ramped up then turned the light off and turn it back on again later, the ramp will be down this time. Seems like a reset to “ramp up” after 15 seconds or whatever would be more logical (and not essentially emulate “ramping mode memory”.) As it is, if you hold the switch with the light on, it’ll ramp up and down over and over. That part of the ramping is great. The light blinks at both ends to let you know it’s reached maximum or minimum.

LED and Beam

Thrunite opted for a Luminus SFT70 emitter in the Catapult Pro. That’s a great choice for throw! Output is also quite spectacular with these, too.

The reflector used is unsurprisingly smooth, wide, and deep. This makes for a large head.

LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)

The temperature (in Kelvin) here is fairly high and higher as the output increases. That’s not my ideal CCT, but it’s almost always the price you pay for very throwy output. CRI is in the 70’s, too.

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

• Very throwy beam!
• Complete package is nice
• Charging is quick, at around 2A
• USB-C charging works

What I don’t like

• Ramping – I wish there was a stepped option
• UI lacks any real battery check
• Not available in NW

---

Notes

• 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!
• Please support me on Patreon!  Feeding flashlights is expensive!  And funding Fun Fund Friday even more so.  I deeply appreciate your support!