Thrunite BSS V5 Flashlight Review

The Thrunite BSS V5 flashlight is available! It uses a single 18650 (included), USB-C charging, and has increased output from V4! Read on!

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Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Thrunite BSS V5 flashlight product page.

Versions

Among the “V5 versions of the Thrunite BSS V5 flashlight, there seem to be just two versions: cool white (seen here) and neutral white. Obviously, this is “V5”, so there are previous versions, too.

Price

The going price for the Thrunite BSS V5 flashlight is $75.99. Amazon has the Thrunite BSS V5 flashlight listed at $69.99, and it’s often possible to find a clickable coupon on Amazon (I see a 10% off coupon right now, in fact!) So expect to pay around $63 or so for this light.

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Short Review

All in all, this is really not all that different from the Thrunite BSS V4 I already reviewed (or the Wowtac BSS V4 I also reviewed).  The emitter is even the same as used on the Thrunite BSS V4, of course, but the Thrunite BSS V4 weapon mount flashlight seems to be cool white only (whereas the Wowtac version was available in neutral white). The additional bits (which add a good bit of cost to the package) are very suitable for weapon mounting this light.  So that’s good, too.

Long Review

The Big Table

Thrunite BSS V5 Flashlight
Emitter:	Luminus SST-70 (Cool White )
Price in USD at publication time:	$75.99
Cell:	1×18650
Turbo Runtime Graph	High Runtime Graph
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	Both
Quiescent Current (mA):	–
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	USB-C
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port	Lowest two modes
Claimed Lumens (lm)	2676
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	2452 (91.6% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	8.7
Claimed Throw (m)	255
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	649lux @ 5.122m = 17026cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	261.0 (102.4% of claim)^
Claimed CCT	Cool White
Measured CCT Range (K)	5400-5800 Kelvin
Item provided for review by:	Thrunite
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 BSS V5 Flashlight
• Thrunite 3100mAh 18650
• Pocket clip
• Nylon pouch
• Replacement charge port cover
• Spare o-rings (2)
• Lanyard
• Red lens to replace crenelated bezel
• Charging cable (USB to USB-C)
• Manual etc

Package and Manual

Build Quality and Disassembly

Build quality is just fine here on the Thrunite BSS V5 flashlight.

The bezel is striking.  It’s easy to remove, and the light works fine without it.

The tailcap, which you can see below, has a nice beefy, thick double spring. The tailcap end has unanodized threads, too.

The head has a brass button (which is not springy.)

There’s an inner tube in the cell tube.

Size and Comps

Dimension: 143mm x 28.5mm x 25.5mm
Weight: 86.5g (NOT including the battery weight)

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 is a custom “baked” edition Nichia 219b triple. A very nice 18650 light!

Also above 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

First, but probably not most important, is the pocket clip. This is a friction-fit pocket clip, which goes only in one direction, and only on the tail end of the light.  So bezel down carry only.

The included lanyard fits in the tailcap loop.

Tailstanding isn’t really great when the lanyard is in place.

A nylon pouch is included.  The light will fit in either orientation, but there are no holes in either end.  So the light must be removed for use.

Power and Runtime

The Thrunite BSS V5 flashlight runs on a single 18650 lithium-ion cell.  A proper cell is included – a 3100mAh button top.  However, even the shortest flat-top unprotected cell seems to work just fine in the light.

The cell is installed in the usual way – positive terminal toward the head.

Here are a few runtime graphs. These should demonstrate the biggest difference (at least one of the two biggest differences I can see) in the V5 and V4. V5 has higher output.

The indicating switch does give an indication of low voltage. When the cell voltage gets too low, the light will turn off and the switch will blink red.

While being used (except in Firefly mode) the switch will indicate [approximate] cell voltage as follows:

Blue: 21-100%
Red: 11-20%
Red flashing: 1-10%
Off: 0%

Charging

The BSS v4 has onboard charging too, in the form of a USB-C port in the head.  This port is opposite the e-switch. USB-C is the second big upgrade – V4 of the BSS light used micro-USB.

I would describe the USB-C port here as “a bit crooked” but it does work just fine.

An appropriate cable is included:  USB to USB-C.

While charging, the switch is red. When charging is complete, the switch will turn blue.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
Turbo	2676+610	120s+133m	2452 (0s) 1967 (30s)	–
High	1413+606	145s+140m	1268	–
Medium	355	4.5h	330	–
Low	29	53h	36	–
Firefly	0.3	50d	0.27	–

Pulse Width Modulation

None of the modes exhibit PWM for mode management.

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 are two switches on the Thrunite BSS V5 flashlight.  First is the mechanical tail switch.

This tail switch is very clicky and proud but shrouded on two sides by the tailcap.  This allows tailstanding while also allowing easy access while wearing gloves.

Next is the indicating e-switch on the head.  Note that this one has a metal cover.  (Metal, or plastic, either way, it’s not rubber and soft.)

Thrunite makes a good e-switch, and this one is too.  There’s even an indicating feature in the center. I will say that the area surrounding the switch part of this e-switch is a bit more proud than I like, such that when you press this switch, the surrounding part gets in the way and presses into your finger.

Here’s a user interface table! The tailswitch basically overrides anything else that you might have going on through the e-switch – don’t forget that! So any action can be overridden by the mechanical tail switch (which will always give you Turbo!). It’s sensible in a WML, really, to have Turbo always accessible.  Turbo is not available while the light is in lockout status (which is maybe not all that logical for a WML?)!

State	Action	Result
Any (Unlocked)	Click Tail Switch	Turbo
Any (Unlocked)	Tap Tail Switch	Momentary Turbo
Off (Unlocked)	Click Side Switch	On (Memory Mode (LMH only)
Off (Unlocked)	Hold Side Switch	Firefly
On (except by tail switch)	Click Side Switch	Off
On (except Firefly)	Hold Side Switch	Mode advance (LMH)
Firefly	Long hold Side Switch	Lockout (Switch turns red when clicked)
Lockout^	Long hold Side Switch	Unlock
Any (Unlocked)	Double click Side Switch	Turbo (Really it’s “previous mode then Turbo”)
Any (Unlocked)	Triple click Side Switch	Strobe

^ It’s possible to do what I’ll call a “hard lockout.” If you lockout the light in the normal way (turn it on to Firefly then long hold the e-switch), and then click the tail switch (which will have no visible action), unlocking in the normal way (that is, long holding the e-switch) will not unlock the light. You’ll need to click the tailswitch again (which again, will have no visible action) and then long-hold the e-switch to unlock the light.

The user interface can be a bit confusing if you are doing anything that’s not “standard” stuff, I think. But if you’re doing very standard, common things, you will probably never even have to think about what you need to do to get where you want to be.

LED and Beam

Like the BSS V4, the Thrunite BSS V5 flashlight has a Luminus SST70 as the emitter option.  The reflector is still smooth and deep.

As stated above, there’s also a red filter option. The red filter replaces the strike bezel.

LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)

I’d call the CCT an improvement for this version of the BSS weapon mount flashlight. I’m reading it at around 5400K (low) to around 5800K on high. That’s not too bad! Not really too “cool” for a cool white emitter, too. CRI is unsurprisingly low, though, at under 70.

Here’s CRI and CCT with the red filter in place! I’m not sure what value you might get from this, but here it is anyway. It’s neat if nothing else!

Beamshots

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.

Red:

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.

Red:

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

Conclusion

What I like

• The full package with included 18650 cell
• Red filter seems to be very high quality (and neat, and fun)
• High capacity 18650
• Nice remote switch (available)
• Updated to USB-C Charging
• USB-C to USB-C charging works!

What I don’t like

• No non-strike non-colored bezel option
• E-switch bezel is a bit sharp

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Notes

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