Thrunite T1 Pro Flashlight Review
The Thrunite T1 Pro flashlight is an 18650 version of the popular T1 EDC series. It offers an e-switch (with ramping), USB-C charging, and includes the cell!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Thrunite T1 Pro flashlight product page.
Versions
Right now it looks like there’s just one version of the Thrunite T1 Pro flashlight. There’s a long history of T1 lights though. That light has many iterations, so we might reasonably expect this version to see that as well – more colors, possibly neutral options. We’ll see.
Price
The Thrunite T1 Pro flashlight sells for $49.95 and is available now.
What’s Included
- Thrunite T1 Pro flashlight
- Thrunite 3400mAh 18650 (protected, button top)
- Charge cable (USB to USB-C)
- Spare o-rings (2)
- Spare charge port cover
- Pocket clip
- Lanyard
- Manual and papers
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The Thrunite T1 Pro flashlight build quality is great, and that’s no surprise. Thrunite makes great lights!
The light amounts to just a bigger version of the other T1 lights, which is also nice – those are great lights!
The threads on the cell tube are anodized, square-cut, and short. I find that the head really has to be squeezed onto the body to get the threads to grab. This becomes especially noticeable if the pocket clip is installed.
The head has a brass button. It isn’t shrouded, nor is it springy, but the light should work just fine with any 18650 (including those that are actually sized according to their name – 65mm long cells). In the tail end is a big spring and also a magnet. The tail/cell tube is one piece.
Size and Comps
103mm x 27.5mm x 22.5mm and 54g without battery.
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo). If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that (usually in the fourth photo).
Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. The version you see below is a custom Convoy S2+ host that’s been laser engraved by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full post on an engraved orange host right here! Or just go straight to GadgetConnections.com to buy your Convoy S2+ now!
Also above is the light beside a TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light. I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats. I also reviewed that specific edition, the “Oveready BOSS FT Collector Vintage Brass” 35. I love it!
Retention and Carry
Thrunite includes a standard friction-fit two-way pocket clip that can only attach to 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.
The clip should allow the light to be used as a hatlight, too.
There’s also a lanyard, which should be connected through the hole in the tailcap.
Finally, there’s the magnet in the tailcap. 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.
Power and Runtime
Thrunite includes the cell intended for powering the T1 Pro flashlight. It’s an 18650 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 does go into the light in the usual way – positive end toward the emitter.
Runtimes follow. It does seem that this version has low voltage protection. I tested just two modes. There are four discrete modes – otherwise the high-ish modes are in the ramping area.
Charging
The light also sports on-board charging, via a USB-C port in the head, opposite the switch. This port is protected by a big rubber press-in cover.
A cable is included. It is USB to USB-C.
The charge rate here is about 2A, which is perfectly fine for this 3400mAh cell. Very steady current and a nice clean cut off. A to C works as well, but my data got lost during the transfer. I believe the graph is about the same as this C to C you see below.
During charging, the switch indicator is red. When charging is complete, the switch turns blue.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 1920/590 | 120s/160m | 1567 (0s) 1434 (30s) |
5.54 |
| High | 1100/600 | 2m+200m | 971 | 2.23 |
| Low | 25 | 60h | 21.5 | 0.03 |
| Firefly | 0.44 | 61d | 0.25 | [low] |
Pulse Width Modulation
No PWM is noted.
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, comparing them to the test light will be easier. Unfortunately, the PWM on this light is so bad that it doesn’t even work with my normal scale, which 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.
User Interface and Operation
There’s a single switch on the Thrunite T1 Pro flashlight. 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. It’s barely possible by feel to differentiate the switch and charge port without looking.
The switch does have an indication function, too, as follows:
Blue: 3.2-4.2V (or 21%-100%)
Red: 2.9-3.2V (or 11-20%)
Red Flashing: 2.6-2.9V (or 1-10%)
Off: 0-2.6V (or 0%)
Here’s a UI 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 |
Ramping is neat and it’s fine on this light but I really would rather have a group with five discrete output levels. As it is, this is essentially a four-mode light where you’d only use three – Firefly, Turbo, and whatever memory you have. Maybe that’s fine!
LED and Beam
I can’t see where Thrunite says what emitter this is, but the T1S V2 looks just like this from the front, and I recorded it as having a Luminus SST-20.
This TIR provides a surprisingly (maybe “amazingly”) tight beam pattern and this light will absolutely be more throwy than you expect.
I love the beam profile. I do not love the emitter. An emitter swap could make this a fantastic flashlight!
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
This cool white is definitely not the worst cool white available. We see from the low 5200 K to around 5800K – yes that’s cool but more often than not when we think about “cool” we’re thinking about “over 6000K.” So let’s call this a win (ish). However, the Duv is (quite) positive and the CRI is (very) low.
Beamshots
These beamshots are always with 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.
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. These photos are taken around 18 inches from the door.
I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Summary and Conclusion
I love the 18350 size of this (type of) light by Thrunite (that includes the T1, T1S, T1S V2, idk the names get quite confusing.) So this T1 Pro is very great as well. It desperately needs a more suitable emitter that has a better CCT and a much better CRI. The size is fantastic, and if you like ramping, definitely check out this light!
The Big Table
| Thrunite T1 Pro flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | (Probably Luminus SST-40) (Cool White) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $49.95 |
| Cell: | 1×18650 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | with cell: all modes without cell or body: two modes (sort of) |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1920 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1434 (74.7% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 9.58 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 196 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 507lux @ 5.393m = 14746cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 242.9 (123.9% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 5200-5800 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 I like
- Complete package
- Size
- It’s a good e-Switch 18650 light
- The included cell has a good capacity
- Indicating switch
- Uses USB-C charging (and C to C works!)
What I don’t like
- It’s not possible to cycle the main modes from Firefly
- When accessing Turbo, the light goes off briefly before hitting Turbo
- Low CRI
- Greenish beam
Notes
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
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