"Thor" knock-offs .. how to tell? how many?

For $35 (Canadian) I just picked up a spotlight.....:

• 12V AC/DC rechargeable 15 million candle power
• High-quality Philips H4 halogen bulb
• Dim light setting at 500,000 candle power

First, it doesnt seem to have a single 12v cell but rather two smaller cells hooked up in tandem. (they are wedged in and I didn't wan't to mark them up trying to take them out to check)
Second, the beam is pretty bad artifact wise.

Looking at the Thor X Platinum from Cyclops I cant see any external differences from the one I have.
Switches and jacks look identical. Same colour, features etc.

I've now seen "identical" lights here (mine but not orange) and here (looks familiar ?) and of course the Thor X Platinum here .

I realize knockoffs are a problem but I didn't realize it was this bad.
Should I just take it back ? (i have 90 days).
Does one 12v cell really change the output (as opposed to the 'tandem' setup I seem to have).
Does the genuine Philips 4H bulb have any external markings that I could check?

Thanks for any advice.

I own a similar 10 million candlepower Sharper Image Thor Clone, which, like yours, runs from 2 6 volt lead acid batteries rather than a single 12 volt battery. It has very good runtime and is super bright with a very white beam, and I have been using it for over a year now and had no problems with the batteries.
I find that having two batteries in tandem works just fine, as I have another spotlight configured that way and it performs wonderfully.

My Thors have quite a few beam artifacts too, like a bright spot of light with shapes in the beam around it.

I recommend you try using it for an extended period of time to test its runtime, and then decide if you want to take it back.

Sarratt said:

Looking at the Thor X Platinum from Cyclops I cant see any external differences from the one I have.
Switches and jacks look identical. Same colour, features etc.

I've now seen "identical" lights here (mine but not orange) and here (looks familiar ?) and of course the Thor X Platinum here .

I realize knockoffs are a problem but I didn't realize it was this bad.
Should I just take it back ? (i have 90 days).

Click to expand...

Knock-off OR Re-Badged product? I own a medium sized spotlight from Arlec the RT3500, for all intensive purposes, specifications, output/performance, design & colour it's a Thor 'Scout' and I've seen it marketed as a different model designation again in the UK/EU market

Bottom line if you're not happy simply take it back

OR accept it as a decent platform for a HID conversion & then come and join us on the "Dark Side"

Sarratt said:

Does one 12v cell really change the output (as opposed to the 'tandem' setup I seem to have).

Click to expand...

Only runtime IF there's a capacity increase with the single SLA, otherwise no.

Sarratt said:

Does the genuine Philips 4H bulb have any external markings that I could check?

Click to expand...

Yes it does actually, "Philips Halopower Halogen H4 12v 130/100w for Spotlight use Only..." (or similar) :thumbsup: