ThruNite P60 XML dropin any good?

[SgtCuts]

Ok guys I have had a Surefire G2 Nitrolon for a long time and it's time to upgrade the drop in I'm leaning towards the ThruNite XML drop in the single mode version does anyone have any personal experience with this drop in? What I really want to know is if this is the best option for the price or should I look at another drop in?

[OneBigDay]

I just took some beamshots of this dropin along with some other lights earlier this week. I haven't posted the total results of that yet but will do so soon. In the meantime here is a preview. From where the lights are mounted to the very end where the canopy of trees goes out of sight is about 425 feet.




This is a comparison of 3 currently available XM-L T6 P60 dropins. The Kai Domain dropin is budget, runs in a wider voltage range, but has the least output of the 3. The Nailbender 3.1Amp XM-L dropin gives the most output but runs at twice the amperage of the Thrunite. The sweet spot in this bunch is the Thrunight - slightly less output than Nailbenders XM-L, but I expect greater runtime (unverified), less heat, and 85% of the output of a harder driven XM-L. EDIT: animated gifs not supported by imageshack for free anymore, so you'll have to settle for single photo of the thrunight instead of slideshow

Admittedly I don't have a lot of runtime on this so take my advice with a grain of salt, but from sheer output while only being driven modestly I am impressed with the Thrunite. I had to send my first one back because the emitter was way off to one side producing a lopsided beam, but the replacement is fine. Mine is a 3 mode single cell version and I'd say is the best overall value of the bunch.

Hope this helps.

[SgtCuts]

wow thanks that pic def helps now if someone could just post a comparison pic of this ThruNite XM-L and the ThruNite XP-G R5 my choice would be even easier lol

Also could someone identify this one? Who is the manufacturer?.....Cree XM-L T6 on DX

See I am looking for one with a smooth reflector so as to make a more spot/thrower instead of a flood. I am not totally opposed to the OP but I would prefer the smooth one.

Update--Or not on the deal extreme one it seems to me that with a maximum of 4.2v input if i ran this option on my G2 with two CR123a's it would burn up the light is this correct?

[Vox Clamatis in Deserto]

Also, I think you need to make sure the G2 has a metal head to run an XM-L dropin for any length of time on high. There is a lot of heat to dissipate.

[OneBigDay]

Removed. Changed pic above.

[MrGman]

Ok guys I have had a Surefire G2 Nitrolon for a long time and it's time to upgrade the drop in I'm leaning towards the ThruNite XML drop in the single mode version does anyone have any personal experience with this drop in? What I really want to know is if this is the best option for the price or should I look at another drop in?

]

This is far from the ideal drop in module to put into a plastic body. this has been covered in the past many times. You don't have much thermal transfer through the plastic body. A metal bezel will only add a little more help since the module is still inside the plastic sleeve. You don't really want to go over 5 watts with something that you would actually use for more than 30 seconds at a time. this is at least a 7 watt module. It may run for a while on a cool night or actually be good in the dead of winter if you live somewhere that gets cold, but not on a warm summer night in plastic. It won't last long.

[SgtCuts]

I am aware of the plastic body and heat issues with this drop in I already pulled the trigger so I guess if I have a problem which i dont see happening because I hardly ever have my lights on full tilt for more than about 5-7 seconds.

[Stress_Test]

The Thrunite XM-L single mode drop in I have only pulls about 1 amp with a fresh (but not straight off the charger) 18650 li-ion.

It gets slightly warm in a metal bezel light, but not bad. I've used a SolarForce XR-E R2 in my Surefire G2 for a long time before changing over to an R5.

You'll probably be all right so long as you keep tabs on the temperature of the bezel and don't let it get too hot.

The G2 Nitrolon head WILL transfer heat, because I've used it with an incan Lumens-Factory HO 4volt drop in, and after several minutes the head was getting almost unbearably hot to hold (uncomfortable anyway). So you should be able to feel if the drop in is getting too warm.



In my humble opinion, I think the heat transfer issue in the G2 is overblown a bit, so long as you know what you're doing and keep track of the temperature. You wouldn't want to just tailstand it and leave it running for an hour.

Like I said I've used an XR-E before in the G2 without issue so it works for me anyway.

By the time you get any noticable heat-induced degredation of the led, you'll probably be ready for an upgrade anyway!


Edited to add: The above refers to running with a single Li-ion, so it may very well be a different situation running off 2 primary lithiums (6volts)

[Stress_Test]

PS: You guys with Thrunite XM-L dropins running a single Li-ion (4.2volts), can you please take a current reading with the light running at full power with a fresh battery? I don't think these run at the advertised spec. Or at least mine doesn't anyway.

Mine reads about 1 amp measured across the body tail to the negative end of the battery (no tailcap).

[grandeson]

So if I have a G2Z, what would you recommend as far as pushing the limits for top drop in? I already have an R2 from DX, and was looking maybe for a little more spill, but still with good throw. So any recommendations as to whats a good way to go would be appreciated. I usually have the light on for less than a minute at a time, but at times it does stay on for a few minutes.

Maybe a little more help here too. Are all R2's the same, meaning is there higher quality ones than the one from DX? If so, where do you guys recommend to buy? and finally, can i introduce a multi mode drop in to my light? If so, is it multi click to option through the outputs?
THANKS GUYS!!

[lebox97]

spec is 1.5a to the LED,
not from the battery/tail cap.

unlike an incandescent or other direct driven light - the circuit reduces the voltage and increases the current to the LED...
unless you are the builder - it is extremely difficult to accurately measure or know what the LED drive current is.

You can compare product against other lights of similar lumen output.
But even that can be difficult unless you have a integrating sphere to measure total output - not just center spot "brightness" that many people like to use.


Tod

PS: You guys with Thrunite XM-L dropins running a single Li-ion (4.2volts), can you please take a current reading with the light running at full power with a fresh battery? I don't think these run at the advertised spec. Or at least mine doesn't anyway.

Mine reads about 1 amp measured across the body tail to the negative end of the battery (no tailcap).

[OneBigDay]

PS: You guys with Thrunite XM-L dropins running a single Li-ion (4.2volts), can you please take a current reading with the light running at full power with a fresh battery? I don't think these run at the advertised spec. Or at least mine doesn't anyway.

Mine reads about 1 amp measured across the body tail to the negative end of the battery (no tailcap).

I checked two cells...

I measure about 1.25 amps with a run down AW IMR 18650 cell (3.70v). On a mostly charged (4.09v) AW 2600 I pull between 1.35 and 1.5 amps.

It's hard to get good contact when measuring this because the cell rides pretty far down in the tube on my light. The meter jumps around a bit.

[yowzer]

Are all R2's the same, meaning is there higher quality ones than the one from DX?

No, they're not all the same. Quality of different brands of dropins aside (And most will be better than what DX has), R2 is an output bin classification used by Cree, not a type of LED. XR-E, XP-E and XP-G all come in R2 bins. Seeing an unqualified R2 in marketing for a light or dropin is really annoying.

[recDNA]

I have the higher voltage model. It pulls .85 amps at the tailcap with 2 X RCR123.

[grandeson]

thanks yowzer, if you can send me a link or an idea where, in laymans terms, there is info that explains the LED info, ie xr-e, xp-e, r2, r5 differences, thay would be great. Its just is all confusing to me. Thanks

[yatsunil]

thanks yowzer, if you can send me a link or an idea where, in laymans terms, there is info that explains the LED info, ie xr-e, xp-e, r2, r5 differences, thay would be great. Its just is all confusing to me. Thanks

I found this post helpful. Cheers!

[mark43]

OneBigDay, do you happen to have the runtime for this drop-in at its various settings? Also, how does performance of the single-cell version differ from the two-cell version? What do you need to do it use the single cell drop-in in a Surefire 6P?

[OneBigDay]

mark43 - sorry but I haven't done any run time tests. I am using my lights for short bursts and run time is pretty far down on my list of considerations. On a multi mode light like this, I figure between low and med the run time is basically forever on a fully charged 18650. Of course others may have different needs or POV.

With a 1.5v dropin and a freshly charged 2600-2900mAh 18650, you could theoretically get more than 1 1/2 hours run time on high (without considering any inefficiencies).

You might try posting in the Marketplace to try and get these answers if you are on the fence over run time. Thrunite has thier own subforum and as far as I can tell they tend to answer whatever inquiries they can.

[m1ruf]

I have a few questions about the Thrunite Xm-L 1 Mode 3-9V dropin:

- can two primary CR 123s handle the current draw of the dropin ? Is it safe?

- will it reach its full potential lumenwise?

- whar runtime can be expected?

thanks!

[recDNA]

Yes it is safe and 2 x cr123 work fine in the high voltage model. It draws the same amperage as the R5 model.

Too expensive to test runtime with primaries. Send me a pair and I'll try it! LOL.

I run mine on 2 x aw rcr123. I wouldn't run it all the way down because I don't want to risk toasting the emitter. I never run P60's on max for more than 10 minutes at a time.

[houtex]

So how would it do on 2 X 18500?

[IcantC]

So how would it do on 2 X 18500?

The multivoltage (I think 3-9 volt) can run 2x18650, runtime should be almost 2 hours on high I think.

I might go with that dropin and combo but lack tools to do runtime tests.

[m1ruf]

Any guesstimates regarding runtime on high witch two CR 123 primaries?

[recDNA]

An issue that hasn't been mentioned so far but may be even more relevant than runtime is the host you are using. G2 Nitrolon has no way to get rid of the heat that will build up in max mode. When I said the unit would be safe I took your question out of context. No 1.5 amp set up is safe in that host for long. I don't have a G2 to test but I would guess anything more than 5 or 10 minutes on high might toast the LED. You may want to purchase a lower power LED drop in for your G2 if you intend to run it in max mode for any duration.

If you decide to go with this setup anyway I would suggest running in max for 5 minutes then take out the batteries to see if they are hot. If not all you risk is toasting the emitter. You may notice the tint turning blue over time or it may simply without warning.

If you go with the 3 mode version and run it on medium or low you'll get more runtime and preserve the emitter. Just use max for short bursts.

[flashmenow]

Greetings. I have one of these drop in LEDs. There is one issue not brought up in this thread. The LED came off center on mine. Thrunite posted up on the forums that the LED is not "fixed" on the pill. They use the reflector to center the LED visually. The reflector (hole) does not completely seat over the LED module and stands off a tad creating a very small gap near the bottom. This will allow particles to get inside the reflector as well as the LED can move about.

I will try to dig up the given thread that was posted about the problem. One CPF member stated that he created a spacer to fill the gap and hold the LED to center.

Overall a great drop in, lots of light excellent run times.

Glenn

EDIT inserting link to off center discussion :

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/sho...=1#post2669751

[dm_graham308]

I purchased one of these dropins and it is extremely bright!!

Only 1 issue.....if i run it on more than 2x123a or 1x18650 it only stays on for a few minutes then shuts down. If i run it on 2x123a or 1x18650 it works flawless with a great run time.

[Therrin]

With a 1.5v dropin and a freshly charged 2600-2900mAh 18650, you could theoretically get more than 1 1/2 hours run time on high (without considering any inefficiencies).

I wasn't aware 18650's came in the 2600-2900mAh range... is this verified or just manufacturer claims?


I've been running a Thrunite XML 3-9V dropin in my L2p ever since the Thrunite XML came out. I'm using two 18650's in series with it. Have been very happy with it, but not much to compare it to. It blows most of my other stuff outta the water. Haven't tested the amp draw on it yet.

I'm interested in looking into other XML dropins that run at a slightly higher amperage/output... but I had thought typical 18650's (non IMR) you're supposed to run at about 1C, so for mine that'd be 2.2 to 2.4A. I'm not sure what a 3A draw would do to my batteries. Any comments on this?

[flashlight chronic]

I have the 2900mah rated AW brand IC 18650. There are 3100mah made by AW and Redilast. Lighthound carries them. What 18650 are you using? Some can't handle a high amp draw.

[ltxi]

The 3100mah AWs are about the only 18650s I use now. And none that don't have "Cell and IC made in Japan" on the label.....higher cap AW and Redilast.

[Therrin]

As mentioned in other threads, I've got about sixty of these:
http://www.molicel.com/ca/pdf/ICR18650H.pdf

So I'm trying to get some use out of them.
I could probably use them for other projects and get some of the 3100mAh AW's though for my battery packs for underground use.

But now that I read the sheet it says they can be discharged at 4 to 5A. *confused*. Oh well.