Thrunite Ti2 Review (pics)

Patient

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Updated: Beamshots & details at bottom

Hello all, this is my first flashlight review. I did my best to provide useful information and take good pictures, but please be aware that I am in no way a flashlight expert. Also, I don't have a macro lens so the pictures I took are not as wonderfully clear as some would like. The following information is simply from my experience with this light, it is not meant to be the end-all, and users should recognize that there will be variation between units among the Ti and Ti2 lines simply due to the nature of manufacturing. Thanks.

A little over one month ago I ordered a decent quantity (15 or so) of Thrunite Ti's for Christmas gifts. Thrunite was kind enough to substitute one of the TI's for a Ti2, which quickly made it to my key chain and has remained there. The following review will cover both initial impressions and my opinions now that I've had it on my key chain for a couple of months.

Ti & Ti2 Compared
Upon receiving the Ti2 I compared the boxes & bodies of the Ti & Ti2. The bodies are identical, the only visible difference is the emitter. The 3-60 lumen Ti uses the Cree XP-E R4, while the 3-81 lumen Ti2 uses the XP-G2. While both emitters are the same size according to specs (3.45mm x 3.45mm), the die in the Ti2 appears larger than that of the Ti. One interesting note is that Thrunite chose to use stickers on the Ti2 boxes to distinguish between the Ti and Ti2 models. However, they neglected to change the max lumen rating on the Ti2 box to the 81 lumens shown on their website. When compared side by side against a wall about 8 feet away, the beam of the Ti is noticeably tighter and thus appears slightly brighter than that of the Ti2 (both in low and high modes). The Ti2 provides more flood than the Ti, which makes me theorize that the Ti is actually a better thrower than the Ti2. I have no way of testing to confirm this. Knowing this it's difficult to say which I would prefer to have on my key chain.


Tis_zpsf881528a.jpg

TiTi2Comparison_zps6e6a3c5a.jpg

EmitterComparison_zps6ced8b3c.jpg




The Ti2

The packaging of the Ti2 is simple and essentially identical to the Ti except for the sticker mentioned earlier. It comes with a short manual, two spare O-rings and a keyring. The design of the Ti2 is nice, it's obvious this is meant to be a simple, small key chain light and I believe it serves that purpose rather well. The knurling isn't aggressive or rough, so when the light gets wet it is a little slippery. It won't go flying out of your hand like a bar of soap, but it certainly isn't designed to be a pocket light for water sports. I can see its diminutive size being a problem if one attempts to keep it in a large bag, so securing it via a lanyard or the keyring is definitely recommended. I like the size and shape of the integral keyring / lanyard hole. It's large enough to feel secure, but not so big that getting it onto a keyring is difficult. It's also just the right size to allow the light to tail stand, but if the surface is uneven or gets bumped, the light is likely to fall over. The finish on my light has worn a little over the six weeks it's been on my keyring. I have a lot of keys, and they get banged around on a daily basis, so this doesn't surprise me. I imagine after six to twelve months it will look like a beat up old MagLite. So long as it still functions, I couldn't care less. The printing on the light is clear and bright, giving it the appearance of a precision tool instead of a cheap toy.

I really like the light output. I've used the low setting for 80% of tasks I've needed a flashlight for. This has included lighting up the door locks when our front porch light goes out, reading a book in the dark and navigating through pitch black rooms. It really is perfect for those moments when you think "I could really use a flashlight right now – oh wait, there's one on my key chain!" The high setting has sufficiently impressed those who I've shown it off to. My guess is it would illuminate stuff 30 to 40 feet in darkness with little ambient light. Quite honestly, I have not used the high setting except to show it off. The low setting is sufficient for the majority of tasks. Some people would argue that 3 lumens is even too bright for low-light tasks, but I would rather have too much light than not enough, and having to go from super low to high seems silly.

Overall, I think this light is a good value, especially when purchased via a promotion or in bundles. It has served its intended purpose rather well for me, and has been valuable in those moments where I'm stuck in the dark. I think everyone should have a mini light on their key chain, and I would definitely recommend the Ti2. While there may be smaller or brighter lights out there, this one has worked just fine for me and is a good example of the KISS concept applied to flashlights. Also, Thrunite has done a good job of fast shipping, and even sent me a replacement for one of the Ti's that was malfunctioning without making me go through too much of a hassle.

Box_zpsd012f8b1.jpg

ThruNite_zpsa25d0c4f.jpg

Ti2_zpsa55ee42f.jpg

Disassembled_zpsa50741fd.jpg

OverThread_zps9658c84d.jpg

InternalCloseup_zps85e53b4d.jpg

EmitterCloseup2_zps3ad0ca2d.jpg

EmitterCloseup_zps076dd7fe.jpg


Beamshots
In response to TEEJ's suggestion, I buckled down and figured out my camera. I took a whole bunch of beamshot pictures, but the following is what I feel best demonstrates the differences between the beams that I described above. For those who don't know, the fractions are shutter speeds. So 1/25 means the shutter was open for 1/25th of a second, or 0.04 seconds, and 1/200th is 0.005 seconds.
Beamshot_zpsb9fe5469.jpg
 
Last edited:

TEEJ

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Nice job!

:D

BTW - If you put a 10440 in place of the AAA in the Ti2, the light SCREAMS out the lumens...like 3-4 times brighter...and the modes still work, etc.

The rechargeable lithium ion cells put out higher voltage (3.7 v) than the working voltage its rated for on the package, but, so far at least...I've been loading mine ONLY with 10440's, and its still working great.


That's in contrast to trying the same thing with a Rayovac Indestructible...which was, um, instantly destroyed.

:D
 

Patient

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Dec 15, 2012
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Nice job!

:D

BTW - If you put a 10440 in place of the AAA in the Ti2, the light SCREAMS out the lumens...like 3-4 times brighter...and the modes still work, etc.

The rechargeable lithium ion cells put out higher voltage (3.7 v) than the working voltage its rated for on the package, but, so far at least...I've been loading mine ONLY with 10440's, and its still working great.


That's in contrast to trying the same thing with a Rayovac Indestructible...which was, um, instantly destroyed.

:D
:laughing:
I enjoyed picturing an exploding Ti2. I won't, however, be attempting the 10440, as I 1: don't have any and 2: don't have a charger for them, so...yeah.
Thanks for reading & replying to the review, I appreciate it!
 

TEEJ

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LOL

The Ti2 doesn't explode, it just gets ~ 3-4 times brighter...the Rayovac didn't explode, it just fried it internally.

:D

Trust me though, you will suffer cheek pain from grinning ear to ear from the Ti2 with the 10440....its worth it.

-----------


Have you considered adding some beam shots of the light compared to other lights, or just shined down a hall or the backyard, etc?
 

Patient

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LOL

The Ti2 doesn't explode, it just gets ~ 3-4 times brighter...the Rayovac didn't explode, it just fried it internally.

:D

Trust me though, you will suffer cheek pain from grinning ear to ear from the Ti2 with the 10440....its worth it.

-----------


Have you considered adding some beam shots of the light compared to other lights, or just shined down a hall or the backyard, etc?
Yeah, but I'm not as familiar with my camera as I'd like to be, and trying to figure out how to set everything on a stable surface so the pictures wouldn't end up blurry was beyond today's effort capacity. Honestly I did the review mostly to qualify for the free prizes Thrunite is giving out for posting stuff on their forum, so while I wasn't doing a half-*** job I didn't exactly set out to write a novel. I need to go over my camera's manual again and freshen up on how to manually set shutter speed, etc. I might give it a shot later tonight when it's nice and dark.
 

SCEMan

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I have a couple Ti lights and one has a more focused hot spot. This Ti appears to slightly outhrow my Ti2, but it's really difficult to notice. As TEEJ noted, on a 10440, my Ti2 is a monster, significantly brighter than the Ti when both are running 10440s.
 

Patient

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Updated with beamshots just for you TEEJ. It was a little frustrating but once I figured out the process and the camera controls it went smoothly and now I'll have an established routine for future reviews. :thumbsup:
 

xelario

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I suggest you fix the AAA Eneloop's capacity rating in the beamshot image before someone gets a heart attack. ;)

Aside from that, great review!
 

Patient

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I suggest you fix the AAA Eneloop's capacity rating in the beamshot image before someone gets a heart attack. ;)

Aside from that, great review!

Lol! I didn't even see that. Mixed up the AAA and AA. Oops! I'll fix it when I get home. Thanks!
 

yoyoman

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I just got a Ti2. Despite my initial doubts, I like the ui. Twist on to L and keep twisting to H. There is enough gap - you need to keep twisting - to get to H so I haven't blinded myself. You need to make sure it is really off and not on low, but that's not a problem.

But I can't use Li-ion 10440 cells. I lose L. Not sure if this is because the cell was fresh off the charger or something else.
 

Dkoi

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I have both lights - the Ti seems brighter that the Ti2 - this review, maybe the AAA duracells aren't doing it justice?!
 

nitedrive

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Sorry this is a bit of an old thread but it seemed the best place to ask.

Has Thrunite changed the specs on the Ti2? Over the past month or so I bought a 4 lights from them off Amazon. The first was a black Ti2. It claimed 81 lumens on the box. I liked it enough to buy 3 more lights. The black one was out of stock so I bought a blue and pink Ti2 and a black TiS. The TiS seemed nice enough. I don't prefer it over the Mag LED Solitaire but it's not bad. The reflector and beam was different than the Black Ti2. It had a bit more throw.

Anyway, what I found less comforting was the pair of Ti2s. The pink light didn't come with a battery and was spec'ed at 60 lumens. The blue did come with the battery and was spec'ed at 81 lumens. Both were the same price and appeared identical in construction. This is notable because the Black Ti2 was not the same. The pink and blue light used a leaf spring that seemed similar to that of the Ti. The hole in the base of the reflector also seemed to be just bigger than the dome on the LED. The black light had a very different pill and the reflector appears to have been cut off. That is the reflector wasn't as deep and the hole around the LED was larger. The backside of the pill seemed like a better design vs the original. No more leaf spring. Instead it had a pogo pin that made contact with the battery for low power and a sold ring around the pin for high. This seems like a much more robust design and I was happy to see it given the complaints about failed switches with the Ti.

So here's the problem. Thrunite calls all of these lights "Ti2". How can I know if I'm going to get a 60 or 81 lumen (I couldn't actually see a difference in output) and how can I tell which switch design I will get? I would like to give some of these as gifts but the old switch scares me. Any thoughts? If I can't sort this out I will fall back on LED Solitaires.
 
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