This should give the Thrunite TN31 a run for its money

[Overclocker]

whatever it is the K40 is just AWESOME. that's LED current BTW

 

[moozooh]

HighlanderNorth, if Supbeam continues being a "cheaper ThruNite", it'll definitely look suspicious regardless of the copyright matters. If they copied different brands it would be less suspicious. If they made different brightness settings for the K40 it would be less suspicious. Their site has clearly been created in a hurry and filled with non-existent pages about "history" and "culture", and there's a blog full of poorly translated gibberish that doesn't even have the default Wordpress "hello world" post removed. There are also preliminary specs for soon-to-be-done ThruNite clones, now available as 3D models, with some of the yet undetermined performance ratings covered with wildcards—all this to create a notion of a mature manufacturer who has existed for more than a couple months at most.

that's assuming TN31 was actually designed by thrunite engineers. who knows it might actually have been designed by supbeam so they're free to make as many K40-type lights as they want.

same with the laptop ODMs, they usually engineer a reference design and sell it to acer, hp and the likes who then tweak the reference design to their own specs.

and i'm sure supbeam is in a formal agreement with thrunite that prohibits them from making an exact clone of TN31. guess what K40 isn't an exact clone. it's actually 10% weaker.

You're not even arguing the opposite of my statements. Are you even reading what I'm saying?

I'm saying it doesn't make sense to come up with your own hardware design (at least most of it) by yourself, yet particularly target some of the easier to change/implement yet more discerning features of one particular brand, in this case ThruNite and its UI and brightness settings. It's almost as if they had everything in their ability to create a standalone brand with its own lineup but wanted to spite ThruNite for some reason, and K40's pricing seems to reflect that. If I were to use your analogy, it's like taking somebody's reference laptop design and making your own with different materials and hardware elements, but matching shape, performance, and I/O port placement of the original design. It's weird.

 

[Norm]

I think K40 needs / deserves to be included in the thread title, so a potential reader knows what the thread is about. Every time I see the thread come up in the new posts list I have to try and remember what light the thread about.

Norm

 

[Overclocker]

If I were to use your analogy, it's like taking somebody's reference laptop design and making your own with different materials and hardware elements, but matching shape, performance, and I/O port placement of the original design. It's weird.

nope if we were to reuse my analogy it would be like an ODM like htc selling under their own brand a design they made for say asus but with a different exterior shell or in this case selling it under the "L-cubed Illumination" brand

or an ODM making 2 slightly different lights for Fenix and Jetbeam. LD40 and PA40

or Klarus P2A and Jetbeam BA20

but i understand what you're saying. on the other hand, tn31 mode spacing is already awesome, why mess with it? perhaps the felt that the 10% lower throw and the different exterior was enough to differentiate it...

 

[saabluster]

Are you thinking of upgrading these for more throw and selling them?

Most likely yes.

HighlanderNorth, if Supbeam continues being a "cheaper ThruNite", it'll definitely look suspicious regardless of the copyright matters. If they copied different brands it would be less suspicious. If they made different brightness settings for the K40 it would be less suspicious. Their site has clearly been created in a hurry and filled with non-existent pages about "history" and "culture", and there's a blog full of poorly translated gibberish that doesn't even have the default Wordpress "hello world" post removed. There are also preliminary specs for soon-to-be-done ThruNite clones, now available as 3D models, with some of the yet undetermined performance ratings covered with wildcards—all this to create a notion of a mature manufacturer who has existed for more than a couple months at most.



You're not even arguing the opposite of my statements. Are you even reading what I'm saying?

I'm saying it doesn't make sense to come up with your own hardware design (at least most of it) by yourself, yet particularly target some of the easier to change/implement yet more discerning features of one particular brand, in this case ThruNite and its UI and brightness settings. It's almost as if they had everything in their ability to create a standalone brand with its own lineup but wanted to spite ThruNite for some reason, and K40's pricing seems to reflect that. If I were to use your analogy, it's like taking somebody's reference laptop design and making your own with different materials and hardware elements, but matching shape, performance, and I/O port placement of the original design. It's weird.

moozooh I think with the available data making the assumption that Supbeam is making cloned lights of someones else's IP is incorrect and at the very least premature. First off the K40 is NOT a clone either of the exact trade dress or in performance. The K40 has a much smaller head. If you wanted to go to the trouble of cloning you would just make the same exact light but with cheaper construction and a lower cost to undercut the other guy. That is definitely not what is being done here. The quality is right on par with the TN-31. The fabulous AR coated lens. Good anodizing. Excellent machining. Relatively expensive switching mechanism. If this was indeed a clone the light would almost surely have skimped in one of those areas and been the same size as the light it is mimicking. I don't have any inside knowledge but it seems more like the creator/owner? of the TN-31 design trying to recoup some development costs and trying to create a new lower cost brand to gain more market share. Why else make sure the K40 doesn't tread on the TN-31's territory? Just a thought.

 

[easilyled]

I think K40 needs / deserves to be included in the thread title, so a potential reader knows what the thread is about. Every time I see the thread come up in the new posts list I have to try and remember what light the thread about.

Norm

+1

 

[Overclocker]

draw your own conclusions

 

[Bwolcott]

Most likely yes.




moozooh I think with the available data making the assumption that Supbeam is making cloned lights of someones else's IP is incorrect and at the very least premature. First off the K40 is NOT a clone either of the exact trade dress or in performance. The K40 has a much smaller head. If you wanted to go to the trouble of cloning you would just make the same exact light but with cheaper construction and a lower cost to undercut the other guy. That is definitely not what is being done here. The quality is right on par with the TN-31. The fabulous AR coated lens. Good anodizing. Excellent machining. Relatively expensive switching mechanism. If this was indeed a clone the light would almost surely have skimped in one of those areas and been the same size as the light it is mimicking. I don't have any inside knowledge but it seems more like the creator/owner? of the TN-31 design trying to recoup some development costs and trying to create a new lower cost brand to gain more market share. Why else make sure the K40 doesn't tread on the TN-31's territory? Just a thought.

to me it looks like a tn30 with the 3 xmls removed and replaced with the one and with a different tailcap. either way I dont care what it is all I know is I paid 108 shipped from sbflashlights and I am really happy with it

 

[cmichael]

Most likely yes.




moozooh I think with the available data making the assumption that Supbeam is making cloned lights of someones else's IP is incorrect and at the very least premature. First off the K40 is NOT a clone either of the exact trade dress or in performance. The K40 has a much smaller head. If you wanted to go to the trouble of cloning you would just make the same exact light but with cheaper construction and a lower cost to undercut the other guy. That is definitely not what is being done here. The quality is right on par with the TN-31. The fabulous AR coated lens. Good anodizing. Excellent machining. Relatively expensive switching mechanism. If this was indeed a clone the light would almost surely have skimped in one of those areas and been the same size as the light it is mimicking. I don't have any inside knowledge but it seems more like the creator/owner? of the TN-31 design trying to recoup some development costs and trying to create a new lower cost brand to gain more market share. Why else make sure the K40 doesn't tread on the TN-31's territory? Just a thought.

Put me on the list for the Mod k40, Hopefully soon.

 

[ILIKEFLASHLIGHTS]

to me it looks like a tn30 with the 3 xmls removed and replaced with the one and with a different tailcap. either way I dont care what it is all I know is I paid 108 shipped from sbflashlights and I am really happy with it

I feel the same way. I love mine. And I honestly don't believe that a TN31 is gonna beat mine by much.

 

[ILIKEFLASHLIGHTS]

I took this one last nite on a fairly fast 1.2 sec shutter on manual exposure, f/4, ISO 400. I'm gonna say it's at least 250yds or more to those far trees at the top of the hill. It's gonna take a very good TN31 to beat it. And it may do it, but I bet money it won't smoke it either.

 

[ILIKEFLASHLIGHTS]

And here's a 445yd shot on 1.4 sec shutter manual exposure, f/4, ISO 400. Don't just look at the white barn, but rather look at all the stuff lit up around it. Like I said it will take a very good TN31 to beat this one.

 

[ILIKEFLASHLIGHTS]

We might as well post this one at 475yds from my K40 on a super fast 1 sec shutter on manual exposure and rest the same as the others. Now before you think that's not so great, I dare you to go put your camera on the exact same settings of 1 sec shutter and manual exposure with f/4 and ISO 400 on your TN31 and post the results at that distance. That's google earth distance as well. 1 sec shutter on manual exposure will take a lot from anyones super thrower regardless of how great it is. And yes I am zoomed in some on that barn. It's a lot farther than it looks. Oh and white balance is set to fine(image of the sun) just so you know.

 

[ILIKEFLASHLIGHTS]

And I'm just a little closer here in this shot but not enough to worry about really just to show you what that last picture truly looks like w/o zoom during the daytime for any doubters who doubts the yardage stated. Those poles have about 85yds or so in between them just to put it in perspective.

 

[tatasal]

I compared my TK70 last night to my newly-arrived Supbeam K40 and it out-throws the 70. Initially the 70 will look brighter because it covers a large area but looking closely at the hotspot the K40 has a more intense beam of light. I didn't have a camera with me though.

To be fair, it's not a surprise at all if the K40 out-throws the TK70 since it is a single-led light designed to throw far. But as a 3-led light, the 70 can't be beat.

 

[Oztorchfreak]

Hey guys.


Why would anyone buy a TN31 lookalike at the moment when the Thrunite Store still has their Hot Deal of a TN31 in the case with all of the bits + a Thrunite T10 flashlight for $139?

There is only about 12 of these on offer left in stock last time I looked (10 minutes ago).

I have bought the real thing for a few bucks more and I got the T10 as a bonus and it was shipped free to my door in three days by DHL with full tracking.

Just a suggestion!!



Cheers

 

[tatasal]

Yeah, but the 'real thing' has plenty of complaints about excessive rotary switch play, high-internal resistance battery-carriers, and is made by the same factory in China, at more than 100% extra cost, but very little performance difference to brag about? IMO the K40 is not a copy, it's a light that has a design of its own. A copy is something that has everything the same, only a different name, of which the K40 (L3/Supbeam) is not. I would say the L3 K40 is a copy of the Supbeam K40, or the other way around. The TN31 is a completely different light by itself.

 

[Oztorchfreak]

Yeah, but the 'real thing' has plenty of complaints about excessive rotary switch play, high-internal resistance battery-carriers, and is made by the same factory in China, at more than 100% extra cost, but very little performance difference to brag about? IMO the K40 is not a copy, it's a light that has a design of its own. A copy is something that has everything the same, only a different name, of which the K40 (L3/Supbeam) is not. I would say the L3 K40 is a copy of the Supbeam K40, or the other way around. The TN31 is a completely different light by itself.

I have also owned the original Thrunite TN31 since it first came out and it has been a great thrower and a reliable unit.

I sold my original TN31 for a good price before I bought the Saab modded TN31.

I was thinking of selling my modded TN31 but have grown to like it as it pierces the darkness further and clearer than the original TN31 with its very white tint.

I only bought the Hot Deal offer because it was at a good price and I wanted another TN31 back in my collection again to do comparisons etc.

Both the TN31 and the K40 are "VIRTUALLY" the same lights.

The specs especially the brightness levels are EXACTLY the same on the K40 as the Thrunite TN31 and it probably was made by the same manufacturer for whatever reason but I can sell my Genuine Thrunite TN31 a whole lot quicker if I needed to than a relatively unknown brand like L3 Illumination.

Anyway it is good for all flashaholics that both lights for the moment are more affordable than the original price I paid for my first TN31 and that is a terrific thing.

I am not pushing the original Thrunite TN31 wheelbarrow here, I am just pointing out another currently available "option" that will probably not last much longer.

"AWARENESS" is a good thing for all of us in these forums.

I think that is one of the aims of a Forum, isn't it?

Whichever light you buy I hope you enjoy your purchase and it keeps you happy for a little while as the flashlight industry changes and improves lights so fast now.

Flashaholics are always looking for something better and different in trying to satisfy their quest to buy the most perfect and latest performer in all kinds of lights at the lowest price that their budget can handle.

I would like a Polarion HID but I cannot afford that and that is the sad reality of my quest for owning great lights at the moment.

What is strange looking at the specs for each light is that they both weigh exactly the same weight at 452.g "without the battery", yet the TN31 has a larger diameter bezel and is longer than the L3 K40!!!



---------Bezel Dia (mm)-------- Length (mm)------ Tailcap Width (mm)------- Weight (g)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TN31-------- 79.00---------------- 201.70----------------- 49.00-----------------452.8


L3 K40------ 76.20---------------- 186.00------------------49.00-----------------452.8

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


How did they manage to do that balancing act?




Cheers

 

[tatasal]

This time I agree with you, torchy

 

[Oztorchfreak]

This time I agree with you, torchy

That is high praise coming from a fellow CPFer of high esteem from previous issues we have both engaged in.

I will take it when I can.

Thanks.

I also think that the title of this thread should be updated to include the L3 K40 in it so you can see exactly what is giving the TN31 a "run for its money" easily and not any other competitors.





Cheers