Thrunite CatapultVN Mini - Most Compact TIR Thrower R

[Skylumen]

• CatapultVN Mini W2.1 5400K @2s: 1100L, 157Kcd, 793m
• Much performance gain over stock
• Best compact TIR thrower to date
• Handsome design
• Extremely small especially with built in USB-C charging
• MC13vn has a pocket clip and rear clicky but bigger size
• Tedious build reflect steep price

+ "V54" Engraving
+ Extended Warranty
+ Shipping Signature and/or Insurance (NOT INCLUDED BY DEFAULT)
+ Specifications
Must Read Purchase Agreement
HC/AHC/PAHC Sample
[email protected]

 

[Skylumen]

Some asked how does the stock Catapult Mini VS the CATvn with W2.1 compared. Its a huge bump!

Stock CatapultVN Mini W1 6500K @2s 520L 130Kcd, 721m
CatVN Mini W2.1 5400K @2s: 1100L, 157Kcd, 793m

Thrunite CatVN Mini - Most Compact TIR Thrower R

Stock CatapultVN Mini W1 6500K @2s 520L 130Kcd, 721m CatVN Mini W2 5400K @2s: 1100L, 157Kcd, 793m Tight hot spot with bright corona with no spill Much performance gain over stock Best compact TIR thrower to date Handsome design Extremely small especially with built in USB-C charging MC13vn...

skylumen.com

 

[Skylumen]

I prefer a light like this over a smaller LEP. While its mostly hot spot with the TIR the included corona makes the light much more useful in most situations. Not sure if anyone else feels the same. According to sales on my store people tend to disagree since LEP sells so well.

 

[twistedraven]

Seems like it would be fun for the 10-20 seconds the host and battery are able to maintain that 1100 lumen output. At least small LEPs don't have any heat or voltage sag issues.

Looks like a fun light to impress people with for momentary bursts, but LEPs might be even more impressive?

 

[Skylumen]

Seems like it would be fun for the 10-20 seconds the host and battery are able to maintain that 1100 lumen output. At least small LEPs don't have any heat or voltage sag issues.

Looks like a fun light to impress people with for momentary bursts, but LEPs might be even more impressive?

That is nonsense

 

[twistedraven]

How long does the light sustain 1100 lumens?

 

[Skylumen]

I never test for runtimes on any lights but I can say from a user practical aspect the boosted CatVN with W2.1 hold "turbo" plenty long. I didnt notice much of a drop visually. No more heat issue than a LEP of the same size really.

LEP out put drop the instant its turned on too. Its just very intense so may be harder to realize. LEP VS TIR really comes down to beam preference. For me TIR are tight enough that is less distracting to others while having hot spot and corona are just more appreciated by me than just simply laser like hot spot only.

 

[twistedraven]

I was able to find some runtime graphs on 1lumen. Looks like stock Catapult Mini runs on highest output for around a minute then drops to 37% of its output. Angus did mention that it seems to be more of a hard stepdown and no temperature regulation though, as the light does not get hot during that 1 minute. Are you switching out the driver as well?

By comparison the Lumintop Thor 1 (similarly sized LEP) drops to 31% of its output around 5 minutes in.



I too prefer the beam of a TIR over LEP and even generally over reflectors, it's just a much smoother beam overall and no harsh transitions between hotspot to corona to edge of spill. However I can see why people buying these small pocket rockets (which let's be honest their most used for wowing others for a brief period of time) would gravitate towards an LEP because its hotspot is 2-3x more intense. This one is nearly a third the cost and twice the output though, so it's not a bad proposition at all....very tempting.

 

[OnlyownEnergizer250lumen]

Side by side beam shots or video of the GTAvn / MicroGT versus this CatapultVN Mini?

Wondering because the W2s have very similar specs, but the reflector lights above are more compact.

 

[Skylumen]

 

[Patriot]

I somehow completely missed this light and I think I was the one to mention it in the "Flashlights you'd like me to mod" tread. Don't I feel like the dummy. It looks like the grey ones are sold out too. Haha, my fault for not checking in more often.

 

[Skylumen]

I somehow completely missed this light and I think I was the one to mention it in the "Flashlights you'd like me to mod" tread. Don't I feel like the dummy. It looks like the grey ones are sold out too. Haha, my fault for not checking in more often.

I have a gray oen for sale ;-)
Email me

 

[BrightestBulb]

I have a gray oen for sale ;-)
Email me

I am interested if the OP isn't.

 

[Patriot]

Great! sending email

I have a gray oen for sale ;-)
Email me

Great! Sending email now.

Thanks Vinh.

 

[Patriot]

Order placed through Sky Lumen website, specified grey body. Thanks and looking forward to this little hot rod!

 

[Skylumen]

I am interested if the OP isn't.

I am interested if the OP isn't.

Sorry it was my last Gray.

 

[Patriot]

Seems like it would be fun for the 10-20 seconds the host and battery are able to maintain that 1100 lumen output. At least small LEPs don't have any heat or voltage sag issues.

Hey Raven, I ran a few quick tests and thought you'd be interested.

Mine starts a smooth step after just over 1 minute but a double click bumps it back up and restarts the timer, which will lasts an additional minute. Although I didn't do this more than 6 times, it looks like one could do this continuously until the voltage fell below a certain point. There's no thermal issues or thermal step down with the Mini and you can basically run it on turbo until the voltage won't support it.

I put a freshly charged, purple M11 Vapcell in the light and ran it for 90 seconds, 5 times, with a 90 second break in between. The resting voltage on that cell after a 10 minute rebound was 4.03v

The second test used a freshly charged, green 1400mAh Vapcell and did the same thing. 90 seconds, 5 times, 90 sec. break in between. The resting voltage on that cell after a 10 minute rest was 4.08.

In any case, it doesn't seem like a power hungry light but then, that's the case with all of my Skylumen, W2 powered lights. For comparison, the MC13vn, and KR1vn with SBT-90 drop in voltage relatively quickly.

Having fun with it and the beam is so perfect! Can't wait for it to get dark so I can go on my walk.

 

[twistedraven]

Not bad at all! Yeah, SBT90 lights get hot so fast and are so power hungry that I've stopped using them and am trying to sell my current ones off.

 

[Patriot]

I ran a few additional tests including one were I took a freshly charged M11 Purple Vapcell and just ran the light continuously. Whenever I caught it stepping down, I bumped it back up to turbo. There was no voltage at which it would not bump back up but eventually the cell dropped close to 3.0V and although double clicking still worked, all of the output levels were greatly reduced and the light would throttle back to a lower level as quickly as I could double click it to "turbo." After doing this for a bit I eventually got the cell a little below 3.0V (a beater cell) and quit trying.

The overall impression that I had was that the light just kept going, which was surprising with these smaller cells. In fact, there was so much run-time available, even while constantly bumping to Turbo, that I would consider this light eligible for a "survival ruck" "get-home bag" or distance carry, where one could benefit from a 3.85oz, compact, limited use spotter, as supplement to a primary headlamp. So maybe you've got a dedicated headlamp for foot or bicycle navigation over distance but want to be able to identify some eyes in the distance or a trail marker, or a structure of some type and perhaps you only need it for 10-20 seconds at a time, I think this light would work well in this role. In the heaviest use scenarios, you could always plug it into a battery bank when the light is at rest and I noticed that the light operates, while connected and charging through it's USB-C port.

I have yet to take it on a proper desert hike or overnight outing but I'm finding it both fun and useful after a couple nights of walking and bicycle riding while comparing it to other "Mini" throw options.