When you think of a list of the top things that can induce a smile, a "click" is probably nowhere to be found on the vast majority of most people's list. However, flashaholics are not most people and for a lot of us, an acquisition can either immediately be justified or regretted after that first click. Wondering which camp I fell into after trying out ThruNite's latest releases? Read on to find out.
MFG SPECS
PACKAGING
The TN10 & TN11 arrived encased in plastic shells in their respective cardboard boxes that didn't feature a cut-out window but rather a picture of the light:
Supplied with each light were:
- Holster
- Lanyard
- Removable SS clip
- 1pc. 2xCR123 anti-rattle battery sleeve
- 3 x o-ring's
- User manual
1 x extension tube (CR123 sized) is included with the TN11
DESIGN / FEATURES
Apart from perhaps the very end of the tail caps and the style of the bezels, the lights ThruNite offers do not really share design elements. Each line has their own unique look, however where the TN line differs in particular is that there is no knurling whatsoever anywhere on the lights. Instead, fluting (that have rather sharp edges!) features prominently on all 3 sections of each light (head, body, tailcap):
They could've dulled the edges by chamfering it but then it would've left the light completely bereft of any aid in gripping it when twisting any of the sections. However, given that the edges are so sharp, they act as scrapers and tend to collect material from whatever it comes in contact with, be that dead skin from calluses, lint from pockets, cloth gloves, etc. :sick2:
Overall, given the lack of texturing, it's a minimalistic design with just some cooling fins after the head and in the case of the TN11 an anti-roll ring (albeit not a very good one) just ahead of the fins starring as the primary design elements.
Nice and basic with nothing superfluous and I quite like it:
These lights share identical battery tubes and tailcaps (with the only differentiation being the respective model & serial # etching)
NEW 10/8: The only differentiation between the two lights actually is their integrated heads in which case the TN10 is standard sized at 1.38in (35mm) at the edge of the bezel vs. the turbo head of the TN11 @ 1.61in (41mm). Here is a pic of the heads swapped just to illustrate the point:
END 10/8The crenellated stainless steel bezels (which feature square-cut threads) were easily removed without any tools; each securing an AR coated lens:
The The LED's on each were perfectly centered as they are installed in a black plastic holder that inserts into ultra smooth reflectors (I had to really struggle to notice any ripples with my naked eye):
(L: TN10 | R: TN11)
I wonder why more manufacturers don't implement this type of centering method as I feel it leaves no room for error.
There is a spring at each end of the light,with the one in the tailend capped:
The shortest and longest 18650's in my collection were easily accomodated without any issues:
As you can see, there are square cut threads that are anodized thus allowing lock out via just over 1/8th of a turn of the tailcap.
Each light was supplied with an anti-rattle battery sleeve for use with 2 x 123 sized batteries:
It does its job very well as I was not able to induce any rattles whatsoever with it installed.
There is a removable tactial ring on each light that has an attachment point for the lanyard:
I managed to incur some nicks to the ano during my photo shoot. While the tailcaps feature openings, they're really not large enough to accomodate the hook for the lanyard, thus a mini "keychain" ring is also supplied:
The supplied holster is pretty nice and will allow the light to be used w/a single or dual extension tubes:
Given it was designed to fit both lights, there will be a slight gap with the TN10:
I had a heckuva time trying to get the SS clip on and failed miserably and incurring some nicks to the finish:
(kudos to infinus for succeeding)
SIZE
Owing to the turbohead, the TN11 is on the larger end of my 1x18650 lights whereas the TN10 runs midpack:
L to R: RediLast 3100 | Sunwayman T20C | XENO G10v2 | ThruNite TN10 | Fenix TK21 U2 | ThruNite TN11 | Dereelight DBS V2
In 3 x 123 configuration:
L to R: RediLast 3100 | ThruNite TN10 | ThruNite TN11 | Klarus XT20 | SureFire M3LT
And finally in 2x18650 configuration:
END NEW
FIT & FINISH
Over all fit and finish is excellent although straight from the factory, there are some minor quibbles I have, such as: residual dust around the fluting in which case some had very minute areas where the ano was missing:
There were also some minor particles on the reflector and on the TN11, a slightly spongy feel when twisting the head.
These items were easily sorted with a wipe down and touch up with a sharpie on the flutings, light careful blast of air on the reflector. As for the spongy feel, it turns out that the the TN11 had a thicker o-ring installed at the head and from the 3 spares supplied, one was thicker than the others. I have an inquiry to ThruNite re: this but once I swapped out the thicker o-ring w/the thinner one, it gave the head a nice crisp feel again. I'm sure the thicker o-ring offers slightly better water resistance but given I don't plan on using these lights in wet conditions I prefer the crisp feel which eases the programming of the loose mode tremendously.
The tailcap switch clicks authoratatively and the rubber boot provides just enough resilience which is just the way I like it as I hate mushy tailcaps.
UI
The UI is straightforward in that there are two modes depending on the state of the head; a fixed (tightened) and a preset (loosened). The fixed mode always comes on in max whereas the preset can be programmed as follows:
With head loosened and light on:
- tighten / loosen / tighten / loosen quickly in < 2 seconds to enter programming mode
- depending on whatever mode the program mode is currently set at, it'll come back to firefly mode
- next, it'll flash 3 times and after about two seconds or so, it'll enter ramping mode from 5%-89%
- then it'll flash twice and enter slow strobe and then fast strobe
At any point during programming simply tighten/loosen the head quickly (< .5 seconds) at the desired setting to memorize it and that will be the preset (loosened) mode until reporgrammed. The preset is retained through battery changes. If at any time, the light is shut off during programming mode, it'll default to the last programmed setting.
Given all the twisting of the head that's required, this is again why I went with the thinner o-ring.
RUNTIME
The relevant battery stats are provided above each runtime graph along with: - Voltage of the battery at the start and end of the test
- Current draw as taken right before the test
- Actual runtime (first in HR and then in M so in the case of the AW2600, read this as 2.1 Hrs OR 128 Min) until the light shut off for 2x18650 testing. For 1x18650 tests, it was total time until the output dropped below 50% of initial output that was measured 30 seconds after initiating the test.
- For testing on High (in which case a fan was used), temperature: ambient, the head at start and the max it reached
ThruNite supplied an additional extension tube so I could conduct runtime testing using 2 x 18650's in which case the stats are shown first.
TN10
Axis: X = Time in Min and Y = Relative Output
TN11
Axis: X = Time in Min and Y = Relative Output
ThruNite bases their runtime on the output after it drops below 50% (more agressive than ANSI). This is using one 2600mAh 18650 battery in which case I was able to best the claim (using an older AW2600 that has been through a bit of deep cycles) with the TN11 (1.3hrs vs. 1.2hrs) but just fell short w/the TN10 (1.3hrs vs. 1.5hrs). I may eventually get some RediLast 2600 batteries for testing in which case I'll post the numbers thereafter.
However, to put things into perspective, considering how hard these lights are driven, the > 1 hr runtime is a plus. :devil:
TINT & BEAM PROFILE
Overall the tint is on the greenish side but nothing too bad:
(L: TN10 | R: TN11)
Owing to the larger and deeper reflector, the TN11 has a more defined hotspot and can throw further whereas the TN10 is the floodier of the two (as can be seen in the beamshots sections).
INDOOR BEAMSHOTS
All shots on Canon S3 IS, ISO 80, f2.7 using WB that yields the closest to what my eyes see.
Left = 1/13" | Right = 1/80". Distance to door is 5m (16.4ft). Click on pics to load full size.
TN10 1x18650
TN10 2x18650
TN11 1x18650
TN11 2x18650
Please see indoor comparo beamshots vs. 21 other lights here.
OUTDOOR BEAMSHOTS
All shots on Canon S3 IS, ISO 80 @ f2.7 using Daylight WB but the tint is actually not as green as depicted here. Distance to the white wall is 21.3 ft (6.5m) and to the steps (at the forefront of the bottom of the pic is 12ft).
Shutter speeds: left = 1/4" | center = 1/20" | right = 1/80". Click on pics to load full size.
TN10
TN11
Please see outdoor comparo beamshots for TN10/TN11 (and 22 other lights) here.
NEW 10/11
LONG DISTANCE OUTDOOR BEAMSHOTS
As promised, here are the long distance outdoors shots. For full details and comparo vs. other lights, see here.
ThruNite TN10 (1x18650)
ThruNite TN11 (1x18650)
CONCLUSION
This is my first exposure to ThruNite lights and it left a very positive impression on me. Again, my only nitpick would be around the state of the lights as they came straight out of the factory. There's also that matter about the nicking I gave to the ano. I felt I was pretty careful with the lights so I'll report back on how the finish holds up in the long run but one thing I'll say for sure is that every time I give these guys a click, any concerns were all easily forgotten as I'm simply overwhelmed by the performance.
In short, a click (or two) and a smile and another two VERY BRIGHT companions guiding me through the night...
GALLERY
Disclosure: TN10 & TN11 were provided by ThruNite for review.
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