Thrunite TN12 vs TN11 (help please!)

[anedae]

Hey there guys, I am seriously looking at these two lights and I would love some help deciding which to get since I can only afford one at the moment.

TN12 - I am getting conflicting reports on the reflector this has... when it was released in 2011, it had orange peel and the throw was reduced. Now I am reading other places more recent (2012) that it has a smooth reflector. Can anyone confirm with a recent purchase whether it is smooth or OP? I want smooth for the better throw.

TN11 - the only thing I dislike about this light (on paper) is that the head is a lot bigger. I love the compact design of the TN12 but I was really looking hard at it anyway because I love the adjustable user setting. The 12 has a huge jump of 600 lumens from medium to high and I wanted something more in the middleish when I wanted it.

Basically, I'm looking for an EDC I can stick on my belt with good enough throw that will light up my huge yard (and the trees).

Any advice on what might suit me better? Any questions to help clarify what I need?

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[GordoJones88]

Have you seen Selfbuilt's review for the TN11 and TN12.

There is also a new Eagletac TX25C2 and Nitecore EC25.

They are both actually 850 ANSI lumens and around 13,000 lux.

 

[anedae]

Yeah, I have read both reviews but selfbuilts review was in 2011 when it came out, but I have found people saying (in the last 6 months) that it is smooth. The pictures on the ebay listing for the tn12 looks smooth to me too.

There is a lot I like about both the thrunites. I'll check into the other couple you posted too though

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[anedae]

It looks like the eagletac is out of my price range and the nitecore isn't so much to my liking. I want a tail forward clicky. Thanks for the options though!

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[anedae]

I sent an eBay message to thrunite_store... waiting to hear back. I am still having a hard time deciding. The TN11 looks great except its bulkier than I would prefer, and I love the size of the TN12 but I don't want OP reflector and I would miss the adjustable brightness. Sucks I can't buy both.

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[BobK]

My TN12 was purchased only a few months ago and is a smooth reflector. It throws quite well. As far as your specific needs/wants are, I cannot really guide you, but to say that I am more than pleased with my TN12. The firefly has it's limited usefulness, along with the 30 lumen setting, they are both quite useful for closer indoor uses. The 100 lumen setting is really bright indoors, almost too bright to be of much use other than at some distance, and outdoors it is still brighter than most folks could ever dream of. While the max setting is blinding indoors, and outside it is very impressive. It easily lights up distances that start to involve such small objects (relative) that any further would almost require optical assistance to discern much detail anyway. However, if you are trying to figure out just which cow you are seeing across a large field, then perhaps the TN11 would be a better choice. I personally carried the TN12 in my jacket pocket for quite some time, and only recently started to carry a Rofis JR10 due the the twisty head and it's ability to serve as a clip on type of light for roadside emergency repairs. Otherwise I would still have the TN12 in the pocket.

 

[cjmorris]

I recently purchased a tn11 from a ad I found on cpf. The price was great, the quality of the light is great. I do prefer a little smaller head but its not bad. The UI is terrible it's very hard to program. I like the light a lot for the money but my next light Will either be a jetbeam or eagletac.

 

[Poppy]

I also just bought (Jan 2013) a TN11 although I don't have a TN12 to compare to; I think I would be happier with the TN12, especially if I wanted it for every day carry.

At this point I am still a noobe and don't have much experience with flashlights that cost more than $20. The twisty UI is new to me, and I am not too fond of it, in part because it takes two hands to operate. If I were to buy another TN11, I'd probably get the TN11-S (it has the side switch for mode operation). It can be operated single handedly.

I have the TN30, and I LOVE it. Being so impressed by the construction of it, I was biased in deciding on my next purchase, which was the TN11. There are a couple of things that I don't like about the TN11. Some of these dislikes will carry over to a number of other lights, and brands.

Primarily I don't like the UI that requires two hands to change mode. I do like that it has a high mode (tighten the head all the way) and a memorized second mode accessed by loosening the head a little bit. The second mode must be programmed and can be set anywhere between firefly, and 5-85% intensity. I had to watch selfbuilt's video to learn how to program the second mode. Once you've done it, it isn't hard, but I'm not crazy about it. I guess I would like a high and low mode and a programmable mid mode.

If you look at selfbuilt's review (linked to above) you'll see that there are a number of longitudinal cuts in the head, body and tail cap of the TN11. The head on mine is smooth (that's an improvement). The edges of the cuts in the body and tail-cap are sharp. I wouldn't be at all surprised that a thin skinned person could cut himself or take a sliver of skin off.

I don't like the star ring (anti roll) that is just in front of the tail-cap. It hangs in my pocket when trying to put the flashlight into action, and the light fits more smoothly into the holster without it. I removed it. Now with it removed, if one was to lie the light on it's side on a smoothe but inclined surface, the light will roll, unless the angle is slight. There are five flat spots on the ring that is integral to the head. IMO this was not well thought out. Regardless of whether or not the anti-roll ring is installed, the flashlight does not rest on any of the flat spots integral to the head. If you remove the anti-roll ring, the light still rests on the smooth rounded surface of the head. If you roll the light gently, and are on a relatively flat surface, each of the corners may protrude enough to keep the light from rolling. If the flat spots protruded an additional 0.025 inch or 0.635 mm that would make a significant improvement.

Looking at selfbuilt's reviews of the TN12 and TN11, it seems to me that the TN11 throws a little farther, but in real life it may not be significant enough to be a huge consideration. For the more compactness of the head and smoothness of design, I think I would go with the TN12 for a edc light. I guess it depends upon WHY you carry a flashlight, and what your specific needs are.

I bought my TN11 primarily to be a backup to my TN30 for search and rescue. It uses the same 18650 battery and compared to the TN12 has a few more lumins, and throw, and can run at high a little longer before it steps down. I'll carry extra batteries.