Thrunite TN36 (3xMK-R, 4x18650) review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and more!

[markr6]

Yes, the box had Amazon's logo on it. When the item was shipped, in the email they sent me it said: "fulfillment by Amazon".

OK that's what I thought. I would give them a call and see who should/might cover the loss. Or at least get their take on that whole issue.

 

[davpet]

OK that's what I thought. I would give them a call and see who should/might cover the loss. Or at least get their take on that whole issue.

Thanks, I will definitely contact them as well.

 

[markr6]

I'm glad you tested some high drain cells as well. I figured I would have to buy some 10A+, but the good old panasonics seem fine.

 

[davpet]

I got a message back from ThruNite that Amazon will take responsibility for the loss of the package. They promised me to send a new bundle.. can't wait.

 

[UnderPar]

I got a message back from ThruNite that Amazon will take responsibility for the loss of the package. They promised me to send a new bundle.. can't wait.

That's a good news. You need more patience again while waiting for the delivery....

 

[Impossible lumens]

Thank you Selfbuilt for your contribution:twothumbs.
I received my order for the TN36 NW today. Got light? So I dropped 4x Samsung ICR18650 26C into the holder, tightened it back down and am quite satisfied with the performance. It is ever so slightly smaller than the Skyray King, tin can style light I have which is rather small for a "big" light. The build quality far supersedes the Skyray King, both by specification and actual result. The TN36 has an understated and classy look to it, yet in no way cheap. Love the UI of this light. Everything is directly accessible from the off state and it is extremely easy to remember how to get to the various modes. I have medium sized hands and the light is very comfortable to hold.
I also have the older TN30 NW by Thrunite which has a much warmer tint. It is 3X XM-L2 us 3300 lumens. The TN30 is very "firelighty" (warm side of neutral), and extremely pleasant when it comes to tint, but possibly a touch impractically warm when it comes to functioning as a flashlight. It would be perfect for indoor mood lighting, lol. The new TN36 NW is, as previously stated, a touch green and definitely cooler than the older TN30 NW, at least for the one I got. Definitely not indoor mood lighting, but, likely of little consequence for outdoor use and not in any unpleasant range. It's sooooo bright. When held straight out and angled slightly upward the spill comes down nearly to my feet and I could easily see if anything were, by chance, crawling around down there. I ordered from HKE and it took almost two weeks to arrive to California from Hong Kong. Came with machined lanyard attachment and lanyard in addition to the before mentioned accessories. I emailed HKE after seeing that they accept best offers on there Ebay listing, came to an arrangement, and the flashlight arrived in perfect condition.

 

[davpet]

At last, my neutral white TN36 bundle arrived this week!

Some impressions, thoughts: I like it very much, I find the build quality to be really nice, the battery carrier is well designed, and the nw tint is also pretty good. I also like it that the electronics let the light run on very high output, without switching to a lower level after a few seconds. Of course, I think thermal regulation is a must in lights of this category, and price range.

Ok, some of the "negatives": when loaded with 4 batteries, it is heavy, not really pocketable; with the addition of the lanyard attachment point, the light became a bit longer (when comparing it to the Zebralight S6330, I just can't figure it out, how they made it that much shorter, while both of them use same length 18650s and the reflector depth is also similar); the modes are a bit simple - while it's not bad, there is nothing fancy, like customizable brightness levels, sos, etc.; a good beacon mode would have been much better than strobe; the blue light on the switch should also operate as a beacon when the light is switched off - activated by a hidden button combination, for those that don't like it; the switch is not recessed enough to avoid accidental activation, like on the Zebralights, or protected, like on the Lupines (double click to turn on); the spot is darker in the middle, not perfectly uniform, but that's only noticeable when shining the light on a white surface; no battery level check, voltage readout or that kind of stuff.

Interesting stuff: when examining the four parts of each emitter on the lowest light level, two of them are yellowish, and two are purple-blueish.

To sum it up, I like the light very much and have no doubt that it is a very well engineered high-tech piece. But it's a bit too simple for those who want some of the above mentioned extra features.

 

[jsrobbins]

Re: Thrunite TN36 Actual body temperatures with various light levels and durations

Has anyone actually measured the body temperature of the TN36 when run on Turbo, Hi, etc at various durations. Descriptions of "it's too hot to comfortably hold" are not especially useful. Just wondering as I am considering this light and temperature info would be very useful. Thanks, jsrobbins

 

[Jay R]

Re: Thrunite TN36 Actual body temperatures with various light levels and durations

Not measured but the instructions say that it steps down the power at 80c so I guess that is the maximum temperature it hits.

 

[drummer132132]

Re: Thrunite TN36 Actual body temperatures with various light levels and durations

Has anyone actually measured the body temperature of the TN36 when run on Turbo, Hi, etc at various durations. Descriptions of "it's too hot to comfortably hold" are not especially useful. Just wondering as I am considering this light and temperature info would be very useful. Thanks, jsrobbins

I just recently bought a Seek Thermal camera for my phone and I plan on using it to measure the temperature of various lights including my TN36vn NW version. Granted its not a stock light so heat will probably be different but it might give someone a perspective on potential temperature of a stock light.

 

[davpet]

Re: Thrunite TN36 Actual body temperatures with various light levels and durations

I think one of the biggest advantage of MK-R leds, compared to XM-L2s is that MK-Rs run cooler at similar light output levels. I can have my TN36 run on the cc 2200 lumen high mode as long as I want, and it only gets warm. In comparison all my lights that use XM-L2s need to step down when run at similar levels, in order to avoid overheating. I am surprised that manufacturers haven't started using MK-Rs in more lights. I think it would make it possible to run a relatively tiny light constantly on 2000+ lumens, without heat being an issue - the only limiting factor would be battery capacity.

 

[markr6]

Re: Thrunite TN36 Actual body temperatures with various light levels and durations

I was going to measure the temp but I accidentally knocked it off the table and it melted a hole straight down to the Earth's core. Darn! I'm out $200

 

[Ubec]

Among the above-mentioned comments to Selfbuilt's review of the Thrunite TN36 I found this statement: ............."and has a better (easier to use) UI".

Can someone please tell a newbie like me what "UI" means?

Thanks in advance!

 

[richbuff]

"UI" is not in the Acronym sticky, so I googled it: https://www.google.com/search?q=flashlight+UI

Flashlight user interface is what happens when the buttons get clicked in certain fashion. For example, scroll down in this link to see the various M43 user interfaces: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0WEb-DpmrKXZ3FYLTFibnYxa1U/view?pli=1

 

[Ubec]

Hi richbuff,

Thanks for the infomation. Now I know what UI means.

Well, learning never stops.

Kind regards!

 

[peterharvey73]

Does anyone know if the new updated Thrunite TN36 UT with 3x Cree XPH 70 bin emitters for 7,300 lumens require an 18650 with a particularly fast discharge rate like a Keeppower 18650 3400 mAH?
Or will a Soshine 18650 3400 mAH [also based on a Panasonic cell] be okay with average discharge rates?
The Soshines are cheaper than the Keeppowers.

 

[ven]

The KP and soshine will both be pany B inside being 3400mah so will perform similar. IMHO i dont think the best cell for this light, would look at the 10a 3500 cells by LG or Sanyo as 2 examples. The pany B could struggle to sustain turbo once the V drops a bit..........

 

[ven]

Also if you know your cells, look at samsung 30Q, these are well priced and another good option and come in cheaper than the 10a 3500's.

 

[peterharvey73]

Thanks Ven.
I haven't been back to this forum for about four years.
I've gone from TM06 @ 3800 lumens to TM06s @ 4000 lumens, and now the TN36 UT @ 7300 lumens.
Then from Olight NCR18650B 3600 mAH to Soshine & Keeppower 3400 mAH for value, and now to Panasonic/Sanyo NCR18650GA IMR 3500 mAH for 10 Amp hi drain.
Probably a versatile but slow Nitecore D4 charger to finish off...

 

[peterharvey73]

That this thread is 4 pages long speaks volumes about the TN36.

Back in the old days, the first and old Nitecore TM11 got to 28 pages today.