Thrunite TN4A (XP-L V6, 4xAA) review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and more!

[carnage]

I have 3 NW Thrunites. My Ti3 is the most green of the bunch, and the TN4A is the least. The TN4A actually has some purple slightly noticeable on the highest settings when illuminating a white surface.

I would say all the NW Thrunites I have seen have some green to them. Not sure about the CW version.

I have the CW version. There great lights but the tint could be better.
Does the Thrunite code works at there Amazon store?

 

[sbslider]

I have the CW version. There great lights but the tint could be better.
Does the Thrunite code works at there Amazon store?

I tried it on Monday in the amazon store and it did not work. I have not tried again. I did get free shipping from the thrunite store on my Tn4A. Looks like it still give free shipping even with the 20% discount on the TN4A.

 

[carnage]

I tried it on Monday in the amazon store and it did not work. I have not tried again. I did get free shipping from the thrunite store on my Tn4A. Looks like it still give free shipping even with the 20% discount on the TN4A.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[UncleFester]

I just lost my first TN4A. It actually was my favorite light and bulieve me I have a BUNCH. I intend to replace it with a new one. IF I had a "complaint" about the light is that it had an orange peel reflector. The Thrunite site shows the new ones with a smooth reflector. Can anyone tell me for sure the new ones have a smooth reflector??????

 

[sbslider]

I just lost my first TN4A. It actually was my favorite light and bulieve me I have a BUNCH. I intend to replace it with a new one. IF I had a "complaint" about the light is that it had an orange peel reflector. The Thrunite site shows the new ones with a smooth reflector. Can anyone tell me for sure the new ones have a smooth reflector??????

I believe that there are two versions of the TN4A. this one is the one I have, and has an orange peel reflector.

The TN4A-HI has the smooth reflector. The pictures on the website show both with smooth reflectors. The description for the HI version says "smooth peel" reflector, whatever that is.

Anyway, if you go for the HI you will get a smooth reflector. I researched this light a fair amount to get that detail answered, as I wanted the orange peel version for my use.

Too bad you did not loose it a month ago, as Thurnite just had a 20% off sale, including the TN4A.

 

[UncleFester]

Hmm I'm still a little confused the TN4 (XPL) shows 1150 lumens even in NW.
The TN4 XPL hi shows 1050 lumens. Both appear to have smooth reflector
Edit: I believe "smooth peel" is translation issue. If the textured one is "orange" peel the smooth one must be "smooth' peel. with "peel' being the finish.

 

[sbslider]

not sure what else to say. read this review and search for smooth. The reviewer definitely says the HI version has a smooth reflector. My non-HI version (like your old one) definitely has orange peel. The Thrunite site is not the best in terms of pictures and descriptions, but the lights they make are nice. Hope you try it, I am sure you will like it.

 

[UncleFester]

I'm gonna pull the trigger on the HI. Even if it actually is 100 lums lower, no one (even me) would see the difference. I've always wondered what my light would have been like with a smooth reflector. Guess I'm gonna find out. Too bad about the discount.That's a helluva light for 30 something bucks.

 

[sbslider]

This is a pretty good review that compares the two versions.

 

[UncleFester]

Thanks. Well I did place the order. Why isn't it here yet? LOL
Here is another review with them side by side outside in actual use. It's sure looking like I'm gonna like the new light but will miss the old one......

 

[sbslider]

Yes, that one is much better than the one I linked to. Right at 3 minutes is when you see the smooth vs orange peel.

Could always pick up the TN4A next time they offer 20% off . . . :thumbsup:

 

[UncleFester]

There's a thought.. Still a lotta flashlight for 50 bucks. AND it runs on AAs.

 

[sbslider]

I spent some time checking out my light again last night, it is fantastic. Too bad I am generally sleeping in the dark, so my opportunities to use it are limited. That will change as we move toward fall . .

The only thing I would like to see improved is the electrical connection from the cell holder to the driver. If this is not very good, then on high and turbo mode the added resistance of a less than perfect connection can drain the batteries much quicker than they should. Has anyone found a simple way to improve this connection?

Well I found one source of poor connection today. One of the four cell holder springs collapsed. I saw pictures of something similar around page 10 of this thread. Contacted Thrunite, I expect they will send me a replacement before long.

 

[sbslider]

I finally got a chance to characterize my light today. I like to see how much current and power my lights draw from a "perfect" power source. That is, a regulated laboratory power supply with a current read out that tells me the current draw. I was able to learn a bit more about how the low battery indicator works, where it cuts in, etc. The most interesting thing I found is that the light gets more efficient (less current draw) as the input voltage drops. So as batteries are depleted, the light gets more efficient. The battery current still goes up, but the total power drawn from the batteries decreases as compared to higher input voltages. The other interesting thing I learned is that in turbo mode, for voltages less than 1.1V/cell (4.4V stack), the light starts to step down in output. I could not notice it with my eyes, but I could see the current going into the light drop significantly, like 0.5A. And once this occurs, even if your battery recovers (not likely) the output stays reduced until you disconnect power from the driver. This happens even before the low battery indicator is illuminated. That happens all the way down at 3.7V, at which point you likely don't want to be using rechargeables anymore, so get out of turbo mode, and likely high mode also. Of course if you chose alkalines, then who cares about killing the batteries . . .

On all levels the low battery indicator turns red at 3.7V or lower, so the batteries are definitely low at that point. As someone mentioned to me in another thread, if you really want to use this light on turbo for longer duration, the lithium primaries are really the best bet. Too bad they are so $$$ for recurring use.

 

[CelticCross74]

yes! The TN4A thread will never die!! Just read though this page of posts. The XPL NW emitter in the non HI variant is the XP-L HD version actually has the traditional protective dome over the emitter and is indeed driven to 1150 lumens. The XP-L HI emitter has different characteristics electronically as the emitters purpose is throw. Visually some may say the NW HI version is brighter than the XP-L HD NW because of the deep smooth reflector making the most out of the emitters non dome covered emitter(it has a flat square protective wafer on top of it instead)which concentrates the lights output into the hot spot. This makes it seem brighter but break out the testing equipment and the HI is indeed 100 lumens down at max vs the XP-L HD NW. Yes all non HI TN4A's come with an orange peel reflector. "Smooth peel" is just bad English by TN's web designers. These lights are still one of the greatest values ever. Oh? What is that? TN is selling them even cheaper now? Freaking incredible! Yes you get the best performance out of any of the TN4A's with Energizer L91 Ultimate Lithium AA's. The L91 AA cell is a 3000mah cell possibly a bit more. Manage to score some super fresh L91's and they come out of the package up to 1.8 volts. L91's are amazing cells. They handle the cold better than any other AA cell type as well. But...indeed they are expensive. Whenever I buy L91's I buy them in bulk and email whichever retailer I am dealing with to make sure they are the freshest batch possible which I believe is currently the L91's with an expiration date of 2037 on them...second best is the Eneloop Pro. Anything less than those two AA cell types will not drive the TN4A to advertised run times or power output. This is noted on their website.

 

[sbslider]

Glad you chimed in here, your enthusiasm over the years is a big part of why I own the TN4A. I agree, AA lithium in it would be the best for sure, would be interested in trying some.

 

[selfbuilt]

yes! The TN4A thread will never die!!

Glad to see the thread has some life in it still - thanks your ongoing enthusiasm for the model. It's a good light.

 

[aginthelaw]

I had some batteries to kill and have been using this for the past week. Batteries are still going strong. IKEA alkalines from my son's Xbox remote, but I still can use them

 

[sbslider]

I had some batteries to kill and have been using this for the past week. Batteries are still going strong. IKEA alkalines from my son's Xbox remote, but I still can use them

The light will operate with the low battery indicator blue down below 1V/cell. On low or medium mode alkaline batteries can provide the current for awhile. I would guess if the batteries are near used up in second or two on high mode the light would go red. At 1V/cell, the current from the battery is about 0.2A on medium, and about 1.1A on high. It will run forever in low mode, needing only 0.03A there.

 

[Hugh Johnson]

CelticCross was also the inspiration for my TN4A.
I'm new to this and bought 4 lights. The TN4A Hi is probably my least needed light, as my other lights already do everything I need. However, it's still my favourite. Glad I got it. Use it every chance I get.