Gary123
Enlightened
Just got it from Liotec. Quick delivery. John was very helpful. This light sports 3 Q5's and is die rated at 780 lumens. Actual output is probably well over 600. The three 18650 (Storm) version of this light was reviewed at light-reviews.com. The Thunder takes 2 x 18650's. I got the 2 x 18650 because I heard that the Storm was a bit of a handful, diameter and weight, if you were to carry it around for a while. The Thunder is a nice size, about an inch longer than a 2 x D light, but with a slender body.
Interface is very simple: It always turns on @ high. If you don't want high, then pump the forward clicky 'till you get to what you want, and click.
The bottom line on this light is that it is enormously bright. It is not really a thrower (my 1st gen MRV out throws it). But it does output a huge amount of light into the area of its beam: Its like having a beam of daylight out to 80 yards, though you could probably spot a person at 100 yards.
Beam pattern is fairly standard: nearly identical to the CH1L but with a clearly larger spillbeam. It is noteworthy that this light makes a nice walking light (in medium or low).
The three constant output levels are a nice mix. Medium is like the high on most popular 2 x 123's that use a premium SSC's or pre Q5 Cree. Medium is noticeably brighter than high on both my Huntlight FT-01XSE cree and P1D-CE (130 lumens each), but not as bright as the medium on my CH1L V3 3SD Q5. Low is fairly low - it was fine for going through cupboards in the dark.
The output on high, however, is quite something else. Like a CL1H on steroids. The amount of light on a target at 50 yards from the CL1H is the same as what the Thunder puts on a target at 70 yards on high. But the Thunder is not designed as a thrower, even though it puts out a good amount of light on a target even at 80 yards. The spot on the Thunder is six times the size of the MRV's spot (with a similar sized spill beam). The Thunder was also like turning on daylight within 80 yards. I've never seen that in a handheld. The CL1H was bright in its beam pattern, but for the same beam pattern, the Thunder simply provided daylight.
So, I still want to get one of the latest throwers as the Thunder doesn't compete with these. And if I go for a walk in the dark the CL1H is a great choice, as is any number of other lights I have. But the Thunder is in a unique category. Its funny, but I just don't know when I would use this thing. Most of my lights can be used frequently, but the screaming output on high on this thing, I just don't know. I'll have to take some more walks at night and go through the nearby forrest and see what I think. It is probably well suited for tactical use, and the strobe on this thing is absolutely piercing. It gave me an instant headache.
Interface is very simple: It always turns on @ high. If you don't want high, then pump the forward clicky 'till you get to what you want, and click.
The bottom line on this light is that it is enormously bright. It is not really a thrower (my 1st gen MRV out throws it). But it does output a huge amount of light into the area of its beam: Its like having a beam of daylight out to 80 yards, though you could probably spot a person at 100 yards.
Beam pattern is fairly standard: nearly identical to the CH1L but with a clearly larger spillbeam. It is noteworthy that this light makes a nice walking light (in medium or low).
The three constant output levels are a nice mix. Medium is like the high on most popular 2 x 123's that use a premium SSC's or pre Q5 Cree. Medium is noticeably brighter than high on both my Huntlight FT-01XSE cree and P1D-CE (130 lumens each), but not as bright as the medium on my CH1L V3 3SD Q5. Low is fairly low - it was fine for going through cupboards in the dark.
The output on high, however, is quite something else. Like a CL1H on steroids. The amount of light on a target at 50 yards from the CL1H is the same as what the Thunder puts on a target at 70 yards on high. But the Thunder is not designed as a thrower, even though it puts out a good amount of light on a target even at 80 yards. The spot on the Thunder is six times the size of the MRV's spot (with a similar sized spill beam). The Thunder was also like turning on daylight within 80 yards. I've never seen that in a handheld. The CL1H was bright in its beam pattern, but for the same beam pattern, the Thunder simply provided daylight.
So, I still want to get one of the latest throwers as the Thunder doesn't compete with these. And if I go for a walk in the dark the CL1H is a great choice, as is any number of other lights I have. But the Thunder is in a unique category. Its funny, but I just don't know when I would use this thing. Most of my lights can be used frequently, but the screaming output on high on this thing, I just don't know. I'll have to take some more walks at night and go through the nearby forrest and see what I think. It is probably well suited for tactical use, and the strobe on this thing is absolutely piercing. It gave me an instant headache.
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