ThruNite TN30 Vs Sunwayman T60CS

Looking to add one more 2000 plus Lumens light to the collection. I already have a TM11 and a TN31, so I guess I am looking for something in between those two

Landshark99 said:

Looking to add one more 2000 plus Lumens light to the collection. I already have a TM11 and a TN31, so I guess I am looking for something in between those two

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Although I purchased the T60, I did scour CPF and the Taschenlampen.de forums for beamshot comparisons between those two. Frankly the T60 has a better beam profile than the TN30. I am not sure whether the additional lumens in the TN30 are useful.

If you don't care about beam patterns, then TN30 could be a good choice. Rotary ring control, six well-spaced brightness levels and it comes in neutral white too.

+1 TN30 newer light, better UI. Unless you'd like to consider a 3-XML thrower. (escapes me at the moment, i'll get back to you on this)

SWM better build quality, beam, UI.

I may be wrong but I thought the T60CS was slightly newer than TN30

Landshark99 said:

I may be wrong but I thought the T60CS was slightly newer than TN30

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I think the T60CS got announced later so it appeared to be the "newer" model.

But both came out this year so i will rephrase to "current" models offered by the manufacturers.

The T60CS has 34,100 Lux in throw. (imperceptible throw difference compared to Catapult V1!) TN30 is 49,300 lux. I find anything over 25-30K lux not needed in the real world unless you're using a scope/binoculars. 34,000 lux is a solid 250 meter light, with reasonable light to 300 meters IMHO. I Much prefer the wider beam of the T60. The beam appears to be better also. I doubt you'll notice the Lumen difference between T60CS/TN30 (2300 vs 2750) In fact....you'll have a hard time seeing the difference between "Turbo" and "High". Some people have asked if their light is defective because they can't see a change. The real measured change from Turbo to H is 2300/1900. I can see it, but you have to switch many times and study hard.
The T60CS is also a much handier size light. TN30 is 1.35" longer and has a .2" larger diameter grip. It's just too big in my opinion. T60CS is only about .4" longer than the TM11, but again has a smaller grip. 3 batts are enough. I also like the side switch much better than the combination ring and tailcap switch for TN30. I think the charging base is a plus on the T60CS. I don't want to remove/replace batts into those carriers all the time. Plus I don't want to buy a 4 lane charger, or charge the batteries in two seperate runs with a 2 lane charger. It is my first SWM and I am impressed. This is an awesome flashlight.

kengps said:

The T60CS has 34,100 Lux in throw. (imperceptible throw difference compared to Catapult V1!) TN30 is 49,300 lux. I find anything over 25-30K lux not needed in the real world unless you're using a scope/binoculars. 34,000 lux is a solid 250 meter light, with reasonable light to 300 meters IMHO. I Much prefer the wider beam of the T60. The beam appears to be better also. I doubt you'll notice the Lumen difference between T60CS/TN30 (2300 vs 2750) In fact....you'll have a hard time seeing the difference between "Turbo" and "High". Some people have asked if their light is defective because they can't see a change. The real measured change from Turbo to H is 2300/1900. I can see it, but you have to switch many times and study hard.
The T60CS is also a much handier size light. TN30 is 1.35" longer and has a .2" larger diameter grip. It's just too big in my opinion. T60CS is only about .4" longer than the TM11, but again has a smaller grip. 3 batts are enough. I also like the side switch much better than the combination ring and tailcap switch for TN30. I think the charging base is a plus on the T60CS. I don't want to remove/replace batts into those carriers all the time. Plus I don't want to buy a 4 lane charger, or charge the batteries in two seperate runs with a 2 lane charger. It is my first SWM and I am impressed. This is an awesome flashlight.

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+1 on all points save one - the charger base. How can you charge the T60 or V60 in the base w/o removing even a thin wrist lanyard? The single copy of the charging base that I tried had almost no clearance between the side and the light for a wrist lanyard.

Then remove the Lanyard. How long does it take to remove the lanyard clip? More than a second or two? I have no doubt it's still faster than removing the batteries/carrier for charging.

kengps said:

Then remove the Lanyard. How long does it take to remove the lanyard clip? More than a second or two? I have no doubt it's still faster than removing the batteries/carrier for charging.

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that action would be obvious if I was using a lanyard with a clip. The lanyard supplied with most lights is too long for my carry habits and I do not use them.... I routinely use a 6" wrist lanyard which has a small threaded loop similar to those on P&S cameras, etc. Why? Because I have a way of wrapping the wrist lanyard loop around my hand such that it is firmly held in my hand in case I lose my footing whereupon the light would otherwise be clattering on the rocks or concrete floor with the longer supplied lanyard. Also, if my hands are suddenly 'full', I can "drop" the light and it dangles not far from my wrist - which gives light reflected from the ground/floor yet the light is still w/in "reach". Ergo, my problem with the SWM charger is just that, my problem.

edit: Look at the Lighthound website for lanyards. it is the 6" wrist lanyard. LH has those in GITD and black, although the GITD effect is a bit weak.

Yes, I use those too. Personally I don't like metal clips scratching and rattling against the flashlight. But they still come off quickly enough. The Charger by SWM is made of plastic. I'm sure a little channel for the string loop could be made with a Dremel tool to suit you.

Good question Landshark99, since I've been interested in these two as well. I'm enjoying CPF as a newbie and have these two as well as a few others on my research list.

I'm amazed at how simplistic the charger appears. Just a small plastic looking thing. I guess I'm used to looking at hobby chargers, made with metal cases and lcd readouts. I guess it doesn't take much when you're only having to deal with a couple different settings and done so automatically?

Has Sunwayman released a plastic insert for the T60Cs charge port yet ?

No word on charger port plastic insert as far as I know.

What does everyone think about the T60CS regarding the different power levels, the spacing, usefulness, etc..?

What would you change about the T60CS?

carl said:

No word on charger port plastic insert as far as I know.

What does everyone think about the T60CS regarding the different power levels, the spacing, usefulness, etc..?

What would you change about the T60CS?

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I just got my T60CS yesterday, but so far I'm EXTREMELY Impressed. This is my 6th or 7th SWM, and they are all awesome. The power levels/spacing is good. I honestly expected a bigger difference between the 2100 lumen Turbo and the 1680 Lumen High, but I guess perceived brightness is more logarithmic and you can't notice 400 lumens that high up as easily as you can on a less powerful light. I feel the low is low enough for most tasks, and the spacing overall is decent. I wouldn't hesitate go go with the T60CS. Others mention the charger base having issues with a lanyard, but there are two easy fixes for that...either take a Dremel and notch out the charger base, or just don't use a lanyard...it has a holster which is useful, and honestly the light isn't so huge you can't carry it on a holster (mind, it's not an EDC).

I looked at both of these lights thoroughly as well as a few other 2000L lights, and decided on the TN30. My concern was with the T60's seemingly poor negative/positive terminal layout in the rear, which was repeatedly mentioned as a possibility of short circuit in reviews I read. The other issue I had with it was its side switch which, while recessed from about 270 degrees, isnt recessed/protected from the rear, so it seemed that it could be accidentally depressed inside whatever I was carrying it in(bag or pack) if it knocked up against something. That, and I already owned a T20CS, and decided to buy a light by another brand(trivial reason).

The TN30 is a decent light. As a 3-LED light, it doesnt have the perfectly round spill beam profile you'd expect from a 1-LED light, as its spill is kind of a 3-leaf clover shape with the 3 leaves combined together, but its hot spot is perfectly round, so they did a heck of a job lining up and aiming the 3 -LED's. Its switch is a bit odd in that its a rear clicky on a wide bodied light, but it works well. I actually like the control ring which requires you to use your other hand to twist if you want to change modes while actually shining the light on something, although personally I would prefer a one-handed operation. But is is bright, which is why I bought it and its beam is very wide, but still has decent throw all things considered.


The T60 has the capability of just being dropped into a charging dock, but I can remove the 3 18650's from my TN30 and slide them into my Li Ion smart charger in about 20 seconds, and I'd bet my charger will fully charge the batts faster than the charging dock for the T60, which costs extra by the way. Besides I dont use it all that often and dont want to store it with 4.2v charge all the time, so there's no positive reason for me to drop it into a charging dock on a regular basis, as I'd rather run the batts down to 1/2 charge or so before recharging them.

Another thing I really like about the TN-30, is its nice, hard carrying case that it fits perfectly inside of, completely surrounded by foam, so it protected from everything short of dynamite....

The T60 has a switch lock-out, so it's easy to prevent accidental activation. Un-lock is instant, but you do have to wait 7 seconds to lock it out.

moldyoldy said:

that action would be obvious if I was using a lanyard with a clip. The lanyard supplied with most lights is too long for my carry habits and I do not use them.... I routinely use a 6" wrist lanyard which has a small threaded loop similar to those on P&S cameras, etc. Why? Because I have a way of wrapping the wrist lanyard loop around my hand such that it is firmly held in my hand in case I lose my footing whereupon the light would otherwise be clattering on the rocks or concrete floor with the longer supplied lanyard. Also, if my hands are suddenly 'full', I can "drop" the light and it dangles not far from my wrist - which gives light reflected from the ground/floor yet the light is still w/in "reach". Ergo, my problem with the SWM charger is just that, my problem.

edit: Look at the Lighthound website for lanyards. it is the 6" wrist lanyard. LH has those in GITD and black, although the GITD effect is a bit weak.

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Well, if you look further into the Lighthound website, they carry GITD "paracord"(not really) that comes in 2 thicknesses. I bought about 15 feet of it in the thinner version and looked up a youtube tutorial on tying your own lanyards, so I mixed it with paracord of the same thickness(450 test) but different color, made several square tied lanyards and that stuff is BRIGHT! It 'charges' quickly too. You can shine a 3L light on it for several seconds and it will be partially charged already. If you leave it near a lamp for a while it will be very bright and it will glow for at least 4 hours at above 50% max brightness, then gradually dim slowly.

Obsessed said:

I just got my T60CS yesterday, but so far I'm EXTREMELY Impressed. This is my 6th or 7th SWM, and they are all awesome. The power levels/spacing is good. I honestly expected a bigger difference between the 2100 lumen Turbo and the 1680 Lumen High, but I guess perceived brightness is more logarithmic and you can't notice 400 lumens that high up as easily as you can on a less powerful light. I feel the low is low enough for most tasks, and the spacing overall is decent. I wouldn't hesitate go go with the T60CS. Others mention the charger base having issues with a lanyard, but there are two easy fixes for that...either take a Dremel and notch out the charger base, or just don't use a lanyard...it has a holster which is useful, and honestly the light isn't so huge you can't carry it on a holster (mind, it's not an EDC).

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Thanks for giving me another reason to part with $200!

Carl, you'll love the T60cs.