This should give the Thrunite TN31 a run for its money

Overclocker

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sbflashlights just outed their K40 model under their L3 branding. plenty of similarities with the Thrunite TN31: magnetic control ring. same number of detents. same output levels on each detent. same functions on each detent. same maximum lumen output. same battery config.

just don't know if it matches TN31's throw

also doesn't seem to have a SS bezel

very interesting light...
 

ZRXBILL

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I find it a little odd that all lumen settings and runtimes listed are exactly the same as the TN31.
 

twl

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It's probably from the same factory that makes the TN31, and they are just private labeling it for another company.

I don't know why people find this so hard to accept.
Most of these "American" sounding companies are nothing more than US marketing outlets for a few major Chinese flashlight makers that make the stuff for almost everybody. I find the notion that these companies are all independent manufacturers to be a bit naive.
The "American" companies order Chinese lights in bulk, make some spec selections for performance and appearance, have their brand name silkscreened on the side, and they are made in probably the very same factory as their competitors' lights.
 
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ZRXBILL

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It's probably from the same factory that makes the TN31, and they are just private labeling it for another company.

I don't know why people find this so hard to accept.
Most of these "American" sounding companies are nothing more than US marketing outlets for a few major Chinese flashlight makers that make the stuff for almost everybody. I find the notion that these companies are all independent manufacturers to be a bit naive.
The "American" companies order Chinese lights in bulk, make some spec selections for performance and appearance, have their brand name silkscreened on the side, and they are made in probably the very same factory as their competitors' lights.

I love that. Getting a TN31 for $100 less is a great deal.:D
 

Overclocker

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It's probably from the same factory that makes the TN31, and they are just private labeling it for another company.

I don't know why people find this so hard to accept.
Most of these "American" sounding companies are nothing more than US marketing outlets for a few major Chinese flashlight makers that make the stuff for almost everybody. I find the notion that these companies are all independent manufacturers to be a bit naive.
The "American" companies order Chinese lights in bulk, make some spec selections for performance and appearance, have their brand name silkscreened on the side, and they are made in probably the very same factory as their competitors' lights.


nope not the same factory, internal details seem to be different

more likely scenario is IP leak to another company :( which is the norm in china
 

Joe Talmadge

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nope not the same factory, internal details seem to be different

more likely scenario is IP leak to another company :( which is the norm in china

And that, I hope, is always something that we'll always find "hard to accept". Like the blatant ripoff of the Spy, etc. Fine if TN's IP is really owned by someone else and that someone else is using it to build a different light; not fine if another company just stole it
 

HighlanderNorth

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It looks so similar to the TN31, it just has some slight outside differences, but it looks to be made by the same company. All the modes are the same too! Its got the same UI. I just went to SBflashlights site recently, and the TN31 was on page 1, but now it says they dont carry it anymore! Thats also coincidental.

If its got the same UI, same LED, and a similar body and is selling for $100 less, then apparently the TN31 is way overpriced, as are many of these Chinese lights we buy! If they can make and sell that thing at a profit for $119, then the Chinese companies must be making lots of money on most lights that they charge much more for! Next they will start selling a TN-30, after I paid $216 for mine a few months ago, and they will sell it for $130 or so. I will be upset.
 

jake25

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Before this gets too crazy I want to point out that I never carried the TN31 or TN30

Also I would say that the K40 to TN31 is like Spark to Zebralight and not like Niteeye to Spy007. Very similar but no theft
 

HighlanderNorth

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It's probably from the same factory that makes the TN31, and they are just private labeling it for another company.

I don't know why people find this so hard to accept.
Most of these "American" sounding companies are nothing more than US marketing outlets for a few major Chinese flashlight makers that make the stuff for almost everybody. I find the notion that these companies are all independent manufacturers to be a bit naive.
The "American" companies order Chinese lights in bulk, make some spec selections for performance and appearance, have their brand name silkscreened on the side, and they are made in probably the very same factory as their competitors' lights.


I dont know that most people here find it hard to accept, and thats certainly true in a few cases, but how many lights do you see that look just like any of the Fenix or Zebralight products out there with different brand names on them? Besides, I think most of the Chinese companies are just that, Chinese companies, not US companies selling products mass produced by just a few big shops. If that were the case, there would be more similarities than there are.

The only 2 that I can think of off hand that are supposedly designed in America and built in China with some American parts is Eagletac and Zebralight. Most others are Chinese companies through and through.
 

twl

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I dont know that most people here find it hard to accept, and thats certainly true in a few cases, but how many lights do you see that look just like any of the Fenix or Zebralight products out there with different brand names on them? Besides, I think most of the Chinese companies are just that, Chinese companies, not US companies selling products mass produced by just a few big shops. If that were the case, there would be more similarities than there are.

The only 2 that I can think of off hand that are supposedly designed in America and built in China with some American parts is Eagletac and Zebralight. Most others are Chinese companies through and through.

I agree that it's not EVERY single brand.

An easy example is that the popular ITP A1/A2/A3 line was also seen with styling differences as the Maratac line, and then again with some styling differences as the Olight line, and then some more styling differences as the 4-Sevens Mini line, and in titanium as the "Illumina-ti" line. Who knows how many others?

The 4-Sevens Preon Revo was discontinued after a clone with styling variations showed up from Klarus.
Another 4-Sevens "dual head design" never made it to market after Klarus introduced a version of that design, and it raised a big dust-up here on this forum about a year or so ago.

It has been obvious for quite some time that Jetbeam and Nitecore and some other smaller brands were all variations on the same themes. And then it came out that they were the same company.

Spark and Zebralight are obviously using the same housings, and who knows how much else is the same? About a year or so ago, Klarus had a line of lights that were obviously in Zebralight housings too, and had similar specs. Then, they got a new line that looked alot like Nitecore and Jetbeam.

Etc, etc.

If you go to CnQualitygoods website, you can see a lot of stuff like this. Various versions of similar lights with different names appear and disappear, looking a lot like these other lights that we recognize.
 
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tatasal

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The K40 is shorter in length and has smaller bezel. If it can duplicate the TN31's throw, that can be a feat in itself.
 

HighlanderNorth

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I agree that it's not EVERY single brand.

An easy example is that the popular ITP A1/A2/A3 line was also seen with styling differences as the Maratac line, and then again with some styling differences as the Olight line, and then some more styling differences as the 4-Sevens Mini line, and in titanium as the "Illumina-ti" line. Who knows how many others?

The 4-Sevens Preon Revo was discontinued after a clone with styling variations showed up from Klarus.
Another 4-Sevens "dual head design" never made it to market after Klarus introduced a version of that design, and it raised a big dust-up here on this forum about a year or so ago.

It has been obvious for quite some time that Jetbeam and Nitecore and some other smaller brands were all variations on the same themes. And then it came out that they were the same company.

Spark and Zebralight are obviously using the same housings, and who knows how much else is the same? About a year or so ago, Klarus had a line of lights that were obviously in Zebralight housings too, and had similar specs. Then, they got a new line that looked alot like Nitecore and Jetbeam.

Etc, etc.

If you go to CnQualitygoods website, you can see a lot of stuff like this. Various versions of similar lights with different names appear and disappear, looking a lot like these other lights that we recognize.


Olight owns iTp which is why the Eos i3 used to be made and branded by iTp and now by Olight. I have one of them, and noticed the same light with iTp labeling on it when I did the search. But thats because they are the same company. I also own an Illumina-Ti by Titanium Innovations and compared with the EOS i3, it is a completely different light. The checkering on them is very different. The i3 is about 3-4mm longer. The clip screws onto the back side of the tail, but the Illumina-Ti doesnt have a screw on clip. The Illumina-Ti is noticeably thicker, etc.

Just like you can go to one outdoor center in one department store and see mowers and trimmers and weekwackers with one name on them, then go somewhere else and see the same mower, trimmer and weedwacker with another brand name on it, there are some copies with flashlights too.
 
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Oztorchfreak

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It looks so similar to the TN31, it just has some slight outside differences, but it looks to be made by the same company. All the modes are the same too! Its got the same UI. I just went to SBflashlights site recently, and the TN31 was on page 1, but now it says they dont carry it anymore! Thats also coincidental.

If its got the same UI, same LED, and a similar body and is selling for $100 less, then apparently the TN31 is way overpriced, as are many of these Chinese lights we buy! If they can make and sell that thing at a profit for $119, then the Chinese companies must be making lots of money on most lights that they charge much more for! Next they will start selling a TN-30, after I paid $216 for mine a few months ago, and they will sell it for $130 or so. I will be upset.


I just checked out sbflashlights and under the L3 Illumination Tab the K40 is still there at $119.99.


http://www.sbflashlights.com/L3-Illumination/L3-Illumination-K40-p255.html


I have the original TN31 and the K40 looks a lot different on the tailcap and the head especially.

The specs and the detents are the same but that's about it.

I cannot see the battery carrier to see if that is the same yet.

It is close in looks and specs but one would need to check out the beam differences between the original TN31 which is terrific against the K40 to convince me if it really has the same great output.


Cheers
 

Overclocker

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well whatever it is i'm just glad that there's some serious lower-cost competition for the TN31 :) the tn31 has earned its top spot and thrunite is certainly free to charge whatever amount it wants, capitalism, right? LOL

when you think about it the TN31 really isn't all that complex. any decent engineer could reverse engineer it. that's probably what the K40 engineers did.
 

utlgoa

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54999256344373604715.jpg


DSC_1691.jpg
 
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moozooh

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Well, that was some lazy copying. Thankfully TN31 has a pretty generic design, so they could have tweaked the driver's settings and get away with it without raising too many eyebrows, but being that lazy is crossing the boundary of being counterproductive. I wonder if the increased light intensity claim is valid; if the overall brightness stays the same the only change could have come from the reflector and/or lens coating.
 

ZRXBILL

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Well, that was some lazy copying. Thankfully TN31 has a pretty generic design, so they could have tweaked the driver's settings and get away with it without raising too many eyebrows, but being that lazy is crossing the boundary of being counterproductive. I wonder if the increased light intensity claim is valid; if the overall brightness stays the same the only change could have come from the reflector and/or lens coating.

They quote the exact same lumens, runtimes & throw as the TN31 on thier website.
 
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