thrunite tn36 vs nitecore tm26 or any other recommendations

neverlift17 · Nov 10, 2015

Hello all,

I am looking at getting my dad a flashlight for christmas I have been looking at the thrunite tn36 or nitecore tm26 ( or any other recommendations) . I found reviews between these two but it was from last year. Just wanted to know what you all think or recommend. My budget will be around 300. '

I do have some questions since im a noob lol. On the thrunite tn36 the reflector doesnt look like a mirror reflector it looks like crumbled up tin foil lol Is there a purpose for this? wouldnt it be better to have it like a mirror? Also on batteries, i see most of these can use an array of different battery combose for ex.[h=1][/h][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]4 X Nitecore NL186 2600mAh 18650 rechargeable batteries or 8 X EdisonBright CR123 Lithium Batteries bundle. Is there a benefit to using one combo or the other rather than having more batteries to charge and not lose?

Thanks for your time and i look forward to hearing what you all recommend [/FONT]

ven · Nov 10, 2015

The effect in the reflectors you describe is "orange peel" and smooths out the beam. Helps with LED's that are made from 4 emitters together like the xhp70 or MKR's.

tn36 is a great light, check out the UT version as well,cheaper there is a mini version tn30 and available in NW(neutral white) and CW(cool white).
Also check the Niwalker mm15 out, 2x MTG2 leds for around 5000k of flood and even the mm18

:welcome:

ven · Nov 10, 2015

With these lights in question, i would be using 10a 3500 cells for a happy medium in A rating and run time. Just make sure(if not already) your dad understands the safety side and also has a good charger,be it Xtar or nitecore(avoid ******fire cells and chargers)

neverlift17 · Nov 10, 2015

Thanks i appreciate it!! I really like the tn36ut, i was trying to find batteries and i found Orbtronic 3600mah 18650 which there was a review on here for them but like the reviews for the flashlights they were from last year however it also mentions it uses panasonics cell.

so could i just use the panasonic batteries or is there an issue with them??
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C26OWGS/?tag=cpf0b6-20

ven · Nov 10, 2015

The cells are good generic ones and i have plenty knocking about. The lights you mention(and me) are better with INR or IMR chemistry as on turbo modes there is a fairly high drain.

I like the samsung 30Q for a good performer, good value too and 15a 3000mah .

Cells i use are Samsung 25R, 30Q, LG HE2, sony vtc5 and LG 3500(off top of my head)

neverlift17 · Nov 10, 2015

Awesome man I appreciate it, do you have any place you recommend getting the batteries? all I can find is shady looking websites and ebay(which I dont mind)
the batteries dont have any information on them not even a stamp. I just dont want to buy a fake battery and the house go up in flames lol

beeee098c368553b555a5e2230de60c11bc37ad576a4657c8a4799a2fadcc35a.jpg

ven · Nov 10, 2015

If your usa side then mtn electronics would be one place,where are you based?

gyzmo2002 · Nov 10, 2015

Does flat top batteries fit in the tm26? I use panasonic NCR18650B 3400mah as mentioned above. Will it be better to use IMR in this light?

ven · Nov 10, 2015

gyzmo2002 said:
Does flat top batteries fit in the tm26? I use panasonic NCR18650B 3400mah as mentioned above. Will it be better to use IMR in this light?

Good point on the tm26, button tops required with this light due to the contacts. Cant comment on performance but you may get longer in turbo(use time).

gyzmo2002 · Nov 10, 2015

ven said:
Good point on the tm26, button tops required with this light due to the contacts. Cant comment on performance but you may get longer in turbo(use time).

Don't think so. At 60 degres, it drops from turbo to high. You can put in turbo again when the heat decrease a bit.

neverlift17 · Nov 10, 2015

thanks for you help man, looks like ill be getting them the tn36ut! hopefully it will get here early enough for me to "test" it haha

ven · Nov 10, 2015

Yes iirc its direct drive in turbo, if there was a benefit it maybe after a bit of use, maybe a little more OTF over standard cells after its been used for a period ............if noticeable to the eye though is another matter.

neverlift17 · Nov 10, 2015

between these 2 sets of batteries/charger combo should I get the mtn view or go with batteries directly from thrunite? Also I searched for a coupon node for mountain electronics but couldnt find anything current do you know if they are running any promo codes?

http://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=checkout/cart

and

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K469SX0/?tag=cpf0b6-20

ven · Nov 11, 2015

From mtn the Xtar xp4/xp4c for a 4 bay charger at 1a . Or 2 X the vp2 for the V display would be my choices. Cells wise would depend on which light you go for. I would be tempted for the LG 3500 in either flat(tn36ut) or button top flavours, latter for the tm26.

NoNotAgain · Nov 11, 2015

I'm going to sound like a broken record, but Illumination Supply has the TM26, 4000 lumen version for $200 for registered customers. Then for another $22, you can purchase the D4 charger and another $44 you can purchase the Keeppower 3400 protected button topped batteries that work with the TM26.

All of the Nitecore TM series lights that use a screw on battery tube are sensitive to battery length. Too long and they don't make contact. Re-wrapped Panasonic 18650B cells with protection and button tops in most cases won't work.

The TM26 and TM36 have one feature that really shines, the OLED display. While the data displayed is not an absolute, it's still quite useful.

gyzmo2002 · Nov 11, 2015

I use the Panasonic NCR18650B button top protected 3400mah in my TM26 and they fit perfectly. I have the D4 too but I prefer the Opus 3100 v2.2 for the analising fonction.

For the battery: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/4PCS...Protected-For-panasonic-Free/32351017991.html

For the charger: http://m.gearbest.com/chargers/pp_173012.html

KeepingItLight · Nov 11, 2015

neverlift17 said:
Also on batteries, i see most of these can use an array of different battery combose for ex.4 X Nitecore NL186 2600mAh 18650 rechargeable batteries or 8 X EdisonBright CR123 Lithium Batteries bundle. Is there a benefit to using one combo or the other rather than having more batteries to charge and not lose?

For most uses, rechargeable Li-ion will be better than CR123A primaries. For one thing, CR123A batteries are usually rated by their manufacturers for limited current draw. The maximum continuous discharge is typically only 1.5 amps. The turbo and high modes of your flashlight might pull more than that. When you are running on CR123A, therefore, you may want to stay away from those modes.

CPF member and flashlight reviewer selfbuilt has commented on this.

selfbuilt said:
Yes, I find it a source of concern to see PTC features kick-in on CR123A cells. I have certainly seen a lot of this over the years in testing (especially common on 4xCR123A lights). Examining the cells, you can sometimes see clear evidence of damage in the wrappers around the PTC. Invariably, the worse-affected cell is the one closest to the head (where most of the heat is concentrated).

It's fundamentally a problem of how heavily-driven lights are now on max, in general (i.e., not specific to Nitecore - or Olight, or ThruNite, etc, etc.). Multi-cell CR123A setups often don't seem suitable for sustained runtimes at max levels - even in lights with thermal regulation (which is designed to protect the circuit, not the battery). But of course, that's based again on made-in-the-USA CR123A calibration levels for PTCs. With made-in-China cells, you would probably almost never see that runtime pattern.

Ultimately, I would encourage people to use care when considering multi-cell CR123A use on any highly-driven light.

[Emphasis added]

NoNotAgain · Nov 11, 2015

KeepingItLight said:
For most uses, rechargeable Li-ion will be better than CR123A primaries. For one thing, CR123A batteries are usually rated by their manufacturers for limited current draw. The maximum continuous discharge is typically only 1.5 amps. The turbo and high modes of your flashlight might pull more than that. When you are running on CR123A, therefore, you may want to stay away from those modes.

CPF member and flashlight reviewer selfbuilt has commented on this.

Nitecore TM26 can be used with the RCR123 batteries, but can't be internally charged in the TM26. They list the light using 8-CR123 or 4, 18650 batteries.

Trunite does not list the TN36 as being compatible with CR123 batteries. I'd imagine that 8 batteries in series (CR123 or RCR123) exceed the 10.5-17.5 working voltage listed on the data sheet.

NoNotAgain · Nov 11, 2015

gyzmo2002 said:
I use the Panasonic NCR18650B button top protected 3400mah in my TM26 and they fit perfectly. I have the D4 too but I prefer the Opus 3100 v2.2 for the analising fonction.

For the battery: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/4PCS...Protected-For-panasonic-Free/32351017991.html

For the charger: http://m.gearbest.com/chargers/pp_173012.html

If your batteries are longer than 68.5mm with the button top and the PCB, they won't work in any of the six Tiny Monsters I own. (TM15, TM26 3500, TM26 3800, TM36LITE) The Keeppower and Nitecore protected button tops work fine.

All of the Panasonic rewrapped batteries I own that have the black PCB on the bottom and are button topped are all over 69.8mm long. The battery compartment won't screw down to make the negative contact. I probably have more than 80 of the Panasonic 18650B cells with protection. None of them fit and function in the TM lights I listed above.

My recommendation on the complete list was based on being able to purchase everything from one supplier and taking advantage of free shipping. I've saved a few dollars on an item only to have those savings eaten up by shipping costs.

Illumn doesn't sell Opus.

gyzmo2002 · Nov 11, 2015

Two years ago, they were longer(70mm). Mine are 68.5mm with pcb bought from 2 differents sellers on Ali 1 and 2 months ago. I also bought Soshine 3400mah protected that are the same lenght but the panasonic rewraped are cheaper and the capacity are the same as the Soshine according to my Opus. I don't have to pay for shipping. If I lived in US, I would buy from a US seller.

The other seller, same batteries: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/4PCS...tected-Batteries-with-PCB-For/1521080822.html

And the Soshine: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2X-S...Batteries-for-Led-Flashlight/32410298114.html

Edit: first link corrected

thrunite tn36 vs nitecore tm26 or any other recommendations

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