Preface Official Specs Versions Price Short Review Long Review What's Included Packaging Build Quality and Durability Size Retention Power User Interface and Operation Modes LED and beam Tint vs... Beamshots, Runtime, etc table. Comparisons Conclusion What I like What I don't like Up Next Notes
Preface
Thrunite has a new headlamp on the market and it’s a beast! It’s the TH30, which claims an incredible 3350 lumens, and is a complete package type light. Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Versions
Two versions. One is cool white, and one is neutral white.
Price
These go for $79.95 currently.
Short Review
This headlamp lives up to the claims Thrunite makes! I like the full package nature of it, and overall it’s just a solid contender.
Long Review
What’s Included
- Thrunite TH30 Headlamp
- Thrunite 3100mAh 18650
- Headstrap
- Pocket clip
- Charge cable
- Spare silicone housing for headlamp carry
- Spare o-ring (2)
- Spare charge port cover
- Manual and paperwork
Package
The package is a normal Thrunite box. It’s got a Thrunite branding and a checkbox for NW or CW.
The manual is typical Thrunite, and just fine. I like that it’s small, but complete.
Build Quality and Disassembly
This is a well built light, with a couple of nice touches that make it stand out.
The first thing I noticed is that the reflector and emitter on this light are just … different. Surprising, I don’t know – just “wow that’s a big emitter in a small light!”
To deal with the heat from that big emitter, the head has some deep, thick cooling fins. The knurling on the body and tailcap are diamond pattern and quite grippy. The knurling isn’t aggressive enough to be hard on skin, but could be on pockets (if you opt for the pocket clip.)
Here’s a very minor teardown, with just the head and tail off. Both come off easily. The cell tube isn’t reversible – one end has unanodized threads (head) and the other has anodized threads (tail). The anodized threads mean a physical lockout is possible by just a very short twist of the tailcap (but not the head!) Also see that those threads are big and square cut, and very very smooth.
These parts are very high quality. The tailcap has a big coated spring, which is springy enough, but not super stiff. The head has a brass button, with no give at all.
The tube isn’t reversible. Not only is one anodized and one not, but they’re different diameter as well.
Size
Officially 107mm (Length) x 28.5mm (Bezel Diameter) x 24mm (Tube Diameter), and 123g without battery.
It’s shorter than the Convoy S2+. Quite a bit shorter, and the head diameter is bigger (of course; it’s a headlamp). Still, it’s shorter while adding charging….
Retention
The primary means to carry this light will be the headband. I so rarely use a headlamp as a headlamp that unfortunately I failed to get any photos of the light in the strap. The strap is a nice rubber (silicone?) band. The light has smooth indentions which hold the light tight but still allow the light to rotate, too.
I will say that I found the headstrap to be very uncomfortable
Secondly, the light can be used with a pocket clip. The clip isn’t deep carry (at all) but will go on the head or tail end.
There is no magnet in the tailcap – probably the light is to heavy to use that way anyway. It will talstand.
And it will headstand too, but the button is proud, so it doesn’t headstand well.
Power
A single 18650 runs this headlamp. The button on the positive end would cause no problems using any type of 18650 (button or flat). Do be aware that Turbo requires a lot of the cell (6.5A, that is), so you need to use a high quality cell for this light.
Fortunately Thrunite includes a nice 3100mAh cell, very capable to run this light. All the testing I did on this light was with the included cell.
Below is a runtime on Turbo. The temperature spikes a little at first, but the stepdown is quick (less than a minute, fan cooled). Once the stepdown has happened, it’s possible to hit Turbo again, but the light doesn’t quite hit initial output. Once the stepdown has happened, the light maintains extremely steady output at a level just lower than “High.”
Note that I’m measuring the output at over 3500 lumens at 30 seconds. And still practically 1000 lumens after the stepdown!
High output is very stable.
The light has low voltage protection, which kicks in somewhere around 3V. There’s also an indicating switch, which will light red when the cell voltage is low. Also notable in both runtimes, is that the main LED will blink when the cell voltage is low!
Thrunite includes a 3100mAh cell. It’s a button top, protected cell.
The TH30 has on-board charging, too. The head has a micro-USB port, which is covered by a rubber boot. The boot is a little long and flexible for my tastes, but at the same time, does seem to stay very well put.
Charging works well, and the CC phase is 1.2A or over for the duration. It’s also very consistent (note that there are two tests shown below, and they’re indistinguishably similar).
The indicator switch is red during charging, and blue when charging is complete.
User Interface and Operation
The TH30 has a single switch on the head. It’s an e-switch, with two indicating emitters; red and blue. The switch is held in place by a bezel I couldn’t remove (not sure if it’s screwed in or press fit, but there are no reliefs, so it’s likely press fit) This might not seem like a big deal but have a look at it below. It’s very smooth, and great for button-pressing-comfort.
The action on this button is a little odd for me. The knurled dome has about 1-1.5mm of travel before the click of the actual switch. It’s not a problem, and it works well.
The blue indicating switch is on if the light is on, except on the lowest mode.
The UI is good, and well considered. Shortcuts to the bookends from off, for example. The downside is that SOS is in the main mode group.
Here’s a UI table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click | On (Mode Memory except Firefly, Turbo, and SOS) |
| Off | Hold | Firefly |
| Any | Double Click | Turbo |
| On | Hold | Mode Advance (LMH>SOS direction) (No Firefly, no Turbo) |
There is no strobe!
Modes
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 3350>1050 | 1.5m>103m | 3550 | 6.27 |
| High | 1275 | 90m | 1137 | 1.65 |
| Medium | 352 | 5h | 322 | 0.39 |
| Medium-Low | 130 | 14h | 146 | 0.13 |
| Low | 25 | 60 | 30 | 0.02 |
| Firefly | 0.5 | 32d | – | – |
LED and Beam
The emitter in this TH30 is a Neutral White Cree XHP70.2. The reflector is a fairly shallow orange peel reflector. There’s a bit of an artifact in the beam – a donut most people call it. It’s a blue spot in the center of the beam, with normal beam color everywhere else. The 70.2 isn’t my favorite emitter, but this one’s a good example of a NW 70.2.
Low is fortunately pretty low.
Tint vs BLF-348
Beamshots, Runtime, and Lux Measurements
| Thrunite TH30 | |
|---|---|
| Emitter | Cree XHP70.2 |
| Emitter Notes | NW |
| Cell | 18650 |
| Runtime | Chargetime |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 3350 |
| Lux (Measured) | 244 lux @ 5.887 m |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd | 8456.3 |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 183.9 |
| Throw (Claimed) (m) | 155 |
Random Comparisons and Competitive Options….
The only real competitor to this light is the Acebeam H15, which pumps out 2500 lumens. It does have strobe, but doesn’t have on-board charging.
Otherwise, it’s going to be hard to find a headlamp that outputs more lumens than this one.
Conclusion
What I like
- Output is ridiculous for a headlamp!
- UI is very simple and pretty good.
- Build quality is good
- Full package is included
- Hits all it’s numbers (throw and output)
What I don’t like
- SOS in the main mode group
- Head strap is uncomfortable on the forehead
Up Next
I hope to wrap up a Sofirn for Friday, but after that who knows! Probably will take a week off!
Notes
- This light was provided by Thrunite for review. I was not paid to write this review.
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.wordpress.com. Please visit there for the best experience!
- Whether or not I have a coupon for this light, I do have a bunch of coupons!! Have a look at my spreadsheet for those coupons. It’s possible to subscribe and get notifications when the sheet is edited!!
Nice review! I didn’t realize Thrunite had a super output headlamp. How floody would you say this one is? I really like the tint on the NW! But likely the SOS in the main mode cycle would be a problem for me as well. Pretty good charging current too :-O
It’s nice to see some super output headlamps making their way to the market. Some others are I’ve seen are the Acebeam H30 4k lumen and Imalent HR70 at 3k lumen. Although a little lower lumen (2.3k lumens) the Olight H2R is a favorite of mine 😀
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Yeah, it’s really crazy output from a headlamp. If only the attachment was little more comfy!!
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