REVIEW – Advances in LED technology, power management, and batteries have contributed to super bright flashlights, but some designs are excessive – a 100,000 lumen model costs $700, weighs over 4 pounds, and has a 5 inch reflector. The Thrunite TC20 Pro I have is much more reasonable. Read on to see what I think!
What is it?
The Thrunite TC20 Pro flashlight is a fixed-focus passively cooled handheld flashlight with built-in USB-C charging. The flashlight has a claimed maximum output of 3294 lumens (for 200 seconds) and a claimed distance of 348 meters. The Emitter is a cool white Cree XHP70 HI and it is powered by a 5000 mAh 3.7 V 26650 Li-ion battery.
What’s in the box?
- Thrunite TC20 Pro flashlight
- Spare O-rings
- Lanyard
- THRUNITE 26650 battery
- USB-C charging cord
- spare USB port cover
- spare side switch cap
- holster
- user manual
Hardware specs
- LED: Cree XHP70 HI
- Lens: Anti-reflective coated ultra-clear toughened glass lens
- Reflector: Smooth Reflector
- Working Voltage: 2.75V – 4.2V
- Material: AL 6061-T6
- Surface finish: Premium type III hard-anodized
- Dimension: 119mm*42mm*33.5mm
- Weight: 143 g (without battery), 243 g (as tested)
Design and features
Unboxing
The Thrunite TC20 Pro flashlight comes in a sturdy telescoping lid rigid box. The box is held close with a plastic band and there are thumb notches on each side to make opening the box easier. The box indicates that the contents are TC20 pro black, but also has options for dessert tan and metal grey. The box also indicates that this is the CW, or cool white style, but there is also an option for NW, or neutral white.
Inside the box, the Thrunite TC20 Pro flashlight is nestled in a protective foam insert. Below the foam is the holster, user manual, spare parts, lanyard, and charging cable.
Design
The Thrunite TC20 Pro flashlight has a steel grey bezel that holds the clear glass in place. I can loosen the bezel by pushing it into my palm and twisting the lamp. There is a clear plastic washer ring between the bezel and the glass. On the other side of the glass is an O ring that sits between the reflector and the head body. The glass is crystal clear and has an anti-reflective coating on it.
The reflector is completely smooth and not orange-pealed like it was for the Thrunite TC20 V2. The back of the reflector has more cooling fins.
The reflector catches quite a bit of the LED yellowish color when it is turned off.
The LED is mounted to a copper plate that is screwed into the aluminum center section of the flashlight. The gauge thickness of the wires soldered onto the LED let you know that Thrunite is serious about the amount of power used by this in the high-output modes.
The base of the Thrunite TC20 Pro flashlight head has a switch, USB-C port, and circuit board. The fact that this flashlight has a USB-C charger built-in is a great feature. Thrunite has managed to do this while maintaining an IPX8 ingress protection rating. However, if I unscrew the head, open the USB door and suck through the port I can tell that there isn’t any intrusion protection for the USB-C port other than the rubber door. Therefore make sure this is pressed all the way in when you are operating the flashlight in wet or humid areas. The switch has a central LED that is color coded. The LED indicates the battery charge while in use: 1-10% flashing red indicator, 11-20% pulsing red, 21-100% solid blue. The LED also indicates red while charging, blue while charging is complete, and purple if there is a charging error.
The button also has different options for a single click, double, click, and press and hold.
| When Off | When On | |
|---|---|---|
| Single Click | last mode | turns off |
| Double Click | Starts with turbo, then toggles turbo and strobe. Strobe is about 3 Hz | |
| Press and Hold | firefly | Cycles the power: low, medium, high |
The Thrunite TC20 Pro flashlight’s circuit board has a copper button for the battery and a copper ring around the entire outside for the tail-cap contact. There is no lock-off for the switch, but since the o-ring for the head to the body has almost a full revolution of coverage, a lock-off can be accomplished by loosening the body ever so slightly; no more than an 1/8th turn is needed.
The head is completely cylindrical so the flashlight will roll if pushed on a flat surface. It may also be more difficult to find the on button in the dark with heavy gloves on. If Thrunite scalloped or chamfered the cooling fins above the power button it could be an easy way to avoid both these situations.
The body has nice textured grooves machined into the sides. All the machining on the outside of the flashlight is done so that there are no sharp edges. The only exception may be the bezel edge. The body is not symmetrical across the center. The top has a rim that contacts the circuit board and has anodized threads.
The bottom of the center section has no lip and has machined threads.
The tail cap has some beefy double springs in the base and a hole for a lanyard but no other feature. The threads are a bit smoother in the middle of the flashlight than at the tail end, but neither end is chalky from machining.
The branded lanyard has a wrist lock and even though the flashlight comes with a keyring clip it is possible to get the lanyard through the tail cap after a “few” tries.
The Thrunite TC20 Pro flashlight holster is really designed for tail-down use – it is possible to cram the head into it first and it is easier to pull it out head down, but it’s functional either way. The belt loop is very generous and there is a clip for a carabiner. The belt loop is not velcro so it will need to be threaded onto the belt.
Operation
The Thrunite TC20 Pro flashlight has really intuitive button-press programming. The double press for turbo and second double press for strobe hides the strobe from routine use but makes it easy enough to get to when needed. The flashlight does get warm after prolonged use at high output, but never hot.
Below is a thermal image of the battery
Performance
The Thrunite TC20 Pro flashlight has a really solid build, from the precision bezel and glass, battery compartment with no rattle, to the tail cap with thick double springs.
The flashlight has a pretty intense hot spot but the lamp also has a generous amount of flood when used in close proximity.
The video link below shows the different illuminations on the tops of trees near my house. This isn’t a test to see how far the beams can be thrown but more of an example of the relative brightness of each mode.
After the lamp cooled I charged the flashlight at 2 amps for 3:52 minutes. This charging session was interrupted so maybe starting and stopping the session made it run long. I always wait until the batteries are cool before starting the charge just to ensure that testing is done in a repeatable manner.
I tested the turbo mode and it lasted for about 3 minutes and then operated at what looks like the high setting for another 115 minutes.
I recharged the flashlight at this time it took 3:08.
I tested the high mode and it lasted for 120 minutes.
The final recharge took 3:20.
What I like
- high-power
- long-lasting
- built-in charger
- small
What I’d change
- can roll off the table
- the button may be difficult to find
Final thoughts
The Thrunite TC20 Pro flashlight has a lot going for it. I believe the weight and size of the flashlight are perfectly matched to the brightness and longevity of the battery. In addition, the level of illumination provided by each of the modes is well-matched to each of the typical uses. If you are interested in owning a flashlight that has a wide range of uses without breaking your back or your bank then pick up a Trueline TC20 pro today.
Price: $75.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Thrunite.
