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10.09.2014, 20:09
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Увлеченный
Регистрация: 26.04.2011 Последняя активность: 10.11.2015 10:40 Адрес: Canada
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Thrunite Neutron 2A (1xAA/14500 2xAA) and 2C (1xRCR/18650 2xCR123A/RCR) 2014 Review
Warning: far more pic heavy than usual. :sweat:
Thrunite has sent me final engineering samples of their newly revised for 2014 Neutron series. I had previously reviewed the original 2011 Neutrons here. As you will see, a lot has changed for these new models – including a new user interface. The new 2A and 2C models are tested here – but as you will see, these effectively double as 1A/1C models thanks to the removable body extension tubes. 2A  2C  As usual, I will start with a description and overview of the common build, user interface and circuit functions. I will then provide detailed testing and comparison of each model relative to its respective peer groups. Buckle up, this is going to be a long ride … :whistle: Manufacturer Reported Specifications: (note: as always, these are simply what the manufacturer provides – scroll down to see my actual testing results). Common Neutron 2014 Series Specs
I don't know what packaging will look like, but it will probably be similar to other Thrunite offerings. I will provide separately below size comparisons photos and testing measures for each of the four possible configurations (i.e., 1x and 2x, for each model). But first, I will start off with a discussion of the common physical build and user interface/circuit functions. Common Build Neutron 2A:           Neutron 2C:           Physically, the new Neutron lights are very similar to one another – indeed, the heads look almost identical. But they are completely different from the original 2011 Neutron series, which had a "classic" tailcap clicky-switch build, with very aggressive knurling and crenelated stainless steel bezels. The 2C 2011 model had a narrow body width though, preventing 18650 cells from being used. The new Neutrons for 2014 have a larger common-sized head, but with only a small side-mounted electronic switch (i.e., no physical clicky). Knurling is mild in comparison to before. The lights also have a fairly "plain" look to them (e.g., flat aluminum bezels, fair smooth, no aggressive styling, etc.). Body tubes have a generous internal diameter though, allowing all modern high capacity cells to be used. Basically, this is a completely different design. Hand feel is ok, but I would prefer some additional elements to help with grip and anti-roll (e.g., I believe clips will be included, but I haven't seen them yet). The 2A is a bit better in this regard, as the battery tube segments are fluted in segments (i.e. it uses thinner AA-category cells). The side-mounted electronic switch has a typical feel for a small button switch. But I would prefer a more prominent switch that is easier to access by touch alone (i.e., raised and enlarged). :shrug: Switch function was ok for all mode-changing features (see User Interface discussion below). The only difference on the heads of these units is that the 2A has the classic reverse-polarity feature that is common on the circuit boards of many AA-based lights (i.e., only small button top can be used). The 2C lacks this feature, and so will take flat-top cells just fine.  Screw threads are anodized, allowing head lock-out on either model. Both models come with a removable section for the second AA or CR123A cell (i.e., remove the middle body tube piece, and the 2A becomes a 1A, and the 2C is a 1C). I personally like this design, as it gives you the flexibility to switch between 1x cells for ease of carry and 2x cells for maximum output and runtime. :thumbsup: Note that the 2C does not fully support 1xCR123A however (more on this later). The lights can tailstand, and there is a split-ring/lanyard attachment hole on the side of the tail. At the base of the battery tube there is flat contact plate on top the spring (which will save your batteriess from any potential scratching). A nice touch. The new Neutrons use a flat bezel design. Reflectors are smooth finish, and of about typical dimensions for this class. Centering of the emitters was good on my two samples. There seemed to be a bit of damage at the base of my 2A reflector (this didn't affect the beam, though). Scroll down for specific beamshot comparisons for each model/battery config. Common User Interface Turn the lights on by a single click of the electronic switch (i.e., rapid press release). Turn the lights off the same way. There are three main output levels controlled by a press-and-hold of the electronic switch. Mode sequence is Lo > Med > Hi > Med > Lo, in a repeating loop (i.e., ramps up, then down). Personally, I would prefer a more consistent Lo > Med > Hi repeating sequence. :shrug: Let go of the switch at any time to select the mode your want. The light has mode memory, and retains the last level set when you turn it off/on. Double-click the switch to jump to Turbo. You can return to the main sequence modes by a press-hold of the switch (or click for off). There is no memory for Turbo. Press-and-hold the switch from off to access Firefly. Again, you can return to the main sequence modes by a press-hold of the switch (or click for off). There is no memory for Firefly. You can lock out the lights by a turn of the head. There are no flashing strobe modes on the new Neutron series lights. Video: For information on the lights, including the build and user interface, please see my video overview:
As with all my videos, I recommend you have annotations turned on. I commonly update the commentary with additional information or clarifications before publicly releasing the video. PWM/Strobe The new Neutron 2014 series lights are both current-controlled – there no indication of pulse width modulation on any mode. :thumbsup: I was able to detect a very faint noise signal on the Med and Hi levels of the 2C:  It is quite common to see circuit noise on current-controlled lights – it does not affect the visible perception of the beam in any way. Rest assured, the new Neutron series lights are flicker free in use. This is significant upgrade for the 2C, which had quite visible low-frequency PWM on its initial 2011 release.There are no strobe modes on the new Neutron lights. Standby Drain As the switches are electronic in a nature, a standby current drain is always present when a battery is installed and the head fully connected. These currents were negligible on the new Neutron series lights. For the 2A, I measured this as 56uA on 2xNiMH. For the 2C, I measured 5.3uA on 1x18650. For typical capacity cells, that would translate into over 4 years on the 2A (for 2000mAh NiMH) and 66 years for the 2C (on 3100mAh 18650) before cells would be drained. :rolleyes: Note that you can always lock out the lights by a quick turn of the head, relative to the body. This will also prevent accidental activation. Testing Method: All my output numbers are relative for my home-made light box setup, as described on my flashlightreviews.ca website. You can directly compare all my relative output values from different reviews - i.e. an output value of "10" in one graph is the same as "10" in another. All runtimes are done under a cooling fan, except for any extended run Lo/Min modes (i.e. >12 hours) which are done without cooling. I have devised a method for converting my lightbox relative output values (ROV) to estimated Lumens. See my How to convert Selfbuilt's Lightbox values to Lumens thread for more info. Throw/Output Summary Charts: My summary tables are reported in a manner consistent with the ANSI FL-1 standard for flashlight testing. Please see http://www.flashlightreview... for a discussion, and a description of all the terms used in these tables. Effective July 2012, I have updated all my Peak Intensity/Beam Distance measures with a NIST-certified Extech EA31 lightmeter (orange highlights). -------------- Individual Comparisons -------------- Neutron 2A – 1xAA size    From left to right: Panasonic Eneloop Pro NiMH AA; Thrunite Neutron 2A 2014, Olight S15; Zebralight SC51; Sklihunt DS15; Fenix LD12; Thrunite T10. All dimensions directly measured, and given with no batteries installed: Neutron 2A (1xAA form): Weight: 57.6g, Length: 95.6mm, Width (bezel): 25.6mm Olight S15 1xAA: Weight: 46.4g, Length: 87.0mm, Width (bezel): 23.1mm Nitecore MT1A: Weight: 54.6g, Length: 104.6mm, Width (bezel): 22.7mm Nitecore SENS AA: Weight: 26.1g, Length: 82.7mm, Width (bezel): 19.8mm Lumintop ED15: Weight: 59.7g, Length: 100.2, Width (bezel): 21.9mm Rofis ER12: Wright: 35.5g, Length: 96.2mm, Width (bezel): 18.6mm Skilhunt DS15: Weight: 52.0g, Length: 92.1mm, Width (bezel): 24.0mm Xeno E03:: Weight: 48.1g, Length 96.7mm, Width (bezel): 21.5mm Zebralight SC52: Weight 39.5g, Length 79.0mm, Width (bezel): 22.6mm, Width (max) 25.4mm For white-wall beamshots below, all lights are on Max output on an NiMH or 14500 AA-sized batteries. Lights are about ~0.75 meter from a white wall (with the camera ~1.25 meters back from the wall). Automatic white balance on the camera, to minimize tint differences. 1xAA Sanyo Eneloop NiMH                 1x14500 (AW Protected 14500) Li-ion                          UPDATE August 19, 2014: Here is what repeated restarts on Turbo looks like. I manually restated the Turbo after ~4 mins of the step-down Hi, repeatedly.  Impressively, the light is able to maintain a fairly well regulated Turbo mode - up until the point where the battery is nearly exhausted. And here is a shorter time comparison of the effect of fan cooling (my standard process) and uncooled runs, on Turbo on 1xAA alkaline and Eneloop Pro:  As you can see, cooling has (surprisingly) relatively little effect on output over the timescales shown. -------------- Neutron 2A – 2xAA size    From left to right: Panasonic Eneloop Pro NiMH AA; Thrunite Neutron 2A 2014; Olight S15 with extender, ST25; Eagletac D25A2; Nitecore MT2A, EA2. All dimensions directly measured, and given with no batteries installed: Neutron 2A (2xAA form): Weight: 73.46g, Length: 146.2mm, Width (bezel): 25.5mm Eagletac D25A2: Weight: 54.8g, Length 148.5mm, Width (bezel): 21.0mm Foursevens QAA-2 X (Tactical tailcap): Weight: 60.1g, Length: 149.1mm, Width (bezel) 22.0mm Olight S15 2xAA: Weight: 59.2g, Length: 137.9mm, Width (bezel): 23.1mm Jetbeam BA20: Weight: 70.2g, Length: 156.4mm, Width (bezel) 23.2mm Nitecore MT2A: Weight: 66.9g, Length: 154.3mm, Width (bezel):22.7mm Nitecore EA2: Weight: 68.9g, Length: 134.4, Width (bezel): 26.1mm Sunwayman D20A: Weight 118.4g, Length: 102.6mm, Width (head) 20.9mm, Height (head) 35.1mm For white-wall beamshots below, all lights are on Max output on 2xNiM AA (Sanyo Eneloop). Lights are about ~0.75 meter from a white wall (with the camera ~1.25 meters back from the wall). Automatic white balance on the camera, to minimize tint differences.                      Note: the 2A shut down around ~45 secs on the Turbo Alkaline mode run - so the light was restarted on Hi.   Note: the 2A shut down after ~2 secs on the Turbo L91 mode run - so the light was restarted on Hi. -------------- Neutron 2C – 1xCR123A/RCR size    From left to right: Rayovac CR123A; Thrunite Neutron 2C; Olight S10 2013; Sunwayman C10R; Skilhunt DS10; Armytek C1; Eagletac D25C. All dimensions directly measured, and given with no batteries installed: Neutron 2C (1xCR123A/RCR form): Weight: 63.0g, Length: 87.7mm, Width (bezel): 25.5mm ArmyTek C1 XM-L: Weight: 43.0g, Length: 80.2mm , With (bezel): 23.1mm Eagletac D25C Clicky: Weight: 30g, Length: 76.0mm, Width (bezel): 20.0mm Foursevens QTLC: Weight 36.4g, Length 84.1mm, Width (bezel) 22.1mm Jetbeam PC10: Weight: 50.5g, Length: 93.6mm, Width (bezel): 22.6mm Lumintop ED11: Weight: 44.1g, Length: 83.7, Width (bezel): 21.8mm Olight S10 (2013, XM-L2): Weight: 40.5g, Length: 70.8mm, Width (bezel): 23.1mm Skilhunt DS10: Weight: 47.0g, Length: 76.1mm, Width (bezel): 24.0mm Sunwayman C10R: Weight: 57.3g, Length: 76.2mm (no lanyard plug), 82.3mm (with plug), Width (bezel): 25.6mm, Width (head at widest part): 28.6mm For white-wall beamshots below, all lights are on Max output on an AW protected 18650 battery. Lights are about ~0.75 meter from a white wall (with the camera ~1.25 meters back from the wall). Automatic white balance on the camera, to minimize tint differences. 1xRCR/18350                       -------------- Neutron 2C – 2xCR123A/RCR 1x18650 size    From left to right: Keeppower Protected 18650 3100mAh; Thrunite Neutron 2C 2014, 2C 2011; Olight S20 (2013), Zebralight SC600-II, Skilhunt DS20; Eagletac D25LC2. All dimensions directly measured, and given with no batteries installed: Neutron 2C (2xCR123A/RCR form): Weight: 71.2g, Length: 117.7mm, Width (bezel): 25.5mm Skilhunt DS20: Weight: 53.8g, Length: 110.0mm, Width (bezel): 24.0mm Olight S20 (2013, XM-L2): Weight: 52.4g, Length: 106.5mm, Width (bezel): 23.1mm Eagletac D25LC2: Weight: 50.0g, Length: 116.3mm, Width (bezel): 22.5mm Foursevens Quark Q123-2 X (Regular tailcap): Weight: 44.6g, Length: 112.7mm, Width (bezel) 22.0mm Jetbeam PC20: Weight: 60.0g, Length: 127.5mm, Width (bezel): 22.6mm Skilhunt K11: Weight: 120.5g, Length: 129.6mm , Width (bezel): 34.1mm Sunwayman C20C: Weight 57.6g, Length: 104.8mm. Width (bezel): 25.6mm Thrunite TN10: Weight: 154.7g, Length: 145.5mm, Width (bezel): 35.1mm Zebralight SC600: Weight 87.2g, Length: 107.8mm, Width (bezel) 29.7mm For white-wall beamshots below, all lights are on Max output on an AW protected 18650 battery. Lights are about ~0.75 meter from a white wall (with the camera ~1.25 meters back from the wall). Automatic white balance on the camera, to minimize tint differences.                 Let's start with a comparison of my standard AW protected 2200mAh to protected NCR18650A 3100mAh:  And now on my standard cells:      -------------- Potential Issues The new Neutron series for 2014 use an electronic switch, and therefore require a small stand-by current when fully connected. However, the standby drain was completely negligible on both models, on all batteries – with multi-year (or decades) before batteries would be drained. Accidental activation is always a potential concern with electronic switches. However, you can physically lock out the lights by a twist of the head. The switch button is small, and may be hard to locate by touch alone. On the 2C, 1xCR123A is not fully supported (i.e., no Hi or Turbo, and Med is a lower direct-drive-like mode). On the 2C, 1x16340 is not recommend on Turbo, unless you are using IMR chemistry. The Turbo discharge rate on a single cell is too high for standard ICR chemistry. On the 2AA in 2xAA form, only 2xNiMH would provide the full 4 mins of Turbo mode before step-down. Alkaline cells lasted less than 1 min on Turbo (before shut-down), while fresh L91 cells wouldn't last more than a few seconds before shut-down (may be a voltage issue with new cells). On the 2AA in 2xAA form, the light abruptly terminates without warning when the cells are nearly drained (i.e., no gradual drop-off in output). This applies to all batteries, including primary alkaline and L91. On 2AA in 1xAA form, the light shows a gradual drop-off in output as the cells are nearly depleted – but with intermittent low voltage warning flashes beginning as soon as the light falls out of regulation. Preliminary Observations Ok, that's a LOT of data. :sweat: Given the complexity of this review (and the range of battery options per model), I am going to break my comments down into an analysis of the lights separately, and then come back to some general build comments. Neutron 2A Max overall output is generally very consistent with the Thrunite specs – almost unbelievably so, in the case of the 2A. :ooo: I am reproducing some of the key summary tables below, where there are interesting findings (again, scroll back for the complete set of tables): The main point above is that the 2A is MUCH brighter on Turbo than any other light I've tested in the 1xAA/14500 or 2xAA classes. As always, I don't insist on the absolute value of the lumen estimates in my lightbox (although I encourage you to review my methodology – including the number of sources used for generating the calibrations). But the relative comparisons are entirely consistent across reviews. EDIT: see post #19 for a further discussion. So, for example, whatever you think the Zebralight SC52 produces in terms of max ANSI FL-1 output, my Neutron 2AA 2014 (on 1xAA) exceeds my SC52 sample by nearly an additional ~60%! Similarly, my Neutron 2A 2014 (on 2xAA) exceeds my Foursevens Quark AA-2 by ~70%. These are unheard increases in output for the AA class. :ooo: Of course, due to the heat produced and the drain on the cells, it 2A won't stay at those turbo-charged levels for long. The light automatically steps down from Turbo after 4 mins runtime, but you can always manually re-activate. While the 2A performed consistently in the 1xAA form testing, the higher output of the 2xAA form was an issue for alkaline and L91 cells (i.e., only NiMH would reliably produce the 4 mins of Turbo before step-down). I understand there is a circuit feature to prevent over-heating, which may be at play on the 2xAlkaline runs (e.g., I noticed the light flashed briefly twice before shutting off, in less than 1 min). To learn more about how the 2AA performs, you will need to scroll back up to the actual runtimes. In general terms, output/runtime performance is excellent for the 2A. With the exception of Turbo, you get very flat stabilization at all levels. And overall efficiency is outstanding – the 2A is typically a top performer among the current-controlled class! :thumbsup: Neutron 2C Like the 2A, the 2C can be run on 1xCR123A/RCR form – but a single CR123A is not fully supported. Again, from the summary tables earlier in this review: The 2C is a good performer for the 1x18650, 2xCR123/RCR class. Max output is in keeping with other lights in this class. And as you will see in the runtimes above, the 2C shows flat stabilization and excellent output/runtime efficiency. When it comes to running the 2C in 1xCR123A/RCR form, you need to be aware of a few limitations. Due to the incredibly high output on Turbo, I strongly recommend you do not run the 2C on standard 1x16340 (aka RCR), as this will exceed discharge specs for ICR. Instead, you will need to use IMR chemistry 16340 or 18650 cells for Turbo (note that these cells are unprotected, so you would need to take care not to over-discharge). Also, 1xCR123A is not really supported – you lose Hi and Turbo, and Med is a lower output direct-drive-like mode. :shrug: General Build The new Neutron lights for 2014 have a serviceable build – if a bit "plain vanilla" in styling.  The one thing I would like to see is a more pronounced switch that is easier to find by touch alone. I would also prefer a more consistent (and typical) Lo > Med > Hi sequence. Otherwise, I am fine with the user interface as it is – I personally do not use high frequency strobes in my everyday life. I don't know what extras will come with the lights, but I presume the standard Thrunite accessories will be available. Similarly, I don't know final price – but I expect Thrunite will keep these very competitive, just as they did for the revised TN12. I generally like the range of output levels - especially the inclusion of a true "moonlight" mode. Note that there is some variability in output levels depending on the battery configuration, so please refer back to the lumen summary tables in this review. End of the day, the new Neutron models have a significant upgrade in max output – unbelievably so for the 2A. :ooo: Yes, the lights step down to Hi after 4 mins on Turbo – but you can always restart at the highest level (with a few exceptions - scroll back up for a discussion of the 2A). Thrunite has also managed top-in-class efficiency levels across the board - on both models, on all supported batteries. The 2A is a real standout for me - I still can't believe how much brighter it is on 1xAA compared to other lights (including when run on plain old alkalines). Circuit-wise, this is definitely an impressive accomplishment in the AA battery class. :wave: ---- Neutron 2A and 2C 2014 were provided by Thrunite for review. |
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*]Under off status, single click will turn on the light, quick double clicking can get turbo mode, while long time press enable Firefly mode.