Torch Review - Thrunite Catapult SST-50 LED (BEAMSHOTS ADDED!)

[TallNHairyDave]

Background:
I love my Malkoff torch setup, but it's pure flood with almost no throw, and sometimes you've just GOT to light up whatever that is over there...

The O-Light M21 Warrior passaround torch landed in my lap yesterday, and I was immediately taken by the quality of it's beam pattern from the new SST-50 LED emitter.

A quick read up revealed the ThruNite Catapult to be one heck of a thrower using that LED, and the write ups of it here in the passaround thread convinced me I needed to get one.

So, mine arrived today.

Specs:

• Luminus SST-50 LED
• Maximum of 900 emitter lumens on high (~700 out the front)
• Medium Output:~520 Lumens
• Low Output:~125 Lumens
• Runtimes: (2x18650) H>M>L, 1.4 hrs, 3 hrs, 13.5 hrs.
• 3 Levels of output plus STROBE
• Reverse polarity protection
• Operating voltage between 2.7V to 8.4V
• Low = 750mA; High = 3A
• Mil-Spec Type III Hard Anodized
• Constructed of 7075AL for superior durability
• Length: 185mm; Head diameter: 58mm; Body diameter: 31mm; Weight: 390g. (Extended tube excluded)
• Tactical momentary-on forward click switch
• IPX-8 Water/Dust Resistance
• Tail cap design allows the light to tail stand
• Anti-shatter ultra clear lens with double-sided multilayer AR coating
• 54mm smooth reflector for throw
• BATTERY OPTIONS: 1x 18650 / 1 x 17670 / 2 x 18650 / 2 x 17670 (2 x 18650 recommended for optimum performance)

Initial Impressions:

It arrives in a fairly nicely put together card box (if rather plain), held closed with magnets.



Open that up and you'll find the torch set in a flocked plastic insert, with a zip lock bag containing a GITD tailcap button, some spare O rings and a spare clicky mechanism for the tailswitch.



Lift out the tray and you find manual, warranty card, lanyard and the body extender to let you run it on 2 x 18650 cells.



As it comes in the box without the extender fitted, the torch seems a bit out of proportion as the body seems too short for the size of the head.



Has a good heft to it though, feels pretty bombproof, although I'd prefer a stainless steel bezel to the anodized aluminium one that it comes with. It's not up to the build quality of a custom light but it does feel as if you could belt something with it and not do a whole lot of damage to the torch.

Knurling on the body is a nice deep large diamond pattern, grippy without being too aggressive on the hands.

Screw threads and o-rings out of the box were almost completely dry and unscrewed with a nasty metal-on-metal grating. A good lube with Nyogel sorted that, and while they're nowhere near as buttery smooth as the Malkoff, they're good threads.

Moving to the head of the torch, the lens is a VERY nice coated piece of glass, with a very pleasing purple tint from the anti-reflective coating on it. The reflector is wonderfully smooth and very deep - you just now it's going to be a thrower!



I immediately fitted the body extender so I could run it on 2 x 18650 cells, and the torch is now much more in proportion, and for laughs I decided to also fit the GITD tailcap, which while slightly fiddly was easy enough to do.



See those dimples on the inside of the bezel at the centre of each crenellation? Begging for GITD epoxy don't you think? I shall have to mix some up a tiny batch at a time and apply it.

Powering up the torch reveals that doing a ceiling bounce it lights up the room just as well as the Malkoff from reflected light when it's on high, but unlike the Malkoff it has a VERY bright hotspot and a large spill. It's way brighter than the Malkoff too, but as I only have one pair of 18650's at the moment I can't compare them side by side. It's a cool LED as well compared to the Malkoff's warm tint MC-E. (The Malkoff has been tested and proven at 400+ lumens OTF, so I reckon the Catapult is true to it's claim of 900 lumens at emitter, 700 lumens out the front).

Always comes on in high, as it has no memory. Quickly turning it on and off cycles through high - medium - low - strobe; for that reason I'm glad it has no memory and always comes on in high mode as it's the mode I'll use most on this light and also I don't have to go near the strobe mode if I want to go back to high if I've been using it on another mode.

Beam quality is good, but not outstanding. There are a few chromatic artifacts in the beam (notably a sort of flower pattern of slightly warmer hue around the hotspot), but no dark marks or rings, so any oddities in colour are unlikely to bother anyone except for obsessive white-wall hunters.

Finally, unscrewing the tail cap 1/2 turn locks out the light to prevent accidental activation.

Does it perform well?

OH YES.

Let me tell you, this has the best throw of ANY torch I've ever owned (I exclude my 35W HID project here as that's more a searchlight than a torch with it's 12" reflector).

Shining it down the road on high lights up the appartment block at he other end of the road much better than the 1000 lumen Wolf-Eyes Pilot Whale did!. Distance from torch to target = 151m / 496 feet and the front of the target appartment block (4 stories) is VISIBLY lit up by the torch despite all the streetlights / pollution.

Holy ! What a thrower!

PROS:

• Throws like nothing else I've ever seen from a torch!
• Excellent value for money.
• Solid build quality
• Good quality coated lens on the front of the torch
• Despite being a cool tint LED, it's not too blue or green.

CONS:

• No pouch included with the torch
• Slight rattle from the batteries if you shake the torch from side to side (2 x 18650 cells)
• Threads and o-rings pretty much dry when it arrived.
• Very faint whine from the driver circuitry. Most noticeable on High or Strobe, but then only really when you're sitting in a silent room with the torch held within a couple of feet of your ear. So not really a problem at all

Thanks to Am for the beauty shots of the torch.

UPDATE: Beamshots added:

Got up to Box Hill.

Weather was not so great - quite misty, very cold, and heavy frost, so the photos haven't come out so great.

Camera settings - ISO 100, f1.7, 2 seconds

Torch on LOW


Torch on MEDIUM

OOPS. I moved the torch before the camera had finished taking the exposure, and didn't realise until I got home.

Torch on HIGH


100% crop of target


In each photo, the target clump of trees is 140m (459 feet) away and camera settings were not changed.

EVEN ON LOW IT LIGHTS UP THE TREES ENOUGH FOR DETAIL TO BE VISIBLE!!!!

WHAT A THROWER!

[TallNHairyDave]

Photos added. Am going to take this to work tomorrow along with the Malkoff and the Warrior and see if I can get some decent beamshots in the grounds, or if I need to go up to Box Hill on Friday night instead.

[TallNHairyDave]

Tried to get some beamshots at work tonight after hours, but there was way too much light pollution around to show the torches off to their best.

Will go to Box Hill tomorrow night to get them instead.

[Nice65]

Will go to Box Hill tomorrow night to get them instead.

Looks to be an interesting light, though possibly larger than what I'd find useful. Mind you, everyone needs a dedicated thrower

There'll be people reporting UFOs and lights in the sky if you keep testing up there. I'd come and join you, I'm only an hour away, but I might go down to Chichester early evening. Should I decide to scrap that idea then I'll get in touch, you can have a look at the Eagletac aswell.

[TallNHairyDave]

Looks to be an interesting light, though possibly larger than what I'd find useful. Mind you, everyone needs a dedicated thrower

There'll be people reporting UFOs and lights in the sky if you keep testing up there. I'd come and join you, I'm only an hour away, but I might go down to Chichester early evening. Should I decide to scrap that idea then I'll get in touch, you can have a look at the Eagletac aswell.

I wonder if there were puzzled pedestrians when I used it to light up the top 5 or so floors of an 15 storey office building from 50 feet away down a side street on three occasions (while waiting to pick Am up from the tube tonight)

Boy did that induce a grin.

You're on mate. I'll PM you my mobile number so we can co-ordinate if you decide to go for it.

P.S. When the Mrs rang and asked me where I was parked, I told her to "follow the bat-signal" and promptly lit up the building again

[Essexman]

Nice review dave, and great product pics

I've got hold of the passaround sample of the same light. It's bloody unreal the amount of throw it has. I have a 3 Cree modded Maglite I built a couple of years ago (you know the type Dave!) and the Catapult blows it away. Not just a bit brighter, much brighter.

Have fun taking pics dave, I'll try and take some, but I've only got a simple camera.

Hold on a minute the wife has an idea for a pic, back in a minute...........

[TallNHairyDave]

Cool photo mate! I hadn't thought of trying that, and yep, it really does shine through your hand!

[Essexman]

It was her idea!! [and her hand] The camera didn't pick up all the details, it looks really gross in real life.

[TallNHairyDave]

Noticed something unusual while playing with the torch... If you hold your hand about 10 inches away from the head of the torch and turn it on, you'll notice that there is a distinct PURPLE outer ring around the beam. Rather cute.

Doesn't show up at a distance because it's too faint, so I don't consider it to be an issue.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Dave's just woken up, mumbled something about supposed to be going to Box Hill and promptly fallen back asleep - poor sod appears to be utterly shattered and has a cold/cough. So he's not going to be going to Box Hill tonight.

[Essexman]

Cheers for the update Am,

Poor fella, a cold, no way, must be man flu?

Send him our best wishes, and nurse him beack to health ready for the 27th

[TallNHairyDave]

Feeling much relieved and refreshed (but still sniffly) after having slept through until about an hour ago.

Will head to Box Hill tonight

[screaming skull]

Cant wait to see the results big chap hope the sniffles go away

[TallNHairyDave]

Got up to Box Hill.

Weather was not so great - quite misty, very cold, and heavy frost, so the photos haven't come out so great.

Camera settings - ISO 100, f1.7, 2 seconds

Torch on LOW


Torch on MEDIUM

OOPS. I moved the torch before the camera had finished taking the exposure, and didn't realise until I got home.

Torch on HIGH


100% crop of target


In each photo, the target clump of trees is 140m (459 feet) away and camera settings were not changed.

[gorilla]

is there a way to tell from specs whether a torch will be more flood or throw?