| Trustfire T30R | |
|---|---|
| LEP type / class | Class – / shine through |
| Max. beam intensity (candelas) | 302,000 cd |
| Max. beam distance (meters) | 1,100 meters |
| Max. output (lumens) | 460 lm |
| Modes | 3 |
| Avg. Price | $169 |
Affordable LEP flashlight when on sale
TrustFire provided lots of accessories with the T30R LEP flashlight. Ranging from a rechargeable 18650 battery, to a lanyard, cleaning cloth, a pouch, and more. Depending on the price you will pay, if below $100, it would be a good deal. At the MFG price, I would probably look at other options.
Size wise, the T30R stands a bit out from the crowd. It’s sleek and long, compared to other 18650 flashlights.
The user interface is very easy with a rear switch for power, and a side switch to run through the 3 available modes. So I think, TrustFire did a pretty good job with their first LEP flashlight.
However, there are still a few other things they could improve upon, and that includes adding a protection glass in front of the convex lens, and a more stable output. The output in High increases, and drops, and increases and drops.. And that’s a little pity, because that influences not just the measurements, but the overall performance as well.
The protection glass lens would be adding like $0.50 of cost, but reduces the headache of finding a suitable convex lens if it gets damaged.
Batteries, and more
The T30R comes with a claimed 3,000mAh 18650 battery. I measured it about 70mm long, with a button top and protection board. At was shipped charged to 4.08V, which is a bit high in my opinion. They normally get stored and shipped around 3.6-3.7V.
The flashlight also accepts non-protected, flat top 18650 batteries due to springs on both ends. It’s also compatible with 2CR123 batteries but not with 216340 batteries, as specified in the manual. The built-in USB-C charging charges the included battery in 2 hours and 15 minutes with a maximum current of 1.9A. The charging process is indicated by a red LED in the switch.
Performance
The beam is the first thing you’ll notice when powering the T30R. It’s a bit green when seen in person. And that makes it a bit less appealing. But that’s not always the most important aspect of a flashlight. But important to note.
Lumen measurements:
| Mode | Specified | Measured at turn on | 30sec. | 10min. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moonlight | 8 lm | 28 lm | 25 lm | – |
| Med | 95 lm | 109 lm | 106 lm | 99 lm |
| High | 460 lm | 316 lm | 105 lm | 97 lm |
And then move on to Runtime / battery life:
| Mode | Specified runtime | Measured runtime (ANSI FL1) | Time till shut off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moon | 58h | – | – |
| Med | 6h 30min | 3h 26min | 3h 26min |
| High | 3h 30min | 3h 29min | 3h 29min |
It’s interesting to note that Medium has about the same total runtime as High. And that Medium was supposed to be almost twice as long. So I tested medium mode two times, and both were about the same. I can’t explain why TrustFire used a much longer runtime for medium that I tested.
And lastly, measuring the beam instensity, and beam distance:
| Mode | Specified | Candelas | Meters | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | – | 39,250 cd | 396 m | 433 yd |
| Med | 54,756 cd | 149,750 cd | 774 m | 846 yd |
| High | 302,500 cd | 147,500 cd | 768 m | 840 yd |
| High (turn on) | – | 400,000 cd | 1,265 m | 1,383 yd |
The reason why the measurement in High was so low, was because of the output dropping so quickly. I have a feeling this to be a quality control thing, and other T30R may not have this problem. So I also added the measurement I got around turn on.. Which was about 400,000 cd, not bad.
