ThruNite Archer Pro V2 EDC Flashlight - 950 Lumens, USB-C Rechargeable, Tail Switch LED Penlight for Camping, Outdoor & Emergency - Cool White (Black)

I just received my ThruNite Archer Pro. It is a solid well built light and a very comfortable size in hand. I have a preference for small flashlights and I find the AA/14500 ones more comfortable to hold and use than the CR123A/16340 size lights. The latter are shorter and fatter, which means a 3-finger grip, whereas the former, like the Archer Pro, are longer and slimmer and allow for a 4-finger grip. The Archer Pro is actually a bit longer than most of my AA/14500 lights, but that’s an advantage in that it allows that 4th finger to have more purchase.The build quality of the Archer Pro is excellent, and it is a handsome light with a simple, sleek, and straightforward design. This is enhanced by the small unobtrusive lettering on the body. ThruNite resisted the temptation to conspicuously advertise the make and model in huge letters as some manufacturers do.The output is impressive, with a good sized hotspot which transitions to a wide and bright spill. Mine is the CW (cool white) version and the beam is white and pleasant, although when compared to some of my other lights, it has a slight greenish tint. Overall, the beam suits me fine, with a good combination of throw and spill.You adjust the brightness level by pressing and holding the rear button, and the level ramps up and down. The ramp speed is moderate---I have lights which ramp faster and some that ramp more slowly. The Archer Pro’s rate is a pretty good compromise. And there is a memory feature---that is, if you turn the light off at a certain level, when you switch it back on it will be at that same level. Turbo is accessed by a double click, whether the light is on or off, and that’s very handy.The large tail button is a plus. While lights with a side button have the advantage of being easily accessed in an underhand grip, oftentimes the side button is small and hard to locate in the dark. The Archer Pro’s prominent tail switch is easy to locate quickly.The long bi-directional clip compliments the light’s long sleek shape and allows for deep pocket carry. As for ease of sliding it into your pocket, I’d rate it fair. It’s far from the worst I’ve seen but does usually require lifting the clip slightly to slide it in.One of the Archer Pro’s biggest advantages is the hidden USB-C port cover. You simply screw the head forward to access the recharging port and then afterwards screw it back down. This is a huge improvement over the typical flimsy and annoying rubber port covers on rechargeable lights. They always get in the way, and my fingers tend to pull them loose as I use the flashlight.The Archer Pro has a couple of features that are somewhat problematic. The first is the lockout procedure, which keeps the light from turning on accidentally when packed or buried in your pocket. When I first unboxed the light I spend 10-15 minutes trying to figure out how to enter and exit lockout mode. They have made it too complicated and the instructions are little help.Here’s my version:To enter lockout mode, first click the light off. Then press and hold for about a second till you enter firefly mode. Release the button. Then press and hold again till you see it flash twice (very dimly). You’re now in lockout mode.To exit lockout mode, press and hold till it flashes once (dimly). Release the button. Then press and release button again to turn it off. Then press button again and light exits lockout mode and turns on.This is too complicated and needs to be simplified. Since double click gets to turbo and triple click to strobe, maybe just designate 4 clicks to lock or unlock the light.When I put away a light with an electronic switch like the Archer Pro has, I usually lock it out so as to minimize parasitic drain of the battery. Rather than having to remember the distinct lockout sequence of each light, I just unscrew the tailcap a half turn to break the circuit and lockout the light. This isn’t possible as the battery in the Archer Pro is built in and the tailcap can’t be unscrewed. I contacted ThruNite about this and they told me that there is a tiny amount of standby current (parasitic drain) in the Archer Pro whether it’s locked out or not. (And kudos to ThruNite for their very responsive customer service.) They put it at 20 microamperes (20 millionths of an ampere), which is basically negligible. So I probably won’t end up using the lockout feature much at all. Still, they need to simplify it.The other problematic feature is the non-removeable battery (1000 mAh 14500). This is a negative in at least two respects: First off, when the battery eventually dies, so does the light---battery replacement isn’t possible. This isn’t a deal killer for me because I have a lot of lights I rotate and don’t use any of them intensely. Even if I did, my bet is the Archer Pro’s battery would last a few years. Given the cost of this light, that’s very reasonable, not to mention that in a few years the latest and greatest LED lights will be calling to us in any event.The second downside to the non-removeable battery is that you can’t pull it out and check its remaining voltage on a DMM or battery tester. ThruNite could have remedied that by having a battery check feature as some lights do, so that, for example, when you turn it on different colored lights or a certain number of blinks indicate the battery status. The instructions do say that the light will blink when the battery gets low (how low is low?), so that helps a little.All in all, the Archer Pro is a high quality and high performing light, with a very attractive size and design, and several excellent features. While it does have a couple of negatives, they are significantly outweighed by the positives. The Archer Pro is a very appealing little pocket light, and at this price point ($32 after $8 Amazon coupon applied), a good buy as well.

Here buying a 2nd one. Perfect EDC pocket size. Used it now several weeks and the wife wants one for her purse. I bumped the top button accidentally and it stayed on in my pocket, but it had a lock setting if you hold the button down to go through modes. I don’t want it locked but that feature is there if needed. I like the single press for low beam and the quick double press for max beam. Simple! It’s made well and the charge port is sealed so it’s probably moisture proof. Out of 4 types I have, this is my favorite flashlight. Only thing missing is that it’s not magnetic.

This review is for the larg(er) 950 Lumen version; the smaller version has a different switch setup that is much more intuitive and makes more sense. The smaller one is also more lightweight, and never has the problem I'm about to describe.This light on the 950 V2 has an odd switch design-- it's more complicated than the smaller one, but more importantly, it's just too heavy to have a switch where the 'safety' is shut off by a long press on the rear button. When I can get the safety set properly-- which always takes a while, I don't know why it's so much harder to figure out-- invariably, either clipped inside my pocket or just resting in the pocket, it works its way into a position where the button is on the bottom, the weight of the flashlight is on the button = long press = turns off the safety. The light then turns on when it's bouncing around in your pocket, and either gets hot enough so you notice it or just runs down the battery.It has one enormous plus, however: It's about the brightest flashlight I own. It is great for hazing coyotes. Walking my two 16-pound dogs, if we are menaced by a pack of coyotes -- which happens about once every couple of months -- I just start screaming and strobing this thing right in their eyes. They will take off faster than with screaming alone.An added bonus: It lights up the eyes of coyotes that I did not see. Frequently, I'll think there are only three or four, but there are actually six or seven. So I do carry it on the night walk. The smaller ThruNite is clipped to a band on one of the Flexi leashes, so it's great for dog-turd pickup or making sure neither of my guys is trash hounding-- eating stuff that's not food off the street. But if one of us sees a coyote, this one is very useful... if it's stayed charged. (*sigh*)

Great flashlight. Easy to set to a wide variety of brightness, but still have easy access to low and high settings, as well as your preferred default setting. Also has a handy lock setting that will protect you from accidentally turning on the flashlight in your pocket.The bright setting is way brighter than I need, but nice to have.USB-C is the future and makes the light forward compatible.