ThruNite Saber 659 Lumens AA Flashlight Rechargeable, High Performance SST20 Cool White LED EDC Light

...The ThruNite Saber. [EDIT 6/21: Still a great flashlight, but some issues have come up since the initial review. These have been added where relevant. I left the rest of the review pretty much untouched, to retain the first impressions along with the new info] I was looking for a quick-grab light that would perform well on either a *normal* AA or AAA (whether or not high-voltage batteries were supported), and after having spent an embarrassing number of hours researching different flashlight specs, watching/reading reviews, looking up manuals, evaluating UI experiences, then making some purchases and returns… this one just came out on top. It was simply the one I wanted in my pocket (second place was the Olight I3t 2 EOS, which I kept). PROS: - Very simple UI: single click (or half press) turns on at low, second click (or half press) turns on at high. Always reverts to low after a short timer, no mode memory - Absolutely UNTOUCHABLE performance claims on a NiMH AA battery [EDIT 6/21: the Lumintop Tool AA 3.0 actually can compete with the Saber, with more lumens and longer runtimes, but with a mediocre inverted switch, and confusing UI]: 75 minutes on a 2,450 mAh NiMH at 235 lumens - with NO claim of any thermal or timed brightness stepdown. [EDIT 6/21: I did a 5-minute test where I ran the light for that long, then compared it to another Saber I have right after turning the second one on - I'm happy to say the one that had run for 5 minutes was almost indistinguishable in brightness from the fresh one] No other light I found in my research even came close to those numbers - Extremely useful light mode levels (IMO) on a normal AA: 25 lumens on low, 235 lumens on high. I find these levels almost perfectly meet the needs of when I personally need/use a flashlight - Runs beautifully on a Pale Blue fixed-voltage 1.5v rechargeable AA (to avoid gradual dimming as voltage decreases) [EDIT 6/21: Unfortunately, when I was doing intentional duration tests, the Pale Blue battery cut out at exactly 3 minutes... so, back to Eneloops, until I can test the XTAR fixed-1.5V batteries that are on the way] - Solid build, so far not showing any significant scratches on the body or lens despite being loose in my pocket with keys and such [EDIT 6/21: I ordered 2 more Sabers, a green and a gray - the green one has a scratchier and weaker switch, and the lens on the gray one wasn't glued in correctly, and had bubbles underneath. So, definitely some quality-control issues. Just inspect your light well after you receive it] - The beam is an excellent balance of bright hotspot and spill. The center can throw *much* farther than the other lights I have with similar lumen counts, but there’s enough surrounding light to not feel like tunnel-vision (Note: the Pale Blue I’m running is pinning the light at a perfect 1.5v, so I’m always running at the max possible performance beneath a 14500 battery) [EDIT 6/21: Again, issues with the Pale Blue battery after all] CONS: - Main body is too smooth… the token grooves in the sides don’t really help much with grip, and there’s no real waist to speak of… not bad overall grip, but not great - The button, though reliable, is metal, and clearly allows dust to collect in the groove around it. It can also be a liiiitle bit scratchy at times as the metal of the button slides against the metal casing - When using the included high-voltage battery (which I don’t), the flashlight gets quite hot (though not as hot as another light I tried, the Acebeam Pokelit AA, which I returned, since it was inferior to the Saber in every possible way except build quality) - Not sure if this is really a con, but the low light mode seems warmer than the high mode for some reason Again… I did a lot of research, and tried other lights, but even with the cons I just mentioned, this light stood out from the crowd, and was just a winner for me. It’s in my pocket as I write this, and I’ve already ordered a second one. Buy it with confidence (ESPECIALLY if you want to run a NiMH or Pale Blue, like I do), and avoid the Acebeam Pokelit AA at all costs. Thanks for reading!

Only had this for a month but I already like it to replace my EDC light which was an Olight i5r that was well used and developed a flakey tail cap switch. This light is nearly identical in size to i5r and only weights about 3 grams more than the i5r (about 60 grams). Same switch functionality too and still fits in the small 'lighter' or 5th pocket on the right side of my jeans or work pants. The biggest difference is light output at low setting which is notably brighter on this Thrunight and appreciated in how I use my light which I commonly snap to my baseball cap to improvise a headlamp. The light output at low this light has is better for walking and working at night. If I had to guess its about double the light output on low. This is also appreciated when I pull the light out to inspect something in lower light conditions or look up in a drop ceiling or behind a couch. High also puts out more light than the i5r but I have only used it a couple of times and don't have a good idea of runtime and heat output (or how long before it auto-dims). The trade off is that for some users like campers, they might prefer the lower light output of i5r when looking around tier tents or backpacks for something in the dark, or times when you may want to guard your night vision more. Still this light is nearly 1/3 the cost of the i5r (which seems to be discontinued late 2025 sadly). $10 (on sale) is low cost enough that I will not worry if I loose it in 6 months at work or the kids misplace it. Its also small enough for kids or to easily fit in my wife's purse. Overall I'm happy with it and looking forward to using it over the long haul to see how it holds up.

I love this flashlight, it is small, bright, and has a rechargeable battery that includes the charging cable with your order. I have bought multiple of these and have given them as gift's. I carry this light every day hooked inside my front pocket with the included clip, it is very portable and never in my way when I need to get something in or out of my pocket, I have dropped it a few times and so far it has proven durable as it has not broke or affected the quality.

I really like this flashlight, it comes with a small rechargeable battery that you can charge with a USB c charger cable. It's super bright. The only issue I have with it is that it has two modes. You have to press the button several times to get through the modes. It goes from off, to full brightness, then back to off, then to half brightness, and back to off. So if you want half brightness, you have to click several times to get to it. And the same thing for full brightness. I wish there was a way to pick either full or half brightness without having to keep clicking constantly. I'm taking one star off just for that. Otherwise it would definitely be at five star flashlight.

I haven't had this small EDC torch for very long, but am very pleased so far. The brightness and power of the beams in both operating modes are more than I expected and easily meet my needs. Even the low power mode is brighter than any 3 x D battery flashlight you have ever used. The amount of light from the high power mode is hard to believe coming from such a little guy. I also really like that a single plain AA battery works in a pinch and is still just as bright in low mode. Overall, this is a well made, tightly fit and high quality product. So far, so good and I would definitely buy again. Will modify this opinion if things change in the future. Edit 12/27/2024: I was checking out the Saber 659 some more and put a rechargeable AA NiMH battery in. Surprise!, now the unit also had a low *and* high mode, similar to that with the included Li-ion. The low mode is the same as with AA Li-ion and standard alkaline, but unlike both, it has a high mode about half the intensity of the Li-ion. I don't know how long this high mode works in comparison to Li-ion, but hey, unlike the standard AA, at least it *has* a high mode! I had been disappointed somewhat in that ThruNite doesn't seem to say anywhere in their specs that standard AA batteries work only in low mode. I think I had to view the video comments to find this out before I purchased. Now discovering that NiMH AA also has both a low and high operating mode is a usability bonus to me. I think this adds a second good power source option in a pinch, as with AA standard and another reason to like how the Saber 659 operates. Try this out for yourself and see what you think.