New Arrival ThruNite Saber 1A, Cree XP-G2 LED, 3 modes, 169 lumen by using 11.5V AA, 3 modes, Waterproof to IPX-8.

I purchased a handful of the 2013 version of this flashlight as stocking-stuffers for family (and myself, of course). I was one short, so my own light got put back in its box and wrapped as a gift. I then ordered 3 more as additional gifts and a replacement for mine. I was very surprised at silent update of getting both the AA (1A) and CR123 (1C) battery holders as mentioned in the previous review. I was even more surprised at the price drop (roughly $10 decrease) from the 2013 version. The updated version also comes in a very nice metal gift box.The head of the light is a bit larger in diameter than the 2013 version to accommodate the CR123 battery holder. The CR123 battery holder is shorter than the AA holder, due to the CR123 battery being shorter than a AA. The AA battery holder tapers down from the head diameter to the smaller diameter of a AA battery.The manual for the light recommends not using a rechargeable CR123 (16340) due to excessive heat from the higher current capacity of a rechargeable 16340 over a disposable CR123. Being an engineer, I took that as a challenge, and attempted to insert one of the protected 16340 batteries I had on hand. It wouldn't fit. I then took an unprotected 16340 (2mm shorter), and it fit perfectly. The light is significantly brighter in all settings when using the 16340, but does get warm quickly on the high setting. I figure it won't hurt the light to run it for short periods on high with the rechargeable battery.I liked the 2013 version enough at $30 to purchase several of them as gifts. At the current price point of about $20 for the upgraded light, it is now a screaming bargain.

Not 5 stars on this one...i love thrunite lights but this one was a flop for me....it would have been five stars if I didn't already own the T20 which is the predecessor to this light. The T20 was rated at 180 lumens and was a great thrower for is size. Side by side, I could tell absolutely no difference between the T20 and this saber 1A, which is rated at 251 lumens on a CR123..... in fact if I had to choose, I'd say the earlier T20 is actually brighter and throws just a bit further due to its smooth reflector vs the orange Peel on this saber. I have an Archer 1A that is rated at 169 lumens using a AA, and even using the saber 1A body, it is not as bright as the Archer is... I dont know if I got a bad one or they have the saber restricted in output.So not only is the performance not that great, it is a good 1/8" longer than the T20, and if you use the 1A body, it becomes IMO an oddly shaped and quite large 1A light. I would much rather have a 47s mini MA than this light, it's just too big for the 1A twisty category. The only thing I can say is that they improved the twisty action over their previous T20 and T21 and it takes much less effort to twist the head now. There is some contraption at the base of the battery tube that the battery now "slides" on which must help.In case anyone is wondering, the battery tubes between the T20 and Saber 1A are identical (save for the anti-friction device in the 1A). The head on the Saber is about 1/8" longer, and the copper heat sink is twice as large, making it heavier. I could not get Eagletac or XTAR 16340's to work in the 1A which is a bummer... Eagletac 14500's worked well in the 1A body though, and light output is still very well regulated like most thrunites.Overall this is a decent light but I am extremely disappointed in is light output, I was expecting a nice boost over the T20 but it is just a bigger package that does not deliver. BTW I am comparing both lights on tenergy LiFePo4 so it should have been an even comparison and given each light a small boost in output over standard cr123s.

Works very well. Great price.

ORIGINAL REVIEW - December 2013 - 5 StarsSo to start off, I don't know if the listing is wrong here, or I just got a bonus. I received the Saber 1A (2014) edition of this light. This one comes with dual power options, the LED flashlight head is interchangeable with either a Saber A1 single "AA" battery holder, or it also came with a Saber C1 CR123a battery holder. Can use either battery, just swap out the battery compartment of the flashlight. That's a pretty cool bonus I wasn't expecting. :)The light itself works well. All 3 modes work correctly, and the memory works as long as the light is off for a few seconds before you turn it back on. Turning it off and on quickly steps through the 3 different modes. It tail stands, so it will work as a candle. The firefly brightness (0.9 lum) is really dim, but should work well if it's pitch black and you just need a tiny bit of light to navigate.I have several larger Fenix lights, but I needed something smaller that would fit securely in my Fenix flashlight headband. This one is snug enough to work there with either battery option. Overall I'm happy, especially effectively receiving 2 different light options for the price of one. :)UPDATE: 12/13/2014 - Dropping rating from 5 stars to 2 starsHmm. If Thrunite reads these, I just have to ask what the (censored) they are doing changing the light? They WERE great little lights, and the first one I bought a year ago off the initial run is still going great. I loved it so much that I just bought 3 more of them expecting that same level of quality, and oh man did someone on their design team drop the ball in the last year. Probably playing too much solitaire or minesweeper to actually consider the impacts of their design changes. I'd like to apologize to anyone that bought one of these even partially based on my initial review and got one of these remodeled versions that doesn't even come close to measuring up against the original I reviewed.The main difference is the head has been redesigned.* It has an orange peel reflector now, where the original had a smooth reflector. Why? The original worked great. The new one gives a little bit more of a flood effect than a spot effect. I liked the spot effect.* The pictures of the head screwed down flush with the base are flat out lies. The only way you get close to that in the new one is if there is no battery inside. The old one had maybe a 1/16" gap between the head and base in the "off" position, and 1/32" when "on". Nearly flush. The new one has about a 1/4" gap Off or On. Just looks like (censored).* Not sure how they can claim an IPX-8 waterproof standard with the head unscrewed this much. Think I might throw one into my fish aquarium just to test that out.* The reason for the increased head gap above is the new head has an extended 'button' on the positive battery terminal inside, and they also made the actual internal part of the head 1/16" longer. The only reason I can think of to do this is maybe to make the light work with flat top batteries instead of just button top. And a flat top would be a bit shorter so the head might screw down more flush. If you're not using flat tops, then the head just doesn't screw down as far as it should, and it's pretty obvious. Makes it a bit of an eyesore when looking at it. Lets completely ignore the fact that 99% of the AA and CR123a batteries on the market are BUTTON TOP and accommodate the 1% of people that actually have flat top AA or CR123a's while giving the middle finger to the 99% of the rest of us.* The original version had a nice round thick foam ring around the positive terminal. The reason for this is to maintain contact with the battery in the "off" position, so the battery does not rattle when off. Screw the head in and the foam compresses and allows the battery to contact the positive terminal on the head. It worked great. On the new version they have replaced the foam with some sort of gel or rubber ring that is thinner than the original foam. They didn't make it thicker to account for their new 'extended' positive battery terminal taking up nearly all of the internal space of the ring, so the result is that your battery will now rattle around inside the flashlight in the off position. I can't tell you how annoying this is, and you will notice it in your pocket. Just a slight click click click click click with every single step.I'm going to be sacrificing one of these new ones to a dremel tool tomorrow to see if I can grind down the new positive terminal without destroying the light. It doesn't look like I can just pop it off, it's probably soldered on. If it works I might get what I would consider to be at least a decent light out of the new ones. If not then oh well, it can go in the trash where it belongs.Thrunite won't be getting any more of my money, I can tell you that. You could have had a repeat customer for many years, instead you've inspired me to warn people away from your company. Excellent business decision there. Yeah, I'm just a bit annoyed.*** The Dremel mod worked a bit, I decided to do it right after I wrote the updated review. Took the gap from 1/4" down to about 1/8" in the off position, but it's still not as good as the original one. And there is less rattle when off now, but it's still there a little bit. I might change out their rubber washer for some DIY dense foam rings like the original had. There was no impact to flashlight modes or function after grinding the extended terminal down on all 3 new lights. This still doesn't change my opinion though. I shouldn't have to get out a dremel to modify a piece of electronics to make it work correctly. And I still have to deal with the orange peel reflector.If Thrunite wants to accommodate flat top batteries, make a different version for them. Don't screw over the majority of the customers that use button tops. Innovation is fine, but not when it compromises expected functionality. If you absolutely have to integrate the two, then add the flat top button to the terminal, make the rubber ring spacer thicker, and extend the battery case by 1/8" so the people that use button tops can still securely close their dang flashlight and not deal with rattling batteries.*** Interesting. I just dug out the CR123a battery holder that came with the original light, and the new CR123a cases ARE 1/8" longer than the old ones to help accommodate the extra length created by the new battery terminal button on the head. But they did NOT likewise extend the AA case. Thanks Thrunite, I'm really feeling the love as a primarily AA user, since that's what this Saber model started out SOLELY supporting. Now it looks like you're catering only to the flat top CR123a crowd. I really appreciate that.