ThruNite Catapult Mini v2

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ThruNite Catapult Mini v2 specs

Brand & Model	ThruNite Catapult Mini v2
Flashlight category	Mini thrower / hunting
LED	Luminus SFT40
Max. output	1108 lumens
Max. beam distance	515 meters
Max. beam intensity	66,150 cd
Battery config.	1x 18350
Onboard charging	USB-C
Main modes	5
Blinkies	Strobe, Beacon, SOS
Waterproof	IPX8
Review publication date	August 2023

ThruNite has been in operation since 2009 and has put out some very nice flashlights. In fact, my very first “nice” headlamp was a ThruNite TH20 which has served me faithfully for the past 5 years. I feel like ThruNite products sit in a comfortable “in between” segment: they’re not ultra-budget lights that skimp on features, but they usually don’t break the bank either. Overall, they provide a good mix of value and performance.

Up for review today is an update to the Catapult Mini, appropriately named the Catapult Mini V2. At first blush, this V2 looks very similar to the first generation. Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice some updates to the body styling, as well as the transition to a new LED and move from TIR to a reflector. So… that’s the short of it, but let’s really run the ThruNite Catapult Mini V2 through its paces!

The Catapult Mini V2 comes ready for business, aside from the fact that you need to tighten the head to the body before using it. So instead of using an isolation disc, ThruNite simply left the flashlight physically locked out and attached a tag saying so. Oh, and they also recommend charging it before using it.

Package quality.

The ThruNite Catapult Mini V2 arrived in pretty typical packaging: a brown cardboard box with some light ThruNite branding on the outside. The inside was lined with foam. Overall, pretty understated but highly functional in making sure the goods arrive in proper order. Inside the box was:

• ThruNite Catapult Mini V2
• 18350 battery
• Charging cable
• Lanyard
• Spare o-rings
• Spare USB cover
• Manual

The ThruNite Catapult Mini v2 is definitely a mini-thrower. Being built around a 18350, it is small enough to fit in the palm of my (average sized) hand without hanging over. All of the edges are smoothed over. There’s no rough edges to be found, save for a little bit of sharpness around the lanyard hole. That seems (unfortunately) pretty common. Speaking of smooth, there is nothing to keep the Catapult Mini V2 from rolling around on a flat surface: no flats and no pocket clip. So keep an eye on it if that is a concern of yours. The tail is easily flat enough for stable tail-standing.

There are two flat, raised areas on the side of the head. The first is home to the USB-C charging port. The port is protected by a rubber cover that is flush with the raised area. The second flat is the location for the stainless steel switch button and ring. The button is slightly proud of the flat area: enough to aid in locating the button, but not enough to make accidental activation an issue. That said, the button is still a bit difficult to find without looking. Several times I found myself trying to press the USB cover.

When it comes to using the ThruNite Catapult Mini V2, it’s a fairly versatile little guy. The small size makes it pretty easy to pack along with you in a jacket pocket, or perhaps a pants pocket (as long as you’re not into skinny jeans, I suppose). This flashlight would be right at home going for walks, hiking, hunting, or scanning the backyard. With its proper moonlight/firefly mode, it’s not too shabby at low-light tasks, either. Being throwy, it wouldn’t be my first choice as a reading light, but it would work in a pinch.

The ThruNite Catapult Mini v2 is predominantly made out of 6061-T6 aluminum which is covered in premium Type III Hard-Anodized finish. I would say the Desert Tan coating has a “satin” sheen to it. The anodizing is very clean and even. The majority of the body tube is covered with fine rings that remind me of bolt threads with 5 flats ground along the tube. There is no traditional knurling. The body and tailcap are made from a single piece of aluminum, as best as I can tell.

I’ve alway been very pleased with ThruNite’s build quality, and this flashlight is no exception. The fit & finish feels a notch above the usual budget-minded brands.

Warranty:

• 30 days refund from Amazon (if you bought it on Amazon)
• 2 years free replacement from issues brought on by normal use
• Limited lifetime maintenance (cost of parts and shipping covered by the customer)

The original Catapult Mini employed an OSRAM KW.CSLNM1.TG LED behind a TIR optic. The V2 trades those elements for a Luminus SFT40 (domeless) LED and a smooth reflector. With these changes, lumen (specs) output is up 63% while candelas are down 26%. So if you’re looking only for throw, the original might suit your needs a bit better. However, I feel like the Catapult Mini V2 likely has a more usable beam profile for everyday tasks. That is in part due to the very wide spill that surrounds the tight hotspot and moderate corona. 

Readings from Opple Light Master, Turbo at 5 meters:

• CCT: 6496K
• CRI: 68.1 Ra
• DUV: +0.0033

ThruNite Catapult Mini V2	Millimeters	Inches
Length	86 mm	3.4 in
Head diameter	40 mm	1.6 in
Body diameter	26 mm	1.0 in

Dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter, and to the nearest tenth of an Inch.

Weight: 

ThruNite Catapult Mini V2	Weight in grams	Weight in oz
Without battery:	89 g	3.1 oz
With battery	115 g	4.1 oz

Weight is rounded to the nearest gram, and to the nearest tenth of an Oz.

Flashlight size comparison with its competition:

Group 1: Lumintop GT3 Mini, ThruNite Catapult Mini V2, ThruNite T1S

Group 2 small thrower flashlights: Manker MC13, ThruNite Catapult Mini V2, Speras M4

Available modes: 

• Turbo, High, Medium, Low, Firefly

Available blinky modes:

• Strobe, Beacon, SOS
  

From OFF:

• Press and hold: Firefly
• Press and hold 3 seconds: turn on breathing indicator (click to turn off)
• Single click: turn on, last used mode (low, medium, or high)
• Double click: Turbo
• 3 fast clicks: Strobe
• 4 fast clicks: Lockout

From ON:

• Press and hold: change mode (low, medium, high)
• 1 click: turn off
• Double click: Turbo
• 3 fast clicks: Strobe

Mode memory:

•  Yes, the last used of Low, Medium, and High is memorized

Shortcuts:

• To Firefly: press and hold from Off
• To Turbo: double click (from Off or On)
• To Strobe: triple click (from Off or On)

Low voltage warning/protection:

• There is an indicator LED in the button that display the remaining battery capacity
  • Blue: 21 – 100% (3.3-4.2V)
  • Purple: 11 – 20% (3.1-3.3V)
  • Red: 1 – 10% (2.8-3.1V)
  • Off: 0% (0-2.8V)

Strobe/blinkies

• Triple click from Off or On to activate Strobe
• From Strobe, press and hold to go to Beacon
• From Beacon, press and hold to go to SOS
• Click at any time to turn off

Lock-out mode: 

• Click four times from Off to lockout
• Click four times again to unlock

PWM

• No PWM was detected (using a photodiode and a DMM’s frequency mode)

Additional/summary info on the UI: 

• I feel like this is a really solid “standard” single e-switch UI with all of the features I want, and pretty much nothing I don’t.

The ThruNite Catapult Mini v2 comes with a ThruNite-branded 1100 mAh 18350 battery. It is of the protected variety. The battery looks proprietary, with both the positive button and a negative ring at the “top” of the battery. But in looking at the construction of the Catapult Mini V2, this special battery isn’t needed. I tried using a plain ol’ flat-top unprotected 1100 mAh Epoch 18350 battery and it worked just fine, even though it is considerably shorter. So I’d say this flashlight is very accommodating when it comes to batteries.

I tried doing a little “impact test” against my palm with both the ThruNite battery and the Epoch. With the longer ThruNite battery, solid contact was being made and there was no spring sound, nor did the light flicker. With the shorter, unprotected Epoch battery, however, there was an audible spring sound upon impact and the light flickered, but maintained its current mode and functionality – just a tiny blip.

I don’t really see any specs or details regarding the built-in USB-C charging, aside ThruNite mentioning that the LED indicator is red during charging and turns blue when charging is complete. I observed a charge rate of 3.00 watts (0.59 amps at 5.06 volts). The charge cycle completed in 2 hours and 45 minutes, transferring 6.3 Wh of power (the battery itself is rated at 4 Wh). The resulting battery voltage was 4.18.

Lumen measurements

How Lumens are Measured: Understanding ANSI FL1 Standards How Lumens are Measured: Understanding ANSI FL1 Standards: The ANSI FL1 standards specify that output in lumens should be measured 30 seconds after turning on, as this is the standardized time for measuring brightness according to the industry standard. This is why we focus on this part in our measurements.

Lux was measured by a UNI-T UT383 BT at 10 meters. Lumens were measured in a homemade lumen tube using a VEML7700 sensor, calibrated with a calibration light provided by 1Lumen. The included ThruNite battery was used for testing.

Mode	Amps at start	Specs	Lumens @turn on	Lumens @30 sec	Lumens @10 minutes
Firefly	9 mA	0.6 lm	0.7	0.7	–
Low	235 mA	70 lm	113	113	–
Med	413 mA	160 lm	244	244	246
High	825 mA	331 lm	465	466	472
Turbo	3.3 A	1108 > 358 lm	1391 lm	1376 lm	475 lm
Turbo at 3.6V			1288	1185 lm	–

Parasitic drain:

• 13 µA 

So, what do we see here? The ThruNite Catapult Mini V2 performed exceptionally well. It easily exceeded the lumen specs except for the Firefly mode, which came in right where it should.

ThruNite Catapult Mini V2 Battery Life: Runtime graphs

How Runtimes are Measured: Understanding ANSI FL1 Standards About ANSI FL1 runtime standards: The runtime is measured until the light drops to 10% of its initial output (30 seconds after turning on). This does not mean that the flashlight is not usable anymore. The last column shows how long the light actually works till it shuts off. If there is a + symbol, it means that the test was stopped at that particular point, but the light was actually still running. This happens on certain occasions, with certain drivers, firmware, or batteries.

Mode	Specified runtime	Measured runtime ANSI	Time till shut off
Firefly	85h
Low	6h 36min
Med	2h 45min	2h 51min	2h 51min
High	1h 8min	1h 18min	1h 18min
Turbo	80s + 1h 2min	1h 15min	1h 15min

The runtime measurements fell right inline with spec, if perhaps a bit better. Very close, though. I love seeing results that meet or exceed the manufacturer specs.

Peak beam intensity and beam distance measurements

About Peak beam intensity: Understanding ANSI FL1 Standards About peak beam intensity The calculated value of distance in meters at which the flashlight produces a light intensity of 0.25 lux. (0.25 lux is about the brightness of a full moon shining on an object). This means that the intensity has decreased so much, it becomes difficult to see darker objects, or objects that don’t reflect light. The columns ‘Meters’ and ‘Yards’ use rounded numbers.

Intensity was measured at 10 meters after being turned on for 30 seconds. A UNI-T UT383 BT lux meter was used.

Mode	Specs	Candela measured	Meters	Yards
Low		8,100	180 m	197 yd
Medium		14,600	242 m	264 yd
High		27,600	332 m	363 yd
Turbo	66,150 cd	82,000 cd	573 m	626 yd

Again, I’m pleasantly surprised with these measurements. My ThruNite Catapult Mini V2 seems to be hitting over the specs across the board.

Beam shots of the building are taken at 30 m (33 yd) using a Pixel 7 set to ISO 800 with 1/10 second exposure time

Beamshots of the following flashlights compared:

• ThruNite Catapult Mini V2
• Olight Seeker 4 Mini
• Fenix E35R

Disclaimer: This flashlight was sent to me for review at no cost by ThruNite. I have not been paid to review, nor have I been holding back on problems or defects.