Sofirn Flash Deal on Aliexpress from 25, Feb. to 27, Feb.

I kind of wonder if that might be BLF’s fault. That mode didn’t seem to be popular until we made the BLF A6, and now it’s showing up in all sorts of places.

Here is a link to my review,

Thank you for letting me review your product

Sincerely
AlexGT

Tracy, thank you for the clarifications!

TK wrote:

Y’all who worked on the BLF A6 should take a bow, and Sofirn should read up on the histories here as groups collaborated on designing better lights and better drivers.

PS, I left Tracy a fairly long message recommending not gluing the lights shut, or making hosts available to BLFers, specifically to attract the attention of folks like TK who will take them apart and improve them, and for people like me who will swap out drivers and lenses, mentioning the variety of Carclo optics and how useful it is to change things around

The light is not that hard to open with strap wrenches, I already opened mine and plan to put a XP-L HI on it.

Hey Tracy, I hope you’ll respond to ToyKeeper’s posts above.
Particularly, lights that can be opened up easily, in response to

(maybe bundle a flashlight with a couple of pipe wrenches (grin))

Or send a description/engineering drawings describing how they’re being built?

I’m too “young” and not savvy to make a review or test, especially being this a new brand that has to improve and develop its products.
However, I can let here my opinion as a flashlight user.
I am interested in a Sofirn SF10 (AA/14500) but the “High-Mid-Low + Strobe” modes are a bit ‘out’ for me, as I prefer to start on low settings.
I sent message to Sofirn through the AliExpress store and suggested a modification starting in the lowest modes and increasing after it (like the SP32 or even with the SP31, going up and down in luminosity), with the strobe outside the regular modes.
On the AE store says that the SF10 will be updated and will also have Firefly mode. Still, the order of levels remains from High to Firefly, I guess.

For the SP31 and SP32, maybe I’d suggest a modification, trying to give “instant access to turbo” mode.

I’ll buy a SP32 meanwhile, through AliExpress.
I guess that with SP32 one can access a low level in the middle of the night, without having to memorize in which setting it was before switching off. :sunglasses:

Sorry if this is a bit off-topic.
BLF members and Sofirn (in this case) keep up the good work, and thanks for it :wink:

Yes. And with no danger of accidentally bumping into brighter or strobe.
2-second hold and it comes on moonlight; one click from there to off.

Another nice wrinkle — fast doubleclick from any level and you get stutter strobe.
Single click while in stutter and you’re back to whatever level preceded it (including off)

Some serious thought went into their driver design.
Worthy of one of TK’s flowchart drawings to explain the choices though.

I stumbled into what might be a beacon at one point, going from turbo to dim to something about 1 flash/second. Nothing in the manual about that. I guess it could be the low voltage signal. In turbo, I noticed a tiny bit of flicker that was associated with having my thumb resting on the button, and I might have sent a spurious code click that way somehow.

Now if they had a glowing tailswitch so I could remember if I’d locked out the light or not it’d help, as I usually do lock it out between uses.
I’ve got to put a couple of GITD paint dots on the body and tailcap to remind me if I’ve left it locked out or not.
(dots aligned — not locked out; dots not aligned, locked out)

I haven’t tried measuring passive drain yet, presume there’s some from the side switch.

That’s it, exactly!! :exclamation:
Adding the access to turbo would make it “perfect” (for my taste, of course) :smiley:

Hum…nice tip that one!! !!! Guess i’ll have to do something like that when mine arrives!
Yeah, I ordered it already…couldn’t resist… :person_facepalming: :smiley:
Thanks!!

Thanks for your kindly suggestions. my workmate have get the feedback to the R & D Department.
different customers get different needs. for example, someone emailed us that they wanted a flashlight starting on high lumen, on-off is enough. Someone wanted one starting on low lumen with mode memory function.
Maybe we can develop different drivers in same looking, eg. the looking of SF10, starting on low with 5 modes, or starting on high with 3 modes or 1 mode. A classic looking with different drivers. How about you? :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

Hi Tracy (Sofirn)!
I really appreciate the work you’ve been doing and also the effort to get flashlight users’ suggestions! Also, whenever I sent you a message, I get a quick reply! That says a lot from your company and, as far as I’ve seen, from your lights, too. Please keep up the good work!! :+1:

I know that there are many types if users and tastes for the interfaces! I just expressed my opinions / suggestions, considering my use for my lights, knowing that your company is willing to get users’ inputs on those! Still, I know how hard it may be to put all of those in place!

I think that there are lots of people in this forum that can give so much more useful suggestions and that can help you a lot more than I can!!

Concerning the Sofirn SF10 (AA/14500), being a small (pretty) light, I can tell you how I would prefer it:
a) no mode memory, always starting on lowest mode
b) firefly>low>medium>high + double click for strobe
or
c) firefly>low>medium>high (no strobe at all)

For the SP31 and SP32, I already expressed my desire :wink:

But, as I said, these are just suggestions!
Thanks for caring to read them :wink:

Look at new Convoy driver with new firmware by Toykeeper: 12 groups of modes in different sets. This set of options will come up 99% of flashlight users. This software I put almost all lights that modify.
Try to give the user a choice, he will be grateful to You.

It’s great that Sofirn is reaching out to offer review units and get feedback. I’d love to see Sofirn actively participating more on BLF.

To be clear though, I didn’t request a review unit. I’m just curious what’s inside. I think a lot of people here would like to see the light taken apart to show what would be involved in customizing it.

I didn’t disassemble the driver but I can tell you from my review that they have copper MPCB under their LED :+1:

My SP31 arrived today. So far I am impressed with it. I hope to do a short video review tomorrow if I can access my kitchen without the Mrs bothering me (it’s a nice large open space with good light). I have done a trial video in my den but having a camera behind and to the side of me really does not work well for me as I either go out of shot or knock the tripod.

Definite yes. So who owns two pipe wrenches? I’ve only got one myself.

I opened up the bezel to expose the LED using strap wrenches without much problem, apparently the retaining ring that holds the driver in place also has thread locker applied, was not able to open it using needle nose pliers, I don’t have a spanner wrench to try and get it to unscrew. :frowning:

Here is a pic of the LED side of the Sofirn SP32, notice the copper MPCB and a fastening screw on the side, good heat transfer there

Nice picture, nice subject, thank you.

Overall, they look like great lights! But it’s a bummer to hear that things are glued up. The ability to mod them when new LEDs and drivers come out in a year or two would be a big plus.