Nice review, Dale. I’ve reviewed the Sofirn SF36 and have a C8 host in transit. I swear, I’m more and more impressed with Sofirn each day.
And you can’t even build this stuff for the prices they’re charging. Assuming you could get the triple reflector… C8 host: $10. 32mm MCPCB with 3 high-binned XP-L emitters: $25. Driver: $12. Battery: $5. Charger: $5. Total: $57. Pre-bypassed wires even. They’re going to put lesser modders out of business!
Thanks, I know there are some folks that really work wonders with charting and graphing and CRI rendering scopes and X-Ray machines and maybe some Martian help with the beam or something, so I don’t try to go all Einstein on anybody. Other’s are better at it, so I just like to show how it’s made, what makes it good (or bad) and how it can be made better. Sometimes, lately, a mfgr just get’s it so right I don’t even mod it! I know, I said it. sad times at modder’s high.
BTW, I have the 36 and like it a lot. It compares very favorably to the Lumintop SD26, albeit maybe not as sleek. Lights like those, drop in an SST-40 and you’re good to go!
Remember that this is a triple reflector light, like the Q8 is a quad reflector or like the BTU Shocker is a triple, only much smaller than that here in the C8 format. So, it’s better than building a C8 with a Ledil CUTE-3 Optic but of course less, much less, than a built C8 with throw in mind….
Hi everyone else :-D and Dale, saw your last comments in my C8T review thread a while ago. Ya know, don't be jealous about what others do in their reviews, jealousy virtue is not. Everyone shares his/her two cents and so do you. :THUMBS-UP:
I am also going to receive one of these C8F torches hopefully in a few days. This seems like a nice bundle, even if the chosen cell wrap seems funnily misleading.
In the meantime, my kitchen lamp's central 5730 led array got ruined and is now undergoing a prolonged downtime while I receive a new 100 pack of Osram Duris E5 CRI85 5700K 5730 emitters and bases. In about two weeks everything should be at home but damn, Christmas is just around the corner…
I’ve seen around 40-50% increase in a light running at about 3A, so say a light has 900 lumens max… swap in an SST-40 and it’ll be in the 1400 lumens range. A bit on the blue-white side, but not bad and certainly acceptable if that increase is needed. (most of the time)
The idea of a triple with a reflector in the C8 format is enticing. I just might have to get me one. Do you know what the driver diameter is? Looks like 17mm in your photo. I will be replacing it with one of my own.
Went outside and took a little video with my smallest camera, probably talked too much but I guess y’all are used to that by now. It’s uploading to YouTube, will post it directly. (now, this is unedited so don’t expect too much)
Hey Dale, gave you taken a look at the switch pcb yet? I’m curious if it has pads for leds.
This looks like a good candidate for one of Lexels TA drivers.
A rear switch might be nice to avoid parasitic drain. Have you tested the drain yet? I guess the anodized rear threads mean you can give it a quarter turn to lock it out.
Concerning the stock driver, what do you think of the UI? Is it one click to turn on, press and hold to turn off? How does the memory work, do you have to press and hold 0.5 second to get it to come on in the last mode? Does a normal click on always start in low?
I hope it will be offered in CW color as well.
A 26650 version of this light would be really sweet.
The switch pcb already has two led’s on it with resistors for each one.
A simple 1/8 turn of the tail cap gives lock out.
The UI has 4 groups, I like group 3 with press and hold for moon from off and double click from anywhere for Turbo.
Click on, press and hold for off, yes.
A short press and hold utilizes last mode memory, a short click starts in low 1, press and hold from off for moon, which does come on in the last mode memory then shifts down to moon. Not ideal, but easily dealt with.
Pretty complex light for such a new company, nice to see they’re into it and thinking.