How much stress can a tactical style light with a solid aluminum body take? Does it hold up to the manufacturer specs? Will it easily fail you and leave you standing in dark? I am action testing the Sofirn SF36 in my video, a 25 USD light that comes with all the accesssories needed to get started.
+ Beauty test: How beautiful is the light?
+ Runtime test: Does the light endure as the manufacturer claims?
+ Explosion test: Does the light survive minor explosions?
+ Extreme mechanical stress: If you drop it again and again really hard will it no longer stay with you?
+ Deep dive with predatory fish: Will the light go where no light has boldy gone before and survive?
Yes, I like the SF36 too. Good output, nice allround-beam , simple, robust. Very unlike some of the lights who compete for the highest output, smallest size and most sophisticateded UI:
Thank you! I will work for flashlights I am aware that I need to put in work for a company that gives me free stuff for my channel. They don’t buy my judgement but they do deserve a good review. Besides that the Sofirn is a good light. It is also possible to fit an O-ring on the bezel outside and between bezel and glass (after removing the original one. With that tweak the light is 110% waterproof.
I have the SF36W 3000k version and although I love the UI, the 3000k is a little too yellow for my taste. Would be perfect if it was 4000k. But it has the best rear clicky UI I have ever used.
Interestingly, the VG10/VG10S have the same issues with the front O-rings, or lack thereof. If I wanted to make them truly waterproof, I’d have to seal them with additional O-rings as well. And the front bezel does have that groove for an O-ring.
If I wanted to go crazy with that, I’d take some RTV and lightly coat the O-ring before attaching it to the glass and bezel, to make it a semi-permanent assembly. Of course, let it outgas sufficiently before reassembling.
It can later be scraped off the glass with a razor if needed.
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I’ve first felt the ’36W was a bit warm, but I grew to like it a lot very quickly.
Only when compared to a cooler CT does it seem to show up as “yellow”.
I’ve been considering the SF36W 3000k, I’ve been wanting to try a warm tint.
My warmest lights are a Convoy S2+ 4C (4300-4500K) and the U-torch UT01 NW (3789K measured by komeko) I’m really beginning to like those two more & more.
Both tint versions of the SF36 are on sale right now for $17-$18 Expires in about 8 hours, so I need to make up my mind tonight. And lightbringer you’re comments about it are pushing me off the fence ………. C’mon keep going…. just need a little shove now….
Wellp, it’s got a really nice OP reflector, NO hint of a “fried egg” beam, nice diffuse hotspot, perfect for medium range (ie, not a wide flood but not overly throwy, either). No rings or other artifacts.
It’s an all-around great general-purpose light.
And at night, that nice warrrrm beam doesn’t jar you awake like a bucket of icewater, but just lets you see what you
need to, then doze right back off to dreamland.
Whups, hang on a sec. I’m referring to my SF31W, which ain’t available anymore. Damn.
Anyhoo, I got my ’36W around here somewhere. Same nice warm beam, but I’d have to get my ’36W again to see how the SMO reflector looks. I think I put it away for safe keeping (ie, make sure no cell’s in it, make sure if doesn’t get lost, etc.), so would have to dig it up again.
I don’t recall have any issues with it. But yeah, you’ll get used to the warm beam very quickly.
And of course, it’ll look yellow when next to a NW or especially CW, but reds and browns just pop under a warmer beam.
Nice review! Thoroughly enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek dry humor, as well as the completeness of the review.
By the way, you have an amazing English accent that I simply couldn’t place. At times I had you anywhere from the southern USA all the way up to Scandinavia. Had to Google Österreich. :sunglasses: