a) one for - sorry for my language - "muggles", i.e. your grandmum, your uncle, your naughty little niece...whoever is not familiar with proper handling of lithium-ion batteries.
These flashlights, like Sofirn's SC31, will be equipped with a USB-charging port, covered by an unmissable rubber plug that even grandma can pry open without her glasses. ;-) For more safety, these flashlights will come with a protected battery, so everyone can sleep well when handing these lights to his/her loved ones. Usually, this target group is not up to big lumen output, maximum endurance and HighCRI frenzy, that's why you could focus on a specific assortment of lights, like SC31 and maybe even SP31 V2.0. These kind of lights could also be glued if necessary as most people would not try to mod/enhance them.
b) one for the flash'o'holics, the experts, the enthusiasts, the evangelists, in a nutshell: all those who want to get the best out of the flashlight and who are well-informed about proper charging and handling of unprotected high-drain batteries.
I'm suggesting this group of people would prefer to not have an outside USB charging port and not use protected USB-rechargeable batteries in their lights. Instead, please refrain from using USB-charging in return of less material cost, maximum endurance, maximum performance and 100% IPX8 waterproofness. These customers may even pickily select their batteries for best results and most important - they prefer to have not-glued drivers, bezels etc.. Personally, I'm very glad that Sofirn's Q8 or C8F come without USB charging, so I could throw them into a river (if I wanted to) without worrying about water ingress or a failing circuit due to a defective/worn-out USB port. The only compromise I think I agree upon was the internal USB-charging port, hidden in the flashlight's threads like Zanflare F1.
Lux-Perpetua - I strongly disagree. Even non-muyggle people (at least some) like to take high-end flashlight on a vacation without any charger. If you don’t want to use usb charging then just don’t. Also I’d not expect any significant cost side effect, as you can have whole usb charging module for just $0.20 (see aliexpress tp4056 usb charging module). Making more models with small differences is not really any benefit from mnf and logistic point of view. Also there is no problem to make usb charging waterproof without rubber flap. Because one way, how to make it, is bad, does not mean it’s always bad.
I believe the next step of on-board charging is making USB charging ports waterproof even with the cover open (I can’t remember which flashlight has one of these, I think it’s an Olight?). In that case, yes, please add on-board USB charging. I won’t usually use it but if I need to, it will be there.
Also, I’d want to see more flashlights having better than IPX8 rating (e.g. 10 meters submersible for 6 hours).
Of course some people have not had any problems with built in usb charging batteries like here.
Whether they are reliable or tend to fail might be due to the company that makes them. It’s possible several flashlight brands may be ordering batteries from a single company that makes this style of combo battery. I don’t think anyone knows. We would need to do a lot more research on the failed batteries.
I don’t have time to do all that so I’d rather just buy an OEM battery (Samsung, Panasonic, etc…) or a known good brand and be done with it. It’s cheaper and you know it’s reliable.
I’m not interested in batteries with built in chargers for several reasons (which may have been mentioned above).
-I prefer name-brand batteries with particular performance characteristics. I prefer GA, VTC6 and 30Q cells because they have performed very well for many, many users and are good matches for the lights I buy. I don’t want to use a lesser cell just so I can have the charging capability.
-I would prefer smaller lights and ones that work consistently with unprotected cells. Longer springs that might not perform as well as pills, higher quality springs or pogo pins might have to be used to accommodate a wide variety of cell lengths.
-I think I’d trust a charging system built into a light because they give me the impression that the company might be more willing to put a higher performance system in a light rather than a smaller, possibly more fragile and less sophisticated circuit and hardware into a $5 piece. It’s the reason I perfer LVP in a light rather than in a battery. Maybe I’m misguided, but it makes more sense to me.
I too would like charging systems left out of lights but it appears that they are here to stay. I agree with many of the posts above that one set into the threads and protected from the elements is the way to go. I’ve got six lights with charging systems and only one has a decent rubber cover. One has a metal snap-on charger. The rest are either ok or completely worthless.
I still would like to see some more emphasis on smaller 18650 lights. If Sofirn could design lights in the D4 or FW3A size range, I’d be very willing to buy them over Convoy S2±sized lights. Smaller tailcaps and TIR optics would be nice. They wouldn’t need to be hot rods either (although that might be cool!).
I’d also like to see the SP33 made into a triple or quad optic light. 2000 lumens is very nice for a light this size but I’d like to see something twice as powerful.
it will be a heat sink issue for a small but very powerful light, if light be made with step down or temperature control system, people will complain the short time turbo.
If you add an fan in the light like the PC or laptop, it will be a huge light. I was wondering if there are any other way to help cooling but won’t make the light too big. Liquid cooling?
Emitters XHP. Compare your Sofirn C8F 18650 (mode group 3 - mode 990Lm) and Sofirn SP33 XHP50 in 1000Lm mode for 30 minutes and you will see a huge difference: Sofirn SP33 XHP50 more compact and much colder.
There are still factors that influence:
Bigger shelf (thick internal integrated emitter shelf)
Many cooling fins
Better drivers
Nobody should be complaining about short run time because it is normal. All small high powered lights have short turbo. If anyone knows of one that has a decent long turbo run time, please let us know so we can analyze how it works.
I am not so pleased by how fast my Astrolux S43S gets hot. It is small with a copper head so you would think it has a decent turbo run time. Unfortunately, it also draws 20A and the emitters and lens are not very efficient. It’s not that bright, yet it heats up super fast.
So small lights need good efficiency (light output to amperage draw), they need a limited amperage draw (nothing crazy high), then they need good control over the temperature (such as calibrated sensors combined with a smooth ramp down). All of this usually results in an expensive light.
I believe Zebralight is known to be really good at building small, yet high powered lights. They are very sophisticated and expensive, which is why I don’t own any.
Liquid cooling is not practical at all. It would be much larger than air cooling. So forget that idea.
I did a search and found your post with pics of this light. Wow that LuckySun F3X looks amazing. I like it alot more than the C8 series with those very functional cooling fins! I wish Sofirn can make one with fins like that and with USB-C recharge!
