The title pretty much says it all, but was curious to get other input.
Why I am leaning towards the Sunwayman:
1. The Gearbest deal posted that brings it down to $20 shipped. I paid more than that for my first XM-L T6 zoomie (which I’m guessing was LB not CREE)
2. Saw a video comparing the 2 lights mentioned in 1, incredible difference.
3. I know it’s probably a cheesy feature and I can’t see any pics/vids showing real world effect, but I like the idea of the holes on the side of the bezel at the reflector end that are supposed to give some level of close proximity lighting (near you).
4. It’s a decent bit smaller than the Brinyte.
5. It maaaaaaay be for my father who inherited the XM-L T6 zoomie…and as many of you can probably guess, he LOVES it! I think this might blow him away. (although I’m strongly considering one for myself….it just seems cool).
6. IT’S $20.
Anybody want to talk me out of it? Join me reasons to buy it? Know of a really good reason not to buy it (i.e., there have been quality issues I can’t find….dude those are trash and we talked about them “HERE”…etc)???
Unless you’re going to mod the B158, I think the Sunwayman is the way to go. I don’t like the fact that STROBE and SOS are in the cycle with the other modes on the B158.
If I remember correctly, the T25C has them hidden. Will be much friendlier to use.
I have both. The Sunwayman has an annoying tail switch, its nearly impossible to do the quick double half presses to get to strobe. I got it to work once. Could just be my tail switch.
The UI is a little funky. The Sunwayman T25C has a forward-clicky, tail-cap switch, so you have to set the mode using half-presses, before you click to lock it in. Here is how it works.
Start with the T25C powered off. All of the half-presses below end with the flashlight on. If you release the switch, the flashlight powers off, and you have to start over.
Before doing anything else, you have to turn on the power. Use a long half-press for this. Be sure to hold long enough to establish that the flashlight is powered on. This first half-press is a long one, more than 2 seconds. Remember, do not let go when the flashlight powers up. The flashlight powers up in the mode stored in mode memory.
With the flashlight on, a quick double-half-press activates Strobe mode.
Otherwise, use a series of slightly longer half-presses to cycle through constant modes. The sequence is Low, Mid, High, and Turbo. The mode you select is stored in mode memory.
In Strobe mode, use half-presses to cycle through the other blinky modes. The sequence is Strobe, SOS, Beacon. A quick double-half-press will exit the blinky modes, and return to the constant-brightness mode stored in mode memory.
When you see the mode you want, click all the way to lock it in, and turn on the flashlight. Now, you can let go of the switch.
Note that this is different from what the User Manual describes.
Of course, If the mode you want is stored in mode memory, all you have to do is click the power on to reactivate it. In that case, there is no need for half-presses.
The Brinyte B158 has a larger convex lens than the Sunwayman T25C. As was mentioned, this means the B158 is less pocket-friendly than the T25C. It also means, however, that the B158 has a significantly wider beam, when unfocused, and significantly more throw, when focused.
With an emitter and driver mod, the B158 becomes the superior flashlight, for sure. In a stock configuration, the issue is less clear.
Note that there is now a model of the B158, called the Brinyte B158B, that does not have the large knobs that surround the head of the B158. It is also being sold as the Odepro KL52.
No shit. The manual is garbage. I will try this tonight. Still, there doesn’t appear to be a way to get to strobe unless you turn off the light first then do what you said above. Also, if the light is completely on, and you want to increase/decrease the output, you have to turn the light off then go thru your whole shebang? From what I remember there is no such thing as half presses once the light is completely on, even the slightest press registers as a full press and turns the light off.
Sorry to be dense….but clarify two things….PLEASE.
From OFF, will a full press turn it on to the last used (memorized) mode? Or is it always necessary to do the long half-press to “power it on” and then you have to full click? In other words, will a FULL click from off do anything at all?
From ON, are saying you can change the modes with half-presses but then you have to full-press to “lock it in”?
Again, I’m sorry…but I’m trying to make sure I’ll be capable of making this easy to use (i.e. be able to explain it simply) for my 70+ year old father. So far, it sounds crazy different from any UI I’ve encountered and I thought I’d seen quite a few (Zebralight, BLF A6, Nitecore EA11, non-mode memory cheapie, etc).
If the mode you want is stored in mode memory, and the Sunwayman T25C is off, a full click of the switch will turn on the flashlight, and reactivate it. There is no need for half-presses.
The T25C works the same way as other forward clickies. After you set a mode (described above), and then click all the way to "lock it in," subsequent half presses do nothing. A rapid double click (i.e., click off, followed by click on) will change to the next mode.
Note that there is only one full click in the instructions above. It comes in step 5. Everything else is carried out with half-presses. I did, however, use the word "on" to describe what the initial half-press does. It turns "on" the flashlight in momentary mode. In momentary mode, the flashlight remains on as long as you hold the switch half-way down. When you release the switch (in momentary mode), the flashlight turns off.
The mode selection process described above is carried out in momentary mode. In step 5, you switch from momentary mode to full on. Thus, a full click, either from off or momentary mode, transitions to "full on" mode. Once you are in "full on" mode, half-presses do nothing.
Wow. It took me five minutes to get the strobe to come on at all.
And still haven’t gotten it to store strobe in mode memory. Is that even possible?
I use strobe-capable lights in crosswalks as a pedestrian — so getting the light into strobe mode can’t require a lot of fiddlyclicking, I’d get run over while trying (sigh)
Hm. I want to find some kind of translucent filler to put into the holes of the bezel.
I thought they’d be handy but I get sharp glare sideways from the lens out of them when using the light, dazzling.
I'm with you. Strobe is best hidden but reliably readily available.
Good idea about those holes. I find them very distracting as well. Maybe GITD power mixed in epoxy? Anyone have a GITD powder and source they recommend?
