Sofirn SF14 - Misleading Runtime

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Sun, 04/15/2018 - 07:03
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AA Cycler
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Sofirn SF14 - Misleading Runtime

I bought a Sofirn SF14 flashlight and went to measure its NiMH runtime at High. It was a bit strange that nobody did it before (usually I check my results with others), now I understand why…

According to the specs I was expecting 230lumens for 1h 30min at High. Instead I got this

WTF? I re-read the manual and noticed the “Due to the protective setup, … “ line

OK. Then let’s measure the first 3 min period. Here it is

The beam starts above 200 lumen, then within the first 60 seconds drops to 82 lumens, then at 200 sec to 28 lumens (Medium) and stays there until you bring it back to High again.

I managed to bring it back to High 18 times before the battery (standard eneloop) ran out.

According to my measurements Sofirn SF14 can peak 230lum, but won’t stay there for more than a second. It can switch to High 18 times for an “accumulated” 65 minutes averaging 100lumens.

Suddenly Sofirn SF14 does not look as good as the specs would suggest…

Cheers,
AA Cycler

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Cycle count tests of AA batteries - http://aacycler.com

Edited by: AA Cycler on 04/15/2018 - 11:23
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Sun, 04/15/2018 - 07:30
samyy
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No suprises, cheap flashlights(low quality drivers) usually behave like this…
If you want good (flat regulated) runtimes, you have to pay a bit more…

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Sun, 04/15/2018 - 08:47
MascaratumB
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Thanks for your tests AA Cycler!!
I have and like a lot the SF14 (recently modded it), but never run a test on it!
But this is very useful and I guess that you should let Sofirn know about it for a correct advertisement and driver improvement, if that is the case!
Very useful information Thumbs Up

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DB Custom said: "Hide your billfold, cut up your credit cards... you're a perfect candidate for full blown flashaholism and will soon need dedicated flashlight cabinets. [...] Have fun! Modding is next... :P" 

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Sun, 04/15/2018 - 10:58
neo71665
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Well dangit I just ordered one of these for my mom. Then again she will be happy as long as it’s small and turns on for a few minutes when the button is pushed.

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Sun, 04/15/2018 - 12:23
Angler
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Very nice tests and graphs AA Cycler!
Super well done and useful. Thumbs UpBeerParty

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