DOUBLE 1 AND ½ "REVIEW": Sofirn SP10A and Sofirn SF14 *[added night / distance shots]

EDITS:
Beamshot comparison : DOUBLE 1 AND ½ "REVIEW": Sofirn SP10A and Sofirn SF14 *[added night / distance shots] - #2 by MascaratumB
Nightshot comparison : DOUBLE 1 AND ½ "REVIEW": Sofirn SP10A and Sofirn SF14 *[added night / distance shots] - #19 by MascaratumB

Hi BLF!
This is my review of 2 flashlights I recently bought: the Sofirn SF14 and the Sofirn SP10A .
I purchased 3 lights (2 SF14 - 1 to offer, and 1 SP10A) on Sofirn Official Store at AliExpress.

Here are the links (non-affiliate):
SF14: Page Not Found - Aliexpress.com
SP10A: Page Not Found - Aliexpress.com

Well, first, an explanation about the title! This is a review 2 lights but somehow in the middle of the process I fu…. damaged the SP10A: a chip of the driver burnt so I couldn’t make the review with the beamshots. Therefore, I’ll present the things I can from both lights.

Also, there is already a review of SP10A from k-wong here (Review: Sofirn SP10A Best value AA/14500 for everyday carry?) so you can see some of the things I’ll miss here.

GENERAL SPECS (for both flashlights)
Body Material : Aircraft 6061 grade-aluminum alloy, Premium type III hard-anodized anti-abrasive finish, anti-crash and better heat exchange
Body Colour: Black
Reflector : Orange Peel
Lens : Toughened glass lens with AR coating, anti-crash and wearable
LED : XP-G2 S4 (5350-5700K) / Neutral White
Batteries used : AA Alkaline / AA Ni-MH / 14500 Li-Ion
Working voltage : 0.9 - 4.2 Volts
Reverse Polarity Protection: Yes
Low Voltage Protection : For 14500 Li-Ion batteries. Flashlight shuts off when battery is at lowest level (2.8V ?).
Low battery indication : Battery level below 2.8V – blinks 2 times per second.
Brightness stepdown : After 3 minutes on High light steps down to Medium, when using 14500 Li-Ion battery
Impact resistance : 1 meter
Distance throw of luminosity : 80 meters

SPECIFIC SPECS

SF14
Switch : Reverse click, on the tail.
Waterproofness : IPX8 (2 meter)
+Beam Intensity: 4000 candela
Brightness levels & Runtime (AA / 14500) :
Low – 3lm / 5lm ||| 110h59m / 100h
Medium – 33lm / 110lm ||| 10h27m / 5h
High – 230lm / 600lm ||| 1h30m / 50m

Lock-out : Just physical lock-out, unscrewing the tailcap or the head.

User Interface :

- Full click on the tail switch to turn the flashlight ON or OFF.

- When ON, make half presses to change modes from Low > Medium > High

  • When on Low:
    a) if the light is switched OFF and then switched ON within 3 seconds, it will advance to the next mode (Medium). To reset it to start in Low, we must wait 11-13 seconds. Otherwise, after being in Medium, the light will always advance to High when turned ON.
    b) if the lights is switched OFF and then switched ON after 3 or more seconds, the light will switch ON in Low.

SP10A
Switch : Electronic switch, on the side (head).
Waterproofness : IP68
+Beam Intensity: 3500 candela
Brightness levels & Runtime (AA / 14500) :
Low – 5lm / 10lm ||| 73h / 43h20m
Medium – 50lm / 89lm ||| 8h07m / 4h40m
High – 270lm / 500lm ||| 1h24m / 50m
Strobe - 270lm / 500lm

Lock-out : Just physical lock-out, unscrewing the tailcap or the head.

User Interface :

- Press and hold side switch for 0.3 second to turn the light ON or OFF. The light will turn ON in the last used mode (flashlight with memory mode, remembers the last used mode (L, M or H)).

- When ON: Click to the switch to advance on the modes from Low > Medium > High.

  • Strobe (double frequency):
    a) From ON: Double click to activate it and single click to return to previous used mode.
    b) From OFF: Double click to activate it and single click to turn it OFF again.

THE PACKAGE
Ordered: 20/09/2017. Arrived: 24/10/2017.
Sofirn has improved in shipment, sending the flashlight’s boxes inside a plastic bubble envelope. It is better for shipping avoiding damages as when I got my first Sofirn SF10.

Inside, the three boxes, all Sofirn branded. It seems to me that the boxes were also improved, being made of a more thick cardboard.

ACCESSORIES
The flashlights arrived with identical accessories in each box: 2 o-rings + 1 lanyard + 1 keyring clasp + 1 User Manual. Well, and a silica gel bag :smiley:

USER MANUAL
The manual is written in English and Deutsch, providing the important information about the constitution and working of the flashlight. I always read and advise reading the Manual. It exists for a reason, I’m sure :smiley:
I could only read the English part and it was well written and explained, clear enough to know the basics!

NOTE: On the SP10A, the runtime is in the wrong order, as the AA is attributed to 14500 batteries and vice-versa. This is a small mistake, though.

ACCESSORIES
The accessories are simple and effective. The o-rings are not thin, being ideal to sealing water on the battery tube.

With the keyring clasp (it didn’t scratch the anodizing on the tailcap hole):

With the lanyard:

MEASUREMENTS
SF14 (Left) > SP10A (Right)
Weight is without batteries, in all flashlights weighted.


I think it is better to compare with other lights to put the reviewed here in perspective:
Lumintop Tool AA (Left) > Sofirn SF10 (Right)

Also, a general size comparison with other lights. Please note:
a) Sofirn SF14 is almost as tall as the Sofirn SF10, but it is thinner and lighter. It is taller, thicker and heavier than the Lumintop Tool AA.

b) SP10A is just slightly taller than the Manker E11 (that has a magnet on the tail on the photo), it is slightly lighter than the E11, and both have the same diameter.

DISASSEMBLING
Each flashlights’ body is composed by 3 parts: head, battery tube and tail.
Both lights came with a pocket clip, not deep carry, but very sturdy and very effective. Can’t tell about its material, but it is strong!

SF14
This is the light in pieces! It has a sealing o-ring above the glass lens, and a small round gasket that helps to centre the LED on the reflector.

The driver has a “different” shape, closer to e-switches, and the pill has 2 pins to “place” the driver and help to fix it. It also has an adapter ring to secure the driver, below the pill.

All the materials seem well made and well place. The driver’s wires seem to be a bit fragile concerning its length and soldering. It is the only thing I can point so far.

Everything was clear inside this flashlight, no dust.

LED & PILL
14mm plate (aluminium); the LED is not dirty and is well centred; the soldering points on the plate are well done; the conductive paste was thin and white.

DRIVER
The driver (16.7mm) has no spring and the central contact points seems to be recessed. However, it can be used with flat top batteries (I’m using it with Sanyo UR14500P, flat top battery).

The pill adapter and the pill are counter clockwise threaded.

It is similar to a e-switch. As mentioned above, the soldering points and the wire’s length seem to be a not so positive point, specially when “disassembling” the flashlight.



TAIL
Well, not that much to say except that it needs a strong press to activate the switch. I don’t know it is the rubber cap or the reverse clicky, but this is sturdy, not easily activated.

Other than that, it seems well built, no flaws.

BATTERY TUBE
The tubes are similar in both lights, at least in length, threads and external diameter. The tube from the SP10A fits the SF14 and vice-versa!! They arrived lubricated, but they will need some more grease; they have 1 o-ring in each tip to work as sealer.

In terms if internal diameter, the tubes of the SF14 flashlights are from the first batch, that are narrower. All Ni-MH cells I have don’t fit. Only Alkalines and 14500 (unprotected) batteries fit well.

As mentioned in k-wong thread, Sofirn was going to solve this. Perhaps I got a tube from the first batch…

The tubes can’t be reversed upside-down as the threads won’t screw correctly on the head or on the tailcap. This way, the pocket clip can’t be reversed as well.



SP10A
This is the light in pieces!
The head has a detachable “bezel” where we can find a sealing o-ring above the glass lens, the OP reflector, a gasket and the emitter.

The plate (aluminium, 14mm) sits on a shelf, not a pill, unlike the SF14. To (un)solder the plate, it has to be through the top of the flashlight.

Below the driver (e-switch shape) there is an adapter ring to fix it and the driver can be pulled with some pliers or tweezers (after unsoldering the plate).

Unlike the SP10A, the emitter was a bit dirty, especially close to the soldering points. The conductive paste was thicker and grey on this one.

The soldering points were not well made, and after unsoldering the plate it was damaged. Maybe it contributed to the damaged I got on the driver, despite I assume my fault on that.

Other than this, the driver’s wires seem to be a bit fragile concerning its length and soldering.

LED & HEAD
14mm plate (aluminium); the LED was not dirty but the plate was really dirty; LED is well centred with gasket; the soldering points on the plate were not well done; the conductive paste was thicker and grey.

The side switch is really silent and smooth (specially comparing with Manker E11) but not as smooth as Sofirn SP32 and it is easy to operate.

Due to the short wires, placing the driver on its “place” again was a bit complicated and required some time.



DRIVER
Similar to the one of the SF14, the driver (16.9mm) has no spring and the central contact points seems to be recessed. It can be used with flat top batteries (I’m using it with Sanyo UR14500P, flat top battery).
The pill adapter ring is counter clockwise threaded.

It is an e-switch. As mentioned above, the soldering points and the wire’s length seem to be a not so positive point, specially when “disassembling” the flashlight.

The damaged part (after the photos) was the black chip close to where the black wire is soldered.



TAIL
No switch on the tail, also no magnet (it could have one) just a spring that I didn’t try to take out.

_

OVERALL APPRECIATION SO FAR :
2 well made lights, with minor flaws, but than can be improved, namely concerning cleaning (Quality Control?), wires and soldering, and the battery tubes diameter in the SF14.

PROS

- TINT (see post #2): it has a nice neutral tint, with a slight shift (some yellow on the corona), but it is better than its predecessor SF10 and SF12.

- NO PWM : (at least on SF14), in any mode!!! EDIT : SF14 has PWM on Medium and High. RE-EDIT: SF14 does not have PWM. The lines on the photos on the post #19, from what I’ve recently learned, are marks of the Constant Current driver

- OUPUT : with 14500 the highest mode is really bright and can be used at least for 3 consecutive minutes (the light starts to get hot in the head).

- ELEGANCE : these lights are more elegant and “original” than the previous AA versions made by Sofirn (SF10 and SF12), very good for EDC. The anodizing is very good, and strong, doesn’t seem to scratch easily.

- POCKET CLIP : the inclusion of a pocket clip in both lights is a plus, as the SF10 didn’t have one, and the material of the clip itself is nice.

NOT SO PROS OR POINTS TO IMPROVE

- BATTERY TUBES : it would be a plus to be able to reverse the pocket clips, just by changing the polarity of the tubes. Also, to revise the inner diameter of the SF14 tubes to fit Ni-MH AA cells and protected Li-Ion batteries.

- SWITCHES : the SF14 is very sturdy to push, requiring more strength than usual; the SP10A could be improved to make a single click to ON (this is being improved in SP10B, also discussed here: Sofirn SP10B - Anyone?).

  • CLEANING AND SOLDERING : I guess this must be really taken into account by Sofirn as the soldering work must be cleaned ad well done to prevent damaged of the plate and the driver. Also, the wire’s length should be improved to be easy to mod it and maybe due to heat transfer.

Scenes of the next chapter: beamshots!

Thanks for reading! Leave comments or questions…or not :smiley:

EDITS:
Beamshot comparison : DOUBLE 1 AND ½ "REVIEW": Sofirn SP10A and Sofirn SF14 *[added night / distance shots] - #2 by MascaratumB
Nightshot comparison : DOUBLE 1 AND ½ "REVIEW": Sofirn SP10A and Sofirn SF14 *[added night / distance shots] - #19 by MascaratumB

BEAMSHOT COMPARISON
Due to what I mentioned above – damage on the SP10A flashlight – I could only take some beamshots with the SF14.
Here they are!

Left to Right

Amutorch S3 (XPG3 S3 /Original TIR) > Amutorch S3 (XPG3 S3/Pebbled TIR) > Lumintop Tool AA (XP-L/OP reflector) > Manker E11 (XP-L/OP reflector) > Sofirn SF14 (XPG2 S4/OP reflector) > Amutorch S3 (XML2 U6-3B/Original TIR) > Amutorch S3 (Nichia 219C/Pebbled TIR)

Sofirn SF14 VS Lumintop Tool AA

Convoy S2+ Desert Tan (XPL-HI U6-3A/ SMO reflector) >Sofirn SF14 > Convoy S2+ (XML2 T6-4C/ OP reflector)

Sofirn Sf14 > Sofirn SF10 (XPG2/OP reflector) > Sofirn SP32 (XPL V6/SMO reflector)

Sofirn SF14
14500 Li-Ion (Sanyo UR14500P) VS AA Ni-MH (Panasonic Evolta 1.2V 2450mAh, with SP10A battery tube to fit the battery :D)

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

Best regards! :+1: :sunglasses:

Thanks for the great review! :+1:

Whoa… what’s with those big angry-looking holes in the pill?

I’d be worried they’d cut through the insulation on the wires to the LED.

Ie:

Thanks :wink: :+1:

Eheh, the pill was dirty with conductive paste :wink: I took it out and took a photo just to show how that looked from factory!
The pill had no imperfections on the holes, not chance of cutting wires :wink:
I cleaned it up then and resoldered the wires to the plate and got no problem! :nerd_face:

Aha, gotcha. Stray thermal goop just made the holes look irregularly-shaped.

Whew. Thought maybe they were just center-punched through. :smiley:

Yup, it was that! The thermal paste was a bit thin so it slided to the holes creating that shape!
But you have a point, I should have taken a photo of the pill after being cleaned to show that it doesn’t have imperfections!

BTW, the pill is aluminium, not as thin as the one from the Amutorch S3. The bottom is not plain as other pills, but I think other drivers can be put into this light if one wants to mod it! Either it is needed to file the driver to fit the pill, or to file those tips to fit the driver :wink:

The SP10A has been in my pocket this month and working good (I don’t mind the UI).

Just the clip broke itself on the ground when the light fell off my pocket. So maybe not that sturdy for a clip :laughing:

Sorry to know that :frowning:
I called it “sturdy”, because it seems to be strong! I’ve forced mine a bit and it goes back again to the initial shape, no cracks!
I didn’t test “let the clip hit the floor” way , of course, but so far it seems well built!
Not as the one from Manker E11, that is the strongest I have, but still it seems “sturdy”! BTW, the Manker clip (17,5mm inner diameter) fits the SP10A!
Maybe there was also a 1st and second batch of these?

If you use it that daily, I guess you can find a replacement with some of these:

Or ask Sofirn to send you one in a next buy! I will ask for a battery tube, as I want to be able to use AA Ni-MH cells. And if the tube is not good, they need to replace it! :expressionless:

It’s no big deal really, the light still works that’s what’s important :slight_smile:

Ahah, true :smiley: Unlike mine… :expressionless: :person_facepalming:

But I enjoyed the few moments I had it working :smiley:

Yes, I have noticed this behaviour in my SP10A (Eneloops inside), light wouldn’t switch on so I though the battery was empty, yet the batteries would be ~1.2V still.

Be sure to carry a spare battery with this light in case of doubt!

Nice review MascaratumB, Thanks! :smiley:

Hum, are those issues more likely to happen on the Ni-MH cells or it is probable that they can also happen on 14500 cells? I’ll predominatly use it with 14500 cells (when I get it to work again)!
But I’ll have a spare battery for sure :smiley:

Thanks firedome :wink:

Tonight or tomorrow I’ll do some “night shots” and compare the SF14 with 14500 and AA alkaline outside, and also with some other flashlights :wink: I’ll post it later!

I’ll try with a 14500 (if the ones I have do fit in it)

Thanks for testing it :wink:
BTW, did you have problems fitting the AA (Ni-MH) on the SP10A? I had on the SF14 (as mentioned above). Not the alkalines or the 14500 unprotected Sanyo, but all the 3 types of Ni-MH didn’t fit :expressionless:

No problem with Eneloops, they fit well in mine.

As for my 14500’s, just testing right now :

  • Olight ORB-145P07 (protected, 53mm long) : do not work (very tight fit, no power on)
  • KeepPower P1450C ver.2017 (unprotected my bad, they are protected, 52mm long) : tight fit, working

So I’ll see how it does with the keeppower battery (cutoff at 2.8V according to Sofirn specs)

Thanks AgentSteel :slight_smile: We’ll be looking forward to those performances :+1:

So, tonight I had the chance to make some “night shots” with the Sofirn SF14 to see how it works outside.

Mostly, I compared the SF14 a Sanyo UR14500P Li-Ion battery, SF14 on AA Alkaline (1.5V Aerocell, from Lidl supermarket), and the Lumintop Tool AA also on a Sanyo UR14500P Li-Ion battery.

My conclusions from this comparison:

  • LT Tool AA : has a brighter Low mode; the output on High is less brighter than one of the SF14; the beam is more floody, despite it has SMO reflector (but the XPL LED is bigger that the XPG2 S4 from the Sofirn SF14); the beam is also more “squarish” than the SF14; the throw is less than the SF14.
    A personal note: if the LT Tool had a warmer or neutral tint as the SF14, it would be much better for inside use. So…bring on the NICHIAS

- Sofirn SF14: has lower Low mode, but is not a Moonlight mode; on AA, the all outputs are lower than on a Li-Ion battery, but they are very good for that type of battery; the beam is more throwy, reaching the 70 meters, on the 14500 battery; the beam is round and well defined, despite using a OP reflector.

The rest, you can see on the beamshosts below :wink:

PWM
EDIT: SF14 does not have PWM. The lines on the photos, from what I’ve recently learned, are marks of the Constant Current driver, and can only be seen on Medium and High.

(Low > Medium > High)

PWM (LT Tool AA – has it on Low and Medium)
(Low > Medium > High)

Sofirn SF14 (AA Alkaline) > Sofirn SF14 (14500 Li-Ion) > Lumintop Tool AA
(Low > Medium > High)

TINT (Sofirn SF14 > Lumintop Tool AA)

FLOOD (Sofirn SF14 > Lumintop Tool AA)

Sofirn SF14 (AA Alkaline) > Sofirn SF14 (14500 Li-Ion) > Lumintop Tool AA

Indoor

From 3 to 5 meters

From 3 to 60 meters
(Low > Medium > High)

10 meters

13 meters

15 meters

30 meters

50 meters

Sofirn SF14 > Lumintop Tool AA

5 meters

Best regards :sunglasses: :+1:

Nice shots (lots of work you have done here!) :+1:

So a few minutes ago I tried to light up my SP10A (14500 inside). The light went on with difficulty, then went off after one second or two… then I could not turn it on again. Everything was tight, no mechanical lock-out.

Checked the battery on the multimeter, all good (4.0V).

Reinstalled a NiMH : light turns on without problem. Swapped the 14500 again : light turns on OK again.

Don’t know what to think. Maybe the electronic switch?

Definitely not the most reliable light (at least this earlier batch). I have another in the box (certainly from the same batch). Will have to test her as well.