Review Sofirn "Upgraded" C8F with DTP copper board & XP-L's

This is the Newest “Upgraded” model Sofirn C8F , sent for my review from Sofirn and NO other compensation other than keeping the light.

The C8F can be found at this link……… Amazon.com (Link is NON Affiliated)

and at the time of my review Sofirn is offering a 25% discount with code “N6LKSTK9” without the ” ” marks.

I will start out by saying I was plesantly surprised with this new model C8F. Although I dont have the first model , from everything I have seen on them they just were not near the standards the new light is as far as the internal parts go.
Sofirn seems to be listening and making some good progress based on the reports they are getting on thier products from the customers to get everything right.

The MCPCB has now been replaced with a 30 mm DTP all copper board , the XP-G3 emitters were changed out and the C8F now has XPL emitters in it (nice neutral white). There is a 17 mm driver that is near direct drive also. The issue of the light not stepping down from Turbo when turned on from off mode also has been adressed. These things together with the nice build quality of the new C8F seem to have made this newest model a very good quality light now.

The package comes with everything one might need if they are just starting out as it contains the light itself with the cell , a single cell USB charger , extra O-rings ,lanyard and the user manual. The cell that comes with the light is a 3000 mAh , high drain cell and actually holds it’s own against cells like the LG HE4 , Efest purple High drain and such , from what testing I have done. The lumens and tail amp readings both with the included cell are within striking distance with most of the bigger name cells. I might mention also the cells that were first done are actually a misprinted label for the cell they are on , as it reads to be a Protected cell , when it in fact is a high drain UNprotected cell. This was confirmed by Sofirn after the question came up as to how a protected cell was making about as much output as a high drain.

The anodizing is all very well done and I could not find a bare or thin spots anywhere on the sample I received. There is NO knurling on the C8F and even though the anodizing looks kind of slick , it has enough texture to it that you actually have a pretty decent grip surface.
The threads are pretty much square cut and are smooth and were lightly lubed. There is just a slight bit of play in the head threads when you first start screwing the tube in , but that little bit of play goes away when you start nearing the O-ring and everything tightens up very well. I have not found any sharp edges on the light anywhere either.

The newest model C8F also has great heat sinking with the integrated driver shelf and the copper MCPCB , which is attached to the bottom of the heavy built reflector , via a screw holding it in place there. The reflector and the MCPCB are both held firmly in place then by another screw , that goes in from the under side of the driver shelf into the center of the reflector and through the MCPCB. This pretty much makes the the MCPCB and the reflector one big heat sink to help move some of that heat from the 3 XP-L emitters and the average 8.5 amps (and slightly over depending on cell) out of the light. Another little surprise was that both ends of the light (driver and tailcap springs) are factory bypassed. As most of you know that are reading this , that can help a great deal getting the full output potential out of the light itself , as it reduces the resistance a good bit usually.

The UI is kind of unique , as it is a 4 group driver on this one and it does also have reverse polarity protection. That will all be listed in the specs at the end , but I will get into a little of it now. As mentioned above the first models would not step down from Turbo IF you went straight from off to Turbo. Now the light will actually turn itself off if you go directly from off to Turbo at 2 1/2 minutes. If the light is turned on normally and then double clicked to Turbo then it will step down at the 2 1/2 minute mark , to the last used mode setting you were in before the Turbo was activated. There is mode memory and it is also a little different. To get to the last used mode when the light is turned off you actually do a longer press of the switch (about 1/2 second). The moon mode is activated a little differently on this one also. To get the moon mode from off you press and hold but, the light will blink quickly to the last used mode and then it is in moon mode. So I guess what I am saying is…… press , very fast blink of last used mode , into moon , all with the single longer press and it happens in or under one second. The kids or muggle mode is done by a press and hold for 10 seconds from any other mode.
There is also a battery level check , it is activated with 3 quick clicks from “ON” mode. The light can be electronically locked out with 4 quick clicks from the off postion , or manually locked out with a slight turn of the tailcap.

Overall I think this one is a winner in both build quality and performance and it does very well even without any mods straight out of the box , because it is essentially a factory modded light as it is. The run times are also good considering especially that one cell is running the 3 emitters at once and the light will give over 2 hours of run time from Turbo until the cell is depleted. Of course it IS stepping down and making less lumens the whole time , but none the less you have useable light for over 2 hours.
Here are the charts on the run time test and the output test I did with included cell and the LG HE4 to compare.



I know there are probably some things I am missing , as there really is alot going on with this light overall , so if I have not mentioned something that you might have a question about , just ask and I will do my best to give you an answer.

For those who do not want to watch the whole video , the Teardown and beamshots of the light start at 6:09 of the video timeline and the live outdoor footage starts at 11:36 of the video timeline. There are a lot of teardown close ups and beamshots.

Video followed by listed specs……………….

Specification:
√CCT Range:5350K-5700K, Neutral White(NW)
√Four light Groups:
Group1:Low2(85LM)>Medium(650LM)>High2(1330LM)
Group2:Low1(37LM)>Low2(150LM)>Medium(790LM)>High2(1330LM)
Group3:Low1(22LM)>Low2(80LM)>Medium(630lm)>High1(990LM)>High2(1540LM)
Group4(Muggle/Kids Group)Low1(20LM)>Low2(70LM)>Medium(150LM)
Turbo:2580 Lumen.(2800mah unprotected 18650 battery used in test) In any mode (except lock-out and Kids group), Double-click to go to Turbo
√Light Cup: smooth reflector
√Thermoelectric separated MCPCB
√Reverse polarity protection, to protect from improper battery installation. The light is off if battery install improper.

The original groups is group 1 and it always cycle from Low to High

  1. Memory Function: from OFF, hold 0.5 seconds to go to the previous used mode
  2. In any mode, hold 1 second to go to Moonlight/ML

Mode Set Operation
1, From ON, 4-click to go to another Light Group.
2, Group 4 /Kids Group: In any mode (except lock-out), hold&press 10 seconds to go to Kids Group
3, To Lock-Out the light, from OFF, 4 fast clicks
4, Battery level Indicator: From on, 3 fast clicks to go to Battery level indicator
5, Low Battery Indicator
Package:
C8F Lampe; 18650 battery; USB charger; 2 of O-rings; lanyard; Manual

Great review robo819 ,looks like a nice light.Speaking of nice lights what is happening with the Kronos K70 it seems to have gone very quiet lately,is it still happening.

Thanks gehrmo………always glad to do the reviews.

I am not trying to be rude but I would rather send a pm about the other light so it does not start a discussion in this thread.

Just got mine. Seems like a really practical light for me. I’d prefer my Q8 but I can’t carry it as easily as I can this C8F

Has anyone noticed this bug on their Sofirn C8F?

4 continuous clicks means “lock-out” on the Sofirn C8F (and also on other Sofirn side-switch like the SP10B or SP32A).

The SP32A has this bug where the 4 continuous clicks while the SP32A is in Strobe mode, will lock the flashlight in Strobe mode.

(haven’t tested the SP10B more fully to find out if it has bugs)

So I decided to test the Sofirn C8F if it has similar bugs. Looks like I found one, but am not sure if it occurs only on my sample (or has been fixed/exists in older or newer batches). Anyway, the bug is: 4 continuous clicks while in Moonlight mode will lock it out in Moonlight mode.

How to trigger this?

- first put the flashlight in Moonlight mode — this can be done in the Sofirn C8F, by long-pressing the flashlight until it turns on in the lowest mode (moonlight). note: Moonlight is lower than Low mode.

  • now do 4 continuous clicks. The flashlight will now still be in Moonlight mode, but it will be locked out in Moonlight mode. (issue another 4 continuous clicks to unlock-out)

Anyone experienced this on their Sofirn C8F?

Just tried mine. 4 clicks while in moonlight just results in 2 blinks then back to moonlight. I can still change modes with a click. I tried it a few times.

My C8F is on the way and arriving tomorrow! I’m excited to have a good flashlight for outdoors and emergency situations.
Thanks for the review!

No problems , always glad to do the reviews. I hope you enjoy the light , and I think you will find that it is a good quality light that should serve you well.

Mine will only go to lock out from “OFF” with the 4 clicks , as I think it is designed to do?

When I tried the 4 fast clicks from moon mode it just blinked 2 times and works normally after that.

4 fast clicks from any “on” mode should get you to the “mode group change” if I remember right.

Then possibly a bug in my C8F?

Made the following video documenting said bug (in the video, I tested it twice).

Sofirn C8F moon-mode lockout (bug?) - YouTube

Yea something was flashed wrong when they did the driver it looks like.
From “OFF” with the 4 clicks the light should blink 2 times and go right back off when you press the button after that , until you do the 4 clicks again to unlock.

I can also lock mine in moonlight, but only if I turn the flashlight on and then hold the button to go to moonlight.

If I hold the button from off to go to moonlight it doesn’t lock.

Thanks for trying that out. I think mine is similar too.

The new Sofirn C8F V2.0 is being released next month.

New version

Yet to be confirmed is the switch - side or side & tail

Firmware changes:

21700 battery tube (compatible with 18650)
Battery indicator in the side switch

4 Groups :

Group 1: 300lm or 500lm (one mode) I’ve asked for the 500lm, 300lm is a bit low.
Group 2: 200lm—900lm—1800lm
Group 3: 10lm—200lm—500lm—1800lm
Group 4: Ramping from 1lm—–1800lm

As before:

In any mode, including OFF, hold 1 second to go to Moonlight /ML
In any mode (except lock-out ), Double-click to go to Turbo 3000lm, one click to go to the previous mode
Memory

I’m excited for this!! The optional ramping in group 4 is an awesome change. I hope that they give us the option of no tail switches. Do you know what the price is going to be? Maybe a launch sale would be in order.

Actually they’re undecided on whether it’ll be just a side switch or both side & tail. It’ll be one or the other. I prefer a forward clicky on the tail so it can be used tactically.

Not sure on the price of a single C8F but they’ve quoted me a similar price for buying in bulk since I’m a reseller.

They’ve just released the new SP32A V2.0 which is great they added battery indicator & thermal sensor. Reduced Turbo to 1300.

Interesting, very interesting.

Hey guys, Sofirn is working on both a new light in the style of the L6/S70s as well as a new UI.

If you have suggestions on the UI or want to voice your opinion on what is currently suggested, check out this thread.

Yeah, I know, old thread. Sorry but I have a question about the upgraded 18650 C8F. 3 fast clicks from on is supposed to be battery check but all I get are 3 flashes no matter what the battery voltage is. Could someone tell me what’s up.

Bumpidy bump

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