Not very sure if the glass lens on the SP36 is AR-coated or not.
The BLF Q8 glass doesn't shimmer purple/blue when reflecting off light, so it uses an ordinary non-AR-coated glass lens.
However, on closer inspection of the SP36 glass lens, I think it shimmers a very very light purple, so maybe it is very lightly AR-coated, if there's something like that..
This is my beamshot comparison of the SP36 vs the BLF Q8. (SP36 has the cooler tint)
Good news is BG shipped my SP36 Feb 1st - what happened to the 4 week delay,end of Feb shipping date, no idea.
Bad news is Martin's discount price went up a couple dollars, not sure why. Fin17's deal here is a little better now, which matches GearBest's limited qty discount offered here: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/28604/5420. All those prices though are/were within $2.
About the AR treatment - yes, I can confirm there's some sort of AR treatment on the SP36's lens - I can see a light purple, same as d_t_a noted above. Weird they don't list it in the specs though - you think they would want to.
My calibrated readings of the stock SP36 are very close to what Funtastic reported above (6,000/5,400), here's mine:
6,000 lumens at start, 5508 at 30 secs, using a set of VTC6 cells, solder blob tops.
The #'s improved slightly after upgrading the springs to the Blue Be/Cu large ones (~140 lumens).
My SP36 is now running with 351D 4000K 90+ CRI LED's doing 4,320/3,954 lumens (ANSI calibrated).
To be clear, my reading is for the SP36.
Can anyone give me an idea as to why my Sofirn Q8 doesn’t perform as high in lumen output to when first purchased? With a spring bypass I was getting 5000ish lumens at 30 sec and now it’s 4730. That’s after cleaning it with electrical cleaner which got it up from 4400.
I’ve rarely used it, mostly a few bursts of turbo now and then. Never got too hot. Is this normal even with light use?
Oopsie, typo of SP36 - got Q8 on the brain... Corrected my post.
The Sofirn Q8 is XPL HI's, so lower readings, but of course that doesn't explain why they would go lower over time. Maybe oxidation of the brass ring? Sanding smooth and treatment with NO-OX-ID should help keep it clean. I've found all those brass rings (Batt+ on the driver) are not flat as well. If you sand them on a flat surface, the ones I've done all show the outer edge is higher.
On the BLF Q8's I have seen lower readings if the batt tube was not tightened down. The contact of the battery tube to driver ground rings was not the greatest - some cases it barely touched the outer edge, and those are wear points. I'd check yours for wear, if you've been doing a lot of disconnects and tightens, like for lockouts, etc. You could add some solder there, sand it down flat, but it will also wear quick. Best would be soldering in brass maybe - doesn't wear as fast. Mechanical lockouts can really beat up the driver outer ground ring.
Also if the battery tube edge is rough, it's bad on the driver contact - I always sanded the top edge of the batt tubes smooth. I would think regular doses of NO-OX-ID on these contact surfaces should help reduce wear.
It’s lost that Loving feeling……… :cry:
That sounds like a really nice SP36.
It’s pretty decent in stock form, but the cool white emitters are still a bit of a downside. Something neutral with a consistent tint across the beam would be nicer.
Are there bare MCPCB’s available for the SP36? I’d love to keep the L2’s and be able to put some 3000K or 4000K XP-L HI in it if I wanted.
Thats only possible for the Q8 and C8F.
For the Q8 there are other footprints available.
https://de.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20190213110332&SearchText=sofirn+mcpcb
https://led4power.com/product/l4p-blf-q8-40405050-38mm-dtp-direct-thermal-path-copper-mcpcb/
Yep, I actually have 2 of those. Just hoping they will be available at some point. Guess I will just modify the one I have. more of a 3500K fella.
It was asked on page 3 about PWM. Any update on that? Is it a mechanical switch? Any parasitic drain?
Did you mean to post this in a different thread?
The SP36 has 16 kHz PWM, an e-switch, and virtually zero parasitic drain when the button light is off.
I started a topic on SP36 Anduril version with new samsungs leds. Sofirn need your opinion.
Anyone know how to get the driver out ?
In post#62 in this thread is how I did it.
Thank you.
Got my little monster the other day. The first impressions are very good.
Love the smaller size. The brighter button LEDs are fun, can use them for illumination as long as it’s sufficiently dark. Q8’s LED draws 4 mA, SP36’s 5 mA, but the latter is much brighter despite the black button cap (silly choice of material if you ask me).
The build quality, on the outside, seems as good as the Q8. The threads were lubricated much better than on the Q8 I bought a year ago.
The built-in charger is something I would rather save $5 on, but I won’t deny it’s convenient. Charged my 30Qs to 4.204 volts, darn good voltage calibration.
What I like better about Q8 compared to SP36:
Sp36 gets hot way faster than Q8. At first I thought it’s because of the larger surface area and overall bulk of the larger light, but then I begun to think the difference is too large to be attributed to surface area. I think SP36 might have better thermal contact between the LEDs and the head tube. Perhaps, my Q8 is not well assembled, lacks thermal paste or something?
Given the same amount of heat from the LED’s, the smaller mass of the SP36 will heat up faster.
XP-L2's in the SP36 draw more amps than XP-L's in the Q8, have a lower Vf, so should get hotter. Your Q8 is probably fine. Yes, Q8 has a super thick shelf, bigger, more metal host - should handle the heat better, little longer.
Sure, but the difference seems to be too large to be attributed to that alone. Also, not only does it reach higher temps, it starts getting warmer much sooner after I turn it on than Q8. That tells me that thermal conductivity is better in SP36.