[Canceled] Sofirn SP70 BLF Edition

LOL, do what ya gotta do man, I’m stuck in the dark ages… will figure it all out sooner or later.

Dale, you got quite some light for someone who‘s stuck in the dark ages. :-D

Cheers, Thomas

So is it possible this special edition may come out in 2019? seems like it’s still pretty early stages?

I think it will come out in 2019 no matter it’s a SP70 BLF version or a compeletely new light if only you guys reach an agreement soon. :smiley:

“retaining ring, smooth reflector, different tint, no switch tail cap, Anduril firmware”

This was Barry’s list from the other thread, it looks good to me.

Not sure how much time Toykeeper has available to get the configuration files right with the lantern and FW3A on the go.

Meanwhile the version of Narsil Tom E has in his MT07 is proven and probably perfect for this light.

Dale mentioned going to thicker glass to prevent cracking.

Is the plan to reshape the existing reflector and give it a smooth coating?

Maybe find an existing reflector and change the front of the head to match.

This looks interesting, wonder where Ban found it. http://kaidomain.com/Flashlight-DIY-and-Tools/Reflectors/S022485-86_2mm-D-x-84_7mm-H-SMO-Reflector

Not sure if Sofirn is willing to do that. I’d pay $10-$20 extra for thicker glass and a bigger reflector, would anyone else?

Okay so are we thinking wider or deeper reflector? Both would require re-machining of the head piece of the body…

70.2 is just sticking with “wall of light”, right?

I really don’t think Sofirn wants to make the head larger or longer.

The reflector is usually made for a specific head. It’s highly unlikely a different reflector would work in the SP70 head.

I think they want to stay with the 70.2, as well. A 50.2 would not handle the amps and it would be weaker.

I would not call the SP70 a flooded or wall of light nor a thrower. It’s like a general use light. A good mix of flood and throw.

I don’t think a sliced 70.2 is an option either for the reasons already listed.

So a different tint is the most likely change to the led.

My 2 cents on this?

2 x 21700 with a 26x10 connector would be great, otherwise just stick to the 2 x 26650 version.
XHP 70.2 shaved (otherwise throw is garbage), still more then enough lumens output.
Clear reflector (again, throw)
SS bezel.
Thick coated glass lens
Good UI

And - PLEASE - NO glue, nowhere any kind of glue.

If glued: No God, NO!

Cheers,
Nico (Djozz’ neighbor)

Springs? Will they make much difference? What about a spring bypass? I would definitely prefer a nicer tint, I’m hoping a smooth reflector will extend the reach. My only concern is will it make the hotspot smaller?

Bypass springs, gain 1000 lumen according to someone who did it.

The hot spot does not get smaller, but the corona may.

Springs need to be bypassed or GOOD BeCu double springs.

I would not like a sliced LED. I'm fine with a good SMO reflector, but they need to get the inner diameter to match the OP reflector.

To be honest, there's two things I hate about my SP70 and I love everything else.

  • I hate the UI/driver, and moreover I hate the lack of retaining ring.
    • This is so annoying because I'm not confident I can make a replacement driver fit.
  • I hate the crappy steel springs. I finally checked, and mine are strongly magnetic. My Olight S1 can hold the entire tailcap by the spring.
    • This is an easy fix though, I can bypass or swap for my Blue springs.

Personally, I'd want to keep the tail switch, but have it only be a lockout function. That's probably just me, though.

I like the tail switch too, and I miss the strobe function. I was using the SP70 last night and I love the amount of light it puts out but I found myself reaching for the SP33 because it was easier to carry. Tonight I’ll take the SP70 to a darker environment and see how it performs against my TC500. I’ll post some shots from last night. I actually use the strobe because we encounter psychos at night and its a quick diffuser of tense situations. Makes the meth heads think twice.

Darkness

SP70

Amutorch TC500

SP33

SP70 is thicc.

Looks like you might be using auto camera settings. I could be wrong, but if so, it makes it hard to distinguish anything other than the shape of the beam. Relative brightness and tint get corrected a bunch with auto

Ya. Samsung Galaxy. Its more of what I actually see when I’m using these at night. The SP70 lights up the tree across the pond with a wider hotspot. More of a comparison between the lights, most of the times we don’t need that much distance. On occasion we’ll catch critters and crazies and that’s where the throw comes in handy.

I’m happy with my Sofirn SP70. I had been using a Thrunite TN50 for pest control due to its enormous floody beam (meaning no flying pest can escape its beam profile). However, it is proving to be overly thick. I started using the Sofirn SP70 for pest control and its 2x26650 body is a pleasure to hold and clasp. Its beam profile is encompassing enough to keep any flying pest within its sights and has ample throw to keep pace.

On top of all this, Sofirn is reliable. I’ve used several different models of Sofirn and they all keep shining. No blown driver or dead LED; no problem whatsoever! :smiley:

Oh yeah the anodizing is extremely good too, on the Sofirn SP70.

Also one last thing: it was great beamshot comparison such as Relampago above, and also Josh of That Crazy Flashaholic 67 on Youtube that convinced me to contact Sofirn in the original SP70 thread and buy the light for $50 from Amazon. Thank you Relampago and ThatCrazyFlashaholic67 for your beamshot efforts! :partying_face:

Barry wrote in post 57 that Sofirn is considering a new model, not just the existing light with a smooth reflector. They know we will always ask for more lumens and more throw. It’s an xhp 70.2 for now, but putting in a boost driver and a 35 would be easy for them. They already make a single cell boost driven xhp35 C8.

Dale had concerns about the shape of the reflector, said it wasn’t a true parabola. Also was concerned about the glass lens not being thick enough for a light this big, said it would be too easy to crack.

Fixing that means sourcing a different piece of glass and making a new bezel, making them bigger isn’t a big deal.The head is two pieces, it’s possible to use a bigger reflector by just making the bezel end bigger. The main part of the head could remain the same unless it is too small to get the correct shape. What’s easier for them, developing a new reflector or sourcing an off the shelf solution and making it fit?

Getting back to Lux’s list in the op I’d like to see Narsil instead of Anduril, no tail switch, a bigger better smooth reflector, and thicker glass. May as well leave the fet alone, sounds like the odds of getting a fake are too high. What they are using seems pretty good. Since this will likely be a low sales volume light they probably won’t want to do a bunch of emitter options. Let them choose the led and we can swap it out. Dedoming and spring bypasses should be on us as well. Everything else looks good to me.

Yeah, I like the idea of their C8 XHP35, but I felt the reflector was a little too small to kill it, given what I’ve already got. Thicker glass is always good (also removes the “tink tink” issue that the Astrolux FT03 seems to be having). I don’t know the physics of it, but I assume a deeper reflector without increasing width would still increase throw, but not significantly?

I should do some reading.

My understanding from various posts on BLF is that the depth of a reflector, beyond a certain point, only alters the amount in and size of the corona compared to the spill. If a reflector is not deep enough (much shallower than SP70), it does significantly affect throw, but beyond that it should be almost entirely an issue of reflector width (and, of course, having the proper curve and focus is always crucial).

Edited to add: https://www.slideshare.net/canfang/led-optics-in-flashlight interesting reference if you'd like some reading. Unfortunately I cannot recall where I found that link. Slide 16 is particularly relevant to this discussion, though.

If they go with no tail switch, can the one from the original SP70 be swapped and used?