REVIEW: Sofirn SD05 Scuba Diving Flashlight

Thanks for the nice review. I really think this is a goodlooking light and it has lots of performance going with it. Even as a non-diving flashlight it is compact enough to be interesting.

Great :wink:
If you can find that spot, please show us some shots :wink:
Thanks again!!

Found the spot(s)! Angry blue, warm and warmer... blinded myself. Lol

https://youtu.be/-nzeyWrPamg. www.youtube.com/embed/-nzeyWrPamg

Thank you!

And I totally agree about the light!

Thanks for the review! Reserved all!

Edited 21:38:06, 09/13/2019

The fence is about 275 feet away.

Thank goodness she didn't run to the light!

This is a welcomed thread; I just purchased the Thorfire TD01 and while it is only 18650 powered, it is really has same basic setup with the rotary switch. I purchased it for the waterproof depth though I’m not a diver.

The main difference between the two appears to be the lumen outputs and the rotary levels; the Thorfire’s first “notch” is high as opposed to low with the Sofirn. I have, however, noticed a slight delay of sorts that allows me to twist all the way to low before the light actually turns on. This must be done pretty quickly though…

@Hoosh, thank you for pointing out the TD01. Yes, similar lights.

Last night when I took the beam shots, it was kind of bound to happen but it fell one time on the ground and the soil is a lot like sand. Just from that minor drop, enough got under the switch ring to bind just a bit. I washed it twice but still doesn't feel exactly the same. I noticed some instructions with the Thorfire product that mentioned lubricating the switch so I'm curious if anyone can tell me what lubricant is recommended. One concern I have is that some lubricants may eat at the anodization. Others may trap grit under the ring.

It would be great to hear from any divers on the forum.

Thanks for posting the pictures :wink: It gives a glimpse of what it does! Being a simple light, I am tempted to buy it and leave it at my parents home for them to use . I’m only afraid of heat on high mode…

Thanks for posting :wink:

You're welcome! I added a few more from a 'formal' camera and the light was mounted. The heat is something but nothing like a D4. Medium isn't too bad.

With regard to your parents (and not to spoil the fun of getting one of these SD05s), you could get them some Sofirn SC31s and replace the XP-G3 with some SST-20s. Perhaps one with a 5000K and the other with 3000K or 4000K. The low would be much lower than this dive light and the switch's so-called breathing feature could help them in locating it at night. Not much heat either. I suspect you have a number of models in mind but that's what I bought for my mom.

Um abraço!

how far deep can this light tolerate under water ?

I don't think anyone has confirmed the 100m specification but this is the deepest I've seen the light in use: Video Review

I have just ordered the light :slight_smile:
Will try it down to 60-70m just like I did here:

Too bad the turbo mode is going to high after 3 minutes…

I recently tested the SD05's thermal regulation.

It seems to work like a charm. I did not manage to drive it beyond 55°C (ATR thermal threshold for stepdown) even when restarting the high-mode. It would be nice to run the SD05 without time-triggered stepdowns.

A dive with this light would be awesome! Exactly what the forum needs.

About the modes, you may switch it up again to turbo.

Looking forward to your dive!

That's a nice thermo test! Thank you!

I think the problem is the ferrous composition of some sand grains that is attracted by the magnet in the switch ring.
Try compressed air, or with a more powerful magnet

Water rinsing took care of the issue but I'm still a little wary about the grit. I wish I could see the underside of the ring just to see how stuff can get stuck. Sometimes, pressurized air can push stuff further in to where you don't want it so gotta be careful. Ferrous materials could come out in that manner. Just depends on the underside of the ring.

Thank you for sharing these solutions.

I have been looking for a new budget light since i buy for poverty people in provinces that provide foods for their families by fishing daily and was looking into this one.

Just got a bit skeptical reading the “manual” and was wondering if anyone have the estimated time it actual manages to run? (lets say the included 4000mah 21700 battery states the below)

low 300 = 8.16h
mid 900 = 2.30h
high 2550 = 1.38h

Comparing other lights with a single battery and simular inputs this sounds to be way way off

Assume you have 15Wh of energy (4Ah x 3,7V avg)
The turbo high (~24W?) switches to medium(12W) after 3 minutes.
At the end of discharge this so called ‘high mode’ is probably only 7-8W.
So dividing 15Wh by average 10-11W gives good aproximation of ~1.5h.