[Available again! - BLF special edition light] new Sofirn AAA twisty high CRI 5mm LED

Never

Never for me

Like the new version of co1 better than old one.

I also like the newer 3,400k Sophia better than the 3,200k Yuji.
The Yuji Tint seems a bit “muddy” by comparison and my perception is that cri is lower.

Stoopid question - I’ve searched but can’t find the answer, how does one remove the ‘driver’ and LED from these?

I’d like to scuff up the LED on my C01R but can’t get it out!

Cheers!

It’s normal, except the hotspot is quite bright on my samples. It’s just very narrow.

It’s glued. Brute force helps.

Whoops, turns out it was potted, tore the PCB off. Bugger.

Potted? Then it’s a C01, not a C01R. Big difference.

Like this?

Exactly.

Would be nice if Sofirn would reserve a small batch of 5mm drivers to sell separately to the unlucky.

Yes. And some hosts. OTOH, they’re still at $3.99 (white) and $4.49 (red). I think they are gifts to the community and wouldn’t expect any kind of service or spare parts.

Ahhh I was under the impression the red 5mm led version was C01R, I now believe the C01R is actually the ?SST ?XPE Version!

Ah well, perhaps it will save someone else’s light

I previously posted this at CPF, but might as well reformat it for BLF’s forum software.

Sofirn C01 Family Comparison Table

Model (Edition) LED Modes Max Output Other
C01 (2018 Edition) Yuji BC 5mm - 3200K or 5600K, 95 CRI 1 ~5 lumens Potted driver, 3 body colors
C01 (2020 Edition) Sophia 5mm 3400K, 95 CRI 1 ~5 lumens 5 body colors, some colors potted
C01 (2020 Edition, red) Unknown 5mm deep red (670nm) 1 Unknown Red body, potted?
C01s (original) Luminus SST-20, 4000K, 95 CRI 2 (high, low) 100 lumens 3 body colors
C01s (BLF and current edition) Luminus SST-20, 4000K, 95 CRI 2 (low, high) 100 lumens 6 body colors
C01R (original) Cree XP-E2, photo red (660nm) (LMH or HML configurable) 36 lumens Red body
C01R (current edition) Luminus SST-20-DR deep red (660nm) 3 (LMH or HML configurable) ~36 lumens? Red body

Common features:

  • AAA-powered (Lithium-ion not supported. Unsure if it’s been tested)
  • Twisty user interface
  • 71.6mm long x 14.5mm diameter
  • Approx. 15 grams weight
  • Tail stands
  • 5mm x 3mm Magnet pocket and 1mm x 6mm tritium slot.

Well… somehow my kids have managed to bust the inductor on my 3-month-old non-potted orange C01. The body is nearly perfect still, so either is was just destined to happen or that C01 took just the wrong drop. :-/ I can’t complain for the $4 I spent on the light, but I guess that goes to show that being potted is certainly a benefit.

I think the battery hammering on the bottom of PCB’s during head down drops flexes the PCB and can crack solder joints. Drivers with springs on them are better protected from this, but space and cost are reasons for not putting a spring on the head side of a light like this.

My Sunwayman R01A (unpotted) died from a head-down fall from about 5 feet.

for future, the C01 w 5mm 670nm Red LED can be scuffed up without removing it from the light, since there is no glass lens.

imo, the C01 Red is pretty useless, has a low output, and terrible beam… scuffing just makes it dimmer

I do not recommend the single mode C01 Red 5mm 670nm LED,
otoh

I Highly recommend the C01R xpe/sst 660nm red LED, it has a great beam, with 3 well spaced modes.

===

sorry to hear the light is broken

would have thought djozz son would have managed to break the unpotted C01 he tested…

Either your light was destined to fail, or your kids have more destructive skills than djozz’s boy

sad… maybe it can be repaired, if its a solder joint failure…

gchart’s failure sounds like a broken component, not just a solder joint… not sure

fwiw, the body colors of the 2020 C01 w 5mm 3400k High CRI Sophia LED that are potted are the :
**black ** and **green ** models

Yeah, the ferrite broke in half. I’ll likely pick up a new inductor on my next Mouser order. Too bad, I just placed an order like 2 days ago.

I agree but using the diffuser makes C01 670nm much more sexy.