The Anduril SP36 uses LED’s with a higher CRI value (Color rendering Index) so it’s supposed to have a better contrast between things at night, among other things. These LED’s tend to run hotter (not as efficient) as lower-CRI variants like the other SP36 variants use. These have a higher light-output and throw but I could not compare that. When I bought my SP36’s I chose CRI above output, but for your use case it might be the other way around.
On turbo these lights get very hot (make sure to temperature-calibrate the Anduril versions), a bit less on high.
EDIT: About the throw, the lights probably won’t really reach the advertised throw distance (not in regards to “useful throw” at least), so maybe divide the advertised throw in half or take 2/3rds of the original value. I am however very impressed with the SP36’s, certainly on turbo (but they step down after a while because they get very hot)
thanks for the explanation. so about the sp36 does it get too hot in ‘high’ mode if you run it for prolonged period? after how many minutes would you say it gets hot while running in high mode? (i don’t mean turbo im just talking about high)
also yeh i kinda got the idea the advertised throw is not very realistic after watching many youtube videos, you are absolutely right divide advertised range by half is more realistic…
the sp36 anduril version its running samsung LH351D and based on the spec sheet these have the lowest throw out of the three sp36 varients. also you did mention this version runs the hottest which is a huge down side for me. so out of which of the 3 would you say runs the coolest?
It doesn’t matter which you buy first. After a month on this forum you will own more flashlights than you could ever need .
At which point you start giving some away so you can buy more expensive flashlights that do all sorts of things , which are of no value except to amaze and bewilder your friends and family .
Too hot is relative because on the Anduril version you can configure the temperature after which the light will automatically reduce the output. I think it can sustain the output on high though (at a high but not-too-high-to-hold temperature), but I’m not 100% sure about this. I’m sure there are tests about this somewhere but good luck finding them haha, the struggle is real.
Don’t quote me on this but I’m pretty sure the LH351D’s can be ranked from running hot to cooler as 2700k>4000k>5000k. I’m pretty sure the XPL2 or SST40 variants generally run cooler, or at least produce more light while producing the same amount of heat. The “quality” of the light the XPL2 or SST40 variants produce is however lower, but I’m quite alright with the SST40 5000k SC31 Pro (although it tends to have a green tint on low outputs when shining it on white surfaces)
I would go for the SP36, the normal edition. Usually I would prefer the more lumens of the Pro edition, but that uneven pattern that I saw in the reviews made me go for the plain edition. It’s just confusing when you have different intensities scattered all over the place, makes identifying things harder. But then again, that’s just me.
The size of the SP36 feels perfect in hand, and even fits in a jacket pocket.
For my first light, the SC31Pro might be too small, it feels more like a toy, especially compared to SP36. They are just two very different lights.
I still think it has it’s benefits and is a good light, but I’m afraid you might be disappointed with it as your only light.
M3-C is certainly very close to SP36, even though only on 1 battery (I use a 26650), it feels quite heavy. Nonetheless, solid performer. It would be even better if it would come in the SBT90.2 flavour.
Lets not talk about watches. I started with the $5.00 knock off Rolex watches from China Town in NYC back in the late 1970’s .
Over the years I purchased an Omega a Rado ,a Panerai a Rolex a few Eterna Kon Tiki’s and a bunch of other watches I can’t even remember the names of . I am 70 now , have 3 grown sons and non of them wear a watch , except for maybe an apple watch .
Of course they were much cheaper when I got them compared to todays prices
In your 2nd category, I have both the SP36 LH351D and the Convoy M3-C XHP70, both in 5000k. You can run the SP36 at top of ramp with 18650 GA batteries without over heating. Turbo can only last a couple minutes or so. Being unregulated, the lumens are going to drop with battery voltage. The M3-C with run the highest level in winter temperatures and drop a little in summer until the battery reaches about 3.5 volts. After that it will only run at medium level. I would recommend either light. The 5000k LH351D is green at low levels and white at turbo. The XHP70 is white throughout. More run time with the SP36. The Anduril UI is better. Your call.
Yes, I have both SC31 Pro, and SP35 with ATR (6500K). I still prefer the SC31 Pro as an EDC for the reasons listed. My bad, I glossed over the USB rechargeable requirement. I do not own or have experience with the other lights you listed. Good luck.
This is a very interesting comparison, these two flashlights are neck and neck. I’m currently looking at some reviews and I’ve seen these very important and impressive results: the m3c holds the high beam (one before turbo) which is %40 it’s total output which is 1500lm for the entire battery life of 2 hrs and 20 mins till it turns off and it does so with ease it does not get too hot to hold, this is exactly what I’m expecting from a flashlight, now what are the numbers on the sp36 blf Anduril? For a high beam setting of say %40-%50 it’s total power can it hold similar numbers of 1500lms for the entire time till battery runs out without getting too uncomfortably hot and without dimming down as time passes?
Being unregulated, the output of the Sp36 will drop as battery voltage drops. Fully charged, I’d say it can sustain 1500 lumens without excess heat. If you don’t mind the 4 step ui of the M3-C it is great. I don’t use the ramping option because after Anduril, the M3-C’s ramping can’t compare. The 4 step ui is ok. Long press for lowest setting, Double press for highest and single press for memorized .
Gotta confess, that’s a hopeless question, as 99% of it would be personal taste. It’s like asking what’s the “best” flavor pudding, as there’s chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, tapioca, french vanilla, key lime, etc. (damn, now I’m hungry…), and one person’s must-have is someone else’s “ewww”.
Get one (eg, the SC31 is a good all-arounder), then see what different thing you want in the next.
My nighttable has like 6-8 lights on it, depending on what I want a light for. GTmicro for a small thrower, runtime not important. DC7 (Q8ish light) for a wall o’ light. EC50 for a nice wide hotspot and great beam. MH20 as my un-dethroned EDC light that does almost everything pretty well. E05 (Wuben) if I want a diffuser. Etc. And that’s not even listing others that go into rotation for one thing or another (WK30, SC31, E2L, etc.)
Same analogy I’ve been using forever, there’s no such thing as a do-all wrench, not even an adjustable. You might need a box-wrench, crescent wrench, socket, deep-socket, or even a special wrench for an O2 sensor or sparkplugs.
So forget about “Which light is The Best for me?”, and just start buying.
thanks mate, the sc31 pro seems to be a favourite amongst the forum members here, what would be your choice from the second section “mid ranger flooder’?
i see, so as far as a ‘full charge’ you would say that it can also hold at least 1500lm till battery runs out without getting too hot to hold and is there anyway to program it to not drop below 1500lm?
haha buy em all is not an option atm lol, but whats your pick for a mid ranger flooder? usb rechargeable, good battery life, good size, good throw good spread just an overall daily use mid range thrower.
Wellp, “mid range flooder” and “mid range thrower” are mutually exclusive.
Will toss it out there, my MH20s are as yet un-dethroned by anything else as my EDC, even the ’31.
Simple dual-stage switch, incredibly intuitive UI, as compact a light as I’ve seen for an 18650, and a nicely balanced beam (ie, “compromise”) as is possible. If you still want throwier, get the MH20GT. If you can find ’em, that is. Might have to hunt around a little.
Let’s put it this way, my MH20 and i332 have almost exactly the same shape and dimensions, both have on-board charging, yet the MH20 takes an 18650 whereas the i332 takes a 16340!
But as you’ll find out, Grasshopper, is that mid-anything will always be a compromise. It won’t reach far enough to be a good thrower, nor spread light enough to be a good flooder. It literally is mid-range. Fine for dog-walking or whatever, but forget about looking 100yd down a trail† or lighting up a whole basement at once.
† Yeah, some wanker will hoot’n’howl that cranking up a light to 3000lm will light up whatever it is 100yd away, but it’ll be useless to see because the foreground 10’ in front of you will be lit up and washed out like with stadium lighting. That’s all that “useful spill” everyone talks about…
UPDATE: ill be buying the sp35 for EDC and for the midrange I’ve short listed these 3 ill buy one of them by the end of the week. any input on which of the three to choose would be appreciated. most important thing to me again is maintainable (at least %40-50) brightness throughout the battery cycle without drop in brightness or getting to hot to hold.
Sofirn SP36 BLF Anduril 54usd (rechargeable mid ranger, with batteries included)
convoy M3-C 54usd (rechargeable mid ranger, with batteries included)
convoy 4x18a 86.4usd (rechargeable mid ranger, with batteries included)
i already have an addiction to homage watch collection and its not doing my pocket any favours…
