Review - SolarStorm SC01 AA flashlight

Mine does indeed have a moon mode (with a 14500 it’s more like a low-low). I’ve been using it pretty much every single night for the past 2 months. I have been exclusively using a 14500 in mine (after some initial testing on AA). One issue I’ve run into is the fact that using it in bursts and mostly in moon the low voltage warning(if there is one) doesn’t kick in. So after 3-4 weeks of nightly short bursts eventually it will just not turn on. Though a quick battery swap and all is well again.

Overall it is quite a nice light especially for the price. I’ve given a few to relatives for AA use and hear lots of praise for the little light.

G'Day old4570,

Great review!

Thank You Very Much,

George

As George said, thanks for the review. I keep telling myself I have to many lights.

Yep . every time I pivot my head to the left as I sit in front of my computer I can look upon the bulk of my flashlight collection :

For some strange reason there seems to always be room for one more .. ( One day that shelf may be full )

Or break of.

Thanks for the review. I have the 18650 version.

Sadly I think its a dreadful light.

Tactile build quality is fine, as is output and beam.

But that UI !!!

Has to be about the worst UI I’ve ever used, so f*ing annoying, as no matter what mode you want, you end up having to use both of them.

If you you want low. Try turning the light off without getting high.

If you want high, try getting to it without using the low mode first.

The side switch also isn’t nice for clicking through the modes quick either, so to get to high feels like hard work.

The low mode also has some pretty awful PWM too, which makes it quite useless for many tasks.

And to top it all, the rubber boot on the side switch fell off mine and is a PITA to put back and now falls off even easier.

I use a trick for this light. It seems like it was meant to have a clicky in the tailcap, I mean, it has mode memory. I leave it in low and unscrew that battery cap a bit; it switches off, and will switch on again in low where needed screwing back the cap.
Installing a click would solve the problems mentioned by chicken drumstick, leaving the electronic switch for mode changing (and avoiding standby power consumption, and accidental switching too)

ooops , there is something I forgot to mention , yes the PWM is noticeable , and yes working through the modes is a PITA but thankfully its a two mode light ..

But bear in mind the price , and for the price I can live with it .. If it was a 4 mode light , I would probably tire of going through all the modes in a hurry ..

As is , not only can I live with it , I do like it ( So far ) .

Funny thing about budget AA lights , a lot of them become problematic over time , so I am actually looking forward to seeing how this one goes long term .

The number of Good AA lights in my collection is small , very small . The rest have developed quirks I find tiresome ..

So is this one going to be on the short list , or is it going to become quirky ?

I have the SC03 , 16340 or CR2 size.Thanks for the review , because I had forgotten , or never knew , about the ramping from lo and the moonlight mode :open_mouth: .I’ve checked and they are there.
I have been using mine for work , but do not need it often.It can go for a month in summer without being used and the parasitic drain has killed one TF flame (not bothered) and brought an E-fest IMR V2 to under 2 volts (they can take it….once)so now I lock out at the tailcap and use a KeepPower protected cell.
I was going to cycle it with other lights , but with the new found modes , it can go to work a bit longer.
I won mine in a Givaway from Southland :beer:

Good review, I have this light as well. My personal observations:

+‘s
I also like the IU - one click for low, two for high, and hold it from off for lowest. I don’t think it has memory(?)
Machining is good, has a good feel and no (too) sharp edges
Has shiny bezel, tailstands, lockout, positive feedback ’click’ on the switch
-’s
PWM is too low and annoying for my taste (the highest mode does not have it though)
Finish/anodizing is very basic, I like a better finish on a light

It’s a glove box light for me, if not for the two -’s I’d use it a lot more

You are right, just tried it and yep, sure enough it works a treat. Thanks :slight_smile:

Now if only I could find a tailcap switch that fits, tried all my 18650 lights and nothing matches the thread. Although I’m not sure how you’d access the moonlight mode with another switch?

I agree, this is a pretty nice light for the price. I just received mine from BangGood:

I used a code to get the price down to around $12, which is a mighty nice price for what you get:

Pros:

  • Really nice neutral white color!
  • Low and high modes with hidden strobe, perfect.
  • Slightly lower hidden moon mode (while off hold the power button for a few seconds)
  • Even has ramping mode: while in low mode hold it to ramp up. It even has a thoughtful flash-‘n’-pause when it reaches the highest level
  • Nice size and construction, basically a poor man’s Olight S15.
  • Impressive output with a 14500! It’s visually much brighter than my Olight S15R, which is also running Li-Ion.

Cons:

  • It was a bit flickery at first, not like a physical switch / connection problem, but rather something funky happening with the electronic circuitry that made it kind of oscillate in brightness. It seems to have calmed down now.

Did I post this review early ( Feb ) 2015 ..

To date nothing has happened , the light runs as well as the day I got it .

To date I have not put a 14500 through it , ( To many bad experiences in the past )

sb56337 Mentioned : It was a bit flickery at first, not like a physical switch / connection problem, but rather something funky happening with the electronic circuitry that made it kind of oscillate in brightness

I wonder if this was before or after putting in a 14500 , as for me this has often occurred after trying a 14500 .

The other thing it could be is a poor connection ... ( Lose pill or driver )

Anyhow , back to mine ..

To date Zero issues , and the electronic switch has not drained the battery .. ( As they often did in the past ) .

I have left a nimh in the light for ( ? ) , damn it !!! I actually dont remember how long it is now ... I charged the battery and then left the light on my desk for , is it 6 months now ( I have lost track ) .

I might have charged the battery in June ...

The only other AA light I have used this year is the Solarforce Z2 , and I recharged the battery for that 2 months ago ..

Anyhow , the SC01 still ticks all the boxes for me , and it is slowly becoming part of a very rare breed of AA light , one that does not become problematic over time .

And yeah , I havent put a 14500 in it , and looks like I never will .

only cons for me is the lanyard hole is very brittle. dropped it less than a feet and the hole broke. cannot use lanyard anymore. though i really never used lanyard before. lol

People have had issues with these lights up and dying on them …For me so far so good .i think i paid about 13$ as well and besides the PWM on low i really kind of like the light .One main reason it gets love from me is it has the very best 3C tint I’ve ever seen before .I’ve never had anything but foul green 3c tints in the past so i was ecstatic to see such a great tint . the clip looks a bit strange and i still think side button AA lights feel a little odd but for me it’s been a good purchase .I would also suggest using a 14500 in it because it gets much much brighter with one in it .

Before. The first battery I tried was an Eneloop, and it was immediately flickery. I still think it’s some kind of an electronic problem, because it was more like brightness oscillation. It mainly seems to happen after changing the battery, and maybe after that the issue resolves itself after a capacitor gets charged or something.

Great to know! That was my other concern.

I wouldn’t mind paying around $11-12 for the SolarStorm SC01. I’m always looking for a nice budget-friendly AA, N/W with a side switch, but will likely pass at the current banggood price of $15.99. Sounds like an excellent EDC though.

Please, can you explain why? Why you don’t like 14500’? Thank you very much.

Many of the cheaper AA lights ran fine on AA , but after using a 14500 ( which the light was supposed to support ) , they have developed flickering , or the driver has simply fried . So with the last few AA lights I have avoided the 14500 altogether , and they have been trouble free . ( Coincidence ( ? ) , possibly )

But then I am happy with their output , and I dont need the boosted output that the 14500 offers .

Seriously , a modern AA light is almost as good or as good as a P60 host from 5 years ago ...

5 Years ago people used to rave about 200 Lumens like it was a gift from God , now they scoff at it like its nothing . ( How quickly things change )

I wonder what will be 5 years from now ( ? )

You’re right, thanx a lot.