Ray from Vollsion offered to send me a SP11-S flashlight for review. I accepted his offer and I got a copy of the flashlight today. I’m glad to say that Ray did not impose any condition or restriction on how I conduct my review.
There are already a couple of other reviews on BLF on this light. So hopefully my work here will add to the body of knowledge on this flashlight.
The Vollsion SP11-S and its accessories were packed inside a brown paper box, surrounded by a lot of foam. Very well protected, I must say.
Inside there’s the SP11-S, User Manual printed in English and Simplified Chinese, two spare O rings, two split rings, and a clasp.
There is no clip included and this light will roll when the condition is right. Unless of course, you attach the split rings and clasp. It will also tail stand without difficulty.
The body is made of stainless steel and has a solid feel to it. The threads are well lubricated and the emitter is centered. No complaints there. Lens is AR coated and reflector is OP.
Seems like a pretty mundane 1-AAA flashlight so far, right? Now let’s talk about some things that set the SP11-S apart from most other lights.
A rather unique feature of this light is the tritium tube embedded in the tail. This light has the green version, which supposedly is the brightest. Even then, it appears as just a faint glow in almost complete darkness. But once your eyes adjust to the darkness, and you know what you’re looking for, it will be easy to spot.
Most flashlights have the + terminal of the battery facing the head. Not this light, the - terminal faces the head and the + side points toward the tail. I can’t find any mention of polarity protection and I’m not about to risk it.
This is a two mode twisty light. When fully tightened, the light is off. Loosen it slightly and low mode (5 lumens) is engaged. If you keep loosening, going about 1.5 turns, high mode (110 lumens) comes on. If you keep going, eventually you break contact and the light goes off again. This UI may sound weird at first, but I find it easy to like after a while.
Let’s talk knurling on this light. It is quite aggressively, AND extensively knurled. It is almost entirely covered in knurling. Both of which are not my cup of tea. I prefer minimal, and weak knurling. That’s just me. I know others can feel quite differently about this, so I’m not calling this a ‘con’ for the light, just an observation.
There’s also what appears to be some glue residue near the tritium tube on the tail. I could not scrap the stuff off but some kind of gunk removal agent may help. This light was probably assembled on a Monday morning or Friday afternoon, so I wouldn’t be too concerned. Fit and finish are very good otherwise.
The Vollsion SP11-S is a solidly built 1-AAA flashlight, with a unique tritium tube on its tail and an unusual, but fun to use UI. If you’re a AAA flashlight collector, these stand out features merit your consideration to add it to your stash.
The obligatory beam shots:
I’ll have to say, the hot spot is not as pronounced in reality. It’s a lot smoother in transition and quite pleasant. After all, this is more a flooder than a thrower.
