Sunwayman v11r Limited Edition Warm T4
Reviewer's Overall Rating: ★★★★☆
Summary:
| Battery: | 1xCR123 or 16340 |
| Switch: | forward clicky |
| Modes: | Adjustable |
| LED Type: | X-ml T4 high CRI |
| Lens: | glass |
| Tailstands: | yes |
| Price: | $95 |
| From: |
Pros:
- perfect size for an edc
- Rubber boot on tailcap (metal in package if you want)
- Warm Tint T4 provides great color rendering
- Great build quality
Cons:
- not as bright as cool white version even wtih 16340 (not so much a con, but only thing I could come up with)
Build Quality: ★★★★★
My first impression is that it is lighter than I expected. Having said that, it feels absolutely solid. No wobble, rattle, loose parts, or other imperfections. The ring to adjust the output moves very easily with no snags, no grit, no slippage. It was easy to twist the adjustment ring without loosening the head and the knurling on the adjustment ring makes it easy to adjust by feel. The tailcap switch comes with both the rubber boot installed and the metal boot in the package for those who prefer it. I installed the metal boot and found the same issue some others have found in that it looks good but makes noise when pressed. I switched back to the rubber boot after a brief experiment. All threads are square and came well lubricated.
Battery Life: ★★★☆☆
When fed a 16340, the output is at its highest and battery life is at its lowest. I was able to get 19minutes out of a cell that tested as 791mAh on my I-Charger 106. When running using a 3.7V RCR123 (capacity of 827mAh) the light lasted a good bit longer, but at substantially lower output. When run on a Surefire primary 123 cell, the light lasted 9 hours wtih the light set at the midpoint of its adjustment. I used another Surefire primary for carry this week and discharged it using it at .5A after carrying it to to determine remaining capacity. The other cell in the pack gave a rating of 1474mAh when discharged fully. After carrying the cell for the week and roughly 2 hours of mixed use and showing it to everyone to let them try it out the cell showed a remaining capacity of 1113mAh.
Light Output: ★★★★☆
First off, let me admit, I've always liked the cold blue hue of the standard T6 cool white so this was a new venture for me and it took a bit of getting used to. Having said that, I'm a convert. My first impression was that this light really lacks the wow factor that most non-flashaholics expect from something at this price point. If you are looking for something that you can use to land aircraft in the backyard, this aint it. On the other hand, if you are tired of needing a light and then still not being able to read what you needed to because now the glare is so bad you cant see from the reflection, you'll like this one. The infiinte adjustment means its easy to get the amount of light you need. It can be used to check on dos or children at night with only a few lumens so as to not wake the sleeping, or it can be ramped up and used to light an entire room. I would not class it as a tactical light, but in a pinch it would work as one if called upon. Without a decent luxmeter, I'm hesitant to give estimates of output, but it comes close to output of my Xeno E03 (xpg model) on its mid setting when ramped all the way up.
As for the t4 High CRI warm emitter, again at first its something different,but once you get used to it, it really is nice. I was able to compare several Xpg and Xml cool whites vs the t4 warm emitter and the differences in colors particularly in the blue and green range was particularly evident. I took a couple of color palettes for web safe colors to use as a test but unfortunatly the camera's jpg compression basically negated the differences in images. Suffice it to say, the difference is pronounced to the human eye if not the camera.
Summary: ★★★★☆
Having looked for a good EDC for quite awhile, I will admit I was skeptical when this little goodie arrived. I had wanted to try one but had shyed from the price tag. It was a departure for me from my normal. I'm not a huge fan of 123 based lights. I've never been a fan of warm emitters with lower outputs than thier cooler counterparts. I knew Sunwayman had a good reputation, but was skeptical about if it was worth the difference between it and an S-mini or even a Ultrafire 2100.
Let me say, I have found my EDC and no I will not be trading it for a bag of used primary cells or any of the other great offers I was made. Yes, it is outside of the budget category, but it deserves a serious look. It is light enough to forget you are carrying it until you need it. It is small enough that I don't bust my knuckles when I get other things out of my pocket with it clipped on. It puts out enough light for all the kinds of things I need a light for. (No, it won't replace my Dry or my pt54 toys) . The battery life while I rated as middle of the road is to be expected from any light this size. All in all, its a good piece of kit. I looked through my collection of 20 some lights that I have tried while looking for the perfect EDC and can find no others that I would rate higher. The Xeno E03 XML was the V11s predecessor but the anodizing on the E03 was wearing after less than 1 month of pocket carry. Time will tell but so far after a week of being carried in a pocket iwth change, keys, a knife etc. there is not a single mark on the v11. I'll update this if I find it wears more.
I may have to buy the ring so I can use 14500s in it and see if that might bump the battery life up just enough to be able to give this thing another ★.
Thanks again for HidCanada for giving away this great light. It should be a good seller amongst flashaholics.
