[review] Sofirn SC31 Pro, 6500K
A rechargeable general purpose light with side switch, Andúril UI and SST-40 LED in the 18650 format
Non affiliate Amazon DE link to the light
The Sofirn and some companions in front of the blue box.
First off, I got a very good discount for this light on amazon.de, but wasn’t obligated to make a positive review. Actually got some lights before and never hesitated to write what I think. Thanks Sofirn for that opportunity.
So, when I got the package, the 3000 mAh 18650 battery was at 3.641 V (the flashlight blinked out 3.7 V). No surprise here, I never found a battery from a Sofirn kit to be out of storage conditions. To put the light into operation, a small non-conductive sheet needs to be removed from the negative battery terminal.
After internal charging, the battery was at 4.168 V. This is ok, too. While charging, the switch boot lights up in bright red. Charging took 2 ¾ h with the current peaked at about 640 mA. My USB adaptor belongs to a Xiaomi phone with a micro usb connector. It usually does much more, and I presume a dedicated USB-C adaptor will work better.
LED
Love the SST-40. Very strong point about this flashlight. Among low CRI LEDs, it has one of the cleanest white beams across all CCT versions. The 5000K shows a very slight purple spill in reflector lights, especially larger ones. This is not dramatic and even less visible with higher CCTs.
Amazon.de only stocks the 6500K version, which is quite cold, but still nicely white with no visible blueish tint. I thought I wouldn’t like it but I’ll keep it as it is. Maybe.
Andúril UI
The (my) SC31 Pro uses the Andúril firmware in version 2020-03-18. Andúril is the second strong selling point for this light. I wish more manufacturers would use this advanced user interface.
At room temperature the Sofirn blinks out 29 °C, reminding me to do a reset, and after that’s done the temperature sensor is calibrated to 21 °C. That’s ok.
Next thing to do is to configure manual memory. I like the maximum 7135 output, which is the default power after disconnecting from the battery. So, unscrew tailcap, screw it back on and press the button 5 times while the light is on. This is not described in the manual, neither in prosa, nor in the cheat chart, but now the light always starts at a good brightness unless using the shortcuts to ramp floor or ceiling.
Also not described in the manual is how to configure the button LEDs. They’re on all the time, even at the lowest output. I figured I could switch them off by doing seven clicks from off, but ended up with LEDs off when the main LED is off, and on otherwise. That was not intended.
Manual
A small booklet describes the flashlight in the english, german, chinese (I think) and russian languages. Text is set in 5 pt sans serif. The german text is a little strange. It might not have gone through Lux’ hands.
As I wrote above, the manual should get a more recent UI chart to reflect what’s possible with the Andúril version used. Also, it should mention the factory reset in the safety instructions, as the correct temperature reading is safety relevant.
Body
The SC31 Pro has a slightly old fashioned, no-frills 18650 body. The knurling is not milled, but pressed or cut into the battery tube and the clip snaps on the body, i.e., isn’t screwed. This is just a concession to the price, and nothing that prevents enjoying this light, except watching it on the shelf maybe. My personal opinion is quite different. I’d pay some extra $$ for a milled structure that doesn’t feel rough, but I’m not a pro. But then I see Wurkkos can do it, so should Sofirn.
The bezel isn’t glued and even saw a lot of grease. That was unexpected but of course, isn’t bad. Nice touch. The bezel comes loose quite easily.
There are no retaining rings. The driver seems to be glued (not a bad thing as this is more robust than a retaining ring), not sure how the tailcap spring was fixed.
The lanyard hole is not tapered, but I cannot find out if it is sharp. Oh, I could in theory, but I don’t use lanyards on small lights.
The cover of the USB-C connector is well made. It has a firm seat and is quite thick. Makes a much better impression than all Astrolux covers I’ve seen thus far.
The switch is slightly rotated, so the LEDs are not exactly at 3 and 9 o’clock position.
Reflector
The smooth reflector and lens are seemingly clean. I don’t see residue as has been reported in other reviews. So that’s nice. The reflector is not too deep, allowing a wider spill and less “tactical” beam.
There’s a ring from the glass lens visible in the beam.
Sofirn vs. merciless canvas.
Runtime
I started the flashlight in turbo, and stopped measuring brightness (Benetech GM1020) after about 150 minutes. The battery was down to 2.876 V, so there was not much more juice left.
Not sure why the brightness increased on average over the time. The flashlight temperature was ok all the time after the initial drop, but the ambient temperature might have gone down. I’m not sure what else could explain this. However, 400 to 500 lumens over more than two hours (if we believe the 2000 lumens max) is really nice.
Beamshots
Coming when curfew is lifted.
Final thoughts
The light right now costs about 30 EUR on Amazon (DE). It comes with a good LED and with battery, and it is rechargeable. Best of all, it runs Andúril. So, what’s not to like? Well, I personally don’t like the rings in the beam and prefer the 5000K SST-40, otherwise it is a good pocketable budget allrounder that leaves many lights in the cigar format behind it in terms of light quality and power.
This Sofirn is not made for the catwalk, nor does it break lumen records. It’s something you can put in the toolbox or pants pocket along with keys without worry about scratches.
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:+1: