Review: Sunwayman T40CS plus (MT-G2 neutral white, 2*18650)

Sunwayman T40CS plus (MTG-2)



Specifications:
Brand model
Sunwyaman T40CS plus
LED MT-G2 neutral white
Working voltage 5-5v-16.8V
Battery
2x18650 / 4xCR123
Switch Tail and side
Modes 4
Blinkies 2
Changing modes Side switch
Anodizing HAIII
Tailstand No
Lock-out No
Lens Coated
Reflector Smooth
Momentary On Yes
Waterproof IPX8




Short intro about Sunwayman:


Sunwayman is one of the leading Flashlight manufacturers with a few dozen great high-end flashlights.
They originally started under the name Sunwayled, and later changed to Sunwayman. They house some of the most famous lights among flashoholics, like the V11R the successor of the V10R (Ti)and V10A. All magnetic controlled flashlights.

Their latest additions are the M11R Ti dream, this T40CS plus, the D40C and D80A, found on Sunwayman.com.


Introduction to the "Sunwayman T40CS plus"

Sunwayman, well known for their premium flashlights, just introduced The “T40CS plus” which is their latest upgrade of their classic T40CS.

In 2011 they put their first T40CS on the market, with a standard XM-L, which was later updated to an XM-L U2, and finally with the XM-L2.
The "PLUS" addition was added in October of 2014 with a MT-G2 neutral white LED. Upgrading the output from 788 lumens on their first edition, to 1488 lumens for this “Plus” edition.
If you have the XM-L version, and like it, but want to have a little more power, please read on and see if this is something that would fit your needs.

What you get:

  • Sunwayman T40CS PLUS
  • Cardboard box
  • Lanyard attachment ring
  • Lanyard
  • Spare O-rings
  • Rubber rings for extra grip
  • Holster
  • Documents: Manual, Sunwayman brochure, Warranty card
Sunwayman packed the T40CS Plus in their standard brown cardboard box with more than enough padding. Although larger, this is the same style of packaging as their other lights, including the very famous D40A.
Extra O-rings, a lanyard with attachment ring, some extra rubber rings for more grip and a holster complete the package. Documents aren`t missing either, although I couldn`t find them at first.. but they can be found underneath the lowest layer of padding.
unfortunately the brochure and warranty card were still home when I shot these pics.

Handling

From pictures the light looks actually longer than in person.
It`s definitely not heavy, and even holding it in 1 hand, with the thumb on the switch it doesn`t feel very heavy.
The light is well weight balanced. The side switch can be used to turn the light on and off (electronically) and has mode memory, so you don`t need to switch hand position in order to turn the light off.
If you are a fan of long thin lights, this would definitely be something you should consider in getting if you are after a long MT-G2 light for medium range distance.
Although the body hasnt been updated, they knew what they had in house with their original T40CS xml.
With the rubber pistol grip ring, and the additional 5 rubber rings (total of 7 with the 2 already attached rings) the light gives great grip.
Pistol grip:
The rubber rings, including the pistol grip ring, can be moved.. So if you want to use the light hip side, you can keep the ring towards the end, so it will have enough grip. If you want to use it as a pistol grip, you can move the ring forward or backward, depending on the place you like the rings to be.. this is a well thought over idea.
The downside of these rubber rings is that they get dusty very easily..
You can wash them with water and soap to return their original look in a handturn.
They also included a lanyard ring, that attaches the lanyard to the body. It sits just behind the little bump on the battery tube, behind the O-ring.
If you just want to have it on your belt, you can use their included holster. The holster has a pretty tight fit.. so I hope this will loosen up over time..
I can see now why they have the very wide velcro tape on the side of the holster, because you don`t need to worry very much in which position you close the lip down.. great stuff.
There are 2 ways to carry the holster.. 1 with the fast open and release Velcro tape, and the other in the Loop that is sewn.. So its harder to take off.
See this picture:
And this is how it looks like when you are carrying it on your side:

Knurling

There isn`t any, except for the tailcap.
The body has grooves and flat surfaces to improve grip. And the matte finish, which is the same as on the F40A, helps to enhance grip as well.
And don`t forget the rubber rings that will give you the extra grip you want.
Although the light is an upgrade of the original XM-L, I would have liked to see some more improvements on the actual shape of the light, just like they did on the V10R when they upgraded to the V11R.
Anodizing, threads and prints
It has a Matte finish just like its sibling the F40A. The anodizing is done well all over the light. No missing spots, nor any blemish or damage.
The head and body have a few prints, which are very crisp and clear. No complaints there.

Threads

The threads on the body tube towards the Head of the light are square and non anodized.
The threads between the head and Pill are non-anodized and included some moderately applied glue, which was no a problem to unscrew by hand.
The threads near the tail-cap are anodized, but not completely till the last threading, so it can`t be locked out, if you would every want to do that.. Honestly, that is not a problem at all, because of the tailcap switch for a complete off. They came unlubed.
I think that during production the threads werent completely anodized.
Another thing that I think is worth to mention is that the tail cap threads have sharp edges, which I have seen on other lights as well. This is something Sunwayman should keep an eye on.
After using the light for a few days, off and on in mostly short burst, opening the tailcap etc.. the tailcap threads have become damaged already.. It looks like there was some kind of alumimum powder left behind,and without lub, they are scratched..
I applied some grease, and they go smoother again.. but definiltey not very good anymore.. I would like to point that out to Sunwayman.. this is not very well done!
Prints are done well and clean

Led, Lens, bezel and reflector

The front end of the light has a stainless steel bezel. The reflector used in the T40CS Plus is smooth, but isn`t completely smooth. There are some rings/marks visible in the reflector.


Pictures above,are over saturaded..I like the effect
Reflector Width inside at widest end is 54mm and depth is 33mm
The lens is coated.

Lens is 60mm dia, and 2.05mm thick.
The MT-G2 led has a sort of white centering ring around the base, but I think its more for the protection of not touching the reflector against the mcpcb for shorts.

The pill is solid,and has a 4-5mm thick shelf... which would be great for a little Amp upgrade.

The MCPCB is Aluminum, and not DTP.. so that would probably reduce the output and increase heat sag.


Dimensions and weight:

Length 23cm
Diameter head 64mm
Reflector: 54mm x 33mm depth
Lens: 60mm by 2mm

Weight empty 301grams (with the 7 rings and pistol grip ring)
Weight loaded 397grams (with the 7 rings and pistol grip ring)
That is definitely a very attractive weight to have on your belt, not very heavy at all.


The Sunwayman T40CS Plus consists of 4 parts..

1. Head (reflector)
2. Heart (pill)

3. Battery tube
4. Tail cap


UI and modes


Sunwayman has kept the original UI.
The UI is designed for situation that you need a lot of light instantly. With the forward clicky it will always start in Turbo,and the switch can be used as a momentary ON for signaling, morse coding or what not.
Changing modes is done by using the Side switch, which also has an OFF function.. This will have a very low parasitic drain, of 50μA according to SWM specifications.

It will always start in Turbo from a complete OFF with the tail-cap switch.
Use the side switch to change modes:
The order of modes are as follows:
  1. Turbo
  2. High
  3. Medium
  4. Low


The tail cap switch is used for a complete Off, and will function as a Momentary On for signaling.
Turn ON: tailcap switch full press.

Switching modes: Press and Hold the side switch to change modes from Turbo to Low.

Blinkies

  • Double click on Side switch to enter STROBE and another double click to enter SOS.
PWM
  • Not detectable.

Performance

Ceiling bounce:
Measured with 2x NCR18650B 3400mAh
Ceiling bounce in lux (ceiling at about 1.5 meters above meter)
T40CS Plus
Turbo
High
Medium
Low
Lux
206
160
63
1
%
100
77
30
0

Turbo 206 lux
High 160 lux
Medium 63 lux
Low: 1 lux
which equals in %
Turbo 100%
High 77%
Medium 30%
Low 0%
For reference;

My ceiling bounce numbers, they can not be compared with other members` numbers, because of my setup..
They however, can be compared with my other numbers, using the same setup. To estimate the total output.

Ceiling bounce
Lumens mfg specs
Acebeam K40M MTG2
158lux (4th mode)
1150 lumens
Acebeam K40M MTG2
263lux (5th mode)
1900 lumens
Sunwayman T45C XML2
137lux (max)
980 lumens
Sunwayman F40A XML2
130lux (max)
880 lumens
Sunwayman T40CS plus MTG2
206lux (max)
1488 lumens
With the T40CS being brighter than the Acebeam K40M in 4th mode, and less bright than it in the 5th mode, we can conclude that 1488 lumens is a very trustable number.


Current Draw:

Tested at tailcap with solid copper wires on my Fluke 87III DMM
For the current draw at the Emitter, I unsoldered the Positive wire, and used my DMM to measure Amperage.
See results below. The Amperage at LED looks higher than at the tailcap.



Turbo
High
Medium
Low
Amp @ tailcap
2.2A
1.35A
0.45A
0.04A
Amp @
LED
2.3A
1.62A
0.57A
0.04A

Runtime

My first runtime test Started in Turbo..
After the light was off, 1 battery was below 2.6volts,and the other around 3.3V..Which is not really good for the battery.
I hoped the protection would cut it off below 3V.. but I guess at that point it was drawing too less amps to actually activiate the protection circuit.
They are the exact same batteries, protected, but not from the same batch,and not from the same production date.
You better use Protected batteries from the same batch,and same production date, and same usage.

Time recorded with my Canon EOS40D with digital timer remote control.
Unfortunately the remote control is not very precise... so its actually a bit less than 5 minute intervals.
Click on pic for larger size

TURBO\HIGH


in a graph, it would look like this:

Runtime starting in Turbo is 3hours and 11 minutes till output dropped to 10%
As you can see the output is not Constant Output controlled! A little disappointing.
The Turbo has a self timer of 3 minutes, when it drops down the output.
I only measured at 5 minutes intervals.. so the drop seems to be a little different.

Medium

Interval of 10 minutes.
Click on picture for Larger size

If we put that in a graph, it will look like the following.
I put 100% to the highest number through the whole Runtime test.. and not measured from the Startup output.. So the output actually increases.. quite interesting.. but not sure why. Maybe roomtemperature?

Runtime till 10% in Medium mode with 2 18650 3400mAh is:
7 Hours and 21 minutes... While Sunwayman claimed 4 hours on 2x2600mAh batteries in their manual.
The light will be going for another 20 minutes before its really dim.


THROW

Peak measured at 5meters is 23000cd

Although the T40CS was originally designed for throw, the T40CS plus with its MT-G2 needs a bigger reflector and more juice to really throw.
23000 just isnt much these days. Kind of disappointing number!
But the MT-G2 is very useful for close up and medium range objects.
Probably a very useful light for nightguards

Beam shots:

Taken with a Fujifilm F200EXR on Manual setting ISO400 f3 ½ second
Click on pictures for little larger size
Control shot:


Turbo



High:



Medium:




Low:


I made a GIF..but doesnt seem to work.


Comparison to other lights;
Acebeam K40M MTG2 mode 6.

Ultrafire M51 MTG2 at 4A


HD2010 with XPG2 at 3.5A...

Yezl Y3 stock



some shots next to other "throwers":
SWM T40CS, Yezl Y3, HD2010, XinTd X3



Now next to 2 other MT-G2 lights:
SWM T40CS, Acebeam K40M, Ultrafire M51



Conclusion
PROS
  • Original XM-L model upgraded to MT-G2
  • Easy UI
  • Great for illuminating close and medium distant objects lots of flood light
  • Momentary ON
  • Many useful accessories included, holster, rubber ring, lanyard ring etc
  • Well balanced in hand, both palm down and palm up
  • Fully One-handed operation using the side switch
  • Medium mode is over 6 hours on 2 18650 batteries
  • Stainless steel bezel
  • Side switch with OFF position and mode memory


CONS
  • Shape of the light hasn`t changed since its first appearance (which might be a Pro)
  • Reflector is not big enough to replace the XM-L2 for long distance objects, MT-G2 needs a bigger reflector for more throw
  • Moderately driven with 1500lumens (could be a PRO for some)
  • MCPCB is made of aluminum, not copper, and is not DTP so probably suffers some heatsag
  • Tailcap threads came unlubed, and got scuffs after a little use
  • Output is not constant in High mode
  • Beam throw decreased from its XML sibling
  • Rubber rings get dusty easily




Small photo gallery:












I am more impressed with the K40

Mouse over Acebeam K40M MTG2 mode 6

Mouse over Ultrafire M51 MTG2 at 4A

thanks!!

very helpful!!

Have you done a review of the K40

XM-L2 are driven at 3amps recommend

MTG2 at 3 amps alos?

Thanks ChibiM. How far was it to the building next door?

Sorry, I don't have the K40 xml.. So can't compare.

The building next door is about 15meters.... Just a guess!!

Thanks for the very detailed review Chibi :slight_smile:

Wow awesome review ChibiM!