Sofirn SD01 - SST40 - 6000L - User Review

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
1

PREFACE:
This flashlight was provided by Sofirn in exchange for an honest review.

VERSION:
There appears to be two versions of this light. The older 3000L XP-L version with removable battery holder, and the newer 6000L SST40. This is the newer of the two using the SST40 LEDs. Box provided indicates XPL which is incorrect, but user manual is for SST40.

BUILD QUALITY:
This is a hefty light. Build quality seems to be very good. Square cut threads, thick robust retaining rings for each reflector.
The rotary dial turns and “snaps” into place for each output setting. There is a faint click when you rotate from one setting to the other. The dial itself has a little bit of play, and it feels a little coarse when rotating. Functionally, it works great and did not encounter any issues.



FEATURES AND FUNCTION:
-There are several stand out features about this light.
-First and foremost, is the rotary controlled dial. Its a super intuitive and easy way to navigate the light.
It starts from low and rotates to a hard stop when you reach the last setting of turbo.
When holding the light with one hand, and operating the control dial with the other, you can quickly go from off to turbo in 1 single rotation, without having to reposition your hand. I find it a little more challenging to control the light using only the hand that is holding the light. It can be done, but it would be more difficult to alternate through all modes without cycling through each mode one by one. While electronic switch lights are easier to operate with just 1 hand, I find this rotary dial to be as easy as it gets when it comes down to getting to the desired setting as quickly as possible without having to navigate a more complex UI.
-There are no strobe modes.
-Unlike the Manker MK39, the handle can be removed. The handle is also comfortable and stabilizes nicely in hand.
-The batteries all go in with the positive leads towards the head. This makes me believe the batteries are run in parallel, which is great.


SIZE & WEIGHT:
This is a 4x18650 light, so its not light.
It weighs 558g without batteries.

OPTIC, LED & BEAM:
-I have been generally impressed by the SST40 LED’s in conjunction with this light. They offer pretty good balance between throw and flood, and the tint appears to be very clean and white.
-The LED’s are each within their own dedicated deep smooth reflector.
-The Noctigon Meteor M43 219C is my go to 4 x 18650 light, and the SD01 is able to comfortably outhrow the M43.

MODE SPACING:
-I am very picky with mode spacing, and it needs to look evenly spaced in real world use.
-The mode spacing of the SD01 is excellent.
-Low mode begins at 350 lumens, which is already very bright. In a compact light, this would bother me, but for a light this size, I think this is OK.

RUNTIME & REGULATION:
-I did not test the runtime, but I did probe into regulation.
-Light was tested indoors at ambient temperature.
-Turbo decreases steadily for about 3 minutes, until a steep drop to high mode.
-I turned off the light and let it cool down. When turning it back on, I can see that Turbo will start off slightly lower than the original turbo, which makes me believe Turbo is highly dependant on the battery voltage.
-High mode is nicely regulated.
-I did not test the runtime and output underwater, but I suspect it will be much better due to proper cooling.

BEAMSHOTS:
-All beamshots were taken with a fixed exposure and CCT set at 4500K to help distinguish differences between lights.
-Exposure was set fairly dark to properly expose the brightest setting.

Control Shot:

Armytek Wizard Pro Nichia - Turbo: ~1400L

Zebralight SC600w MKIII Hi - H1: ~1100L

SD01 Low: ~350L

SD01 Medium: ~900L

SD01 High: ~2000L

SD01 Turbo: ~6000L

Noctigon Meteor M43 Nichia 219C (90 CRI 4000K + 5000K mix) - Turbo: ~6600L

FINAL THOUGHTS:
-Overall, I think this is a very good light that offers good value for the “street” price.
-At 6000 lumens with good throw (Rated at 64,000 kcd), this light offers a very nice balance of flood and throw for the intended use of the light.
-The SST40 LED’s have a great Neutral White Tint, and no noticeable tint shift.
-The Rotary dial UI sets it apart from other lights, and makes it a very easy light to navigate, for both flashaholics or not.

PROS:
-Rotary Dial control is intuitive and easy to use
-Great Neutral White Tint
-Great balance of throw and flood
-Great mode spacing
-Batteries are placed in parallel, with no removable battery holder that can be prone to breaking or losing.
-Beefy construction
-Easy to tailstand
-Square cut threads
-Nicely regulated High
-Removable handle
-Temperature regulated to avoid overheating.

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT:
-Rotary dial is a little coarse. Can be made smoother and more fluid.
-No true low or moonlight modes, but not really needed for this type of light.
-Not offered in Warm White or High CRI LED options
-Turbo dependant on battery voltage.

DEAL BREAKERS:
-None

2

Very nice review.
I really like the beam shots.
I concur, I own one myself.
It reminds me of those 6v camping lanterns. And at the 350lmn setting, the run time is much longer, and it’s just as bright.
But it’s built like a tank. When you dropped a 6v lantern, it sometimes fell apart.
I’m looking forward to seeing the 10k lumen version, using the Cree XHP50.2.

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I didn’t know they will make a brighter one with xhp50 LEDs. The SST40s work well in this light. I wonder if the xhp50 will throw as well.

4

The manual I received with my SD01, made reference to a 10k lumen SD01 Pro having the XHP50.2.
The 10k lm SD01 Pro (377m) looks to be a “flooder”, since the throw is less than the 507m throw of the 6k lm SD01, as shown in my manual.
Does your included SD01 manual look like mine here:

5

*1: In context, this is a scuba diving light. Having the electrical path through the body, any exposed metal will corrode in seawater (galvanic action). The carrier was a feature that avoided this problem.
*2: And I concur, this is not a pocketable light - lower than 300 lm would be a poor choice given a set number of steps.

About driver type, Lan said it was regulated, but Barry confirmed that this ‘flashlight’ is direct driven. From your experience, I would think the included Sofirn batteries would drop max output after a few minutes (~ 18 Amps draw). I don’t know how they perform, had asked HKJ to test Sofirn batteries but have not seen any data.

I have the light in transit and looking into some mod. Challenge into taking it apart and replacing it with Osram HX “boost” 2x2mm emitters. If all goes well, will be sent to a friend way up north and tested against blizzard / extreme cold conditions. Throw is the underlying feature for barren outdoor use. Diving and looking about crevices / corals, a floodier XHP50.2 would be better suited.

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@71k5,
You are right, my manual looks the same. I would guess its best to pick the model based on intended use. As a diving light, I would probably want something with more throw over something super floody in conditions where water may be cloudy to prevent backscatter.

@Sidney Stratton,
I didn’t think about corrosion. Since the light is waterproof, there shouldn’t be any water reaching the battery contact points in either design. If water can reach past the seal, I wouldn’t want to use the light underwater.

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Nicks and scratches on the outside will corrode. And contact points within - although a watertight seal, some moisture may get in when you remove the batteries for charging. If you’re on the boat near the waterfront, just so enough to initiate a galvanic reaction. Not a diver myself, but from what was posted in a previous post, which I can’t find (the author seemed to be a marine salvage diver or photographer?).

Also found this tidbit from the previous model - Thorefire S1 (link)

8

Thanks for your sharing! :smiley: