[Available again! - BLF special edition light] new Sofirn AAA twisty high CRI 5mm LED

Unheard · 2020-10-23T17:36:52.000Z

BTW, the NW/CW Yuji is still offered. I’d like to see more of those lights, too. They’re better than the Sophia 5800K LEDs, which look green in contrast to the 5600K Yuji.

Business:

https://store.yujiintl.com/products/bc-series-5mm

Customers:

https://www.ledsales.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=148_152_154_158&products_id=2062

I’m thinking of getting some of those, too.

slowtechstef · 2020-10-27T20:19:49.000Z

Great news!

I updated the opening post with links to the Sofirn website and AliExpress store.

id30209 · 2020-10-27T20:42:39.000Z

Available in AE store only while on website it's still on hold...

jon_slider · 2020-10-27T23:46:26.000Z

slowtechstef:

This is the C01 end.
Sofirn AliExpress states:

“Sorry, this item is no longer available!”

R.I.P.
Sofirn C01 - BLF Sepcial Light
November 2018 – April 2019
“Yuji golden glow
made-in-China potted light
end of an era”

Did Sofirn stop potting after the first C01 run?

Very happy to see the great variety of LEDs and modes these aaa hosts are being offered with.

I hope in some future run Sofirn will offer a Copper and Titanium version of the host.

slowtechstef · 2020-10-28T07:20:47.000Z

The Sofirn C01S (SST20 version) was never potted. As far as I know the C01 (5mm LED) has always been potted and still is in this 2020 re-release.

The Sofirn C01 is the only potted flashlight currently commercially available for less than 10 US dollar. Previously in this market segment we had the Fenix E01, and PFlexPro as cheap potted flashlights, but these options are no longer available.

djozz · 2020-10-28T09:38:54.000Z

As I understood, Sofirn will not pot this batch, they claim that the C01 is robust enough without potting. I tend to agree (did a convincing abuse test on an unpotted C01) but must admit I’m not part of the “potting crowd”.

The lack of potting does enable easy led swapping, so you loose some, you win some.

I see the most likely point of failure of the C01 not in parts coming loose in the driver by heavy impacts, but in the poorly executed contact area on the outside of the driver, that electrically connects the battery tube with the driver : the tracing is too thin and it does not extend to the very edge, so it will wear away over time in heavy use.

Unheard · 2020-10-28T12:00:12.000Z

Why isn’t it available from Sofirns website?

jon_slider · 2020-10-28T15:45:56.000Z

djozz:

As I understood, Sofirn will not pot this batch, they claim that the C01 is robust enough without potting. I tend to agree (did a convincing abuse test on an unpotted C01) but must admit I’m not part of the “potting crowd”.

that is also what I read back in May

[Available again! - BLF special edition light] new Sofirn AAA twisty high CRI 5mm LED BLF Special Edition Products

I didn’t expect 5K interests on BLF, 2000pcs is good enough. And I just hope to bring the cost down. More quantity in one batch, lower cost it will be. Then a better price will be possible. If the whole light with new 5mm HCRI led is ready to made, host with driver but without led will be possible too. And both No potting. Potting cost too much time to do. I believe it will tough even without potting. Also, I think offer one tint choice will be better than two tints choices. One tint is easie…

Barry0892:

No potting. Potting cost too much time to do. I believe it will tough even without potting.

I was just wondering if that changed, since slowtechstef mentioned potting, this week, I thought he had new info.

There were other things Barry said in May, that are now not happening… the host version… I dont mind. I also dont mind no potting.

djozz · 2020-10-28T15:55:02.000Z

Potting is getting more relevant the larger a light gets, large components, expecially big inductors can break off on impact. The C01 has tiny components soldered flat on the driver board, the inductor is even for this size light very tiny, the only large component is the led, but that is soldered through-hole, so that is as robust as it gets. I do not see things breaking even in an extreme impact event.

Unheard · 2020-10-28T16:57:01.000Z

@Sofirn, will the C01 be available somwhere I can pay with PayPal? Can’t buy from AE since I have no credit card and AE has no IBAN for direct bank transfer.

SammysHP · 2020-10-28T17:05:27.000Z

Aliexpress accepts PayPal (with a small fee). If you don’t want to pay that fee there’s also giropay.

Unheard · 2020-10-28T17:12:14.000Z

Giropay doesn’t work with my bank, and PP depends on the seller. Sofirn obviously doesn’t allow this.

Unheard · 2020-10-28T17:13:26.000Z

jon_slider:

Unheard:

will the C01 be available somwhere I can pay with PayPal?

I suggest you sign up for arrival notice:
https://sofirnlight.com/c01-aaa-flashlight-5mm-3400k-led-95-cri-p0152.html

Yes I did. Thank you. I only fear they sell the whole batches through AE.

jon_slider · 2020-10-28T17:22:14.000Z

AE does not have them either, that is a Sofirn store on AE… there is also a Sofirn store on Amazon, in addition to the sofirnlight.com site.

the lights have been announced prematurely, causing you, and many others, to ask where they can buy the light. Those three sources are the ones Im aware of. afaict, they are all just Sofirn outlets, with no stock ready to ship, yet.

the price on the sofirnlight site is lower, I suspect because they dont have to pay comission fees to ali and amazon, if you buy from the sofirnlight site

good luck to us all, waiting (im)patiently…

dont worry, Be Happy… LOL

hank · 2020-10-28T17:31:44.000Z

I hope someone will offere a modding service for this light, since Sofirn isn’t going to offer hosts. I’d put money up in advance to enable someone to set up for doing that.

I”d love to have an amber one.

And eventually a variety of colors like I used to be able to get in Arc AAAs — UV, blue, aqua, green, amber, orange-red, and red.

Just got a bit old and shaky to work on such tiny hardware myself.

jon_slider · 2020-10-28T17:56:20.000Z

hank:

I hope someone will offere a modding service for this light
…

I”d love to have an amber one.

here are some amber LEDs

Maybe Unheard could help with the production phase:

Unheard:

50 black hosts, please.

I would like to see more 5600k Yujis too… especially in Titanium and Copper C01 hosts

Unheard · 2020-10-28T18:04:19.000Z

LEDSales increased shipping costs, so I didn’t stock the white Yujis. Also, I find desoldering a bit too dangerous to mod others lights. Only if I could get C01’s at the price given on sofirnlight.com, I’ll buy some more of them.

Lux-Perpetua · 2020-10-28T18:56:00.000Z

Unheard, how many C01 lights would you be interested in? Maybe I can talk to Barry to see if he can get you a special arrangement.

AFAIK, Sofirn is just calculating the sales price for C01. So, sales should be starting very soon (I hope at least).

Fescron · 2020-10-28T22:06:21.000Z

Lux-Perpetua:

Unheard, how many C01 lights would you be interested in? Maybe I can talk to Barry to see if he can get you a special arrangement.

AFAIK, Sofirn is just calculating the sales price for C01. So, sales should be starting very soon (I hope at least).

Crap I just ordered a RED and 3400k version on AliExpress on full price, oh well

Also for modding I’m maybe interested in a light or two!

iamlucky13 · 2020-10-29T01:54:33.000Z

Lux-Perpetua:

Unheard, how many C01 lights would you be interested in? Maybe I can talk to Barry to see if he can get you a special arrangement.

AFAIK, Sofirn is just calculating the sales price for C01. So, sales should be starting very soon (I hope at least).

I don’t know how closely you’ve followed this thread, but Barry has dropped in a few times and is aware of our interest in other color temperatures (2300K, possibly 5700K) of the Sophia LED’s, as well as a host version with no LED.

However, he later reported that in order to keep the costs low, they are going to just do one big production run with only the 3400K (although apparently after seeing the success of the C01R, they also decided to make a red C01).

If you think it is worth asking again, there was interest in probably close to 200 hosts indicated in this thread (135 on the list, plus 2 more pages not updated on the list):

Collecting interest for a Sofirn C01 host version BLF Special Edition Products

[image] After the C01 with Yuji leds was sold out the C01 did not come back, Sofirn told us it was because Yuji did not have the leds anymore. I had asked if other high CRI 5mm leds could be sourced and although there was some progress in that, there were some problems so that still has not happened. So now I asked Barry if Sofirn could make the C01 host available so that people can solder in their own 5mm leds, and I’m really glad that Sofirn is willing to do that. To be clear…