I’m an electronics enthusiast and pyhsicist, located in EU, who discovered yet another expensive hobby not too long ago when I was originally just looking for something that “makes light”. By now I own a bunch of lights, mainly Sofirn, and am looking to buy something else entirely soon - will need some opinions on that, but that’s a separate thread for another day.
My current lights (listed by frequency of use), and why I chose them:
Sofirn HS10
4000K and high CRI, very even light
Okayish as a headlamp
Great as a work light in tight spaces (car/motorbike/PC repairs) due to mag tailcap and 90° angle
Basically, just an excellent allrounder (if you do not expect it to run long… Efficiency is terrible)
USB-C for charging
Olight I1R2 Pro
Was free
Awesome keychain light - bright and small enough
USB-C for charging
Sofirn SP33S
My lamp for “I just need lots of flood rn”
USB-C for charging
Portable powerbank, can charge my phone within an hour or so
Sofirn C01s
Great little AA twisty
SST-20 with good optics
Used to be dirt cheap
Sofirn IF19
Was cheap on sale and looked cute. Dunno. No idea what to use it for honestly.
Future plans:
I need a 18350 EDC to keep in my backpack
I want a UV light
Emitter swap the SP33S over to a 70.3 HI (low CRI, I want to keep it as an efficient, bright light. No need for good CRI on this one)
Maybe tinker with my own drivers someday in the future, but for now I am fine with buying. Got tons of other electronics projects (both personal and as a freelancer) to do before I find time to mess around with my own flashlight internals
Oh man, I guess this was supposed to be a short introduction, and I ended up making it a whole ass list of lights nobody cares about. I’ll stop now before I write any more nonsense nobody wants to read anyway
See you around!
Those Sofirn C01S’s are brilliant lights, especially for the price they were sold at, it’s a shame they were discontinued.
This hobby doesn’t have to be too expensive, especially if you’re into tinkering- hosts and parts are generally modestly priced. With a soldering iron and some tweezers, and some minor consumables (solder, thermal paste, etc), and you’re set for driver/LED swaps.
It’s been a while since I ran out of likes to give (apparently those are limited for newcomers), so I’ll do it the old fashioned way - thanks to all for the warm welcome!
Dear lord, not sure how to explain that to my partner, lol.
Yeah, I really hope they’ll launch a worthy successor soon. Same lens, same electronics, same LED - those were honestly pretty much perfect. Maybe a bit less boxy and more rounded body so it feels better in the pocket. But mostly, they were just perfect the way they are.
I’d also like a SC01 revival - the stainless body of that little thing looks so good. Way better than my Olight.
Welcome!
In addition to the many Sofirn and other main brands of lights I have, I still post about modifications on stuff I bought from Home Depot and Lowes years ago!
