Photos
I took a couple of photos that go with this review.
The first is of the Sofirn SC18 along with the Sofirn 3000 mAh unprotected 18650 cell to show how small the flashlight is.
I don't think that my photo perfectly shows how small this flashlight is, but it gives you an idea if you know how large an 18650 cell is.
The second photo is of the SC18 on top of an unknown Gasteria succulent.
What's interesting about Gasteria is that its leaves break off pretty easily, but you can plant the broken leaves and get new Gasteria plants without much effort.
The other flashlight images in this review are from Sofirn, and the images are being used with Sofirn's explicit permission.
I used a program called Topaz Gigapixel AI to improve the image quality.
Size & modes
I'm going to start this review with the figurative "elephant" in the room.
This flashlight is very compact for an 18650 flashlight.
I have a bunch of compact 18650 flashlights, and this is one of the smallest, if not the very smallest.
It's also quite bright on turbo.
The SC18 gets warm somewhat quickly on turbo, but not on high, which is what I like.
The three main modes (low, medium, and high) are nicely spaced out.
Moonlight is of course quite dim, and you don't have to cycle through moonlight or turbo, which works for me.
User Interface
The UI is well thought out.
A single click turns the light on or off.
Holding down the button when the light is on cycles through the main modes.
The flashlight has proper memory and will remember which of the three main modes was used last.
When the light is on, a double click brings you to turbo.
When the light is on, triple clicking takes you to strobe.
When the light is off, holding down the button takes you to moonlight.
When the light is off, a quadruple click locks out the light, and another quadruple click unlocks the light.
Honestly, I wish all of my flashlights had a UI this good.
It just works quite well for me.
By the way, the strobe is very quick and disorienting, but I'll probably never use it because I have no use for disco modes.
Fit and finish & extras
The fit and finish are very nice, which is what I expect from Sofirn.
The SC18 has a great clip for those that like clips.
It also has a side switch, which is what a lot of people prefer.
I prefer a tail switch, so I'll give this flashlight to my family because they like side switches.
The light comes with a lanyard that seems pretty decent.
One slight problem is that if you attach the lanyard, it interferes with tailstanding.
I think the light will still tailstand with the lanyard attached, but it will not do so perfectly.
The light also comes with a USB-C charging cable for those that don't want to use their own charger.
The rubber cover over the charging port is quite nice.
Also included are two spare o-rings.
Manual & tint
The printed manual seems to be written well, but the font is incredibly small.
It's almost too small for me to be able to read.
The tint of the emitter is described as 6500K, but it looks like 4500K to me, which is good because I like warmer tints.
Flood/Throw
The SC18 has a TIR lens.
This is my first flashlight with a TIR lens.
In general, I am not a fan.
I much prefer a regular lens.
This light has some throw, and a bit of flood.
With a regular lens and a deeper reflector, the SC18 could have more flood and more throw.
If all you care about is having as small of a flashlight as possible, then choosing a TIR lens makes sense.
Otherwise, a regular lens makes more sense.
Summary
The SC18 is extremely compact.
The modes are spaced out well.
I really like the UI.
The fit & finish and all the extras are very nice.
The manual's font is too small.
The tint is very nice (about 4500K).
I am not a big fan of the TIR lens.
It's an impressive flashlight and the price is right.
Retail links
Here's the link to purchase this light from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BB2DMPSL
And here's the link to purchase this light directly from Sofirn: