Disclaimer: Sofirn got in touch with me and they offered their new SD06 for an honest review. My opinions remain my own for an impartial review of the flashlight.
Link to official store: https://www.sofirnlight.com/products/sofirn-sd06-diving-flashlight-3200lm-powerful-sft70-led-scuba-torch
What’s in the box:
In the box are included: the flashlight, Sofirn 21700 battery (5000 mAh), USB Type-C cable, two extra o-rings, lanyard, USB type C battery charger. Surprisingly there was no user manual
Specs:
- Emitter: Luminus STF70 6500K
- Battery type: 1x 21700
- Dimensions: 36mm x 134mm
- Weight: 126g (without battery)
- Max. output: 3200lm-1800lm-1100lm, 1100lm-750lm-450lm (Medium), 300lm (Low)
- Runtimes: 2min+3.5min+135min (High), 55min+90min+95min (Medium), 12h (Low)
- Water resistance: IP68 (Sofirn claims submersible up to 100m)
A closer look:
The SD06 is a successor to the SD05, another diving flashlight (I have also reviewed that). The SD06 seems to have improved some points but the SD05 was quite solid as a diving flashlight to begin with.
The general design remains similar: simple body with basic grip, enlarged head with sized heatsink for heat dissipation, simple controls for easy one-handed operation, sturdy lanyard option. Inside we find a large 5000mAh 21700 Sofirn battery, really useful for high output and long runtimes, in my opinion 21700 is just at the sweet spot between single 18650 and multiple 18650s, for runtime and size/weight.
On the front side we find a large emitter, the STF70 @6500K. With it we find a deep and smooth reflector, an indicator of the flashlight’s throw focus. On the back, there is a quite large lanyard attachment, once can use the included lanyard or any other one, it looks large enough to accommodate bigger sizes.
The build quality looks sturdy and it seems like it would handle diving just fine. I am not a diver and I can’t fully test the diving capabilities of the flashlight but I did a home testing submerging the flashlight into some water. I have submerged the light in a large container with about 30cm of water and left the flashlight running for 30 minutes. While far from real diving conditions, I found that the flashlight was running perfectly fine, a little warm but that’s to be expected after running at high for 30 minutes straight, although the water definitely helps lowering the temperature to some degree.
Another nice touch is that the body barrel only unscrews at the head of the flashlight, that minimizes the points where water could enter to the barrel-head threads and the front glass. I also tried to unscrew the front bezel and get access to the emitter and the glass but I wasn’t able to do it. Maybe Sofirn used some glue there but my guess is that it’s very tightly screwed as replacement o-rings are included in the package.
As expected for a flashlight intended for diving and outdoor activities in general, here we find no charging port like we do in so many of Sofirn flashlights. I quite enjoy having a charging port in flashlights but here it seems that not including one makes the most sense in terms of water-proofness.
However, a single cell charger and USB type-C cable is included in the box, although my personal opinion is that the included charger is below average and I’d recommend using a better/higher quality one instead.
User interface/Operation/Controls:
SD06 is a diving flashlight and as a result the controls are simple and uncomplicated. There is only one button on the flashlight, which also acts as a lock. The whole idea is to operate it with one hand, possibly while wearing bulky gloves. In my opinion the SD06 does well in that regard. The only button has a great feeling, it is spring loaded and has nice resistance to it.
Personally, I would like it if it had some tactile feeling but I guess seeing the light is enough feedback.
The levels are only 3 (Low, Medium, High) which rotate by single press, while the light can be switched on and off by long pressing. On the same button there is the lock switch, simply rotate the switch clockwise or counter clockwise to lock and unlock the flashlight.
And here is my biggest point of criticism for this light, I find it difficult to lock and unlock the light using one hand (basically holding the flashlight and operating it with my thumb). I think for a diving light ease of operation is of high importance. Maybe I am a bit too harsh as maybe it’s not very frequent to lock the light while underwater but I would like for the light to be as easy to operate in all aspects. And to be fair, the switching between modes using the button is as easy as it gets, I think no diver would have any issues with it.
Beam quality:
Inside we find the Luminus STF70 @6500K and a large smooth reflector, I think it’s reasonable to say that Sofirn is going for throw with this one. I have no diving experience so I am not very sure if throw or flood would be better underwater, but I can see that wanting a strong light that can penetrate the scattering of the water can be something desirable.
Underwater warmer tints get absorbed more than cold ones so the light will be brighter but not chromatically accurate. I think choosing an emitter like the STF70 is a good indication that the focus is towards power, brightness and throw distance rather than color accuracy. As I’ve often experienced with Sofirn lights, they might choose cold emitters but the beam quality is excellent. Here as well, the produced light is free from any ugly green or yellow tints, with a nice hotspot and some light spill.
Conclusion:
SD06 is a quite nice diving, camping or an outdoors flashlight. Its rated IP68 and impact resistance of 1m make it suitable for less that rough outdoor conditions. The smooth reflector in combination to the dedomed STF70 offer a quite narrow beam with a lot of throw and high brightness. I would say the simple design with some changes to some points and the more recent emitter, make SD06 a successor to the already good SD05. Simple design, durability, high output and long runtime, I think SD06 offers all a user could ask from a diving flashlight.
Pros-cons:
+nice build quality, looks durable with minimum weak points
+Nice beam quality, no ugly tint
+Package includes battery and a basic charger
-Not a huge fan of the switch. I find it hard to lock/unlock using one hand and I’d prefer a tactile feeling on the switch
-Included charger is slow and of low quality