Sunwayman C10R Espresso, XM-L U2 (CR123A/16340)
provided by banggood.com for review
Follow this link to the C10R
Click on the pictures to see them at a bigger size
The Sunwayman C10R is part of a series of 3 musketeers, identical looking flashlights, that came to life in 2012.
The C10R is small and beautiful, Period. Let`s see what this has to offer in the review.
I will keep it crisp and clear, no crazy long stories! Some Show and Tell... you pick if you like this light or not!
These 3 Sunway Musketeers exist of the:
- C20C (18650)
- C15A (AA/14500)
- C10R (CR123A/16340)
Trustfire 16340 protected, Eneloop AA, C10R, C15A
First a short overview of what this light is offering:
| Brand/model: | Sunwayman C10R Espresso |
| LED: | XM-L U2 |
| Working Voltage | 0.9-4.2V |
| Battery | CR123A/16340 |
| Switch | Side switch |
| Modes | 3 + (hidden strobe + SOS) |
| Mode changing | Side switch: press and hold |
| Mode memory | Yes |
| Anti-roll | Yes |
| Tail-stand | Yes |
| Lock-out | Yes (only electronically) |
| Momentary On: | Yes (but limited, see below) |
| Coated lens: | Yes |
| Anodizing: | HAIII |
| Reflector: | Smooth |
| Waterproof: | IPX8 |
| Shop: | www.banggood.com |
What`s in the package?:
The C10R comes in a fairly humble and plain box. Nothing really fancy here.
The package includes:
- C10R Espresso Flashlight
- Holster
- Lanyard
- 2 spare O-rings
- Papers: Manual, warranty card, Sunwayman brochure
Let`s have a closer look, and see the dimensions and weight of this little beauty.
Dimensions and Weight:
Dimensions: C10R without lanyard attachment
- Length: 76mm
- Diameter head: 25mm
- Diameter body: 21mm
Weight: C10R without lanyard attachment
- Weight: 54 grams
- Incl 16340: 73grams
The C10R isn`t one of the smallest, nor the lightest in the CR123A flashlight world.
I really don`t care about this, as I prefer something that feels good, and is easy to operate.
Here a little overview with comparison between 2 other well known CR123A lights.
Not that the lighter and smaller lights are Twisties... (No side switch)
| Brand/Model | Sunwayman C10R | Trustfire Mini01 | Olight i1 | Eagletac D25C |
Length |
76mm | 61mm | 63mm | 75mm |
| Weight | 54grams | 45grams | 22grams | 29grams |
Compared to the Sunwayman V11R, it`s a little shorter.
A little Closer Up:
Knurling, grooves, tripod mount, and perfectly centered XM-L U2
Handling:
The light is fairly small, but still fits well in the hand.
Due to the nice knurling on the body. And the 2 little grooves on the side of the switch will help finding the switch when its dark in no-time. on the back side, where the Low Battery level indicator is placed, also serves as a anti-roll.
See picture below.
Replacing batteries goes really smooth due to the threads being Square, including some grease.
UI:
- High-Medium-Low (in that order)
- Main Modes:
Click and quickly release the side switch to turn the light on in the Main Group Modes.
This consist of 3 modes, High-Medium-Low, in that order
When it is turned on, Switch between the 3 modes with a press and Hold..
When at the desired output, release the switch
- Momentary On:
Press and hold the side switch to turn the light on in Momentary On (High)
Because of it being an electronic side switch only, the light can`t be used for morse coding.
When you click too fast, the light will turn on in Strobe/SOS.
- Blinkies:
The C10R has 2 blinkies. ;) Strobe and SOS
Activate Strobe by a Fast Double Click in the Off mode, or in any Main mode
another Fast Double Click in strobe mode, will bring you to SOS mode.
- Mode Memory:
Mode memory works instantly. When the light is turned off, the last used mode will be memorized.
Switching the light on, will bring it back to last used mode.
- Electronic Lock-Out:
After turning off the light, wait several seconds, then do a quick Press and Release, followed by a Press and Hold
The light will turn on and off again. Now its in Lock-Out.
To unlock, you need to do the same, a quick Press and Release, followed by a Press and Hold
unfortunately the lights can`t be locked out by unscrewing the body from the head, because the threads are unanodized.
NOTE:
The head of both the C15A (AA) and C10R (CR123A) are interchangeable. However, putting the head of the C10R on the C15A body with AA battery, the light will only have 2 modes. High and ultra Low. High is more of a medium, and low is really low, about 1 lumen.
Low Voltage Warning:
When using a 16340 battery, the C10R uses an inbuilt low battery indicator to light up when the battery gets down to 3V.
Using a CR123A this Low Battery indicator will not work, as far as I understood.
Performance:
Measurements were done by using a Trustfire (flame) 16340 battery.
On a full charged 16340 battery, the light ran for a little under 65 minutes until the Low Battery indicator light turned on. At which I stopped the run-time test on High. At this point, the output had decreased a lot.
Please see the following overview of pictures taken during the run-time test on High.
Pictures have intervals of 5 minutes.
The last picture show the Low Voltage indicator.
Amp measurements after 5 seconds:
High: 0.9A
Medium: 0.3A
Low: 0.03A
The C10R uses one of the infamous XM-L U2s which have greenish hues. And this light is no exception.
Fortunately its less green that my C15A.
Fortunately its not so difficult to do an emitter swap, as the bezel is easily removable, as well as the reflector and lens.
Moddible?
Easy access to the emitter. SWM used Thermal grease, so the board is removable after unsoldering the wires.
They used the same emitter as it`s bigger brother the C20C, as you can see in the picture.
It`s also fairly easy to get to the driver..
Just unscrew the plastic disc, and you`ll have access to the driver
Accessories:
The C10R comes with a standard holster.
It has a special lanyard attachment threaded tripod mount.
You can use this to attach the light to any regular tripod.
This feature can be quite handy at times. But you need to have a tripod first ;)
PWM:
There is no PWM noticeable in any mode!
Some more PICS
The Sunway family... Man, Woman, grandparents and children ;)
Some comparison beamshots (urban)
I accidentally touched the tripod, so it move a bit between the 2nd and 3rd shot. But settings are the same, so comparison is still valid!
Compact camera M-mode; f3.3 0.5sec iso400
1. Control shot 2.SWMV11R (max) 2.SWM C10R (High)
Simple Mouse Over:
My thoughts:
The C10R is an excellent little light, that can easily be used as an EDC, but the lack of a keychain attachment could be a negative point for some.
Sunwayman is known for it`s high quality products, and therefore I`m a big fan of SWM lights.
It doesnt feel too small nor slippery.
A few things that could be improved are, that you sometimes enter the Momentary on feature too easily, a second switch would help here. Which is part of the UI which is not my favorite, I would like to add a lower Low, with a short cut, something along the lines of the Olight S15.
Another thing that could be improved is the tint. But the LED can be replaced without too much effort I believe.
Only having a electronic lock-out, without a full mechanical lock-out is also a Con.
I actually prefer lights that use a side switch to also have a tail switch, for powering on and off.
The quality and built of this light is just awesome..
Adding the tripod mount is a nice extra, but not a deal breaker nor deal maker..
