One could do much worse for $7, or even closer the full price. I have a couple Home Depot Defiant flashlights that were $5 closeout specials, and that’s commensurate with their build quality. Hate to think what they originally asked for them.
The inclusion of the lanyard is a bit puzzling, since it has no native place to attach, but I’d rather have it that not. It’s probably easier for them to package one packet that includes it and the o-rings, and toss them in every one of their tube light boxes, rather than make up separate packets.
I generally shun on-board charging, given the flimsy nature of most port covers, but this one isn’t bad at all. My example doesn’t have any flaws except a slightly elongated printing of the “So” (like it wants to mimic Superman’s logo) that another one of my Sofirns also has, but even more acutely. Somewhere inside the factory is a printing machine out of tune, or operator who’s asleep.
I’m no stranger to the UI, having used it on Olights, but did get tripped up comparing it to an SP32v2 sibling side-by-side.
Speaking of which, the SP32v2 is more capable and rounded light, and I think the better value, but the SC31 highlights the ugliness in the SP32’s beam. If there is to be an SP32v3, SP32B, or yet another suffix Sofirn wants to dream up, the first priority should be to ditch the XP-L2 for something else.
Overall, the SC31 was still a pleasant surprise, and conforms to Sofirn’s theme of good quality at a reasonable price. I was planning to give it away, but am going to keep it instead.
Got code and ordered. Supposed to arrive tomorrow! Looking forward to it. This will be my first Sofirn light. Mostly away from my addiction. Starting to get sucked back in a bit;-) Will post later in the week after I have had a chance to play with it. Haven’t had a rechargeable light in decades and it wasn’t a good experience back then. This seems entirely different as it is a common battery that I already have and even if the charging function didn’t work the light would still be fine for me.
Will say, pretty nice light. I could not handle the tint, so I switched it to an sst-20 4000k fd2. The beam is perfect and it makes the fd2 work really well. I do hate that the clip is not reversible.
I agree with your bottom line: This is a bargain at $23, especially if you could choose the tint. It’s on my shortlist for Xmas presents for “Muggles who need flashlights”. The built-in charging and simplified UI make it a natural for beginners.
