Sofirn Q8 VS Sofirn SP36

d_t_a · 2019-02-04T09:34:45.000Z

The Sofirn Q8 is a lot more throwy than the SP36..

I would even venture to say that the SP36 is a bit more floody than the BLF Q8... at least basing on the video beamshots..

PBWilson · 2019-02-02T13:55:29.000Z

It’s more a matter of size. Their output is pretty similar. The SP36 is just easier to carry with you. It’s definitely not an EDC. It’s a handful, but I find myself reaching for it much more often than I do my Q8. On turbo it does heat up but it’s nothing that makes me avoid using it. The one fewer cell doesn’t leave me in the lurch and I haven’t noticed reduced runtimes in my practical use around the house, with the dogs or exploring the area around my home. If you like charging the cells in the light, you’ve got that as a bonus. If not, you can forget about it and recharge like any other light. It’s well made and gives off a lot of lumens for the size and price.

I might wait though. Sofirn has been asking about different leds and rumor has it that they will use Anduril in the future. No idea when that might be though.

RobertB · 2019-02-02T16:46:35.000Z

d_t_a:

The Sofirn Q8 is a lot more throwy than the SP36…

I would even venture to say that the SP36 is a bit more floody than the BLF Q8… at least basing on the video beamshots…

Nice comparison, thanks for taking the time to post that

Hugh_Johnson · 2019-02-02T23:45:46.000Z

Very interesting. I have the original Q8 and I just love it. I like the tint, output and thermal capability. The SP36 looks great and I like the 3 cell form. I also like the floodier beam (looks like my ideal) but I dislike the slightly cooler tint. With a different emitter it could be my perfect outdoor light. I also love the TK ui we’re getting on everything. What a time.

nightfog · 2021-02-08T14:45:07.000Z

How does the Q8 compare to the SP36 Pro?
Would SP36 Pro throw further?

d_t_a · 2021-02-09T03:10:33.000Z

nightfog:

How does the Q8 compare to the SP36 Pro? Would SP36 Pro throw further?

Based on my visual observation, the Sofirn Q8 (4x XPL-Hi) throws farther than the SP36 Pro (4x SST40):

left: SP36 Pro (4x SST40)

right: Sofirn Q8 (4x XPL-Hi)

Sofirn SP36 Pro (4x SST40) longer distance beamshot

(compare with the ones above)

nightfog · 2021-02-09T11:08:36.000Z

Thank you d_t_a, that is awesome.
Unfortunately this will cause me buying another torch, and it’s gonna be the Q8.
Even though I prefer the higher power output and definitely the narrower 3 battery handle of the SP36 PRO, I can’t live with the uneven spill, I find it distracting. The tight spot and potentially longer throw of Q8 is also a plus.
I have accepted that I might have a problem when it comes to torches and a last one I buy is not in near sight. But there are worse things in life than a flashlight addiction, isn’t it?

Rexlion · 2021-02-09T15:37:48.000Z

Yes, there definitely are worse things in life. I have a BLF Q8 and an SP36, and I don’t regret having both. I like both. I recommend both!

Fescron · 2021-02-09T21:41:27.000Z

Another thing the Q8 has and the SP36 doesn’t: tripod screw mount! I missed that just today so I might pick one up too And/or a bike mount or something for the SP36 because I love the 5000k/4000k high-CRI light.

d_t_a · 2021-02-10T03:46:50.000Z

I’ve tried a few quad SST40 lights (FT02S, MT40, SP36 Pro, HK4S), and it looks like all of them result in some kind of beam pattern (flower petal pattern) that some people may find distracting, and noticeable especially on a white wall… Probably a result of the SST40 LED’s design? The MT40 is the most throwy (uses 4x 18650, and throws farther than the Sofirn Q8), followed by the FT02S then SP36 Pro. HK4S being smaller is the least throwy of the above-mentioned quad SST40 lights.

Fescron · 2021-02-10T07:53:10.000Z

d_t_a:

I’ve tried a few quad SST40 lights (FT02S, MT40, SP36 Pro, HK4S), and it looks like all of them result in some kind of beam pattern (flower petal pattern) that some people may find distracting, and noticeable especially on a white wall… Probably a result of the SST40 LED’s design? The MT40 is the most throwy (uses 4x 18650, and throws farther than the Sofirn Q8), followed by the FT02S then SP36 Pro. HK4S being smaller is the least throwy of the above-mentioned quad SST40 lights.

The LH351D SP36 also has this pattern, and the C8F LH351D too. I suppose it’s a combination of the optics and the LED’s…

Alexius · 2021-08-08T11:02:42.000Z

(sorry, this is an auto-translation)

Sofirn Q8 (XPL HI) VS Sofirn Q8 Pro (CREE XHP50.2)
You can ask to compare Sofirn Q8 (XPL HI) Sofirn Q8 Pro (CREE XHP50.2).
Presumably there should be less heating, lighting modes should increase, but the range should decrease.
The cost of the Q8Pro version is almost 2 times more than the Q8.
The question is, is it worth it to overpay twice or the improvements are not so significant and you can get by Q8 (XPL HI).

stephenk · 2021-08-08T11:26:26.000Z

BLF Q8 has a tripod mount and better sustained brightness (heat handling).

Alexius · 2021-08-08T13:25:21.000Z

[quote = stephenk] better sustained brightness. [/ Цитировать]

I can not find a review of the new Q8Pro and compare the characteristics.

XPL HI should be "hotter" than XHP50.2 and judging by the characteristics of diodes Q8Pro should have better characteristics.

Can I find a table of characteristics for a new model?

Here is table Q8.

.

stephenk · 2021-08-08T22:44:16.000Z

Alexius:

[quote = stephenk] better sustained brightness. [/ Цитировать]

I can not find a review of the new Q8Pro and compare the characteristics.

XPL HI should be “hotter” than XHP50.2 and judging by the characteristics of diodes Q8Pro should have better characteristics.

Can I find a table of characteristics for a new model?

Here is table Q8.

.

No reviews of the Q8 Pro yet. I was referring to the original BLF Q8 anyway. The Q8 Pro in theory should have better heat handling than the BLF Q8, but there are many variables including driver, firmware, and thermal calibration.

d_t_a · 2021-08-09T03:22:52.000Z

At the same brightness, XHP50.2 in theory will provide better heat handling than XPL-Hi (but XHP50.2 will be less throwy, so may actually look less bright, even when set to a similar “lumens” setting.

But on max brightness, the XHP50.2 will use a LOT more power than XPL-Hi, which will translate to the Q8 Pro getting hotter much faster when both Q8 Pro & Q8 are set to max brightness levels.

But the Q8 (XPL-Hi) will have more throw (which may “look brighter”) when set to similar brightness as the Q8 Pro.

The Q8 Pro uses Anduril. the brightness levels (by default, stepped ramping mode has 7 levels) are automatically calculated by the Anduril firmware based on a formula (should be available somewhere on Toykeeper’s site).

Q8 Pro is basically exactly similar in size to the Q8, other than the Q8 Pro adds a USB-C charging port.
I weighed the original BLF Q8 to be 405 grams (without batteries)
While the Q8 Pro weighs 420 grams (without batteries)

The button of the Q8 Pro is colored black, but otherwise, external physical characteristics of the BLF Q8 and Q8 Pro look very similar (the BLF Q8 and Sofirn Q8 look very similar, just the body tube design has a slight different pattern).

Based on my quick test, Q8 Pro’s USB-C charging can use 5v or QuickCharge 9v

Alexius · 2021-08-10T10:41:20.000Z

d_t_a:

But the Q8 (XPL-Hi) will have more throw (which may “look brighter”) when set to similar brightness as the Q8 Pro.

The automatic translator does not translate very correctly.
This phrase is translated as: “XPL-Hi has a wider light (more coverage)”.
But the XHP50.2 should have a wider light, and the XPL-Hi should shine at a longer distance.

Question:
Q8 Pro XHP50.2 costs almost 2 times more than Q8 (XPL-Hi).
How do you think Q8 Pro is really 2 times better in reality and is it worth buying it?
(the camera on the video can display light differently from reality, so I want to hear the personal opinion of someone who has experience with both flashlights).

d_t_a · 2021-08-10T16:00:49.000Z

Alexius:

d_t_a:

But the Q8 (XPL-Hi) will have more throw (which may “look brighter”) when set to similar brightness as the Q8 Pro.

The automatic translator does not translate very correctly.
This phrase is translated as: “XPL-Hi has a wider light (more coverage)”.
But the XHP50.2 should have a wider light, and the XPL-Hi should shine at a longer distance.

Question:
Q8 Pro XHP50.2 costs almost 2 times more than Q8 (XPL-Hi).
How do you think Q8 Pro is really 2 times better in reality and is it worth buying it?
(the camera on the video can display light differently from reality, so I want to hear the personal opinion of someone who has experience with both flashlights).

Unfortunately, I can’t say if quality is better for one or the other — I would say that the quality is roughly the same, since both are manufactured by Sofirn — and at least the body materials are probably the same (other than very minor differences like addition of USB-C charging port). With that said, the Q8 Pro would likely have more components since it has built-in charging (more components would sometimes mean more possibility of something to fail). Also, the Q8 Pro uses a lot of power and will generate a lot more heat when used at high brightness levels — this heat may also contribute to flashlight failing? But those are just my conjectures and may not be true in reality…

What is easily noticeable for the Q8 (XPL-Hi) vs Q8 Pro (XHP50.2) though is that they have different beam patterns — the XPL-Hi is more focused / throwy, whereas the Q8 Pro has a more spread out beam pattern.

pennzy · 2021-08-10T16:26:15.000Z

Charging would be a big plus for me. 11000 lumens won’t last long enough to care. Price will come down after initial launch.

Sirstinky · 2021-08-10T16:32:10.000Z

The Pro is kind of impractical, lots of flood, not much throw and ugly beams since Sofirn only gets 6500K 50.2’s but would be a good host for dedoming the xhp50.2 or swapping sft-40’s. Ot has decent heatsink8ng a a nice driver with onboare charging (more of a novelty though unless they shoehorn PD in it).

In my opinion, for a stock light, the SP36 Pro 5000k is a better option (for now). Maybe we’ll see sft-40’s in the Q8 soon? I bet if we all bugged Sofirn they’d make one!