Just joined the forum and was looking for some advice
After a bit of research into a budget friendly flashlights I purchased the Sofirn SC31 Pro and was so impressed that I decided to get something a little more powerful, have narrowed it down to the Sofirn SP35T or the Sofirn C8L .
I liked the looks of the SP35T but have read that the SP35T didn’t fare so well upon release, Sofirn has since upgraded the LED to the XHP50B but was unable to find any detailed reviews and was hoping someone more knowledgeable could advise on which light would be the best value.
Thanks in advance and welcome any suggestions for different branded lights that are similar in price and function.
I don’t know the SP35T, but I own the C8L which I also reviewed and it’s a best-buy, excellent value for money, lots of light, has a decent throw and heats up very little, which is what makes you look love a flashlight, because it allows you to use it to the maximum for long intervals of time.
They are really completely different lights. The C8L has a huge head. The SP35 is a great light. Not sure what you mean about negative reviews. I think the SP35 did pretty well on BLF. You really cant carry the C8L around because of the size.
I doubt they changed the driver on the SP35T. Not sure about the new LED though, no idea about the efficiency or heat production.
The SP35 and SP35T drivers are completely different. SP35 has a good regulated buck driver while the T does not. No regulation and combined with the SFN43 at least gets blisteringly hot. On turbo I couldn’t hold the light for more than a minute without a glove, and on high it was a few minutes but still uncomfortable.
If it’s between the C8L and SP35T I’d go C8L every time unless you absolutely can’t swing the head size. If you need the smaller head of the SP35T then go for the regular SP35 (no ‘T’) and forego the tactical switch.
If they changed the driver on the SP35T and put maybe an SFT40 in it instead, it would be a killer light indeed, but like I said, I doubt very much they changed the driver. They probably just put a different emitter in it when people started complaining.
I own both the SP35 and SP35T, but not the C8L. Am still considering the C8L but I would not consider the SP35T. I did an emitter swap on the SP35T into an SFT40 and it’s a much better light - that extra throw makes all the difference and the emitter doesn’t burn quite as bright which makes the light much more manageable.
Thanks for the replies so far…Looks like the C8L might be the winner.
Does the C8L have the ability to act as a power bank.
Would be a handy feature to charge up a phone in an emergency.I thought i read/heard somewhere it did but am not seeing that feature in Sofirn’s description.
I have the SP35T updated. With the XHP50.2. And it is AWESOME! It’s been my favorite edc for a couple of months now. Its main differential is its ability of instant turbo and instant strobe from the hard tail forward switch. Being a forward switch, it has the ability of momentary on by just holding the switch without fully clicking it. With a very efficient LED, it’s a perfect budget, but extremely well made, edc. I can’t recommend it enough.
I don’t think anyone has complained about the UI. In fact, it’s my favourite UI ever after Anduril 2. The biggest problem is it’s using a poor quality unregulated driver. You do not get flat sustained output as with the non-tactical SP35.
I have still kept mine though, specifically because of the UI, and because I don’t want the head-size of the C8L. The C8L is the Sofirn tactical model done correctly - good regulated buck driver with flat runtimes, the same excellent UI, and more throwy. However I would have preferred all of those things but in the size of the SP35. Well it wouldn’t be Sofirn if they didn’t drop the ball somewhere.
I have the C8L, C8G and wurkkos ts25. I love the switch combo on those two sofirn lights - I wish there were more like that. C8L would be my pick out of the two you mentioned - nice mix of flood and throw and you get the great switch combo.
If I bought a new light now though it would be the Convoy M21B with xhp70.3. Better balance of flood and throw, no onboard charging (I see that as a bonus), nice compromise on form factor.
