(The picture is my own, not from Sofirn. The flashlight does not have a “black line” around it in real life, and the color is not gradient.)
Disclaimer
I received this product for a very small fee by Sofirn for review. The opinions in this review are all mine, and only I decide what’s written and published.
Introduction
Round flashlights have always been the standard. They are simple, affordable and effective - so why change? Well, Sofirn disagrees, and in this review I will explore the amazing little flashlight that the ST1 is, and why I love this unique design so much! I will also compare it to other flashlights, and help you decide what to buy!
Pricing, availability and options
The ST1 can be bought at Aliexpress. It costs about $32, well-priced in my opinion. There are no options, only one color (gray), and the battery is built-in and therefore always “included”.
Update: with the cupon code NEWST1, the price will be lowered to only $25.99!
Packaging and what comes in the box
The packaging is surprisingly compact, but nice. In the box Sofirn included the following:
- The flashlight itself
- A charging cable (USB-C to USB-C)
- A lanyard
- A manual
A clip was not included, something I miss. The light is already easy to pocket, but for some it would add a sense of security. It would then also be able to clip onto other places, such as a backpack. But besides that, everything that is needed is included; remember, the battery is built-in and is technically included.
Build quality, size, weight and handling
This is where the ST1 really shines (pun intended)! The flashlight feels solid, with smooth anodizing and a sturdy design. The grip isn’t the best though. The size is close to perfect; it fits well in the hand and is easy to slide into a pocket. The weight is complementary here, making it feel solid and high-quality with some weight to it, but not so much that it feels like a hassle to hold and carry. Sofirn designed the light to withstand the usual wear and accidents. The ST1 boasts an IPX7 water-proof rating, as well as 1-meter drop resistance.
As mentioned earlier, it fits well into the hand. You’re able to get a good grip on it, even with the unusual design. This makes sense though, it’s something like a TV-remote, and they’re made for being held. All in all, the handling is good, and I could see myself carrying the flashlight for longer periods of time.
User interface
The user interface on this is really simple. Here is an overview of the most important functions:
- Press once to turn on/off
- Hold to cycle through the main brightness-levels
- Hold from off to access “moonlight-mode” (lowest mode, ~1 lumen)
- Double-press from on for “turbo-mode” (highest mode, ~1 500 lumen)
- Double-press from off to enter “lock-out”
- Double-press again to disable “lock-out”
No strobe is available in this flashlight. I am sure some people will miss that feature, but I think it’s completely fine without. One thing I would change though, is how to enter the lock-out. Instead of a double-press from off, I would prefer a triple-press, and for the double-press from off to activate turbo. I did actually try to triple-press from off, and it worked. In fact, as long as you press at least two times, it will activate lock-out from off, or turbo from on. This is a little confusing.
LED, Light quality and beam
The light quality in this light is split, since you have two different emitters (LEDs). First I will be talking about the main/spot emitter. This is a Luminus SFT-25R, a great LED. It’s efficient and powerful, and it’s throwing capabilities are hard to come by. There are some drawbacks though; the light quality is low. It’s green in the middle, has low CRI (colors don’t show as well) and has high CCT (color temperature, blue/purple). In addition it experiences tint-shift. All this is to be expected from this LED, and others from Luminus in general. I would wish Sofirn would have sourced the 5000 kelvin version, and not the 6000-6500 kelvin one.
Secondly, we have the flood emitters. There are four of them, and they are located to the sides of the spot LED. They come in 5000 kelvin and are placed behind more floody optics. I don’t know what LEDs they are, but they look decent. It’s hard to see the quality of light, since they’re very dim, and only really support the periferal vision and where the spill of the main emitter doesn’t reach.
The beam itself partly makes up for the low light quality (at least of the main emitter). It’s perfect for close to medium range (~0.5 - 50 meters) with a big central hot-spot with decent range (impressive for such a small optic), but also covers the flood with the dedicated emitters and good spill. This makes the light perfect for walking and camping. You’ll be able to see the ground where you step, as well as what lies a little ahead.
The surface in the pictures above is not all white, but has a hint of yellow in it. Take that into consideration. In the first photo the flashlight is maybe 20 - 30 centimeters away from the surface. If you want to see how the beam looks in use outside, scroll down to the beamshots section.
Performance, battery, charging and runtime
I do not have the equipment to test the performance of this flashlight myself, but will use better judgment to evaluate Sofirn’s claims. The throw is specified at 226 meters. I don’t doubt that at all, in my testing the flashlight had fantastic range (even more so considering the size). The flashlight might in fact throw further than claimed! Now we’ll look at the runtime and brightness-levels:
| Mode and specified brightness | Specified runtime | My guess - brightness | My guess - runtime | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moonlight: 1 lumen | 450 hours | 1 lumen | 450 hours | Reasonable |
| Low: 10 lumen | 100 hours | 10 lumen | 70 - 100 hours | Mostly reasonable |
| Medium: 350 lumen | 3.5 hours | 300 - 400 lumen | 2.5 - 3 hours | 3.5 hours seems too long for such a small battery |
| High: 800-600 | 10 + 100 minutes | 800+ lumen @ turn-on | 10 + 80 minutes | Thermals are very impressive, so such a high sustanible output is likely possible |
| Turbo: 1500-600 | 2 + 100 minutes | 1200+ lumen @ turn-on | <2 + 80 minutes | Very bright, steps down slowly to 600 lumen in less than 2 minutes, turbo can be reactivated at any time |
Even before reciving the flashlight, I knew I’d miss a 100 lumen-mode. And in testing, I confirmed this. The jump between the 10- and 350 lumen modes are way too big. A 100-lumen mode would ensure a smaller gap, and a mode with a runtime of about 10 hours, which is what I usually prefer to use as an “all-rounder” mode in most of my flashlights. Also, the difference between medium and high, and high and turbo are too small. I also think the high-mode should just be 600 lumen, since that’s what sustanible. Here is my suggestion for mode spacing:
- 1 lumen
- 10 lumen
- 100 or 150 lumen
- 600 lumen
- 1500 lumen
Something I am impressed about is the thermal performance. Testing it outside in about 10 degrees celsius, the flashlight never got properly hot, only slightly warm. For a flashlight this small, with this power; wow! It also held turbo very well, gradually stepping down to 600 lumen. Turbo could be reactivated at any time by simply pressing the button twice. The good thermals might be due to multiple LEDs, the LEDs being spread out, good heat dissipation due to a lot of surface area and some small heat fins at the side of the ST1.
The lithium-polymer battery is built-in and has a capacity of 2100 MAH. It charges through a USB-C port at the tail of the flashlight, and it should take about 1.5 hours for a full charge according to the manufacturer. The “glowing ring” around the electronic switch is a charge- and battery indicator. It shows red while charging and green when done. Every time the flashlight is turned on, the indicator lights up for five seconds to show the battery status. The colors shown mean the following:
- Green: 50% - 100%
- Orange: 20% - 50%
- Red: 10% - 20%
- Blinking red: <10%
Beamshots
This is my first time posting beamshots, so they’re fairly limited. The photos don’t perfectly represent how it looks in real life, but gives a general idea. Specifically, the photos make the light look warmer than what my own eyes see. The camera also adjusts the exposure, making medium, high and turbo look essentially the same. Again, this is the first time posting beamshots, and I will be improving them. Please share feedback and tips in the comments!
The furthest trees are about 15 - 25 meters away based on my estimates, but don’t turst those figures too much. As you can see, the ST1 is more than bright enough as a walking light.
Competition and comparison
In this section of the review I will be comparing the ST1 to the Wurkkos HD01 and HD01 Pro. I haven’t tested nor own either of the flashlights from Wurkkos, and the information I use is from Wurkkos’ own website.
Wurkkos HD01 (Pro)
The HD01 is made by Sofirn’s sister company, and is similar in many ways. The flat-body design is the same. The HD01 is slightly smaller, but comes with a significant smaller battery (1200 MAH vs 2100 MAH in the ST1). However, the wurkkos excels in features, including the following:
- spotlight (white light)
- side floodlight (white light)
- RGB (on the side)
- green laser (at the front)
- pocket-clip
The ST1 beats the HD01 (Pro) in brightness, and additionally offers more thermal mass. The pro is essentially the same flashlight as the normal HD01, but with the added benefit of UV-light. Otherwise a few (cosmetic) design changes differentiate the two. The HD01 costs $25.99, while the HD01 Pro costs $34.99, both prices from wurkkos.com. The latter being more expensive than the ST1.
Which to buy?
This is a difficult question to answer. The HD01 is in a similar price range as the ST1, and offers a lot more features. But then, the ST1 is simpler to use, has more thermal mass and a bigger battery. All in all I’d choose the HD01 (pro) if:
- You need any of the extra features
- You want a more “fun” flashlight
- You aren’t going to be using it as a tool for extended periods of time (short battery life)
I would buy the Sofirn ST1 if:
- You only need one output-channel (normal, white light)
- You want something simple and reliable
- You want to use it as a tool for longer periods where runtime is important
You could also compare this flashlight to many others. It is very similar to the traditional round flashlight; LED(s) at the front, battery in the middle, one button to control everything. But there are a million of these flashlights, so I decided to compare the ST1 to other flashlights with similar design language. If you’re looking for a similar small flashlight, with good battery-life, that is simple to use and has more lumens than anyone ever practically needs? Check out my review of the Convoy S21E. It has in summary a lot more battery, more options (LEDs, drivers, colors), and is in a similar price-range.
Conclusion and where to buy
I have to say I am thoroughly impressed. This small flashlight is bright, has good runtime, great thermals and can be bought for a very resonable price.
Pros:
- Cool, simple and functional design
- Bright, especially for the size
- Good runtime
- Great beam for most use cases
- Well priced
Cons:
- Lacks a pocket-clip
- Fewer features than the competition
As you can see, the ST1 offers very much good, while few negatives. The flashlight can currently be bought through AliExpress, and I expect it to be avalible through sofirnlight.com in the future aswell.
Thank you for reading the review, I hope it helped!
This review is written and published by LightThrower (BLF). The review will be available to read at budgetlightforum, as well as Reddit.