I’m looking for flashlights for my vehicles. I’d like to use AA Lithium primaries. Somehow I stumbled upon the Sofirn SP10S which looks like a nice little light. But then I saw there is a SP10A and an SP10 V2. How do I know which one is the most recent? I don’t know enough about the different brands and models of LEDs to glance at a light and know that there is something better.
Is there a list of flashlights somewhere by manufacturer with release date and other information?
There may have been an original SP10, but then there was the SP10A (got) with greenish emitter and LMH modes and 2click for strobe. Then came the SP10B (also got) with FLM modes and 2click for H and 3click for strobe. Then the black B got renamed to the new A, while the red/blue ones stayed Bs.
It gets even more confusing than that later. :weary: Some may or may not have had slightly different versions of firmware (fixes) and slightly different UIs as a result, even though the model numbers stayed the same. It got very confusing.
Worse, whether you’re getting them from Sofirn at AX, or GB, or BG, or Amazon, or… you’re not really sure what you’re getting. They might be the newest, or older stock, or in-between, or who knows. Getting them directly from Sofirn would seem to be the most reliable way to know what you’re getting.
I’m happy with the ones I got, so ain’t really following the v2 or S or whatever ones are out there already or coming out soon.
Wow, it’s worse than I thought! Thanks for the reply.
It’s a double-edged sword. At least Sofirn is responsive, makes updates, fixes glitches, etc., but the drawback is that you’re never really sure which version you got (or will get) unless/until you try it out. Other mfrs will just come out with one version and leave it as-is until discontinued.
But be aware also that “latest” doesn’t always mean “best”. Find the discussion about the C8G…
Easy, SP10S is the most recent!
Thanks! I was also looking at the Sofirn SF11. Thoughts on that light? Is a single AA better for a car light or 4 AA? I lean towards the SF11 for extended runtime.
For a car light, never ever ever ever ever ever use alkaleaks. Period. They’ll take a dump inside the light and ruin it, and when you’ll need it most, it’ll be dead (whole thing, not just the battery) and frozen into a salt-block inside.
For AA lights, you can use NiMH cells like eneloops or amaloops, or LADDAs, in that they’re at least rechargeable and will hold their charge fairly long. (LSD = low self-discharge)
Best, though, would be a light that takes a ’123, but you seemed to want AA-sized lights, so I didn’t bring it up (’til now). ’123s are rated to last 20yrs, don’t leak, and are usually the go-to cells for mil/PD/FD in their lights, for good reason.
I happen to like the Jetbeam Jet-II, which is a twisty. No memory, LMH, always starts on low, no switch to fumble with, and most importantly, being “off” is being locked out. And like most Jetbeams, have flawless ano and tend to look a lot pricier than their actual price would indicate.
Any light that has an e-switch (typically side-mounted) will have parasitic drain and will drain the battery over time. That includes all flavors of the SP10, unfortunately. You’d have to physically lock them out (untwist a half-turn or so) to keep that from happening. And then next time you want to use the light, click-click-click… “doesn’t work? battery must be dead…” when in fact you just gotta retwist it snug.
At least a twisty that has no switch clues you in with a seldom-used light that you do in fact have to twist/untwist it. Sounds silly, but you’d be surprised.
The SF11 looks good. Runs with 4 in series AA cells, this means efficient buck driver, fully regulated, full use of the batteries' capacity and… well, can't say this for sure (no reviews) but given the head diameter the installed reflector should provide decent throw (whether this is preferable for you I don't know). AA Ni-MH low self discharge cells adviced.
Buying via AliExpress at Sofirn's store will allow you to exactly know what you're buying. They provide superb customer service, and you can even buy parts not listed in their store with just a few messages and some $1 coupons.
Good luck. 
I’d be using lithium primaries.
Wellp Lord_Polymath, if you chose that way you should know the SF11 will draw up to no less than ≈2.5A from the batteries. This means it may have issues with the newest Energizer Ultimate Lithium AAs (2019), some smartass decided to install overcurrent protection to the cells and it trips somewhere below 3A. It may work well, but you'll have to try. Soshines, Nices or Etinesans should work well in high mode.
Wow, thanks for the excellent info. Guess I might be better off going with a single AA light. The SP10S is the top contender.
The SP10S will do good; won't have the same performance, though.
In any case, the main problem is that primary cells usually aren't optimized for high drain/low internal resistance. This is because it makes little sense to pay for energy at such high price in devices which drain cells fast.
Standard Eneloop/Fujitsu AA or other top brand Ni-MH cells live very long and have very low self discharge rates. They aren't very expensive either, at least if you know where to buy them.
The SF11 will only have issues in the highest mode, if at all. Asked Henrik here, you may want to pay attention. 
Well, Henrik answered. He said the protection would reset, as it very likely is a PTC (see: Battery Safety 101: Anatomy - PTC vs PCB vs CID @ Battery Bro). Fairly safe to try, thus.
The SF11 likely drives the emitter at 3A or ≈10W. For that to happen its buck driver may pull 12W, this means above 2.5A at the available input voltage (which eventually will dip below 1V).
In essence, since you won't run continuously in turbo you can try Lord_Polymath. If turbo happens to trip any cell protection, it will be advisable to avoid using turbo again with that set of cells (PTC resistance increase = cell internal resistance increase, and easier to trip again).
Did Sofirn ever make a Sp10S with anything other than a Samsung 351 ?
Lithium primaries makes good sense if you're going to leave the light in the car ..
Well I do have a bunch of Eneloop AAs and could use them in an SF11. I just wasn’t sure if they were as “car friendly” as lithium primaries. But I would seldom, if ever, use the light on turbo anyways.