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[NLD] Just arrived: Sofirn SC13 – little EDC flashlight with 18350 battery and SST-40 behind a Fresnel lens (lemmy.world)
submitted 6 months ago by SammysHP@lemmy.world to c/flashlight@lemmy.world
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First impression: It's nice, I really like the new switch that Sofirn used here. It's like the large switch from Wurkkos, just smaller and far better than the hard, wobbly switch they used in the past.

The tint is mediocre and the Fresnel lens creates some rings. Unfortunately also some tint variation from spot to spill. Overall pretty soft beam, but not too floody.

It appears like the bezel is press fit, but it has a small gap and it might be possible to open it.

Interesting place to attach the clip. There's this large groove at the front. Looks little weird without a clip, though.

A magnet is included as well, but it can only be used when no lanyard is attached (D'oh!).

I will write a full review, but it will take some weeks because I have quite a lot other flashlights in the queue.

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[-] Fabrik872@lemmy.world 4 points 5 months ago

Nice trackball you got there is it elecom huge? Are you in some lemmy trackball group? I was on one when i was on reddit but i cant find any similar group here since apollo.town is down and i really miss it.

[-] SammysHP@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

Indeed, it's an Elecom Huge. Also have some other Elecom like the Deft Pro and still thinking about getting a Bitra (although it might be too small, but not much more portable than the Deft Pro).

No, I'm in no trackball group. Just using them everywhere.

[-] Curious_Canid@lemmy.ca 3 points 5 months ago

I have the Bitra, but would not recommend it. I used it for a weekend and ended up with a very sore hand. It's just too small for me.

[-] SammysHP@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

Thanks for talking me out of it!

[-] Fabrik872@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

I have birta for travel but i cannot get used to it for gaming so i game on my slimblade non pro

[-] SammysHP@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

I had the Slimblade for five minutes, until I quickly returned it because of the bad buttons and the high ball without a proper wrist rest. Eventually I found the Elecom Huge which was just perfect for my hands. The Deft Pro works also great. Tried various other trackballs including thumb trackballs, but none worked as good as the Huge for me.

[-] dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

Wait. Educate a dummy, here. Isn't 18350 the same dimensions as a CR123?

[-] Curious_Canid@lemmy.ca 3 points 6 months ago

Not quite. The 18350 is the same diameter as the 18650. The CR123 is a 16340, so it's slightly smaller.

[-] Curious_Canid@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 months ago

I should have also said... The last three numbers are the diameter. The numbers before that are the length.

[-] Langehund@lemmy.world 4 points 5 months ago

Other way around. If it was as you said, it’d be a pancake. 18350 is 18 mm diameter and 35 mm long

[-] Curious_Canid@lemmy.ca 3 points 5 months ago

Thank you for correcting me. There may be a need for disc-shaped batteries somewhere, but I definitely had it backwards.

[-] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

There may be a need for disc-shaped batteries somewhere

Digital watches are supposed to be kinda neat. Hearing aids too.

[-] luppano@lou.lt 2 points 5 months ago

@Curious_Canid I read somewhere that the last digit is the shape : 0 for cylindrical

[-] Curious_Canid@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 months ago

You're right. I should have looked it up and not relied on my somewhat faulty memory. Thanks for the correction.

[-] notapantsday@feddit.de 1 points 6 months ago

As far as I know, CR123 is equal to 16340, so 2 mm thinner and 1 mm shorter than 18350.

[-] pearsaltchocolatebar@discuss.online 2 points 5 months ago

I would lose that thing in 3 seconds flat.

[-] solrize@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

This doesn't seem to be on Sofirn's website. Do you have a link?

[-] SammysHP@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

It seems to be available at their AliExpress store: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006374608354.html

[-] solrize@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Thanks, I managed to find some specs. It's hard for me to find this preferable in a d4v2 with 18350 tube. I guess the USB port is nice.

[-] altima_neo@lemmy.zip 1 points 6 months ago

Oh man thats a nice little light. So tiny! Didnt realize they had something like that. I recently picked up the IF23, which has a funky LED array along the side of the flashlight with RGB lights.

[-] SammysHP@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

It was just released. They have many flashlights for all kinds of purpose. The SC13 is more a small EDC flashlight.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

How does this compare to the Rovyvanne?

[-] Zak@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

18350 lights are a fair bit bigger than the sealed-battery keychain lights Rovyvon is best known for.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

Does that provide better battery life, or greater lumens?

[-] Zak@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

A larger battery generally provides longer life, but the battery being field-replaceable is also a significant difference.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

True. My RovyVan stopped holding a charge after about a year. But it's an amazing flashlight otherwise. How long does a battery last on this one?

[-] Zak@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

Runtime or service life? Runtime depends on mode and may or may not dim as the battery drains depending on the type of driver it uses. I'd wait for reviews to find out about this one specifically.

Service life for Life-ion is usually at least 500 charge cycles or five years, whichever is less.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

I meant runtime. The service life is extendable by swapping the battery. Right? I suppose the runtime is too.

[-] Zak@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

An 18350 battery has about ten times the capacity of the sealed battery in models like the Rovyvon A1, though some other Rovyvon models have larger batteries. Most removable batteries are larger than the tiny Rovyvons as are the flashlights that use them.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

RovyVons are still amazing flashlights, so a slightly larger version, with a swappable battery, and 10x battery capacity sounds amazing. What would you say is the best, most compact, true color, bright, 18350 flashlight?

[-] Zak@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

18350 is kind of short and fat and not my favorite size. Here are some 18350 lights with good color rendering, but many of them are 18650 lights with a half-length battery tube so they're not super compact.

14500 (AA-size 3.7V Li-ion) is more to my liking for compact lights because it's slimmer, but longer. The two have comparable capacity. In that size, I really like the Skilhunt M150 and H150 with Nichia 519A LEDs. They're fairly efficient, able to sustain fairly high brightness for a long time, and can also use AA batteries, but their peak brightness doesn't break any records. The Wurkkos TS10 is perhaps more impressive, but gives up some efficiency and sustained brightness as well as the option to use AA batteries.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Thank you very much for the information. I've been using a Zebralight H600Fc as my primary headlamp for a few years now. It's a great headlamp, but it's 18650 and I've been looking to downsize for backpacking. I took the RovyVon on one trip and just used the hat clip as a headlamp. It worked, but I was worried about the capacity the whole trip and tried to minimize my use. These lights you mentioned seem like very good alternatives. I also want a better flashlight for my truck than the Costco Duracell light I have now. It works well, but it's nothing special.

[-] Zak@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

I think if you like the H600Fc it's pretty likely you'll like the H150.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

Oop! I've been looking at flashlights since your original comment and didn't see this. I just picked up two Wuben. I replied to your last comment just now with more details. Cheers!

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

Nice, dude! I just bought a Wuben X0 in brass, a Wuben E7, a headband, and a couple of batteries. They look like really cool headlights/flashlights, so I'm really excited to get them. Thanks again!

[-] Zak@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

Wuben definitely makes some interesting designs. The X-1 with its flat form factor and cooling fan has been getting a lot of attention lately.

this post was submitted on 06 Jan 2024
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