SammysHP @lemmy.world Software developer from Germany with interests in programming, electronics, flashlights, calculators, writing instruments and various outdoor activities.
Visit my website for more info and updates.
See also: /u/[email protected]
[Review] Wurkkos FC11C – now with 519A and buck driver!
The full review is available here
English review at BLF German review at my website
Summary
The Wurkkos FC11C is a nice upgrade of the FC11: The light quality has been further improved by using a Nichia 519A and the buck driver keeps the brightness constant for most of the runtime. Combined with the easy UI and the integrated charging function, the FC11C is a really great flashlight for everyday use.
I can’t really think of any negative aspects. Perhaps it could be a bit shorter. Basically, Wurkkos has done everything right. While I have often recommended the FC11 as an entry-level flashlight, the FC11C will take its place in the future.
[Review] Skilhunt EC200 – look at this fantastic EDC light!
The full review is available here
English review at BLF German review at my website
Summary
Three powerful LEDs with a buttery smooth, floody beam and amazing color rendition, a USB-C charging port, magnetic tailcap and an easy UI. Skilhunt added several new models with USB charging port to their EC series. The single color EC200 shown in this review is a fantastic EDC flashlight at high standard.
Actually I can’t really find any major disadvantages. It would be nice if the head was less symmetrical to make it easier to find the switch. But otherwise it is close to being perfect and definitely a great recommendation for an EDC flashlight.
Could they possibly do an anduril version of the Sofirn SC13? Or revive the LT1 Mini? Either would be nice.
That would be a question to Sofirn and not Wurkkos. Although made in the same factory, they are different companies (more or less).
As mentioned in the review, Wurkkos is already working on an Anduril version.
Hard to say, lol. The driver isn't potted and a hard impact might damage the inductor of the boost driver or other parts of it. The glass can shatter, the aluminum deform. You can destroy any light with enough force. But for normal use it should be good enough.
[Review] Wurkkos TS26S – 4x Nichia 519A and boost driver!
The full review is available here
English review at BLF German review at my website
Summary
A novel design, four Nichia 519A with outstanding color rendition, a boost driver for constant brightness and a simple user interface. The Wurkkos TS26S is an excellent flashlight in its category – good job, Wurkkos!
There are just some minor details that need to be improved, like the sharp cooling fins. Also it would be nice to have a symmetrical battery tube with a single direction clip that you can turn around.
[Review] Armytek Partner C2
The full review is available here
English review at BLF German review at my website
Summary
I’ve been waiting for this flashlight for a long time: At first glance the Armytek Partner C2 seems unspectacular, but in practice it turns out to be a reliable and easy to use partner in demanding situations. The electronic, two-stage tail switch gives you momentary light, silent operation and also serves as a magnetic charging port. The intense spot achieves a surprising amount of throw.
Instead of the strobe I would have preferred direct access to the lowest level. The flashlight can only be switched on in the last used brightness. Overall, an even lower brightness level would have been nice.
Got curious? Then check out the full review linked above! It also includes a 15% discount code.
The protection circuit of a cylindrical Li-Ion battery doesn't report anything. All it can do is to interrupt the circuit if the current gets too high or the voltage too low.
You might mix this up with tool batteries that usually have multiple cells in a series and in parallel, monitored by a battery management system (BMS).
Most quality flashlights have an integrated low voltage protection. The protection PCB will only protect the battery when it's handled outside of the flashlight, but it will usually reduce the performance and efficiency due to the added resistance.
You mean Li-ion with integrated step-down converter? They usually require their own special "charger", there's no universal standard.
[Review] Enova Gyrfalcon S8000 – new professional Li-ion/NiMH charger
The full review is available here
Summary
The Gyrfalcon S8000 is a powerful charger that targets professional users. It allows you to set many detailed options to adjust the charging and discharging process. And it performs really good in charging and discharging batteries!
On the other hand it doesn’t feel quite finished. The firmware got improved a lot over my testing period, but there’s still room for improvement and extension. There are a few mechanical usability problems with the terminals as well.
It is quite obvious that Enova took more than a single look at the SkyRC MC3000 when designing the S8000. It has a similar appearance, similar menu and the manual is almost identical. However it still lacks some features to be a real competitor. So far it is more like an “MC3000 light” – but with the potential for improvement!
For example Sofirn SC32 or Manker U22 III.
Stubby lights are often hard to hold. This design feels surprisingly secure in your hand. The wait really helps a lot.
[Review] Sofirn SC13 – small EDC flashlight with Fresnel optic
The full review is available here
English review at BLF German review at my website
Summary
The Sofirn SC13 is a small and lightweight EDC flashlight with a creative design. The waist and texture feel very nice in the hand and allow for a reliable grip. Sofirn did everything right with the UI: It is simple, has shortcuts to lowest, highest and last used brightness and no unnecessary features.
Not sure if there is any benefit from the fancy Fresnel optic. The beam has a smooth spot with some small rings in the spill. Unfortunately the tint is not the best: slightly green with a noticeable tint shift between spot and spill. But for most users it should be acceptable.
Got curious? Then check out the full review linked above. There you can also find a link to Amazon US with a 10% discount code.
It will run higher right after turn on for a few minutes. That's pretty good for a turbo mode. Many flashlights hold their maximum brightness for only a few seconds.
[Review] Armytek Prime C2 (non pro) – an entry-level Armytek flashlight
The full review is available here
English review at BLF German review at my website
Summary
The Prime C2 – Armytek’s new entry-level model of the Prime flashlight series. Compact size and with a simple user interface. But also tough, great switch and with the proven magnetic charging system.
But in my opinion there are too many compromises with the driver, the firmware and especially the light quality. Why was the battery level indicator omitted? The LED is probably still hidden behind the switch. Why is the current so low? The LED could handle more. And who approved this horrendous beam?
I would have been happy to recommend this flashlight. I was really looking forward to it myself. Unfortunately I got disappointed. But just try it out and decide for yourself whether you like it or not. Alternatively, I can recommend the Prime C2 Pro, which is a bit larger but otherwise better in many respects.
[Review] Manker E05 II – nice 14500/AA EDC flashlight with mechanical tailswitch
The full review is available here
English review at BLF German review at my website
Summary
The Manker E05 II is a compact EDC flashlight, supporting Li-ion and NiMH batteries. It has three levels of brightness with constant output for most of the runtime. The mechanical tail switch makes it easy to use.
Waterproofing of the switch is a little questionable, though. Better don’t try to press it under water.
You can get the flashlight in various colors and materials. You even have the choice between different LEDs (get the Nichia 519A version).
[Review] XTAR VC8S – Li-ion/NiMH charger with eight slots and many features
The full review is available here
English review at BLF German review at my website
Summary
If you often have to charge a lot of Li-ion batteries, the XTAR VC8S might be a good choice for you with its eight slots and powered by a USB-C port with 45 W USB PD. It also comes with helpful extra features like internal resistance measurement and a capacity test mode to check the performance of your batteries. To prepare them for storage, it has an storage mode that automatically charges/discharges them to 3.6 V.
NiMH batteries can be charged as well with the VC8S, but it only charges them with a fixed current of 500 mA and might terminate a bit early. That’s enough for casual charging, but if you want more control over the charging process, you might prefer a different charger.
Unfortunately the charging current cannot be manually set for each slot independently, only for four slots at once. If you rely on the automatic current selection, some batteries might be charged with a little too much current. This limits the flexibility of the charger when you want to charge different sizes of batteries at once.
Usually I have my eyes closed during showering (without glasses I wouldn't see much anyway). So not much light needed.
[Review] Wurkkos WK40 RGB multi-color flashlight – get it NOW as long as you can!
Full review here
Sorry, I haven't got the time yet to translate it into English. But as it seems to be discontinued, I wanted to share this PSA with you!
Summary
If you like it colorful, the Wurkkos WK40 is the right flashlight for you, a little rainbow in your pocket! The four LEDs (white, deep red, green and blue) are controlled with a ring and a tail switch. It also has a buck driver for mostly constant brightness, USB-C charging and a short battery tube. You can choose from seven fixed colors or an infinite color gradient. Various blinking modes for your next party are included as well.
As this light seems to be discontinued, you might want to get one now as long as you can!
[Review] Armytek Prime C2 Pro Max – the new Prime flagship
The full review is available here
English review at BLF German review at my website
Summary
With the Prime C2 Pro Max, Armytek managed to make a robust and powerful flashlight that fits perfectly into the Prime series. Its slightly floody beam and up to 4000 lm in turbo – even without a fully charged battery – makes it a perfect partner for your adventures and gives you a great overview of your environment.
There are just a few things I would have liked to see: a better lanyard hole, a clip and maybe a domeless LED. Just minor details, overall the Armytek Prime C2 Pro Max is a great flashlight.
Thanks for talking me out of it!
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.
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.
It was just released. They have many flashlights for all kinds of purpose. The SC13 is more a small EDC flashlight.
It seems to be available at their AliExpress store: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006374608354.html
[NLD] Just arrived: Sofirn SC13 – little EDC flashlight with 18350 battery and SST-40 behind a Fresnel lens
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.
Just in case someone thought they had a deja-vu: I reposted this because my original post went missing when Feddit had to restore an old backup after a crash.
Unfortunately Feddit crashed and lost this post. So I made a copy via my alt account here: https://lemmy.world/post/10136273
[Review] Sofirn SC33 – Powerful flooder with tail e-switch
The full review is available here
English review at BLF German review at my website
Summary
Looking for a powerful flooder, with simple user interface and easy to find tail switch? Then give the Sofirn SC33 a try! With its boost driver it is able to achieve constant low to medium brightness for a long time and up to 5200 lm in turbo.
There is not much to complain about the SC33. It is a little large for a 21700 flashlight and the autolock should be off by default (but you can turn it off manually). Overall I am very satisfied with the SC33.
Yes, it is 6 V and draws about 5-6 A (I've measured 11 A at the battery).
SFT-40 would be a good choice, indeed.
[Review] Cyansky HS7R – dual channel 21700 headlamp
Links to Cyansky HS7R review:
English review of HS7R at BLF German review of HS7R at my website
Summary
Compact, bright, long runtime, two channels for flood and throw, easy to use. That describes the Cyansky HS7R quite well. In addition, there is an integrated charging function and a sensor, which is supposed to reduce the brightness if something is close in front of the flashlight (however dark objects aren’t recognized).
The difference in distance between flood and throw is a bit too small in my opinion, but the flood channel has a pleasant warm white color. A more focused throw channel with the same color temperature as the flood channel would be great. It would also be nice if the mode memory would also work for the higher levels.
As a headlamp, the HS7R would be a bit too heavy for me in the long run. Instead I’d use a lighter headlamp with less brightness and a powerful handheld flashlight like the Cyansky P25 v2.