Today I have in for review a neat headlamp by Sofirn. This marks their first headlamp design! It’s an 18650 light with an e-switch on the head end, and on-board charging. Quite a release as a first headlamp! Read on for testing.

Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the official product page.

Versions

Just one body and emitter option, but there’s a kit that includes a cell (seen here) and an option that doesn’t include a cell.

Price

These are around $22 – buy yours at BangGood!

Short Review

This is a nice headlamp, especially since it includes a 18350 cell tube. That puts it in rarefied air (the only other being an Armytek light). It’s a nice performer; I’d like to see one with better regulated modes. Otherwise, this is a great offering, and certainly a buy-if-you-need-a-headlamp, at $20.

Long Review

The Big Table

* Standard measurement disclaimer: I am an amateur flashlight reviewer. I don’t have $10,000 or even $1,000 worth of testing equipment. I test output and such in PVC tubes!! Please consider claims within 10% of what I measure to be perfectly reasonable (accurate, even).

What’s Included

Sofirn SP40 Headlamp

18650 cell tube

18350 cell tube

Headband

Charge cable (USB to micro-USB)

Spare o-rings (2)

Pocket clip

Manual and paperwork

Package and Manual

This Sofirn is in a simple cardboard box with no adornments.

Here’s the manual:

Build Quality and Disassembly

The SP40 is well made. There’s not much more to it than that. Evaluating the build quality vs the price, the SP40 is excellently made.

I really appreciate that there are both 18650 and 18350 tubes included. The cell tubes are even reversible.

Both the head and tail have large springs.

Of course with two body tubes, the head removes easily (since you’ll likely be doing that often?)

The threads are thick square cut, and quite long, too. They’re anodized, which makes mechanical lockout easy.

The head has a bit of cooling fins, but not overly so.

The charge port is covered by a press in rubber cover. The fit is very snug, but it’s not difficult to remove for use.

Both bodies have ample knurling, and the tailcap in particular is long, and with nearly full coverage knurling. That makes for an easy to remove tailcap; another appreciated feature.

Size and Comps

Officially:

Dimension: 108mm (length) * 25mm (head diameter)

Weight: 63 ± 1 gram (without batteries)

The 18350 version is a cute little thing.

Retention and Carry

Being a headlamp, the primary carry for this light will b e the headband. The light slips into two silicone collars, which fit into specific non-knurled spots on the 18650 cell tube. The fit is good, and the light rotates without damaging the holder.

The 18350 version fits easily as well, but the holder doesn’t line up ideally with any non-knurled areas. I don’t think wear will be a big issue.

The other option is the included pocket clip. One of my least favorite pocket clip styles, it does get the job done adequately. It’s a friction fit clip, which fits on either end of the 18650 cell tube (and the tube is also reversible, so the clip can be reoriented that way, too).

The pocket clip also has a home on the 18350 body, but only one orientation makes good sense. Bezel down… otherwise, the clip will hang off the body, and the light will stick much too far out of a pocket. However it will hold in this orientation, so as a downlight on a cap (etc), it could still be useful this way.

Power and Runtime

The Sofirn kit I have included an 18650. Since the 18650 and 18350 outputs will be the same (differing only in runtime), I tested the light only with this Sofirn branded cell. The cell is a button top 18650, and as a $2.5 add on, seems like a no-brainer.

Output is completely unregulated, tracking downward quickly as the cell voltage drains. I’d love to see a better regulated output. At least there is LVP, though.

Output on High sees the same lack of regulation, and a downward trend from essentially the start of the test.

The SP40 includes on-board charging, and can charge either size cell just fine. The charge port is micro-USB.

Sofirn includes the required cable, which is USB to micro-USB.

The charge proceeds at 0.9A, which could be a little high for an 18350, but still is around 1C charging, which most cells should be rated for.

Modes and Currents

Mode Mode Claimed Output (lm) Claimed Runtime Measured Lumens Tailcap Amps Turbo 1200 1h50m 1347 3.11 High 450 4h10m 453 0.99 Medium 90 15h 87 0.16 Low 5 220h 12 0.02

PWM

The light has PWM on all modes – a little surprising to see PWM sneaking in on Turbo. I’m very PWM sensitive, and I don’t really notice this PWM during use, so I’d consider this a non-issue.

For reference, here’s a baseline shot, with all the room lights off and almost nothing hitting the sensor. And here’s the worst PWM light I have ever owned. Also one of the very first lights I ordered directly from China!

User Interface and Operation

There’s a single switch on the SP40. It’s an indicating e-switch on the head. There are red and green indicators. During use, the switch indicates the cell’s power level.

Power Indicator: the LED indicator on side switch flashes in green for 5 seconds if remaining battery is over 30%. When the indicator turns red, battery juice is under 30%. Flashing red light indicates low power-replacing or recharge ASAP battery.

Here’s a UI table!

State Action Result Off Click On (Mode Memory, LMH) On Click Off Any Click 2x Turbo On Hold Mode Advance (LMH) Any Click 4x Lockout Lockout Click Double flash Lockout Click 4x Unlock (Low) Turbo Click Previous Mode Off Hold No Action Any Click 3x No Action

This UI is very simple, and not too hard to learn. Note the lack of strobe.

LED and Beam

The emitter used here is a Cree XP-L HD. The reflector is shallow and orange peel.

These beamshots are always with the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure.

Tint vs BLF-348 (Killzone 219b version)

I compare everything to the Killzone 219b BLF-348, because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!

Random Comparisons and Competitive Options….

Here’s a link to a relevantly filtered page on parametrek.com. I use that site a lot! A bunch of what you’ll see on that link is an Armytek light, but also interesting is a headlamp by Wowtac, which is available in NW and CW both.

Conclusion

What I like

Low price!

Kit including cell is also low price!

LVP

18350 body in a headlamp

What I don’t like

Unregulated output

Notes

This light was provided by Sofirn for review. I was not paid to write this review.

This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!

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