The SC31 is an excellent light for someone wanting a simple user interface (UI). Just like the lights of old, it is turned off and on with a single click of the switch…while still offering 3 different levels of lighting which are accessed with a hold down of the switch after turn on. Short of a single mode light, its about as simple a UI as you can get. The online description is a bit lacking so my purpose here is to provide a more comprehensive review to provide answers to questions some may have.
Build quality, as on all Sofirn lights I’m familiar with, is top notch. Well anodized and solidly built. Both the head and tail cap have anodized threads to allow lock out of the light with a simple ¼ counterclockwise turn to the tail cap…a useful feature with an electronic switch. Its rated to withstand a drop of over 3 feet and over 6 feet of water submersion. It comes with spare O rings, a lanyard, and a charging cable…but no power supply. Not an issue if you have an Android Smart Phone…its charging power supply will work perfectly. Otherwise, you can use the USB port on your computer.
There is no place to attach the lanyard to the tail. The only choice is attaching it to the clip. So, I don’t consider the light to be compatible with a lanyard. The flat tail does make for an easy tail stand for use during a power outage.
Springs on both the tail cap and head allow use of a flat top battery.
I would consider the beam to be a neutral white. However, the hotspot is on the cool side of the spectrum while the spill or flood tends to be warmer. There is a tint shift across the beam…more noticeable on a white wall than in outdoor use.
The reflector is of the orange peel type to provide a smoothed out beam. The lens has no AR (Anti-Reflective) coating.
The clip is reversible by simply switching the position of the tail cap and head on the battery tube. This allows the light to be clipped to a hat brim for free hand use… Few lights have this feature.
I checked the voltage of a freshly charged battery…4.20 volts…so charging system works great.
In a tube type light such as this, the smaller sized die of the XP-G3 LED, improves the throw over what would be provided by an XM or XP-L LED at equal lumen output. It provides plenty of light for most purposes. To put that into perspective, the 600 lumen SC31 has a listed beam throw of 154 yards as opposed to 167 yards for the 1300 lumen SP32A V2.0 with an XP-L2 LED (one of my favorite lights). The light has a well-defined hot spot which is noticeably smaller than my XP-L tube flashlights. This light does have thermal protection in that it steps down to 400 lumens after 5 minutes and then to mid and low as the battery drains.
Although not listed in the online description or the manual, my light has memory. That means it remembers the light setting it was on when it was turned off. Turn it on again and you will have that setting. It also has strobe which is accessed by two quick clicks. A single click returns it to the setting that it had when strobe was activated. I would prefer it have no strobe as I have no use for it and find it really irritating when it is built into the normal mode sequence. At least the strobe on this light is hidden.
I didn’t test this light for LVP (low voltage protection). LVP is not listed online or in the manual and I would take a guess in saying it doesn’t have it. However, if you use protected batteries this would not be an issue as the battery will shut down when low voltage is reached. Also, a rapidly blinking switch provides a warning when voltage becomes low…turn off the light when that happens and you’ll be fine with an unprotected battery. The light comes with a 2200 mah 18650 battery that appears to be a protected one. That is far from state of the art in capacity….which currently stands at 3500 mah and that is what SOFIRN used in determining run time. So, If you are using the 2200 mah battery, the listed run times need to be adjusted by multiplying by about 60% due to the capacity difference. The listed run times for each mode are:
Lumens/Run time………..High (600)/2 hr 42 min…….Med (200)/9 hr 7 min…….Low (10)/179 hr 33 min
Note that you are not going to run this light on high for nearly 3 hrs. That value represents how long the light will provide usable light on high…stepped down lumens are counted.
This light is a great choice for users wanting an easy-to-use versatile flashlight. No need to remember whether to use short clicks, intermediate clicks, or long clicks and how many clicks to use for accessing features. Its ready to use right out of the box so makes an excellent gift choice.
I bought two of these. I love the size of this flashlight especially considering it is USB rechargeable. The color temperature seems 5500k, cool white, but fortunately not bluish like other cheap lights.
I measured using the calibrated Texas_Ace Lumen Sphere to 446 lumens and 469 lumens slightly after turn-on using fully charged Sony VTC6 batteries. The included Sofirn batteries measure less lumens. This is lower than the 600 lumen spec. Sofirn has been conservative with their lumen specs on some of their other lights like the 18650 C8F but over rated some of their other lights like this one and the 21700 C8F. But Sofirn in general is more honest than 95% of the other flashlight brands on Amazon that inflate their lumen ratings to couple hundred percent of actual.
The user interface is decent but not as good as the one on the Sofirn SP30A. The Sofirn SP31 and SP32A also have better UI than this but they lack USB recharge. I only bought this for modding because Sofirn lights are easy to mod and I basically modded over a dozen Sofirn lights. There seems to be a weak glue in the thread but it's not difficult to turn with the right tool.
SOFIRN PLEASE DESIGN YOUR LIGHTS FOR EASY MODDING. DON'T GLUE ANYTHING IN YOUR LIGHTS OR YOU WILL LOSE CUSTOMERS!
I would rate this 4 stars but the price is good so I can't expect more.
I admit it, I love flashlights. Maybe a bit too much. But as such, I own several Sofirn flashlights and they're all pretty darn good. The SC31 is no exception. It is bright, well built, and compact (easy to carry).
If you're comparing flashlights and have concerns about this one being rated at 610 lumens instead of 1000+ lumens, don't be! Because of how our eyes interpret light, there really isn't a big visual distinction between 600 and 1000 lumens. And honestly flashlights of this size *cannot* maintain their output with 1000+ lumens - they'll get so hot that they'll burn your hands. So inevitably, nearly all tube-style flashlights will "step down" after a few minutes. The SC31 steps down from 610 to a still-respectable 400 lumens.
The Sofirn SC31 is a great value, especially considering the built-in micro-USB charging (charge anywhere!) and the included battery. It'd be hard to beat this for the price.
If you have any specific questions about this flashlight, don't hesitate to ask!
The Sofirn SP31 is my third review of their newer flashlights. This may be their finest offering for the price as of yet. This company keeps putting out great products at a cheap price (SP31 is $17.86 today plus a 5% coupon discount = you can get a nice light for only $16.10). This price includes a bunch of items and features that I'll address now.
BOX SET INCLUDES:
*SC31 Flashlight
*Sofirn 2200mAh button-top battery
*Lanyard
*Stainless steel clip
*USB charging cable
*Instructions
QUICK OVERVIEW:
The USB charging port makes this a perfect travel companion and easy to use light. Since its basttery is an 18650 rechargable, all you need is the USB cable and an iPhone adapter. That's it. This flashlight travels with you. It also has a blue light behind the switch - a nice feature to use in the night. You can set it to "breathing mode" as an indicator which helps you to find it in the dark. It has 3 levels (low = 10 lumens, med = 200 lumens, high = 610 lumens). The strobe mode is at 610 lumens as well which may be useful for scaring off dogs - I really never use strobe funtions on my flashlights (yep, I have wayyyy too many!). The light tailstands nicely and is very light in the hand. There are more powerful lights (see pictured BLF A6 for example) around the same size, but I don't know any with so many nice features built in. It is the best bundle for the money that I know of in an entry-level, nice general-purpose 18650 light.
WHAT I LOVE:
*Price for features is amazing
*Nice feel in hand - good quality
*Lighted switch - usually found on more expensive lights
*Nice clip
*USB rechargeability is HUGE plus - my favorite feature on light
*Battery included is plus (it does work with flat-top Samsung 30Q as well)
WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED:
*The Cree XPGS is a little too cool white for me - I prefer more neutral tint (tints are very subjective, however)
*I would love one more level between low and medium
I did find the medium setting to be perfect when walking my dog, and the low very nice indoors. The high at 610 lumens is plenty for most people (overkill in fact). The beam is a nice combo of throw and flood for general usage.
RECOMMENDATION:
Without hesitation I recommend this light for a variety of purposes - especially with built-in USB charging!
*Travel - compact and light
*Gifts (men love lights, ladies :) - they will play with it for a long time (you can get caught up on Netflix :)
*Camping (can recharge with external battery while camping)
*Car (every car needs a light)
*Home (multiple locations: garage, bedrooms, living room)
*In desk at work
*Night walks
*Workbench
Sofirn keeps putting out great bargain lights. See my other reviews of the high powered SP32A V2.0 and the SP10A (AA/14500 flashlight). All of these are great for the money. Sofirn also has the 4-battery Q8 out now - an amazing big and powerful light (5,000 lumens). With new ones on the horizon, this company is one of my favorites and other flashlight geeks are taking notice .
Keep up the great work, SOFIRN!!!!!!
-MCT
Sofirn SC31 USB Rechargeable Flashlight (18650 Battery Inserted), 610 Lumen Max Output by CREE XPG3 LED, Bright Enough for Camping Hiking Dog Walking Night Working etcThe Sofirn SC31 rechargeable flashlight is very bright and useful for many different activities. My two main activities in the dark are walking in the early morning and camping. I can also see where it would be nice to have in a vehicle for emergency use. The USB recharging port is built into the flashlight body with a rubber plug to keep water out. That means you do not have to remove the 18650 li-ion battery to recharge it. So just take the USB charging cable that is included with the flashlight, plug both ends into their respective ports in the flashlight and the vehicle then presto, charging commences! You can still use the flashlight, on low power only, while charging. If the flashlight is used in a totally dark environment such as camping or a power outage, then you may find it useful to use the flashlight in it's breathing mode. No, it isn't alive! When the flashlight is off just press and hold the power button for a couple of seconds to activate the breathing mode abilty of the power button. The blue light on the flashlight power button will slowly flash from on to off. Also, when camping as well as other times, use the flashlight in candle mode. The base of the flashlight is flat to enable it to stand on end to create a flashlight candle. There are three brightness levels; low, medium and high. It is very easy to cycle through these different levels by just keeping the power button pressed down until you get to the brightness level you need, then just let up on the power button. It's just that easy! This flashlight will remember whichever brightness level you have the flashlight on so when you turn it off that's where the flashlight will come back on to when the power button is pressed the next time. As stated elsewhere, push the button once to turn on, then once to turn off. Very easy indeed!
As I already stated, I use it with my early morning walks. I live in a rural area so sometimes I encounter dogs that will challenge me as I walk by. I use the strobe feature to scare them off. I found it very simple to activate the strobe feature. Just very quickly press the power button twice and it will come on. The strobe alternates from a very fast flash to a slightly slower flash. I imagine this feature will deter people as well.
Other than walking in the rain, I haven't tried the water resistant aspect of the flashlight. However, the rain had no affect at all. The flashlight comes with two extra O ring seals in case the seals in it wear out or are lost somehow. Also included is a wrist lanyard that you can attach to the flashlight. There is no specific attachment point per say but, there are a couple of spots on the pocket clip that you can attach it to. I generally don't use the wrist lanyards but, you may find it useful to do so. The battery does take a while to fully charge. I charged it immediately after receiving it and it was several hours before the battery was completely charged. The power button flashes blue while charging and solid blue when fully charged. I like the blue light feature as I have found some flashlight chargers have a red to green feature. Being color blind, I find this disconcerting. I will say though that the green light seems much brighter than the red so that helps. This doen't apply to this flashlight with only blue for it's indicator light.
I haven't tested this feature yet but, the manual reads that while on high power of 610 lumens, the flashlight will slowly drop down to 400 lumens to prevent overheating. I guess that's a good feature. However, I wouldn't know at this review time.
I think my most favorite feature to this flashlight is the built in charging port with a tight fitting rubber seal to keep it water resistant with the second favorite feature being the blue light in the power button instead of a red/green indicator.
I can fully recommend this flashlight and I believe you will be as happy with yours as I am with mine. Also, Sofirn Customer Service is top notch and will take care of any problems, questions or concerns by email, telephone, website or through Amazon. The agents are informative and cordial. Don't wait, buy yours today!
Steve Haynes
Feature Product
- USB Rechargeable: Built-in Micro-usb charging port and 1A max charging current enables very easy and fast recharging.
- Power Indicator: the side switch led shows the status of power. Steady Blue means enough juice, Blinking Blue means insufficient charge, fast flashing Blue reminds you to recharge the EDC light. Also it can be breathing Blue as a locator if not in use, you will find it very soon in the dark.
- Super Bright: max 610 lumen seems not high lumens but SC31 is not overrated like many cheap-made claiming 1000 lumen lights. It's bright enough for hiking, camping, dog walking, running, hunting, fishing etc.
- Pocket-sized & Friendly UI: 4.6 inches in length and 2 oz in weight (excluding battery), it fits nicely in the palm of your hand and your pocket or backpack. Click to turn on/off, press and hold to choose brightness. Very easy to use.
- What You Get: 1x SC31 rechargeable flashlight, 1x 2200mAh 18650 battery(inserted), 1x USB charging cable, responsive and helpful customer services.
Description
Sofirn SC31 rechargeable flashlight is a great EDC light tool at home.
Just Bright Enough
With Cree XPG3 led, max 610 lumen SC31 flashlight is bright enough for most indoor & outdoor activities: reading, looking for keys, dog walking, night working in the yard; camping, hiking, running, fishing etc.
Easy to Use and Rechargeable
Click to turn on/off, press and hold to circle through Low(10LM)-Med(200LM)-High(610LM), double click to Strobe. To recharge SC31 directly, we recommend using premium 5V USB charging adaptor(need to buy separately) and the coming USB cable. With smart chips, recharge the light is as easy and safe as recharge your phone.
Easy to Carry
The light is 4.6 inches long, and weighed 3.5 oz (with battery inserted)! With the built-in clip, you can carry it easily in your pocket or backpack or just grab it with your hand. As an EDC light, you won't miss it.
Bonus function:
1. Press and hold to light up switch led to be breathing blue when flashlight is off, you can find the light quickly in the dark!
2. When light turns on, the switch led shows battery status. Steady Blue is enough power, Blinking Blue is not much power, Fast Flashing Blue is need urgent recharge.
3. It stands by tail to be used as a candle.
Before we start this review, I just want to say I've been very pleased with Sofirn's lights so far. What I think would REALLY take them to the next level is having some models with high-CRI/great tint Nichia, SST-20, or Samsung LH351 emitters... these would sell like crazy to "flashlight enthusiasts" Sofirn! :) LH351D is equal price/cheaper than Cree, same output with better tint, what's not to love!
Positive:
-Budget price/value (one of the cheapest light+battery+charging ability packages out there)
-Everything you need for a first light
-VERY solid build quality: sturdy well milled body, good annodizing for the price, smooth threads on talicap and body. I feel I could abuse this light and still rely on it, for the cheap price I feel more comfortable doing that than I would with more expensive lights I own too.
-Shorter than many 18650 lights that feature USB charging
-Simple UI thats easy for many to quickly understand
-Good balance between throw/flood (narrow/wide) in the beam. Will be usable for close up work but still have some reach for outdoors, will get a decent amount of light out to 100 meters or more.
Neutral:
-Mode memory, I prefer to not have it so I always know what mode a light will turn on at, and starting at low ensures I wont blind myself when my eyes are dark adapted. Some people prefer it, but on an e-switch light I'd rather just have shortcuts
-600 lumen output: good because its all most people need 90% or more of the time and it keeps the light from getting too hot, bad because there are similar sized lights that can easily exceed that number. Remember though, it takes FOUR TIMES the lumens to be twice as bright, so it would take 2400 lumens in the same beam focus to appear twice as bright as this light. For the price, a pretty solid result and it guarantees you won't waste a bunch of runtime by cranking up to a brighter setting than you need.
Negative:
-XP-G3 emitter. I haven't owned a light with one before but now I see why they're so unpopular. The beam has a great deal of "tint shift/rainbow" and although its not greenish like a lot of poor-tint LEDs the change in color can make indentifying differences in color on things you're illuminating harder. Compared to X-PL, XP-G2 and X-PL HI the SC31 has slightly much more tint shift compared to those. I put some diffusion film (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A6CM9D8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) on it and it cleaned the beam right up though. Pretty nice for a higher color temp (5500K or so) LED.
-Simple UI: I would love if there were shortcuts from off to more than the last used mode, but I understand that sacrifices have to be made at this price point. Luckily switching modes is still very fast once the light is on.
Conclusion:
-If this is your first "serious"/rechargable flashlight: You could do WAY worse than this, but I would suggest looking at some of the other kits Sofirn offers for 18650 lights. If you could spare the cash I would probably pick the SP31 or SP32 over this, but for gifts or those on a budget this will be WAY more flashlight than most people will ever need. This is also a very SMALL option and a nice step up from a AA/14500 battery light that doesn't have USB charging while not being much bigger than them. Fits easily in a jeans pocket or purse.
-To those that already own a ton of li-ion powered flashlights: I know lots of people will hate the cooler color temp and tint shift (and its some serious "Cree rainbow" without diffusion film) of this light, but with DC Fix its once of the better cool white I've seen outside of a Nichia - its VERY rosy/far below the BBL on mine even if the CRI doesn't seem that high. I've already seen one modded with a 4000K 219C on BLF and it looked really nice. The stock driver should have reasonable/safe output for a Nichia emitter as well.
With many flashlights getting more and more complicated, with modes, modes, and more modes, and sometimes confusing ways to navigate through them, sometimes even turning a light on/off can be an exercise in futility for those people not familiar with user-interfaces. If you're a flashlight enthusiast, you learn, and adapt, but for people who just want something simple, it can be daunting.
The SC31 is nice and simple, perfect for "muggles". A simple click-on/click-off interface is enough for most people. The SC31 is just that, a side-switch to control everything. Click it to turn it on, click it again to turn it off. Done.
If you want it brighter or dimmer, just hold the button to run through simple low/medium/high settings. For 99% of the population, that'll be all you need to know.
And that's the secret of the SC31, simplicity. It comes with an included 18650 cell, and has usb charging. No need to even open up the light once you remove the insulating disk (that keeps the light from being accidentally turned on when in transit). After that, everything's done.
Click on, click off. Hold to change settings. You can ignore doubleclicking (from on *or* off) to get to strobe if you don't need it or want it. That's it. Battery runs low, plug it into a usb port or usb charger (with the included cable) to top it off. The lit side-switch will blink when charging, go steady when it's done.
I've been carrying it around for a week, and can say this is a light you can give to someone and have it pass "the grandma test". Ie, if grandma can figure out how to use the light without instructions, it passes. :D
So... included cell, usb charging, simple UI, that's 99% of what anyone needs to know about the light. Other features are doubleclick for strobe, *if* you need/want it. And the lit side-switch has "breathing" mode in case you want to be able to find it in the dark. Hold the sideswitch when off for a few seconds, and this mode turns on. The switch will "breathe" (fade up/down in brightness) as a find-in-the-dark indicator. Click any time to turn it off. Using the light also turns it off. This way you don't even have to remember to turn it off when not needed.
The beam itself is the usual neutral-white Sofirn adopted, nice and neutral, not Angry Blue as cheaper lights have. The beam itself has some minor tint-shift, a yellowish corona around the hotspot, fading to a bluer ring on the outside, but nothing too objectionable. No hideous rings or other artifacts.
The light is itself fairly lightweight, easy to carry without getting "pocket fatigue". Perfect anodisation in a semigloss black, no nicks or bare spots anywhere, not even on knurling or any edges. The diamond knurling is nice and grippy without wearing holes in your skin or pockets.
It's got a perfectly flat tailcap, lending itself to perfect tailstanding, no raised lip around the edges to make it wobbly. But then there's no hole for a lanyard, if you really really want one (I don't). In fact, you can Stoopit-Gloo a disk magnet to the perfectly-flat end and make it a magnetic-mount light to stick to a fridge or under the hood of a car or something.
It's got 3 nicely spaced modes. Low is really low, perfect for middle-of-the-night jaunts when you don't want to ruin your night-vision. Medium is a good general-purpose light level. High is the rated 600lm, plenty bright for those tasks that need it. And while it's not 1000lm, 1200lm, 1500lm, like pricier lights (with more complicated UIs), it's still plenty bright. And there's no need to worry about overheating issues or anything.
The multifunction backlit switch is nice, soft without being too mooshy, shows the charging status (blink when charging, steady when done), "breathing" for finding it at night, and battery status when turned on (blue with good battery power, blinking when low).
Cons? I'm still not a fan of standard pocket-clips, and almost always immediately remove them. I prefer deep-carry clips so you don't end up with a third of the light sticking out of your pocket, and "standard chrome" just clashes with the color of the light. It's an incredibly sturdy clip (maybe even too much so), but it just *looks* cheap, even though it's not. Same material, shaped into a deep-carry clip, would be awesome, and really round out the light (and make it black to match the light).
Also, the rubber flap over the usb port always seems to catch on things, opening it up. Even on a pocket when taking out the light. And once it's opened, it makes it real easy to catch on other things and possibly get torn off. I did find myself repeatedly reclosing it and smooshing it down as much as possible, to no avail. It may sound tacky, but taking a piece of tape to cover the flap would help, and keep you from losing it if it would get torn off.
Even with minor cons, all around it's a great light, but for under 20bux *with* cell and all its features, it's an amazing value. And for muggles who probably don't want to pay twice or more for "just a flashlight", it's perfectly tailored for them.
So... in summary, it's a nice little light, perfect for muggles who don't need to light up a whole football field when the lights go out. For keeping in a pocket, in a car, on a nightstand, it's *the* perfect light to have. The simple UI, the included cell, and built-in usb-charging, also make it a perfect gift (and just in time for Christmas!). I was half-expecting a yawner, but liked it enough to get a second one. :D
I love that the light is usb rechargeable. It saves $10 - $15 from having to buy a battery charger. The flashlight is very simple to operate through the 3 modes and strobe. I do like the memory function so that it always comes on on your last setting. The clip seems pretty sturdy and the battery tube is reversible so you can wear this on a baseball hat or carry it in your pocket with lens up. The beam has a nice spill and a decent hot spot as you can see from the picture above. That sign is about 75ft away. I personally haven’t found a need/use for the breathing feature but you obviously don’t have to use it if you don’t want to. I also don’t use low, medium, or strobe but they’re there. Overall it’s a fantastic light for under $20 especially considering you get the battery and charging cable included.
I have allot of Flashlight, this is another one to add to the collection, its nice for the price, good machining, works properly, i like that it has a BREATHING switch so you can see it in the dark, the light is Micro USB rechargeable, and for a cheaper light has probably the best charge port cover, im not a fan of charge port covers but this is great..beats out ThruNite.and many others, so you grt everything in the box to get you night lit up...a 18650..micro usb cable..spare o rings...
A couple things i dont like is the Tint..its a bit to CW in the hot spot..but thats personal preference..and the mode switching is a bit fast...but honestly i would rather have it fast then to slow..again..personal preference..
But all in all i recomend this light..usually Sofirn has coupon deals on Amazon..so watch out for that..also the company listens to there customers..wich is important and means alot to ME personaly..so go ahead and buy it..what are you waiting for?
Do you enjoy carrying that bulky battery charger everywhere, just to keep a flashlight ready for the weekend out? No? Me neither!
Do you have USB charging ports? Bet you do. Everyone has USB ports and cords around them, cars, house, etc. This flashlight gives you an ability to charge its battery on the go,with no mess. Also, No proprietary battery here! Field serviceable battery means you can swap out on the go, should you need to.
Such a simple to use light, this isn't going to strobe you when your out for a walk at night while you toggle modes.. this is something I've longed for a flashlight company to do for a long time!
This is a practical light in every sense. It slides in the pocket easily even with the (super strong and sturdy) clip on. Can't even tell it's in your pocket. if it's clipped to your pocket, it's staying there! Nice strong springy clip here!
A perfect mix of flood and throw, this light great for walks or work environments, or even lighting up an area. Nice even light distribution with no defects in view.
It's a very neutral white (5000k) light -That means you'll still be able to see when you use it during inclimate weather! It won't drown out like those other blue-white flashlights will.
Speaking of blue lights, there is this nifty auxilary led. It's a little blue light by the power button that you'll see when your charging this light... You can set the light to illuminate this light when it's off. Easily too!
That means it can be found in the pitch black tent! But it can be set to "breath" or pulse. This looks absolutely stunning, and I love having this mode on. No worries about draining batteries as its a very minuscule draw when off, and is not a problem to worry about.
With a sofrin battery (included) rated at 2200 mah, I tested 2500 mah right out of the box in my lii-500 charger (that's great and means a quality cell here). Quality cells mean great run time (less charging, more light!)
For under 20$, there is no better flashlight. I'm glad I bought this, and I'm going to be gifting these to the family come Christmas time.
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