Are Pricey NAME BRAND Flashlights on Amazon Getting Out of Hand Too?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 มิ.ย. 2024
- Lifetime updated tool rankings: torquetestchannel.etsy.com
Interstate goes in & out of stock: amzn.to/3QeJWHL
Thrunite: amzn.to/3G3lMhv Nitecore: amzn.to/3KLSXHl Olight: amzn.to/3CwKlS7 Streamlight: amzn.to/3APyixn Sofirn: amzn.to/3ux3Vw2
Today we try high lumen flashlights with a bit more expectations than last time, buying name brands like the Thrunite TC20 V2 Nitecore E4K Olight Seeker 3 Streamlight ProTac HL5-x Interstate Batteries and Sofirn Q8 Pro. Purchased from the same Amaon website as the dubious ones we tested last time, are these playing by a more realistic set of rules or suffering from the same case of fibbing?
~Links may include affiliate links, which we earn some % from sales on~
Torque, who started TTC, is working in product development for Astro Tools who also make lights but not flashlights. TTC is not the only testing out there, always consider multiple sources when looking at a tool! - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Definitely the most amount of lights we've added to our recommended list in one episode: www.amazon.com/shop/torquetestchannel The interstate can focus more by twisting the front ring forward, though obviously reduces total output. Recommend more light types below! *9/30 update:* All winners have been contacted and sent their lights, Thanks everyone!
Man what a choice b'n the IB and Sofirn. I love the compact nature of the Sofirn, but not the throttling and having to switch the "high" back on. Both put out ample light, but I like the evenness of the IB light more. I'd be very happy with either one as gift.
I love my FW3A, single 18650, lots of modes, bright AF, and while its gone up in price its still under $50
@@dasfahrer8187 the sofirn has a ui that allows to adjust the settings, i don't really care for the throttling since its still plenty bright, but ive seen people adjust the temperature cap to allow for more time in high and a smoother ramp down. They have an owners manual that shows how to do it. on mine all i did was adjust it so the button light only turns on when the light is in use. And also a smooth ramp from light 60 lumens all the way to 5k or so lumens. The factory settings was steps of different lumens
More light types: My pocket daily driver is made by Klarus, if I'm not mistaken you haven't had one of those yet, I think.
Maybe 'underwater' could be a segment in general? Mine is a Klarus E1 in case you want to affirm my purchase or instil buyers remorse lol
@@justchillin7274 I don't think I'd use those features for these flashlights. When I buy a flashlight like this, I have a specific use in mind and I want it full blast the entire time I'm using it. I have other, smaller flashlights with multiple settings I use for other situations.
Honestly that Interstate light impressed me. I've been looking for a new flashlight to carry in my truck toolbox, and after seeing this, i think it's pushed me in that direction.
that's a nice surprise. and a good wide flashlight is always helpful. it would be tough to beat if it had an adjustable width, that would blast pretty darn far across a field if focused to a point.
Agreed, the interstate is going on my list.
I came here to say the same thing. Very impressed with the runtime
@@volvo09 According to Interstate themselves the LIG6100 does have an adjustable beam.
I agree. Same here, I was looking for a work light to carry in my van
I was like “what about the drop tests!?” Then after a moment I remembered you were giving them away. I don’t suppose anyone would be interested in a box full of broken flashlight shards.
Great tests as always! Thanks for all you do.
I can attest that a box of broken flashlight shards can be really fun to play with. I have a couple of frankenlights, and I didn't even break them first!
Lol
So I can tell you the Sofirns are crazy tough. I have the SP36 and use it for night rides on my onewheel and I have not been kind to them (on my second one). I have dropped it countless times in mud, grass, concrete, dirt and rocks. I once left it on my tailgate where it fell off and was ran over by a car and given to me the following week. I had to buy a second since I left one on my tailgate a second time and took off and nobody in the group found it.
What about the drop tests! 🤪
I helped design the Q8 light several years ago.
FYI, you can adjust the turbo stepdown temperature in the menu to whatever you like or even disable the step-down completely assuming they are still using the firmware I gave them.
If you disable it the light will be just fine but watch your hand, the light can get SILLY hot with the protection disabled. Which is why I had it set very conservatively from the factory. There are a bunch of other menu options you can mess with as well but disabling the thermal protection is all I generally do.
Oh and the indicator button light can also be turned off in the menu or with a very fast double click IIRC.
P.S. If you ever need some advice or help with flashlights let me know, I have designed several lights and been working/building/modding them for years. Could also loan you some custom high powered lights if you wanted.
If they only knew!!
@@jsplasha Cells in parallel are generally no more at risk then a single cell. It is when you put them in series that you have to watch out, particularly when charged in series.
With them in parallel the biggest concern is that 1 bad cell with high internal resistance would drain the others and cause all 4 cells to die an early death by going below 2.5v. This is only an issue if one cell is already bad though and it just kills them, no fire.
The other possible issue is that if you used really bad quality cells (anything with fire in the name or claiming over 3500mh for sure), then 1 or more of them could be doing basically nothing putting a greater load on the remaining cells.
Although even in this case I could not create a failure but it is technically possible BUT really no higher risk then using those cells in a single cell light.
If you make sure to always use good high quality cells there is virtually no risk over a single cell light.
Also the cells are not "loose", they are each held in the battery carrier in individual slots.
So what are the best keychain, pocket, and heavy duty flashlights out there?
@@Tread505 I must admit I have not kept up with flashlights the last few years since I finished working on the GT94 and WT90. Got burnt out after those and stepped back. Plus LED tech has not really improved so hard to really make a better flashlight then I already had so got board lol.
Here are some brands names I support as of my last interactions with them. There are more I am forgetting I know.
Convoy, Eagle eye, Lumintop, Mateminco (generally sold under the brand name astrolux and others), Haikelite.
All of these brands have lights designed by me or someone else from Budgetlightfourm, any light designed by BLF is generally a winner. I would recommend looking up any light you want on BLF as they generally have a good review of how it compares in the real world.
Models change so much trying to give an exact model recommendation is kinda pointless. I can give you general guidance on what to look for though.
This applies to all lights, given the choice, always go with the high CRI neutral white LED IMHO. While it will have a bit less lumens the better colors make actually seeing stuff far easier in the real world IMHO. I HATE cool white LED's, most people have never experienced a high quality high CRI flashlight to know what they are missing.
For a pocked EDC it depends on how you intend to carry/use it. I have deep pockets so I prefer an 18650 single cell light with a tail switch. Skip any USB charging or other fancy features for an EDC light, they are just things that can break or get clogged with pocket grime. You want it to be waterproof as well and that is hard to do with USB.
For the LED itself, I personally carry a custom triple LED light I built years ago, I find the floody pattern of the triple combined with 2000-3000 lumens is enough for 95% of situations I use my EDC in. You can get different optics as well to change the beam pattern somewhat for most triple lights.
For heavy duty I much prefer the "soda can lights", it is hard to beat their raw power and battery life. The Q8 in the video is a good example but also one of the very early versions. More LED's = more light as a rule but also more flood. There are a lot of them out there, your budget and size restraints are your only limits lol.
I would generally shop middle of the pack, the extreme 100k lumen lights are fun but not that pratical. The lights like the Q8 are GREAT value but also lack as much punch as some more expensive options.
Never paid attention to key chain lights. for AAA lights lumintop makes a pretty nice one and there is a 219B based stainless steel light that gearbest used to sell that made GREAT Christmas gifts, forgot the name of it though. Good all around AAA light.
I have a Q8, BLF branded from the first batch! Absolutely love it. Easily my favorite.
First flashlight I've ever bought that had a menu system with leaflet telling you how to program it.
I also have a Lumintop single 18650 pen light, didn't realize BLF had a hand in some of their stuff! Don't remember the model. It has copper endcaps, a carbon fiber barrel, and three power settings adjusted by tapping the button cap. Got it in a grab-bag. Serves as my EDC when I can't fit the Q8 in my pocket, and replaced a lost (beloved) EDC Nitecore P12...
Ninja edit, according to the forums the double tap is challenging to perform. Try long holding it to power it up in ultra low, then tapping the button to turn it back off before the light flashes to acknowledge that you powered it up. Much easier and more reliable way to turn the button light off, though it'll turn back on again next time you use the light.
I've been confused by the chaos of advertised lumen ratings for years. These videos are great. I feel like I can actually make a meaningful decision about what to purchase now.
I still get confused. I would have bought the Nitecore alone
TTC and Project Farm are my go-to tool review channels.
@@TorqueTestChannel Overheating and or incorrect thermalthrotteling is a HUGE issue in the high end flashlight industry.
It's almost as bad as Toilet Paper Math.
There are some really good, in-depth reviews on YT and watching many of them from different reviewers led me to my Sofirn if25a (3800 lm) and I have to say, I'm immensely happy with it. But of course, everyone's requirements and preferences are different and the reviews also help you to figure out what you want it for!
You can turn the button light off on the Sofirn. The UI that comes with their lights is crazy customizable.
You also get higher lumen output by calibrating the temperature sensor. The Q8 Pro has automatic temperature regulation, which I find is conservative from the factory. You can configure it to step down at a higher temperature to sustain higher output over runtime/on turbo. If you're curious, look for the Anduril chart for the Q8 Pro on Sofirn's website to configure ATR, turn off the power button LED, etc
@@drummerundrcovr came here to make sure someone else knew this. The green button led could be turned off, no issue. It sound like the thermal limit wasn’t calibrated properly from the manufacturer, or it was set that way on purpose for safety. But it could be set properly easily.
@@drummerundrcovr most just want a light, not an evening reprogramming their overpriced flashlight every few days 🤣 turn on/turn off seems to be the method that works. Not reprogramming everything when you want to use it for different applications 🤷 whatever floats your boat though.
@@winkletown8828 on anduril ui you just program it once according to your taste and forget about it.. the setting will stay there forever and dont need to set it again everyday.. and it can be use default on factory setting to switch on and off without even need to do any setting.. but those who want to control how 'hot' their flashlight can be, that ui are really useful.. been using anduril from sofirn and lumintop since a long time, it never give me any problem.. the performance are really far beyond any streamlight and surefire ever be.
I recently started picking up Sofirns. Love the UI, and they really have some unique models. I picked up a handheld "thrower" and the beam that thing puts off is insane.
I’m pretty intrigued by the interstate. I was shocked to see how well it did, especially for being a mostly automotive company.
They're probably used to having to live up to their advertising or else get dinged in court
@@TheGreatAtario true that
I would 100% buy it, but I dont have use for $100 flashlight. But damn, so much power.
@@jotenmike you're lucky it is so cheap in the USA. Just looked at it here in the UK and it is well over twice that price!
@@PATRICKSMITH1 Well I am from central Europe, but even if it was $100 I dont make that much a day, since I wont use it on daily bases, its useless for me.
Very impressed with the Interstate. The moment I saw it in the video I was expecting a branded knockoff. Really good to see they care about their brand.
It probably is a branded knock-off, but at least they paid for a good one.
interstate actually blew my mind at how good it was, and honest. i think if i were to buy one it would be that one solely based on those two facts and the flood light type beam, great for working on vehicles like you said.
Nitecore. Olight. Thrunite. Sofirn(budget light but great for price) great brands! I have about $3k in lights. All brands like this. Great performers in EDC use.
ONE OF US! ONE OF US!
$3k in lights?
why? isn't the point to buy two or three good lights instead of spending $3k worth of lights?
I mean a professional that depends on lights is probably going to spend $3k, me as a consumer, I have two lights Nitcore SRT-7 and NC60.
I've had them for 3 years now and living in the arctic I'd say they get about 6 month use 3-4 hours a day every year, in pretty rough weather.
I use the NC60 for general illumination while hiking, biking, skiing to be aware of my surroundings, and the SRT-7 is either mounted on my bike to see the road, or in my hand in case of a moos/wolf while hiking/skiing.
but how many hank light ?
The Q8 Pro is definitely my favorite in large part because it uses a VERY configurable (and open source) interface called Anduril 2 that should actually lets you use it or modify in basically any way you could imagine. I've been wanting to buy one since it came out but I just haven't been able to justify the price to myself.
For example if you don't like that the button is always backlit you can just turn that off (or make it blink or set to one of two different brightness levels).
One thing to do when testing a light that uses the Anduril UI might be to check if the the temperature sensor is calibrated and set a consistent thermal throttling limit. It's honestly a bit more complicated than I care to explain, but if you search for "Anduril 2 temperature check" or just "Anduril 2 UI diagram" you'll find plenty of info. Lights should be calibrated from the factory, but if they're not then it could effect the maximum brightness quite a bit if the light thinks it's hotter than it actually is and reduces the output. Of course it could also be wrong in the other direction and get hot to the point that it damages the light or the user.
I just got on on sale for $70 from Banggood. Keep waiting for the deal.
Olight is a w for me. I have bought some terrible flashlights on Amazon and eBay and payed the price a few weeks/months for it. I need a light for my job as I work over nights doing inspections. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to have your light die/break in the middle of a shift. I switched to olight and for the past 1.5 years it’s been working like a champ.
You guys are doing GODS WORK here!!! I love Amazon but I absolutely HATE the fact that they allow SO many sellers to lie about products. The flashlight thing is absolutely infuriating! I have looked for flashlights on their site and have seen all these claims too. Knowing a decent amount about lights I knew these were all BS when I see 100k lumens listed. Thank you so much for doing this! It's nice to know what is ACTUALLY a decent light!!
Love your videos! Great info, legit process for testing, HONESTY, and great production too.
The effort and care you take to double check your results are so impressive and appreciated. Thank you.
Just bought myself an Olight Warrior X3 a few days ago ... I don't have the equipment to test the manufacturer claims of 2,500 lumens and 560m beam range but I can confirm it's VERY bright and has one hell of a throw on it for such a small unit, by far the most powerful torch I've ever owned - it puts car headlights to shame no problem!!
I have a small Sofrin, an SC32 I think, great interface, durable, 2000 lumens, 18650 battery, and an exceptional value. I like it! ❤
I liked the Interstate best. I would like the cheap $20 multiple light headlamps tested. I use many of those but the problem being there is no real name brands. And they change week to week. But I use those headlamps out in the woods every night and really like them. They keep my hands free and unlike flash lights and are very bright.
I had a 420 energizer that was very impressive (also rare back in the day) until I tried the $20 coast 2 pack from costco. They're rated 405 but you can focus the beam. I've tried all sorts of other cheap ones. I have some only paid $1 each, also have a big one with the battery pack on the back of your head. I like the coasts.
If you want a name brand headlamp to wear/use Thrunite and Light both make them a little more money, worth every dollar, I have the Thrunite TH02 and it works flawlessly so far of almost 18 months of ownership/use, I work in heavy steel and have used it on my hardhat and at home while working on my vehicles and have no complaints about it and it comes with extra O-ring and seal cover for the USB charging port and spare rubber holder that attaches to the headband , the build quality is the best from Thrunite and Olight out of the 5 that i looked at before deciding on the Thrunite, i machine for a living and also do quality inspection for the company i work for as part of my job, so yes I am particular about what i buy 👍
Best data driven flashlight reviews anywhere! Thanks TTC!! I'm an owner of many Olight flashlights, Fenix flaslights and single Streamlight. These are helpful data points for buyers to compare some of the best lights out there today.
you should check out budgetlightforum and candlepowerforums if you're into flashlights. there's some really great flashlight reviewers on yt but nothing compares to ones you'll find there.
Hey TTC. An interesting metric you can cosider inluding next time is to integrate the lumen output over time, effectively calculating the area under the graph for light output over time.
This will give an idea of total volume of light output over a single charge. A 10k lumen light that drops down to 500 after 20 seconds is worse compared to a 2k lumen light that stays there the whole time. It speaks to power management, thermals management and so on.
Something thats more consistent is imo better than a pocket sun that can only do it for a couple of seconds.
They included lumen-minutes in their chart around the ~14m mark, which should be the metric you're looking for.
These tests definitely help influence my buying decisions for useful tools and devices. Thanks for taking the time to document all of this!
Coming from a MagLite guy, The interstate is the winner in my world, due to the conventional form, large battery, and the consistent light curve at high brightness. If you select “high”, you want “high” for as long as it can do, and only save run time when you the user decide to.
I’m glad to see sofirn lights being tested. Being a flashlight enthusiast, it’s great to see some of the more enthusiast go to lights being tested
Now if only we could get the general public to understand the intricacies of Anduril.
@@MrSoundChaos haha I wish
@@MrSoundChaos Now if we could just get the fanboy enthusiasts to just understand that the general public doesn't give a hoot about Anduril, or programming a mundane, should-be-simple-as-in-the-past, flashlight.
I'd like to see a chart showing how long they stay on at what setting (if more than one).
This is especially important for magnetic lights designed for things like auto repair where I need a reasonably wide bright light for at least an hour.
It does need to be made clear the Sofirn would need to be given a higher temp calibration. There set very conservative from factory when there capable of much more.
a good chunk of good flashlight reviewers like Zeroair do post their runtime graphs online though so that's a cool thing
That's actually asking a lot. You really need to see a graph of the output and runtime.
The ANSI FL1 standard measures runtime until output falls below 10%. Hence, if I wanted, I could design a flashlight that turns on at 1000 Lumens, waits 1 minute, then drops to 101 Lumens (barely above 10%). That light would "run" a very long time at 101 Lumens.
On the other hand, the exact same flashlight design (same LED, same circuitry, same battery, etc) would have a much shorter run time if it runs at 500 Lumens until the battery is drained.
And none of them will run the whole time at 100% full power. First, the light would overheat. Second, the output *will* decrease as the battery voltage drops.
@@cymond Yes and no, plenty of brands will actually maintain there max output. As for "output will drop with voltage" also not the case in regulated lights. Have a look at some reviews on Budget light forum and a few other places on TH-cam etc and you'll find in depth reviews.
@@unclejohn5012 Yeah, I was talking about these "super lights" with extreme outputs.
dude, thank you for making this kind of content. I may or may not have bought a superbright flashlight off amazon and wish to compare and eventually scrap for batteries and LEDs, because I knew what i was getting into, but there are a lot of people who don't have a clue what theyre getting and comparison/testing channels like yours are super helpful. I'm glad i found your channel!
I built a 12000 lumen flashlight years ago with a 100W LED chip. It took twelve 3000mah 18650s wired 4s3p, a 2lb copper heating, and a server fan screaming along like a jet engine at 15v. It had a 20-30 minute runtime.
The hard part was optics. I only ever got it down to a 60° beam with 60mm and 120mm glass collimator lenses in series.
I wish there was some type of thing that would severely punish manufactures with highly deceptive or fraudulent advertising and marketing practices.
Maybe we could create some sort of commission that was able to punish unfair and deceptive marketing practices? Obviously this trade commission would need to be federal, to be most effective. Write your congresspeople now, demand the creation of the TCF ("Trade Commission (Federal)")!
@@tdj5245 sounds like a great idea.. if only the government would actually do anything right.
Lack of business from intelligent customers would be effective. Not many of them these days though
A lot of these lights tend to only hit their numbers in the first 10 seconds from what I can tell. The Ansi 30 second rating on these is usually a little lower depending on if it's a timed or temperature step-down. Love the videos! I feel like peak lumen claims are just the selling point though. Because most of these lights can only sustain like a quarter to half of the max output. It's more like hey this is a 1200 lumen light with a 4000 lumen WOW mode that lasts 15 seconds 🤣
It would be nice to have a separate rating in the title that tell you how high the light normally operates. The price difference between a 4-5K lumen light and a 800-1000 lumen light is like 3X. But if they both operate at 600 lumens most the time, it's probably worth knowing without having to research.
@@TorqueTestChannel Yes, a lot of them call it turbo mode. Some are more clear about how it's rated than others. A lot will also require high end cells to achieve their numbers as well.
If you are moving around with them the heat gets removed quicker, though at the turbo levels, especially on the smaller lights, still wouldn't be able to maintain super bright, though would be a bit brighter than static. The larger lights I automatically guessed a higher rating just due to heat dissipation.
Thank you so much. I love all these testings and honest reviews. Very satisfying.
I am glad to see you did the outdoor test to re-create the commercials but I wish you did that with the other cheaper brand examples
This makes me lean toward picking up the Streamlight next time I need a new flashlight. I want an LED Li-Ion driven flashlight designed by an 80s engineer, not all this "your flashlight is also a video game to play with secret click codes". I want it to turn on and turn off, that's it. A return of the slider w/ button momentary switch would be acceptable, but nothing more complicated than that. Maybe be durable enough to hit someone with like an old school 4-6 cell Maglite. I want fewer "features" at this point. The idea that a flashlight needs software running on it is insane.
the streamlight can also be set to go low medium high with 3 half clicks.
I have had this model for several years now and im quite happy with it. The rubber grip is really nice, it grips well and keeps the heat of the light from getting your hand too uncomfortable.
I like to run mine in medium brightness most of the time.
I still keep the old 4 cell mags in my cars for that exact reason. If I pull it out it's because I need to see something, not because I feel like a rave
Streamlights are good, Maglite sucks though. Ever since they went to MagLED, every single one i've owned, 2, 3, 4 D, Minimag, a 3aaa tactical, they've all met the same fate - battery leakage. Name brand batteries, and they're the only devices that leak, and they ALL leak. Tells me they're the problem.
On some of these flashlights, if you press ⬆️⬆️⬇️⬇️⬅️➡️⬅️➡️🅰️🅱️ you get 1000 extra lumens.
@@herculesbrofister265 Yeah I don't use the newer LED mags for that reason. I had that happen to a 3 cell I bought and immediately returned to the old incandescent one that never leaked
Congrats on getting the first data point on your home-made measurement device matching up with a pro report. Howe exciting! Great job there.
Well we messed with the sphere originally untill it matched 3 reports. Just had no idea if it would stay that way into the thousands
Man, I *APPRECIATE* this type of content. There is legit value here, thank you.
This channel really does some amazing work. A gift to the community. Thankyou!
I was able to snag two Sofrins for around $70 from their site a couple weeks ago when they were on sale. Happy to see I made a decent purchase.
oh wow!
@@brandonlee8400 Yep! On sale all the time, and its dirt cheap to add 4 of their batteries with it. Downside is it ships from China quite slowly if you order it at the cheaper prices.
Love to see you guys add the Fenix line, specifically, a Fenix TK16.
I've standardized on Fenix due to the fact that they do NOT drain batteries while not in use.
( Well, SOME OF THEM, don't drain over time. be careful! )
They do make what appear to be great batteries.
You guys cover it all! Keep up the awesome work!
Really the best flashlight testing available on TH-cam. Honesty, Accuracy, And Humor? It is apparently possible in such a thing! And In terms of this group of lights, I really was surprised by the better-than-expected performance of the Sofirn so it was my favorite....Oh, and as I live near a wilderness area where feral pigs like to come in and tear-up the neighborhood I think that the Sofirn light would be really useful to our family at times, if it were to be gifted to us. Keep up the good work.
Regards, Chris
I'm not surprised by how well the Streamlight performed. I have a Streamlight since the Navy used them while I was in. They always have the best.
I, too, have the Streamlight. I use it for late night walks with my dog through a forest preserve and love it. I’ve used the strobe to scare coyote. The light doesn’t do much but a good shout along with the strobe seems to do the trick! So far! Lol
I’m going to with the Interstate (yeah that’s weird lol). That beam shape and flood pattern looked the most useful for day to day use. Plus it has that large “tactical” use shape. I know that’s not what’s being measured here, but cool bonus. Lot of light for the price!
Why would you use this day to day.
@@asherdie
"Night to night" then. Sheesh.
I agree with you @Aaron Miller. I'm liking the Interstate one for your two reasons.
@@huyked hashish
"Tactical use shape" means you can use it to bludgeon someones face in.
I love flashlights. Somehow even if I have too many I want more. Camping, boating, working, hiking nothing like having a good light with you.
I like the Interstate Battery light. The way it focused the light in the dark is what I like.
I liked the interstate battery light. 2 reasons. The light itself and the fact when you opened the packaging it looked like it actually came with a wall outlet for the charging cable. I have several coast lights for work and they either didn't come with cords at all or if they did i had to buy a usb wall outlet.
The interstate right now, as of 09/05/22, has a 25% off coupon on Amazon, and $99.99 price, making it $75.... A hell of a deal if you ask me.
Thanks for the heads-up! Even better! Was interested in that one.
Damn it! In the 15 minutes or so that I was reading all the reviews, now it's unavailable! It was when I started reading. Damn it! I snooze, I lose. SIGH!
@@huyked as soon as I saw that 25% off I snatched one up. ANY decent product listed on a great channel like this will sell out near immediately. Next up is to see what type of batteries it uses, because they look standard, just taped/sealed together.
@@robertthompson5084
Reading the question section on Amazon, Interstate says they sell the battery for about $15.
Just checked Amazon here in the UK - the Interstate is £199 - approx $230 !!
From what I saw there the Olight gets my vote, comfort and form factor are important for what I would be using it for.
Interstate for the win. I happen to like their car batteries too. Plus, I absolutely _love_ they conservatively rated the light. This behavior needs to be rewarded.
That interstate light was on point. Thanks for all you guys do!
Can you do a random selection of LED car headlight brands from Amazon?!
and at least mention not blinding other road users... too many badly adjsted lights these days, and vehicles with headlights way too high above grade.
Pretty sure you can disable the Sofirn button light in the software if it's an anduril OS.
This is exactly what I've been waiting for, thanks!
The Sofirn was temperature throttling but allows you to customize the °C at which this happens.
Also, you can turn the led button off/pulse.
Look up "Anduril 2"
9:52 I love the always on button light on the Sofirn lights, because it lets you find it easier in the dark, but if you do not like it, as a part of Anduril UI you can change the mode by while at off, pressing seven times, that will make it flash periodically, and if you repeat the same thing again it will turn off all together. (Repeat again to go back to solid on)
A glowing ring would be a lot better than a tiny button.
@XtreeM FaiL Hmmm, you mean around the top lens of the flashlight? That would be kind of cool. The light on the button has the advantage of allowing you to find the button quickly in the dark so you can turn the light on without fumbling around the flashlight's body looking for which side the button is on.
@@Tolg No, around the body so it will always be seen.
The “always on” button light on the Sofirn is counter intuitive but provides the visual safety feature of letting the user know the light beam is actually off. These beer can style lights are often planted beam down after use naturally mainly due to their short statures. If your “alway on” button isn’t “on” after use there’s a chance you’ll be leaving burn marks on a wooden table if last use was at a high brightness. these lights do have a safety feature of turning off if it’s too hot, so I would be worried about setting a fire so much, but you might need a few coasters to cover up burn in on your coffee table.
@XtreeM FaiL I imagine something like that would me more likely to waste the battery. The sofirn has a couple settings to make the button light brighter and even blink, which would be hard to miss.
It's intriguing to see how well the interstate flashlight did
Great video as always. I liked the Interstate light, and was surprised to see it's results
Love these (and your channel in general). You guys might want to also consider trying some LEP lights, like the Fenix TK30. Not that great for working with, but a very cool concept.
You should do a 18v tool light version of this. My Ryobi lights have almost always been adequate, but I know there's serious competition now.
Also, it'd be fun to build a handheld rig that runs modern automotive stuff to compare. I'm betting a morimoto HB LED would be an insane light, powered by... Idk Milwaukee 12v? Or see if they take 18, or stepped down 18. They'll take almost 15 if they're on a car system
Iv got a 12 v Milwaukee spot light. It works pretty good. Probly around 1000 lumens.
The Sofirn is capable of a lot more via it's button UI like others have commented. Could prolly get better performance out of it after doing the thermal limit config. Great video, you need to do a wish flashlight episode sometime, although you might never receive a lot of them lol
How the hell do u configure thermal limit. I've have one for almost 2 years and never could figure it out
@@Trollingtrollssince see if you can find Texas aces comment and reply, he programmed them
Love these sort of videos, for the bigger longer torches maybe a olight javelot Pro would be a good one to try 😀
Glad to see a Nitecore was included, been using them for years and I love ‘em, like the P10ix/P20iX. I use them every night to get my hi-rail truck on and off the tracks. P10iX is a great form factor and overall well designed and very easy to use package and has a nice beam. Nice to know they’re being relatively honest with their output claims. Thanks for doing these tests, much appreciated.
I used to carry nitecore but they were pretty unreliable when dropped. Sent mine out for repairs really often, so I bought a Fenix PD36R and it's been excellent for a few years now. I feel like my nitecore was brighter but hard to say.
It's a tough call between the Interstate and the Sofirn. It'd be interesting if you also provided the weights of the flashlights, becausewhen we get to this size it's going to really starting contribute to its usability. If I had to pick one it'd be the Sofirn, mainly down to the >1k lumen runtime, but also because it's easier to source good 3rd party 18650s compared to 26650s.
I wish they'd change to 21700s, that seem to have become far more common than 26650, with 21700s being used in powertools and electric cars.
Thank you for sacrificing your eyesight for our benefit. I'm very happy with my seeker pro 2 but man that interstate flashlight is tempting.
Great video! I love the fact I can now purchase flashlights online and know what I’m getting.
I really enjoy watching all of your videos. It'd be very interesting to see you test out some hobbyist grade lights. Such as Emisar,Noctigon,Zebralight,Fireflies and Astrolux just to name a few. Most of these lights are equipped with Anduril ui and requires temperature calibrations before use. Not calibrating the temperature will hurt the run times drastically.
Have you considered doing a (very expensive) comparison of some high end weapon lights/their handheld light equivalents? I'd love to see companies like Surefire, Modlite and Cloud Defensive against eachother in these tests.
DITTO
DITTO
THANK YOU. These lighting segments are AWESOME! Are there any good flashlight/jump starters out there - something to leave in the car? Great job adding these to your power tool tests - love it!
I've been running a Seeker 3 since they first came out, I've been extremely pleased with it. Neat to see that it actually DOES perform in the range that is promised. I just know it's got loads of light, and does a great job of keeping my jobs lit. Honestly, I use it in medium to low most of the time, just because that much light is kinda nuts, and I want to keep my retinas.
Interstate looks like the best value to me. Also it uses plain 36650s which are inexpensive to replace!
A working mans flashlight if ever there was one, shame they don't sell them here in New Zealand.
Not gonna lie, any flashlight that requires me to disassemble it to charge it is a deal breaker for me.
Yup
Ive been recommending sofirn to everyone interested in an advanced flashlight and im glad to see they are among the honest manufacturers. The build quality and features for the price are unmatched.
Personally I am getting a bit tired of the crazy high lumen flashlights, that can maybe run for 30 seconds to a minute, and having so many modes to flip between. All I want is a flashlight with enough light to see what I am doing at night (lets say 500 lumen max), and with enough endurance to last several days at that lighting level.
As for amazon, they could care less... As long as the money rolls in they don't care what they are selling on their platform, which is why it is loaded with Chinese junk (not saying the Chinese can't make really nice things, just most of what comes out of there is pure garbage), and counterfeits/scams
I was looking for the same thing, just a flashlight that could keep up at a certain lighting level without dying faster than a moth in the fires of hell, I ended up settling for the Milwaukee 1100 Lumen flashlight, just based of the testing they did of their little brothers on this channel, the 1100 model behaves the exact same way. Drops a bit, but then it's stable light until it dies. I assume it drops somewhere between 600-700 lummens, but at that spot it's perfect for what I need it to. My only complaint would be the fact that in this day and age, the year of our lord 2022, Milwaukee still uses Micro USB for charging.
I've been daily carrying a Milwaukee 2011R for about 3 months, 500L high, with a medium and low mode all easy to switch between. Battery is type c rechargeable, lasts me a few weeks.
Sounds like you really should look more into Sofirn lights, or Zebralight if you want to spend a little more for quality. You can set most Sofirn lights to max themselves at 500 lumens or so, and they will give you weeks of normal use between charges. Just have to learn to configure the Anduril UI.
If you are dead set on American made and build quality over big lumens (and dont have a budget...) Look at HDS systems. max 300 lumens or so, but literally bullet proof.
Several days would be kilos of batteries. Sofirn has 4 18650 cells and did almost 4 hours at maybe 4 times the load you'd want, meaning 16 hours around 400lm, maybe 19 if you get the best 18650s. Even assuming battery tech over twice as good, 40 hours is 5 days if you use it for 8hours/day and that's with a big big flashlight.
I have bought a Sofirn SP36, it cost me $31.62 with 3 cells included, my plan is exactly for it to be able to last throught the night or two at low brightness, I don't really care about turbo mode which is there because it can be there. It has awesome brightness regulation, Narsilm ramping mode that allows you to get to basically any amount of lumen you want from the range the flashlight supports.
I'd suggest you to get any of decent models and a bunch of cells for it, or a powerbank, my sofirn can work without the body just with the usb cable, although it's most likely under 1000lm powered this way, with 30Ah powerbank that's days of light.
ASTROLUX A6
There used to be truth in advertising laws. Too bad that lies are just the norm nowadays 😖 😬 😕
I tortured an o light and came away really impressed. Glad to see you guys had the same experience.
Living on a ranch in the country, these tests are extremely helpful.
I’m torn on whether or not to let you know about vastly better lights. They’re hard enough to get as it is. Sofirn is the only brand I have seen tested that I would admit to owning. Their LT1 lantern is crazy good. Looking forward to more tests.
Recently started using Olight and so far I am really impressed with their products. Using WML and handheld lights
Awesome, I'm glad you did this test!
I already added the Q8 and Interstate to my Amazon wish list. Indispensable videos! Keep it up!
The Sofirn Q8 Pro is a better choice because use Andruil 2 to configure it.
I love the sofirns and have had great results with the bike light and SP36 and SP36 Pro. I got mine for cheap from the MFG without a battery and used my own cells.
Great video. Interstate for me! And I bought the ryobi high torque 1/2 impact because it was on sale and this channel showed the performance was comparable to others.
Love the in depth light reviews
The interstate and Sofirm look very nice for the space under my truck's backseat. And that runtime is great for roadside repairs.
I'm also partial to a soda can sized light, it just looks cute
My pick would be the interstate light. That floodlight beam pattern is by far the most practical for most uses, and it's awesome to see it outperforming its ratings for not being known for lights.
I have the Streamlight and can say it is a awesome light. Only have to charge it once a month and I use it every day . The lower settings are fine for most any chore and if u wantta see what's out in the fields or messing around the barn. High, lights it up.. Thanks for the testing. Love the channel. My choice of light is the Sofirn.
Thanks for the great info, I feel more informed about a good light for my kids to blind themselves with and run the battery down when I really need it.
I would love to see more flashlight videos from you! Super interesting!
I really like the beam pattern from the interstate light. The consistent light over a large area seems like it would work well when I'm exploring caves.
if you like that pattern check out lights that have TIR optics. Like the emisar/noctigon D18 and K9.3, Manker MK34 II, EagleTac MX30L4XC etc.
For a small flashlight the Olight looks great. 3hr runtime and 3hr charge time is desirable. For the larger ones I'd want to try the Interstate. I would never have considered that one if it wasn't for your awesome testing! Thank you for doing these kinds of tests!
thank you for highlighting the floodlight bias of the Interstate, exactly what I need to protect my chickens.
I have a lot of content on your channel to binge watch since I just found it. I have to give you a HUGE shoutout for making all of your graphs in dark mode :D
Haha. We just listen to you guys
You can program the sofirn. You got to access the thermal throttling menu and set it either with clicks for degrees Celsius or let it heat up and then click when you think it's hot enough for you. It would run as hard as you want until the desolders the LEDs.
Great video. Years ago I built a high power light by modding a 3-D Maglite with a 2200 lm LED which at the time was the most powerful single LED available. I was blown away by the brightness, it's so bright that it's kind of ridiculous and now here are flashlights putting over 11k lum, amazing! That's more than a 250W mercury vapor lamp.
I use a Nitecore HC60 when I'm working on cars, love the headlamp for it being bright and staying in place. Only one downside, not enough padding. I'll add some foam and it should be perfect.
Those are no doubt bright and good lights, when I was a firefighter I became partial to Streamlight and Pelican. Not hitting the highest of lumens but they never missed a beat and gave good light over a long time period without needing a charge.
My go to for work headlamp is the nitecore hc33 1,800lm $65. I stand by this light as it has never let me down and I've had it since 2017 and still kicking ass.
I have the streamlight shown in this video. I liked it so much I bought a second one. Now you got me wanting the interstate one as well. Never knew they made a light like that.
On the Sofirn you can adjust the thermal throttle settings to any temperature you want. The 30 second run is scued by the firmware anduril not being programmed correctly before shipping. You can even turn the thermal protection off.
Great review. I love the interstate batteries lig6100. Super cool flashlight with excellent specs. Thanks for this. So glad I found your channel. It's been really helpful. I'd love to see you review pistol lights. I have a few, but it would be super helpful to know if their specs are accurate. Thanks again. Brilliant channel.
AMAZING video! I've been a Streamlight fan for decades, and I guess the fact that the streamlight holds onto a higher output for longer while running, probably makes it my pick among this group too...
the streamlight also can be set to low and medium modes which have much longer run times if one ends up in a situation where runtime is critical. Its lowest brightness setting is listed as 250 lumens for 11.5 hours.
I LOVED that Interstate light! I currently dont own a flashlight so i would consider it a blessing to receive any of them.
The Sofirn Q8 can be programed to do all sorts of tricks. Including having the button stay off.
It's great to see the (*Not the one in the video.) Sofirn flood light i bough for ~$30CAD is not bullsh*tting about their Lumen ratting.
The Sofirn i got is the "SP31V2.0" It can do 1200 Lumens on Turbo for 2h35minutes *If it does not thermal throttle. If it thermal throttle for more than 3 minutes it will step down to High (500 Lumens) and will last for 3h40minutes if you choose to only run it on high.
Thank for your not very torqued review ;) really appreciate it!
I never had a flash light this bright in my life before lol. I wont imagine how much this must blind you when you put the sofirn's spot light on your blue desk xD
I was able to keep it for more than 3minutes on Turbo while i was riding my bike at night. My constant movement was enough to get rid of the heat.