Sofirn SC31 Flashlight Review

The Sofirn SC31 is an e-switch flashlight with built-in charging. A Cree XP-G3 emitter sits in a deep smooth reflector. Read on!

Official Specs and Features

Here’s a referral link to the Sofirn SC31 Flashlight product page.

Versions

Just one version!

Price

This one goes for $17.86 on Amazon right now (referral link).

Short Review

This isn’t a bad light, and certainly not for the $17.86 going price. Other competitors like the Convoy S2+ make this a harder choice. But as it’s a full package light, it’s a great contender!

Long Review

The Big Table

Sofirn SC31
Emitter:	Cree XP-G3
Price in USD at publication time:	$17.86
Cell:	18650
Turbo Runtime	High Runtime
LVP?	Warning
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (A):	?
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Chargetime
Power off Charge Port with no Cell?	–
Claimed Lumens (lm)	610
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	480 (78.7% of claim)^
Claimed Throw (m)	141
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	288lux @ 4.493m = 5814cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	152.5 (108.2% of claim)^
All my Sofirn reviews!

^ Measurement disclaimer: Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.

What’s Included

Sofirn SC31 Flashlight
Charge cable
Lanyard
Spare o-rings (2)
Manual and paperwork

Package and Manual

Typical Sofirn package:

The back of a Sofirn flashlight box is shown on a wooden surface. The box features a product description, company contact information, barcode, and various certification logos.

And the typical Sofirn manual. It’s nice with the illustrations. There are a few languages included.

Build Quality and Disassembly

Of all the Sofirn lights I’ve handled, this is probably the least of a joy to hold. The switch is very proud, the anodizing (or something?) overall makes this one feel … lower quality. That said, there are great points about the light, like the threads and the tailcap.

The anodizing is a little shiny.

A black Sofirn SC31 flashlight stands upright on a weathered wooden surface with sunlight and shadows visible in the background.

A black and silver handheld flashlight stands upright on a weathered wooden surface with sunlight casting shadows and a blurred brown background.

A black textured flashlight with a metal clip stands upright on a weathered wooden surface, with a blurred brown background.

A black tactical flashlight stands upright on a weathered wooden surface outdoors. The flashlight has a textured grip and visible button, with sunlight casting shadows in the background.

The threads are very smooth. Also anodized, which allows easy mechanical lockout. The tailcap is long and is covered with knurling, so it’s easy to manipulate.

The threads on both the head and tail end of the cell tube are anodized, square-cut, very lightly lubed, and extremely smooth. Since they’re anodized, mechanical lockout is easy.

Both the head and tailcap have thick springs.

Size

Dimension: 117.5 mm (length) x 25.4mm(head diameter)
Weight:60 gram (without batteries)

A black Sofirn flashlight is placed on top of a U.S. two-dollar bill, both resting on a weathered wooden surface.

A black flashlight is placed horizontally on top of a two-dollar U.S. bill, both resting on a weathered wooden surface. The flashlight is slightly shorter than the length of the bill.

This one measures up nicely with the Convoy S2+, but adds onboard charging, and has an e-switch on the side.

Two flashlights, one black Sofirn SC31 and one red Convoy S2+, standing upright side by side on a weathered wooden surface with a blurred brown background.

A close-up view of two flashlights lying on a wooden surface, positioned side by side with their lenses facing the camera. The left flashlight is black and the right one is brownish-red.

Retention

The pocket clip seen below comes installed. It’s not a great clip – the ‘cheapish’ variety, and clips to only one end of the light.

Also included is a lanyard. The only place to connect it is the pocket clip. I find that a bit strange but probably the lanyard being included was the vestiges of some other light Sofirn makes. In any event, free lanyard….

Power and Runtime

This light is powered by (and only by) an 18650 cell. Sofirn includes a 2200mAh button top 18650, seen below. It’s an ok cell, nothing that will set any records, but it’s well suited for this particular light.

A close-up of a single cylindrical battery lying on its side on a weathered wooden surface, with the positive terminal facing the camera.

A Sofirn rechargeable 18650 lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 2200mAh is placed on a weathered wooden surface, shown in close-up with sunlight illuminating the scene.

Here’s a runtime on High. There isn’t even a Turbo mode on this light, so this is the highest mode, at around 500 lumens. Temperature is a non-issue, and after a brief stint on High, the light steps down. This stepdown is still higher than the Medium mode.

Here’s the Medium runtime.

This light does not have LVP. There’s a switch warning at 2.8V and below – two blue blinks – and that warning continues all the way down. Main output, and warning output continue to dim, but never seem to shut off.

Charging

The SC31 also has onboard charging, via a micro-USB port in the head. The rubber boot fits quite snugly, is easy to open, and sits a little proud on the body.

A close-up of a black flashlight with a textured grip, showing a USB-C charging port covered by a rubber flap. The flashlight has certification markings and is standing upright on a blurred surface.

A charge cable is included – USB to micro-USB.

Charging is fairly good. The CC rate is around 0.9A (not bad), and charging terminates well under 4.2V (not bad). It’s also consistent, as seen below (good). Note that the cell tests a little above capacity, which is unusual for this test.

While charging, the indicating switch blinks. When charging is complete, the indicator stays lit blue.

User Interface and Operation

There’s a single switch on the SC31. It’s a side e-switch, with two blue indicating LEDs.

Below you can see the switch indicating blue. It’s quite proud, this switch, and also a little mashy

Here’s a user interface table!

State	Action	Result
Off	Click	On (Mode Memory)
On	Hold	Mode Advance (LMH)
Off	Hold	“Breathing” Switch Indicator
Breathing	Click	Off
Any (Except Breathing)	Double Click	Strobe
Strobe	Click	Previous mode
On	Click	Off

It’s really a very simple UI.

Modes

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
High	610	2h42m	480	1.30
Medium	200	9h7m	150	0.33
Low	10	179h33m	12	–

LED and Beam

The emitter of choice for this light is the Cree XP-G3. Really that’s not my favorite emitter, but this is truly the best instance of this emitter that I’ve handled. The reflector is mostly smooth, and mid depth.

Beamshots

These beamshots always have the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level, and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away.

The beam has some purplish at the edges, but is overall not bad at all. It’s mostly spot, with moderate spill, too.

A mostly black image with a faint, dim light in the center. Along the left side, the text ZEROAIR.WORDPRESS.COM is vertically displayed.

A bright circular white light appears in the center of a dark background with a gradient halo effect. The text ZEROAIR.WORDPRESS.COM is vertically aligned on the left side of the image.

A circular beam of white light is projected onto a dark surface, creating a gradual fade from bright center to shadow. The text ZEROAIR.WORDPRESS.COM appears vertically on the left side.

Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)

I keep the test flashlight on the left and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right.

Random Comparisons and Competitive Options

Here’s a relevantly filtered page on parametrek.com.

Conclusion

What I like

Not a Lumen Chasing light.
Full package light with charging and a cell
Indicating switch

What I don’t like

Switch boot too rubbery
Indicating switch doesn’t really indicate enough
Cree XP-G3

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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