Sofirn SP70 Flashlight Review

The SP70 is Sofirn’s big flashlight – a 2×26650 flashlight with a Cree XHP70.2 emitter. This gives great throw and output, too!

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Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Sofirn SP70 Flashlight product page.

Versions

There’s just one version of the SP70, but it’s available 3 ways.  Light only, kit with cells, and kit with “HD [high discharge] cells.”

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Short Review

This is a seriously impressive light, pumping out a ridiculous 5600 lumens and stepping down to around 3000 lumens for over 30 minutes.  The kit is a good setup, too!

Long Review

The Big Table

Sofirn SP70
Emitter:	Cree XHP70.2
Price in USD at publication time:	$89.99 Buy it directly from Sofirn at amazon! (referral link)
Cell:	26650×2
Turbo Runtime	High Runtime
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	Both
Quiescent Current (A):	0.0191
On-Board Charging?	No
Claimed Lumens (lm)	5500
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	5468 (99.4% of claim)^
Claimed Throw (m)	686
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	4130lux @ 5.773m = 137643cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	742.0 (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 SP70 Flashlight
• Sofirn 5500mAh 26650 (2)
• Lanyard
• 2-bay charger
• Charge cable (USB to micro-USB)
• Cell adapters (26650 to 18650)
• Split rings (2)
• O-rings (2)
• Manual

Package and Manual

The SP70 ships in a standard non-discrete cardboard box.

The manual is a long paper, has 4 languages, and seems to describe the light very well.

Build Quality and Disassembly

Astute observers will note that this is one of the more expensive Sofirns.  Much of that increase in price is more due to this being a package light (you’ll really want to just buy the kit, so that it’ll come with the cells – unless you have a line on inexpensive 26650s.)  So generally this light is not all that expensive.  But does the build quality match that price, or is it built to higher standards?

This light is in line with other modern Sofirns.  The build quality is very nice.  The knurling is good, the threads are good – I have absolutely no complaints about the quality.

The head is full of (not too deep) fins for cooling (something that the light will need since it’s pulling ~10A on Turbo!).

The threads are long, square-cut, and not overly lubed.

Both the head and tail have thick double wound springs.  Very high quality, and quite stiff springs.

Despite having the same diameter on the head and tail, the threads are longer on the tail end, and so the tube isn’t reversible.  This does mean that the tactical ring is only for the tail end (which is fine, of course).

The provided cells don’t protrude when installed.

Size and Comps

Officially:

Dimension: 250mm (length)× 90mm (head diameter)
Weight: 625 grams (without batteries)

It’s not at all a small light, but it’s ideal sized for what it is.

And here’s the light beside my custom engraved TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light.  I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats.

Retention and Carry

The main way to carry this light will be the shoulder strap.  It’s a nice shoulder strap and connects on the tailcap or tactical ring, and a hole in the head.

The shoulder strap doesn’t fit without using a split ring in both ends, though.  The hook is too thick.  But a small split ring for both head and tail are included.

Power and Runtime

The SP70 runs on two cells, so has a running voltage of 8.4V.  My kit included two cells, 5500mAh 26650 cells.  These are good cells, and as such I recommend just buying the kit.

An adapter is also included for using 2×18650.  The adapter is just an open ended plastic tube.

I tested the light on Turbo and High.  Here’s turbo, with the included cells.  The head gets warm, especially considering how big it is, and how far the heat is moving to get to my probe.

In both tests I performed, on cell gets discharged deeper than the other.  It still stays in the safe zone though, so it’s fine, but it could be a good practice to rotate the cells.

The High runtime is essentially the same as Turbo, just without the blip of Turbo.

Here are the 18650 adapters.

Charging

The kit also includes a 2-bay charger, which is powered by a USB to micro-USB plug.

The charger holds both cells at one time.  I didn’t test the charger.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
Turbo	5500	1h 42m	5468	9.31
High	3000	2h 28m	3513	5.28
Mid	1200	5h 12m	1358	1.54
Low	400	15h 37m	495	0.40
Eco	60	64h 45m	72	0.03
Moon	2	955h	~	~

Pulse Width Modulation

The middle modes of the SP70 do in fact display a bit of PWM, but to my eye it’s not bad at all.

Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor.

Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.

User Interface and Operation

The SP70 has a dual switch interface, with a mechanical tail clicky, and an e-switch (with indicator function) on the side.

The side switch is clear/white and has some useful green indicators.

The side switch is a little proud, and easy to locate without looking.

In standby, the light will have a green indicator.  It also indicates for 5 seconds after turning on what the battery level is.  Green means the power is good.  Orange means “half power.”  Red means low power, and flashing red means to charge immediately.

The UI actually has two mode groups.  One has discrete modes, and the other has ramping.  Of course I always test with the discrete modes, but ramping is all the rage and quite a nice addition.  Switching between the groups is easy – with the mechanical switch on (indicated by the green e-switch being lit), but the light off (controlled by the e-switch), quickly click the side switch 6 times.  The light will blink twice to indicate the group change, and enter the last used output.

Here’s a user interface table! The table will refer to the Mechanical switch off as “Off” and the Mechanical switch “on” as “Standby” (since the light can be “on” but not have output – just an active e-switch.)

State	Action	Result
Off	Click Tail Switch (TS)	Standby
Off	Click Side Switch (SS)	No Action
Standby	Click TS	Off
Standby	Double Click SS	Turbo
Off	Half Press TS	Momentary Mode Memory
Turbo	Click SS	Return to previous mode
Standby	Click SS 6x	Mode Group switch
Standby, Both Groups	Hold SS	Moonlight
Moonlight	Click SS	Standby
Moonlight	Hold SS	No action
Standby, Both Groups	Click SS	On (Mode Memory)
On, Both Groups	Click SS	Standby
On, Group 1	Hold SS	Mode Advance (LMH direction, excluding Turbo and Moonlight)
On, Group 2	Hold SS	Infinite ramp Up or Down (stops at Turbo or Moonlight)
Standby	Click SS 4x	Lockout
Lockout	Click SS	Two flashes
Lockout	Cycle TS	Lockout off
Lockout	Click SS 4x	Unlock
Standby	Click SS 8x	Beacon
Beacon	Click SS	Beacon off

It’s possible there’s something missing here – there’s a lot happening in the UI.  Still, it’s pretty simple overall.

LED and Beam

The emitter is a Cree XHP70.2.  It’s a pretty good choice for this light but suffers from the normal 70.2 maladies.  It does offer a ton of output though, which is appreciated in such a light.  The reflector is big and deep and orange peeled.

These beamshots are always with 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.

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.

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!  So far as I can tell, there’s really nothing else like this light!  Particularly as a full kit light, this one offers a lot!

Conclusion

What I like

• Full kit includes everything you’ll need, including good cells
• Output is just ridiculous
• Even after stepdown, ~3000 lumens is very good
• Meets specs for both throw and output
• Dual switch UI

What I don’t like

• Cree XHP70.2 has the usual tint shift
• High standby drain

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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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