Csteboke SC31T SE Flashlight Review

The new brand Csteboke has released the SC31T SE, a flashlight with features familiar to Sofirn. Read on for thoughts and testing!

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Official Specs and Features

I am not sure Csteboke has an official site yet, so here’s an Amazon (referral) link.

Versions

There’s just one version of the Csteboke SC31T SE flashlight.  It’s available with or without an 18650 though.  You might recognize this light, though. It’s practically identical to the Sofirn SC31T that I have reviewed previously.

Price

Looks like the Csteboke SC31T SE flashlight is selling on Amazon.com right now (referral link) for $29.98. That includes the 18650, too.

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Short Review

This is a solid performer at a low cost.  The dual switch interface makes it reasonable for tactical purposes, as do the dual springs.  USB-C charging works well, too.  Output doesn’t quite hit the specification, but more importantly, the throw does.

Long Review

The Big Table

Csteboke SC31T SE Flashlight
Emitter:	Samsung LH351d (90CRI)
Price in USD at publication time:	$29.98 on amazon.com
Cell:	1×18650
Turbo Runtime Graph	High Runtime Graph
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	Both
Quiescent Current (mA):	–
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	USB-C
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port	No
Claimed Lumens (lm)	1300
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	1061 (81.6% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	7.2
Claimed Throw (m)	147
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	332lux @ 4.561m = 6907cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	166.2 (113.1% of claim)^
Claimed CCT	5000
Measured CCT Range (K)	4800-5100 Kelvin
Item provided for review by:	Csteboke
All my Csteboke 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

• Csteboke SC31T SE flashlight
• Sofirn 3000mAh 18650 (button top, standard)
• Spare o-rings (2)
• Lanyard
• Charge cable (USB to USB-C)
• Manual

Package and Manual

Build Quality and Disassembly

The build quality of the Csteboke SC31T SE flashlight is commensurate with the price.  It’s around a $30 light – seems about right.  That’s for simply build quality though.  The actual guts of this light (discussed later) put it in a separate (and higher) category.

Ample knurling covers most of the body, including the tailcap.

These threads are quite smooth, too.  They’re square cut, anodized, and lubed.  Long, too.

The head shares the same threads.  In fact, the cell tube is reversible because of this. The head has a nice beefy spring, as a tactical light should.  The tail has this same type springs – dual springs, this is good.

Size and Comps

Dimension: 125.5mm (length) × 24mm (head diameter)
Weight: 67grams (without battery)

If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo).  If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll show that here, too (usually the fourth photo).

Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+.  Mine’s a custom “baked” edition Nichia 219b triple.  A very nice 18650 light.

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.

Itty bitty Csteboke SC31T SE flashlight!

Retention and Carry

A pocket clip comes already attached.  It’s the lowest kind of pocket clip (and leads heavily to my opinion of the build quality).  It’s a friction fit clip.

As I said above, the clip only goes in one spot, but the cell tube is reversible, so the clip can end up on the head or tail end per your preference.

Clip hug!

A lanyard is also included and attaches to the tailcap.

Tailstanding is possible even with the lanyard installed.

Power and Runtime

The Csteboke SC31T SE operates on a single lithium-ion cell.  I have a package that had a cell included.  It’s a 3000mAh button top and is a completely standard cell.

In fact, it’s a Sofirn branded cell, which helps to show the relationship between Sofirn and this new brand, Csteboke.

The cell goes into the light in the usual way – positive terminal toward the head.  There’s a little silk-screened logo on the tailcap to help with orientation, too.

Here are a few runtime tests. Performance here is exactly as seen on the Sofirn SC31T.

Just a fun little footnote here. I have a Wurkkos FC11 (and I think you should too). That light is available with a 18350 cell tube. The 18350 tube for the FC11 fits perfectly in this Csteboke flashlight. So if you need a dual switch 18350 tactical (ish) flashlight with High CRI, then this is a good setup to consider!

Charging

The Csteboke SC31T SE flashlight has built-in charging, by way of a USB-C port in the head.  The charge port cover is thick and fits in very firmly, and is quite nice.

An appropriate cable is included.  USB to USB-C.

This switch also has indicating features – below it’s seen indicating red for low voltage.  Notably, the switch will indicate for 5 seconds after the light is turned on, as follows:

Green: remaining battery power is good
Red: remaining battery power is poor (less than 30%)
Red Flashing: recharge or swap cell immediately.

C to C charging works great, too.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
Turbo	1300	–	1061	4.83
High	550	–	475	1.40
Medium	200	–	199	0.54
Low	70	–	55	0.18
Eco	10	–	14	0.03
Moon	1	–	0.5	<0.01

Pulse Width Modulation

Almost all of the modes use PWM, but it’s fairly fast and I wouldn’t describe it as “noticeable” at all.  Interestingly, only the lowest mode doesn’t seem to use PWM.  (Moonlight is the first image below.)

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 Csteboke SC31T SE flashlight uses two switches.  First, and most important, is the mechanical tail switch.

The switch is not proud, but accessible from two sides, even if you’re wearing gloves.

This mechanical switch controls only on/off.

Next is the e-switch on the head, which controls the modes.  The switch isn’t proud and is more or less flat.

The action is low, and not incredibly quiet.

It’s also an indicating switch! (Seen below indicating in red). It can also indicate in green.

Here’s a user interface table!

State	Action	Result
Off	Click Tail Switch	On (Mode Memory)
On	Click Tail Switch	Off
On	Click Side Switch	In Stepped Group: Mode advance (Eco, Low, Med, High) In Ramping Group: No Action
On	Hold Side Switch	In Stepped Group: No Action In Ramping Group: Ramp up (or down, if having immediately ramped up)
Off	Tap Tail Switch	Momentary (Mode Memory)
On (Except Strobe)	Click Side Switch 4x quickly	Iterate between stepped and ramping groups.
On (Either Group)	Double Click	Turbo
Turbo	Click	Return to the previous output level
On (Either Group)	Triple Click	Strobe
Strobe	Double Click	Strobe advance (Strobe> SOS> Beacon)
Off (Either Group)	Hold Side Switch, Click Tail Switch	Moonlight

Group 2 (Ramping) is very similar to the above Group 1, except holding the switch will cause the light to ramp up.  Loosening and then holding the switch again within 1.5s will cause the ramp to switch directions.  So it’s possible to ramp up or down.  Double click still gets Turbo.

LED and Beam

Very much unlike the other options of similar lights made by Sofirn, this Csteboke SC31T SE flashlight offers a high CRI (CRI90) and neutral white emitter. It’s a Samsung LH351d.

That emitter is coupled with a reflector that has a very light texture.

The bezel is smooth.

LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)

The CRI and CCT reports here are very favorable. From around 4800K to around 5100K (on the highest output), and a CRI around 90 (averaging around 89, technically), this is a solid emitter choice!

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.

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 KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!

Conclusion

What I like

• Great deal at $30.
• Good beam profile
• Throw is good
• Low is accessible from off in either group!
• Ramping option if you want it…
• But the stepped group is very smart too
• USB-C charging works great
• Dual Switch for good tactical usage

What I don’t like

• New brand for a brand we already know and love? I don’t understand the logic.
• Ramping speeds can be a little bit awkward

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Notes

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