Cyansky P12R Flashlight Review
The Cyansky P12R multifunctional flashlight gets big throw with an Osram P9 emitter and smooth reflector. And it has USB-C charging and an indicating e-switch!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Cyansky P12R multifunctional flashlight product page.
Versions
There’s only one version of the Cyansky P12R multifunctional flashlight.
Price
I don’t see a price at cyansky.com for the Cyansky P12R multifunctional flashlight but at flashlightgo.com (for example) the light is listed at $41.99.
Short Review
The Cyansky P12R multifunctional flashlight is a neat little flashlight that has a surprising throw for having a domed Osram P9 emitter. Having a smooth reflector helps that, of course. I appreciate that the light takes either 14500 (included!) or an AA cell, too. For $42, it’s not a bad deal at all.
Long Review
The Big Table
| Cyansky P12R multifunctional flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Osram P9 |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $41.99 |
| Cell: | 1×14500 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | – |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | with or without cell or body: one mode |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1300 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1075 (82.7% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 14.71 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 240 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 487lux @ 5.741m = 16051cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 253.4 (105.6% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 6900-7600 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | Cyansky |
| All my Cyansky reviews! | |
| Cyansky P12R multifunctional flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Osram P9 |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $41.99 |
| Cell: | 1xAA |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | – |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | – |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 514 |
| Candela per Lumen | 14.24 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | – |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 195lux @ 5.877m = 6735cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 164.1 |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 6600-7100 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | Cyansky |
| All my Cyansky 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
- Cyansky P12R multifunctional flashlight
- Cyansky 800mAh 14500
- Charging cable (USB to USB-C)
- Pocket clip
- Lanyard
- Spare o-ring
- Manual etc
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The Cyansky P12R multifunctional flashlight has a nice built quality, particularly for around $42.
The threads on the body (the only part that comes apart) are nice and smooth, as well as being anodized. On the head end is only a positive contact, not a spring. That’s fine since this isn’t a tactical flashlight.
Inside the cell tube, you can see the spring for negative contact. It also holds in the magnet. More on that later.
Size and Comps
- 20 x 25.4 x 102 mm
- 46g (excluding battery)
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo). If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that (usually in the fourth photo).
Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. The version you see below is an orange Convoy S2+ host that’s been laser engraved by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full post on this light right here! Or go straight to GadgetConnections.com to buy your Convoy S2+ now!
Also above is the light beside a new standard 18350 light! It’s not one I’ve reviewed yet but this is the CWF Arcadian Peanut in aluminum. This one is stonewashed and has the new Quantum Dragon driver – a whole new product! Stay tuned for a full review of this tiny powerhouse!
Retention and Carry
Cyansky includes a two-way pocket clip for the P12R multifunctional flashlight. It attaches only on the tail end, but still has overall good placement.
The pocket clip includes a hole for attaching the lanyard. There is no hole in the body – only the hole on this friction-fit pocket clip.
Also included is a magnet in the tailcap. This is a very strong magnet, and (as below) clearly holds the light just fine. It’s so strong though, that cells do not slide out of the body when the head is off. That means you need to sort of sling the body to free the cell, which inevitably flings the cell across the world.
Power and Runtime
A 14500 cell is included for running the Cyansky P12R multifunctional flashlight. It’s a standard 14500 and has an 800mAh capacity.
The cell goes into the light with the button (positive end) toward the head.
I find the output to be fairly fantastic, peaking well over 1000 lumens and not just briefly.
The Cyansky P12R multifunctional flashlight can also run a single AA cell!
Output on this AA cell (though actually, I tested with an Ikea LADDA cell, not the Amazon Basics cell pictured above) is good, too.
In all cases, the indicating e-switch does give an idea of the cell voltage, as follows:
Green: 75-100% power
Green blinking: 50-75% power
Red: 25-50% power
Red blinking: 0-25% power
When using a 14500 cell, the switch will begin blinking around 3V and the light will eventually turn off. Low voltage protection is around 1V for NiMH.
Charging
On-board charging is by way of this USB-C in the head.
A USB to USB-C charging cable is included.
Charging looks fine, if a bit slow. A to C and C to C work fine.
Do not use the Cyansky P12R multifunctional flashlight for charging any 1.5V cell!!
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo (14500, 4.2V) | 1300 | 55m | 1075 | 4.13 |
| High (14500, 4.2V) | 300 | 1h | 270 | 0.84 |
| Med (14500, 4.2V) | 50 | 4.7h | 53 | 0.18 |
| Low (14500, 4.2V) | 5 | 116h | 6.9 | 0.02 |
| Turbo (AA, 1.5V) | – | – | 514 | 11.5^ |
| High (AA, 1.5V) | – | – | 295 | 3.57 |
| Med (AA, 1.5V) | – | – | 98 | 0.82 |
| Low (AA, 1.5V) | – | – | 2.8 | 0.02 |
^ These are always (if possible) bench power supply measurements. And they are here too, so I guess there’s just some weirdness going on. A 1.5V cell isn’t going to dump 11.5A into this light, so I’m not sure what the real reading would be.
Pulse Width Modulation
Most of the modes use PWM at least a little. It’s all fairly fast though, so nothing to worry about.
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
A single e-switch is used for controlling the Cyansky P12R multifunctional flashlight.
It’s an indicating switch, and used as covered in the low voltage section above.
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click | On (mode memory, excluding Turbo) |
| On | Click | Mode advance (ascending) |
| On | Hold | Off |
| Off | >3 clicks | Lockout (two blinks to indicate lockout) |
| Lockout | >3 clicks | Unlock to mode memory, excluding Turbo) |
| Any | Hold | Strobe |
| Strobe | Hold | SOS |
| Any Strobe | Click | On (mode memory, excluding Turbo) |
I find the user interface graphic in the manual to be a bit overwhelming, but I think the table covers all the parts.
LED and Beam
Cyansky tells us this is an Osram P9 emitter. It’s domed, and there’s a nice smooth reflector to go with it.
The resulting beam is quite throwy.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
It’s a cool-white emitter, without any doubt. CRI is low, too, at around 71.
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
- Good build quality
- Fairly reasonable cost
- Includes 14500 cell
- Can run a 1.5V cell too, such as NiMH AA, etc.
- Simple user interface (and it’s nice that it doesn’t play at being “tactical”)
- USB-C charging works well if a touch slow
What I don’t like
- Very cool white
- Low CRI
- Doesn’t also charge 1.5V cells, and that could confuse consumers
Notes
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