Sofirn SF16UV Flashlight Review
The Sofirn SF16UV Flashlight is a new 365nm ultraviolet light that ships with a ZWB2 filter, for clean UV! It also has USB-C charging and a few UV modes.
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a referral link to the Sofirn SF16UV ultraviolet flashlight product page on Amazon.com. Here’s the light on Sofirn’s website.
Versions
There’s just this one version!
Price
The Sofirn SF16UV ultraviolet flashlight is on an introductory sale price right now! Sort of, it seems – the list price (on amazon) is $42.99. On amazon, you can apply a 25% coupon. Sofirn also provided me with a 10% off code, which could stack? I’m not sure. Here’s the code:
Buy the Sofirn SF16UV ultraviolet flashlight here!
What’s Included
- Sofirn SF16UV ultraviolet flashlight
- Sofirn 3000mAh 18650
- Charging cable
- Lanyard
- O-rings (2)
- Manual
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The Sofirn SF16UV ultraviolet flashlight has Sofirn’s normal nice build quality. I’d say it’s in the realm of “right” for the price. Possibly over built for a $25 light, but right in line with other $43 lights. So it’s fine.
Both head and tail have nice beefy springs.
The cell tube is reversible.
Size and Comps
Size: 25mm (head diameter) x 17mm (length)
Weight: 67g (without 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 below is a custom laser-engraved Convoy S2+ host by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full post on an engraved orange host 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
A pocket clip comes already attached. It’s a friction fit clip, and I’d say it has a sort of “arrow” look. It’s fine.
The clip has a lanyard hole, but a better place to attach the included lanyardi s through this set of holes in the tailcap.
Power and Runtime
The Sofirn SF16UV ultraviolet flashlight 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.
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.
I don’t have any way to test runtime with a UV emitter.
Charging
The Sofirn SF16UV ultraviolet flashlight also 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.
A USB to USB-C cable is included.
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.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | 875mw | 8h | – | 0.67 |
| Med | 440mw | 714.5h | – | 0.33 |
| Low | 126mw | 31hh | – | 0.09 |
User Interface and Operation
There’s a single mechanical switch on the Sofirn SF16UV ultraviolet flashlight. It’s a fine switch, but there’s a good bit of empty space under the cover and above the actual plastic switch.
It’s fine as long as you press directly down on the switch.
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click | On (Mode Memory) |
| Off | Half press | No action |
| On | Half press | Mode advance |
| On | Click | Off |
LED and Beam
The SF16 has a UV emitter, which emits at 365nm. Sofirn says it’s a Luminus SST-08-UV. Those emitters still output a bit of visible light, and there’s a filter on the SF16 to filter all of that out. This gives you only UV.
This is a warning I take seriously on UV lights – I’m super sensitive to UV and honestly even thinking about it can give me a headache. So I use UV sparingly.
You can see that there’s very little visible light bleeding out!
Ultraviolet excites all sorts of things that might surprise you. And some that don’t surprise you at all. One of the surprising things is how different emitters light up differently. Below is the Mateminco TK06, with cool white and warm white emitters lit up very differently!
These emitters are not on! They’re just very excited by UV.
Here’s some random light in my house.
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!
Summary and Conclusion
If you need a ultraviolet light, this is a fine one. It comes with a filter built in, which is a bonus feature that you really don’t see in any other lights (for good reason – there’s a patent preventing it!). The build quality of the Sofirn SF16UV ultraviolet flashlight is great and cost is reasonable.
What I like
- Nice build quality
- Three modes (are modes even important with UV?)
- Very simple user interface
- Complete package
- USB-C charging
- Comes with a filter
What I don’t like
- [blank]
Notes
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
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