Sofirn SR20 Mini EDC Flashlight Review
The Sofirn SR20 Mini EDC flashlight offers three CSP2323 emitters (at 5700K) and three red emitters, with Sofirn’s familiar user interface. Check this one out!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Sofirn SR20 Mini EDC flashlight product page.
Versions
There’s just one version of the Sofirn SR20 Mini EDC flashlight.
Price
The Sofirn SR20 Mini EDC flashlight is listed for $50.99 and has a 45% off sale running now, for a final price of $27.99. Buy yours here.
What’s Included
- Sofirn SR20 Mini EDC flashlight
- Sofirn 1100mAh 18350
- Lanyard
- Charging cable
- Spare o-rings (2)
- Manual
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The build quality is fine. There’s nothing bad to say here.
The tailcap threads are well-lubed and long. The head also comes off – the cell tube is completely removable. Below you can see the little printed battery orientation label. The cell tube will work in either direction. That means the cell icon can be incorrect if you install the cell tube the wrong way (but the light will still work if you put the cell in the right way.)
That icon really needs to be on the tailcap!
Both the head and tail have thick springs.
Size and Comps
Size: 31.7mm x 80mm
Weight: 35g(without battery)
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here. If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that here too!
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 TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light. I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats. I also reviewed that specific edition, the “Oveready BOSS FT Collector Vintage Brass” 35. I love it!
Retention and Carry
The Sofirn SR20 Mini EDC flashlight has only a lanyard – there is no pocket clip. That’s fairly sensible since this is a very short light and also has a reasonably thick head. A pocket clip would make the light sit a bit incorrectly in a pocket.
The lanyard is very basic.
In the tailcap is a magnet which is plenty strong for holding the Sofirn SR20 Mini EDC flashlight in place.
Power and Runtime
The price includes an 1100mAh 18350 cell. It’s a button-top cell.
The cell goes with the button toward the head.
Below are a few runtime tests, including one with the red output. The light does not hit the claimed 1200 lumens, but I think the manual means the 1200 lumens is the initial output with a planned stepdown to 500. I would call this output disappointing, in particular since the claim is 1200 lumens. That said, I do really like the beam profile (fairly tight) so the 700 or so lumens are very usable!
The red output isn’t technically calibrated but is included to show driver performance for the red output. For being the highest level, output stays fairly flat. That’s appreciated.
Low voltage protection was observed in every test and the switch will also indicate the power level (as follows):
Green: 70-100% power
Red: 30-70% power
Red flashing: 0-30% power
Charging
Charging is built in. There’s a USB-C port in the head. This port has a press-in cover.
A USB to USB-C charging cable is included, too.
Below you can see a C to C and A to C charging test. They’re both fine – steady charging at around 1C, with completion at around 1.5 hours.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 1200-500 | 2m+1h | 722 (0s) 698 (30s) |
2.44 |
| High | 500 | 1h30m | 262 (0s) 256 (30s) |
0.88 |
| Medium | 150 | 4h30m | 88 | 0.34 |
| Low | 10 | 32h50m | 7.6 | 0.01 |
| Moonlight | 1 | 460h | 0.34 | [low] |
| Turbo | 150 | 2h | Relative output to other red levels: 38 | 1.61 |
| High | 70 | 2h10m | Relative output to other red levels: 21 | 0.80 |
| Medium | 40 | 4h | Relative output to other red levels: 11 | 0.36 |
| Low | 3 | 44h10m | Relative output to other red levels: 1 | 0.02 |
| Moonlight | 1 | 270h | Relative output to other red levels: 0.19 | [low] |
Pulse Width Modulation
All modes except the lowest white output use PWM. In most cases, it’s fairly fast and unlikely to be noticeable. But the lower modes could be noticeable if you are PWM-sensitive.
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 Sofirn SR20 Mini EDC flashlight is controlled by a single indicating e-switch.
The switch is very clicky with a reasonable amount of travel. One surprising thing about this Sofirn (compared to other Sofirns and also other e-switch lights in general): the response time from click to change in state is surprisingly long.
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click | On (Memory) |
| On | Click | Off |
| On | Hold | Mode advance (LMH) |
| Off | Hold | Moonlight |
| Any | Double click | Turbo |
| Turbo | Double click | Strobe |
| Strobe | Double click | Previous state (before turbo) |
| Off | Click 3x | Strobe |
| Off | Click 4x | Lockout |
| Locked | Click 4x | Unlock to on (Mode memory) |
| Locked | Hold | Momentary Moonlight |
| Locked | Click | LED flashes twice to indicate lockout |
| On | Click 3x | Iterate between red and white |
| Red | Hold | Advance Red (LMHT) |
| White Moonlight | Click 3x | Red moonlight (this is the only way to access red moonlight!) |
| Red | Double click | Red flashing |
| Red flashing | Click 3x | White strobe |
LED and Beam
Sofirn has used three CSP2323 emitters for the white output. Just between those white emitters and on the edge are three red emitters. They have their own tiny optic sections, too.
This is very much a narrow optic, so throw is good – maybe surprising – for these emitters and this small light.
The reds are HFL1-R red LEDs. Since there are three and they’re organized symmetrically, they have a nice beam shape too with no unreasonable artifacts.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
These CSP2323 emitters are stated to be 5700K. They’re cooler (or “much” cooler) than the claim. CRI is high though, which is a nice sort of change of pace – cool white emitters with high CRI.
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. These photos are taken around 18 inches from the door.
I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Summary and Conclusion
The Sofirn SR20 Mini EDC flashlight is an interesting tiny flashlight. It’s very small – despite having a “bigger” optic for three white emitters and three red emitters, it uses just an 18350. The beam shape is throwy (a fact borne out by the cd/lm of >10). I don’t love that the CCT is over 6000K, but I am pleased that it’s still high CRI. All in all, some good fun can be had with this light for a reasonable price!
The Big Table
| Sofirn SR20 Mini EDC flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | CSP2323 (3) (Triple) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $27.99 |
| Cell: | 1×18350 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes, with switch warning |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | with cell: all modes without cell and/or tailcap: one mode (medium ish) |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1200 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 698 (58.2% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 10.62 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 142 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 295lux @ 5.576m = 9172cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 191.5 (134.9% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | 5700 |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 5900-6200 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | Sofirn |
| 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 I like
- Beam shape
- Red doesn’t have any weird artifacts
- Includes cell
- Uses standard cell
What I don’t like
- Weird access to red moonlight
- Disparity between red and white user interface
- Output falls well short of the 1200-lumen claim
- Possibly noticeable PWM on some modes
Notes
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