Cyansky Vanguard Flashlight Review
The Cyansky Vanguard flashlight is a gadget. It has a slide that can be “cocked” and the laser exposed as a “barrel” – it’s a neat take on gadgets! Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a referral link to the official Kickstarter product page for the Cyansky Vanguard flashlight.
Versions
The single version of Cyansky Vanguard flashlight is available in two colors – silver (seen here) or black.
Price
The early bird price for the Cyansky Vanguard flashlight on Kickstarter is $89. That price will go up (maybe even dramatically) once the early bird price is gone. So go order one now!
What’s Included
- Cyansky Vanguard flashlight
- Cyansky 850mAh 16340
- Charging cable
I didn’t get a retail package really, so you’ll certainly also get a manual. Even if you don’t get a manual, I have a scan below!
Package and Manual
Even the box looks like a gun case!
Build Quality and Disassembly
This is an unusual light, there’s no doubt about that! It’s meant as a fidget toy I think and it’s pretty fun for that. It also seems to mimic the slide of a handgun – it’s pretty good at that, too.
The body is very boxy. As an EDC light, it’s not going to be super comfortable to hold for long durations. But again, as a fidget, it’s great!
The photo below proves this is meant as a fun light. There’s a face there!
When “racked” the laser module is extended as if it were a barrel. It’s a clever design!!
When the slide is pulled fully back, the slide lock engages, holding the slide back. To return the slide, press down on the slide lock. The slide returns with a pleasant action and thonk.
I have not disassembled the Cyansky Vanguard flashlight at all. There are a number of TORX screws. They’re very small! Inside the Cyansky Vanguard flashlight is a built-in 21700.
Size and Comps
120mm x 44.8mm x 30mm and 255g (including 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
Nothing is included for carrying the Cyansky Vanguard flashlight. There’s no point to attach a lanyard and there’s no pocket clip or magnets. Also, there is no pouch.
Power and Runtime
The Cyansky Vanguard flashlight has an interesting feature set for power. Most importantly, there’s a built-in 21700 cell. I didn’t access that, but you might after removing some (a bunch of) screws. Separately, there’s a standard button-top 16340.
I think the main point of this 16340 is to be ejected like spent ammunition. But it also functions to power the light. It’s not possible to pick between power sources.
The 16340 doesn’t just eject when the slide is racked – you’ll have to loosen the grip of that little plastic arm. That’s probably better.
Below are the runtimes for both with and without the included 16340. Maximum output per mode in lumens doesn’t really seem to change with or without the 16340. It seems to me that the 16340 is really only utilized for runtime after the stepdown. You can note that once stepped down, the duration is longer for the 16340 version.
The light does shut off with low voltage protection, but I wasn’t able to test the voltage of the built-in 21700. When turned on, the LED below the two switches (which you can see in the first photo in the next section) turns on for a few seconds to indicate the power level, as follows:
Green: 75-100%
Green flashing: 50-75%
Red: 25-50%
Red flashing: 0-25%
Charging
The Cyansky Vanguard flashlight does have built-in charging for both the internal 21700 and the removable 16340.
A C to C charging cable is included.
Charging for both the internal 21700 and removable 16340 seems fine -the total duration until the LED indicator switches from red to green looks like around 4 hours.
I would not normally recommend charging two very different cells like this but this light is designed for it and seems to test fine.
Modes and Currents
I couldn’t distinguish any differences in output for with or without the 16340. The manual doesn’t either, so this table is how the manual presents the information.
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 1500 | 2.5h | 1728 (0s) 1638 (30s) |
| High | 500 | 4.5h | 521 (0s) 516 (30s) |
| Medium | 150 | 16h | 173 |
| Low | 30 | 70h | 36 |
| ECO | 5 | 310h | 3.5 |
Pulse Width Modulation
None of the modes seem to exhibit PWM.
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 Cyansky Vanguard flashlight has two e-switches. The left one operates the green laser. It’s just on/off. The right one (with the off-center icon/eyebrow) operates the emitter. These two output (white LED and laser) can be operated independently. That sounds the opposite of how I mean it – you have the laser on at the same time that you have the LED on.
The e-switches sit flush to the body and have a very low action.
Here’s a user interface table! The laser and white LED can be operated independently.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Laser off | Click button for laser | Laser on |
| Laser on | Click button for laser | Laser off |
| White LED off | Click button for LED | White on (mode memory, excluding turbo) |
| White LED on | Click button for LED | White off |
| White LED on | Hold button for LED | White LED advance (Eco> Low> Medium> High) |
| White off | Hold button for LED | ECO |
| Any | Double-click the button for LED | Turbo |
| Any | Click 3x the button for LED | Strobe |
| Strobe | Hold the button for LED | Previous mode |
| Strobe | Click 3x the button for LED | SOS |
| Off | Click either button 4x | Lockout (indicated by LED blinking twice) |
| Lockout | Click either button 4x | Light comes on in laser (if laser button used) or Low LED (if LED button used) |
LED and Beam
Cyansky calls this emitter a CT-30W750SL LED. I don’t know what this and I haven’t heard of it before, but the emitter still looks familiar. Cyansky also calls this an “ultra white light” in the Kickstarter page. I won’t dispute that here but I do have CRI/CCT data below that you can see for yourself.
The emitter has a smooth and deep reflector which provides fantastic throw.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
CCT and CRI are presented for both with and without the included 16340, though they should look about the same. On the lower modes, the Duv is very positive. You’ll know what that means if you glance at the next two sections – the beam can be seen as “greenish.” The CCT is reasonable though, at around 5500K, only creeping to cool at the highest output. CRI is very low at under 65.
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 Cyansky Vanguard flashlight presents something I don’t think we’ve seen before in a flashlight. Yes, we’ve seen fidget lights before, but this Vanguard has gun-like features that many will find appealing. The 5mW green laser is useful, even with just one mode. I’d love to be able to remove the 21700, and I’m not sold on mixing 21700 and 16340 cells (but Cyansky seems to have those details sorted out). The Cyansky Vanguard flashlight offers great throw, too!
The Big Table
| Cyansky Vanguard flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | CT-30W750SL LED |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $89.00 |
| Cell: | 1×16340 |
| 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 | Yes, all modes |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1500 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1638 (109.2% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 36.37 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 300 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 1683lux @ 6.081m = 62235cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 498.9 (166.3% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 5200-6000 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 I like
- Great throw from the white LED
- Simple user interface
- USB-C charging works well
- Complete package
- Hits output claim
What I don’t like
- Very green beam
- Very low CRI
- 21700 can not be removed
- A bit cumbersome to hold
Notes
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