77outdoor EDC Small Rechargeable Flashlight, Sofirn SC18 1800 High Lumen Flashlight, Super Bright Pocket Light with Powerful SST-40 LED, Type C Charging Port for Camping, Emergency, Dog Walking

I was recently furnished the SC18 flashlight by Sofirn in exchange for an impartial review. Here are my thoughts;Size & Weight:The most obvious characteristic of the SC18 is its small size and weight for an 18650 light. It’s easily the smallest 18650 light I’ve owned. The pic below shows how it compares to the popular Sofirn SC31 Pro, on the right, which is a fairly compact 18650 light itself. On the left is the SC21 Mini, which uses a much smaller 16340 cell.I usually reach for a smaller flashlight, as long as it has the output I need at the moment. For me, that’s usually an AA/14500 or 16340 light. But the SC18 is small and light enough that I’ve found myself choosing it recently. The impressive output, and superior runtime, give it a big performance edge over my AA/14500 and 16340 lights.User Interface (UI):The SC18 has a side “e” (electronic) switch. I generally prefer a mechanical switch, but as e-switches go, the SC18’s is pretty good. One reviewer noticed a slight delay between pressing the switch and the light activating, but I don’t see that.A common problem with side e-switches is that they’re so recessed that it’s hard to locate them in the dark. The SC18 suffers a little from this as the button lies fairly flat, but not so much as with some I’ve seen. The fact that it sits right between the pronounced cooling fins also helps locate it. Finally, placing the clip 180 degrees opposite the switch also makes it easy to locate.One of my dislikes for e-switches is that their operation varies from light to light. I have a lot of flashlights and so remembering the various schemes is a challenge. For the SC18 it’s a quick press to turn on, then press-and-hold to cycle through low-medium-high. From off, press-and-hold activates moon mode (even during lockout). Double click for turbo; triple click for strobe; quadruple click locks or unlocks the light (to prevent it turning on accidentally. You can also simply unscrew the tailcap just enough to break the circuit).I like the simplicity of low-medium-high as you can get to where you’re going quickly. Double click for turbo is a common feature on many lights and is quick and easy. The mode spacing is very good. The SC18 also has mode memory---when you turn it on, it will remember its previous level (low-medium-high).Beam and Output:The SC18 uses a TIR (total internal reflection) lens and produces a clean white beam. Some reviewers have found it too cool but it suits me fine. I’m not a warm tint aficionado and am happy with a cool tint, as long as it’s not too blue or green, as it tends to yield a little more output.The SC18 manages a good combination of throw and spill, emphasizing throw a bit more with a fairly bright and tight spot. The throw is impressive for such a small light and comes close to matching that of its bigger brother, the SC31 Pro. We have a large yard and I can reach every corner with medium, and way beyond with high and turbo.I’ve read SC18 reviews where the lumen output was measured and it fell fairly short of the claimed lumens. I’m nevertheless impressed with the actual output I’ve observed. Moreover, one of those reviews measured the candela (hotspot intensity) as greater than claimed---meaning longer throw.Runtime:I’m not equipped to do any serious runtime tests but so far I’ve been impressed with how slowly the 3000 mAh 18650 cell depletes. Maybe because I’m used to how quickly my 14500 and 16340 lights run down, but when I periodically check the SC18 cell on a multimeter, I’m surprised how little the voltage has dropped.My impression from some reviews is that the SC18 is a direct drive rather than a regulated light. That is, the output decreases as the battery depletes. In the SC18 this was observed most dramatically in turbo and high, less so in medium, and just slightly in low. (A regulated light, by contrast, maintains near constant output even as the battery depletes.) I consider this a significant negative, though it will be more or less of one depending on how you use the light. If you use it for hours at a time between charges, it would be more of a problem. If, like me, you use it for fairly brief periods and can access a charger whenever you like, it’s not as important. I’ve been using my SC18 for brief periods every night for the last 5 or 6 nights and any decrease in output hasn’t been noticeable.Charging:A separate charger isn’t needed for the SC18. To charge, simply plug the USB-C cord into the charging port and the other end into the USB port of your computer. I dislike rubber port covers as they’re flimsy and can get in the way and become easily dislodged. I hope Sofirn will develop a metal sleeve covered port similar to the one certain Fenix and ThruNite lights have. That said, those lights have built in, non-replaceable batteries, which have their own disadvantages. So, if that’s a requirement for the metal sleeve feature, there’s a real trade-off.The SC18 does use USB-C charging, which is faster than Micro-USB, and is quickly becoming the standard for rechargeable flashlights.Misc. Features:The SC18 has reverse polarity protection, so that if you accidentally insert the battery in the wrong direction, it won’t damage the battery or the flashlight.There is low and high voltage protection. If the battery is over-charged, or overly depleted, the light cuts off.There is a low battery indicator. When you first switch on the SC18, a green light in the button appears, indicating good status. A red light means the battery is low, and a flashing red light means to charge immediately.The tailcap is wide and flat, so the SC18 will easily and steadily tailstand (although not if the lanyard is attached). Some reviewers have complained of lack of a magnetic tailcap, but that’s not a feature I need.The clip is nice looking, sturdy, and firmly attached. It was too tight out of the box as it caused the light to scrape pretty hard on my jeans. But I was able to bend it slightly and now it’s fine.The SC18 has an attractive design and appearance. It’s fairly sleek and not “junked up”. The cooling fins, which perform an important function on such a small and high powered light, aren’t oversized and ugly. The horizontal lines on the body are a nice design feature. One reviewer said they make the grip a little slick, but this isn’t an issue for me, especially since the clip gives you something extra to grab.Value:The Amazon price tends to jump around but at the time of this writing it’s $22.49, which includes the 18650 battery, USB-C charging cord, lanyard, 2 spare o-rings, and user manual.For such a small, powerful, and well designed light, the SC18 lands towards the top of the bang-for-the-buck list. Overall, it’s just a great value.

PhotosI took a couple of photos that go with this review.The first is of the Sofirn SC18 along with the Sofirn 3000 mAh unprotected 18650 cell to show how small the flashlight is.I don't think that my photo perfectly shows how small this flashlight is, but it gives you an idea if you know how large an 18650 cell is.The second photo is of the SC18 on top of an unknown Gasteria succulent.What's interesting about Gasteria is that its leaves break off pretty easily, but you can plant the broken leaves and get new Gasteria plants without much effort.I used a program called Topaz Gigapixel AI to improve the image quality.Size & modesI'm going to start this review with the figurative "elephant" in the room.This flashlight is very compact for an 18650 flashlight.I have a bunch of compact 18650 flashlights, and this is one of the smallest, if not the very smallest.It's also quite bright on turbo.The SC18 gets warm somewhat quickly on turbo, but not on high, which is what I like.The three main modes (low, medium, and high) are nicely spaced out.Moonlight is of course quite dim, and you don't have to cycle through moonlight or turbo, which works for me.User InterfaceThe UI is well thought out.A single click turns the light on or off.Holding down the button when the light is on cycles through the main modes.The flashlight has proper memory and will remember which of the three main modes was used last.When the light is on, a double click brings you to turbo.When the light is on, triple clicking takes you to strobe.When the light is off, holding down the button takes you to moonlight.When the light is off, a quadruple click locks out the light, and another quadruple click unlocks the light.Honestly, I wish all of my flashlights had a UI this good.It just works quite well for me.By the way, the strobe is very quick and disorienting, but I'll probably never use it because I have no use for disco modes.Fit and finish & extrasThe fit and finish are very nice, which is what I expect from Sofirn.The SC18 has a great clip for those that like clips.It also has a side switch, which is what a lot of people prefer.I prefer a tail switch, so I'll give this flashlight to my family because they like side switches.The light comes with a lanyard that seems pretty decent.One slight problem is that if you attach the lanyard, it interferes with tailstanding.I think the light will still tailstand with the lanyard attached, but it will not do so perfectly.The light also comes with a USB-C charging cable for those that don't want to use their own charger.The rubber cover over the charging port is quite nice.Also included are two spare o-rings.Manual & tintThe printed manual seems to be written well, but the font is incredibly small.It's almost too small for me to be able to read.The tint of the emitter is described as 6500K, but it looks like 4500K to me, which is good because I like warmer tints.Flood/ThrowThe SC18 has a TIR lens.This is my first flashlight with a TIR lens.In general, I am not a fan.I much prefer a regular lens.This light has some throw, and a bit of flood.With a regular lens and a deeper reflector, the SC18 could have more flood and more throw.If all you care about is having as small of a flashlight as possible, then choosing a TIR lens makes sense.Otherwise, a regular lens makes more sense.SummaryThe SC18 is extremely compact.The modes are spaced out well.I really like the UI.The fit & finish and all the extras are very nice.The manual's font is too small.The tint is very nice (about 4500K).I am not a big fan of the TIR lens.It's an impressive flashlight and the price is right.

This flashlight has some great points - On its highest setting, it's extremely bright. I live the fact that I can turn it on to different settings easily, without cycling through the options. (Just tap the button once/twice/three times.) I didn't think I'd use the lower settings - I'm usually an all-or-nothing kind of guy, but I found them helpful. Finally, it is very small (for its strength).It has two flaws - First, on the high mode, it gets EXTREMELY hot. Second, when you keep it in your pocket, it tends to turn on by itself. When these two items combine, it can be...uncomfortable.