Sofirn IF30: Best Value Dual-Beam Flashlight?
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I review the Sofirn IF30 – a 2-in-1 throw/flood flashlight producing 12,000 lumens!
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General thoughts after a week of usage/size comparison/practicality/interesting things:
• I’ve been a fan and collector of Sofirn lights from the start of my flashlight obsession. They represent excellent value for those just getting into the hobby or for anyone looking for a reliable, budget-friendly flashlight. This here is the Sofirn IF30 and it’s by far the largest Sofirn light I own! This light is a unique 2-in-1 flood and spot beam. Sofirn sent me a free sample of the IF30 for the purposes of this review. I’ve stayed away from those ‘can’ style ones as they look too clunky and have Anduril on them… However, this one really caught my eye as it comes with a one-battery design and a more ergonomic, smaller battery tube.
• Comparison with Imalent MR90, Wuben X1, Convoy L8.
• What you get in the box: 32650 battery, lanyard, charging cable, instruction manual.
Overall Construction, LED, lens, bezel and reflector
• Great quality machining, smooth square-cut threads. I couldn’t spot any inconsistencies or rough spots. The anodizing is smooth and somewhere in the middle of glossy and matt black. The knurling on the battery tube really helps. The light is operated by a single aluminum button under the head of the light. Very grippy and also functions as a battery indicator. The switch has some special features, which I’ll go through later.
• The head of the light has lots of cutouts and cooling fins which are needed in a light of this size and output. Sofirn has included a stainless steel bezel which is a nice touch. I haven’t seen them do this on many of their other lights, if at all.
• 12xTN3535 LEDs – the first time I’ve heard of these. Together, they produce 12,000 lumens of flood. The spot beam – SFT40 in the center is rated at 2500 lumens. All smooth reflectors. Glass lens on the front. I couldn’t unscrew the bezel – appears to be glued down.
UI – modes
• Simple UI. The light locks automatically after 15 seconds. To unlock, rotate the switch quickly 60 degrees.
• Press once to turn on to the last remembered mode/brightness. Press and hold to switch modes. If you unlock press and hold, it will go to low. This is good in case you are not sure whether you left the light on high previously. Rotate the switch to ramp up and down. Double press for turbo/100%. You can access it also by continually rotating the switch.
• Press and hold from off for low.
• Triple press for strobe.
Performance – total output, beam profile, longevity, practicality
• CCT, CRI, Ceiling bounce test
• Wall of light – ridiculously bright. Especially with both throw+flood beams activated.
Considerations
• The stock battery isn’t the best – and I’ve found that after a few rounds of testing, the voltage drops significantly as well as the overall brightness. It doesn’t recover. I would only use this battery on the lower modes as well since it’s apparently rated at 6.5A continuous discharge, but the light is drawing 5X that current. Over time, this will degrade the performance of the battery. The good news is that a 21700 flat-top cell fits nicely inside if you use a bit of creative thinking. I use a Molicel P42A. It would’ve been nice if Sofirn included a spacer. A 2X21700 or even 3×18650 config would have been better.
• Light runs off an unregulated FET driver – as battery voltage drops, so will light output. Stepdown is steep. Goes to 10-20% of turbo output.
• While this is one of the ‘smaller’ pocket rockets out there, it’s still pretty chunky and you’ll be carrying this one around in a backpack.
Verdict
Overall this is a great 2-in-1 (spotlight/flood light) if you’re on a budget and can contend with the stock battery. I’d recommend using a high drain 21700 or 26650 cell. The only issue is that you’ll have reduced runtime. It’s not perfect but the IF30 is an excellent value lumen monster.
