Road trips or hikes, one of the critical component of any of these is the hand held flashlight. It is of utmost important that this accessory be capable & competent to fulfill any requirement that it is thrust upon during the activity. Today I would be speaking about the flashlight that I have been using for the past two years “The Sunwayman T20 CS series “
Sunwayman company has become one of the top flashlight makers in the world. They are well known for a sleek look to their lights and not compromising on the quality. The Sunwayman T20CS is the first T series of tactical flashlights. This flashlight is a powerful illumination tool, designed for the professionals in law enforcement and military specialty occupations. There are mainly three lighting levels; a strong strobe, a reliable SOS function and the main continuous light. These features coupled with a ultra-strong body make a super tool.
So now to talk about the flashlight in detail
Construction
This flashlight feels extremely solid and well made with great aesthetics, the head of the flashlight is well defined while the side button is well contoured into the body and has a strong feel to it, nothing flimsy about it in any way. There is a rubber grp provided on the body and the tail cap has a well-defined knurling to add grip Each detachment of the flashlight when unscrewed from the other is provided with rubber O rings thereby ensuring that moisture and water can no longer seep inside. The metal is aerospace grade aluminum alloy, the best in the business while the deflector all round the Led is all metal thus ensuring a great even spread of the beam. The LED used in CREE XM-L U2 LED, with a lifetime of up to 50,000 hours. Waterproofing is as per IP-X 8 standard and the head glass is Ultra clear tempered glass which resists scratches.
It comes with a lanyard too and a durable rugged pouch custom made for the flashlight which I fund to be very cool indeed.
Operations
There are two main switches for operations (side switch & tail switch) with the model claiming to have three main modes i.e. Turbo, High & Medium. The model also has a Strobe feature as well as SOSO feature which can be used in case required. The Turbo mode when switched ON gives an incredible beam well spread all around with a output of 730 Lumens and a distance of 250 mts but consumes the battery enormously. It is important to be conversant with how to operate the odes because all of the above are achieved using only the two switches provided.
There is also a red low voltage indicator LED opposite to the side switch which informs in case the battery has reached its full capability and is now on low voltage thereby needed a replacement. I think this is a very useful feature indeed forewarning the user that replacement of batteries is due.
Overall my views on this flashlight
- Great combination of function and style .
- Compact with high output and long range
- Smooth reflector for throw
- Low voltage indicator is a great addition
- Durability and adaptability to any environment, I have used it at Chadar trek as well as in the monsoons of the Western Ghats.
What I found the downside
- Battery consumption is very high especially in Turbo mode but then I think because this is designed for military operations hence it is not looked at for long periods of continuous operations
- Batteries that it uses are available but they are not the common battery that one would find in the local shop. I use the SUREFIRE 123A Lithium Battery that are very specific batteries designed again for military purposes (3V each & I use two of them in the Flashlight
- The User interface especially with all the modes and combinations takes some time getting used to and for a new user it is quite baffling initially till one gets a hang of it.
- This model is not available in India and has to be ordered online.
PROS
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