# User Review: Sofirn IF25A NW 4000K



## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Had a feeling I was going to get it today. Sadly didn't get home till almost 2:00 in the morning. That was because I put off doing my grocery shopping that I usually do on Sundays and had to do it after work.

When I got home it was like a sauna outside. 77°F and 90% humidity. After I got home and brought the groceries in I checked my mail box and there it was. Really not the kind of night that you want to test a new light but when I checked the weather report for tomorrow it looks like rain all day and night. With that in mind that really didn't leave me too much choice. I had to see how it was going to work on the helmet.

Took only a short 10 minute ride. Too hot and too tired to do more than that. Well, I'm a little disappointed. The sofirn has the right tint, it's bright but my first impression is that the beam pattern is just a tad too wide. Because of this the throw suffers. It is very bright though. Thing is if you turn up the juice the torch gets hot really fast. Once again if the air had not been so thick with humidity the throw might have given a bit more definition at distance. ( also might run cooler under cooler conditions but that remains to be seen )

Not going to say this can't work as a helmet torch. Really nice having the wide beam pattern but it's just that the light begins to dissipate once it reaches the range that I need for it to function as a usable helmet light. While doing my quickie test run I brought the NW Convoy M1 I just got the other day along so I could compare the two. The Convoy M1 has the Sofirn beat when it comes to throw, no doubt about it there. However, if you're the kind of person that really doesn't need a lot of distance throw the Sofirn's beam pattern off the helmet can be really nice if you ride a lot of trails that weave with a lot of technical features.

I will give the Sofirn a fair try out. With less humidity perhaps it will have better distance throw. With ***4 x XP-L Hi's* it's no surprise the torch gets really hot, especially if you start to use the boost. Suppose to be a 10° optic but to my eyes seems more like 15°. Damn, too bad it's so wide. It's got the output, just needs a more narrower quad optic to get more of the light into the distance. Don't know if they make a 6° quad optic. 

Got to be the hottest summer I can remember in some time. Then when the heat stops the monsoons move in and deluge the area with inches and inches of rain. I have a feeling it's going to be sometime before I can ride my MTB with some degree of comfort.

I'll be giving more details about the torch but right now it's too late. Got to get some food in me and then off to bed.

(EDIT; Sorry, the model is "IF25A" )



> (EDIT #2: FYI, this torch was bought with my own money. As of date no one has asked me to review any of the torches I own...which are many.





> ***Edited Correction: #3*, The first torch I bought I thought was ordered with 4000K NW Cree XP-L HI's. Unfortunately I discovered after I ordered the second one that the original was sent to me with 4 x SST20's ( still a NW tint ). I am not sure now if this was my fault or that the seller did a switch out when they ran out of the other and then took that option off their website after I placed my order. Since this is an on going review I wanted someone who is reading the thread from the start to have a heads-up on what was really being used.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

*My newest torch line up*

Just a couple photos of the newer torches I have including the new *Sofirn IF25A*. The IF25A just happens to be the smallest of the lot. The Cinnamon bottle is just there to provide scale. All of these are using emitter(s) in the 4000K range except for the Fireflies E01 which is 5700K. Like I mention previously, if the E01 comes out with a 4000K SST-40 I'll be quick to buy one as it will use the same TIR optic which provides a very nice medium spot with decent throw. The Fireflies E07 ( gold colored ) is the one I use on the bars. The Convoy M1 is the only one that has to use 18650's. The others use 21700 cells or 18650's with an adapter. The other photos are the Sofirn on the helmet.

Going from left to right; Convoy M1...*Sofirn IF25A*....( Cinnamon bottle )...
Fireflies E07....Fireflies E01


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

*The 180°*

Life has been a real drag lately. Either it's baking hot, medium rare with high humidity or raining cats and dogs. After two days of steady rain it finally let up. Looked to be a nice day ( Sunday ) and had actual day temps in the low 80°F range. Great day for a ride!...but...had to get the grocery shopping done and then I remembered something...my sisters birthday! (Doah! ). Already had the card and gift just almost forgot because I was so hyped about the day being so nice. Damn, had to go to the sister's house. That ended up using up some time. Couldn't of MTB anyway after two days of steady all day rain. Anyway, got home late and then had to eat a quick bit before going for a ride.

Was almost 12:00 midnight before I was ready to take a quick road / MUP spin and once again test out the Sofirn IF25A. Just before leaving I checked my weather app; Oh MY! Temps dropped down to 64°F with humidity near 97%. At that temperature it didn't matter how humid it was. It was definitely cold. Cold enough for long sleeves and a wind vest. When I got to the part of my ride where I was riding one of the local MUP's I turned on the Sofirn ( helmet mounted ) and set my Fireflies E07 at an output I felt I would use mountain biking. The Sofirn I set at about medium high.

To my utter surprise the Sofirn was doing a stand up job. I know paved MUP's are not the same as dirt trails but from what I was seeing and from past experience judging lamps, I believe I'm about to flip-flop on my previous ( initial ) opinion. The Sofirn IF25A with it's wide spot was getting way more throw than on my previous ride. With that in mind also remember I was still riding in thick air, 97% humidity. My CAt gut is telling me this is going to work so much better once I see a night with much lower humidity.

Although I was still seeing areas of some low lying ground fog I would occasionally hit a area where the air looked pretty clear. In these spots the Sofirn was at least throwing close to 200 ft. all on it's own ( AND DOING IT WITH A VERY NICE WIDE BEAM PATTERN ) Since the MUP I was on was curvy and had me weaving around turns the sofirn ( helmet mounted ) lit up the area where the light from the bar light wasn't and had me really impressed. After that I turn up the Sofirn a bit brighter and things got even better. Rode a bit at that level and then hit the boost on the Sofirn. OH MY Lord!!..Super, super bright.. Lamp head wasn't getting as hot as the previous night either although no surprise there it being with temps in the low 60's.

I think I'm going like this torch _but the true test will be how it works on dirt trails._ Regardless one advantage I see using this on the helmet is that when you reach areas where there is more open ground as well as intersections, the Sofirn on the helmet has me able to see all my options with a much shorter turn of the head. This makes decisions on what line to take much, much easier. Yes indeed, I like that. Man...that boost was something else. I just hope it will hold that output once I try to use it on a more prolong downhill. I've yet tried to reprogram the thermal settings but so far I've not seen it power down. Now I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that the local temps stay down, the rain stays away and that the humidity drops to under <75%. before I see another weekend. ( _Oh God I can't wait to try this on some dirt trails! _)

Oh, almost forgot to mention: The Sofirn beam pattern and beam tint was working very well tonight with the Fireflies E07 on the bars. Just got to hope now that what worked great on an MUP works as well on dirt single track. :yesnod:

( edit: A small fact I forgot to mention. The mode button on the Sofirn ( on the front top side of the torch ) seems to be easier to find because it is using a more aggressive texture. I only mention this because the button on my Fireflies E01 ( helmet mounted ) was so hard to find that I had to tape a small magnet to the button to make it easier to find. )


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

*Graveyard shift*

Got stuck on Graveyard shift this week so no real time to do any riding. Happily to say I will be on vacation next week so if cooler night temperatures arrive, the humidity drops and the rain stays away I might actually get a chance to do some night time mountain biking.

Anyway, if I get a chance to ride actual dirt trails I'll be able to do a real comparison between the two torches I have that will be used on my helmet. Did a ride over the weekend ( local MUP's ) with the Convoy M1 ( NW 4000K, XP-L HI ) on the helmet. The throw on the M1 just blows the Sofirn away. With this in mind the M1 is likely to still be my favorite since it can blow through a good bit of high particulate matter in the air. Not so the Sofirn. Still, the Sofirn could be quite useful when it comes to riding trails that are slow, full of rocks, roots and ruts. With it's wider less intense beam pattern it should be real useful in helping pick the best lines when encountering a lot of slow technical features ( which I see of lot of on the trails where I live ). Regardless I'm not gonna count the chickens before they hatch. Can't wait till next week! ( more photos will be forthcoming ).


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

*Sofirn IF25A; First MTB trail test.*

The Sofirn IF25A finally got it's first trail test. Was looking to be the perfect day. Temps around 70°F, relatively low humidity. The first MTB trail night ride with the IF25A was on! I was stoked. The only worry I had was how the trail conditions were gonna be. We did get a remnant of the Hurricane that had hit the Texas / Louisiana / Gulf coast pass through Maryland but most of the ( very ) intense rain had missed the area where I live ( or so I had thought ).

I arrived at the trail head just as it got dark. Hitting the trails I passed two other night time MTB'ers, a good sign. With the Sofirn 25A on the lid and the Fireflies E07 on the bars I made my way as I started up the slow climb that is the first part of the loop I was attempting. First thing I noticed was that the trails were a little soft as I started to climb. This made the rocky climb even more slower than usual. As I hit one of the newer side trails ( recently built by IMBA/MORE MTB'ers a few years back ) I noticed two things that were not so good. First one was, I was starting to see a lot of mud pits. This surprised me because the trail was built to prevent this kind of thing. Nevertheless I was seeing more and more muddy pits as I slowly climbed the trail. Also lots of over-growth lining the trails too, much more than usual and making matters worse it was mostly sticker bushes with longer pieces hanging over the trail just begging to tear off pieces of flesh. I was beginning to lose my stoke.

Still, I made my way along determined to finish the loop. That's when I suddenly noticed that the Sofirn seemed to have dimmed down considerably ( and that after no more than 10 minutes of the slow climb. I tried boosting the output. No go... At this point I realized that the thermal setting was knocking down the output. ( I did mention before that I didn't try to reset the thermal setting ). Basically I was getting about 300 lumen and that wasn't going to work. Fortunately I had planned ahead and brought the Convoy M1 I bought from Banggood along just in case I needed it.

After switching out the helmet torches I sat down on a rock and starting thinking about what the trails conditions might be like if I continued. I knew that there were other sections of the trail that were going to be worse so after much thought I decided to turn around. _ I absolutely HATE slogging through muddy trails._ Tires get all clogged up, bike and clothes get all flithy... all which makes CAtman a very unhappy person 

The Convoy M1 ( @ 4000K, XP-L HI ), did okay but in these conditions ( wet, moist, muddy trails ) I could of used a little more output coming off the helmet. That said it did okay and helped me see much better than what the Sofirn had. My saving grace was the Fireflies E07 on the bars. Anytime I felt I needed to see a little better ( these trails just littered with rocks ) the E07 worked like a champ, even when moving slow.

After I got home I reset the thermal limit on the Sofirn to 85°C ( default is 30°C ). Now I did the same thing to the E07 when it had thermal issues and that seemed to do the trick with the E07. The Sofirn IF25A on the other hand is a little smaller than the E07 so not as much heat sink material to help cool the lamp down. Didn't have this problem when I tested it on my road bike but that's because on a road bike you can move much faster which helps to cool the lamp. No surprise there so I look forward to trying it again ( maybe tomorrow night ) on MTB trails and hopefully it will work much better. In the mean time I'll try to find a drier place to ride ( if possible )


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Continued from last post;

Sadly it rained almost all day today. That means no MTB ride tonight and maybe tomorrow as well. After that it's back to work Wednesday.

Since I'm dying to know if the new thermal settings are going to make a difference I've decided to do the thermal test "In house" using a fan on very low in order to simulate a very slow climb. I'll monitor the output using the Lux app on my phone.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

*First ( and final ) thermal limit test*

Sadly, things have not turned out the way I would of wished. I'm not going to go into too much detail because at this point it would be a waste of time.

Ambient temp in my home was at 77°F when I started the test. The first 20 minutes I had the IF25A set at about a medium level, something that might work well if riding slow. At that level the torch pretty much held it's output and only dropping about 48 lux after about 20 minutes. I used only a small amount of air from the fan I had as I was trying to simulate riding at a snails pace.

After that I turned the lamp up to full power ( not boost ). Output more than doubled. To be a little on the safe side I aimed the fan a little more at the torch. On the medium level the temperature on the outside of the torch started around 35°C and got as high as high 40's. Once I doubled the output everything changed. Within less than the time it takes to roll a "snake eyes" the output began to drop and the torch began to heat up. Within about three minutes the output was down to near the medium level. Even worse the outside of the torch was getting very, very hot ( high 60's°C ). After about 40 minutes I stopped the test. The outside of the torch was so hot it couldn't be touched.

*Summary: Not gonna work as a helmet light ( unless you ride in cool weather and at a fast pace ).* *The torch body got so hot even the battery tube was too hot to touch.* Minutes after I turned it off and it cooled enough to touch I removed the battery. Even the battery was hot. My infraRed thermometer measured the battery @ 50°C. That's 122°F!! I'm lucky it didn't blow up the battery! :bluefrown: Now even if I somehow screwed up resetting the thermal limit it really wouldn't matter. When run at it's maximum output levels the thermal design of the Sofirn IF25A just cannot handle the heat produced by the 4 x XP-L Hi's. Putting one of these on your helmet would be like putting a time bomb on your helmet ( as you wait for the battery to explode ):nonod:.

For the record I've used torches on the helmet for years. While some of those do get hot when used on high I've never had one get so hot that the entire torch body (including the battery tube ) got untouchable. That includes my new Fireflies E07 that has 7 x XP-L HI's. It gets warm, holds it's output but doesn't over-heat unless you use the boost. Man...I'm still shaking my head at how hot the battery tube got. Never seen that on any torch I own before.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

*Sofirn IF25A; Resurrection*

Strange how things work out sometimes. Finally got some good weather with no rain for three days. I decided to give the Sofirn a second try but brought my Fireflies E01 along as backup just in case the Sofirn bottomed out like on my last ride. If it did I was just going to switch out torches on the helmet and continue on.

A couple nights ago I decided to reset the thermal setting on the Sofirn just in case I did something wrong the first time. With that in mind I thought I'd give the Sofirn one more chance before throwing it in a bin with all my old never-will-use-again torches.

Real nice night for a ride. 70°F when I left the house and humidity was around 70%. With my _Fireflies E07 on the bars_ and _Sofirn IF25A on the helmet _I parked my car near one of the trail heads near me ( the one that has patrols ) and took off hoping not to see any Park Rangers. Trails were in excellent shape with light mud in only a couple spots. Not a Park Ranger in sight. :ihih:

Once I hit the dirt I set the E07 to a medium level and ran the Sofirn just a tad from it's highest setting ( not boost ). This was working very well. During this ride I used what I call, " Helmet torch protocol". What that usually means is _I only use the helmet torch when needed_. Now with that said most of the time the Sofirn torch stayed on unless I had to climb a hill. One hill I climbed was quite gnarly and was weaving back and forth around trees with massive roots. On that hill I left the Sofirn on low so I could see better around the trees. Otherwise it was my intention to let the Sofirn do most of the work on the easier sections unless I started to go down a hill. Only then would I nudge the E07 to a little over mid level and run the Sofirn on high ( not boost ).

SURPRISINGLY...the Sofirn was not over-heating! I'm sure the cooler temps helped and the trails were in better condition for moving a little faster than I usually do. Whatever, I was pleased with how the Sofirn was working. It got a little warm if I nudged it more toward high but came nowhere near "branding iron" hot as I periodically would touch the torch body just to see how hot it was getting. By the end of the ride ambient air temps were more near high 60's°F.

Took a few photos while out there tonight ( Monday ). Here they are.

*Photo #1:* This is the Sofirn on high ( not boost ) all by it's self.

*Photo #2:* This one I took after a stream crossing. I turned the bike around and pointed the E07 ( on mid setting ) at the rocks to the right and aimed the Sofirn on high ( not boost ) across to the other side of the stream to the left. The stream crossing is about 25 ft across. Normally only 4-5" deep. Hit a deep spot tonight and got my feet a little wet. Otherwise notice how the Sofirn lights up a wide area on the other side.

*Photo's #3 and 4*: This ride was an out and back. I took these two photos at the same spot just after I climbed up the hill after crossing the stream the second time. Notice on #3 the warmer tint. I had both torches set at a medium level while climbing. Got to love the warm natural color. On #4 I notched the output up on both torches just for a comparison. Most of the increase is from the E07 which is just a wonderful bar torch. Keep in mind none are using the boost modes.

*Photo #5*: This one I took as I was on the last section of trail as I was returning to my car. ( the entire out and back took a little more than an hour. ). On this photo I notched the E07 back toward low/medium so I could demonstrate a little more what the Sofirn had to offer...this time on boost. ~ ~ ~ Amazingly when I got home the E07 was still showing it had 4 volts left on the battery. The Sofirn was showing 3.9 volts. Just got to love the capacity of a good 21700 cell. :thumbsup:


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

*Sofirn IF25A shoot out: XPL Hi's vs. SST20's ( both 4000K )*



> First before I begin I discovered that I was calling the Sofirn lamp the wrong name on many of the posts in this thread. I went back and edited as many mistakes as I could find. *The lamp is the IF25A not the IR25A* Sorry if that caused any confusion.


The shoot out; I just ordered another Sofirn IF25A only this time with SST-20 emitters @ 4000K. The reason for doing this is that I've been told the SST-20 version can out throw the XP-L HI version although the Cree version is brighter. Since these are not too expensive I wanted to see how this might work out for helmet use and if indeed it can out throw the Cree version. A little more concentrated throw is always useful. Since the die on the SST-20 is smaller more than likely the beam pattern will not be as wide. Just how much less wide remains to be seen. It uses four emitters so it shouldn't be too narrow, at least that is my hope.

I've just gotten confirmation that the torch has shipped ( from China ) so I should have it in about 16-18 days.

On a side note: I just discovered yesterday that the IF25A has a charging port on the bottom of the lamp. Turns out it works with USB-C which is absolutely great. Thought I'd try it out by charging the Sofirn's 21700 cell with my phone chargers USB-C cord. Boy oh boy, I am surprised. The built in charger got the cell up to full charge in less than an hour ( from 3.9 volts ) My other cheap 21700 charger takes forever once the battery gets to the last few 25% of charge. Since I'll have two I'll likely use the Sofirns just to charge my 21700's. ~ ~ ~ Bummer, my high drain Samsung 21700's I ordered from Orbtronic didn't show up today. I'll likely get those Monday but would of liked to have had those today ( Saturday ).


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## lostplaces (Aug 21, 2019)

Cat-man-do said:


> Within about three minutes the output was down to near the medium level. Even worse the outside of the torch was getting very, very hot ( high 60's°C )......
> 
> *Summary: Not gonna work as a helmet light ( unless you ride in cool weather and at a fast pace ).* *The torch body got so hot even the battery tube was too hot to touch.* .... Even the battery was hot. My infraRed thermometer measured the battery @ 50°C. That's 122°F!! I'm lucky it didn't blow up the battery! :bluefrown:


sorry but you write here alot cunfunsing stuff.

1. you using a Anduril based light so set anythink what you want!!!!

first step and that is very important!!!!
*always if anyone get any Anuril light to calibrate the temperatur.
*out of factory anduril is always offset!!!

second step, set the max light temperatur"body=battery" to a value of your wish.
if you mount it anywhere ~65°C set is a good value that says body+battery never get warmer the light will regulate the brighness down to hold this temperatur max!!!!

if you want to use it as a hand light ~50°C is a good value the light get then only warm in your hand not more coz is never get warmer then your set value!!!!

2. your battery never can blow, basic industrial li-ion cell"samsung,LG,...." are Concept to run easy with ~65°C from full to empty the complete life spawn.

risky temperatures for Li-ion batterys begin at ~80°C .......but with a full termal regulated light thats far away from the posibility.....

aduril by itself is limized to 70°C max abut that, so no way to dmg whatever if the light is calibrated.

for example my emisar D4"the tiny original" of this sofirn.

i set it to 70°C start it on turbo after some seconds it trops from 3500 to ~800-900 lumen that the light can hold about the airflow over time on the bike.

in hand use i set it to 50°C what it holds and the result is ~500 lumen over time, more is not possible with a 40 gram aluminium body......


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

lostplaces said:


> ....sorry but you write here alot cunfunsing stuff.
> 
> 1. you using a Anduril based light so set anythink what you want!!!!
> 
> ...


It's a on going review. It is indeed confusing when results on one day don't correlate with results on another. I'm just telling the story as it goes along. If it sucks at one point I'll call it as it is. If it works great at another time then I'll tell it as it is and then try to guess what and "Why" it failed at one point and then worked well at another. I don't always have the answers but I can do some good guessing.

The fact that everything is not going as I would of hoped is why I'm not giving the IF25A an over whelming endorsement at this point. I need more time to see if the lamp is going to be reliable. Seems to me at this point that the lamp needs to be cooled more than some of the others I have. I think I pretty much said that after the last ride. I think it a good chance it's not going to work well in warmer weather at the higher outputs.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to what the SST-20 version is going to do. You were the one that convinced me it would have more throw so I thought it worth trying the different version. I won't have it though for at least 2-2.5 weeks.

For the record I did try to calibrate the thermal max setting when I first got it. Possible I didn't do something right the first try. Same thing happened when I tried to calibrate my Fireflies E07. I've calibrated the IF25A two times now. Maybe that's why the on the last ride it worked better, anyone's guess but I think it just had more to do with weather and trail conditions ( cooler weather and faster trails )


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

*Sofirn IF25A ; third trail test*

After watching football all day it was time to hit the trails again. After checking the local rainfall tallies for the place I wanted to ride I felt it would be a good idea to return to the trails where the Sofirn first failed. These trails are very close to the Patapsco River and very rocky in many places. My plan was to ride the same loop and perhaps extend the ride once down nearer the river where the trails are more flat.

Now before I left I thought the temperature was likely to drop by the time I got to the trail head. With this in mind I packed a wind vest and a light-weight long sleeve shirt in my backpack just in case I started to get cold. Boy, couldn't of been more wrong. Temperature at the trails was a rock steady 70°F and 90+% humidity. Didn't take me long to realize I wasn't going to need the extra clothes.

Once again I started the same climb as I did in post #5 only this time the trails were in much better condition. No mud and a more firmly packed surface. This made my climb a little faster. *The Sofirn I had set to about med output, the E07 about the same.* On one particular open spot I stopped to take a photo *( see below )* The Sofirn was maintaining it's output as long as I kept moving.









Keep in mind that humidity over 90% is not idea conditions for trying to dissipate heat. Even at 70°F it felt like 85°F to me and by the time I got to the top of the hill I was hot and sweating. Not to mention every time I stopped my glasses would fog up. At the top of the hill I took a five minute rest and took another trail to head back down toward the river. On the downhill ( although very rocky ) I could ride faster so I upped the output on both the E07 and the Sofirn. *At one point I got brave and decided to hit the boost on the Sofirn. All I can say is, "OMG...it is so bright that at this level throw is not even close to being an issue. *Eventually though you can only run at this level for maybe a minute or two. After that the torch body really starts to get hot and the output starts to drop. When I saw how hot it was getting I immediately double clicked it back to the level I had been using. By the time I got to the bottom of the hill the Sofirn had cooled and was working fine.

The trails near the river are mostly flat. I rode along a ways and then decided to take a photo of just the Sofirn by it's self ( set at about one push from high ( not boost ). ( see below ).









Afterwards I crossed over a small stream and continued to one of the spots I had taken photos previously. In the photos below notice the piece of wood I had leaned against a tree to the left. *First photo is the Fireflies E07 on about a 400 lumen setting by itself. The second photo is with the E07 ( same setting ) and the Sofirn IF25A set at about one push from high. *

















After taking these photos I headed back to the car. All was good and the Sofirn performed very well considering the high humidity. When I got about a quarter mile from my car I decided to change helmet torches just so I could have a comparison. I put my Fireflies E01 ( single SST-40 with TIR optic @ 5700K ) on the helmet. The first thing I noticed was that it was a bit disorienting at first. Yes, the E01 had more throw but when I had to point it up close the feedback glare was really bothering me. I guess once you get used to the warm tint of the 4000K emitters it's takes a while for your eyes to adjust back to the colder tint.

A parting comment about the Fireflies E07 I was using on the bars. This is just a wonderful torch for the bars. Most of the time I never even use it over it's mid point and it supplies a very nice amount of light. It also seems to handle the heat very well, gets a little warm but that's it. Now I suppose if I were to really crank it up it might get hot but really I haven't had the need to do that. When I got home the E07's battery still flashing out 4 volts. The Sofirn was 3.8 volts. This after about a one hour ride.


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## lostplaces (Aug 21, 2019)

Cat-man-do said:


> It's a on going review. It is indeed confusing when results on one day don't correlate with results on another. I'm just telling the story as it goes along.


i dont see any results that you correlate nowhere.

you take light 1+2+3 with you and tell confusing stuff, that you to.
like this again.



Cat-man-do said:


> A parting comment about the Fireflies E07 I was using on the bars. .It also seems to handle* the heat very well,* gets a little warm but that's it.


ok again *all Anduril based light get warm as you set it*,
no one of your three light have there any differenz!!!!!



Cat-man-do said:


> After that the *torch body really starts to get hot* and the output starts to drop. When I saw how hot it was getting I immediately double clicked it back to the level I had been using. ..... cooled .......


and again .....

the *Fireflies E07 and the **Sofirn IF25A are both!!!

~100 gram multi emitter lights that run on Anduril.
both are more on the floody beam side but the differenzes in beam are very small.
and if you calibrate both and program both similar they will perform similar and get similar warm,.......

*i only see that you not calibrate and not program your light...result that cunfussing.....:skep:


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

lostplaces said:


> i dont see any results that you correlate nowhere.
> 
> you take light 1+2+3 with you and tell confusing stuff, that you to.
> like this again.
> ...


Hate to say this but if you're going to talk about "confusing" or "confussing" ( not an English word ) or whatever your posts don't seem to represent anything that I'm doing.* If it doesn't make sense to you than perhaps something is being lost in translation.* Sorry, I don't speak German. I didn't say that the Sofirn was a great light. I clearly stated that it performs differently depending on different environmental factors. If used within reason it will get the job done. Since I've used torches for more than 20 years there is always going to be limitations and a learning curve on how you can use torches. That also applies to bike lights in general. All LED lights heat up when used at their maximum intensity, some more than others depending on their design.

If you find the review confusing than stop reading my posts. No one is forcing you to read what you don't seem to understand ( or misunderstand ). This is a user review based on my opinion. I take the torches out and report how they work in the field. If you want to do your own review than go do one. As things stand, I disagree with many of your statements. That said, I'm not going to go into details of why that is because if I did likely you still wouldn't understand what I'm doing.

As time goes by I'm going to continue using the lights and report how they seem to be working. Sorry if this somehow upsets you. *This is the last time I will respond to your posts as I have no desire to continue trying to explain to you what I'm doing. ( Which at this point seems to be wasting my time ).*


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## lostplaces (Aug 21, 2019)

Cat-man-do said:


> I didn't say that the Sofirn was a great light. I clearly stated that it performs differently depending on different environmental factors.


and again,
i have at home ~50 Anduril based lights and if i program all similar *all off them work similar*!

the only differenz is the maximum output limit over time depending on the heatsink=*lightbody itself*.
If it is easyer for you to understand, if i give anduril the order to hold a heatsink/heatgenerartion exactly on 55°C then it will hold the heatsink on that value.

and now example with a clear differenz:

emisar D4 = anduril with *40 gram heatsink*
Astrolux MF01 mini= anduril with *170 gram heatsink*

result:
both light program similar, and do in work about that 100% similar thinks.

*the only differenz is the maximum possible output over time*.

Emisar D4 deliver me over time only ~800 Lumen in the front of the bike *about the 40 g heatsink*.
the MF01 delivers me about the heavy 170g heatsink easy >2000 lumen over time.
Sofirn SP36=290 g heatsink=..yes much much more.....


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

*Upcoming review of Sofirn IF25A with SST-20's*

I'm still waiting for my SST*20 version to arrive. On saturday I opened my mail box and got all excited as there was a package in my mail box. Sadly it turned out the package was just one of my late Amazon orders that ended up getting mailed to me ( total bummer ). :rolleyes

Last week I received my battery order from Orbtronic for two Samsung INR21700-40T's. ( 4000mAh ) These are particularly high drain cells ( @30A max continuous ) Haven't had a chance to really try them out but most likely they will provide a tad more max output to all of my newer multi-emitter torches. Of course this might make them hotter so like I said before you have to limited boost to only a couple minutes. Still, could be useful in situations where that max output might be very useful. Both the Fireflies E07 and the Sofirn IF25A are absolutely unreal on boost. The E07 I might be able to go a little longer on boost but the Sofirn on boost ( while magnificent ) can only go for maybe a minute or two depending on speed and ambient air temperature / humidity. ( edit: When I get a chance I'll try to get some photos of the boost modes which so far I haven't really messed with. )

Looking forward to getting the SST-20 version of the IF25A, hopefully by the end of the week or maybe next Monday. Had to bail out this last weekend on getting any MTB rides in as I'm dealing with a dental problem at the moment but damn temperatures dropped like a rock in my area over the week end so would of been reeeeeal cold getting any night ride in anyway. Temps actually got into the mid 40°F range at night. Totally unreal for this time of year where I normally expect temps in the mid 70's to low 60's. at night. Right now as I speak daytime temps is 66°F @ 1:00 in the afternoon. Totally unseasonal temps!  I'll have to take a coat with me to work today. ( seems I went directly from the oven to the ice box with very little time in between ) Only good thing about this is my electric bill will also drop like a rock since I can turn the A/C off.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

*Arrived early: Sofirn IF25A with SST-20's 4000K*

Had the day off today due to a dental appointment and after getting that done, picking up some meds at the drug store, doing some grocery shopping that got dissed over the weekend I arrived home to find in my mail box the Sofirn IF25A! Surprise, Surprise!

Conditions were just perfect for a night time MTB ride but sadly I was totally pooped by the time I got home and put all the groceries away. Must of nodded out on the couch and didn't wake up till about 10:00pm. Still time to do a quick ride around the local MUP so that was what I ended up doing.

Before going out I wanted to check out the emitters on the torch just to see what was on the board. All the emitters were domed so I'm assuming these are actual SST-20's. To my surprise though was that on the board they had written ( in English ) next to each emitter what the Kelvin rating was. Seems they are using two 6500K emitters and two 2700K emitters and then calling this 4000K. :skep:....Well, the output definitely is NW and looks almost exactly like the other one I have that is supposedly using 4000K Cree XP-L HI's.

Before going out I set the thermal limit on the torch to 60°C. Been having very unseasonal night time temps lately so by the time I got out to ride temps were around 55°F. Cold enough for tights, thermal shirt and windbreaker.

Output looked very much like my Cree version and for the most part I didn't discern any additional throw. Tint and beam patterns are identical to the other one I have. Almost makes me wonder if they sent me two of the identical versions. I did notice that when I placed the order for the second one that they were no longer offering the version with 4000K Cree XP-L HI's. ( Paused;...taking first one apart ) * Confirmed; First one is not using Cree XP-L HI's!! Same setup as the second one! *:madmax: :incazzato: (_ fricking Chinese, and people wonder why they get bashed all the time. )_ This is what sometimes happens when you order stuff from the Chinese and they run out of the stuff they are suppose to be selling. No telling now if these are even using actual SST-20's. Looks like I now have to contact the seller and ask them why they sent me the wrong item.

Well.... at least this saves me time doing the review of the second torch as the second is the same as the first, mixed emitters, same setup. :bluefrown:


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## garrybunk (Feb 12, 2014)

Cat,
Thanks for your review. Sorry, I was late to the party getting to read this, but better late than never! I'm very interested to hear how these IF25A's turn out in real use (continued testing). So if you really were using the SST-20 versions, imagine what the output on Turbo would have been with XP-L HI's! I don't (yet) own any lights with SST-20's or SST-40's; this may become my first. 

Where did you order your IF25A's from? Sofirn's website? I don't see them listed on Banggood. EDIT - well I found an "IF25" which has the mixed tint setup, but nothing else. 

-Garry


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

garrybunk said:


> Cat,
> Thanks for your review. Sorry, I was late to the party getting to read this, but better late than never! I'm very interested to hear how these IF25A's turn out in real use (continued testing). So if you really were using the SST-20 versions, imagine what the output on Turbo would have been with XP-L HI's! I don't (yet) own any lights with SST-20's or SST-40's; this may become my first.
> 
> Where did you order your IF25A's from? Sofirn's website? I don't see them listed on Banggood. EDIT - well I found an "IF25" which has the mixed tint setup, but nothing else.
> ...


When I ordered mine I just did a Google search and ordered directly from the Sofirn website. I don't think I'd recommend one of these unless you live in an area that does not get real hot at night or real humid. On the other hand in the Spring and Fall one of these might work well if you like a helmet light that has a wide beam pattern.

When I bought my first one I was searching for something that used 21700 cells and would compliment the Fireflies E07 ( with 4000K XP-L HI ) that I use on the bars. Now unless I'm losing my mind I could swear when I went to the Sofirn website the first time ( back in July ) that they had a version of the IF25A with the Cree emitters. When I went back the second time I no longer saw an offering with the XP-L HI's. Didn't think much of it at the time since I wanted the SST-20 version for the second one.

What really got my goat was when I looked up the original e-mail conformation on my first order they didn't print out what was ordered. What they did was provide me a "Link" to what was suppose to be my original order.  That sucks because link destinations can be changed to link to whatever they want to on their website. When I clicked on the link it showed that I had ordered the SST version as my first ( which I know wasn't true....unless I'm losing my mind )


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## garrybunk (Feb 12, 2014)

Cat, by the time I end up needing significant light to night ride the temps have dropped pretty dramatically anyway. (We only have two season up here in west central PA - winter and winter's coming.) Tonight is a night ride where I'll probably end up for the last hour needing lights on and it's forecasted to be down to 65º F by then. Later in the fall I expect it to be more like low to mid 50's. 

I think part of me is just itching to buy a new light  . It's been awhile.

-Garry


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

garrybunk said:


> I think part of me is just itching to buy a new light  . It's been awhile.
> 
> -Garry


I can relate. Only with me the itch never stops. 

So...Since I can't compare to a quad torch with XP-L HI's that itch is going to be bothering me for some time. I've been searching for another brand of quad torch. I have found some but most of the ones I've found are either using 26650 cells or 18650. I really want one that uses 21700's and that is why I chose Sofirn as my first pick.

I did find one the other day that has all the features of the IF25A but has a Cree 4000K XP-L HI option. It is also a trusted website that I have used before. The only downside is the torch is configured for only 18650 cells. This means the form factor is slightly smaller and no doubt it will get hot very fast if pushed to it's limit. More expensive than the Sofirn ( which gives me pause ) but the quality should be better. Hmmmmm....I'm still thinking about it. :idea: Decisions, decisions. (*itch, itch....scratch, scratch* )...My trigger finger is starting to twitch, not a good sign. Not to mention if I buy the 18650 version I'll likely need a set of high-drain 18650 cells ( > 10A continuous ) ( Mo-money ) 

Did a quickie road / MUP ride last night with the newer IF25A after I got home from work last night. So far has performed as well as the other ( about 60°F last night, long sleeves and wind vest weather ) Since not too many cars were riding around @ 1:00 in the morning I was using the helmet light going down the road ( turned if off if I saw cars though ) While on, the IF25A was nice and was really helping me spot deer along the sides of the road. Deer are very active this time of year so the Sofirn ( on the helmet ) was a big help.

Hoping for a nice week end but once again the fallout from the last tropical storm to hit the Gulf Coast is suppose to brush by my area sometime tonight. Crossing my fingers and hoping it misses or at least < 0.25" of rain. Got the graveyard shift at work tonight so no rides after work but would love to have dry trails for Saturday.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Cat-man-do said:


> So...Since I can't compare to a quad torch with XP-L HI's that itch is going to be bothering me for some time. I've been searching for another brand of quad torch. I have found some but most of the ones I've found are either using 26650 cells or 18650. I really want one that uses 21700's and that is why I chose Sofirn as my first pick.
> 
> I did find one the other day that has all the features of the IF25A but has a Cree 4000K XP-L HI option. It is also a trusted website that I have used before. The only downside is the torch is configured for only 18650 cells. This means the form factor is slightly smaller and no doubt it will get hot very fast if pushed to it's limit. More expensive than the Sofirn ( which gives me pause ) but the quality should be better. Hmmmmm....I'm still thinking about it. :idea: Decisions, decisions. (*itch, itch....scratch, scratch* )...My trigger finger is starting to twitch, not a good sign. Not to mention if I buy the 18650 version I'll likely need a set of high-drain 18650 cells ( > 10A continuous ) ( Mo-money )


Too bad your "all other things being equal" Sofirn (SST20 vs XP-L hi) experiment didn't work out. I still have my doubts that the SST20's additional throw will justify its lower lumen output (at least with the 4000K version) but in spite of that am seriously considering giving the SST20's another try in the form of the Magicshine Monteer 3500. I did find out that all 5 of its emitters are SST20's and that the floods (3 x 32°) and the spots (2 x 21°) can be operated separately but it's going to have to be my preferred 5000K tint before I'll be willing to part with it's price. Magicshines recent trend towards warmer tint lights leaves me hopeful but will need a solid tint confirmation before I move forward on this.
Mole


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## garrybunk (Feb 12, 2014)

Okay, so my finger slipped and I ended up placing an order for an IF25A 4000k  . This will be my first new light in awhile, and first with SST20's. Looking forward to trying it out. 

Any more updates on using your IF25A Cat?

-Garry


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

garrybunk said:


> Okay, so my finger slipped and I ended up placing an order for an IF25A 4000k  . This will be my first new light in awhile, and first with SST20's. Looking forward to trying it out.
> 
> Any more updates on using your IF25A Cat?
> 
> -Garry


No, nothing new to report. Lately it's gotten cold at night where I live so if I ride at night it's best to start right at sundown before it gets too cold. I don't particularly like riding when it's cold. Pretty warm out today so I might actual get a MTB ride in. I'm off work today so I can do it. Otherwise if I'm working I don't get home till after midnight which pretty much rules out any night riding. That's because by that time temps will have dropped and will lessen my will to ride.

Well if you've pulled the trigger I hope the IF25A works for you. Make sure you reset the thermal control before going out or you might be disappointed. I'm assuming you have a helmet that is compatible with using a torch(?).


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Your not going to hear me complain about SST20 emitters anymore. I took a couple of quick light meter readings on hat 5x SST20 Magicshine light I just got and they absolutely annihilated typical readings I've seen from my XS or XP3. So :thumbsup: for the cooler tint SST20's anyway.
Mole


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## garrybunk (Feb 12, 2014)

Cat-man-do said:


> I'm assuming you have a helmet that is compatible with using a torch(?).


Yeah, not the greatest as the torch will sit slightly off-center, but not really noticeable in actual use.



MRMOLE said:


> Your not going to hear me complain about SST20 emitters anymore. I took a couple of quick light meter readings on hat 5x SST20 Magicshine light I just got and they absolutely annihilated typical readings I've seen from my XS or XP3. So :thumbsup: for the cooler tint SST20's anyway.
> Mole


Glad to hear Mole!

-Garry


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## garrybunk (Feb 12, 2014)

So I did my first night ride using the IF25A on my helmet (with my modded BT40S on the bars). It was a very wet evening with the trails completely leaf covered. The ride included about 1.5mi of roads and abandoned railroad grade between my riding partner's house and the trails. My initial impressions are that I am unimpressed until the light is boosted to the higher levels. Now my BT40S is putting out quite a lot of light even in low, so it seems to wash out the helmet light. I would turn off the BT40S to see just the IF25A and it just appeared "okay". On my IF25A I changed it to the stepped ramping but left the levels as default. I found that the "top of the ramp ceiling" level and one below it were about the only two usable levels (other than when stopped wanting to keep a light on on a lower level). Turbo is "WOW!", but really not a usable level other than in short bursts. The light heats up FAST in turbo! BTW - the 4000k tint is gorgeous with awesome color rendering!

I used a Samsung 50E 5000mAh 21700 in it and was trying to be a little conservative on the levels I used so as to get decent runtime and not overheat it. Turns out I had only used about 50% of the capacity by the end of our 2-hour-ish ride, so I could have afforded to run it up at "top of ramp ceiling" more often. Also, from time to time I would reach up and feel the lighthead to see if it was hot and and it wasn't at all (so long as I kept moving and wasn't using turbo). (I had configured the thermal sensor and limit.) It was about 50ºF during our ride.

As far as helmet mounting went, I had a hard time getting this light to aim forward. I ended up with it pointing slightly off-center. This wasn't so bad looking 20 to 30 feet ahead (it was a slow ride), but when looking way out (100 feet+) it was noticeable. The light however never moved and stayed solidly attached to my helmet. I think if I use it again I'll try using a flashlight gopro mount I have so I can get it aimed straight and have better control of the tilt (although at the expense of having it stick up off my helmet a bit. I could also try a good ol' two fish block mount.

I will say that the night prior to this ride I had walked out in my backyard testing out the light and was really impressed. I went up to my usual "bike light beamshot" location and the throw distance I was seeing (lighting up utility poles along the street at about 285 feet) was impressive. IIRC I could light up that pole at "top of ceiling level" not just turbo. It was also wet and ugly that night too.

So I'm looking forward to more testing and wondering if they light will appear better when it's not so wet outside.

Pics of that helmet mounting:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3f32rrQRxvnYNzt8VkPsnigG1PitJpQxGJ_2K4dqRnbPxgWkfODf0ssV5FxW-LPsra7L7-drru-GsQ4bea1mtPC4rWyPpCT_F80TwjfoQXfvdfGtK6ugnyyednoIcQkqn-50J1SFEQYkuSM2SQ5jX6gWQ=w1214-h910-no?authuser=0http://

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3fl_dZwf79X9z54WMEkkTlznNhdis_2dlLMfBGeN_O15WkrQsRXc5p44jRL_qun9-IM_GYqStdwPxknPcUKpWjYOeV7jOoRDCPFj3pn7c9cOAb9i9Q0vau4SavwWX1_yHbgyVACSMjdqoSsk_eTlkRpIQ=w1214-h910-no?authuser=0

-Garry


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

garrybunk said:


> So I'm looking forward to more testing and wondering if they light will appear better when it's not so wet outside.
> 
> Pics of that helmet mounting:
> 
> ...


Wet conditions are not the best when using any light using 4000K emitters unless as you said you can run the highest setting. When I use mine I generally have it in analog mode, push it to full high and then push it back just a tad. On my last ride I just left it in full high ( not boost ) and it seemed to do well although this was riding my road bike on MUP's so it never really got hot.

Not sure how this will work with a one of those plastic Gopro adapters that hold the torch using a rubber O-ring. If you're going to use a strap on Gopro mount it's probably going to wobble a bit. Now if you have a helmet with a built in Gopro mount that would likely be more stable. Would be nice though if someone made a more stable ( clamp-like ) GoPro adapter out of aluminum that would hold a torch. If they did it would make it more stable with less vibration.

Yep, helmet with built in Gopro mount is the way to go using one of these. Helmets that have that have the mount usually more centered around the top of the helmet ( which would work well with torches although it will sit up higher as you mentioned ) At some point I'm going to need to buy a new helmet anyway seeing mine is slowly falling apart.


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## garrybunk (Feb 12, 2014)

So I took some tailcap amperage measurements and see now why only the top three levels of the stepped ramping are useful! These were taken on a freshly charged Samsung 50T 5,000mAh 21700 cell.

Level / Amps / Amps Per Emitter

1 / 0.018A 
2 / 0.081A 
3 / 0.21A
4 / 0.49A
5 / 0.98A / 245mA
6 / 2.12A / 530mA
7 / 3.89A / 972.5mA
Turbo / 9.10A / 2.28A

Estimated Runtime @ 4,800mA Capacity:
Level 5: 4.9hrs
Level 6: 2.26hrs
Level 7: 1.23hrs

So the fact that level 5 is usable at all at 245mA per emitter is amazing! I'm thinking I need to program the stepped ramp to just 3 levels (maybe 4 if I include a low level for minimal area light when stopped).

Will see if I can make it out again this Wednesday. Right now they're calling for 2 to 4 inches of snow overnight tonight.

-Garry


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## garrybunk (Feb 12, 2014)

Okay, I took some beamshot photos the other night and also grabbed my Nitefighter BT21 (stock except for change to LEDDNA 10º optics with white holders) and my Yinding (changed to dual XP-L HI's, but otherwise stock) for comparison. I took photos in my usual backyard setting and then in my usual "simulated trail" setting (which my neighbor has widened and cleared substantially from past photos). Standard MTBR settings.

The text above each photo describes the photo below.

BT21 Low:








BT21 Med:








BT21 High:








BT21 Turbo:








Yinding on Low:








Yinding on Med:








Yinding on High:








IF25A on Stepped Ramp Level 5:








IF25A on Stepped Ramp Level 6:








IF25A on Stepped Ramp Level 7:








IF25A on Turbo








Wooded Setting:

BT21 on Low:








BT21 on Med:








BT21 on High:








BT21 on Turbo:








Yinding on Low:








Yinding on Med:








Yinding on High:








IF25A on Stepped Ramp Level 5:








IF25A on Stepped Ramp Level 6:








IF25A on Stepped Ramp Level 7:








IF25A on Turbo:








So you really have to look at the IF25A on stepped ramp level 7 (top of ceiling at stock levels), since Turbo isn't feasible for using continuously. As you can see, the IF25A still lacks in throw compared to both the BT21 and the Yinding. I'm chalking this up to how to how hard each individual LED is driven. The BT21 drives each XM-L2 at about 2.8A each, the Yinding @ 2.4A each and the IF25A @ +/- 1A each. I think a dual SST20 light would fair better than a quad (of course you're not going to find a dual emitter flashlight - or at least it would be very rare).

My conclusion: The color rendering is fantastic, the Anduril UI is great (and not so bad in use as I thought it would be), but it just doesn't have enough total output or throw for my liking. I'd be curious to try out a dual SST20 setup, but I don't think I have any good solid lightheads that I could mod with them.

-Garry


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Yes, lack of throw is an issue but not surprising when you consider that it is using a one piece quad optic. That is why it is most useful when used on the helmet. The higher the light from the ground, the more useful is the wider beam pattern. Your test photos show the lamp more lower to the ground ( handlebar height ? ) so you don't see the wider beam pattern as much. 

I should also mention that I found that you get a brighter high setting ( not turbo ) when using the analog UI vs. the digital step UI. The high setting is the most usable setting unless you are just poking up a slow climb. Generally though ( as I mentioned before ) I usually back it off of high just a tad ( tad = one quick push back from high ). I don't fret too much over it's lack of throw because I always run two lights and the combined output is usually enough to allow me to see enough into the distance to satisfy my needs. Of course if I were to ride somewhere that had longer flat-out downhills with longer lines of sight I'd probably opt for my XP-3. For my needs, type of trails I usually ride ( and physical limitations of an older man ) the IF25A supplies enough light to get the job done as I usually don't ride at break-neck speeds. 

...And speaking of my XP-3; This weekend in my area is expected to be nice ( warmer and dry ). I'll be taking the XP3 out and doing some comparisons. I just hope I'll be feeling well as I had a tough work week. Gets darker earlier now so that might cause me some problems as I'll likely sleep in on Saturday. ( Had go to work 2.5 hrs. earlier today as there was an unexpected schedule change ). That usually means I'll be super tired when I get home tonight.


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## garrybunk (Feb 12, 2014)

Yes Cat, lights were positioned close to bar height. That might have affected the beam width shown, but shouldn't have affected the throw. 

Hmm . . . maybe I should try an SST-20 in a Convoy S2? Drive it at about 3 amps or so on high (or maybe even make that Turbo). Been awhile since I've built a light and programmed a simple driver. I don't think mine would have thermal monitoring though. 

-Garry


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

garrybunk said:


> Yes Cat, lights were positioned close to bar height. That might have affected the beam width shown, but shouldn't have affected the throw.
> 
> Hmm . . . maybe I should try an SST-20 in a Convoy S2? Drive it at about 3 amps or so on high (or maybe even make that Turbo). Been awhile since I've built a light and programmed a simple driver. I don't think mine would have thermal monitoring though.
> 
> -Garry


I'm still waiting for Luminus to offer a 4000K version of the SST-40 emitter. One of those in a Fireflies E01 should make it my "go to" as a helmet torch. Currently the Convoy M1 I have with ( custom built ) XP-L HI ( OP reflector ) and driver is my best thrower although it is using a 5000K emitter.
Here's the thing; once you get used to the wider beam pattern ( like the IF25A offers ) coming off the helmet it is ( and I can't emphasize this enough ) really, really hard to get used to going back to a more narrower beam pattern coming off the helmet when used for mountain biking.

One of the nice things I like about the ITUO XP3 I own is that it offers the best of both worlds and has a nice NW tint to boot. Of course when I run that on the helmet I have to use an external battery which I carry in a hydration back pack.

As my search for the perfect helmet mounted torch continues I'm leaning toward something that uses a 21700 battery cell, Anduril UI and perhaps a Cree XHP-50 or 70 LED in the 4000K temp. range. I've come close to finding one a couple times but always seems to lack either the right battery size I want or the UI.  Got to have the Anduril UI or else it will be impossible for me to get the output I need / want without overheating. I'm sure a XHP-70.2 emitter running at max current levels would over-heat a standard torch in just seconds but if I can scroll back the output to say 1200 lumen I might get what I'm looking for as long as the reflector allows for a more wider beam pattern without sacrificing too much throw. Of course I won't know for sure unless I actually try one out.


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