Review; Sunwayman D40A - A great light

[Bumble]

Update: have add the beamshots.

Many thanks for the beamshots ... well after "playing around" with my D40a yesterday, i can safely say my ea4 is now going to sit on my shelf . i took the light out last night and was very impressed with it... i prefer the two button ui on the d40a.. the d40a is quite a thrower too despite an op relector (certainly throws as well as my ea4.. maybe a little better actually).very nice transition from spot to spill. nice moonlight (which i have my light to come on in with mode memory). a very impressive "turbo"!! . i have more confidence in the d40a in the electonic lock out ( press both buttons for 2 seconds) as to the ea4 lockout, also you can mechanically lock the d40a out by a quater-turn of the battery tube. the disco/blinkies are hidden well enough too imo. overall a very nice light imho... and a VERY strong contender in the aa compact/pocket thrower category.

 

[candle lamp]

Thanks a lot for posting the beamshot. kj2! :thumbsup:

 

[markr6]

leave it in the car in the hottest day of summer, you'll see a balooning switch. hahaha..

they used the wrong material, should be silicon switch, not rubber!

I've got mine sitting in my Jeep's cupholder in the parking lot right now - just as a possible sacrafice for testing purposes. Jeep thermometer is showing 98°F...much hotter inside! No problems so far after 6 hours.

 

[SCEMan]

I've got mine sitting in my Jeep's cupholder in the parking lot right now - just as a possible sacrafice for testing purposes. Jeep thermometer is showing 98°F...much hotter inside! No problems so far after 6 hours.

Your courage is much appreciated! Following this closely as my EA4W is used daily (nightly).

 

[firelord777]

Great review man! I can't believe I missed your review all this time!

 

[kj2]

Great review man! I can't believe I missed your review all this time!

Thanks

 

[kj2]

The Nitecore NTW40 just came in. It's fits the D40A well. Always handy when you are on the road to have a traffic wand with you.
I really like a traffic wand in combo with the 'police strobe' that Sunwayman has

 

[climberkid]

im really looking forward to mine arriving its currently just arrived in the uk i take it you got it from WB or FT (where i got mine) for $49 delivered

I did indeed. Just got it to my porch yesterday. I'm loving the size and usefulness of this thing. It's no Saab TN31 but it will throw strongly across my small acre. Super lightweight and beautifully anodized, as expected by SWM.

Found the traffic wand at BJ for $5. Chapter than KD if you get it with something else to get free shipping or use the discount code.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[kj2]

Found the traffic wand at BJ for $5.

Wow, that's cheap although BJ charges $18.96 for shipping it to me. I got it out-of China for $10 (free shipping).

 

[illumiGeek]

Cheapest I can find the D40A for now is $62 shipped. Anyone know of a better deal?

 

[Bumble]

are you a member of the candle power forum market place ? if not you should join up and yes there is slightly cheaper available .

 

[illumiGeek]

Okay, Bumble, I've been looking at dealers in the marketplace but still no joy. Any hints on who I should check with?

Thanks, Tim

 

[Bumble]

check your pm

 

[Campdavid]

While I am a flashlight "nut" like most/all of you, I do not have any engineering or technical background to do any sort of testing on brightness, run times, etc. But what I can tell you from the perspective of a regular guy, this flashligh absolutely ROCKS! I have a fairly decent collection of lights mostly Surefires w/ Malkoff drops ins, Fenix, Deerelight, LumaPower and so on. Nothing I own, or have ever owned, comes even close to the power and versatility of the D40A. My favorite light for years has been my SF U2 (oldie but a goodie) well that one is relegated to the shelf now!

The UI is great as are the switches/buttons. The moon mode on the D40A is terrific in the house at night and if a little more light is needed, one click and you get 30 lumens without totally frying your eyes are 980. The beam is awesome with a nice hotspot w/ good thow and really decent spill. I am even happy with the color of the light it produces. This is one that will get a lot of use!

 

[dealgrabber2002]

Can this run on 2 AA?

 

[kj2]

Can this run on 2 AA?

just tried it. My D40A doesn't turn on.

 

[dealgrabber2002]

That was fast. What a bummer. Thx.

 

[reppans]

Can this run on 2 AA?

Great idea, thanks....now I know how to test the battery meter.

Pretty sure it will run on 2xL91s, maybe 2xNewAlks, maybe 1x3vCRAA, although you'll lose the higher modes. You'll need dummy cells in the batt carrier to complete the circuit since it operates in series. I only have 1 dummy cell with me at the moment and just ran 3 Eneloops, probably ~3.8v. Lost Turbo, but all other modes were intact and the red LED did not light up.

 

[Mr Floppy]

That was fast. What a bummer. Thx.

Working voltage: 3~6V;
Low voltage warnings come at 3.6V, 3.2V

 

[illumiGeek]

Got mine yesterday. Doingoutdoor has them on sale now, both CW and NW (I got a CW). Nice light. I was hoping for a bit more of a thrower. It's a pretty floody beam, but it still throws well due to its high output.

Love the moon mode! Made eminently more practical since you can always turn the light on in moon mode, no matter what mode it was in when you turned it off. I also like that it cycles from moon to low if you need a bit more light. Just wish it didn't jump to turbo on the next click.

Which brings me to my main criticism of the D40A. It would be better if it ramped up in power rather than down (low > med > high > turbo vs. turbo > high > med > low). It's quite a shock to the eyes going from low to turbo. I suppose that's a desirable effect if you're trying to impress someone (which is why I suspect Sunwayman did it that way), but from a practical standpoint, it's very unpleasant.

Also, my particular sample isn't as white as it could be. The spot is nice and white, but the transition zone between spot and spill is yellowish, and the spill itself is a bit purple. Not deal-breakingly so, but disappointing after all the glowing reviews I've read. I know this is somewhat common in bright, cool-white LED lights, but it's more noticeable in the D40A than in, say, my Quark Turbo or Fenix LD22.

All in all, though, I really like the D40A. It's a nice fist filling size, but it's still compact. It's smaller than I thought it would be from the in-hand pictures I've seen (then again, I have large hands). It has enough heft to feel like a solid, high quality light, without being too heavy. The battery carrier is a quality piece that doesn't rattle in the body. And the different brightness modes are well spaced for use in almost any situation. There's a lot to like about the D40A, in spite of its flaws.

Aloha, Tim