I received my Sunwayman C20C "Tomahawk" a few days ago, and I am quite
disappointed.
It's also my first Sunwayman, and probably the last.
As a "tint snob", I got the Neutral White Special Edition. I wouldn't even consider the CW one. The tint is decent; similar in CCT (correlated color temperature) but a bit worse than my "benchmark" NW Xeno E03 XM-L (C20C has a distinct magenta tint, mainly evident when directly compared to the Xeno).
First impressions:
The good ones:
- Incredibly small and compact for a 18650 light, just a bit larger than a "regular" AA rear clicky like the Fenix LD10 or the Xeno E03.
- ... and yet even large cells fit easily (like the protected Panasonic NCR18650B from FastTech, one of the largest 3400mAh cells around)
- It has springs on both ends of the battery tube, to absorb impacts without stressing the cell or the circuit too much.
- Great UI, with instant access to both turbo and low and electronic lockout (the latter necessitated by the fact that the tailcap lockout is almost unusable, see the section below). "Blinky" modes are almost hidden. I had my doubts before holding it in my hand, but they were dispelled within 3 minutes of usage.
- Flawless anodising
- Decent circuit design: Efficient, regulated, no PWM (I'm gonna blindly trust Selfbuilt on that ;-)
The bad ones:
- LED not perfectly centered. In conjunction with the issue mentioned by Selfbuilt (reflector seating), it leads to a slightly uneven beam with a(n almost imperceptible) donut hole.
- The sample I got has a smooth reflector despite the fact that the seller advertises an orange-peel reflector (which I would greatly prefer for an EDC). Probably not the seller's fault: Based on pictures I found, it seems that both variants exist, but this spec is not mentioned on the box. It seems I lost the "reflector lottery". Anyway, an OP reflector would alleviate the previous issue. Alas...
- The head-side threads of the tube are non-anodised and "interrupted" (pardon my terminology, I'm not a mechanical engineer). I don't know the purpose of the cuts, but maybe those threads were really meant to be loctite-d. Which brings us to the next two issues...
- All threads are too thin and shallow for my taste
- All threads are very gritty, even after repeated careful cleaning and lubing... I'm avoiding tailcap lockout for this reason alone, it feels as if I'll wear them through, thin as they are! (not possible, I know ;-)
- The o-rings are ridiculously filmsy and (after lubing) don't stay at their place when screwing the tailcap. I almost destroyed the rear one when it got "chewed up" betwean the threads, despite always being careful...
- Not enough of a "lip" over the o-rings, the lube is almost exposed to the dust (and my hands exposed to the lube). I have the feeling that hand-washing this flashlight, as I regularly do with my Xeno E03, isn't a good idea... (The Xeno, at half the cost, has properly sealed head, double o-rings nicely seated and thick square threads that are extremely smooth - its anodising is lacking and its runtime with a 14500 Li-Ion is too short, but in terms of reliability it far surpasses the C20C, from what I've seen*)
- Last but not least, the Sunwayman has a surprisingly lightweight construction. This point is entirely subjective, but I would prefer thicker walls and threads.
In short, it is a decent flashlight, but not worth the money.
It is a premium product, and as such its flaws are inexcusable. Even worse, there exist
both design flaws and QC oversights. The size and the UI would make it a great EDC, if only it would also inspire some confidence. It does not.
With the import costs (duties), the Sunwayman C20C cost me about 64€ (or 83$). I bought it specifically for EDC usage, which means that I wanted a flawless beam and reliable construction in a small package. It fails my expectations. I can't help but compare it to my Solarforce L2P p60 host, which at 1/4th of the cost
(!) manages to be 4 times the flashlight C20C is! (almost literally, in weight ;-) The L2P's anodising is just as good, the o-rings actually fit, the threads are deeply cut and smooth, with more turns (albeit not square; but who cares?) and the general fit and finish is actually
better. Of course, it is too large to carry around.
I should have bought the Fenix PD32 UE (which I foolishly thought would be too long), or even the cheaper Xeno S3A v2. I fear that the latter wouldn't be very reliable (only IPX-7 rated and a bad track record with the switches), but I can't imagine it being any worse than the C20C.
I 'm probably making the C20C sound like a bad flashlight. It is not; it's just very, very overpriced for what it is, and surpassed by much cheaper alternatives when it comes to fit and finish. Essentially, all you are paying for is the nice UI and almost unique form factor.
Anyway, thanks for the in-depth review, Selfbuilt. It's great, as always; the flashlight isn't. I hope that my additional notes might help a few prospective buyers to balance its virtues with its shortcomings before deciding.
* If you exclude the horrible switch in the tailcap, supposedly fixed in newer versions of the E03.
PS. Does anyone know (or can measure) the exact dimensions of the o-rings? I'm afraid I'll have to buy a couple of new ones (and perhaps try a bit thicker ones)
