Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

[Mr Floppy]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

Winners announced for the neutral version giveaway. I missed it by 1 spot! Oh well, it sounds like there is a neutral in production though.

please understand that this time's shipment may not be as fast as before, the D40A NW still in production, thanks.

 

[Showmethelight]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

I've had my D40 for 5 days, I'd say my findings go as follows:
build quality- ea4 -4 , D40 - 5, (of five) I rate this based on the switch problem of the EA4 which neither of my examples have suffered from, but it's been reported too much to ignore.
user interface- ea4 5, D40 4, this one is a tough call, love both but if you really wanted to remember every mode of the D40 and use other lights, it gets confusing, that said the moon mode is easily remembered and the ea4 lacks it and lots of people want it.
Modes- no brainer here, D40
brightness/throw- toss up, 5/5 for both given the 4AA platform
general- the D40 lanyard placement is simply ridiculous, opposes the switch side and the lanyard length barely makes it useable in combination. Both get equally hot just as a quick. Both lights great bang for the buck.
conclusion- (I own a neutral and cool EA4) the D40 wins all day, same price, no worry of the switch heat problem and moon mode. My two cents, regards

 

[morter]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

From everything I've read and watched, I couldn't resist any longer. It should get here sometime next week.

 

[Showmethelight]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

That's the D40 with the ea4, olight s10, sevens mini 123, and mag pro+
tossed the streamlight anti roll ring which fits both it and the ea4 onto the D40
edit- sorry for the crummy photo from my iPad sans the streamlight anti roll ring they are very similar height, D40 just a bit taller, not noticeable really, at least not in use or carry
double edit- I don't even consider eagletacs' offering with 3 AA as an option vs these two at almost double the price. Less run time and $40 more... They've missed the mark

 

[Mr Floppy]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

build quality- ea4 -4 , D40 - 5, (of five) I rate this based on the switch problem of the EA4 which neither of my examples have suffered from, but it's been reported too much to ignore.

Not to mention the heat sinking. It looks like the D40A has a much better design there. The star is actually screwed down and with thermal paste underneath too.

 

[Showmethelight]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

Not to mention the heat sinking. It looks like the D40A has a much better design there. The star is actually screwed down and with thermal paste underneath too.

In use they really dont differ much at all, run both both for 20 minutes, both get pretty darn hot, same actually for 10-15 minutes IMHO, perhaps the D40 slightly cooler
as an edit- I've put both my ea4's through double time turbo, ie let them drop down and send them right back into turbo and run them on high for easily 20 minutes without the balloon malfunction, having said that the D40 brings not even worry of that problem to the table. I loved the EA4 and it broke the ground here but the D40 is better IMHO

 

[elbowtko]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

I've had my D40 for 5 days, I'd say my findings go as follows:
build quality- ea4 -4 , D40 - 5, (of five) I rate this based on the switch problem of the EA4 which neither of my examples have suffered from, but it's been reported too much to ignore.
user interface- ea4 5, D40 4, this one is a tough call, love both but if you really wanted to remember every mode of the D40 and use other lights, it gets confusing, that said the moon mode is easily remembered and the ea4 lacks it and lots of people want it.
Modes- no brainer here, D40
brightness/throw- toss up, 5/5 for both given the 4AA platform
general- the D40 lanyard placement is simply ridiculous, opposes the switch side and the lanyard length barely makes it useable in combination. Both get equally hot just as a quick. Both lights great bang for the buck.
conclusion- (I own a neutral and cool EA4) the D40 wins all day, same price, no worry of the switch heat problem and moon mode. My two cents, regards

I was wondering about that lanyard placement myself... it looked like an off place to put a lanayrd hole. Does a larger lanyard make it more usable?

 

[Showmethelight]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

I was wondering about that lanyard placement myself... it looked like an off place to put a lanayrd hole. Does a larger lanyard make it more usable?

As is, I'd say the lanyard is just a way to hold onto the light while it is turned off, without actually holding it... It's truly the worse design of a lanyard I've ever seen (and I love this light, not looking to knock it without reason). I'd wager given the location of the lanyard hole a maybe, 6" lanyard would be needed to comfortably use and run the light at the same time. No clue what they were thinking of with this lanyard. You really got to get it in your hands to see just how awful the lanyard deal is, that said a lanyard represents like 2 points out of 100 when scoring a light this size to me, but I have surprisingly kept the provided lanyards on both my EA4's on them so maybe I shouldn't dismiss it so quickly.

 

[AbnInfantry]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

My Sunwayman D40A arrived a few days ago from Doingoutdoor.com. I was so impressed by it that I ordered two more (at a better price from FastTech) to replace my Nitecore EA4s. My sole complaint with the D40A is the ridiculous location of the lanyard hole. It baffles me what the folks at Sunwayman were thinking (or not thinking) when they did this.

 

[kj2]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

My Sunwayman D40A arrived a few days ago from Doingoutdoor.com.

Hmm, then mine should come any day now

 

[mcdonap]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

I would look forward to your review if you post it up

I received my D40A yesterday. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain last night so I didn't take the D40A, EA4 (XM-L2 U2), and GX25A3 out for some nighttime comparisons... Inside, white wall hunting, the beams of all three look very similar. As tjhabak said, the hot spot on the D40A is slightly larger. All of them have the XM-L2 U2, and the colors are all very close.

I think, for me, the big thing is the UI. I really prefer the EA4 and D40A to the GX25A3. I just prefer to NOT have to twist the head. The main thing I use these for (aside from just pure enjoyment) is walking the dog. I basically have my hands full, so the twisting is something I'd rather avoid.

Between the EA4 and the D40A, I prefer the UI of the EA4. It's just very simple to use - one button, half or full clicks. I do like the 2 buttons of the D40A, but it's just a little bit more complicated. That said, the extra feature of the moonlight mode is a plus. (I don't think I need all of the strobes...) The lockout is also easier on the EA4. Of course, none of this addresses quality, and the EA4 has had it's issues. (Though I've not experienced them personally.)

I look forward to testing them all out at night. I'll keep you posted.

 

[kj2]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

I think, for me, the big thing is the UI. I really prefer the EA4 and D40A to the GX25A3. I just prefer to NOT have to twist the head. The main thing I use these for (aside from just pure enjoyment) is walking the dog. I basically have my hands full, so the twisting is something I'd rather avoid.

When I use my A3 while walking the dog, I run it on low and when I need more power I hold the button down.

 

[mcdonap]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

When I use my A3 while walking the dog, I run it on low and when I need more power I hold the button down.

That's a great idea/method. In all fairness to the A3, if I really spent some time mastering the interface, I'd probably be singing it's praises. I just tend to grab the "easiest" lights. I don't want to sound like I'm criticizing the A3, it just doesn't have my preferred interface. I do like the fact that I can twist the head and leave it to come on in low mode. I tend to keep it next to the bed at night.

I also kept the D40A on the nightstand last night in order to use the moonlight mode. This is where the EA4 is too bright on the lowest mode.

 

[kj2]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

That's a great idea/method. In all fairness to the A3, if I really spent some time mastering the interface, I'd probably be singing it's praises. I just tend to grab the "easiest" lights. I don't want to sound like I'm criticizing the A3, it just doesn't have my preferred interface. I do like the fact that I can twist the head and leave it to come on in low mode. I tend to keep it next to the bed at night.

I also kept the D40A on the nightstand last night in order to use the moonlight mode. This is where the EA4 is too bright on the lowest mode.

A twisty light isn't my 'favorite' too. My D40A still has to arrive, but knowing my Fenix TK-lights, I do prefer a dual-switch on my lights.

 

[__philippe]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

Sunwayman D40A vs Nitecore EA4W

Here are the vital specs for the current contenders in the 4xAA "stubby" lights category :

(photo courtesy Swim Darren - metrics by me)


Cheers,

__philippe

 

[RedForest UK]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

I'm not sure if anybody's mentioned this yet, but the D40a seems to have a deeper reflector than the EA4 despite the overall longer body. Throw seems equal with the OP texture offsetting the slightly tighter XM-L2 beam angle and slightly deeper reflector.

There are differences in the beams however. The D40a seems to have a more clear '2-stage' hotspot than the EA4, with a smaller central circle (no donut hole, whereas my EA4 has a slight one at distances below 5 metres) surrounded by a much rounder and brighter (immediate to the central hotspot) corona fading out to the spillbeam. The overall width of the spill is a bit lower on the D40a due to the deeper reflector too. Overall it means they are quite equal at long distances, but closer up the clean, bright and wider corona of the D40a means a noticably greater area is brightly lit.

I actually find the UI of the D40a 'simpler' and easier to remember, half and full click combinations seem more confusing than dual switches to me, but YMMV.

The cool white tint of the D40a is also what I would consider very cool, probably 6500k+ and without much red/green in it compared to other 1A and 1C tints that I've tried respectively.

Overall it's a good light, especially at below $50. The quality seems a cut above the EA4.

The only other thing to mention is that the stainless bezel is not glued and was easy to remove, which was good for me as there were a few specs of dust/lint inside the lense which I was able to remove cleanly without touching anything on the inside. Maybe I'll reflow on a new emitter once we get to XM-L3 or U5 bins.

 

[mcdonap]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

A twisty light isn't my 'favorite' too. My D40A still has to arrive, but knowing my Fenix TK-lights, I do prefer a dual-switch on my lights.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts when it does arrive.

 

[DHart]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

I would love this with a neutral/warmish, slightly warm tint emitter. Anyone know if that may be forthcoming?

 

[kj2]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

I look forward to hearing your thoughts when it does arrive.

Well, it just arrived will try making some side-by-side photos of the D40A, A3 and EA4.
First thing I noticed was how small this light is. I can hardly believe this thing runs on 4* AA
Buttons are good, I've enough feedback from it. Hmm, 10:40am here now- so long before the sun goes down

 

[kj2]

Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower

Second thing what I noticed was; the threads are dry! no lubricant at all. Does everybody has that?
For what I can see during daylight, I'm liking the modes and that moon-mode (1lumens) is low enough that you can look into it. (at least I can )
Sunwayman is known, for what I know, for their flawless HA-III coating. Well, I did found I flaw at the top of the threads but that's possibly because the wasn't any lubricant.
The D40A lays very nice and solid in my hand. It has some weight to it, but you can hold it for a longer time-period. The led is perfectly centered on my light.
I have the feeling, I'll take this light on lots of trips with me

edit; here some photos. Quality of the photos aren't that great, but should give you an idea.

(Aren't they pretty )

(The Eagletac is just slightly shorter)

(lights where all lined-up at the back)