Skyraider59
Newly Enlightened
V25C Sunwayman review
780 Lumens 360° Fully Variable Magnetic Control Flashlight
(photo heavy)
The V25C is Sunwayman latest Variable Magnetic ring control, 18650/16340/CRA123A driven flashlight.
The look and shape is similar to the V20C but with a totally new Variable Magnetic System which has a full 360 degree rotation.
The look and shape is similar to the V20C but with a totally new Variable Magnetic System which has a full 360 degree rotation.
What's in the box
The box is a highly illustrated glossy cardboard box without window. The box shows data , photos and has product information panels.
Inside is a plastic insert with the V25C, a small plastic bag containing a spare rubber cap, two O rings and a small wrist lanyard,
also in the box is included a warranty card, a small leaflet showing latest releases and the user manual in English and Chinese
Inside is a plastic insert with the V25C, a small plastic bag containing a spare rubber cap, two O rings and a small wrist lanyard,
also in the box is included a warranty card, a small leaflet showing latest releases and the user manual in English and Chinese
Initial overview and feel
Due to the similarity of the two flashlights I think reviewer may find difficult not to draw some comparison with the V20C, but not owning one, I will treat the V25C as a totally new flashlight.
The V25C for me has an elegant but conventional shape found on single 18650 type flashlight but it still retain a distinctive look from its head and body.
The light is fairly compact with an overall length of 134.5mm and an head diameter of 25.5mm.
The V25Ccome in Type III- hard anodized satin mat black finish which is properly matched on head, body and tail
No flaws were found on my sample.
The V25Ccome in Type III- hard anodized satin mat black finish which is properly matched on head, body and tail
No flaws were found on my sample.
The round body has two flats and four small groves helping with the grip of a fairly smooth body.
Usual logos, name, etc are very sharp.
The threads are the trapezoidal for the head and square for the tail.
The head has five cooling grooves as well as six flat section which are more of a design feature than an antiroll feature.
A lanyard will have to be attached to stop it rolling off non perfectly horizontal surfaces.
To protect the head, a stainless steel flat bezel is fitted. This does not fit flush with the head but I believe this is a design feature as my D20A also had a bezel slightly protruding, see photo.
The bezel do not have any internal groves to facilitate and eventual removal.
The reflector is an orange peel type
Usual logos, name, etc are very sharp.
The threads are the trapezoidal for the head and square for the tail.
The head has five cooling grooves as well as six flat section which are more of a design feature than an antiroll feature.
A lanyard will have to be attached to stop it rolling off non perfectly horizontal surfaces.
To protect the head, a stainless steel flat bezel is fitted. This does not fit flush with the head but I believe this is a design feature as my D20A also had a bezel slightly protruding, see photo.
The bezel do not have any internal groves to facilitate and eventual removal.
The reflector is an orange peel type
The tailcap has a two scallops to provide easy access to the switch but still allowing the V25C to tail stand.
Two round holes are provided to fit a lanyard.
The tail switch is the forward clicky type allowing you to have the light on momentary.
Two round holes are provided to fit a lanyard.
The tail switch is the forward clicky type allowing you to have the light on momentary.
The tail cap apart from the magnetic ring is the only other place where knuckling is encountered.
I have medium size hand and the fit was good and comfortable.
I used my thumb and index to rotate the ring and the rotation is smooth but do give enough friction for a positive feed back.
I would not think the ring would move on its own once in a pocket or a bag, certainly did not happen for me during the testing.
I have medium size hand and the fit was good and comfortable.
I used my thumb and index to rotate the ring and the rotation is smooth but do give enough friction for a positive feed back.
I would not think the ring would move on its own once in a pocket or a bag, certainly did not happen for me during the testing.
No problem was encountered fitting my various batteries, even my "intel.outdoor/Panasonic" 3100 flat top fitted with a little room to spare (see photo),
so I am pretty sure that 3400mAh will also fit.
Due to the dual spring set up, no rattle was heard while shaking the flashlight.
I have placed the V25C next to other common flashlights for you to get an idea of its size.
Sunwayman V10R Ti, V11R with extender, V25C, Solarforce L2P, Nitecore EA4
so I am pretty sure that 3400mAh will also fit.
Due to the dual spring set up, no rattle was heard while shaking the flashlight.
I have placed the V25C next to other common flashlights for you to get an idea of its size.
Sunwayman V10R Ti, V11R with extender, V25C, Solarforce L2P, Nitecore EA4
Manufacturer Data
● CREE XM-L2 LED, with a lifetime of up to 50,000 hours;
● 360° fully-variable output control system, slightly twist the rotator ring for Standby, and output ranged from 0.1 to 780 lumens:
High: 780 Lumens (1hrs.)
Mid: 0.1 Lumen (200hrs.)
● Constant current circuit, constant output
● Effective range of 112 meters
● Intensity: 3140cd
● Uses 1*18650/2*CR123A/2*16340 batteries
● Working voltage: 2.8~8.4V
● High quality metal reflector, maintains great throw distance and spread with an ideal beam pattern
● Dimensions: 32mm x 25.5mm x 134.5mm
● Weight: 116g（battery excluded）
● Aerospace-grade aluminum alloy body, Stainless Steel retaining ring on the top
● Military Specification Type III- hard anodized body
● Waterproof, in accordance with IPX-8 standard
● Ultra-clear tempered glass lens resists scratches and impacts
● Accessories: Lanyard, O-ring, rubber cap
Settings
I have a V11R and a V10R Ti and I am a fan of the Sunwayman magnetic rings, so, I liked the idea of the 360 degree ring straight away.
The 360 rotation ring is a real pleasure, the operation is very smooth but does offer enough resistance to give a positive feel, the ring can be turned with one or two fingers for an easy continuous rotation.
The ramping is very progressive and very close to a full 360 turn as there is a small "off section" build into the rotation.
The ramping is very progressive and very close to a full 360 turn as there is a small "off section" build into the rotation.
Unfortunately, there is no marking on the variable ring or body. So from the "clicky" off position prior to turning the V25C on, you will have no idea of what brightness setting the light is on,
apart from trying to remember what setting it was, when you last turn it off! Not ideal! I certainly would have liked some sort of marking showing the 0 position and I will make my own one.
On the plus side the 360 degree ring is great as while in high, it allows you to get to the low or off in less than 1/8 of a turn and of course vice versa while you are into low mode.
So I can see the idea behind the 360 degree ring, much finer adjustment on all outputs and quick rotational on or off from the extreme positions via the control ring.
apart from trying to remember what setting it was, when you last turn it off! Not ideal! I certainly would have liked some sort of marking showing the 0 position and I will make my own one.
On the plus side the 360 degree ring is great as while in high, it allows you to get to the low or off in less than 1/8 of a turn and of course vice versa while you are into low mode.
So I can see the idea behind the 360 degree ring, much finer adjustment on all outputs and quick rotational on or off from the extreme positions via the control ring.
Home test
The V25C was tested on my home made light sphere and a cooling fan was used between the readings. (please note they will be a small margin of error for the readings as the V25C was removed and reposition for the various readings)
The test/monitoring was started 2mn after initial turn on, this is in line with ANSI method of testing flashlights.
The test/monitoring was started 2mn after initial turn on, this is in line with ANSI method of testing flashlights.
Tested with a 2 years old AW 2900mAh
Here are a brake down of the initial first 5mn,
Here are a brake down of the initial first 5mn,
0-576000 lux
1-506000
2-498000
3-498000
4-498000
5-498000
1-506000
2-498000
3-498000
4-498000
5-498000
| TIME | LUX | % | |
| -2 | 576000 | ||
| 2MN/0 | 498000 | 100.00% | FAN |
| 5 | 498000 | 100.00% | FAN |
| 10 | 498000 | 100.00% | FAN |
| 15 | 492000 | 98.80% | FAN |
| 20 | 482000 | 96.79% | FAN |
| 25 | 465000 | 93.37% | FAN |
| 30 | 448000 | 89.96% | FAN |
| 35 | 426000 | 85.54% | FAN |
| 40 | 416000 | 83.53% | FAN |
| 45 | 335000 | 67.27% | FAN |
| 50 | 327000 | 65.66% | FAN |
| 55 | 316000 | 63.45% | FAN |
| 60 | 308000 | 61.85% | NO FAN |
| 65 | 295000 | 59.24% | NO FAN |
| 70 | 285000 | 57.23% | NO FAN |
| 75 | 270000 | 54.22% | NO FAN |
| 80 | 250000 | 50.20% | NO FAN |
| 85 | 216000 | 43.37% | NO FAN |
| 90 | 167000 | 33.53% | NO FAN |
| 95 | 92000 | 18.47% | NO FAN |
| 100 | 15000 | 3.01% | NO FAN |
So to recap from 100% to 50% ouput in 80mn and after 100mn you are still getting 15000 lux,
so by lowering the output you still will have plenty of light for a long time.
Indoor and outdoor beam shots
My closest flashlights to make a beam comparison with are two Solarforce L2/L2P,
first one with a Solarforce (purple) XM-L T6
data: Solarforce 3.7v XM-L T6 Cree 820 Lumens
first one with a Solarforce (purple) XM-L T6
data: Solarforce 3.7v XM-L T6 Cree 820 Lumens
and the second one with Intl-outdoor "ALXM"
data: XM-L P60 Drop-in module "ALXM"
Led Tint - Cool White - U3 1C (1000 emitter lumens)
Modes - 3 Modes: High (100%) - Medium (30%) - Low (5%)
data: XM-L P60 Drop-in module "ALXM"
Led Tint - Cool White - U3 1C (1000 emitter lumens)
Modes - 3 Modes: High (100%) - Medium (30%) - Low (5%)
Wall beam shot
V25C * ALXM * XM-L T6
For those who have followed some of my reviews, you will note the two missing garden fences that we lost during a gale just before Christmas,
this has increase the size of my garden considerably!
The Corner of my garden (41ft) can still be seen in the photos below, this is at the light grey post between the brown and the grey fence panel.
this has increase the size of my garden considerably!
The Corner of my garden (41ft) can still be seen in the photos below, this is at the light grey post between the brown and the grey fence panel.
V25C STILL REACH FAR BUT GIVE A BROADER BEAM
As you can see from all the above shots, the V25C has a wider beam and outperform my other two XM-L flashlight.
Photos of different V25C settings
What I did, once the ring was positioned at 0 degree, ie off, I marked the centre of one of the flats, then photos were taken with the marker in the centre of the next flat and then again.
The F1 position is only a few Lumens, which did not show outsidere, the last photo was taken past number 5 flat but just before the light turning off.
The F1 position is only a few Lumens, which did not show outsidere, the last photo was taken past number 5 flat but just before the light turning off.
Description of "V25C F1" this stand for my marker being on the next flat from the off position, ie on flat 1
For/Against
Please note, the For/Against is down to personal preferences and for some, my FOR could be AGAINST and vice versa
For: Great output, attractive look, low profile, reverse battery protection circuit, tail stand, real extra low mode available and of course, very precise adjustment of output via the 360 ring leaving you in total control of the amount of light your require to carry that specific job.
Against: No "off" or "degree" markings on the magnetic ring, no build in antiroll design apart from fitting a lanyard
As you can see from the photos, the V25C has enough throw and spill to make it an ideal candidate for any outdoor activities.
The 360 ring also make it the right light for jobs around the house as the flashlight can be accurately adjusted to much lower levels often required in confined areas.
The V25C was kindly supplied by Sunwayman for review.
Skyraider59
Jetbeam ST CYCLER, III ST PRO BVC , BK135A; Nitecore D10, EZ-AA; EA4, Solarforce M6, L2, L2P, L2R, L2M, L2i; Zebralight H50, H60, Sunwayman, V11R, V10R Ti, D20A
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Anyway, thanks for the great review!
