Sunwayman T20C v Fenix TK21 v Olight M20SX

Have an LE friend who is still using an antiquated regular bulb light. I want to buy him a new light to make sure he gets home to his family at the end of a shift

He has a mixed patrol of rural and suburban area, and I think there may be a time when he would mount this on an AR15, but for now it will be a hand held duty light.

So, I narrowed the choice to the Sunwayman T20C, the Fenix TK21, and the Olight M20SX.

Anyone see any strengths or weaknesses inherent within these models ? As far as I can tell they all use the same LED.

Sunwayman probably has best flood, and the Fenix the best throw (from what I've read). What about build quality and reliability ?

OMG....still using an incandecent??? Okay it's one thing if it's a Surefire M3 combat light but somehow I suspect that it's more likely an old Streamlight Stinger or Magcharger. As far as reliability goes I can personally recommend the Olight...I have an M21 and it has been an excellent performer even though it uses the older SST-50. Olight's quality and durability are top notch. I like the T20Cs one-handed operation and have been looking at it as a possible purchase, however I am wary of the way the light changes modes. If you take a look at the videos it appears that holding the momentary function for longer than one second starts the mode cycling. I would be concerned that if he was holding the light on without clicking it he might get an unsuspecting change in lighting. Understand that I do not own one and so I cannot say this is the case, it may be that to change modes requires a bit more pressure than normal momentary lighting requires.

I have worked in LE and Security fields so I do understand the jobs he may need it to perform.

BTW...if he happens to have an old Surefire P60 light, buy him a Solarforce XM-L drop-in (the 3.7-6v) with a couple of 17670s and charger to go along...he will likely be just as happy as with a new light and will save having to find a new holster.

My memory is bad, but I seem to recall him saying this was a SF P6. My view is that any regular bulb light is not up to duty use. I don't even use them myself around the house these days. 15 years ago a Maglite 4D was seen as state of the art, now it is laughable.

Thanks for the tip on the UI on the Sunwayman - they don't seem to sell many of that model, so perhaps that is why. Hopefully an owner will chime in and tell us for sure

Fenix and Olight seem to be about same price, while Sunwayman is about $15 less. Not that price is really a factor here.

Does your friend need to use a traffic wand ? The Olight and I think the Fenix have diffuser wands available. The Sunwayman has a slightly smaller bezel, too small for a wand without modification. This may not be an issue if your friend uses a larger light with wand from his vehicle.

I doubt he'll ever need it. Not much call for traffic duties in this rural area, and i suspect that if he does need something he'll have it in the patrol car. I've never asked him, but that is my gut feeling.

DonK said:

I doubt he'll ever need it. Not much call for traffic duties in this rural area, and i suspect that if he does need something he'll have it in the patrol car. I've never asked him, but that is my gut feeling.

Click to expand...

You'd be surprised....however if he needs one they are also readily available for the Surefires. Again I cannot stress enough the idea of upgrading his Surefire, the recommendations I gave are from personal experience...I use those specifically myself. The Solarforce drop-in and the batteries I found at Lighthound. My Surefire 6P has seen regular use for the last 16 years or so and even when it was still using a xenon lamp I only replaced it once. After upgrading it with the new XM-L it has returned to duty on the belt I wear to work. The advantage of the Fenix or Olight is that he would then have access to multiple output levels to suite the situation, obviously the Sunwayman does as well but until I can determine if the UI would cause a problem I would not consider it. I will just have to wait until someone with more spare cash than me buys it and posts regarding it.

how much does it cost to do the upgrade to teh 6P ?

of course, for a gift, a new in package item always looks better

Well it's only about $20 for the drop-in and then another $10 each for the batteries...the WF-139 charger from the website is around $20 but, while that is what I am using...the Pila would be a better choice.

Though if he is using a 6P then no doubt he has become used to buying the CR123s on a regular basis...and the Solarforce drop-in will run just fine on a pair of CR123s....so you could just get him the drop in and abd be done with it. He will get a longer run time on the lithium primaries just by switching to the led so switching to rechargeable Li-ion may not be necessary right away.

thanks, looks like a good option. Even if I get him a new light I may advise him to upgrade the old one too - always good as a backup or for wife to keep in car. There seems to be a LE mindset that if it is not SF, it is not worth having - they'd rather have a dim 6P that runs for 20 mins than an 'off brand' that gives 10 times the light for 5 times as long

Yeah...but really the reputation of Surefires are well deserved... when you have to use your flashlight as an improvised impact weapon, it changes your view on the whole durability discussion. Fortunately both Fenix and Olight have been around since the whole power LED craze started and they both know how to make a light a tool and not just a toy.

yes, I use fenix myself and am a happy customer - except for the donuts in recent models

Well, I could not decide based on user reviews, so i took the plunge and picked up a T20C and a M20SX. I did not get the Fenix due to smooth reflector and bezel.

I compared these lights to my Fenix TK12

First impressions.

Both Olight and Sunwayman are much more floody than Fenix - as you'd expect. The Sunwayman feels the most flimsily constructed of the 3, and the tail switch does not feel especially good. Fenix feels a lot more solid and robust than the others.

The Olight can't be locked out - at least not when I unscrewed the tailcap a significant amount. Did not try the Sunwayman.

The Olight definately has higher output and has a good tint - a very useful light.

The Sunwayman is a useful light too, but I'm not sure it is robust enough for serious LEO duty.

Just my first impressions - I'm by no means an expert at assessing flashlights.

quick update, the more I play aroudn with these lights the more I like the Sunwaymann BUT that rear switch creaks and groans when depressed and gives an impression of low quality. Feels like a small plastic switch beneith the rubber cover :sick2:

I work as a Deputy Sheriff in a mixed rural/urban area. I have a partner who has a TK21 and I highly recommend it. I Still use a TK30 and an older tk11 but, I will be getting a TK21. It has a huge amount of light with good throw and spill easy to adjust light levels.

I work at the Dutch Police Academy and develope Tactical Lights for Police use. We stopped with the Fenix line when they started with the side switch. We would recommend a light that You can draw and use with 1 hand, and can use the switch without having to look where it is. (the TK15 and TK 21 serie is absolutaly not recommended)
Look for a light with a tailswitch (momentary) with tailstand. If You can find one that can be changed so the light allways comes on in Strobe mode, then You have a real Tactical Light.
We did the same search and came up with the Sunwayman T20C, but had the tailswitch and UI changed for that perpouse.
In addition to that we use a special holster so LEO's can draw it any time any where when needed.
About that switch.
The switch is special designed with a tube in the battery compartment tube. It functions as a mechanical switch, that rules out many possible tailswitch failures. In our experience it is the most reliable on the market.

Thanks for the input G. Very interesting. Seems like the Sunwayman switch feels mushy but is actually a reliable item.

Perhaps Sunwaymann T20C will become the light of choice for many tactical uses. All they need now is a pressure switch tailcap accessory and every cop will buy one

of course grizzlyb knows this stuff much better, being in the field... from my "civilian" point of view having 2 well spaced switches is better than struggling with just one clicky to cycle between modes... i think that for tactical use max output (and, for who believes in the "power of strobe", being able to access flashing modes quickly) is the single most important thing...
personally i'd advice the TK21. it's an amazing light, reliable and useful in many situations, with enough throw and enough spill to avoid a narrow tunnel vision...

dheim,
If You study it a little more and try it out under lots of stress, You wont be able to find any side switch.
Thats why you NEED a tail switch.
But Your right about the access mode switch problem. Thats why we had the UI changed.
It now comes on ALLWAYS in Strobe mode. So You don't need to switch throu modes under stress, It is allways tactical at the first click.
But, when You have time, like when searching a room or reading something in the dark, You CAN switch modes just by holding the tailswitch a second. It will cicle throu the modes and You can stop in the mode You want.
BUT every time You kill the light, it will turn on in Strobe mode. That is made standard.

So, we think the other way around. Strobe is the tactical mode, and the rest You can choose when You have time.
Simple isn't it. :+)

DonK said:

Thanks for the input G. Very interesting. Seems like the Sunwayman switch feels mushy but is actually a reliable item.
Perhaps Sunwaymann T20C will become the light of choice for many tactical uses. All they need now is a pressure switch tailcap accessory and every cop will buy one

Click to expand...

Or every other company that makes a light turn on in Strobe mode, with a tail switch, that can tailstand, is no flood light but a real thrower, is LEO proof, and comes with a quick draw holster. , (hint, hint, hint) (Why the hack didn't they build it before I had it special build.)

So how can we get the Sunwayman with the Dutch version of the tailswitch logic?