Question: Sunwayman V10R v. Sunwayman V11R

Forgive my ignorance, but with the exception of owning a couple of Fenix lights and a couple of Surefires, I'm a total newb to high-end candlepower. I did read *most* of selfbilt's review of the Sunwayman V11R and while it seems undoubtedly an improvement over the V10R, my concern is the initial cost, especially considering I would need buy 16340s and a charger.

So my questions are: is the V11R a 2x improvement of the V10R? Is it worth the extra $100 to buy a new setup (complete with 16340s) over a used v10R? Also, can the v10R be modded for high-output 500lumens like the V11R comes from the factory? Lastly, will the extender ring work on the V10R?

Thank you!

Oh, last question. If I opt for the V11R, what is a good battery to reach the 500 lumen mark? On batteryjunction all I see are 3.0v and 3.2v rechargeables, no 4.2. Thanks again.

Li-ion batteries (3.7v ones) are 4.2v fully charged.

As for output, the V11R has a Cree XM-L instead of the XP-G, and I'm not sure if the driver pushes as much current as the V11R. You could get someone to swap in the XP-G2 and get a bit more output and throw. The V10R can also come with the XM-L emitter, and you'll be hard pressed to see a difference between 460 and 500 lumen.

The XM-L in the V11R means a wider hotspot and more powerful spill. It seems like the V11R has better knurling, but personally I like the styling of the V10A/V10R. I only own the V11R, so I don't have personal experience on the differences.

The batteryjunction page for the extender says it should work with the V10R as well.

If you are mainly going to use AA batteries, the V10A with the XM-L emitter might work better. A 14500 Li-ion battery should give you similar performance as the V10R XM-L and V11R XM-L with Li-ion batteries.

Thank you for the reply. I do have AA rechargeables current, but would be looking to get high output out of this light. From my (current) reading, it seems I would want AW 16340? Also, I agree, I am not concerned between 460 and 500, just wanted something more than 200.

Thanks again.

Okay, so I'm even more confused. Will the V10R in either XP-G or XM-L produce the 400+ lumen output with an AW 16340? Or just the XM-L?

Delkancott said:

Okay, so I'm even more confused. Will the V10R in either XP-G or XM-L produce the 400+ lumen output with an AW 16340? Or just the XM-L?

Click to expand...

Just the XM-L.

V10R XM-L on 16340 outputs 450 lumens I think. V11R is basically the same light but with a slightly brighter U2 emitter and different case styling.

The ratings for the XM-L version of the V10R says 460 lumen, the XP-G version says 210. This review of the V10R XP-G says 290 lumen at turn on, but that drops fairly quickly: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...tbeam-TC-R2-and-Sunwayman-Ti-V10R-PHOTO-HEAVY!

Fireclaw is probably right. The V11R is like a V10R XM-L with different styling.

14500 Li-ion batteries are the same size as AA batteries, except with higher voltage.
If you mainly plan on using AA batteries, I'd suggest the V10A XM-L ("A", instead of "R") since it won't need an adapter for AA batteries. Pop in a 14500 if you want a boost in output.

The difference between 400 and 200 lumen might not be as big as you'd expect.

Thank you both for the clarification.

I do not currently have an affinity for any particular batteries, all I currently have are some Duracell AA rechargeables.

In terms of disorienting an individual, would the 200+ lumen increase be worthwhile for the cost increase?

Delkancott said:

Thank you both for the clarification.

I do not currently have an affinity for any particular batteries, all I currently have are some Duracell AA rechargeables.

In terms of disorienting an individual, would the 200+ lumen increase be worthwhile for the cost increase?

Click to expand...

My guess is a pocket flashlight isn't capable of putting out enough lumens to disorient anyone for more than a second at most. A flashlight, especially a small EDC, is simply ineffective when used in the self-defense role. You're better off with a can of pepper spray.

Fireclaw18 said:

My guess is a pocket flashlight isn't capable of putting out enough lumens to disorient anyone for more than a second at most. A flashlight, especially a small EDC, is simply ineffective when used in the self-defense role. You're better off with a can of pepper spray.

Click to expand...

While I totally agree, in my state I would need a Class A LTC to carry pepper spray. I am working on that, but it takes time.

For clarity the light wouldn't be only for disorientation, it would be primarily used as an EDC in my agriculture/maintenance role, and for outdoors adventures.

Agree with lots of the replies above, but to summarize:

v10r xp-g has less lumens but a much brighter tighter hotspot

v10r xm-l and v11r can loosely be looked at as "roughly same light, different styling". With a 16340, both lights push you over the 400 lumens mark, but with a floodier beam (less through, less bright hotspot)

I don't feel that it's smart to trust *any* light to "disorient" by itself. That said, for regular general-purpose EDC, I use my v10r AE (xm-l), where the greater total output and floodier beam excel. I feel the v10r xp-g is superior for a defensive light, I like the tighter beam (still with enough spill to light up a room), the brighter hotspot helps with positive identification farther away, and who knows, it may provide an instant's advantage. It is definitely not ineffective in a self-defense role -- momentary on, with more than enough light to positively identify family member vs bad guy in even a large home, bright enough hot spot to be incredibly unpleasant, great beam pattern that lights up the rest of the room. I think it's more a matter of adjusting expectations as to what advantage a light (any light) might afford you. Although -- drifting off topic a bit -- in a similar sized light, the Klarus XT1C would be my top choice is EDC is less important than defensive use, the V series light's advantage is in its incredible versatility in any situation

Thank you for the reply. I have a lot to mull over.

Does anyone have links to any comparable beam shots? I will search and see what I can find.

I don't have beamshots, hoping someone else does...

But, I do have a qualitative test I run. I like to shine two lights on the wall about 10 feet away, and overlay their hotspots. If they mostly meld into each other, they're vaguely in the same ballpark. On the other end of the spectrum, if I can clearly see the hotspot of one (identified possibly by its shape, possibly by a slightly different beam color, etc), then that one has a hotspot that's noticeably brighter. I just did this test with my V10R AE (xm-l) and my regular V10R (xp-g), and the xp-g's hotspot is clearly visible, it is a a noticeable bump up in brightness (also noticeable if you shine the two beams next to each other), although the xp-g also does have a clear donut hole.

To keep things complicated, if I run the XT1C xp-g with a 16340 (not officially recommended, but Klarus has said the driver supports it, just watch out for heat), it surpasses the V10R xp-g in total brightness, and hotspot brightness, with no donut hole and a whiter beam color. Although again, the XT1C's UI is more tuned for defensive use; for more balanced use, the V10R's ring can't be beat.

Joe Talmadge said:

I don't have beamshots, hoping someone else does...

But, I do have a qualitative test I run. I like to shine two lights on the wall about 10 feet away, and overlay their hotspots. If they mostly meld into each other, they're vaguely in the same ballpark. On the other end of the spectrum, if I can clearly see the hotspot of one (identified possibly by its shape, possibly by a slightly different beam color, etc), then that one has a hotspot that's noticeably brighter. I just did this test with my V10R AE (xm-l) and my regular V10R (xp-g), and the xp-g's hotspot is clearly visible, it is a a noticeable bump up in brightness (also noticeable if you shine the two beams next to each other), although the xp-g also does have a clear donut hole.

To keep things complicated, if I run the XT1C xp-g with a 16340 (not officially recommended, but Klarus has said the driver supports it, just watch out for heat), it surpasses the V10R xp-g in total brightness, and hotspot brightness, with no donut hole and a whiter beam color. Although again, the XT1C's UI is more tuned for defensive use; for more balanced use, the V10R's ring can't be beat.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info Joe. I may (because I have a line on a used one) get whichever unit comes with the light for sale and will probably upgrade to 16340s regardless. Regarding the beam, I can see the advantages of a tighter beam, especially for scanning the fields, but then again more flood will obviously cover a larger area in the same sweep.

I knew I should have never visited this site.

The right answer, you already know, young padawan

Okay, another question. How does one tell the difference between a V10R XP-G and XM-L? Would it be printed on the box? the light? the instructions?

The seller would probably say on the product page. As for on the light itself, you should be able to tell by the lumen rating.

A Comparison Video for you

Delkancott, just like you I had a lot of questions in the beginning and always wanted to see photos or videos comparsions of the flashlights I was interested in. Thanks to some of our members, I could get a good idea of what to expect, without actually buying one. I decided to try out my new camera and make a video for you, comparing the V10R Ti and the V11R, my Christmas present to you. The link on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3r5DH5Q4Mk
I'm no Quentin Tarantino, but you will get an idea of what the lights can do. Total lumens is only part of the picture, as the 110 lumen Surefire Backup shows. I would go for the V10R any night of the week, I don't even use my V11R anymore. :thinking:

Re: A Comparison Video for you

Thank you very much for the video. To see which I liked (and because my wife was across the table) I watch the video initially on mute and clearly noted in my head that I preferred the light on the left. Well, the second time I heard that's the V10R Ti. The beam is just much brighter, more focused, clearer. Just to confirm, that V10R uses the XP-G emitter right? Not the XM-L?

Re: A Comparison Video for you

The V10R can be bought with the XP-G (R5) or the XM-L. Be careful when you press the order button! The V10R and the V11R are two different flashlights, it does not represent which LED it has. I like the clip on the V10R better too by the way.

Re: A Comparison Video for you

BadBulb4U said:

Delkancott, just like you I had a lot of questions in the beginning and always wanted to see photos or videos comparsions of the flashlights I was interested in. Thanks to some of our members, I could get a good idea of what to expect, without actually buying one. I decided to try out my new camera and make a video for you, comparing the V10R Ti and the V11R, my Christmas present to you. The link on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3r5DH5Q4Mk
I'm no Quentin Tarantino, but you will get an idea of what the lights can do. Total lumens is only part of the picture, as the 110 lumen Surefire Backup shows. I would go for the V10R any night of the week, I don't even use my V11R anymore. :thinking:

Click to expand...

Good Video!

I don't have the V11R, but I have the V10R Ti in XP-G and XM-L; I run them on standard CR123A cells. I was quite disappointed in the XM-L version of this light, but if the light is used exclusively indoors or very near field it's good, but over all I like the XP-G better. Part of that might be just that the rotary control just works better on my V10R XP-G and the rubber cap is fine. The Ti cap on my XM-L version is also good enough for me, I didn't swap it out, but there was just no big-bang for the buck spent and it was an update I could have skipped and never missed it. However you never know that until you try it.

I will say though... if you're going to be scanning fields I'd go for the Fenix TK-35 and forget all about these small variable pocket lights.