Sofirn IF30

Specifications

Brand/model Sofirn IF30
LED 1*Luminus SFT40, 12*TN-3535
Maximum lumens 12,000 lm
Maximum beam intensity 117,167 cd
Maximum throw 685 m
Battery 1* 32650 Li-ion
Onboard charging Yes (USB-C)
Power bank Yes (USB-C)
Material Aluminium
Modes 2 (Low, Turbo, Ramping)
Blinkies Strobe
Reflector Smooth
Waterproof IPX-8
Review date October 2023

Introduction

The Sofirn IF30 is a relatively compact torch that combines twelve floodlights and a spotlight into one package. The rotary switch can be rotated or pressed to control the brightness and change between floodlights, spotlight or both.

The 32650 battery helps keep the battery tube slim while providing 6500mAh of capacity.

A USB-C port allows the 32650 battery to be charged at a rate of 3A while also doubling as a power bank.

At first glance, the Sofirn IF30 looks like a slim version of the Wurkkos TS32 but it has a rotary switch instead of two buttons.

Here is my video review of the Sofirn IF30:

Sofirn kindly sent this torch for review. I have not been paid for this review nor have I held back my opinions of this torch.

Packaging

The Sofirn IF30 comes in a large white box. An outer cardboard sheath has an image of the torch while a white box inside has a flap that can be lifted to reveal the torch.

Sofirn IF30 packaging Sofirn IF30 packaging

Sofirn IF30 packaging Sofirn IF30 packaging

The following was included in the box:

  • Sofirn IF30
  • Sofirn 32650 6500mAh cell
  • Lanyard
  • Two spare o-rings
  • USB-A to USB-C cable
  • User manual

Sofirn IF30 packaging Sofirn IF30 packaging

Sofirn IF30 packaging Sofirn IF30 accessories

Sofirn IF30 user manual Sofirn IF30 user manual

Torch in use

The Sofirn IF30 is a little bit smaller than a soda can sized torch. It is a good size for a jacket pocket. It feels comfortable in my hand.

Sofirn IF30 in-use-1

A rotary switch can be used to control the brightness of the emitters by either rotating the switch or by pressing the switch.

There is a lot going on with twelve floodlight emitters and one spotlight emitter.

The ability to switch between floodlights, a spotlight or have both on makes the torch pretty versatile.

Sofirn IF30 in-use-2

The torch automatically locks itself after fifteen seconds of being turned off. This feature provides a bit of peace of mind. I have burnt a few holes in my jacket pockets with various torches by mistake.

Build quality

The Sofirn IF30 is made of aluminium and it has a matte black anodised finish.

The slots on the battery tube and the edges on the tailcap almost feel sharp.

Sofirn IF30 front

A hole in the tailcap allows a lanyard to be attached. Unfortunately, the lanyard gets in the way when tailstanding. It would better if the lanyard hole is cut into the side of the tailcap so that the lanyard isn’t in the way.

Sofirn IF30 tailcap

The rotary switch turns smoothly after using it for a few weeks. It was a bit stiff initially.

The rotary switch gives a sastifying click when pressed. That said, it doesn’t give a satisfying clicking sound like a ratchet when rotated.

There is a red and green battery status indicator in the middle of the rotary switch.

Sofirn IF30 button

The battery tube has an image of a battery to indicate the direction that the battery should be inserted. The image should be kept near the tailcap.

Sofirn IF30 side

The battery tube can be reversed because the threads at the head and tail ends are the same. The threads came well lubricated and they are sufficiently anodised to allow the torch to be locked out by twisting the tail cap.

Sofirn IF30 head-threads Sofirn IF30 tail-threads

The spring in the tailcap gets too hot to touch after using Turbo! I managed to burn my finger while taking the 32650 battery out shortly after using Turbo (no damage, but it was hot!).

Sofirn IF30 spring

There are four pads on the spring side of the driver. Perhaps Anduril could be used one day?

Sofirn IF30 driver

LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam

The Sofirn IF30 comes with a Luminus SFT40 “spotlight” emitter and twelve cool white TN-3535 “floodlight” emitters.

Sofirn IF30 closeup emitters

A stainless steel bezel has been screwed down against a glass lens with an anti-reflective coating.

Sofirn IF30 closeup bezel

I was able to unscrew the bezel with my hand. It required a bit of force because there was an o-ring without lubricant.

Sofirn IF30 teardown-1

There is a thin plastic ring sitting between the bezel and the glass lens. Under the lens is another o-ring that presses against the reflector.

The reflector is one piece and it is held in place with two feet and two cut-outs. I was able to pry the reflector out. There are no screws holding the reflector down (as is the case with a Sofirn SP36 BLF).

Sofirn IF30 teardown-2

The Metal Core Printed Circuit Boards (MCPCBs) both have “TS32” on them. They are probably the same MCPCBs used in the Wurkkos TS32.

Sofirn IF30 teardown-3

There appears to be a sufficient amount of thermal paste. The MCPCBs have been screwed down. That should help with transferring heat away from the emitters.

CCT, CRI, and duv

I have taken Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) and Colour Rendering Index (CRI, RA of R1-R8) measurements with the torch positioned one metre away from an Opple Light Master Pro III (G3) for Low and two metres away for Turbo.

The CCT of the floodlight is around 5500K and the CRI is around 67.

The CCT of the spotlight is around 6500K and the CRI is around 68.

The CCT of both the floodlight and spotlight is around 6100K and the CRI is around 67.

The Delta u, v is positive (green).

The spotlight produces a narrow beam with a wide spill. There are some ring artefacts around the hot spot when the beam is on a white wall but these are hard to see under normal circumstances when the light isn’t on a white wall.

The floodlights produce a very floody beam.

LED Mode CCT (K) CRI (Ra) x y Duv
Flood Low 5359 65.8 0.3363 0.3650 0.0102
Flood Turbo 5599 68.3 0.3301 0.3513 0.0062
Spot Low 6053 66.1 0.3201 0.3439 0.0071
Spot Turbo 6901 70.3 0.3072 0.3200 0.0014
Both Low 6084 66.4 0.3195 0.3429 0.0069
Both Turbo 6148 68.0 0.3185 0.3389 0.0054

Calculate Duv from CIE 1931 xy coordinates

Dimensions and size comparison

Dimensions

I took the following measurements using a digital caliper.

Measurement Unit (mm)
Length 129.4
Head diameter 62.5
Tube diameter 38.0
Tailcap diameter 41.1
Battery length 69.3
Battery diameter 32.34

Weight

I took the following measurements using a digital scale.

Weight Unit (g)
Sofirn IF30 259.18
Battery 151.31
Sofirn IF30 with battery 410.49

Size comparison with its competition

From left to right: Sofirn SP36 BLF, Nightwatch Chaos NS59v2, Sofirn IF30, Lumintop Mach

Sofirn SP36 BLF, Nightwatch Chaos NS59v2, Sofirn IF30, Lumintop Mach

From left to right: Sofirn SP36 BLF, Nightwatch Chaos NS59v2, Sofirn IF30, Lumintop Mach

Sofirn SP36 BLF, Nightwatch Chaos NS59v2, Sofirn IF30, Lumintop Mach

User interface

The Sofirn IF30 has a rotary switch that can be rotated clockwise, rotated counter-clockwise or pressed.

There are two main modes: Low and Turbo.

The rotary switch can be turned clockwise to increase the output, and counter-clockwise to decrease the output, between Low and Turbo.

There are shortcuts to: Low, Turbo and Strobe.

Low can be accessed momentarily by holding the switch while the torch is locked out.

State Action Result
Off Hold Low
Off Click On (mode memory)
Off Two clicks Turbo
Off Three clicks Strobe
On Hold Cycle (floodlight, spotlight, both)
On Two clicks Turbo
Turbo Two clicks Low
Low Click Last used level while ramping
On Three clicks Strobe
On Rotate clockwise Increase brightness
On Rotate counter-clockwise Decrease brightness
Locked Click Two blinks
Locked Hold Momentary Low
Locked Rotate 60 degrees Unlock (battery status indicator is displayed)

Rotary switch

I noticed that the rotary switch takes 2.75 to 3.5 clockwise rotations to go from Low to Turbo.

It takes about 3 to 4 counter-clockwise rotations to go from Turbo to Low.

The number of turns required might be affected by the speed in which the switch is turned and the voltage of the battery. I found that more rotations were needed to reach the upper limit when the voltage was lower.

Mode memory

The torch memorises the last used level while ramping.

I ran into a scenario where the torch memorised the last used level while ramping but it did not memorise the last used level (i.e. Low).

For example:
Click on. Rotate the switch clockwise to ramp up to Turbo. Click off.
Hold to access Low from off. Click off.

What is the memorised mode? Low? No. Turbo was memorised.

Strobe

Strobe has an alternating frequency.

Automatic lockout

The torch automatically locks after it has been off for fifteen seconds.

To unlock the torch, simply rotate the rotary switch sixty degrees clockwise until the battery status indicator turns on.

Low can be accessed momentarily while the torch is locked by pressing and holding the rotary switch.

Battery status indication

The indicator LED in the switch will display the following for 5 seconds when the torch is on:

Colour Battery level
Green Capacity ≥ 50%
Red 30% ≥ Capacity < 50%
Red flashing Capacity < 25%

The battery status indicator will continue to flash red while the torch is on and the battery power is less than 25%.

It looks as though there is a typing mistake in the user manual: What happens between 25% and 30%?

Low voltage protection

There is low voltage protection. I tested low voltage protection by connecting the driver of the torch to a bench power supply and then by lowering the voltage from 4.2V.

LED Mode LVP? Cut-off voltage Current
Flood Low Yes 2.80V 0.14 mA
Spot Low Yes 2.80V 0.14 mA
Both Low Yes 2.82V 0.14 mA

The emitters turned off at 2.80V and the current dropped to 0.14 mA.

PWM

I noticed a bit of flickering (visible PWM) on Low while using the floodlight.

What I like about the UI

  • Simple to use.
  • Shortcut to Low from off.
  • Shortcut to Turbo from off.
  • Momentary Low while locked out.

What could be improved

  • The ramp speed could be more consistent when increasing and decreasing the brightness.
  • I would like the automatic lock to be removed. I have to rotate the switch and press it every single time I want to use the torch. I prefer to lock a torch with four clicks or by unscrewing the tailcap.

Batteries and charging

Battery

A Sofirn 32650 6500mAh cell was included inside the torch. The cell arrived with a voltage of 4.01V, and it was isolated with a piece of plastic.

The cell has a maximum continuous discharge rate (CDR) of 6.5A but Turbo requires as much as 35A.

A cell with a higher CDR should be included instead, or Turbo should be reduced, so that the cell isn’t damaged with continued use of Turbo.

Sofirn IF30 warning Sofirn IF30 insulating-film

A flat top 21700 cell will work. I used a 21700 to 26650 adapter from another torch to help keep the cell centred in the battery tube.

Sofirn IF30 battery Sofirn IF30 battery

Charging

Sofirn IF30 charging

Power supply: PinePower Desktop USB-C
USB Meter: AVHzY CT-3 (recommended by LiquidRetro)
Room temperature: 20 C

Sofirn IF30 charging profile

I charged the included battery from 3.13V to 4.20V using the built-in charger. It took about 3 hours 20 minutes to fully charge.

The charging rate reached 5V 2.4A when I connected the torch to a PinePower Desktop USB-C port directly without using a AVHzY CT-3 USB Meter. The charging rate reached 5V 2A while connected to the USB Meter.

The charging status indicator flashes red while charging and turns green when charging is complete.

Sofirn IF30 charging-red Sofirn IF30 charging-green

Power bank

I was able to use the Sofirn IF30 to charge my phone with a charging rate of 5V 1.5A using a USB-C to USB-C cable.

Power supply compatibility

I tried the following power supplies with the built-in USB-C charger:

Power supply USB Type Protocol Does it charge?
Apple 61W Power Adapter USB-C PD Yes
Google Pixel Power Adapter USB-C PD Yes
PinePower Desktop USB-C PD Yes
PinePower Desktop USB-A QC Yes
PinePower Desktop USB-A Yes

USB-C to USB-C charging works.

Performance

Specifications from the manual:

Floodlight:

Mode Low Turbo Strobe
Output (lumens) 30 12,000 12,000
Runtime 130h 1h 15min
Beam Distance (metres) 14 178
Beam Intensity (cd) 46 19,350

There is a typing mistake in the user manual. The beam distance for the floodlight on Turbo should be 278 metres because square root (19,350 candelas / 0.25) is 278 metres.

Spotlight:

Mode Low Turbo Strobe
Output (lumens) 10 2,500 2,500
Runtime 280h 4h 45min
Beam Distance (metres) 49 685
Beam Intensity (cd) 609 117,167

Both:

Mode Low Turbo Strobe
Output (lumens) 40 12,000 12,000
Runtime 100h 1h 15min
Beam Distance (metres) 170 592
Beam Intensity (cd) 7,225 87,750

Sofirn mentioned runtime estimates for Low and Turbo but there wasn’t much else. I decided to measure the output after performing a quarter turn, a half turn, and two turns of the rotary switch.

Lumen measurements

I used a UNI-T UT210E clamp meter to measure the current at turn on.

LED Mode Amps at start Specs Lumens @turn on Lumens @30 sec Lumens @10 min
Flood Low 0.07 A 30 25 25 25
Flood Quarter turn 0.45 A 341 339 333
Flood Half turn 1.67 A 900 907 868
Flood Two turns 4,873 4,772 1,145
Flood Turbo 1 35.00 A 12,000 11,274 9,500 1,249
Flood Turbo 2 35.00 A 12,000 10,338 9,462 1,151
Flood Turbo 3 35.00 A 12,000 10,323 9,283 1,142
Flood Turbo P42A 35.00 A 12,000 12,214 10,472 1,045
Spot Low 0.05 A 10 12 12 12
Spot Quarter turn 0.29 A 84 86 84
Spot Half turn 0.75 A 227 225 222
Spot Two turns 1,860 1,909 455
Spot Turbo 10.48 A 2,500 2,338 2,213 608
Both Low 0.10 A 40 36 36 36
Both Quarter turn 0.56 A 391 386 377
Both Half turn 2.01 A 929 942 902
Both Two turns 5,427 5,543 1,180
Both Turbo 35.00 A 12,000 11,314 10,017 1,240

Standby drain

The user manual mentions a standby current of 230 µA.

I measured approximately 150 µA with a Sofirn 32650 6500mAh cell inserted. The current jumped around 100 to 180 µA and it occasionally reached 1 mA.

Measurements were taken using a UNI-T UT139C digital multimeter.

Runtime graphs

I used my own DIY lumen tube with a TSL2591 sensor and forked bmengineer’s project RuTiTe to record runtimes.

Note: Lumen measurements may be off by 10% with my DIY lumen tube.

The room temperature was approximately 20 C.

Floodlight (Turbo comparison)

Sofirn IF30 first 2 hours Flood Turbo runtime graph

Sofirn IF30 first 10 minutes Flood Turbo runtime graph

I performed three Turbo (Floodlight) runtime tests using a Sofirn 32650 6500mAh cell and one runtime test using a Molicel P42A 21700 cell.

It looks like the included cell is being damaged each time I perform a runtime test for Turbo (Floodlight).

The included cell has a maximum continuous discharge rate (CDR) of 6.5A but the torch reaches 35A on Turbo!

The fourth Turbo (Floodlight) runtime test was done with a Molicel P42A 21700 cell and it had a higher light output compared to the 32650 cell.

I contacted Sofirn and recommended that they include a cell with a higher continuous discharge rate.

Floodlight

Sofirn IF30 flood runtime graph

Sofirn IF30 first 2 hours flood runtime graph

Sofirn IF30 first 10 minutes flood runtime graph

Spotlight

Sofirn IF30 spot runtime graph

Sofirn IF30 first 2 hours spot runtime graph

Sofirn IF30 first 10 minutes spot runtime graph

Both

Sofirn IF30 both runtime graph

Sofirn IF30 first 2 hours both runtime graph

Sofirn IF30 first 10 minutes both runtime graph

Runtime

Here is a summary of the runtime results:

LED Mode User manual Runtime Turn off Final voltage
Flood Turbo 1 1h 15min 1h 8min 15s 1h 44min 12s 3.16
Flood Turbo 2 1h 15min 52min 9s 1h 55min 54s 3.21
Flood Turbo 3 1h 15min 55min 50s 1h 59min 47s 3.01
Flood Turbo P42A 1h 15min 9min 50s 1h 24min 7s 2.99
Flood Two turns 2h 2min 55s 2h 2min 55s
Flood Half turn 3h 32min 43s 3h 32min 43s 3.10
Flood Quarter turn 9h 33min 14s 9h 33min 14s 3.02
Flood Low 130h 10min+ 10min+
Spot Turbo 4h 45min 2h 44min 6s 2h 55min 49s 3.10
Spot Two turns 3h 1min 35s 3h 13min 56s 2.93
Spot Half turn 11h 23min 51s 11h 23min 51s 3.03
Spot Quarter turn 24h+ 24h+
Spot Low 280h 10min+ 10min+
Both Turbo 1h 15min 54min 41s 1h 49min 43s 3.13
Both Two turns 1h 48min 29s 1h 51min 47s 3.16
Both Half turn 3h 17min 33s 3h 17min 33s 2.98
Both Quarter turn 8h 12min 17s 8h 12min 17s 3.06
Both Low 100h 10min+ 10min+

“Runtime” is the time until the output reduces to 10% of the output at 30 seconds (as per the ANSI/PLATO FL1 2019 Standard).

“Turn off” is the time until my DIY lumen tube no longer detects more than 1 lumen.

“+” indicates that the light remained on after recording had stopped.

The IF30 produced about 1,000 lumens for a little over 1 hour 45 minutes with both the floodlights and spotlight on Turbo.

Turbo with both the floodlights and spotlight turned on dropped below 1,001 lumens at 54min 41s. 1,001 lumens is 10% of 10,017 lumens measured at 30 seconds. 1h 15min is the expected runtime but it fell short if you assume that my lumen tube is accurate within +/- 1 lumen (it is not). It is a bit harsh to say that the runtime is 54min 41s when the accuracy of my lumen tube could be out by +/- 10%.

It is interesting how the output consistently increases toward the end of a Turbo runtime for the floodlight.

Regulation for the spotlight could be improved. The output isn’t zig-zagging up and down but it would be nice to have regulated output for the Luminus SFT40 emitter.

Throw

I took lux measurements with a UNI-T UT383BT at 30 seconds. Low was measured at one metre. Turbo was measured at five metres.

LED Mode Specs (cd) Specs (m) Candela measured (cd) Distance (m)
Flood Low 46 14 43 13
Flood Turbo 19,350 278 18,050 268
Spot Low 609 49 693 52
Spot Turbo 117,167 685 126,275 710
Both Low 7,225 170 721 53
Both Turbo 87,750 592 80,800 568

The beam distance for Low with both the floodlights and spotlight on was lower than expected. 52 metres instead of 170 metres. Perhaps it is another typing mistake (7225 should be 725 cd?).

Beamshots

I went to a local park and aimed the Sofirn IF30 at a tree 70 metres away while using Turbo.

Beamshots were taken using a Sony RX100M2 using 3.2", f3.2, ISO 100, 5000K WB.

Sofirn IF30 Spot (Turbo)

Sofirn IF30 Spot Turbo beamshot

Sofirn IF30 Flood (Turbo)

Sofirn IF30 Flood Turbo beamshot

Sofirn IF30 Both (Turbo)

Sofirn IF30 Both Turbo beamshot

Lumintop Mach (Turbo)

Lumintop Mach Turbo beamshot

Nightwatch Chaos NS59v2 9xSFQ60.3

Nightwatch Chaos NS59v2 9xSFQ60.3 Turbo beamshot

Conclusion

The Sofirn IF30 is a lot of fun!

I have developed a bit of muscle memory with the rotary switch where I rotate it once and mash the button to unlock the torch and turn it on.

I like how compact it feels in my hand compared to a soda can torch.

The emitters appear to have been chosen to maximum the beam distance and lumens. It would be nice if some high CRI Nichia 519A emitters with a nice tint are used instead of these cool white TN-3535 emitters. The low CRI 6500K Luminus SFT40 emitter could be swapped out for a high CRI 3000K Luminus SFT40. The beam distance and lumen output might decrease with these other emitters but I think that the beam would look nicer.

The runtimes are ok.

The torch falls short of the 12,000 lumen claim by a few thousand lumens if measuring the output at 30 seconds (ANSI/NEMA FL1). It may reach 12,000 lumens at turn on with a cell capable of a high continuous discharge rate.

1,000 lumens for 1 hour 45 minutes with all the emitters on Turbo is pretty good but it is to be expected with a torch this size.

Regulation for the spotlight emitter could be improved so that the light output is stable instead of gradually dropping.

The power bank feature makes more sense in with thicker soda can sized torch where there may be three or four 21700 cells to provide more capacity. It is a nice feature to have though.

It is a pretty good package overall but the included 32650 needs to be improved. The 32650 cell has a maximum continuous discharge rate of 6.5A but Turbo reaches 35A. The cell appears to be degrading each time I perform a Turbo runtime test.

Pros:

  • Good build quality.
  • Simple user interface.
  • Good mix of flood and throw options.
  • Low voltage protection.
  • Built-in USB-C charging.
  • Power bank.

Cons:

  • The included 32650 cell struggles with Turbo.
  • The tailcap almost feels sharp in my palm.
  • Automatic lock.
  • Regulation.
  • Low CRI.

Price

The Sofirn IF30 is US$81.99 at the time of writing.

Product page

Sofirn IF30 at sofirnlight.com