Yes, memorizes last on state setting either smooth or stepped ramping, but does not remember blinkies As stated above, they’re in a parallel configuration. That means the driver is expecting 4.2V maximum. Parallel means that the voltage input is the same voltage as one cell (4.2V max) but the capacity adds together from the for cells. The included cells are 5000mAh, so when full, the “battery” (cell holder) is really a 15,000mAh battery. While the link above shows there’s just one version available – there are clearly two. All other things are the same, but the listed version is 6500K, while my review copy is 5000K. That’s a great difference (as I’d say 5000K is much better!) Note: Normally before testing Anduril lights, I have to calibrate the thermal sensor. Fortunately, this light comes pre-calibrated from the factory! All tests were run with the thermal ceiling at the default 45C. Usually I like the default 45C, but during my testing I found the light got warm but not hot, so you could increase the thermal limit a bit and still be able to hold the light if you want.

It’s worth noting that I am not sure what the highest regulated level is for this light. The button LED switches from low to high mode when going from level 65 to 66, which usually indicates that’s where the highest regulated output is. However, my testing showed level 67 to be perfectly regulated so the highest regulated level must be 67 or higher. The beam has wide, bright spill with six large flower petals on the edges. The hotspot is narrower than I expected and provides decent throw. All measurements were taken using a purpose built integrating sphere and an ExTech SDL400 datalogging lux meter. The known output from a light source (273lm Convoy S2+) was then taken into account when getting my figures calibrated for accuracy purposes. Temperature settings in Anduril 2 were verified to be accurate within 1 degree Celsius. Lumen measurements (for each mode) Mode This flashlight has an AR coated lens. This Anti-Reflective coating is a thin optical coating applied to the surface of the lens to minimize reflections and improve light transmission. The Q8 Plus utilizes electronic switch. Electronic switches on flashlights provide a range of advantages and additional features compared to mechanical switches. Performance Flux Why those modes? Anduril 2 has 150 levels, so doing measurements and tests for each mode is virtually impossible. I’ve got this light set up how I like it with 5 levels. Bottom of ramp is level 1 and top of ramp is level 100. I’ve set up the stepped ramp with 4 steps so, with turbo added, I get the 5 modes I like. After testing, I raised the ramp ceiling to level 120 to get the middle modes to be a little brighter.Nightwatch NS59: more traditional long flashlight shape, tailswitch instead of side switch, sub-par user interface, no integrated charging Behind the switch are three sets of LED’s: blue, orange, and green. The green LED’s are controlled through the Anduril firmware and their brightness/behavior can be changed to suit your preferences. The blue and orange LED’s are controlled via the USB controller, which is completely separate from the Anduril firmware and cannot be controlled by the user at all. The blue LED’s indicate charging status (blinking blue is charging, constant blue is fully charged) and the orange indicate the powerbank function has been activated. The blue charging indicators aren’t great either because they aren’t “glanceable”. To determine if my light is done charging I have to look at it for a full ~2 seconds to see whether the blue LED’s are blinking or not. It would be more user friendly if charging status were indicated by different colors rather than by blinking/not blinking. For example, if the LED’s glowed red when charging and turned blue when fully charged, I could glance at the light from the corner of my eye and know its status. That’s also generally easier to understand without having to read the manual. Carry & Ergonomics Sofirn is a well known name when it comes to flashlights as we all know. So you can expect it to live up to its name. Tailstanding works great. The tail is wide and perfectly flat. That combined with the long runtime makes this light an excellent choice for ceiling-bouncing to light a room for awhile. I do wish the tailcap included a milled cavity inside for the user to install a strong magnet if they wish. Unfortunately Sofirn made no such allowance. Batteries & Charging

The tailcap is removable, but there’s no point; it’s a dumb tailcap. I don’t believe it even carries any current. So while it’s removable (maybe in case you want to do maintenance on the inside or something), there’s no need to do so. Q8 Plus comes with a firmware called Anduril (version 202202080614 to be specific). It’s a highly-configurable and feature-rich UI that’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s a joyto use if you know it well. I’m not remotely prepared to do a whole UI breakdown, so I’ll just direct you to the official Anduril 2 Manualwhich has a UI table at the bottom. With that said, here are a few of my favorite features. Most of these are highly configurable or optional, so if you don’t like one, you can probably disable or change it! I will say that compared to the Sofirn Q8 Pro (which I reviewed a year ago yesterday!), the build quality of this Sofirn Q8 Plus is much better. That’s not to say the Q8 Pro is bad (it’s not!) but the edges on this Plus version seem to wear better.The Sofirn Q8 is exactly as I expected here. From initial photos I had seen of the light, it seemed glossy, but that disappears when holding it in your hands. T he finish is identical to what I have seen on most other Sofirn options, with afew exceptions. I am putting this in a table here with ToyKeeper’s permission. Thanks, TK! This is so much better than me writing it because it’s more reliable, and I completely trust its accuracy (at least, if I can paste accurately). I’m breaking it up a little differently than ToyKeeper did, though I certainly understand why it was done her way originally.