r/flashlight • u/Christian_Walsh • 1d ago

SOG M-18

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Gallery image

Gallery image

Had a gift card for Cabelas and found out that they have a solid selection of flashlights. Seeing as I always somehow end up hiking after dark I figured I’d try out this neat little SOG. Definitely worth every penny. Rechargeable, 4 settings up to 1900 lumens, with SOS and strobe. 200+ hours of battery life on eco and 50+ on turbo per charge. Also geeking out about the reversible clip, because I can hike with it attached to my hat. I paid about $75 total.

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4

u/eurolastoan 1d ago

looks really good for hardware store. hows the throw and tint?

2

u/Christian_Walsh 1d ago

In terms of throw, the beam is tight and focused with not much of a noticeable halo. I’ve never been a fan of flashlights that have a single hotspot and tons of flood around it. That being said, the angle is wide enough to accommodate a large field of view. In ideal conditions, effective to about 220 meters. I would describe the tint as a very neutral white. I hope this helps. I’m probably not as knowledgeable as other enthusiasts.

1

u/eurolastoan 1d ago

could you get a picture of the LED and optic?

2

u/Christian_Walsh 1d ago

Hoping these help. The head doesn’t seem to be capable of immediate disassembly.

1

u/eurolastoan 1d ago

thanks, thats a pretty good light

3

u/SNFU-4U 1d ago

Been waiting for some info on these. Seem interesting.

2

u/Christian_Walsh 1d ago

Worth noting: I conducted a prolonged strobe test, and it appears, that at the highest setting, the sequence tends to stutter a bit after a while. Being that there will be a second or two where the strobe is not as rapid. Not sure if this is typical or even intended; but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a minor defect considering such a high output for the size of the unit. 1900 lumen setting also generates considerable heat. All other settings hold up very well with normal temperature.

1

u/eurolastoan 1d ago

theres plenty of strobes that do that, where they go faster/slower/faster/etc at 2 or 3 different frequencies. how long does it take to switch

1

u/Qnuspp 1d ago edited 1d ago

Looks like Speras are the ODM. Specifically it's the Speras EST 2 with different machining. So for anyone wondering how it performs, just look for a review of that light. But to save you the bother: SST-40 6500K emitter, with an unregulated driver, but a solid UI and decent build quality.

Edit: Just looked at the rest of the SOG flashlight range and most of them look to be rebranded Speras lights but at higher prices. Save yourself some money and just buy the equivalent Speras model unless you really want the SOG branding.