Real World Review – Sunwayman D40A

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A brief opening note about the "Real World Reviews"
It was different in the early days but over the years a lot of my fellow "flashaholics" have developed some very sophisticated methods for measuring nearly every conceivable technical aspect of the illumination products on the market and providing us with that detailed information.

The "Real World Reviews" acknowledge the existence of that information (and I'll link to it if I can) but will not re-hash all of that tech data. Instead the focus of the "Real World Reviews" is to take that "laboratory" information out into real world conditions to give the reader an idea of how the numbers translate into actual use.
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Sunwayman D40A (NT)
4xAA, LED

Other Links
Review; Sunwayman D40A-A great light
You Tube Review by Selfbuilt

What you get:
A fairly compact 4xAA light with lanyard, holster, and spare "O" ring.

Initial Impression(s);
My first thought was that the model used in the Sunwayman photos must have small hands because the D40A is a bit smaller than I thought it would be. This is fine with me. I have heard people calling this the "soda can" format and I understand..if you are talking about the 8oz cans you see sometimes. Regardless of that the light is extremely impressive for the quality of the machining, finish, and packaging. The holster is VERY nice, not too loose or too tight and with multiple options for connecting it to a belt or other gear. Many have also praised the lanyard which is of a reasonable size but I don't like "lobster claw" connectors, just a personal thing, so I substituted another lanyard I had laying around. The whole package gave a very strong impression of a quality light that was going to be around for a while.

Talking about switches;
Reviewing switches and modes used to be a simple thing but those days are long past. The D40A has a dual, side mounted, electronic switch with two raised plastic nubs marked with the universal "on/off" symbol and an "M" for "mode". This gives you access to 9 lighting modes as well as a lockout mode. The switch is a plastic panel and some, including myself, wonder about longevity but it was precisely installed and appears very weatherproof.

In my real-world use I found the operational modes pretty intuitive and that was not an issue but I did find myself wishing there was some sort of momentary on. Also, my hands are not especially large but I also frequently found myself wishing that the two control buttons were A) Further apart and B) a bit stiffer/harder to click. Operating in a "normal" underhand grip I kept hitting BOTH buttons with my thumb pad, frequently turning the light off when I had intended to just change modes and even managing to activate lockout mode once.

After a while I rotated the light so that the lanyard connection point was "up" against my thumb which placed the switch area facing the ground where I would operate the buttons with the tip of my index finger. This grip worked a LOT better for me but I still wish one button or the other had a raised nub so that you could tell them apart. I can state without hesitation that this light is NOT going to be cold weather/glove friendly. A rocker switch might have been a far better idea.

This light is biased towards throw but still has plenty of spill. I found the mix very usable and pleasant. My sample has a nice center hotspot into a strong side-spill and then an oddball "ring of Jupiter" way out on the periphery. The ring doesn't bother or interfere, it's just there. The tint on mine (NT version) is just BEAUTIFUL!

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The "Standard Evening Walk" starts out with the targets set up in my backyard and then takes place over either a 1.2 or a 2.2 mile loop on an unlit and mostly open grassy area with a couple of short, steep, uphill/downhill gravel trails which I call the "confidence course". The typical constant runtime is roughly 45-60 minutes.

I have also placed a series of six white plastic squares measuring 5"x5" to trees in my back yard. Target testing includes being able to see the target and the neutral brown trees (or the grey fence) to which the targets are affixed.
1) 20ft (6 yards / 6 meters):
2) 50ft ( 16 yards / 15 meters):
3) 100ft ( 33 yards / 30 meters):
4) 200ft Fence ( 66 yards / 61 meters):
5) 250ft ( 83 yards / 76 meters):
6) 350ft ( 116 yards / 106 meters):
Bonus target (because new lights have so much power I found I needed more distance to test)
7) 915ft (approx 305 yards/278 meters) [NEW TARGET]


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In "moonlight" mode (1L) I could confidently move around my house in the dark. I suspect that if my eyes were truly dark-adapted it might have even seemed a bit bright for a "find the bathroom" function. Low (30L) was plenty for in house use, but a bit dim for outdoors, only barely getting a passing grade out to target #3. Medium (220 L) actually seemed like a bit too large a jump in power and passed out to target #6. While it was great for walking the dog I think it would **** off a campsite or similar location and was definitely too bright for the close, "brushy" areas creating a LOT of blinding bounceback. High (550L) was impressive all the way out to target #7 but was a killer if accidentally shined close up on white concrete. Turbo (980L) is just a show off mode so they can claim 900+ lumens. Yeah it's impressive as heck but it auto-disables after 3 minutes to avoid heat damage so I consider it more like a flashy paint job than an actual service function.

Summary:
As mentioned it's not going to be a very "winter-friendly" light as the tiny, closely spaced, buttons will be very awkward with gloves but the rest of the light should be fine under any reasonably normal (or even slightly harsh) conditions. If I could reprogram the light I would add another level (about 90L) between the current "Low" and "Medium" or possibly just jump "Low" up to about 60-70L.

Having said that, I actually like this light a lot. This was a very usable outdoors and walk-the-dog light and I'm sure I'll also enjoy taking it with me camping. The 4xAA format gives some impressive-to-insane runtimes, especially when set at medium or lower and I find that I actually like the fatter grip, especially since it came with such a great holster to carry the unit (I wouldn't enjoy pocket carry with this one). Combine the runtime with the various strobe/signal modes and this might also be an outstanding light to have in your automobile for emergencies especially if you added a 40mm traffic wand to the mix.

Overall I have to rate this light as
RECOMMENDED for the Real World.

Very nice. Thanks. I should have gotten this light instead of ea4.

I have not handled an EA4 myself (though I'd love to for comparisons sake). I'm not sure I'd like the "half press/full press" control system but I've been wrong before.

UPDATE – Sunwayman D40A

Last night I did a "shameless car camping" overnight at Bishop Knob recreation area (Monongahela Forest, WV).

I expected cold, I did NOT expect 36 degrees, strong wind, and a brief but intense rainshower.

I'll get the bad out of the way first. As I suspected, using the D40A with gloves is a nightmare. The light is also awkward in a "fast deploy" situation as I was definitely fumbling for the buttons the times I tried a "fast draw". The bottom line is that the control buttons would be dramatically improved by being LARGER and more widely spaced.

On the plus side, the solid "tailstand" capability combined with a translucent plastic cup turned this light into a most excellent lantern which I used to see while cooking dinner. I suspect a white 40mm cone like this one would have the same effect. I was surprised at how well even the lower setting illuminated the picnic table with the cup acting as a diffuser and as a result I may buy one of the 40mm cones from someplace.

When I retreated to my tent during the rain, I accidentally left the light sitting on the picnic table and the wind blew it over and blew the cup off so when the storm ended I found the light laying sideways in a small puddle on the table. The soaking had no effect.

I also left the light hanging outside my tent overnight (exposed to cold and wind). At about 4am I had to answer nature's call and the light operated normally. I decided to cut-across the vacant campground rather than walk the road. Tested at all levels of brightness, the light provided good-to-excellent illumination through the trees and light undergrowth. Unsurprisingly the "Turbo" mode was simply too much in heavy undergrowth and gave a lot of blinding bounce-back. Stepped down to medium the light level and beam pattern were almost perfect for that situation.

To my surprise, I found myself carrying the light in my hoodie pocket rather than the included holster. If the weather had been warmer (so that I was wearing lighter clothes with smaller pockets) I probably would have used the holster more.

Great work man!

Thanks for this "real world review". It really compliments the the technical reviews were are so used to (and that I thoroughly enjoy as well), and gives a nice hands on perspective. I've been considering buying this for my sister, who lives in the NE part of the country, with lots of cold weather, so you've given me some good information and things to think about.

It's currently on massdrop if anyone is interested. I won't post the link as I know it'll be taken down, but its on the front page of massdrop.

BEAMSHOT

A beamshot from the fog last night.

Important note, this is for viewing the beam SHAPE. The brightness is very misleading because the Sunwayman and the TerraLUX modded Magcharger put out a HELL of a lot more total light than the Fenix.


Sunwayman D40A (on turbo)




TerraLUX 1000 lumen Magcharger Mod (for comparison)


Fenix E21 (On high) for comparison

Traffic and Diffuser cones

In post #4 I mentioned that I thought the addition of a translucent or white cone would turn this light into an excellent lantern.

The answer is YES....mostly.

I bought the example I mentioned above (The NiteCore White Wand) and it fits well and it does turn the light into a nice area lantern but the very tip of the cone turns into a really harsh super-point-source even on lower settings. I am debating as to what would improve that. I think I'm going to wrap some aluminum foil around the tip first and see how it affects the overall light output before I paint or make any other permanent changes to the cone.

I also bought the 40mm NiteCore Traffic wand. It fits well also and is super bright and visible even in low or medium mode.

I can tell you this, with either cone on it the light becomes a fairly serious beacon in any of the flash modes! I place it about 300 yards away and let it blink and it was a real attention getter.

Nitecore 40mm white cone [Light on "Medium"].
This picture does not do justice to the searing pinpoint of light at the tip of the cone.




Nitecore 40mm traffic wand [light on "medium"] ("white cone" in bottom right of photo)

I use a soft silicone diffuser that fits 39-43mm heads, folds and springs back to it original shape, easily stored.

wow that's cool. Where did you get that and do they make it in other sizes?

How does the lanyard attachment point work for you? On lights of this size I always use the lanyard and can't figure out how
the D40's would allow easy use.

zespectre said:

wow that's cool. Where did you get that and do they make it in other sizes?

Click to expand...

Take a look at Fasttech

Nice job! .

This seems like a very nice little torch. My friend has one and one night we are going to compare the[EA4] two,,when that is[?] who knows!

I was going back and forth between this and the EA4. I got the EA4, with the NEW/REVISED switch for a steal at $49.00!

Like any other light, there are always pros and cons and we all can have different preferences.

I can see what you mean about using it in the winter. Difficult to operate the switches.

I wear hunting gloves in the winter when I walk the boss[Capo] !! Even the EA4 with one switch would be very difficult to change modes.

I won't be using it much in the winter! I basically bought it to take the dog out b/4 bed and to wear on my hip as an emergency backup if my TK-75 or BST fails! So if my torch fails,I just put the EA4 on Medium or high and let it be.

SCEMan said:

How does the lanyard attachment point work for you? On lights of this size I always use the lanyard and can't figure out how
the D40's would allow easy use.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the detailed info on lanyard use - very helpful.
IMHO, Sunwayman dropped the ball re: lanyard attachment.

One thing that I find to be a turnoff about the D40A vs the EA4 is the fact that it uses a battery carrier. Admittedly, the battery carrier appears to be a fairly high quality unit compared to some out there. But even if there are no reliability issues with this carrier, battery carriers just make it that much harder to change batteries. This may not be too much of an issue under some circumstances. But if you're hiking at night on a dark trail, changing batteries on ANY light that uses a carrier is just a pain in the butt. I would MUCH rather have a light that has the batteries simply drop into holes. This was enough to make me get the EA4 rather than the D40A.

StorminMatt said:

But if you're hiking at night on a dark trail, changing batteries on ANY light that uses a carrier is just a pain in the butt.

Click to expand...

Lining up the pins in the EA4 is a pain too. In the dark with the D40A, all you would need to do is feel for the spring.

Lining up the pins can be a bit of a pain in the dark. But it's not going to go together unless the pins are lined up. And as for feeling for the springs on the carrier, this is only part of the problem with a battery carrier. Batteries are ALWAYS a pain to get out of the carrier in the first place. Especially that first one, and especially if you don't have long fingernails. I don't have a D40A. But while I can change the batteries on my EA4 quickly while remaining standing, I have to actually sit down and fiddle with battery carrier lights for a few minutes. Of course, the easiest of all is my Javelin - three AA batteries in line in a tube. But that's kind of going off topic.

StorminMatt said:

Batteries are ALWAYS a pain to get out of the carrier in the first place. Especially that first one, and especially if you don't have long fingernails. I don't have a D40A.

Click to expand...

It is quite easy and you don't need long finger nails either. The batteries slide out of the carrier quite easily. They won't budge very easily if you try to get it out from the spring end even though they are not in place very tightly like some other carriers I've used, nor do they have lips you have to get over. You can actually flick them out if you are not careful and use too much force or if you drop the carrier. Easiest carrier I've dealt with but it would be nice if there was a notch or something you can feel for on the anode end of the battery. A tiny groove for a tritium vial would be even cooler.