# Sunwayman T40CS Review



## turboBB (Oct 18, 2011)

500 meters (1640.4ft) can be a pretty tall number when it comes to certain measurements or product specs. Consider that in spite of ancient civilizations' ability to construct amazing structures (pyramids, the Great Wall, etc.) the tallest one pre-20th century was the Eiffel Tower (300m) when completed in 1889. It wasn't until 1967 when the Ostankino Tower in Russia was built that a building first exceeded 500m in height (540m w/spire). The Freedom Tower (in background of above pic) due to be completed in 2013 will stand 541.3m tall (1,776ft).

On a different dimension, a dive watch with that water resistance rating is claimed to be able to withstand water pressures of 50ATM (or 734.8psi - to put that into perspective, that's about the weight of 4 adults each weighing about 180lbs but all of that weight is focused on one square inch). 

In terms of Sunwayman's T40CS, 500m is the claimed effective ANSI beam distance (the calculated maximum distance at which a beam can project and still achieve a value of .25 lux). This is technically only feasible on paper (or a vacuum perhaps) since it does not factor in atmospheric dust/pollution.

Let's see how far it can really throw in real world testing. 



*MFG SPECS
*- CREE XM-L LED, with a lifetime of up to 50,000 hours;
- Tactical Tail cap press button switch, slightly depress the side switch for different output modes and standby mode: Three modes constant output, hidden strobe, SOS (below is the output and runtime of using two 2600mAh 18650 batteries)
Three constant output modes: 788Lumens (2hrs)- 220Lumens (8hrs)- 20Lumens (60hrs)
Strobe: 788 Lumens
SOS: 788 Lumens​- Constant current circuit, constant output
- Effective range of 500 meters
- Uses two 18650 or four CR123A batteries
- Working voltage: 5.5~16.8V
- High quality reflector maintains great throw distance and spread with an ideal beam pattern
- Dimensions: 225mm (length) x 64mm (head diameter) x 25.4mm (tail diameter)
- Weight: 273g(battery excluded)
- Aerospace-grade aluminum alloy
- Military Specification Type III- hard anodized body
- Waterproof, in accordance with IPX-8 standard
- Ultra-clear tempered glass lens resists scratches and impacts
- Tactical forward click switch with momentary on 



*PACKAGING
*The T40CS arrived in a sturdy cardboard box with ample foam lining just like the V60C:


 
I suspect this is the standard for their larger lights since the smaller ones in my collection only come in the typical thin cardboard box w/plastic window and inner plastic shell.

Additional items included were:
- Holster
- Rubber tailcap cover
- 1 x large o-ring
- 1 x small o-ring
- User manual
- Warranty card
- Mini product pamphlet



*DESIGN / FEATURES*
The T40CS joins it's smaller sibling the T20C, as the second light in the T series:


 

While the two share some design elements, the T40CS really bears more of a resemblance to the smaller of the V series lights:


 

...in which case the front portion of the battery tube looks identical to that of the V10A/V10R Ti:



Regardless of which series it looks more like, given Sunwayman has established a consistent set of design motifs that is propagated throughout their entire line up, you'll easily recognize it as being one of their lights.

*NEW 10/20:* Incidentally, the T40CS is also their first light in a 2x18650 form factor:




The head measures 2.49in (64mm) in diameter. The flat stainless steel bezel was easily removed without any tools and secures an AR coated lens. *NEW 10/20-II: *A quick light tap and the lens/reflector drops right out: 


 

 

 

The LED is perfectly centered by a black plastic holder which then fits into a massive and really smooth reflector:


 

*NEW 10/20-II: *Apparently, the LED is NOT centered by reflector but perhaps the other way around. Modder's rejoice!! Due to bee-man's reply, I took the reflector and lens off and this allows easy access to the XM-L:


 

The throat of the light features two large cooling fins followed by four smaller ones as well as a multi-function soft contact side switch they've dubbed "Smart Magic Switch" (SMS) that is accented by a SS ring which adds a nice touch to the overall aesthetics:


 



There are three tactical rubber rings that can be re-positioned on the battery tube which allows customizing the grip to ones' liking:


 

The tactical tailcap doesn't allow it to tailstand but then again, given the size of the head and disproportionate weight distribution, it wouldn't be stable anyway:


 

There are springs at both ends of the light, however the white disc in the head serves to provide additional shock cushioning (more on this later):


 

 

The battery tube is sufficiently long and had no problems accomodating my longest and shortest batteries:


 



The supplied holster is of high quality and secures the light solidly against a belt or loop that can accomodate 1.5" width:
[PIC]

*

SIZE*
The T40CS is the largest of my 2x18650 turbo head lights (well, the M3LT is actually 2x17500 but close enough):



From L to R: RediLast 3100 | Klarus XT20 | SureFire M3LT | Sunwayman T40CS

Here it is amongst its kin:



From L to R: V10R Ti | V10A | T20C | V60C | T40CS



*FIT & FINISH
*As with other Sunwayman lights I've owned/reviewed, overall quality is superb and the light feels very solidly constructed. The laser engraving is extremely fine and sharp:




The anodizing is flawless, however, the battery tube was a little darker than the head and tailcap:


 

With that said, I was able to induce the slightest bit of wobble at the point where the battery tube meets the head even with the two completely tightened. I contacted Sunwayman about this and they explained that given the T40CS' long throw capability, it was conceived to be mounted on a rifle for hunting/shooting purposes so they implemented a white plastic disc in the head (see pic in design/features section) to help with shock absorption.

If that disc is not thick enough, there is no stabilizing platform with which the battery tube can mate against. So I loosened the disc a little and sure enough the wobbling went away. They mentioned that the disc will be thickened so should no longer be an issue but just FYI in case you run into this.

The other area I'd point out as not being up to Sunwayman's standards would be the slight gap at the base of the SMS:



It remains to be seen how this impacts (or not) the waterproofing of the light. I'll test this and report back later.

*NEW 10/24:* To check whether the gap would cause a compromise with water resistance, I first ran the water at the gap full blast and then checked for water ingress - none. Next, I dumped the light without batteries into the sink and then carefully checked for formation of air bubbles around the SMS - none:


 

 

Once I was reasonably confident that there was no ingress of water, I dumped in batteries and repeated the testing figuring that if water did get in, it'd eventually short the light or trip the PCB:






 
I left T40CS in the sink for a few minutes and then removed it and checked the interior of the head and didn't notice any water. So in brief testing, it's been OK so far. This is obviously not stringent testing since the water isn't all that deep but I figure, if the gap was big enough to allow water in, it wouldn't take much depth to do so anyways.



*UI*
There are two switches on the T40CS, one on the tailcap and the aforementioned SMS on the side at the throat. The one on the tailcap is a forward clicky that provides momentary or constant on at Max level only and does not control any mode changes so can be used for signalling. It also acts as a master switch; the SMS is only operable if this switch is on.

All mode changes are done via the SMS (w/tail switch on) as follows:


 

Taking each row in order:- From any mode if you Single-click the SMS, it'll turn the light on/off. When the light comes back on, it'll come on in the last mode that was memorized.
- From any mode if you Double-click the SMS, it'll activate the Strobe, this mode is never memorized.
- SOS mode can only be accessed if the light is currently in Strobe mode, in which case a double-click will cycle between the two. As with Strobe, this mode is never memorized.
- You cycle through the H > M > L (and always in that sequential order) from any mode except off by depressing and holding the SMS. Once desired level is reached, let go of the switch and it will be memorized for as long as the tail switch is on.
- From Off, depress and hold the SMS for 2 seconds or longer to instantly access Max (high). This will then become the new memorized mode.

​Again, the tail switch is the master switch, once it is shut off, the memorized mode will be lost.



*RUNTIME
*The relevant battery stats are provided above each runtime graph along with: - Voltage of the battery at the start and end of the test
- Current draw as taken right before the test (to come)
- Actual runtime until the battery cut out (first in HR and then in M so in the case of the RL3100, read this as 2.0 Hrs *OR* 117 Min)
- For testing on Max (in which case a fan was used), temperature: ambient, the head at start and the max it reached
​







 
Axis: X = Time in Min and Y = Relative Output

I was able to slightly exceed the ANSI claims for runtime using AW2600's and exceeded them with the RL3100's. I'm pleased to see that Sunwayman continues to quote accurate figures for their runtimes and not inflate them.



*INDOOR BEAMSHOTS*
All shots on Canon S3 IS using WB that yields the closest to what my eyes see (left = 1/13" @ f2.7 | right = 1/80" @ f2.7). Click on pics to load full size.


 


Please refer to this post for beamshots and comparo to 17 other lights.

Due to the large smooth and deep reflector, the T40CS is completely geared towards throw. As you can see, there are also some rings that is reminiscent of those produced by XR-E lights. I do also notice a slight donut phenomenon when the beam is projected onto objects greater than 4-5 ft away but as can be seen in the long distance outdoor beamshots below, this doesn't affect actual use outdoors.

*New 12/11:* Here are new indoor shots taken on a Panny FZ150 that has a wider angle lens than my S3. For comparo vs. many other lights, check here.

High


 

 



Med


 

 

 

Low


 

 





*OUTDOOR BEAMSHOTS*
*LONG DISTANCE (565ft / 172m)
*

 

 
I had initially thought this underpass would be long enough to accomodate testing out to 500m but alas, it falls well short and is less than half required. However, it's still of sufficient distance to give you a good idea of just how far this XM-L light can throw! Please click on this link for further details and comparos vs. other lights (including one XR-E).


*SUPER LONG DISTANCE (1640ft / 500m)*
Alas, I'm sure you're all sorely disappointed to reach this part of the review and find that there is nothing available yet.  However, suffice to say I'm working on finding a new location that is pitch black and can accomodate testing out to 500m. More to come... 



*CONCLUSION
*Given the tight hot spot, the T40CS isn't ideal for close distance purposes (around the house, walking the dog, etc). It was designed with one purpose in mind and that was to throw and it does that quite admirably. As can be seen from the initial set of long distance shots, the light is downright impressive for a XM-L and currently the best thrower in my collection by far (other than the XR-E). Even if the hotspot might not be as bright as the XR-E, the overall output beats it hands down! 

However, I'm witholding my final conclusion until I'm able to carry out additional testing. 



*GALLERY*
[TO COME]


Disclosure: The T40CS was provided by the manufacturer for review. Any other items used in this review that were provided by a manufacturer/dealer have been previously disclosed in their respctive review.


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## turboBB (Oct 18, 2011)

All, review now posted. Have some follow ups to conduct as well as the 500m test but will be updating that in the near future.

Cheers,
Tim


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## Grizzlyb (Oct 19, 2011)

VERY well documented, 
Thanks for all the work and this Review.


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## bee-man (Oct 20, 2011)

Thanks! When you remove the bezel, does the reflector drop out? I'm wondering if the LED star/board is accessible for an emitter swap...


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## turboBB (Oct 20, 2011)

Thx guys!

@ bee-man - your curiosity got the better of mine. Yes, the reflector comes out easily with a light tap allowing easy access and ample room to do mods. New pics posted (search: 10/20-II).

Hope that helps,
Tim


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## candle lamp (Oct 21, 2011)

Wow, another excellent review! Thanks for your time. turboBB. :thumbsup:
Hope to see the *SUPER LONG DISTANCE *as soon as possible.

KH


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## selfbuilt (Oct 21, 2011)

Nice write-up TurboBB, very thorough. And excellent pics, as always. 



candle lamp said:


> Hope to see the *SUPER LONG DISTANCE *as soon as possible.


Actually, there's really not any point in trying to find a 500m site for photos.

I am currently testing a T40CS (review likely up next week), and get peak lux @1m of 46,760. That translates into a beam distance of 432m (i.e. the distance to 0.25 lux, or moonlight on a pitch black night).

At 500m, that would give you less than 0.19 lux (and spread out over a wide area at that). Not sure how you could possibly interpret a meaningful picture that produces less light than moonlight over that sort of distance. Even with a superb telephoto lens, any amount of light polution (i.e. even partial moonlight) will obscure the result. And for 500m in complete darkness, we are really talking outdoor landmarks only (i.e. a forest or mountain range). Besides, unless you are using the light with binoculars, not sure what anyone could make out at 500m even if it did shine that far. 

I think the underpass photos are probably as far as you can reasonably expect to see meaningful distances between most lights. And kudos to TurboBB for finding a suitable location for those, I know it's not easy to find something with the right characteristics. FYI, I'll be doing my standard 100-yard comparative beamshots for this light shortly, and will post in my review when its ready.


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## bee-man (Oct 22, 2011)

Thank you very much for taking time to check this out for me! The accessibility of the emitter for a neutral swap is a big plus. I have my eyes on the Olight M3X, but I think I'll wait for your long distance shots. Again, thanks!



turboBB said:


> Thx guys!
> 
> @ bee-man - your curiosity got the better of mine. Yes, the reflector comes out easily with a light tap allowing easy access and ample room to do mods. New pics posted (search: 10/20-II).
> 
> ...


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## candle lamp (Oct 22, 2011)

selfbuilt said:


> I am currently testing a T40CS (review likely up next week), and get peak lux @1m of 46,760. That translates into a beam distance of 432m (i.e. the distance to 0.25 lux, or moonlight on a pitch black night). At 500m, that would give you less than 0.19 lux (and spread out over a wide area at that).



In order to get the max. beam distance 500m at least, do we need 62500cd(peak beam intensity) theoretically?


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## selfbuilt (Oct 23, 2011)

candle lamp said:


> In order to get the max. beam distance 500m at least, do we need 62500cd(peak beam intensity) theoretically?


Yes, but it's highly questionable how useful "beam distance" to 0.25 lux is to begin with. ANSI FL-1 specs were chosen by manufacturers, to best showcase their lights (e.g. also why they use runtime to 10% output, which isn't so useful for most people). Personally, I would think something over 1 lux would have been prefereable to give a meaningful idea of useable distance. :shrug:


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## Alex1234 (Oct 23, 2011)

Im looking for another XML light to out throw my Thrunite Catapule V3 and i was wondering if the T40CS is the answer ?


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## turboBB (Oct 23, 2011)

@ selfbilt / candlelamp - thx guys! And selfbilt, I'm sure you're right but it'll still be fun to try, if anything than to satisfy my own curiosity... 

@Alex - I unfortunately don't have a Catapult to compare this to but selfbuilt does. Best to wait until he posts his T40CS review as well as his updated outdoor shots. That should give you an excellent comparo of how these lights match up. Best of luck with your hunt.

Cheers,
Tim


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## 276 (Oct 24, 2011)

did you find out anymore on the small gap below the mode button?


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## mefistofele86 (Oct 24, 2011)

Thank you Tim for your great review. I can't wait to see mine


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## turboBB (Oct 24, 2011)

@276- Yes, I've conducted additional testing and posted new material to the review (search 10/24). In short, I didn't detect any water ingress into the light.

@mefistofele86 - congrats! I have a feeling you'll like this one. :thumbsup:

Cheers,
Tim


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## bee-man (Nov 25, 2011)

Hi turboBB,
Now that you've had this light for several weeks, what are your thoughts or final impression? Any updates on potential issues? Thanks!


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## turboBB (Dec 11, 2011)

Hey guys, sorry for late reply, have been away working on a pretty comprehensive indoor shots of all the lights in my current inventory in which case I've posted updated ones for the T40CS above.

@Bee-man, overall my impressions of the build quality and functionality have not changed. IMO, it's certainly not an all purpose light in that it's not ideal for use at short distances. It was purpose built for one thing and it does that very well thus it remains my go to light for long distance w/excellent output and decent flood.

@ledlover0 - a belated welcome to the forums. Glad you found the review useful.

Cheers,
Tim


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## bee-man (Dec 11, 2011)

Thanks turboBB. I like the way this light looks, but I decided against it because of my concerns with the beam (rings) and the UI (no memory from tail switch). Thanks again for this detailed review!


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## tobrien (Dec 12, 2011)

what a great review! that first pic is so dramatic and looks amazing 

so this doesn't have a low-voltage battery indicator like the T20CS?


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## turboBB (Dec 12, 2011)

Thx TB! To the best of my knowledge, there is no low voltage indicator on this light.


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## tobrien (Dec 13, 2011)

turboBB said:


> Thx TB! To the best of my knowledge, there is no low voltage indicator on this light.


gotcha, thank you. I'd be interested to see the low voltage indicator on the T20CS in action as an aside. I wonder how dim/bright it is so as to not give away its user's position in 'tactical' situations


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## Lumenato (Feb 3, 2012)

Does this outthrow the solarforce masterpice pro I running 2x 18650s?


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## Alex1234 (Feb 3, 2012)

Lumenato said:


> Does this outthrow the solarforce masterpice pro I running 2x 18650s?


 I have both lights and they throw exactly the same but the t40cs has a hot spot 3 times as big


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## turboBB (Feb 3, 2012)

swrdply measured the lux of the SFMPP I to be 54249 in this thread. By contrast I just measured the lux of the T40CS @ 46,900 (ANSI FL1). While I don't have the SFMPP I, I do I have an idea of how the beam would be like given it's a turbo-head w/XR-E, so would be inclined to agree with Alex1234 that the hotspot would be much larger.

Cheers,
Tim


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## jh333233 (Feb 5, 2012)

It seems that it could be lego-ed with T20CS(1-cell body with t40cs head), the tailcap between series is compatible


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## kj2 (Feb 6, 2012)

Thanks for the review  -Think I'm buying one soon


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## jh333233 (Jul 23, 2012)

It seems it has low-batt alert by flashing
After draining some charge from the batts, it flashes on turbo slowly, but after switching to high, it disappears
Is this right?
Because i havnt tried discharging further to test the mechanism


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## BLUE LED (Jul 23, 2012)

I have the newer U2 version coming. I really liked the quality of this light, but did not like the green T6 that many experienced. I personally witnessed a few myself :green:


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## turboBB (Jul 23, 2012)

@jh333233 - I believe that's correct but it's been a long time since I've drained out batteries in this light so can't recall for sure. I'll do some add'l testing and post back my findings in the near furture.

@BLUE LED - Congrats! Let us know how you like it when you receive it. Given the LED is easily accesible, I might just have to pick up a few XM-L U2 emitters to update the T40CS with. ;o)

Cheers,
Tim


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## BLUE LED (Jul 25, 2012)

Tim, 

I will let you know once it arrives. It shouldn't be too long, as I paid extra for faster shipping. No doubt the Olympics has slowed down the delivery.

Andy


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## BLUE LED (Aug 6, 2012)

My Sunwayman T40CS XM-L U2 arrived and it no longer has the nice dark brown/grey finish, which I had seen in some earlier T6 models. My unit is a very dark grey/black finish, which is equally good. After opening the box, I immediately placed it in line next to all my other single XM-L throwers and noticed that it is a little shorter in length. I particularly like this, as smaller lights that pack a punch impress me.
 
The manufacturer’s specs are a little higher than the original T6 version and I am happy to say that the additional Lumen output and Lux is a welcome addition. 
 
High 845 Lumens (2hrs)
Medium 220Lumens (8hrs)
Low 20Lumens (60hrs)
 
I concur with the excellent regulated runtime of 2 hours on high using 2 x AW 18650 3100mAh cells and I would expect my Redilast and Eagletac 18650 3100mAh cells to have a similar performance. It is nice to see that the manufacturer’s specs are accurate. 
 
Although many may have seen images of this light, it is quite different from owning one, as I do not believe that the photos do it justice. I feel that words alone cannot fully convey the quality of this light and the hard anodizing is outstanding. I am an advocate of flat stainless steel bezel rings and this does not disappoint. The styling around the head is a nice disguise for good heat dissipation, as this light is driven harder than all of my other 2 x 18650 single XM-L throwers, yet it manages to sustain a longer runtime while still maintaining onto excellent regulation. This is quite an achievement for a production light. I have only ever been able to replicate this type of performance while making a new copper heat sink. 
 
I really like the beam profile of my unit, as it does not have the rings, which are present in my Crelant 7G5 V2 and other T40CS T6 units. I am also incredibly pleased with the tint. I would consider the colour temperature of 6500k to be a brilliant cool white. Mine is a rather impressive 55,200 Lux and although this is not my best thrower in it’s class (2x18650 single XM-L reflector thrower) the difference is not significant. To put things into perspective, if I could keep only one light that used 2 x 18650 XM-L thrower, then it would be my newly acquired Sunwayman T40CS U2.


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## Dplight21 (Aug 10, 2012)

Great reviews are shared in this thread.


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## Vinniec5 (Sep 7, 2012)

Just received mine from BattJ today. I ordered the T6 they list on their site but they sent me the updated U2 845 lumen model. Tonite I'll test it on a few trees near me. thx for the great review TurboBB, it's the reason I got it as a strict throw light


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