# Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower



## Dubois (May 13, 2013)

I just clicked the SWM ad here on CPF, and found this.

Popular things, 4xAA throwers.

Low of 30 lumens will clearly not be to everyone's liking, though the high of 980 may. Nice battery holder too.

Edit>> In fact it has a moonlight mode, of around 1 lumen. Nice.


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## electrothump (May 13, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

How much does it cost?


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## PapaLumen (May 13, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Interesting. Not sure about the switch.. Looks nice but I suspect the price to be $$$. If it comes in at the price of the Nitcore EA4 then it goes on my list.


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## Mr Floppy (May 13, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

980 for 3 minutes. I wonder if heat sinking is the same as the EA4? That is, using that thin disc? What gets me is the line "effective heat-sink" but that could mean a couple of things. 

Interesting lanyard attachment ..

Looks like it 4 AA in series too. If this comes in a neutral, the EA4w may be off my list .. which is staying off at the moment because the low isn't low enough, sort of like this one.


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## Derek Dean (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I've been looking for a 4 x AA light for my sister. This looks interesting. It does mention having a "moon mode", I wonder what it is. They seem to have made an error in listing brightness/runtime figures. They list 550 lumes for 1.7 hours and 220 lumens for 1.8 hours. Hmmmmm


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## Mr Floppy (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Derek Dean said:


> It does mention having a "moon mode", I wonder what it is.



Oh, I missed that. Yes you are right: 


> When the light is turned off, press and hold the upper M button to enter Aviation Signal; press and hold the on/off button for Moon Mode.


Interesting, annoying that you may have to go into a flashing mode before moon mode though. I think this just move above the EA4 in my purchase list ...


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## GordoJones88 (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Mr Floppy said:


> Interesting, annoying that you may have to go into a flashing mode before moon mode though.



No, you misunderstood because of their fragmented sentence.

It really says "When the light is off, press and hold the on/off power button for Moon Mode."

The size is a little bigger than the 4xAA EA4 which is in turn bigger than the Eagletac 3xAA GX25A3.

However, one of the more notable differences here is an op reflector,
even though it lists 25,000 lux.


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## kaichu dento (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Dubois said:


> Low of 30 lumens will clearly not be to everyone's liking, though the high of 980 may. Nice battery holder too.


I was hoping to see a different body shape when I saw it was a 4xAA, but I could easily see wanting one of these as a boating light, where a low of 30 lumens would be just fine. 

Thanks for finding this one.


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## Craig K (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

This light looks nicer than the EA4.


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## kj2 (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Well it sure looks good  -this light will looks good next to my GX25A3 
Only it comes with a OP reflector I see, I prefer smooth. But still, will be on my to-buy list


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## __philippe (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Craig K said:


> This light looks nicer than the EA4.



...but it's burdened with a separate battery carrier, unlike the superior EA4's integral milled-in battery slot design 
(similar to the GX25A3's design, for that matter)

__philippe


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## kj2 (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



__philippe said:


> ...but it's burdened with a separate battey carrier, unlike the superior EA4's integral milled-in battery slot design
> (similar to the GX25A3's design, for that matter)
> 
> __philippe



Milled-in battery slot is nicer but also has patent-rights on that design.


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## wedlpine (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I wonder if there will be a 8xAA (D80A?) light as well.


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## __philippe (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



kj2 said:


> Milled-in battery slot is nicer but also has patent-rights on that design.



Nitecore vs EagleTac lawyer's litigation in the offing ?....


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## cancow (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I like it, but I will never buy another light that does not have a sub 1 lumen mode. There really ison excuse for manufactures to make lights without very low lows.


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## kj2 (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



cancow said:


> I like it, but I will never buy another light that does not have a sub 1 lumen mode. There really ison excuse for manufactures to make lights without very low lows.


Well there is a excuse for. Why do you want to have such a "big" light with a 1lumen mode?? long runtime? that's probably the only reason. I say if you need a 1/2/5 lumen mode, grab a small 1*AAA/AA/CR123 light.


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## Dubois (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

The D40A does have a moonlight mode, though I'm not certain what that level is yet. I like moonlight modes, but don't want them on every light I buy. Horses for courses, imho.


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## kj2 (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Dubois said:


> The D40A does have a moonlight mode, though I'm not certain what that level is yet. I like moonlight modes, but don't want them on every light I buy. Horses for courses, imho.



Would be indeed handy from SWM to tell how much moon-mode is


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## cancow (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Because I am a minimalist. I don't want to have to search for 2 flashlights when the power goes out.


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## kaichu dento (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Dubois said:


> The D40A does have a moonlight mode, though I'm not certain what that level is yet. I like moonlight modes, but don't want them on every light I buy. Horses for courses, imho.


+1 
It wouldn't bother me to have moonlight available on all my lights, but particularly on one this large I see it as just an additional plus. I really didn't think a 30lumen low sounds so high for something so large, even though I might prefer it be lower.



kj2 said:


> Would be indeed handy from SWM to tell how much moon-mode is


+1 on this post as well. 
Come on Sunwayman and tell us what it is.


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## GordoJones88 (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



cancow said:


> Because I am a minimalist.



It's impossible to be a flashaholic and a minimalist.


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## kaichu dento (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



GordoJones88 said:


> It's impossible to be a flashaholic and a minimalist.


That's what he's saying, that he's not a flashaholic who likes the idea of one light alone being able to cover all bases. Besides, it says right beside his name that he's only 'enlightened'.


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## StorminMatt (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Mr Floppy said:


> 980 for 3 minutes. I wonder if heat sinking is the same as the EA4? That is, using that thin disc? What gets me is the line "effective heat-sink" but that could mean a couple of things.




Well, the way I see it, 'effective heat sinking' should mean that the light is capable of running in turbo for the life of the batteries. But when it comes to smaller lights, physics just kind of gets in the way, which is a BIG reason why I haven't really bought into the current way of thinking that 'smaller is better'


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## melty (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



StorminMatt said:


> Well, the way I see it, 'effective heat sinking' should mean that the light is capable of running in turbo for the life of the batteries. But when it comes to smaller lights, physics just kind of gets in the way, which is a BIG reason why I haven't really bought into the current way of thinking that 'smaller is better'



The way I see it, a light is designed to run on high for the life of the batteries. Then, since the LED and batteries are capable of greater output, the engineers add an extra "turbo" level which is designed to run for a limited amount of time that is long enough to be useful yet short enough to be safe. A light is not designed around turbo, it is designed around high.

Who is thinking "smaller is better"? A smaller light is easier to carry around. The best light is the one you have with you. I guess they are better in that sense, but that has nothing to do with the actual light itself. Lights of all sizes are being pushed to their limits, I don't see why small lights shouldn't be included.


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## tatasal (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



melty said:


> The best light is the one you have with you.



So true


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## kaichu dento (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



StorminMatt said:


> Well, the way I see it, 'effective heat sinking' should mean that the light is capable of running in turbo for the life of the batteries. But when it comes to smaller lights, physics just kind of gets in the way, which is a BIG reason why I haven't really bought into the current way of thinking that 'smaller is better'


Fully agree with Melty on the difference between high and turbo. One is the level at which a light seems it should be able to run, as you say, for the life of the batteries and the other a blast mode that understandably cannot be expected to do so, regardless of the reasons, but still offers additional utility to a light for a limited period of time.

Personally most of the high or turbo usage I've ever had has been less than 30 seconds, but I do understand the desire for longer and higher output capability, which is ultimately what the makers are constantly trying to give us.

Smaller is better, bigger is better; brighter is better, higher quality light is better; more exclusive and fancier is better, more practical and affordable is better - they are all valid approaches to light making as they all address different needs and users. 

The current way of thinking you say? Been around since the beginning of time, along with all the other valid approaches to tool making, which is at it's most basic functional level, what a light is.


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## Richsvt (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I like the design and the switch. Might work out. The big detractor is the battery holder. I do not like the holder. Reminds me of the XL50 Maglite. I like the EA4's integrated slots. Will have to look it over before making a final call.


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## Mr Floppy (May 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



GordoJones88 said:


> It really says "When the light is off, press and hold the on/off power button for Moon Mode."



Well I hope so. It would be madness to have another mode before moon mode. Having moon mode separate without the need to cycle through the other modes is perfect really. Manufacturers take note!



StorminMatt said:


> which is a BIG reason why I haven't really bought into the current way of thinking that 'smaller is better'



Yet the EA8 drops down and I wouldn't call that a small light. Mind you, the heat sinking in that light isn't so flash. I'm liking the look of of picture which seems to show a fairly chunky bit of aluminum under the head. 



melty said:


> Who is thinking "smaller is better"? A smaller light is easier to carry around.



It may not be better but it's practical, which is better in some books. 



__philippe said:


> ...but it's burdened with a separate battery carrier, unlike the superior EA4's integral milled-in battery slot design



I can sort of see the design around the battery holder may be due to the battery configuration. Much simpler with the battery holder than having to design the contacts into the body for 4 AA in series. That and it doesn't have a tail cap it seems, which leads me to think that there could be other power options available for this.


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## kj2 (May 15, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



electrothump said:


> How much does it cost?



SWM tells me around 80USD.


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## Dubois (May 15, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



kj2 said:


> SWM tells me around 80USD.



That's not as bad as I thought. By the time Fasttech get their hands on it, I'm sure it will be around $50.


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## kj2 (May 15, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Dubois said:


> That's not as bad as I thought. By the time Fasttech get their hands on it, I'm sure it will be around $50.



That would be even better


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## markr6 (May 15, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Looks nice. Since it's a cool white, I'd say there was just a LITTLE photoshopping going on in that "use as a candle" image


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## powernoodle (May 15, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

$79.50 (pre-order) at one vendor.


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## GordoJones88 (May 15, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



markr6 said:


> Looks nice. Since it's a cool white, I'd say there was just a LITTLE photoshopping going on in that "use as a candle" image



It's a yellow diffuser.


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## NorthernStar (May 16, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

This looks like an awesome light! 

It also has a great UI if i have understand it correctly. One can from of directly access both highest mode(Turbo) and the very lowest moonlight mode by choice and without having to cycle through other modes. Those features is something that i think all flaslights UI should have. I am looking forward to see a review of this light.


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## markr6 (May 16, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



GordoJones88 said:


> It's a yellow diffuser.



Ahhh thanks Gordo, I didn't think of that. Good idea actually!


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## emmashi (May 16, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

50$ , wo , it is a great deal! I like FT very Much. the only question is, when the flashlight is bad and need to fix, how to make sure the Warranty when it is in that low price??


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## Mr Floppy (May 16, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



NorthernStar said:


> It also has a great UI if i have understand it correctly. One can from of directly access both highest mode(Turbo) and the very lowest moonlight mode by choice and without having to cycle through other modes. Those features is something that i think all flaslights UI should have.



Where did you hear this? If this is true, I'd get on just for that!


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## Derek Dean (May 16, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Mr. Floppy, on the description page (on the Sunwayman website), it describes the modes. From off, a quick press of the power button takes it into turbo, where you can then cycle down through the other levels by quickly pressing the M button. From off, press and hold the power button and it will enter "moonlight" mode. Similar to the Zebralight UI. 

I'm looking forward to a review of this light.


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## Mr Floppy (May 16, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Derek Dean said:


> Mr. Floppy, on the description page (on the Sunwayman website), it describes the modes.



sorry, poor attempt at repetitious hyping up. We discussed it previous page. It is something I hope manufacturers will take note of though. 

It's quite amazing that with this and the Nitecore EA4 and Eagletac, this seems to be the flavour of the month but of the three so far, this seems to tick most of the right boxes. End of May it seems and we shall know more about this one.


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## shelm (May 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



emmashi said:


> 50$ , wo , it is a great deal! I like FT very Much.



I like FT very much too. I cannot find FT link 50$.

( yes, i play dumb  )


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## Patriot (May 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Considering that the single most common complaint about the EA4 was the lack of a 1-3 lumen mode, I think SWM missed a decisive opportunity to steal Nitecore's thunder if they didn't incorporate that. I could overlook the battery carrier for a low mode. I guess we'll wait and see what "moon mode" is.

The throw is impressive and surpasses the EA4 and SRT7.


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## Derek Dean (May 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Patriot said:


> I guess we'll wait and see what "moon mode" is.


I just contacted Sunwayman about the moonmode (and got a very quick and nice reply). I was told that it's "about 1 lumen", and that it should run for about 20 days at that level.


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## kj2 (May 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Derek Dean said:


> I just contacted Sunwayman about the moonmode (and got a very quick and nice reply). I was told that it's "about 1 lumen", and that it should run for about 20 days at that level.



:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs Yeah!


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## kj2 (May 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

HKe should have the D40A next week.


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## kaichu dento (May 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Derek Dean said:


> I just contacted Sunwayman about the moonmode (and got a very quick and nice reply). I was told that it's "about 1 lumen", and that it should run for about 20 days at that level.


For a light of this size, that's an excellent level to pair with the 30 lumen low.


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## holylight (May 17, 2013)

*New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Good news.


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## Mr Floppy (May 19, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Derek Dean said:


> I was told that it's "about 1 lumen", and that it should run for about 20 days at that level.



Brilliant! So far, this is looking the part. Now if they put a neutral LED in it too


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## Eric242 (May 20, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

*Aviation mode*....... is that finally a light with a "fast double flash" beacon mode which I always prefered to the single flash beacon mode? The glo-toob FX & lithium have the double flash beacon but no flashlight I´m aware of yet. Maybe that will change now.

Eric


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## __philippe (May 21, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



kj2 said:


> ...<price?>...SWM tells me around 80USD





Dubois said:


> That's not as bad as I thought. By the time Fasttech get their hands on it, I'm sure it will be around $50.



Meanwhile, check here...

http://tinyurl.com/obqzmbg

cheers,

__philippe


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## kj2 (May 21, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



__philippe said:


> Meanwhile, check here...
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/obqzmbg
> 
> ...


O...M...GOD 
That's even €13 cheaper than my GX25A3


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## tatasal (May 23, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Now available at doingoutdoor for $57, shipped. Oh my...


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## kj2 (May 23, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



tatasal said:


> Now available at doingoutdoor for $57, shipped. Oh my...



That's €20,- cheaper  than what I paid for my GX25A3.


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## elbowtko (May 23, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

NEUTRAL NEUTRAL NEUTRAL!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QskoqggB-eY

Will it ever happen? Thats the only thing making me go for the EA4 right now.


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## jamie.91 (May 23, 2013)

*New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

If it had the variable control ring that would have made it awesome


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## NorthernStar (May 23, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



jamie.91 said:


> If it had the variable control ring that would have made it awesome



Yes, that would be awesome! However i am very pleased with the design of the dual-button UI that makes the light can acess both moonlight mode and turbo mode directly from of. I hope that the rest of the lights in the D-series will have this feature to making all of them capable of direct access to both moonlight mode and turbo directly from of. I´d also would like to see versions of the D40A in the D-series capable of carrying 14500 batteries and a version capable of carrying 18650 batteries.

Who knows,but hopefuly there will be more magnetic ring flashlights from Sunwayman coming during the year.


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## shelm (May 23, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



kj2 said:


> That's €20,- cheaper  than what I paid for my GX25A3.



The light was on blitz sale for *49.30US$* on Wallbuys until they corrected the error. Now it's back up at 58$ group buy price.


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## Mr Floppy (May 23, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



> it will be in stock soon ， we could ship it on next Thursday
> first batch 20pcs,




19 units left at the time of this post, so who was the pioneer that bought it?


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## kj2 (May 23, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Mr Floppy said:


> 19 units left at the time of this post, so who was the pioneer that bought it?



Not me  but will order it sometime.


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## Showmethelight (May 23, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

18... The moon mode sold me on it, makes it an all around useable light at any time, should be nice to compare with the ea4


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## kj2 (May 23, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



shelm said:


> The light was on blitz sale for 49.30US$ on Wallbuys until they corrected the error. Now it's back up at 58$ group buy price.


That's even better  but I like to order at a store that I'm familiar with. The SWM give-away will end tomorrow, don't think I'll win  (but you never know) if not I probably order it 

edit; Looks like it that I haven't won, so have ordered the light now it's still on sale


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## kj2 (May 23, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

This light is selling well at DoingOutdoor. Already 8 gone on one day


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## Mr Floppy (May 23, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



kj2 said:


> This light is selling well



I'm itching to pull the trigger but I want to see if there's going to be a neutral version. Anyone know if sunwayman has a history of neutral lights?


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## Patriot (May 23, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Great news about the true moonlight mode. I eager to hear everyone's first thoughts about this light. I imagine people will have them in hand any day now.


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## elbowtko (May 24, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Mr Floppy said:


> I'm itching to pull the trigger but I want to see if there's going to be a neutral version. Anyone know if sunwayman has a history of neutral lights?



I would like to know this as well, its the only thing stoping me.


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## henry1960 (May 24, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



kj2 said:


> Well there is a excuse for. Why do you want to have such a "big" light with a 1lumen mode?? long runtime? that's probably the only reason. I say if you need a 1/2/5 lumen mode, grab a small 1*AAA/AA/CR123 light.


I Totally Agree...


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## Dubois (May 24, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

SWM tend to release neutral versions only as special editions - they don't have too many neutral emitters out there. I'd say you will have a long wait for a D40A in anything other than c/w


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## InquisitiveInquirer (May 25, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Wow. I took a break from lights for about 1 month w/o checking in on cpf and BOOM. There's this. Looks like i'm going to add another light to the collection.


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## zeremefico (May 26, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Ordered one from doingoutdoor.
10 pieces was available at the time of order but now I saw the next Thursday message...


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## kj2 (May 26, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



zeremefico said:


> Ordered one from doingoutdoor.
> 10 pieces was available at the time of order but now I saw the next Thursday message...



Ordered mine there as well. Hope shipping will be fast  (and without customs-fees  )


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## gilson65 (May 27, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



kj2 said:


> Ordered mine there as well. Hope shipping will be fast  (and without customs-fees  )


looking forward to your impressions on it.I took the plunge on it should recieve mine late next week


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## Soulero (May 27, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Made an account specifically because of this light. I'm probably going to order one next week. The brightest flashlight I've ever owned was about 300 lumens, which I thought was really bright, but I took it apart because I I killed the LED and I'm planning on making a laser out of it. Anyway, looking forward to seeing a flashlight this bright, and at $57 I think it's worth it.


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## Showmethelight (May 27, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



henry1960 said:


> My Wife Says The Same Thing..



Ouch


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## turboBB (May 28, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Fantastic compact light, very impressed thus far. As for the moon mode it's ~.5 - 1lms. I can (semi) comfortably look directly into the LED. The draw at this level is 5.23mA so leaving self-discharge out of the pic it should run ~16 days straight w/standard Eneloops (2,000mAh). I like the fact that it enters low (30lms) as the next level when you press the M button from moon mode so as to not shock your eyes. You can always quickly cycle up to Turbo if need be with another press (the strobe activation requires two fairly quick successive presses of the M button so as to minimize accidental activation - NICE!).

As for the entering Turbo, it'll only do so by default after depressing the power button the first time after the batteries are installed/changed (as output mode is not memorized through battery changes). If you cycle to a lower mode and memorize it, it'll default to that the next time you press the power button when Off. As such, this isn't quite ZL UI if you're accustomed to that.

Hope to get the vid review up shortly but in meanwhile, any other q's just ask.

Cheers,
Tim

EDIT: @Eric242 - Aviation mode is single brief flash approx. once every 2.5 secs or so.


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## elbowtko (May 28, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



turboBB said:


> Fantastic compact light, very impressed thus far. As for the moon mode it's ~.5 - 1lms. I can (semi) comfortably look directly into the LED. The draw at this level is 5.23mA so leaving self-discharge out of the pic it should run ~16 days straight w/standard Eneloops (2,000mAh). I like the fact that it enters low (30lms) as the next level when you press the M button from moon mode so as to not shock your eyes. You can always quickly cycle up to Turbo if need be with another press (the strobe activation requires two fairly quick successive presses of the M button so as to minimize accidental activation - NICE!).
> 
> As for the entering Turbo, it'll only do so by default after depressing the power button the first time after the batteries are installed/changed (as output mode is not memorized through battery changes). If you cycle to a lower mode and memorize it, it'll default to that the next time you press the power button when Off. As such, this isn't quite ZL UI if you're accustomed to that.
> 
> ...



How is the tint, really blue or more on the warmer side?


----------



## Mr Floppy (May 28, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



turboBB said:


> Cheers,
> Tim



Brilliant, can't wait for the review. I love tailcap draw numbers. I'll be very interested in what you make of the driver. Also how moddable it is. 

Where did you get it from?


----------



## Soulero (May 29, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



turboBB said:


> EDIT: @Eric242 - Aviation mode is single brief flash approx. once every 2.5 secs or so.


If you could set it to aviation mode and moon mode, you'd never lose it and it would keep flashing for months. I tend to lose things a lot


----------



## kj2 (May 29, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

My order is marked shipped now. Hope it arrives soon


----------



## turboBB (May 29, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



elbowtko said:


> How is the tint, really blue or more on the warmer side?


It's definitely a cool tint but not blue by any means. Subjectively, it's a very nice cool white.



Mr Floppy said:


> Brilliant, can't wait for the review. I love tailcap draw numbers. I'll be very interested in what you make of the driver. Also how moddable it is. Where did you get it from?


I'll grab the current draws after I wrap up runtime testing. Given the use of a battery carrier, I'll need to wire it up for these readings so there will be some resistance intro'd. Will also see if it's easily disassembled or not. The D40A was provided by an AD for review.



Soulero said:


> If you could set it to aviation mode and moon mode, you'd never lose it and it would keep flashing for months. I tend to lose things a lot


The aviation mode flashes at turbo level which I've measured at ~1100 lms so as long as the beam is not obstructed, yes, it should be easily located if misplaced outdoors in this mode and should last for months. However, moon mode would last half a month at most per the current draw measured w/standard Eneloops.



kj2 said:


> My order is marked shipped now. Hope it arrives soon


Looking forward to your impressions!


----------



## Eric242 (May 29, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



turboBB said:


> EDIT: @Eric242 - Aviation mode is single brief flash approx. once every 2.5 secs or so.


Hey BB, thanks a lot. Just an ordinary beacon mode then.......why would Sunwayman call it aviation mode? Who knows....

Eric


----------



## Showmethelight (May 29, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Got my shipping confirmation as well, hoping it comes pretty quick! Really exited about the light, seems to have features I wanted in the EA4 in the same package. Here is to anxiously waiting, please no slow boat 3 week shipping!


----------



## kj2 (May 30, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Sunwayman confirms me that the D40A uses a XM-L2 T6. I wonder why many companies aren't using the U2 (or U3) right from the start?


----------



## j2k (May 30, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Ugh, thanks a lot guys :/ yet another light on it's way...  Now I just need Sunwayman to make a very nice V40A in neutral white. Pretty please!

BTW. the battery holder on the pictures looks a lot like the one in M40A, which is excellent.


----------



## Campdavid (May 30, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

It's been a long time since I have ordered a new light....with three kids money is tighter than it used to be. Plus my Surefire/Malkoff combo has served me well for many years. However, this light has me very intrigued so I mentioned it to my wife and kids as a father's day gift.  Sent the link to a reputable website seller to my wife as an extra hint. With any luck I will be lighting up the night with a new toy in a few weeks.

Thanks to all of you for getting me jazzed about flashlights again.....and for separating me from some more of my money. :duh2:


----------



## turboBB (May 30, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Vid review still uploading so please check back in a bit if not ready:


I also managed to get an outdoor comparo vid and some shots which I'll post later today.

Cheers,
Tim


----------



## Mr Floppy (May 30, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



turboBB said:


> Vid review still uploading so please check back in a bit if not ready:



Clicking refresh every second ...


----------



## aau007 (May 31, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Someone explained Aviation but what is a Police Strobe?


----------



## kj2 (May 31, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



aau007 said:


> Someone explained Aviation but what is a Police Strobe?



Double/three flash.. Pause.. Double/three flash.. Pause.. Double/three flash..


----------



## holylight (May 31, 2013)

*New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



turboBB said:


> Vid review still uploading so please check back in a bit if not ready:
> 
> 
> I also managed to get an outdoor comparo vid and some shots which I'll post later today.
> ...




Tks for the video. P25 really hard to beat lol. If you have EA4 to compare to, it will be great.


----------



## xouan (May 31, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Which is better? D40A or EA4?


----------



## holylight (May 31, 2013)

*New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Btw is p25 or d40 more purplerish? Once again tks for the great video!


----------



## kj2 (May 31, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



holylight said:


> Btw is p25 or d40 more purplerish? Once again tks for the great video!



He says in the video, that his P25 is slightly more purplerish.


----------



## Showmethelight (May 31, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

that police strobe looks like the mode i think ive seen police cars go in when pulled over in non urgent situations but still need some kind of alert going.
Great video review btw, looking forward to the next.


----------



## aau007 (May 31, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

That's my problem. I have never realized there exists an universal strobe pattern for "Police Strobe" aside from red/blue or blue flashing. The good old police cars have these cherry lights just rotating around and I hardly call them strobe. Needless to say, have never seen an white strobe light from a police car either. I will pay more attention when I see one of the newer units turn their lights on (hopefully not right behind me though).


----------



## Showmethelight (May 31, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Before seeing the video, if you had asked me what I think a police strobe was I would have immediately answered a strobe that changes speeds from fast to ultra fast so a "suspect's" eyes have zero chance at adjusting when beamed with it (not like a person can look at 800 lumens and adjust anyway) but perhaps that's more defined (as if any of this has hard definitions) as tactical police strobe.

edit- texted a LEO friend and asked him if his cruiser has a flashing mode for when pulled over for non emergencies, he confirmed they did but the light color flashed amber, but that his head lights also flashed strobe, so perhaps that's what I was recalling. He also said they have white take down and alley lights on the bar but those don't strobe. Ill try linking him the video and see if he can directly Recognize the pattern.

edit 2- He said he believes his headlights toggle back and forth with one strobe each, but the red and blues on the light bar he believes do use that pattern. 
TIL a cop car has a CRAZY amount of light options


----------



## Showmethelight (May 31, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



xouan said:


> Which is better? D40A or EA4?



Going to need to get a whole lot of them in users hands before that call is made. I snagged a D40 for the price a EA4 can be had but I'm not sure that is going to last so price point may play a role also. That said, and without having mine yet, the D40 has the lower lows a lot of people want and is slightly brighter it seems. The EA4 does come in NW, both interfaces seem equally nice... Time will tell.


----------



## kj2 (Jun 1, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*


----------



## thedoc007 (Jun 1, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I don't have either the D40A or the EA4, but I'm leaning towards getting the D40A. It looks better, has a nicer interface, and it has a moonlight mode. But it just comes down to your preference, both of them seem like solid lights.


----------



## turboBB (Jun 1, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Thx kj2 - actually, please see this thread for the commentary and beamshots that compliment this vid:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?363033


----------



## Mr Floppy (Jun 2, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



turboBB said:


> I also managed to get an outdoor comparo vid and some shots which I'll post later today.
> 
> Cheers,
> Tim




Great review. Just waiting for you to take your screwdriver to the head now ...

Would dearly love to have a neutral version of this light.


----------



## texbaz (Jun 2, 2013)

*New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

TurboBB, I watched the review great thanks, have you been able to observe the red indicator on the switch as far as battery life indication. I did not hear you mention it in the video.


----------



## turboBB (Jun 3, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Mr Floppy - Sunwayman is currently running a contest for NW D40A so hopefully they might be releasing this in the future

texbaz - I plan on doing a dedicated supplementary vid on this aspect soon


----------



## Mr Floppy (Jun 3, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



turboBB said:


> NW D40A so hopefully they might be releasing this in the future



I'm in draw. Given the number of entrants so far, they would be barmy if they didn't sell it in neutral.


----------



## mcdonap (Jun 7, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Just got an email today letting me know my D40A has shipped.
I currently have the Nitecore EA4 (the XM-L2 U2) and the EagleTac GX25A3. I look forward to comparing all 3 of them.


----------



## tjhabak (Jun 7, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I got my D40A from Doingoutdoor.com today. Great little light. A few quick thoughts...UI is cool, but buttons require very little pressure (slightly worried about accidental activation in pocket even in lockout mode). Quick side by side comparison with EA4, reveals almost no difference in output. The op reflector slightly diffuses the beam, and the hot spot is slightly larger, but practially the same beam usability wise. The D40A exhibits the usual high qualitu Sunwayman feel, and for $57 I'm glad I picked it up. Keep in mind, I'm one of the few people who actually still likes my EA4 too. For me the verdict is still out as to which I like better.


----------



## kj2 (Jun 8, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



tjhabak said:


> I got my D40A from Doingoutdoor.com today.


Mine should come soon then too 
Price was very good indeed.


----------



## elbowtko (Jun 8, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



mcdonap said:


> Just got an email today letting me know my D40A has shipped.
> I currently have the Nitecore EA4 (the XM-L2 U2) and the EagleTac GX25A3. I look forward to comparing all 3 of them.



I would look forward to your review if you post it up, I had recently bought a EA4w but it ran into some problems and I had to return it.

Been holding out for the sunwayman neutral version to come out. Moonlight mode and neutral tints are important to me (tint more than moonlight), but when I bought the EA4, there was no hope of a neutral coming out, but now there is.


----------



## Bumble (Jun 8, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

just ordered one for $49 from fasttech.. give it a couple of weeks i will post my findings


----------



## kj2 (Jun 8, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Bumble said:


> just ordered one for $49 from fasttech.. give it a couple of weeks i will post my findings



Mine will probably come in the upcoming week. Can hardly wait for it  
Hope the light won't disappoint me.


----------



## Bumble (Jun 8, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



kj2 said:


> Mine will probably come in the upcoming week. Can hardly wait for it
> Hope the light won't disappoint me.



i have a very good feeling that it wont  lights powered by multiple aa batteries are going to be great this year i think


----------



## elbowtko (Jun 8, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Bumble said:


> i have a very good feeling that it wont  lights powered by multiple aa batteries are going to be great this year i think



Do you know if there are any other ones out there that are coming out? Aside from the Nitecore and the Eagletac?

I am going to get my hands on the neutral white version hopefully whenever it comes out. So I kind of have my hearts set on it, however I am looking for a review in comparison to E4Aw


----------



## Bumble (Jun 8, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

keep a lookout on niteye...zebralight (heres hoping) 4sevens...etc... theres a slight "aa powered war" approaching.


----------



## snakeplissken83 (Jun 9, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Bumble said:


> keep a lookout on niteye...zebralight (heres hoping) 4sevens...etc... theres a slight "aa powered war" approaching.



yeah, i wonder what's with that? I suppose they could be after non-flashaholics...who don't want to pay that much for a light and DEFINATELY don't want to buy expensive L-ion batteries and chargers, but still appreciate the awesome performance these lights offer. 

My guess also is that these 4 cell aa lights would be more useful for long-term backpackers out in the bush. 18650 rechargeable's aren't much use when you've got nowhere to plug in the charger. Their only downside (and it isn't much of a downside) is that you need 4 aa's to do the work of one 18650, hence slghtly more bulk. But it's almost like, who cares? I can buy good primary aa's so bloody cheap it almost makes you wonder if they aren't better in many ways...ALSO, the extra bulk means larger head diameter, which means more throw/intensity.

(And that, gents, is a very good example of how we talk ourselves into buying a new light...)


----------



## elbowtko (Jun 9, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



snakeplissken83 said:


> yeah, i wonder what's with that? I suppose they could be after non-flashaholics...who don't want to pay that much for a light and DEFINATELY don't want to buy expensive L-ion batteries and chargers, but still appreciate the awesome performance these lights offer.
> 
> My guess also is that these 4 cell aa lights would be more useful for long-term backpackers out in the bush. 18650 rechargeable's aren't much use when you've got nowhere to plug in the charger. Their only downside (and it isn't much of a downside) is that you need 4 aa's to do the work of one 18650, hence slghtly more bulk. But it's almost like, who cares? I can buy good primary aa's so bloody cheap it almost makes you wonder if they aren't better in many ways...ALSO, the extra bulk means larger head diameter, which means more throw/intensity.
> 
> (And that, gents, is a very good example of how we talk ourselves into buying a new light...)



Quite true, I mainly intend to be using this light for backpacking/outdoors. This means while I have a headlamp for upclose, I need something to help with the trails out far. This means a throwy powerful flashlight to help find my way. A neutral tint also helps with perception of colors. The AA comes in because if I ever needed to say, ask a friend for some batteries or if it is equipment I need to pick up along the way, AAs are common enough for that to be available. 

Another is as an emergency light, AAs are more common and salvageable. With the ability to throw, it can be used for searching purposes and with a low moonlight capability, this flashlight can also last a long time if need be. 

These are the main reasons for my interest in the sunwayman neutral D40A. There are no other flashlights that can do this as effectively as the sunwayman. AFAIK.

Did that convince you to get one of these? LOL


----------



## Bumble (Jun 9, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



PapaLumen said:


> Interesting. Not sure about the switch.. Looks nice but I suspect the price to be $$$. If it comes in at the price of the Nitcore EA4 then it goes on my list.



ea4=$46 at Fasttech D40a= $49 at Fasttech


----------



## PapaLumen (Jun 9, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Actually I WON one in the SWM givaway so price isn't so important anymore


----------



## climberkid (Jun 9, 2013)

*New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



PapaLumen said:


> Actually I WON one in the SWM givaway so price isn't so important anymore



What a catch that ended up being for you!


----------



## Bumble (Jun 9, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



PapaLumen said:


> Actually I WON one in the SWM givaway so price isn't so important anymore



WHOO HOO ! well done bud enjoy your light !


----------



## lightseeker2009 (Jun 10, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Very nice indeed. However I'm still waiting for the V40A.


----------



## tabraha (Jun 10, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



turboBB said:


> Vid review still uploading so please check back in a bit if not ready:
> 
> 
> I also managed to get an outdoor comparo vid and some shots which I'll post later today.
> ...




Thanks for the vid. My mystery box from Shenzen showed up today. Can't wait to try out the D40A tonight.


----------



## Mr Floppy (Jun 10, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Winners announced for the neutral version giveaway. I missed it by 1 spot! Oh well, it sounds like there is a neutral in production though.



> *please understand that this time's shipment may not be as fast as before, the D40A NW still in production, thanks.
> *


----------



## Showmethelight (Jun 10, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I've had my D40 for 5 days, I'd say my findings go as follows:
build quality- ea4 -4 , D40 - 5, (of five) I rate this based on the switch problem of the EA4 which neither of my examples have suffered from, but it's been reported too much to ignore.
user interface- ea4 5, D40 4, this one is a tough call, love both but if you really wanted to remember every mode of the D40 and use other lights, it gets confusing, that said the moon mode is easily remembered and the ea4 lacks it and lots of people want it. 
Modes- no brainer here, D40
brightness/throw- toss up, 5/5 for both given the 4AA platform
general- the D40 lanyard placement is simply ridiculous, opposes the switch side and the lanyard length barely makes it useable in combination. Both get equally hot just as a quick. Both lights great bang for the buck.
conclusion- (I own a neutral and cool EA4) the D40 wins all day, same price, no worry of the switch heat problem and moon mode. My two cents, regards


----------



## morter (Jun 10, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

From everything I've read and watched, I couldn't resist any longer. It should get here sometime next week.


----------



## Showmethelight (Jun 10, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*






That's the D40 with the ea4, olight s10, sevens mini 123, and mag pro+
tossed the streamlight anti roll ring which fits both it and the ea4 onto the D40
edit- sorry for the crummy photo from my iPad sans the streamlight anti roll ring they are very similar height, D40 just a bit taller, not noticeable really, at least not in use or carry
double edit- I don't even consider eagletacs' offering with 3 AA as an option vs these two at almost double the price. Less run time and $40 more... They've missed the mark


----------



## Mr Floppy (Jun 10, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Showmethelight said:


> build quality- ea4 -4 , D40 - 5, (of five) I rate this based on the switch problem of the EA4 which neither of my examples have suffered from, but it's been reported too much to ignore.



Not to mention the heat sinking. It looks like the D40A has a much better design there. The star is actually screwed down and with thermal paste underneath too.


----------



## Showmethelight (Jun 11, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Mr Floppy said:


> Not to mention the heat sinking. It looks like the D40A has a much better design there. The star is actually screwed down and with thermal paste underneath too.



In use they really dont differ much at all, run both both for 20 minutes, both get pretty darn hot, same actually for 10-15 minutes IMHO, perhaps the D40 slightly cooler
as an edit- I've put both my ea4's through double time turbo, ie let them drop down and send them right back into turbo and run them on high for easily 20 minutes without the balloon malfunction, having said that the D40 brings not even worry of that problem to the table. I loved the EA4 and it broke the ground here but the D40 is better IMHO


----------



## elbowtko (Jun 11, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Showmethelight said:


> I've had my D40 for 5 days, I'd say my findings go as follows:
> build quality- ea4 -4 , D40 - 5, (of five) I rate this based on the switch problem of the EA4 which neither of my examples have suffered from, but it's been reported too much to ignore.
> user interface- ea4 5, D40 4, this one is a tough call, love both but if you really wanted to remember every mode of the D40 and use other lights, it gets confusing, that said the moon mode is easily remembered and the ea4 lacks it and lots of people want it.
> Modes- no brainer here, D40
> ...



I was wondering about that lanyard placement myself... it looked like an off place to put a lanayrd hole. Does a larger lanyard make it more usable?


----------



## Showmethelight (Jun 11, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



elbowtko said:


> I was wondering about that lanyard placement myself... it looked like an off place to put a lanayrd hole. Does a larger lanyard make it more usable?


As is, I'd say the lanyard is just a way to hold onto the light while it is turned off, without actually holding it... It's truly the worse design of a lanyard I've ever seen (and I love this light, not looking to knock it without reason). I'd wager given the location of the lanyard hole a maybe, 6" lanyard would be needed to comfortably use and run the light at the same time. No clue what they were thinking of with this lanyard. You really got to get it in your hands to see just how awful the lanyard deal is, that said a lanyard represents like 2 points out of 100 when scoring a light this size to me, but I have surprisingly kept the provided lanyards on both my EA4's on them so maybe I shouldn't dismiss it so quickly.


----------



## AbnInfantry (Jun 11, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

My Sunwayman D40A arrived a few days ago from Doingoutdoor.com. I was so impressed by it that I ordered two more (at a better price from FastTech) to replace my Nitecore EA4s. My sole complaint with the D40A is the ridiculous location of the lanyard hole. It baffles me what the folks at Sunwayman were thinking (or not thinking) when they did this.


----------



## kj2 (Jun 11, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



AbnInfantry said:


> My Sunwayman D40A arrived a few days ago from Doingoutdoor.com.


Hmm, then mine should come any day now


----------



## mcdonap (Jun 11, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



elbowtko said:


> I would look forward to your review if you post it up



I received my D40A yesterday. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain last night so I didn't take the D40A, EA4 (XM-L2 U2), and GX25A3 out for some nighttime comparisons... Inside, white wall hunting, the beams of all three look very similar. As tjhabak said, the hot spot on the D40A is slightly larger. All of them have the XM-L2 U2, and the colors are all very close.

I think, for me, the big thing is the UI. I really prefer the EA4 and D40A to the GX25A3. I just prefer to NOT have to twist the head. The main thing I use these for (aside from just pure enjoyment) is walking the dog. I basically have my hands full, so the twisting is something I'd rather avoid. 

Between the EA4 and the D40A, I prefer the UI of the EA4. It's just very simple to use - one button, half or full clicks. I do like the 2 buttons of the D40A, but it's just a little bit more complicated. That said, the extra feature of the moonlight mode is a plus. (I don't think I need all of the strobes...) The lockout is also easier on the EA4. Of course, none of this addresses quality, and the EA4 has had it's issues. (Though I've not experienced them personally.)

I look forward to testing them all out at night. I'll keep you posted.


----------



## kj2 (Jun 11, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



mcdonap said:


> I think, for me, the big thing is the UI. I really prefer the EA4 and D40A to the GX25A3. I just prefer to NOT have to twist the head. The main thing I use these for (aside from just pure enjoyment) is walking the dog. I basically have my hands full, so the twisting is something I'd rather avoid.


When I use my A3 while walking the dog, I run it on low and when I need more power I hold the button down.


----------



## mcdonap (Jun 11, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



kj2 said:


> When I use my A3 while walking the dog, I run it on low and when I need more power I hold the button down.



That's a great idea/method. In all fairness to the A3, if I really spent some time mastering the interface, I'd probably be singing it's praises. I just tend to grab the "easiest" lights. I don't want to sound like I'm criticizing the A3, it just doesn't have my preferred interface. I do like the fact that I can twist the head and leave it to come on in low mode. I tend to keep it next to the bed at night.

I also kept the D40A on the nightstand last night in order to use the moonlight mode. This is where the EA4 is too bright on the lowest mode.


----------



## kj2 (Jun 11, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



mcdonap said:


> That's a great idea/method. In all fairness to the A3, if I really spent some time mastering the interface, I'd probably be singing it's praises. I just tend to grab the "easiest" lights. I don't want to sound like I'm criticizing the A3, it just doesn't have my preferred interface. I do like the fact that I can twist the head and leave it to come on in low mode. I tend to keep it next to the bed at night.
> 
> I also kept the D40A on the nightstand last night in order to use the moonlight mode. This is where the EA4 is too bright on the lowest mode.


A twisty light isn't my 'favorite' too. My D40A still has to arrive, but knowing my Fenix TK-lights, I do prefer a dual-switch on my lights.


----------



## __philippe (Jun 11, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

*Sunwayman D40A vs Nitecore EA4W

*Here are the vital specs for the current contenders in the 4xAA "stubby" lights category :






(photo courtesy Swim Darren - metrics by me)


Cheers,

__philippe


----------



## RedForest UK (Jun 11, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I'm not sure if anybody's mentioned this yet, but the D40a seems to have a deeper reflector than the EA4 despite the overall longer body. Throw seems equal with the OP texture offsetting the slightly tighter XM-L2 beam angle and slightly deeper reflector.

There are differences in the beams however. The D40a seems to have a more clear '2-stage' hotspot than the EA4, with a smaller central circle (no donut hole, whereas my EA4 has a slight one at distances below 5 metres) surrounded by a much rounder and brighter (immediate to the central hotspot) corona fading out to the spillbeam. The overall width of the spill is a bit lower on the D40a due to the deeper reflector too. Overall it means they are quite equal at long distances, but closer up the clean, bright and wider corona of the D40a means a noticably greater area is brightly lit.

I actually find the UI of the D40a 'simpler' and easier to remember, half and full click combinations seem more confusing than dual switches to me, but YMMV.

The cool white tint of the D40a is also what I would consider very cool, probably 6500k+ and without much red/green in it compared to other 1A and 1C tints that I've tried respectively.

Overall it's a good light, especially at below $50. The quality seems a cut above the EA4. 

The only other thing to mention is that the stainless bezel is not glued and was easy to remove, which was good for me as there were a few specs of dust/lint inside the lense which I was able to remove cleanly without touching anything on the inside. Maybe I'll reflow on a new emitter once we get to XM-L3 or U5 bins.


----------



## mcdonap (Jun 11, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



kj2 said:


> A twisty light isn't my 'favorite' too. My D40A still has to arrive, but knowing my Fenix TK-lights, I do prefer a dual-switch on my lights.



I look forward to hearing your thoughts when it does arrive.


----------



## DHart (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I would love this with a neutral/warmish, slightly warm tint emitter. Anyone know if that may be forthcoming?


----------



## kj2 (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



mcdonap said:


> I look forward to hearing your thoughts when it does arrive.



Well, it just arrived  will try making some side-by-side photos of the D40A, A3 and EA4.
First thing I noticed was how small this light is. I can hardly believe this thing runs on 4* AA 
Buttons are good, I've enough feedback from it. Hmm, 10:40am here now- so long before the sun goes down


----------



## kj2 (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Second thing what I noticed was; the threads are dry! no lubricant at all. Does everybody has that? 
For what I can see during daylight, I'm liking the modes  and that moon-mode (1lumens) is low enough that you can look into it. (at least I can  )
Sunwayman is known, for what I know, for their flawless HA-III coating. Well, I did found I flaw at the top of the threads but that's possibly because the wasn't any lubricant. 
The D40A lays very nice and solid in my hand. It has some weight to it, but you can hold it for a longer time-period. The led is perfectly centered on my light. 
I have the feeling, I'll take this light on lots of trips with me 

edit; here some photos. Quality of the photos aren't that great, but should give you an idea.





(Aren't they pretty  )




(The Eagletac is just slightly shorter)




(lights where all lined-up at the back)


----------



## jhn.holgate (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

One thing I quite liked - if you turn it off during moon-mode, it remembers it for the next time you start it up. So you don't have to do the press and hold of the power button every time. I know it's a small thing, but very handy for checking the clock at 3am and not blinding yourself. Except for the lanyard placement, a well thought out and designed light. Feels impressive and good tactile feel to the buttons too.

Did I read something about a red low battery warning between the switches somewhere? No mention of it that I could see in the manual....


----------



## kj2 (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



jhn.holgate said:


> Did I read something about a red low battery warning between the switches somewhere? No mention of it that I could see in the manual....









Have they forgotten it, that this light has that feature?


----------



## Mr Floppy (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



DHart said:


> I would love this with a neutral/warmish, slightly warm tint emitter. Anyone know if that may be forthcoming?



Just guesses at the moment but there will be at least 3 of them.


----------



## kj2 (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Just tested and found-out that the Fenix AOD-M fits the D40A  
The Olight traffic wand (for M21) does not fit  -That wand does fit my Fenix TK21 which also have a 40mm bezel.


----------



## holylight (Jun 12, 2013)

*New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



kj2 said:


> Second thing what I noticed was; the threads are dry! no lubricant at all. Does everybody has that?
> For what I can see during daylight, I'm liking the modes  and that moon-mode (1lumens) is low enough that you can look into it. (at least I can  )
> Sunwayman is known, for what I know, for their flawless HA-III coating. Well, I did found I flaw at the top of the threads but that's possibly because the wasn't any lubricant.
> The D40A lays very nice and solid in my hand. It has some weight to it, but you can hold it for a longer time-period. The led is perfectly centered on my light.
> ...



How they compare can share


----------



## elbowtko (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Has anyone tried doing something like this?






Do you think the lanyard would make the handle too large?


----------



## Showmethelight (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I don't do fancy wraps or weaves but I'm game to toss a simple koppo paracord wrap around mine and see how it looks, the battery chamber is slightly smaller diameter than the head of the light, this would swap that and it also would hide the d40 and sunwayman logos which never lineup with the switch (a non issue beyond slight OCD annoyance).


----------



## elbowtko (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I guess it depends on what kind of weave you would use, or how much of the bottom part you actually wrap. A wrap that is minimal but still solid enough, is most ideal.

Seriously sunwayman, why does it have to come to this? You were the choosen one...


----------



## Showmethelight (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Quick wrap,


----------



## kj2 (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I just took my D40A for a walk with the dog. And.... I love it 
Very bright pure white lights, nice spill which comes in handy while walking. I also like that the modes run from high to low. Operation of the light is really simple and you can do everything with one hand. Weight of the light was no issue during the one hour walk. I couldn't really test the throw because it was raining (quite hard  )


----------



## Showmethelight (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Here is a real picture of the koppo wrap from a real camera, I was hesitant about it but now very glad someone brought it up, going to leave it on, and hey bonus of having around 6' or more of useable rope handy in a pinch.


----------



## jhn.holgate (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Thanks for the photo of the red led low battery warning light....which I can't see mentioned anywhere in the manual ?! Raining here too last night but was impressed with the beam - not particularly throwy, but an excellent mix of throw and flood and I would agree that I can see stuff out to around 300m. Put in some Alkalines first up and after no more than 10 minutes of general use, the Alkalines could not support turbo mode. Step down was at 3 1/2 minutes and it did get pretty warm. Better stick with the eneloops methinks.


----------



## GordoJones88 (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

* F
FAKE!*



Showmethelight said:


> Here is a real picture of the koppo wrap from a real camera, I was hesitant about it but now very glad someone brought it up, going to leave it on, and hey bonus of having around 6' or more of useable rope handy in a pinch.


----------



## Showmethelight (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



GordoJones88 said:


> * F
> FAKE!*


----------



## jhn.holgate (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I've used a slightly smaller landyard than supplied - it drops down between my two middle fingers and I then I can wrap it back up over my little finger and tuck the loop over my index finger. Seems pretty secure as I can't drop the light and it's easy to do. Maybe it's not such a bad placement...just requires a little re-thinking. Like the koppo wrap too.


----------



## Showmethelight (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

If anyone wants more ideas on wraps and lanyards to experiment or play around with, this thread, stickied over in general, has some amazing stuff going on. Makes a "fake" koppo wrap look like a joke vs a blend of black magic and sorcery

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-Post-your-home-made-lanyard-photos!-(Part-2)


----------



## CarpentryHero (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I just ordered one, Now the wait begins


----------



## Showmethelight (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



jhn.holgate said:


> I've used a slightly smaller landyard than supplied - it drops down between my two middle fingers and I then I can wrap it back up over my little finger and tuck the loop over my index finger. Seems pretty secure as I can't drop the light and it's easy to do. Maybe it's not such a bad placement...just requires a little re-thinking. Like the koppo wrap too.



When you said you went with a shorter lanyard on the light it made me do a double take as given the placement it seems double length is needed. so I tossed the original back on, I can now see what you mean of dropping it between your fingers, then rewrapping over another finger and finally coming to secure grip. But, that's still a horrid lanyard, let go once let that all unwind, and you have a complicated procedure of effort needed to get what should be a simple grasp and access to the light, not to mention the given lanyard will be running under your grip or torquing away from it if run over the top of your hand. Love the light, lanyard still worst I've seen.


----------



## jhn.holgate (Jun 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

hmmm...maybe a pics worth a look. Doesn't feel any harder to use than the wrist loop and seem to trap itself when you try and drop the light. Maybe the trick is that I'm not using a lanyard with a clip attached...


----------



## Showmethelight (Jun 13, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

.....


----------



## kj2 (Jun 13, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



jhn.holgate said:


> Step down was at 3 1/2 minutes and it did get pretty warm.


The D40A gets hot indeed. I didn't run Turbo mode for more than 2 minutes yesterday. For what I could see during my walk, is that the D40A easily throws further than the GX25A3. It also lights-up
a slightly bigger area in front of you. Hope I can do a side-by-side with the D40A, GX25A3 and EA4 soon.


----------



## kaichu dento (Jun 13, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



elbowtko said:


> Has anyone tried doing something like this?


That's how I've been carrying a couple of my lights for over a year and I really like it.



Showmethelight said:


> Quick wrap,


Got this wrap on a couple smaller lights - MiNi AA's for one. Like it too, especially when I want to cover the whole tube.


----------



## elbowtko (Jun 13, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



jhn.holgate said:


> hmmm...maybe a pics worth a look. Doesn't feel any harder to use than the wrist loop and seem to trap itself when you try and drop the light. Maybe the trick is that I'm not using a lanyard with a clip attached...




That seems like a ridiculous compromise...although I won't knock it until I try it.

The point of the lanyard is that if you lose your grip, the lanyard will hold it for you. This solution seems to be more like the lanyard holds your grip rather than the flashlight.


----------



## Showmethelight (Jun 13, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



kj2 said:


> Have they forgotten it, that this light has that feature?



anyone else find the red light never comes on in their light? I'm using month old XX Eneloops that are running the light perfectly and I know the batteries are good and fully charged, I can try regular eneloops but I don't see why lower mah would matter.


----------



## kj2 (Jun 13, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Showmethelight said:


> anyone else find the red light never comes on in their light? I'm using month old XX Eneloops that are running the light perfectly and I know the batteries are good and fully charged, I can try regular eneloops but I don't see why lower mah would matter.



Haven't seen the red led on my D40a  batteries are still well over 80%


----------



## RedForest UK (Jun 13, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

On mine the red LED turns on as the batteries are low, the main LED itself then flickers briefly but noticably in turbo after about a minute longer before dropping down a mode. Then the red LED turns off for a while, then it comes back on and after another minute or so the main LED dims another level. This cycle goes on until it reaches low mode which I assume will run for quite a while before the red LED comes on again and the batteries are almost fully drained.


----------



## bbb74 (Jun 13, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Can anyone describe the 2 strobe modes to me? I'm presuming the "police" strobe is random, but what about the other one, how fast is it? I actually use strobe on bikes, but prefer the slower type strobes, like zebralight around 4hz.


----------



## Showmethelight (Jun 13, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Bumble said:


> the above diagram seems to indicate that the red light is on "full" with fully charged batteries then as the batteries run down it flickers/ reduces output of the red light etc.



Thats 100% how I interpreted it, glad to see it works different and only comes on when power is dying.

to see the strobe functions check out the great video review posted earlier in the thread


----------



## kj2 (Jun 13, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



bbb74 said:


> Can anyone describe the 2 strobe modes to me? I'm presuming the "police" strobe is random, but what about the other one, how fast is it? I actually use strobe on bikes, but prefer the slower type strobes, like zebralight around 4hz.


I like that Police Strobe for signaling. The 'normal' strobe is quite fast.

Police strobe is; 4 fast strobe flashes, than pauze for around a second, 4 fast strobe flashes, pauze, etc etc.


----------



## Calvin0807 (Jun 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

WHICH ONE I SHOULD CHOOSE ?
EA4 OR D40A ?


----------



## kj2 (Jun 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Calvin0807 said:


> WHICH ONE I SHOULD CHOOSE ?
> EA4 OR D40A ?



Read the threads and make a decision 
I prefer the D40a. Am planning to make a (short)review on the D40a. Should be up today/tomorrow.
Edit: photos are made. Now time for some text


----------



## kj2 (Jun 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

See the photo Sunwayman has posted #191; http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?255230-Amateur-photo-addicts/page7
Could they come with a 18650 version?


----------



## GordoJones88 (Jun 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



kj2 said:


> Could they come with a 18650 version?



While clearly the Sunwayman D40A and Eagletac SX25L3 
are in two different categories, I can't help 
but notice they are similar in size and shape.

SX25 : 144mm x 46mm
D40A : 121mm x 42mm

Eagletac SX25L3 
1 x LED: MT-G2 P0
2,750 Lumens
3 x 18650


----------



## ChibiM (Jun 15, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

That is interesting.. just 2 cm shorter for the AA`s.


----------



## Bumble (Jun 15, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

mines just shipped  now the wait  the price at FT has gone through the roof !! lucky to get mine at $49....


----------



## turboBB (Jun 15, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Mr Floppy said:


> I love tailcap draw numbers. I'll be very interested in what you make of the driver. Also how moddable it is.



Have been extremely busy but as a quick update, the D40A draws ~2.9-3A on fresh cells (Alk or NiMh). Interestingly enough, it doesn't seem to like the Energizer Lithium cells which are also 1.5V nominal but 1.82v resting. Upon turning on the light with these cells, the low voltage LED will immediately light up and it'll drop down from Turbo within seconds.

I'll investigate further on this as time allows but as for the driver, totally custom fab by SWM so it's doubtful anyone (besides EE's) will be modding it anytime soon:


 



The LED should be swappable though:




EDIT: Also, the battery carrier as far as I can tell doesn't feature a fuse like on the V60C/T60CS carriers.

Cheers,
Tim


----------



## bbb74 (Jun 15, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Turbo88, so what was the heat sinking like, esp compared to the Nitecore EA4's poor effort?


----------



## tatasal (Jun 15, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Bumble said:


> mines just shipped  now the wait  the price at FT has gone through the roof !! lucky to get mine at $49....



Maybe because of MAP? It still is about $58 with coupon code at doingoutdoor.


----------



## AmperSand (Jun 15, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Bumble said:


> mines just shipped  now the wait  the price at FT has gone through the roof !! lucky to get mine at $49....



Wow, sure glad I got in at $49 too. That's a big jump in price!


----------



## Mr Floppy (Jun 16, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



turboBB said:


> Have been extremely busy but as a quick update, the D40A draws ~2.9-3A on fresh cells (Alk or NiMh). Interestingly enough, it doesn't seem to like the Energizer Lithium cells which are also 1.5V nominal but 1.82v resting. Upon turning on the light with these cells, the low voltage LED will immediately light up and it'll drop down from Turbo within seconds.


Wow, 3A. What do the L91's sag to at 3A? I thought the max drain from the L91 was 3A, and the older ones were 2A. 

Going to need a good set of batteries here.


----------



## tatasal (Jun 16, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I'll be giving this light to my sister. Does anyone here know how long will the parasitic drain of its electronics finish off one set of fully-charged 2000mah Eneloops?


----------



## turboBB (Jun 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



bbb74 said:


> Turbo88, so what was the heat sinking like, esp compared to the Nitecore EA4's poor effort?



In the pic I posted w/the LED, there's basically some thermal paste between the LED PCB and the mount it goes on. The heat fins are directly adjacent to that and IMO do a good job of shedding heat. You can re-initiate turbo after step-down but I haven't tested that extensively yet. Will post impressions in the future on that.




Mr Floppy said:


> Wow, 3A. What do the L91's sag to at 3A? I thought the max drain from the L91 was 3A, and the older ones were 2A.
> 
> Going to need a good set of batteries here.



Per my last post, I wasn't able to test w/L91's since it doesn't seem to like them (perhaps resting V too high and it detects it as an anomaly). I'll post updates in the future but yes, good batteries will be required. As can be seen in the runtime chart, while step down is timed at 3.5min, the E91's incur a huge hit and take a steep dive during turbo and then after step-down occurs, it's only able to maintain regulation on High for ~30 minutes vs. 87min on standard Eneloops and 111 on Eneloop XX:



EDIT: There is a typo in total V of the E91's, it should be 6.32V and not 5.76V




tatasal said:


> I'll be giving this light to my sister. Does anyone here know how long will the parasitic drain of its electronics finish off one set of fully-charged 2000mah Eneloops?



Standby drain is an absolutely minuscule 9.62µA and one of the best that I've tested for electronic switches. So on Eneloops it will basically last for years (leaving the cell's own self-discharge out of the calc):


----------



## tatasal (Jun 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Thanks for the reply, TurboBB


----------



## turboBB (Jun 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I haven't checked the draw on lockout but when the switch first receives electricity, the current draw will be as high as 1.7mA for about two seconds (almost like an initiation/pre-check stage) before it'll drop down to a steady 9µA. I'll check the lockout draw later.

Cheers,
Tim


----------



## elbowtko (Jun 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I wonder how this compares to the EA4 in terms of runtimes for alk batteries


----------



## shelm (Jun 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

nice light, i want one!


----------



## jamjam (Jun 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Can't wait to see your review. Please hurry! LOL...


----------



## kj2 (Jun 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

delete.


----------



## kreisl (Jun 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I know someone who experienced a short of the battery holder:




The light was off during the night but somehow, maybe through the high standby current consumption, parts of the driver got warm and slowly melted the insulator at the driver disc. This eventually shorted the battery holder. Not good. Beware.





The owner is getting a replacement from Sunwayman 
More info found on shoudian.


----------



## kj2 (Jun 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



kreisl said:


> I know someone who experienced a short of the battery holder:
> The light was off during the night but somehow, maybe through the high standby current consumption, parts of the driver got warm and slowly melted the insulator at the driver disc. This eventually shorted the battery holder. Not good. Beware.
> The owner is getting a replacement from Sunwayman
> More info found on shoudian.



I hope Sunwayman comes with a answer, how this could happen.


----------



## jamjam (Jun 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Regarding the short-out. I had been following the post in Shoudian forum. According to Sunwayman’s offifcial, the reason of the shorting seems to be the black isolator around the head’s positive contact came loose (I still don't know how). And they've checked their inventory and couldn’t find a second unit to have the same problem. The post had been deleted which I assumed was requested by Sunwayman’s official. So I have no way to know what is the outcome. But Sunwayman do respond in time and admitted that they will look into the design to avoid further accidents.

With that, I have to give credit to Sunwayman, at least they admitted the problem, not like other manufacturer who didn't even bother to give an explaination when shxx happened (aka balloned switch).


----------



## kj2 (Jun 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



jamjam said:


> Regarding the short-out. I had been following the post in Shoudian forum. According to Sunwayman’s offifcial, the reason of the shorting seems to be the black isolator around the head’s positive contact came loose (I still don't know how). And they've checked their inventory and couldn’t find a second unit to have the same problem. The post had been deleted which I assumed was requested by Sunwayman’s official. So I have no way to know what is the outcome. But Sunwayman do respond in time and admitted that they will look into the design to avoid further accidents.
> 
> With that, I have to give credit to Sunwayman, at least they admitted the problem, not like other manufacturer who didn't even bother to give an explaination when shxx happened.


It's a good thing they do respond on problems, and help to solve them.

On a other note: I've opened the battery-tube about 8-10 times now. Taken the carrier out and put it back in. Now I noticed that I've already some scratch-marks on the bottom of the battery-tube.
Have others that as well? What type of coating is that inside the tube? (HA-III ? )
I wonder how this will look in the long-run.


----------



## DHart (Jun 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Does anyone here have the ability to compare the output of the D40A, particularly beam and throw, to that of the Fenix TK-35?


----------



## jamjam (Jun 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Since D40A uses the battery cage for both positive and negative contact, I was thinking of putting a thin layer of paper or some sort at the bottom of the tube. This may help preventing scratches in the long run.


----------



## tatasal (Jun 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

My D40A is not with me anymore. But before I sent it away I remember now that the spring on the pill side was soldered slightly leaning to one side, creating perhaps a possibility that when the batt-carrier is pushed towards it when the tube is screwed tight, the spring will slowly slide to touch both parts of the + and - part of the batt-carrier, creating a short then melting the insulator that separates both section? (especially when used for long period, perhaps heating the spring?)

Does the spring in your light sit in an exact perpindicular manner?


----------



## kj2 (Jun 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



tatasal said:


> My D40A is not with me anymore. But before I sent it away I remember now that the spring on the pill side was soldered slightly leaning to one side, creating perhaps a possibility that when the batt-carrier is pushed towards it when the tube is screwed tight, the spring will slowly slide to touch both parts of the + and - part of the batt-carrier, creating a short then melting the insulator that separates both section? (especially when used for long period, perhaps heating the spring?)
> 
> Does the spring in your light sit in an exact perpindicular manner?


No my spring is a little bit off too.


----------



## Showmethelight (Jun 17, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



kj2 said:


> No my spring is a little bit off too.


Ditto, thought of manipulating it by force to straight but the lean isn't extreme and didnt want to break the spring


----------



## Verndog (Jun 23, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



GordoJones88 said:


> It's impossible to be a flashaholic and a minimalist.



It's also impossible to be a flashaholic and not know where your flashlights are and have to "search for them".


----------



## illumiGeek (Jun 25, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Seems I missed out on the good deals for the D40A. Anyone know where the best deal is now. Any special codes, etc. ??

Thanks, Tim


----------



## worker1 (Jul 7, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I bought mine from Amazon because I got free shipping. 

I'm having a problem with the light staying in turbo mode. The battery indicator light flashes and it switches to high.
I've checked the contacts are clean, tried other batteries. I'm using energizer ultimate lithium.

I uploaded a video of it here: http://youtu.be/Fn-mdWOQVIo

I've contacted Sunwayman support to see what they say.


----------



## climberkid (Jul 7, 2013)

Turbo BB stated above that it doesn't stay in turbo with the Lithiums. He may be looking further into it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 4 Beta


----------



## reppans (Jul 7, 2013)

*New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

L91 Lithiums voltage is too high 4x1.7v=6.8v which is above the light's 3-6v operating range. Selfbuilt found the same in his review and said it would operate normally after the batts wore down a bit.


----------



## worker1 (Jul 7, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

That's what it is.
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
I ordered some enerloops.


----------



## Mr Floppy (Jul 9, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

any one hear any news on the neutral version? Getting very itchy fingers ... almost bought the cool white version but resisted


----------



## Mr Floppy (Jul 11, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



> Sunwayman Neutral White D40A is available now, which has excellent color rendering, great light penetrability through smog, smoke and dust.



Two new pics are up on the Sunwayman D40A page, FEATURES the neutral white version! I don't know where to get it from though. Usual places don't have it listed


----------



## elbowtko (Jul 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Mr Floppy said:


> Two new pics are up on the Sunwayman D40A page, FEATURES the neutral white version! I don't know where to get it from though. Usual places don't have it listed



This is the news I have been waiting for day and night (mostly night). Now I just gotta find a place with a good deal on it. Hopefully fasttech will offer it a good price.


----------



## tatasal (Jul 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

The NW version is available this weekend at doingoutdoor


----------



## bestvip (Jul 12, 2013)

I like it, but I will never buy another light that does not have a sub 1 lumen mode.


----------



## Mr Floppy (Jul 12, 2013)

bestvip said:


> I like it, but I will never buy another light that does not have a sub 1 lumen mode.



:welcome: ... try reading some of the posts, you might discover the moon mode


----------



## Mr Floppy (Jul 12, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



tatasal said:


> The NW version is available this weekend at doingoutdoor



I've ordered it already. First time I haven't carefully considered/procrastinated over a light since ... well ever


----------



## elbowtko (Jul 13, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Mr Floppy said:


> I've ordered it already. First time I haven't carefully considered/procrastinated over a light since ... well ever



Did you by any chance use a coupon code, I'm about the PULL THE TRIGGER JUST need to know!

Nevermind, I emailed him, and he said that the coupon code is already included.

JUST PUT IN MY ORDER! Never been so excited! I think the only thing that can beat this excitement is if the H52w from zebralight came out tomorrow.


----------



## mikekoz (Jul 13, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

I just got one of these and I am very impressed! I also own 3 Nitecore EA4's and I think I like this even better!! This is my second Sunwayman. My first was a M40A. Here is a photo of them side by side: 


Uploaded with ImageShack.us I will be buying more Sunwayman lights in the future. They seem to be top quality and the finish on them is almost flawless!! The M40A has the rotating magnetic switch, but uses the same 4AA battery holder.


----------



## elbowtko (Jul 13, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Does anyone know if the nitecore 40mm red diffuser will also work on the Sunwayman D40A?


----------



## __philippe (Jul 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



elbowtko said:


> Does anyone know if the nitecore 40mm red diffuser will also work on the Sunwayman D40A?


The D40A bezel outer diameter is 40mm; 
Nitecore *NTW40* traffic wand and *NFR40* red diffuser (or any other brand 40mm Ø diffuser, for that matter) should fit.

__philippe


----------



## AbnInfantry (Jul 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



elbowtko said:


> Does anyone know if the nitecore 40mm red diffuser will also work on the Sunwayman D40A?



The Nitecore NFD40 white diffuser works fine on my Sunwayman D40A.


----------



## kj2 (Jul 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



elbowtko said:


> Does anyone know if the nitecore 40mm red diffuser will also work on the Sunwayman D40A?


Yes, it fits. I specially bought that traffic wand for my D40A.


----------



## Mr Floppy (Jul 14, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



elbowtko said:


> Nevermind, I emailed him, and he said that the coupon code is already included.



I did the same thing. I imagine he may have been spammed by a lot of people.

Mine has shipped already.


----------



## tatasal (Jul 15, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Does anyone here know the NW D40A at doingoutdoor has what BIN code? I'm a new convert to tint snobiness..


----------



## reppans (Jul 22, 2013)

Just finished a low mode runtime test... 

I got 46 hrs on 4 old Eneloops (tested @ 1600 mah, C9000) which implies 55-60 hrs on new Eneloops. However, my low measures 15 lumens (and 0.8, 180, 500, 800 for the other modes) but I use a conservative Foursevens Quark/Eagletac D25 scale to calibrate my light meter (DSLR) and so always come in below Selfbuilt's #'s. Thought the 31 hr low spec seemed short for a 15 lm mode, but it now seems just as efficient as the best of any other AA light I have. I'm not sure if my low is just sample variation, but as a low lumen/runtime enthusiast I'm very happy with having a lower/longer running low mode. 400-500 hrs sounds right for 0.8 lm.

For emergency use purposes, I briefly tried [using dummy cells to complete circuit] 2xAlkaines, 2xNiMh, 1x3v CRAA, 1x14500 and found all but the NiMh (<2.7v) able to run ML and L normally, and even medium, or some % of M. Low voltage LED indicator works, although I only noticed one indication status - ON. Think I'll test a 9v cell next (AAAAs) - should be good for ~15 hrs on L and ~150 hrs on ML. The D40A gets my thumbs up for a good camping/emergency/SHTF light with the ability to share (2-way) common batts with many other devices.

Biggest complaint is the electronic switch, it's not safely shrouded and is super light, I've activated the buttons just picking it up wrong. It's riskier than a first Gen Zebralight too, lock is a must for transport. I also question the reliability and durability of electronic switches, but a power thrower falls more into the "toy" category for me, so not a big deal.

I really like the beam with the OP smooth transition from hotspot to spill. Tint is a very pure creamy white - I think I actually prefer the CREE Gen 2 CW tints (XPG and XML). CREE attempts at neutrals seem more hit and miss.

Don't understand the complaints on the wrist lanyard, I wouldn't change a thing. The lobster claw gives me instant tactile location of the buttons, and it utilizes the minimal dead space on the light (taper of reflector cone) so the light can be as compact as possible. If you run the cord along the back of your hand and between the index and middle fingers, it's perfectly comfortable with a underhand grip,

Anyways, that's my $0.02.... great light, I love it.


----------



## RedForest UK (Jul 22, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



tatasal said:


> Does anyone here know the NW D40A at doingoutdoor has what BIN code? I'm a new convert to tint snobiness..



I believe it's a 3B.


----------



## elbowtko (Jul 22, 2013)

reppans said:


> Don't understand the complaints on the wrist lanyard, I wouldn't change a thing. The lobster claw gives me instant tactile location of the buttons, and it utilizes the minimal dead space on the light (taper of reflector cone) so the light can be as compact as possible. If you run the cord along the back of your hand and between the index and middle fingers, it's perfectly comfortable with a underhand grip,
> 
> Anyways, that's my $0.02.... great light, I love it.




Just got my Neutral White D40A.

The things I dislike about this flashlight:

The Lanyard. Perhaps redforest can enlighten me with a picture of how you do it, cause I don't see how this flashlight can be comfortably held with the lanyard if transitioning from no grip to grip of the flashlight. IMO a lanyard should retain the flashlight with an open hand (free to do things), and then easily be able to be put back into service in your hand without requiring a lot of manipulation or a second hand.

Another thing I dislike is the UI when changing through modes. It goes from a Turbo --> to Low cycle.
Even if you start at moonlight mode and change modes, this is what happens. Moonlight ----> Low -----> Turbo---->High Medium---Medium---Low--->Turbo---->etc...

*"Moonlight ----> Low -----> Turbo"* This is the part that I dislike, is there anyway around this?

Other than that... this is going to be my camping/emergency/shtf search light. I like a strong purposeful thrower in a non-edc role.


----------



## reppans (Jul 23, 2013)

elbowtko said:


> I don't see how this flashlight can be comfortably held with the lanyard if transitioning from no grip to grip of the flashlight. IMO a lanyard should retain the flashlight with an open hand (free to do things), and then easily be able to be put back into service in your hand without requiring a lot of manipulation or a second hand.
> 
> Another thing I dislike is the UI when changing through modes. It goes from a Turbo --> to Low cycle.



This is the first time I've use a lanyard on a light - most of my collection are small EDC lights. However, if you run the lanyard as I describe above, the light transitions super easy from free dangling to underhand grip... in one second, single handed, and no looking. There's really only one practical way to do it, so I assume pics/vids are not necessary.

I'm also a big fan of low > high UIs, but on this light, H>L makes sense to me - here's how I look at it: There's such a huge gap between my ML/L and M/H/T I find I just stay on the low end 90% of the time - then, when I need to see something at a distance, heck I might as well just see it with Turbo and be done with it. If I need watch it for a longer period of time, then I'll step-down to H or M for battery conservation.


----------



## tatasal (Jul 24, 2013)

For NW fans, the D40A NW is back in stock @ doingoutdoor @$58


----------



## Mr Floppy (Jul 25, 2013)

tatasal said:


> For NW fans, the D40A NW is back in stock



Well, I'm still waiting for mine to arrive. 6 days since it has been dispatched overseas, 8 days since the shipping notice. I'm guessing anytime soon but from Singpost, I have had something take 3 weeks!


----------



## tatasal (Jul 25, 2013)

Mr Floppy said:


> Well, I'm still waiting for mine to arrive. 6 days since it has been dispatched overseas, 8 days since the shipping notice. I'm guessing anytime soon but from Singpost, I have had something take 3 weeks!



I always have similar experiences. HKpost, China and Singpost, they all more or less have the same shipping time, regardless of who sends the package, usually with-in days of each other. Personally I have no complaints, I get what I paid for. My country is actually only 1.5 hours of flying time from China, but it takes a minimum of 11 working days to receive a package.


----------



## rrt0000 (Jul 25, 2013)

Mr Floppy said:


> Well, I'm still waiting for mine to arrive. 6 days since it has been dispatched overseas, 8 days since the shipping notice. I'm guessing anytime soon but from Singpost, I have had something take 3 weeks!



I received my NW D40A. The tint is awesome - best described as slightly yellowish cream?

It is much better than my CW D40a (which has a horrible blueish tint... I am in the process of swapping the LED to a XM-L2 T4 5B1 80+CRI.


----------



## RedForest UK (Jul 25, 2013)

rrt0000 said:


> I received my NW D40A. The tint is awesome - best described as slightly yellowish cream?
> 
> It is much better than my CW D40a (which has a horrible blueish tint... I am in the process of swapping the LED to a XM-L2 T4 5B1 80+CRI.



Don't tempt me..


----------



## elbowtko (Jul 28, 2013)

I just took this bad boy recently to a night hike.

After fashioning my own lanyard I started to appreciate some of the negatives that I had mentioned earlier about going from low ---> turbo I can see how a majority of the time I am just using low and how if I need a burst of light I could just press again. The low could be even slightly lower as well as the moonlight mode, but no big deal.

I do have to note that to me, there doesn't seem to be a big difference between the turbo mode and the high mode even though there is suppose to be a difference of about 300-400 lumens? To me they almost look the same except with a very slight step down. I'm not sure if that is just my eyes registering them as "really bright" regardless of how many lumens at that level.

This flashlight saved my friend's balls as he was just 5 inches away from walking into one of these FACE FIRST. It blocked the whole trail around chest level, we spotted SIX more of these on our way, some we could brush them aside with a stick others we have to duck underneath as we went. Quite scary in PITCH BLACK NIGHT TIME. I was lucky to have this thrower on me. 







Thanks sunwayman, for saving my friend's *** and my own.


----------



## Mr Floppy (Jul 30, 2013)

well, still waiting for the neutral. The hold up being Singpost but it'll make me think twice about placing an order through this dealer. On a side note, the eneloop XX I got from DX seems to test out pretty well. Capacity is around 2450mAh mark on the C9000. Still not sure whether they are fakes or not but if this light ever arrives, they'll go right in


----------



## Mr Floppy (Aug 5, 2013)

SingPost delivers! Well, the tracking didn't update. It just appeared despite the mail room redirecting to the wrong office here at work, it made it (had to collect it myself). 15 days in total, the extra time was chasing it around the workplace. All in all, delivery wasn't too bad but only because I've had worse from SingPost! 

Packaging is pretty good. Nice study box with some bubble wrap around the box and a paper sachet, corners slightly dented but all good inside. Love the custom declaration, "garden tool". 





It is very bright on turbo and the hot spot is tight. Seems to be on the cool side of neutral, and unfortunately for my sample, there's a green tinge around the hot spot. It must be something about these XM-L2 neutrals. Oh well, won't be using it on white walls anyway. I was hoping I could use it as a bike light but it does seem a bit heavy.


----------



## Mr Floppy (Aug 5, 2013)

So using the NW version outside, the green is not noticeable one bit but it is still cooler than I would have like but I tend to prefer something warmer. 

I've taken some ceiling bounce readings in the bathroom against my Malkoff XM-L2 Mag drop-in. I have 3-4D drop-in that drew 2.7A at the tail cap using 4 NiMH. That was listed as 850 lumen OTF, although the earlier one was listed as 900 lumen but still 2.7A. (The current drop-in is 700 lumen but only 2.1A at the tail cap). So against the 850 lumen, the Malkoff (using a Kai domain v2.1 smooth reflector) gave 144.2 lux. The NW D40A read 151.4 lux. So calculated output using the Malkoff figure is around 892 lumen. If I can find my LD10 R4, I'll get a reading from that to see how it compares on selfbuilts ceiling bounce scale. He had a figure of 940 lumen for the CW version so it's not far off. Don't want to get caught up in all the lumen figures but trying to determine the relative output compared to the CW, which I don't have. 

Well, to the tint. I said it was rather cool and FCamera on my Nokia N900 thinks that it could be around 4900K. The Malkoff drop-in on FCamera gives 5700K. Here's the two on auto WB (FCamera thinks it's around 5000K)





reference shot of the Malkoff (5700K)





D40ANW @ 5700K


----------



## rrt0000 (Aug 10, 2013)

Just modded my D40A with a XM-L2 T4 5B1.. It's nice


----------



## PhatBoyG (Aug 12, 2013)

Ordered a D40a (NW) yesterday, should be here in a couple of days. Looking forward to the light output to cut through the fog on these summer Bay Area nights.


----------



## PhatBoyG (Aug 15, 2013)

Light arrived today. Quick review so far...

PRO:
Great hand feel, wide beam output, color is great
Throw is long and full, but wide enough you aren't constantly panning the light
Light output with fresh Alkaline AA batteries is great (waiting on Eneloops to arrive).
Seals, threads, anodizing all seem solid and clean and smooth
The easy moonlight mode is great, and I find the UI very easy to use without reading a single page of the manual.

CON:
I didn't even bother with the lanyard, but...
It might making finding the power switch easier which is hard to find by feel.

Not so much a con, but it doesn't have that tight, focused, piercing beam -- it's a wider beam that looks like a cone in the fog. So it doesn't "cut like a laser" through the sky. Not really a con, as I said, but if you like the tight throw of other lights this might disappoint.

TL;DR - well worth the price and flexibility of AA batteries.


----------



## Mr Floppy (Aug 15, 2013)

rrt0000 said:


> Just modded my D40A with a XM-L2 T4 5B1.. It's nice



Oooh, 5B. Nice mod. Looks easy-ish. True to your word on the mod.


----------



## tobrien (Aug 15, 2013)

PhatBoyG said:


> Light arrived today. Quick review so far...
> 
> PRO:
> Great hand feel, wide beam output, color is great
> ...



thank you very much for posting this to-the-point review, this is the best summary IMO. 

welcome to CPF!


----------



## tobrien (Aug 15, 2013)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



Showmethelight said:


> Before seeing the video, if you had asked me what I think a police strobe was I would have immediately answered a strobe that changes speeds from fast to ultra fast so a "suspect's" eyes have zero chance at adjusting when beamed with it (not like a person can look at 800 lumens and adjust anyway) but perhaps that's more defined (as if any of this has hard definitions) as tactical police strobe.
> 
> edit- texted a LEO friend and asked him if his cruiser has a flashing mode for when pulled over for non emergencies, he confirmed they did but the light color flashed amber, but that his head lights also flashed strobe, so perhaps that's what I was recalling. He also said they have white take down and alley lights on the bar but those don't strobe. Ill try linking him the video and see if he can directly Recognize the pattern.
> 
> ...



the police cars I've seen confirm what you're saying. I have to wonder if the alternating headlight 'strobe' gets annoying though


----------



## reppans (Aug 22, 2013)

reppans said:


> ....Think I'll test a 9v cell next (AAAAs) - should be good for ~15 hrs on L and ~150 hrs on ML...



9V to about 50%: 266 hrs on moonlight (0.8 lms) and somewhere around 10-12 hrs on low (15 lms). If I have my math right, moonlight's good for about 800 hrs on 4xAA Alks and ~ 500 hrs on Eneloops. Most efficient sub-lumen mode I've tested yet.


----------



## climberkid (Aug 22, 2013)

Great to hear reppans. I use mine quite often on low modes with high used occasionally when I'm pointing something out. 

Just had to send mine back to fast tech for replacement. Had an issue I found a few others having. Stuck in moonlight mode with no button operations working. After batteries go in (full or drained) it jumps to moonlight. 
Found this video of the exact same problem. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw09SFVwnvA&feature=youtube_gdata_player


----------



## reppans (Aug 22, 2013)

Sorry to hear that climberkid - yeah, I'm not a big fan of the trend toward electronic switches. They can provide nice UIs and cool features like batt meters, but they're another point of potential failure, have parasitic drain, need lockout, and are not field serviceable or by-passable. They're fine for my "toy" category lights, but I prefer not to use one in my "tool" category EDC lights. That said, perhaps I'm just being too "old school" about it - I really love cars with stick shifts, manual climate control, and even wish I could find a hand crank roll-down window (lol).


----------



## Marconelly (Sep 7, 2013)

I've purchased the natural white version of this light and while I love using it in short bursts (the light output is unbelievable compared to any other flashlight I've seen in person), the light just doesn't seem capable of holding a steady beam for anything longer than 10 minutes. I'm using the Duracell "StayCharged" (popularly named Duraloops I think, as they are supposed to be rebranded Eneloops), and I started of with full charged cells, ~1.33V each. I used the light starting at its strongest power mode. As described in all of the reviews, 3 minutes later lights switches to a one step lower mode. I have maybe cycled it once back to strongest mode, 3 minutes later goes back to a step lower (again fine and expected), however, just a few minutes later, it steps down to another lower mode, then a few minutes later to a weakest mode... and then it turned itself off and wouldn't turn back on.

This all happened after about 10-15 minutes use with fully charged batteries. I then measured voltage on the cells, and each was around 1.2V, so they were far from discharged. When I put the batteries back in, the light came back to life, but it would not go to strongest output anymore. The moment I would try using it, the little orange light blinked and it would step down. Then the story from above would repeat. It would only take a few minutes before the light would end up on the weakest setting.

I'm afraid to even ask if this is normal? Is it because I started off using the highest power mode that somehow destroys batteries, and the only way to get the long operational times listed in manual is to start off with a weaker mode, and never go to this highest power mode? The manual lists that there should be 1.7h of use on the 2nd strongest, 550lumen setting, When starting off with strongest mode, and cycling back to it once more, I was getting maybe 5 minutes on this 550lm setting before it would step down to a 3rd one.


----------



## Torpedo (Sep 7, 2013)

I would try some different batteries if you haven't already....the little orange light coming on indicates that the batteries are low, and it seems that your light is doing what it is supposed to be doing. Mine did the same thing when my batteries ran down. Welcome to CPF.


----------



## Marconelly (Sep 7, 2013)

Thanks, I feel bad that my first post is nothing but complaining, but I've been reading and researching a lot before buying this light, and didn't quite expect it to be this way. I guess there's a price to pay for the almost humorous light output of 980lm mode. I've noticed that if in pitch-darkness I point this light towards the ceiling of a very small room painted white, it pretty much lights up the room as if there was a 75W lighbulb burning in it. It's as if I'm holding something that shouldn't be possible to exist oo:

Yes, I have tried Energizer alkalines also, and with them things have been about the same, if not even worse. With them, I tried cycling back to highest power mode maybe twice, so I got about 10 minutes of 980lm mode, and after that some more minutes of each lower power mode before it got stuck on the lowest mode. I guess the high output mode simply eats up batteries... I'll run two more tests. I'll try the light in 550lm mode only, and see for how long it keeps that up. Then I'll try to start off with 980lm mode, and see how long after switching to 550 mode it keeps that up (I won't cycle back to 980).


----------



## zespectre (Sep 7, 2013)

Waiting very VERY impatiently for mine to get here.


----------



## Kilted (Sep 7, 2013)

Marconelly,

Get some real eneloops and a charger to go with'em. I have D40A neutral and after an hour the light is still running on high mode it still will step into turbo mode with no low battery warning, it ran 70 minutes before switching off. Either you have a bad cell or the flashlight is defective.

You will need a charger that has individual channels like Maha NH-C9000 or MH-C801D


----------



## Marconelly (Sep 7, 2013)

I've run a test with 550lm only. On fully charged Duracells (they are fairly new, charged less than ten times) it lasted 32 minutes, before stepping down to next weaker mode. That's definitely bad and far from advertised 1.7 hours. Also far from actual measured time provided by SelfBuilt in his review here:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...L2-4xAA)-Review-RUNTIMES-BEAMSHOTS-VIDEO-more

If I'm reading his graph right, D40A lasted about 1.5 hours in 550lm mode, and almost as much when started from 980lm and then powered down to 550lm mode after three minutes. I guess my experience is much closer to his other chart, where with Alkalines he measured that light starts dropping after about 40 minutes of 550lm mode use. Maybe these "Duraloops" are not as good as actual Eneloops after all? I'm charging a different set of these Duracells now, so I'll repeat the test with them, before I order a set of Eneloops. I'm thinking of getting 2500Mah Eneloop XXs.

Kilted, charger that I have is a fairly simple one that came with a set of Energizer rechargeables, but I do think it has individual channels (i.e. it is capable of charging batteries that have different levels of discharge - each inserted battery has its own blinking light and the light stops blinking when that particular battery has been charged, while the rest still continue charging. It always ends up with all the cells being charged to the same voltage). Your 70 minutes is far better than what I got, but still quite below SelfBuilt's measured 90+ minutes.


----------



## worker1 (Sep 7, 2013)

Marconelly said:


> Thanks, I feel bad that my first post is nothing but complaining, but I've been reading and researching a lot before buying this light, and didn't quite expect it to be this way. I guess there's a price to pay for the almost humorous light output of 980lm mode. I've noticed that if in pitch-darkness I point this light towards the ceiling of a very small room painted white, it pretty much lights up the room as if there was a 75W lighbulb burning in it. It's as if I'm holding something that shouldn't be possible to exist oo:
> 
> Yes, I have tried Energizer alkalines also, and with them things have been about the same, if not even worse. With them, I tried cycling back to highest power mode maybe twice, so I got about 10 minutes of 980lm mode, and after that some more minutes of each lower power mode before it got stuck on the lowest mode. I guess the high output mode simply eats up batteries... I'll run two more tests. I'll try the light in 550lm mode only, and see for how long it keeps that up. Then I'll try to start off with 980lm mode, and see how long after switching to 550 mode it keeps that up (I won't cycle back to 980).



I had the same problem. Run it on high for 10 minutes to drain the battery. Then it should work as expected


----------



## Marconelly (Sep 7, 2013)

worker1 said:


> I had the same problem. Run it on high for 10 minutes and drain the battery. Then it should work okay. It shoudln't do the same thing for alkaline or rechargables. For some reason it can't read the charge of brand new energizer lithiums and thinks there's a problem.


Thanks - I'm aware of the Energizer lithium problem, but I haven't been using lithiums in this light so far. Only the "Duraloops" and regular Energizer alkalines. My problem is that the light simply won't work near as long as the advertised time. Well, the new set of Duraloops has finished charging, but I'll have to try them sometime tomorrow. This set is I think almost brand new, and I'm able to charge it to ~1,45V, which is higher than the other set for some reason.


----------



## worker1 (Sep 7, 2013)

Marconelly said:


> Thanks, I feel bad that my first post is nothing but complaining, but I've been reading and researching a lot before buying this light, and didn't quite expect it to be this way. I guess there's a price to pay for the almost humorous light output of 980lm mode. I've noticed that if in pitch-darkness I point this light towards the ceiling of a very small room painted white, it pretty much lights up the room as if there was a 75W lighbulb burning in it. It's as if I'm holding something that shouldn't be possible to exist oo:
> 
> Yes, I have tried Energizer alkalines also, and with them things have been about the same, if not even worse. With them, I tried cycling back to highest power mode maybe twice, so I got about 10 minutes of 980lm mode, and after that some more minutes of each lower power mode before it got stuck on the lowest mode. I guess the high output mode simply eats up batteries... I'll run two more tests. I'll try the light in 550lm mode only, and see for how long it keeps that up. Then I'll try to start off with 980lm mode, and see how long after switching to 550 mode it keeps that up (I won't cycle back to 980).



I had the same problem. Run it on high for 10 minutes and drain the battery. Then it should work okay.


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## Kilted (Sep 7, 2013)

Marconelly,

OK I started on turbo mode and bumped back up to turbo three times for about 9 minutes. Suspect that if I started at 550lm it would have made 90min, I'll try that tomorrow.

*** Update ***

OK my results from HI 93 min's to Med step down missed the Med to Low step an additional 36 min's on M-L mostly on L for a total run time of 129 min's I would round it off to 130 min's total run time. As the batteries had light use over night.

The one thing I did notice when the low battery flashes its only a few seconds to off. If you are getting low battery warning after 10-15 min's its either bad batteries or a bad flashlight.


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## X5CR123A (Sep 9, 2013)

Did the price at doingoutdoors go up, or am I missing some sort of discount code?

Usually use fasttech, but since all their prices are now fixed by manufacturers don't mind going elsewhere, not going to pay $80 though...


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## tatasal (Sep 9, 2013)

X5CR123A said:


> Did the price at doingoutdoors go up, or am I missing some sort of discount code?
> 
> Usually use fasttech, but since all their prices are now fixed by manufacturers don't mind going elsewhere, not going to pay $80 though...



Still the same, just email Bill for the coupon code.


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## X5CR123A (Sep 9, 2013)

Thanks tatasal...


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## zespectre (Sep 11, 2013)

Mine just showed up. OMG the Neutral White tint is LOVELY and so is the beam pattern!
DAMNIT
I have SIX HOURS to wait until full dark


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## Marconelly (Sep 13, 2013)

It turns out my problem was most likely with the charger stopping the charging too soon sometimes. I can't quite pinpoint why it does that, but maybe it doesn't charge enough when the batteries are not discharged all the way. In any case, when the batteries are charged fully (they seem to measure near 1.5V in that case, and only 1.3 when they are not actually fully charged) the light works pretty much as advertised. In the two tests I've made over the past few days, I've been getting of approx 1h40m continuous light on High, and them maybe 15 minutes more on Med and Low before the light would shut off. Pretty much as advertised and even more than measured by Selfbuilt. So, false alarm, my light works perfectly after all, the batteries are great too, but the charger not so much.



zespectre said:


> Mine just showed up. OMG the Neutral White tint is LOVELY and so is the beam pattern!


It's really such a great pattern. I thought it would be more focused than I'd like, and that I'd need a diffuser cover, but it's not like that at all. There's a very nice transition between the quite large spot and again quite wide edge of the beam. My other light, Coast HP14 always annoyed me a bit how it was either a spot that was too small, or an even flood that was almost never bright enough - and nothing in between looked good at all. This light brings the much more usable golden medium of those two extremes, and is *far* brighter to boot.


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## Kilted (Sep 13, 2013)

Marconelly,

Glad to hear you foud your problem.


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## hartage (Sep 25, 2013)

tatasal said:


> Still the same, just email Bill for the coupon code.



It's been a while for me being on candlepowerforums but 4aa max lumens format of the D40A dragged me back. Could you please enlighten me as to who "Bill" is so I can email him for a coupon code ? Do you know if doingoutdoor is still honoring the $49 price ? Thx I thought I was a cured flashlightholic. Darn homedepot and their defiant 3d armormax, then defiant 5c "billy club" and now after a coupon... good lord the Sunwayman D40A. Most of my friends think I'm nuts for having flashlights in every nook and cranny of my house/car/backpack/fanny pack/pocket. But, thanks everyone for being such a wealth of LED information over the years (from 2002 for me).


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## tatasal (Sep 25, 2013)

hartage said:


> It's been a while for me being on candlepowerforums but 4aa max lumens format of the D40A dragged me back. Could you please enlighten me as to who "Bill" is so I can email him for a coupon code ? Do you know if doingoutdoor is still honoring the $49 price ? Thx I thought I was a cured flashlightholic. Darn homedepot and their defiant 3d armormax, then defiant 5c "billy club" and now after a coupon... good lord the Sunwayman D40A. Most of my friends think I'm nuts for having flashlights in every nook and cranny of my house/car/backpack/fanny pack/pocket. But, thanks everyone for being such a wealth of LED information over the years (from 2002 for me).



Cured flashaholic? The 'virus' just remained dormant! You may email bill dot qiao at 163 dot com for a coupon code. It was never at $49 I believe.


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## Svoloch88 (Sep 26, 2013)

tatasal said:


> Still the same, just email Bill for the coupon code.



What is the price after coupon? I'd like to know to compare with what I paid for mine.


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## kst (Sep 27, 2013)

Previous price recalled was $58 before doingoutdoor.com jumped to $77.


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## climberkid (Sep 27, 2013)

Fasstech was sub $50 when it came out then jumped to upwards of $70.


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## tatasal (Sep 27, 2013)

kst said:


> Previous price recalled was $58 before doingoutdoor.com jumped to $77.



It's still the same with coupon code. Ask Bill for CC


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## mhanlen (Oct 1, 2013)

You know there's a certain website several posts up that gives a good price if you put in a request for a bulk order of one. Just got mine yesterday and paid in the low fiftys. It's an alright light. The "moonlight" mode isn't exactly "moonlight" though, but at least it's way lower than the lowest on the EA4. Quality is about on par or just slightly better than that light.


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## zespectre (Oct 1, 2013)

For anyone interested. Here's a link to my "Real World Review – Sunwayman D40A"
A few surprises but on the whole I'm very pleased.


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## froggyted (Jan 17, 2014)

Sunwayman list a 2-light holiday package that includes a 1020 lumen version of the D40a. Most of the other specs are identical to the 980 lumen version, including throw and run times. Does anybody know whether this will replace the 980 lumen version, or is it just a limited edition?


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## froggyted (Jan 26, 2014)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



elbowtko said:


> That seems like a ridiculous compromise...although I won't knock it until I try it.
> 
> The point of the lanyard is that if you lose your grip, the lanyard will hold it for you. This solution seems to be more like the lanyard holds your grip rather than the flashlight.



This works surprisingly well, although i would be perfectly happy with the supplied lanyard if it had a lariat loop rather than metal fastener.

EDIT: If you have a minimum 20cm (excluding lariat loop) round-profile lanyard you can tie a slipknot and wear around your wrist instead of your fingers. Feed the lariat loop thread between your two middle fingers (for using with switch upwards). As long as you don't have the slipknot too tight around your wrist this provides a very secure and comfortable grip, and you definitely won't drop the light if you lose your grip.


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## froggyted (Jan 26, 2014)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*

Does anybody know whether the steel bezel is glued on? I read somewhere that it wasn't, but i have some specks of dust inside the glass and the bezel doesn't seem to want to budge.


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## RedForest UK (Jan 26, 2014)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



froggyted said:


> Does anybody know whether the steel bezel is glued on? I read somewhere that it wasn't, but i have some specks of dust inside the glass and the bezel doesn't seem to want to budge.



Mine wasn't, it just needed a tight grip (easier with grippy gloves on). Be very careful once it's open though, it's much easier to get more dust in than remove what's already there.


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## froggyted (Jan 26, 2014)

*Re: New Sunwayman D40A - Another 4AA compact thrower*



RedForest UK said:


> Mine wasn't, it just needed a tight grip (easier with grippy gloves on). Be very careful once it's open though, it's much easier to get more dust in than remove what's already there.



Thanks, unless it was you i read originally that makes two people who have successfully removed the bezel so i might have a go, although i appreciate what you say about more dust getting in, it seems to be easily attracted to the outside of the lens. That's one score for my LD41, which came with no noticeable dust inside.


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