Flashlight Review: The Sunwayman C22C

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I am a flashlight junkie. With the continued improvements in LED technology and power efficiency, lights are getting more powerful and and lasting longer. This bodes well for those of us who prepare for power failures and grid down events.

I received an offer to review the Sunwayman C22C from GearBest.com. It was provided to me free of charge to perform test and evaluation. When I review a piece of equipment I review it honestly regardless of how it was acquired. Let me go ahead tell you right now – I have been extremely impressed with the C22C.

Over the past two months I have used this light for a variety of things including general around-the-house stuf, backyard “something went bump in the night”, thrown in my Jeep’s center console, dropped a few times, etc. It has held up perfectly and still looks and performs like new.

Here are the specs from the GearBest.com website:

● Main light Cree XM-L2 U2 LED, side Light Cree XP-G2 R5 LED, with a lifetime of up to 50000 hours
● Slightly depress the side switch to turn on / off the flashlight as well as selecting desired output mode
Main white light: Turbo (1000 lumens, automatically lower to high after 3 mins continuous use); high (580 lumens, 2 hrs ); mid (130 lumens, 10 hrs ); low (35 lumens, 30 hrs ); strobe; SOS;
Neutral white side light: High (180 lumens, 3 hrs.) – mid (46 lumens, 9 hrs) – low (16 lumens, 45 hrs); strobe; SOS
● Powerful magnet built at the tail to ensure easy-stand of the light on any iron surface
● Tungsten steel spike at the end of the tailcap can be used for emergencies
● Constant current circuit, constant output
● Effective range of 208 meters
● Uses one single 18650 or two CR123A batteries
● Working voltage: 2.8 – 8.4V
● High quality metal smooth reflector for main light maintains great throw distance and spread with an ideal beam pattern; side light uses optical lens
● Dimensions: 110mm (length) x 28mm (head diameter) x 25mm (tailed diameter)
● Weight: 88g(battery excluded)
● Aerospace-grade aluminum alloy, stainless steel retaining ring on the top
● Military specification type III-hard anodized body
● Waterproof: IPX-8 standard
● Ultra-clear tempered glass lens resists scratches and impacts
● Tactical forward click switch for momentary on

Fit, Feel and Construction: To be honest I like flashlights that just turn On and Off without all the fancy strobe modes and multiple brightness levels. With the Sunwayman C22C the different modes of operation are available but up to the user to access them. I found it easy to simply turn it on – use it at full brightness – and shut it off. Next time I turned it on it came on with the last mode used.

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The C22C is built extremely well. It is not feather light like some multi-pack flashlights I have bought at SAM’s but not overly heavy either. It feels rugged and secure in the hand. Both of the lens look crystal clear and the LED’s are centered perfect. The button feels the same today after being activated hundreds of times as it did the day it arrived.

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Unique with the C22C is the dual output capability – meaning it has two LED’s built in. One of the LED’s illuminates out the top while the other to the side. At first I was unsure the point of this feature. After using it however I understood completely.

The flashlight can be used like a normal light using the front LED with a deeply penetrating beam. Switch to the side LED and you get a flood of bright light illuminating a wide area. The two lights compliment each other and provide the user options. They both work very well.

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Interesting it the incorporation of tungsten steel spikes on the battery compartment cap. This is supposed to be used to break glass in case of a vehicle entrapment. I never tried them but not sure how effective they would be. Certainly would be better than trying to punch through a window.

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The Sunwayman C22C has a very strong and sturdy belt clip included with the light. Excellent for attaching to the inside of a pocket or inside a bag. Notice I said “inside” as I would never rely on this type of attachment on the outside of a pack as eventually it may work its way loose and then “gone”  – no C22C. Regardless – the clip is excellent.

There is also a hole in the end cap for attachment of a lanyard.

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Very useful is the magnetic end cap. One evening I used this light to change the spark plugs on my wife’s Expedition and mounted the on the hood. I activated the flood light and it lit up the entire engine compartment.

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 The C22C is powered by either one single 18650 battery or two CR123 lithium ion batteries. I chose the CR123 battery route as they are more common and readily available.

Action Shots:

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The photo above is was taken in my back yard at night with no other light present other than the Sunwayman C22C.

The photo below was taken in the same area showing using a NEBO Redline 220 Lumen flashlight. The difference between the two lights is obvious and the C22C really outshines its NEBO competitor(pun intended).

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Above the Sunwayman C22C shines approx 150 yards across the street to a neighbor’s house. They do have an outside light on.

Below the same house with the same outside light using the NEBO Redline.

Again – the C22C shows to be extremely powerful.

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Summary

The Sunwayman is an excellent, compact, and extremely powerful flashlight and at a price of around $50 is a bargain. As of this writing it is available for $41.99.

Also – for a limited time – use coupon code “SunwaymanC22C” and the price will be reduced to $36.48 for ModernSurvivalOnline.com readers only.

High Recommendation.

Rourke


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3 thoughts on “Flashlight Review: The Sunwayman C22C”

  1. A securely fastened lanyard a la Surefire beats any clip hands down. The clip does not look reliable and is not a good indicator of the engineering thought processes.The magnetic cap may have utility – but not to us who wear ‘old’ autowinding or hand wound mechanical watches. Strong magnetic fields will lock up these style mechanical watches firmly until degaussed.

    I do like the glass break ridges but think crenelations on the end gap might be more effective.

    PR

    Reply
  2. That’s a fine review.

    My preference with 18650 lights is to use a 18650 battery. If I wanted to use two batteries, I’d go with two rechargeable 16340 cells.

    One question; is there a low voltage warning indicator on the light? This is a must with 18650 batteries. One thing I wish this review had is a beamshot using the secondary side LED. Thanks!

    Reply

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