The Philips SFL2186R is a great size for a torch. It’s big enough to be a solid, proper torch, but small enough to stay compact and light. The housing is very sturdy, and the zoom is handy: pull the head out and the beam narrows to a spot, and the USB-C charging port appears underneath. We paid $55 for it.
What’s in the box
The SFL2186R is a grey aluminium torch with a sandblasted finish, a single button on the side and a wrist strap. Philips rates it at 910 lumens with a 300 m throw. It runs on a removable 18650 battery that charges by USB-C, it’s rated IP55 against dust and rain, and a charging cable comes in the box.
What we like
- Compact but a proper-sized torch
- Very sturdy aluminium housing
- Pull-out zoom: flood to spot
- USB-C port hidden under the head
- Stepless dimming
- Removable 18650 battery
What we don’t
- IP55: rain only, not submersible
- About 4 hours to charge
- 3.5 hours on high
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Philips |
| Model | SFL2186R |
| Material | Aluminium |
| Colour | Grey |
| Weight | 148 g |
| Size | 15.1 × 3.8 cm |
| Brightness | 910 lumens |
| Throw | 300 m |
| Modes | HighLowStepless dimmingStrobe & SOS |
| Run time | 3.5 h on high |
| Battery | Removable 186502,200 mAh |
| Charging | USB-CAbout 4 hours |
| Water rating | IP55 |
A good size for a torch
This is what we like most about it. At 15 cm long and 148 g on our scale, it’s big enough to be a solid torch you can actually grip, not a keychain light, but still compact and light enough that it’s no bother to carry. The body has fine ridges along it, and the wrist strap on the tail means it won’t end up on the ground if it slips.
Pull the head out to zoom
The zoom is a handy touch. Push the head in for a wide flood that lights up the area around you, or pull it out and the beam narrows to a tight spot that reaches much further. On High, Philips rates it at 300 m. The wide beam suits jobs close by, like around camp or in the back of the car, and the spot is for seeing further down a track.
Modes and stepless dimming
Everything runs off the one button on the side. Single clicks cycle through the everyday modes, holding the button dims the light, and a double-click brings up the emergency modes, which sit apart from the normal cycle so you don’t hit them by accident.
- Switch
- The button on the side
- Click once: High, 910 lumens.
- Click again for Low, and once more to switch off.
- While it’s on, hold the button to dim up or down.
- Let go when the brightness is right.
- Double-click, on or off, for strobe.
- Click once in strobe to switch to SOS.
The stepless dimming is the part we like here: there’s no fixed medium, so you can set it as low as you need for the tent or as bright as you need on the track.
Charging and the battery lightCharging & battery light
Pulling the head out does a second job: it reveals the USB-C charging port, tucked under the head where dirt and water can’t get at it. There’s no rubber flap to lose or tear, and a full charge takes about 4 hours at 5 V and 1 A.
The ring around the button doubles as the battery light. It glows while the torch charges, and it turns green when you switch it on. Philips says it shows amber when the battery is down to 10 to 20% and red below 10%, so you know when it needs the cable.
Very sturdy housing
The housing is very sturdy. The aluminium body has a matte, sandblasted finish and feels very solid in the hand. Philips rates it for a 1.5 m drop and IP55, which means rain and dust are fine, but it’s not made to go under water.
The battery is a standard, removable 18650, so on a long trip you can swap in a charged spare instead of waiting for the cable. It lasts about 3.5 hours on High and much longer on Low.
Conclusion: Philips SFL2186RConclusion
The Philips SFL2186R is a great size: big enough to be a proper torch, but still compact and light at 148 g. The housing is very sturdy, pulling the head out zooms the beam from flood to spot and reveals the USB-C port, and one side button runs High, Low, stepless dimming, strobe and SOS, with a ring that shows when it’s charging. It’s only IP55 and takes about 4 hours to charge, but at $55 it’s a torch built to last, and it’s in our best torches guide.
A sturdy, compact torch that’s still big enough to be a proper one.
The aluminium housing feels very solid, pulling the head out zooms the beam and reveals the USB-C port, and the ring around the button shows when it’s charging. At $55 it costs more than the OZtrail FR800.
- 4WD tourers
- Emergency kits
- Campers
Yes, if you want a torch that’s built to last. $55 gets a very sturdy aluminium body, a pull-out zoom, USB-C charging and a removable 18650 battery in a compact 148 g torch.
