The V20C has a smooth stainless steel bezel up the front which protects the head from bumps and such. Behind this sits an ultra-clear, tampered impact resistant glass. The V20C has a lightly textured aluminum reflector with the LED sitting very well centered at the bottom of the reflector cup. The head itself is attached to the battery tube and not designed to be detached. It has a fine series of cooling fins which help with heat dissipation. A magnetic control ring works as its output switching mechanism, similar to some other recent lights reviewed here. There are 3 tactile notches where the ring clicks on, these are the Off, Max and Strobe positions. The switching mechanism is buttery smooth, however the brightness ramping isn't as responsive at the lower levels. From the Off position, the ring has to be rotated about 20° before the ramping actually starts from the lowest level.

[Update: 14 August, 2011] The Sunwayman V20C has been updated, and is now has the control ring thoroughly responsive throughout the output range.

The battery tube has a rather clean and smooth design with no knurling, but does have a number of horizontal ridges running its length and a couple of flat faces where branding is printed on. Towards the rear end is a scallop grip ring which also serves as an anti-roll feature. This ring is removable, but there is no plain retaining ring included to fill the space if you decide to. Overall machining quality is exceptional on the V20C. The threads between the tube and tail cap mate perfectly and extremely smooth. These threads are also anodized which effectively provides the V20C a total of 2 lock-out systems. A rubber o-ring behind the threads provides a moisture seal. The tail cap houses a forward push button which allows for momentary activation, it has average tension and travel. A positive tactile feedback is provided when the switch is engaged as well. The switch cap sits slightly recessed within the tail cap which means the V20C is able to tail stand with no issues.

If you're unfamiliar with any of the terms used in this review, click here for explanations on common flashlight related vocabulary.

The magnetic control ring makes output selection really easy. Simply rotate the ring between the Off and Max position to vary output intensity. Further turn it pas the Max position activates the strobe mode. The beam profile provided is very clean and well-focused with its narrow hotspot and spill being almost completely artifact-free, aside from some minor rings towards the outer edge of the spill beam area. Beam tint is very close to pure white, but would be considered cool when compared to sunlight white.

Compared to other recent XM-L lights, the V20C outputs a slightly lower maximum output level, but it's balanced off by providing a relatively stable regulation and good runtime. As the battery runs dry, the V20C warns the user by blinking.

The Good - Exceptional build quality and smooth beam profile.

The Bad - Nothing significant.

The Relative - Almost pure white out put tint. Is able to tail stand. Forward push button allows for momentary activation.