Convoy flashlight opinions?

[PaladinNO]

Your bedroom... INDOORS.... in your home... is 5 deg F in your BEDROOM???

It has happened. When it's cold outside + an open window...it can get surprisingly cold inside too. ^^
The record I have experienced is -41.5ºC (-42.7ºF) while driving further down in the valley. 4 years ago I think it was (I got a picture). The engine in my diesel car (2008 VW Caddy) sounded like it was about to stop at any point.

And -15ºC outside is common. We live fairly high up, so anything between that and -25ºC (-13ºF) is just a typical winter temperature here.
Using 2 pillows and 3 duvets to stay warm is equally common. Out house is pretty well insulated, but we still have 2 chimneys and wood burning stoves on both floors + electrical heaters + a paraffin oil burning stove in the living room for redundancy.

 

[dc38]

Tell me, please . . . . .

Do *ANY* of the Convoy lights
use Anduril interface ? ? ?

Why isn't Anduril used more widely in lights ? ? ?


_

in its "vanilla" form, it typically relies heavily on Eswitches, although it can be customized to function with physical switches.

 

[crislight01]

They're very nice, although one thing interesting to consider: because these FL have parts that can be disassembled they can be more prone to water infiltration for ex.

 

[vicv]

in its "vanilla" form, it typically relies heavily on Eswitches, although it can be customized to function with physical switches.

Some of their lights do have a v1 of anduril, but it's rare for their lights and it apparently isn't very good

 

[Jean-Luc Descarte]

They're very nice, although one thing interesting to consider: because these FL have parts that can be disassembled they can be more prone to water infiltration for ex.

The only model where I have had experience with water ingress is the M2. The o-ring behind the lens is totally inadequate. And if you use TIR lenses on the S21B, you can't put a glass lens on them on top of the TIR, so that's a bad.
I also wouldn't trust the USB covers against submersion, although some users on the flashlight subreddit dunked the M21H without any issues.

As for the "classic" tail switch lights without USB charging, I've gotten so many of them wet and even dropped an S2+ in a swimming pool once. No water ingress at all on any of them.

 

[dc38]

Some of their lights do have a v1 of anduril, but it's rare for their lights and it apparently isn't very good

I believe there was an individual who had a dual switch light, a physical and an eswitch...he was able to get it to have a sort of last mode memory so the physical switch always came on at the memory mode and not the Eswitch mode. I can't remember his name or methodology, but it had something to do with modding the off/on detection state...

 

[Lips]

I believe there was an individual who had a dual switch light, a physical and an eswitch...he was able to get it to have a sort of last mode memory so the physical switch always came on at the memory mode and not the Eswitch mode. I can't remember his name or methodology, but it had something to do with modding the off/on detection state...

Convoy sells these. I ordered two and they sent four, lol. They work in the last mode used. You can turn it off and use the side switch to set any level and then use the tail-cap in that level...

 

[vicv]

Convoy sells these. I ordered two and they sent four, lol. They work in the last mode used. You can turn it off and use the side switch to set any level and then use the tail-cap in that level...



View attachment 84474

I've seen the tactical forward tail switches. But didn't know they added that functionality. I assumed it was basically a lockout.

 

[Claypole]

I just got my second Convoy light, and as much as I like my T4, I like this T5 maybe even more.

When you look at the price of the more well known 'premium' brands, Convoy offer an excellent 'price to performance' option.

Not only that, you get to choose the emitter, and the colour temp, so really the light is custom made to your specs.

For my T5, I chose the 519A, 5700k, and opted for a Vapcell 14500 (with USB charging). I got this for the princely sum of £15.54, delivered to the UK in just over a week. I cannot find any fault with the light.

The next time I want a new light, Convoy will be the first place I look.

 

[vicv]

I just got my second Convoy light, and as much as I like my T4, I like this T5 maybe even more.

When you look at the price of the more well known 'premium' brands, Convoy offer an excellent 'price to performance' option.

Not only that, you get to choose the emitter, and the colour temp, so really the light is custom made to your specs.

For my T5, I chose the 519A, 5700k, and opted for a Vapcell 14500 (with USB charging). I got this for the princely sum of £15.54, delivered to the UK in just over a week. I cannot find any fault with the light.

The next time I want a new light, Convoy will be the first place I look.

Nice. I bought almost the exact light for my wife, but chose 4500k for the 519. And loaded it with ultimate lithiums. Though I did not care for the super floody optic, and installed a 30° flat instead.

 

[Jean-Luc Descarte]

I just got my second Convoy light, and as much as I like my T4, I like this T5 maybe even more.

When you look at the price of the more well known 'premium' brands, Convoy offer an excellent 'price to performance' option.

Not only that, you get to choose the emitter, and the colour temp, so really the light is custom made to your specs.

For my T5, I chose the 519A, 5700k, and opted for a Vapcell 14500 (with USB charging). I got this for the princely sum of £15.54, delivered to the UK in just over a week. I cannot find any fault with the light.

The next time I want a new light, Convoy will be the first place I look.

I thought of buying a T5, but I'm perfectly happy with my two T3's with reflectors and my T7 (same TIR optic as the T5). If anything the short little T5 would disappear inside my grip, as the T3 almost does already.

The 519A 5700K is beautiful; I have one in an S21A MAO with a green AR coated lens and it's one of my favourite EDCs for the sheer clarity of its light. The B35AM 5700K is also very pretty, basically noontime sunlight at your beck and call.

Nice. I bought almost the exact light for my wife, but chose 4500k for the 519. And loaded it with ultimate lithiums. Though I did not care for the super floody optic, and installed a 30° flat instead.

Same opinion on the TIR. 60º is way too floody for me - if I want area illumination to that level I'll just use a diffuser and make it a lantern. I tested a few TIR angles in my T7 and settled for a 30º beaded.

 

[orbital]

+

Instead of starting a new thread, figured I'd put this here::

M21J (which runs off two 21700s') has a low voltage warning.
Mine did a low voltage 'flash' last night,, pulled the batteries and both my Molicel P50B read 3.02V

Great driver~rather impressed

edit typo, gotta do better on my spell check

 

[Claypole]

Same opinion on the TIR. 60º is way too floody for me - if I want area illumination to that level I'll just use a diffuser and make it a lantern. I tested a few TIR angles in my T7 and settled for a 30º beaded.

I’m considering an S21D, but was wondering about the TIR options. I do like my T5 with a beaded 60 degree lens, but I don’t necessarily need it do be quite so wide. However, I don’t want a hotspot with spill.

So, would the 30 degree optic still be all flood. just covering a smaller area?

 

[jon_slider]

would the 30 degree optic still be all flood

yes
a beaded Tir creates even diffusion across the beam
(not a hotspot and spill the way a reflector does)

Im fond of 30° angle.. not so wide as to be wasteful, not so narrow as to create artifacts in the perimeter
my use is generally close range, indoor distances

I consider 60° excessively wide

you can buy extra Tir of different angles and experiment swapping them to find what suits your personal preference

 

[Claypole]

yes
a beaded Tir creates even diffusion across the beam
(not a hotspot and spill the way a reflector does)

Im fond of 30° angle.. not so wide as to be wasteful, not so narrow as to create artifacts in the perimeter
my use is generally close range, indoor distances

I consider 60° excessively wide

you can buy extra Tir of different angles and experiment swapping them to find what suits your personal preference

Thanks, that’s what I was thinking/hoping. The TIR lenses are 46p each, so I could order all of them. However, I would spend far too long testing each one, so I might just order it with the 30 degree beaded, and be happy with that.

 

[orbital]

+

Been meaning to mention this::

The buck driver for the L6 that's 6V @ 8A has a Low Voltage shutdown at 6V
I was ceiling bouncing my L6 and it turned off, so I didn't actually see the Low Voltage 'flash' because I was in my basement.

Mine has a 70.3 in it running 2x26800 cells and the runtime was incredible (must have been 70 hours on low, maybe more)
to the point I checked the voltage on the batteries twice* since I wasn't sure there was a low warning/shutoff
=== there was

*the first time my batteries read 3.7V each, laughed to myself thinking how long it already ran.

 

[PaladinNO]

Old post with even older pictures (none of it mine), but here are some shots of the various TIR-lenses.
Personally a big fan of the 60° bead. I'm a floody guy, so I like a nice, even spread of light. Makes for excellent work lights!

I’m considering an S21D, but was wondering about the TIR options.

I don't have the S21D, but I looked at it longingly...until I found the 3X21E. That's basically 3x S21D in one big body.

So if you want something floody like the S21D TIR, but with even more power, take a look at the 3X21E.

Convoy 3X21E 21700 flashlight - Convoy flashlight

Convoy 3X21E 21700 flashlight

convoylight.com

I bought mine as a 519A, 4000K 60° bead TIR. It really lights up the garage - and whatever else I point it at - like a portable work light.

 

[PaladinNO]

I just got my second Convoy light, and as much as I like my T4, I like this T5 maybe even more.
When you look at the price of the more well known 'premium' brands, Convoy offer an excellent 'price to performance' option.
Not only that, you get to choose the emitter, and the colour temp, so really the light is custom made to your specs.
The next time I want a new light, Convoy will be the first place I look.

Convoy and Emisar are both excellent custom options in my book.
I'd argue Emisar is the more "premium" of the two, with the Anduril UI and with even more chip options (whereas Convoy got the body options), but excellent choices both.

...If you know what to look for. The entry into custom flashlights is really steep, as the options are overwhelming. And the more you look, the more options you will find. I remember when I wanted to dip my toe into custom lights - the research took so much of my time, I twice considered not to even bother. I am glad I persevered, but I know my wallet would have preferred I gave up. ^^

I knew what I wanted from the light, what my usecase was, but finding the right light at the right price...whew, that was easier said than done. And that's where Convoy excels - their lights are affordable. They don't have all the fancy features you get with Emisar, but to buy a pack of lights with various specifications is absolutely affordable.

That's why I recommend Convoy for beginners, and Emisar for the more advanced users. What I miss from Emisar now are some real powerhouses (M44 seems to be the only one close). I wouldn't mind having auxiliary RGB lights on the Convoy 3X21E. ^^

But I don't trust either Emisar or Convoy (or Wurkkos or Sofirn) the same way as I trust my Fenix lights for reliability. I may bring a couple Emisars for funzies to the family cabin, but I would bring a Fenix as well, to have something I know will work (usually my 12x 18650 TK75).