I received my first proper torch yesterday, the convoy s2+ 8*7135 with the neutral tint. Very impressed with the light for the price very bright, but boy is it floody, really lights up my whole garden, it is like switching a floodlight on. I know i shouldnt of expected anything else with powerful little tube torch. Im very pleased with it and glad i got it.
Couple of questions
1. Are the S1 and S2 just as floody as the convoy s2 or do they have a bit more throw and better spot on them?
2. What light would you recommend that has a really nice mix of throw and flood? Doesnt have to be 1000 lm i reckon im more than happy with half that or maybe 600ish lumen. Price anything under 100 dollars. Or under about 70 quid. Must run 1 x 18650 as they are the only batteries i have right now.
Many thanks
1. Flood to throw ratio will be dictated by a few things. Mostly the size of the reflector. A larger reflector with the same LED will focus it more and throw further. The S2 has a deeper reflector than the S2+ and will throw more. But the difference with the same LED might not be massive.
Throw is also determined by the LED type. This is two fold. First the size of the LED. So an XP-G2 is smaller than an XM-L2/XP-L, this means it will throw further in the same size reflector. Sadly Convoy doesn't offer the XP-G2, but you can either mod yourself (really easy) or look at other lights.
The second part of this is the dome type on the LED. For years there has been a trend to remove the silicon dome from the LED. The result is a much more focused beam and a lot more throw. The downside is you get a tint shift, sometimes it's ok, sometimes not great. This is something you can do yourself, de-doming most CREE Leds is pretty easy if you want to give it a go. However fairly recently CREE introduced the XP-L HI LED, which is essentially a de-domed XP-L (it has a flat silicon cover rather than a dome). It will give the same beam as a de-domed XM-L2/XP-L. But with good tint.
An XP-L HI will give a beam similar to an XP-G2 (not quite as tight), but with a higher lumen output almost matching a normal XP-L/XM-L2.
I don't think Convoy offers the XP-L HI either. But it is again something that is easy to mod yourself, or there are other tube lights out there that do use this LED.
Generally a SMO reflector will make the hotspot to spill beam contrast more distinct. This will slightly improve throw and certainly make the beam look more throwy.
And output. The same LED driven harder will make more lumens as a rule and will thus have a greater beam distance. Although more lumens comes at the expense of more heat and lesser runtimes.
This is a Convoy S2 that I built. It has an XP-L HI in it and a SMO reflector a powerful driver. For a compact tube light it throws well.
The light next to it is a BLF A6, it uses the same driver, but an OP (orange peel) reflector and a normal XP-L. See how different the beams are:
2. So based on the above info, if you want more throw, then it will generally be a bigger torch, using the right LED. Some bigger torches uses larger LEDs such as the MT-G2, XHP50 or XHP70. With these the LED to reflector size ratio might be similar to that of the Convoy S2+, so you might get quite a similar beam profile, however these LEDs make more lumens and a larger light can handle more heat. So they may well have a greater beam distance.
The biggest decision is how pocketable you want the light to be.
Lets stick with the Convoy range initially.
The offer the M2, M1 and C8.
The M2 being the most pocket friendly and the C8 the least.
They generally use the same LED and same driver. So the reflector size will alter the beam profile. The C8 will throw the furthest, with the smallest, most intense hotspot. The M2 will not throw as far, but will have a larger less focused hotspot. All will massively out throw the S2+ tube light.
If you look on Simon (Convoy's) Aliexpress store, he has just released a new version of the C8, it comes in clear silver anodised colour, a new multimode driver and can be had with the XP-L HI. This is an exceptional compact thrower for the money.
A C8 will fit in a coat pocket fine, but it's not a jeans pocket type of light. The M1 and 2 however could be EDC'd.
Another light you might want to consider is the Astrolux S2. You'll find it on banggood. This is essentially a forum design variant of a popular light known as the X6.
It's more compact than the C8, but will out throw either of the Convoy M models.
The S2 version uses a powerful FET driver and an XP-L HI. This does give you a nice focused beam, but usable spill. But it is by no means a flooder.
It is a very cool light however.
I think it's up for £21 with free shipping at the moment.
It's the 2nd in on the right.
Now I've only covered more budget orientated lights thus far. Although IMO they are all very good torches.
If you are wanting to spend more money, then there are options.
These fall into probably 3 categories.
-multi emitter lights. Lights with 3 or 4 LEDs will generally give good output and beam distance, just by shear lumen output. But will give a good mix of flood and throw ability. Although to run multi LEDs you often find most also run 3 or 4 18650's at a time. But there are a few that don't or you can build one yourself.
-the big LEDs. I mentioned them earlier. A light using the XHP70 will make monster lumens, and by shear lumen output will again give good beam distance. Most are multi 18650 lights, but there are some that are single 26650 (a good 18650 will work with these) and the TM03 from Nitecore that uses an 18650. But be warned, the Nitecore and some others use proprietary batteries (have special connectors on them). Which means you can't easily use your current batteries with them.
-XHP35 LEDs. These are a new gen of LED. And quite impressive. If you pop on YouTube have a look for Going Gear's channel. They have just uploaded a comparison vid of the Klarus XT11S and XT11GT. The S uses an XP-L HI and is a good torch in all respects. But the GT version uses the XHP35 LED. It's brighter, a lot brighter, with a bigger beam and throws further. So you get more flood, more throw and arguably a better beam profile. It might be over your budget however. But if you are wanting a premium light, well worth looking at.
That said, don't dismiss the budget offerings. There are loads more than the ones I posted, but if you are happy with your S2+ I think you'd be equally as happy or more so with any of them.
