Thank you ImA4Wheelr, I really appreciate your kind and thoughtful comments.
Congrats on the build now you’ll be building more and more and end up with a c8/x6 army.
Try a dedomed xpg2 s4 2b from mtn on your next one. Even the new style xpg will still get you about 165k lux. About 800 yards of throw I believe. Mine with a dedomed xml2 u4 1a has 700 yards of throw.
This is a great post and thank you for all the detailed pictures!
Very Nice :+1:
OMG you’re right about the retaining ring being on there TIGHT. I just tried to remove the ring on the head and quickly bent a cheap awl in the process. I guess a driver swap is going to be a little harder than I thought lol
Will the 2B end up being too warm? I just got some 1As for dedoming, figuring it’d end up as a 3*.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NPR2P8/
Works a treat…
Had a small issue with them (not a flaw), Tekton went well above and beyond to make it right. Inspiring, ended up getting more stuff from them as a result.
My homemade snap ring pliers cost $1.99 from Harbor Freight and also fits (just barely) my Supfire M6 retainer ring that is about 42mm wide. I like how the filed down ends fit snuggly in the divots/holes so they do not slip or mare the retainer rings.
I might have missed it in your detailed process description and related pictures, but did you check the integrated shelf for flatness? 
I normally stone/lap the shelf flat and the mcpcb, then check contact to each other, better contact, better thermal transmission 
Being new to modding flashlights, your thread is a big help for me to see how things fit together. What’s next?
Nice write up. Great detail and good photos.
If later down the line you want some extra wow then drop in a dedomed/sliced XPG2/XPG3.
The G2 will require a regulated driver (qlite is a good option) whereas the G3 should be able to handle short bursts of direct drive if well heatsinked and will be able to put out ~900 OTF lumens but being a smaller die it will out throw any XML or XPL.
Is this the same driver with new C8 ghost?
I want to try and build myself. I was planning to get the Convoy C8 host from BG. Cheers
There was some machining marks including a dimple in the middle, but overall the shelf seemed pretty flat. I didn’t notice any unevenness between the LED MCPCB and the shelf.
I have parts coming to make a JAXMAN E2L Triple LED flashlight. I’m looking forward to see how it all comes together.
You will need to buy a 17mm driver and a 20mm MCPCB LED in addition to the host.
Since it was drizzly out here in Wisconsin tonight, I thought I would post another picture of my modified C8.
Okay… luckily my wife had a pair of round-nose pliers for jewelry crafting and those worked although it did still take a bit of torque to break the retaining ring loose.
However… now I have another problem. Unlike your pictures and the video that I watched, the driver is not loosely in there. In fact, it almost seems like the driver is wedged in there somehow. It’s like the driver is “set” perfectly inside. It’s solid contact all around the diameter of the driver. I tried pulling on the spring a little bit but the driver does not budge AT ALL. Any ideas? I don’t want to wreck the light.
This is the video I’m referring to. In that video is seems like the driver is loosely in there once you remove the retaining ring.
When I removed the retainer ring on the head, like in the video, the driver was not stuck at all and pulled right out. But when I put in the new driver, I had to file down the sides in order for it to fit. So maybe the driver in yours was a little wider and wedged in when the retainer ring was put on. If it’s not budging, you could take out the screws holding the LED and push through the holes with a tooth pick. Or if you are replacing the LED, you could push through the wire holes since they are bigger.
I think this happens when its been in a light for a long time. My ee x6 did the exact same thing.
Try after removing the ring and desolder the led wires. Try to use the wires some to push the driver back. A little of that and tugging on the spring it will come out. I’ve had to play with them to get them out before. Sometimes it helps sometimes it doesn’t. Try that and pulling the spring a little harder. Or take a tooth pick and try to pry the driver a little bit or stick down the wire hole for a little push. Push with toothpick pull by the spring
I don’t think its to warm it definitely not warmer then my v6 3d xpl c8. Its intense though at 50 yards the beam is maybe 3 feet across.
I guess it depends on the led as well. I have xml2 u4 1a and 1c that ended up really warm. And a xpg2 s4 0d that warmed up a good bit. In the sweet spot. The xml2 is bordering to warm but once you use the light for a few mins your eyes adjust and get use to it. But the xpg2 s4 2b. Looks cooler then the xpg s4 0d after dedoming strange but that’s what happened. If you like warmer go for the 0d dedomed