But he wants a side switch and more throw/more power.
Since he has already bought the sofirn, there are a few options.
Go with a dedomed XPG2 or even white flat to get more throw but a more narrow beam.
Sliced SST40 or dedomed XPL V6 to get similar beam size as XPL HI but with a bit more power/intensity.
Go with a XHP35 or XHP50 and boost driver. This might get you a larger beam and more output, but the beam intensity will go down since the available boost drivers are not very powerful.
Go with 2x18350 and sliced XHP70.2. This will get you a lot of power and decent throw.
If the OP wants more power and throw there are better lights than the sofirn to get it, but since he already bought it, I think the above options are what he has.
This light uses a buck driver, which is not such a good idea with an XP-L HI or XP-G2 because they have high Vf.
The “White Flat” would work very well i.m.o. Low Vf and very tiny die.
And since it’s a regulated buck driver, that means not only will the LED run in a good and efficient zone, but it will stay at max brightness for a long time.
By ‘slow’ I mean it takes too long to scroll through the modes to get to full power.
What I’m after is instant full power as soon as I hit the button. I don’t really want multi modes on this particular torch.
I’m sure my C8 could be made to throw a bit further, but it’ll never have the side switch that I want.
I don’t want a tiny spot of light either. I’m happy with the XPL-HI, but need a bit more range.
This light hasn’t cost a lot, so if the consensus is that it’s not right for the job, then I’m open to suggestions, but I want something that fits in a jacket pocket.
I certainly wouldn’t try to dissuade you from buying/modding another light (I think that’s like… illegal here?) but in the meantime you can use this to set up the mode memory on your C8 and IDK if you’re on 4-mode or 7-mode but changing that will make mode switching way faster too.
Yes, although it depends on what you consider optimal.
Don’t know if the stock driver is moddable to do 4 Amperes or 4.5 Amperes.
I mean, you can put another sense resistor on top of the stock one, but the coil may get too hot…
Whilst talking about the C8 and wanting a bit more throw:-
I have two Convoy C8s, an unmodified Silver one and a modified black one. The Silver C8 has 2.8A at the tail on maximum and the Black one has 4.3A at the tail on max. The thing is, there is little difference in throw between the two, to my eyes at least. I would have thought the modified one would throw noticeably further.
Same emitters, etc. between the two? Maybe the higher amperage one is a lower output bin or outlier emitter too? Hard to say with only current measurements.
This should be very similar to a C8 in throw/CD assuming similar reflector depth if it’s really running 10W & around 2.8-3A. There is the benefit of a side switch in addition to the tail on/off which I like. Bistro UI, cool.
It seems fairly priced at $20, so compared to a Convoy L4, it’s a decent bargain.
Is this measured or theoretical? Was wondering if your batteries are up to the job or whether one with a lower internal resistance would help your C8.
Also, what tint is your XP-L Hi? I have both the 1a and 3a tints (in silver Convoy C8s from Fasttech) and can definitely see further with the 1a.
I took the SP31T and my modified C8 out on last nights dog walk and I was quite pleased with the SP31T.
It threw a little further than my modified C8. The beam was slightly narrower than the C8. I really liked the side switch for mode changing.
It’s unfortunate that Sofirn have decided to press-fit components into the body as I think this torch would be great in modified form. If I could drive the emitter harder, I’m sure it would give me a the bit more throw that I’m looking for.
So it’s back to the drawing board in my search for a compact thrower with enough throw for my needs.