cool! pm sent about the hd2010
the only c8 i have right now is the supfire x5 which i swapped the emitter to a nice xml2 t4 80 cri… it still has the stock driver which gets around 2.2-2.5 amps on high… dont think having a 3 amp driver would make a huge difference, but it would eliminate the strobe modes
been debating the new c8 v4 from intl outdoor for a while now
K - can't go wrong with a XinTD C8 v4 - I got one stock, and an older v2 mod'ed. The X5 I mod'ed was sold/traded, and actually I got a stock one - sitting, waiting for another mod...
i just got the x3 today i think it needs a v4 c8 for a buddy lol.
I got the X3 too, so it has twin brothers 
. I'm really liking the warm tint of the 6A1, but I'm think'n it's a real nice little thrower as well, so want to beef it up - the kcd # was pretty impressive, considering it's a T3 on alum and at 3 amps.
i went with the cool white myself on the x3
i just ordered a c8 v4 with the t4 80 cri 
I’ve got to get me a hd2010 to play with……more to the point, I need to have a play with my light meter, want to see what my l2 is doing before I go full retard on it and its twin…….
I too got an x3 hi cri……mrs gords loves it as a bedside/spotting light, its the first one she’s taken an interest in, guess she’s a tint/hi cri snob, who knew? I’m now wanting to get “her” an xintd c8 v4 same driver/emitter as the x3, I’ve put it off for too long.
Worryingly, I have a supfire m6 inbound, I’m already looking at hi cri xp-g2’s on copper for it, I figure a doctor Jones driver and two 3.1a slaves to match should be good in there……I’ve not even got the damned light in my hands and I’m already modding it lol. And that’s ignoring the small pile of cheap lights I already have to mod, this place is a bad influence lol
I know, i know, but still, it’s interesting to see C8 stuffed with SST-50
although SST-50 works better with 2 or 3 cells…
I have on order one of those noctigon MTG2 on 20mm copper that I am going to swap into my worst C8. It should run off two IMRs, gonna try that.
Wow - that sounds awesome, but what you doing about the driver for the 6v output?
at least you have the skill to do all that yourself… i usually end up breaking everything i touch unless its a simple emitter swap
me??? ? I’ll give it a go I guess, need to clear the mod bench before I start fron scratch.
I only got the light meter to do numbers with tom, it might be pointless lol
I’m in complete agreement with that sentiment, so much so that I do not plan to buy any more than the 4 I have bought so far.
You sir are one of my suoer hero's , I hope to get to that stage soon 
I’m just going to direct drive it to keep it simple. I’ve tried an MTG2 P60 DD before off 2x 16340 IMR so it should work. I’ll make another thread if the whole thing comes together.
I made some measurements and calculations to get the total mating area between pill and housing of my C8, C12 and XinTD V3. Surprisingly, the C12 with it’s larger pill and more threads had the least! The narrower flange and sloppier threads are to blame. Keep in mind, the area actually making contact is going to be less because of the typical surface imperfections. The 2mm wide flange contact only left a 1mm wide mark on the C8 so, in reality, the C12 is better but with a TIM, the C8 wins. For comparision, I added a the approximate area of a 20mm star. The C8 and C12 are from DanceLite.
C8 _ 220 mm²
C12 186 mm²
XinTD V3 262 mm²
20mm star _ 250 mm²
Looking forward to seeing your results!
Hi Tom.
Previously I was only getting 29kcd until I tried a different battery from a laptop pull. This is a CGR18650DA and getting around 40kcd on a XM-L2, 12x7135 and Nitro sink pad.
What value were you getting before de-doming the LED?
Both springs with wires (instead of braided wire). What other mods I can do in addition to de-doming to get close to 100kcd?
Before de-doming, about 45 kcd, one as high as 50 kcd. I always use a UCL or high qual AR lens. So, you have a 4.2A Nanjg (assuming 350's) - are you measuring 4.2A at the tail? If not, you need a better, lower resistance cell. best is Samsung 20R, but a 20Q or Pana PD, or SONY 30A may achieve it or come close. When you are over 3 amps with a Nanjg driver for an XM-L2/copper, you need a low resistance cell.
Hello folks, this thread is very informative, thank you all.
I have my parts list put together for my first (this in-depth) build and my first C8, I have a few questions. I am going to buy a convoy C8, from what I’ve gathered from this thread its about the best starting point without going up >200% in price. This is going to be a dedicated thrower that will be used sparingly an rarely turned on for very long at a time. My biggest concern is a good single mode driver I can stack 7135’s on.
I had planned to use this nanjg 105c but I’m concerned that I won’t be able to stack 7135’s on it since its non-PWM. Is that wrong? I see it uses 7135’s but I read over at CPF that stacking chips only effects the PWM levels. If that’s correct can someone recommend a single mode driver that’s either ~3.4A (what I want it to run at) or less that I can stack on. If there is a good 3.4A single mode driver I’d rather just do that to save on the tiny component soldering.
This is my parts list, does it look like everything I need?
From FT (Sku)
Convo C8 SMO ( 1272100)
Bare 7135 chips (1197600) ( if the exact driver I want can’t be bought)
From IO
Warm white XM-L2 on 16mm Noctigon
nanjg 105c single mode
42mm UCL glass
20mm PCB mounted forward clicky
Other crap
22AWG leads
AS
copper braid (for springs)
Copper slug to fill pill
Black switch boot- What size does the C8 use?
You can stack 7135's on that driver, no problem. 7135's act as current limiters. For example, if you add 3 350 7135's to bring the total to 3.85A, then 3.85A is the max limit but does not guarantee you will be at 3.85A, you could get less because of voltage drops from resistance, resulting in less amperage. No idea what they could have meant about stacking chips only effect PWM's -- maybe one particular, weird driver? PWM's I suppose you could say are effected because all modes are effected: Hi, Med, lo, etc... Hi usually has no PWM's - PWM's are there as a cheap (digital) way to implement medium, low, moonlight modes.
For that fwd clicky, not sure how you would go about mounting/fitting that - dunno, maybe you researched that already. By UCL, you mean AR lens I assume - only place I know of to buy a "UCL" lens is from flashlightlens.com for a bit more $$$.
By AS, we usually use AS5 (Arctice Silver 5), generally thought to be the best for the cost. Also, I always use Nyogel (here) on the threads with o-rings - I swear sometimes it even boosts output, but not sure, but never seen it hinder output either. You may be able to find it somewhere cheaper, dunno.
For that choice of LED's, I assume you are aware you will get significantly less lumens, but get a nice warm white tint (T3 vs U2 bins, 4 bins separation).
The list is impressive!
Oh Note: Those 1 mode drivers are funny - no micro, no low battery warning or auto shutdown, just 7135's on a board basically. For $4.15 cost, while from FastTech, I've bought dozens of these: amc7135-2-group-25-modes for $2.68 at qty 5, and then program them myself with any modes I want.
One More Note: You could buy the Convoy C8 as a host, but you'd have to buy an SMO reflector separately, still little cheaper though.