Review: Convoy S2+ (the red one!) – Fantastic 18650 EDC

Not significantly no. Although I think you might see an improvement, I always think the DQG 18650 Tiny with it’s TIR throws a beam very well for it’s size and output.

But significant, no. Throw is about reflector size, and the S series lights are all small in diameter terms. LED size in relation to reflector size will be the main way to increase throw. So swapping in either an XP-G2 or XP-E2 will give you a much tighter hot spot and more throw, but less lumens overall.

Personally I like the XP-G2 in this size light, as you can still drive them at 2.8-3.0 amps without excessive heat issues. So it’ll still make a lot of lumens, but will easily out throw any XM-L2/-XP-L at the same current.

The XP-E2 you’d need a lower amp driver (probably under 2 amps). Much smaller hot spot, but also a lot less lumens. If you want the beam profile to be narrow, then this would work, but I think it would be less useful than the XP-G2.

Of course you could look at de-doming. This works for any emitter. And will increase throw, but can cause unwanted tint shifts.

All of the above is also true for a TIR lens.

TRANSLATION OF THE REVIEW

Excellent lens. The quality of the mark, come quickly.
Probably not 10g., And 15.

Yeah, thanks for info :D!

I understand that reflector size vs LED size is the crucial part here, however wanted to see how much better it could get with just a TIR lens.

Now, still waiting for it to arrive, so will see how good it is once it arrive, Im sure it will be just as good unmodded :D!

I'm using diffuser film on these type lights more and more .hard not to appreciate pure ultimate smooth flood ..for them that like the flood of these shallow reflectors I'd think smooth diffused would make lots of you very very happy.

Will the blue version have the metal switch button? Anybody see the blue version for sale yet?

Because there are so many fakes/clones of stuff out there, where can we buy one that’s genuine? I know MTN carries the real deal, any China sellers?

I’d probably just buy from MTN if he had blue.

Buy from Simon’s aliexpress store. Link in Simon’s sig, see OP. He accepts paypal if you msg him.

I’ve placed order from Fasttech for this on early Feb. It shows “Restocking”. Is the manufacturer (Simon of Shenzhen convoy) being swamped with backlog?

Elsewhere in the forum it’s been mentioned that Simon is experiencing significant growing pains. The CNY probably doesn’t help either.

well, it says Ready to Package now. Guess Fasttech got a new shipment from Simon.

Hi everyone, I just put together an S2+ from a host, qlite linear driver, and XPL HI V2 3D from mtnelectronics. I haven’t seen much info about a domeless XPL in this light, so I thought I would share my experience with it. I am very happy with the beam. I measured 2.9A on 100% and approximately 9300cd. I really like the driver; it works as it should with no visible PWM. I got the guppy FW with the user selectable mode groups. The customizability is nice.

In this beamshot, the wall is 3m away, and the tape measure up against the wall is pulled out to 1m. The spill directly from the LED just about fills the frame horizontally. For me, it is a very nice combination of flood and throw with a smooth transition from the hot spot to the spill.

And a pleasant color free beam from the XPL Hi.
I’m thinking of not buying more XML’s as I can’t stand the carnival beamshots with yellow corona and magenta spill anymore.
DC-Fix can cure it but then the spot gets too wide of my taste.
I want to mod all my XML’s to XPL Hi in bin 3D or 4A(hard to find).

(Perhaps Don was right after all…).

I’m thinking of getting the 2.8A variety of the S2+ and have trouble deciding on which type of cell to go for. Does anyone know at what voltage the driver turns off? If it’s something very conservative like 3.4-3.5V (doubtful) then the most recent high-current, high capacity cells like the LG HG2 and Samsung 30Q would be preferable.

Also, do those kind of drivers draw a constant current from the battery or do they operate variably (constant current when battery has high voltage, direct drive once battery voltage drops after a point).

The driver will behave close to this one:
lygte-info.dk/review/DriverTest%20Qlite%20Rev.A%207135x8%20Multiple%20Modes%20UK.html

Constant current until the battery voltage falls to the forward voltage of the LED at that current, then close to direct drive. If you want 2.8A regulation for as long as possible, choose a cell that maintains at least 3.55V at 2.8A for as long as possible. The 30Q is a good choice in this regard. www.lygte-info.dk has a large database of cell discharge curves if you haven’t seen it before.

Thanks for linking to the driver test. And I’m using HJK’s comparator to decide on what cell to use. Since I doubt I’ll be using the 100% mode for anything more than short bursts (since the light gets very hot quickly) I’m gonna go with a pair of Samsung 35Es that have comparable loaded voltage at lower currents and also greater capacity. Also it seems like the good ’ol Panny is completely inferior to the 35E in both capacity and voltage so I won’t give it a second thought

That Samsung 35E appears to be dated. The best 3500 mAh cell is the Sanyo/Panasonic NCR18650GA, available at most places. The GA is superior to the 35E and is the current state-of-the-art offering, and the LG MJ1 is a close 2nd to the GA.

The Samsung 30Q is considered the best high performance at 3000 mAh, while the GA is considered a good balance of runtime and performance. I’m pretty much buying only 30Q’s and GA’s at this time, and I got tons of 18650’s.

Unfortunately HKJ hasn’t reviewed the best, latest offerings in cells - believe me, I literally begged him to test these. You might find them under a different brand label though.

HKJ recently reviewed the Samsung INR18650 30Q cells: “[link]”:Test/Review of Samsung INR18650-30Q 3000mAh (Pink)

As for doing the rest, I’d cut him some slack. HKJ has done 155 reviews in the last six months. That’s an average of almost one review every day! That’s simply awesome. :beer:

When I can’t find any reviews done by HKJ, I try these two other resources:

:wink:

EDIT: Link to Mooch’s list of battery tests: Links To All 21700, 26650, 18350, 18500 Battery Tests | E-Cigarette Forum
Previous link was to battery recommendations.

I’ve decided on the black, 2100mA, T6-3B model. Thanks for all the information you provided. I’ve decided that for EDC the 2800mA mode would be a waste (flashlights are mostly tools for me, I don’t care about showing off), and I find the 3B tint more agreeable for outdoor usage.

It’s regrettable that the black and gray models don’t have the new metal switch (I’m a grumpy guy that dislikes colors). At least they have modified the tailcap wings so the standard clip fits.

:slight_smile:

I’ve just received my blue S2+. Looks very nice, very bright, first convoy I have.
However one thing disturbs me a bit - sometimes I can’t change mode when pressing button just for a part of a second - it stays on the same level. When I press button little bit longer (let’s say half of second) - mode changes and then very short press can change the modes further. When I stop on some mode for a while - again very short press does not work and need to be used “half second press”.

Is that something typical in this light?