Convoy M2 2014 Version
(Tested with 8x7135 driver and XM-L2 T6 4C emitter)
Reviewer's Overall Rating: ★★★★½
Quick Summary:
| Battery: | 1x18650 |
| Switch: | Rearward clicky on the back |
| Modes: | Group 1: Low, Medium, High Group 2: Low, Medium, High, Strobe, SOS |
| LED Type: | Cree XM-L2 T6 4C |
| Lens: | Normal glass |
| Tailstands: | Yes, very stable |
| Price Paid: | This light was provided by Shenzen Convoy Electronics Price from: 23,91$ Price as tested: 25,66$ |
| From: | Shenzen Convoy Electronics |
| Date Ordered: | Ordered 2nd September Received 15th September |
Pros
Very nicely machined with no sharp edges
Well thought out design
Good looking and feeling matt black HAIII anodizing
No pill (Looks like unihead construction, which means great heat transfer and low weight)
Many tint options
My light with 4C tint had a very nice tint without any excessive yellow as sometimes can be seen in these.
Driver output options
Perfect tailstand
Nice bezel
Perfect OP reflector with nicely centered emitter
Excellent big beefy square threads
3/5 mode driver (means you can "hide" Strobe and SOS)
Lockout (unscrew tailcap a little bit, and the light is 100% safe for accidental activation)
So, so:
- Aluminium MCPCB
- No AR lens
- A bit tall centering ring
- Driver/UI could be better
- Very minor rings in the outer spill (due to stock centering ring??)
- Despite that the new anodizing may be less slippery compared to earlier, its still slippery compared to a light with good knurling
- Screw holes that could secure the emitter/mcpcb to the body was not used
- No anti-roll
Cons:
-No major cons, only the list of minor stuff above
Introduction
This light was provided by Simon from Shenzen Convoy Electronics. Its the new and improved Convoy M2 that just hit the market. It seems some of the Convoy lights are currently getting an upgrade. Better thermal path (no pill) seems to be one of the several upgrades done to these lights. Lets take a better look.
Unboxing:
My light arrived in less than 2 weeks. It was an order with some emitters and stuff, so package may have been larger than when just ordering the light. Nothing fancy but nicely packed as witnessed by the square looking white box that the flashlight came in.
Bezel was a bit loose, so I tightened it. There was some minor marks/dust/dirt or something on it that I rubbed of.
Size comparison with other lights:
Compared with some P60s (Convoy M2 in the middle)
Despite similar appearance to a P60 the M2 reflector is a bit wider, and also a good amount deeper.
Compared to Convoy family: From left: 3x S-series lights, M2, M1, L4
Design/build quality/teardown: ★★★★★
Lets start with getting it wet. ^^
No moist inside after seeing lots of water.
Matte black does not look that good when wet.. oh well.. Still a nice looking flashlight. :)
As the reflector inside the light narrows in, the heatsink fins becomes larger. Good! :)
Nice looking bezel.
Orange peel reflector:
Anodizing on my light was immaculate.
The tailcap is perfectly designed from an exterior point of view.
Example:
Convoy S2+ at the left wobbles when tailstanding due to only having one lanyard hole. So does the Convoy L4 all the way to the right when using a lanyard.
Convoy M1, second from the right is good.
Convoy M2 (NEW 2014 version) second from the left does not only have the switch deeper down, but its also very easy to press thanks to two thumb cutouts. Edges are also smoother compared to some of the other Convoy lights.
These are small details, but nice stuff that separates good from the excellent.
If you look away from some dust after drying the flashlight you will notice massive thick heavy square threads. Which are anodized and lubed. This means lockout is possible too.
Tailcap retaning ring unscrew clockwise. The body tube does not rest on the retaning ring, so the body will not help unscrewing the ring like on some lights. Nice gold plated spring. Probably a step up from the shorter bronze springs often found in Convoy flashlights. Thanks to the length of it (and tube size), long protected and short unprotected cells fits in the flashlight.
A little white omten swtich. I consider Omten switches to be good reliable switches that can handle a good amount of current.
The contact board seems to be attached to the retaining ring.
Emitter sits deep in the reflector. (Not pictured with stock centering ring)
A good amount of very thin/wet thermal paste. Aluminium mcpcb.
Four holes, but no screws were used to hold the emitter/mcpcb down.
Here is the stock centering ring. Its a bit tall and according to my unofficial test, it was stealing about 1% of light output.
Retaining ring that sits nicely on the edge of the nanjg105C driver.
Some room for stacking more 7135 regulators if that is desired.
All parts:
User interface: ★★★½☆
Many know the UI. Its the fairly typical 2 group nanjg105C driver.
Group 1: Low(5%), Medium (40%), High (100%)
Group 2: Low, Medium, High, Strobe, SOS
In order to change group you have to set the light in "low" mode. Wait for about 5 seconds. You will then see a blink. Change mode, or turn the light off right after the blink and you will change the group.
The good thing with the driver is that it is flexible, and that it can be a 3-mode only driver with fairly well spaced modes. Its also regulated. That is until battery voltage becomes too low, then it will not be able to maintain the full 2,8A.
The not so great/nitpicking:
Slight PWM whine on medium. Also a little bit on low, but its close to nothing. The whine is very low. Depending on hearing ability/age this may not be noticeable. Depending on use and environment, this light can be 100% silent even for people that can hear the whine.
Its got mode memory, but the light needs to be on for 2 seconds (or more) in order to store it, and it have to be off in 2 seconds (or more) in order to not change to next mode when you turn the light on again.
Once you been in a mode for a little bit you have to do an extra half click in order to get to the next mode.
Due to this driver having two mode groups, you will always see a blink after 5 seconds when you are in low mode. And if you want to change mode at that moment, you have to wait a little bit, otherwise you risk changing mode group.
Low voltage warning is good, but there is no cutoff. Meaning protected cells are recommended otherwise the cell can be drained too much if the light is accidentally turned on in a bag, pocket or something. (I have yet to double check this)
Could be a wider difference between the modes (preferably lower low, and lower medium).
Runtime : ★★★★☆
Runtime is highly dependent on cell. Not only mAh, but how the discharge curve looks like. This is because the driver will not be able to maintain max output when cell voltage becomes too low. That means lower the output and increased runtime (especially on high). There are no moonlight, or superlow low that will increase maximum runtime. Due to how a linear driver works, efficiency on the lower modes will not be as good as on high.
Based on amp draw at the tail a 3400mAh cell will in theory give you.
1,2hours +++ on high (Use a Panasonic battery and you will get a lot more runtime than 1,2 hours, but with very low output at the end)
3 hours +
24 hours (roughly)
If anyone want to know runtime more exact, use the battery you typically use, and time it.
Light output, tint and beam: ★★★★½
Amps measured at the tail:
2,79A (100%
1,14A (41%)
0,14A (5%)
Output measured by me:
651 lumen OTF @ 30 seconds. I expect that reading to be a bit low due to the way it was measured.
This light was just as bright as a CW Yezl Y3 without the lens installed. A light that runs about the same current. (Which means the M2 is brighter). Its got fairly similar output comared with Convoy M1, but all my lights are modified, so its hard to do an exact comparison.
I measured 13797 kcd @ 30 seconds from 15 meter range.
I did a very unscientific 6 minute runtime comparison test between my M1 and M2. Heat sag var pretty much the same , but my M1 was running at 3A and had the emitter mounted on Noctigon and screwed down to the pill. Either way, its good and with very little drop in output.
Tint:
The 4C tint in my light looks good. No excessive yellow or anything. Im really happy with the tint. Not a large difference in color through out the beam either.
Beamshots:
Might add some at a later point? .. maybe.. Read about the beam to get a picture of it.
Beam:
Convoy M1 reflector at the left, M2 reflector at the right:
M1 reflector is slightly wider
Same depth (if you overlook the centering ring on the M1 reflector)
I would expect the M1 to outthrow the M2 due to wider reflector. My slightly modified M1 have slightly more output. But in my case, the skinnier M2 had better throw both measured and visually. That may be because I have a WW emitter in my M1. Either way, visually the M2 looks like a more "throwy beam", this is because its got a bit less wide side spill, and therefore more light in the "main beam". I am usually a fan of shorter reflectors but the very outer spill, the spill that you never see on pictures, and that is right is front of your feet is just as wide and bright as the M1. So its good.
Compared to a P60 with XM-L2 this light has more throw.
Compared to a small "S" series Convoy this seems like a thrower. :D
Compared to a Convoy L4/C8, it does not have that great throw.
Good output considering the size of the light and price range, although it could have been a tad better.
Value/rivals: ★★★★★
Could I ask for more ( copper mcpcb, AR lens, etc)? Yes. But considering the great build quality, all the pros and all. I would say that this light offer great value.
I think the main rivals to the Convoy M2 are other Convoy lights. Mainly the M1.
I used to own a Roche F8. One of the first generations without the anti roll ring. Price is not that different, but the Roche F8 was a bit more expensive. It had nice features like a screw in reflector, AR lens, and also had a unihead body. If my memory is correct, it had a shorter reflector compared to the M2. The downsides to the my F8 (IMO), too slippery, "over-engineered" in ways that was not necessary, which made it heavy. Also less mod friendly as I had one of the earlier versions that had a press fit ring for the driver, and needed 20mm adapter. It did not fit long or fat cells either. It was a nice light, but for me, the lighter, more grippy, cheaper, larger reflector M2 with its better cell flexibility took its place.
You can buy nice Solarforce P60 lights, but they will quickly become more expensive, have worse thermal transfer, and smaller reflectors despite being similar size.
There are various premium lights that could be considered rivals, but in most cases you have to pay a lot more, and in some departments M2 will still beat them.
Most cheap "Ebay lights" in similar price range are rarely close if you are looking for a quality light.
Detailed specs and facts (my numbers):
Performance:
Light Output: 651 Lumen OTF @ 30sec (Expect this reading to be a bit low.)
Beam Intensity: 13797Kcd @ 30 sec
Lens loss: About 5%
Loss due to bezel: Less than /about 1%
Loss due to centering ring vs slimmer "butterfly centering ring": Less than/about 1%
Power Source Options:
18650 (Fits my longest protected cells and also unprotected cells)
Switch type:
Tailcap reverse-clicky
Modes, PWM, drain:
2 Mode groups: Group 1: Low, medium, High Group 2: Low, Medium, High, SOS, Strobe
Tailcap Amps: 2,79A, 1,14A, 0,14A
PWM: xxx Hz (Never measured)
PWM whine: Yes. A slight whine in medium, basically zero whine in lowest mode
Low voltage warning: Yes, starts to blink
Low voltage cut-off: No
Memory:
Mode memory, must be on for 2 seconds in order to store it. Must be off for about 2 seconds in order to not change mode when starting up again.
Dimensions:
Overall Length: 135mm
Bezel Diameter: 31,4mm
Neck Heat Sink Diameter: 31,4mm
Body Diameter: 25,35mm
Tail Diameter: 26,2mm
Reflector Inner Diameter: 26,2 mm
Reflector Outer Diameter:28,45 mm
Reflector Depth: 22,39 mm
Reflector Emitter hole Diameter: About 7,09 mm (typical butterfly looking 7mm centering fits perfectly)
Lens Diameter: 28,89 mm (this is absolute maximum size that will fit in the light)
Lens Thickness: 1,7 mm
Emitter MCPCB : 20 mm (20,6 on the widest, 1,6mm thick, Aluminium)
Driver diameter: 17 mm
Driver room depth: About 7,6mm (Maybe less depending on where you measure. Seems like its good room for stacking 7135`s)
Driver room hole diameter (smallest section) :16,15mm
Surface thickness below mcpcb: Maybe 2mm?? (Hard to say for sure, did not get a good measurement)
Misc:
Waterproof: Yes (According to my under spring test that lasted for minutes)
Anodizing: Matte black (Manufacturer says HAIII)
Bezel material: Titanium? (I think its titanium. Not 100% sure)
Lubed from factory: Yes, a little bit of lube on the threads
Weights :
Overall: 108,2g without battery
Ready to use: 155,4g (with Protected NCR18650 PD)
Conclusion: ★★★★½
Convoy lights are famous for being great lights with very good bang for the buck. With the new 2014 version of the M2 they have done it again. IMO, there are no real cons, but the list of things that are "so so" could have been a bit shorter. So I`ll deduct half a point. When that is said, this is a fantastic light, and if you want a P60 sized light with great build quality, good output, good range (considering size and output), tint options, etc, etc. Well, you have found it! :)
Photos are AWESOME!!! 
