Astrolux S41 or Convoy S2+ triple build?

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
1

I’m debating the merits of these two lights for my next work EDC. My current work EDC is a Solarforce P60 light with an XM-L2 S6 3000K 90CRI, that I carry in a holster on my belt. I work QC at a manufacturing plant and the primary use for the light is working on / inspecting vehicle engine compartments and underbody. The secondary use would be to illuminate component parts for inspection. So I do not typically need much throw. But high CRI is important to me.

I’m looking at either:

  1. Astrolux S41, Nichia 219B quad, plus 18650 tube, or
  2. Convoy S2+, Nichia 219B triple, with (undecided) driver.

The advantages of the Astrolux S41 as I see them:

  • Better platform for high-output, with the large copper head/pill
  • Higher overall output (not always useful, but nice for my ego)
  • Lower overall cost ($36.50 for S41, ~$45 for S2+)

The advantages of the S2+ build:

  • Lower weight
  • It would be my first build, so it would be new / fun / learning experience
  • More mod-friendly if I want to try a different optic/emitter/driver in the future
  • That metal button switch looks really cool and I want to try it, lol.

I didn’t list delivery timing as an advantage of the S2+, because even though it would normally be available much quicker through mtnelectronics, the 3x 219B MCPCB is currently listed as out of stock.

Question: can either of these lights be made with non-PWM low/medium modes? It is not a requirement, but I sometimes use the flashlight to take picture/video, and the PWM of my current P60 EDC creates visible lines in the image when used on anything other than high mode.

Your thoughts?

Edit: I forgot to mention - I am also planning to buy a Brinyte B158 and mod it with XP-L HI and FET+1 driver. So the second bullet point of the S2+ being my first mod is “kind of” an advantage. I can still do the B158 as my first mod.

2

I was going to build/buy something like this. First the S2+ or similar, but the S41 was my final bet. It is what I would choose right now. However a few days ago Nichia announced the 219c 90cri 5000K, and the XPG3 5000k 90 cri, and then the array emitters from Nichia also with +90 cri. :slight_smile: So I will pause because as I see it the future of high CRI should be very bright. (pun intended)

I have the Nichia 219b in a SK68, and SK98 beaters and the light is amazing in color. However it is weak, so a quad die should be the norm in a S41 with 18650 ultra high drain. :slight_smile: Or wait for the next generation, like me.

3

I do not want to wait for new emitters to be released (who knows when) and then wait longer for them to be delivered, I want to make this purchase soon.

I did not realize that the S41 was on sale. Maybe I will just pull the trigger on it.

Maybe I will buy the S41 now, and when the new emitters are released I will use them to build a S2+ in 6 months or so.

4

My A6/triple 219c blows away the S41/quad 219b in every aspect! But as soon the 90+ CRI 219c are available I’ll give them a chance….

5

Should you take runtime into your consideration?

6

No, runtime is not really an issue. I’m not on the line doing inspection for a as my primary job for a full shift. I only show up for troubleshooting / as needed, so some days of heavy us I may use the light for 2 hours at varying intensities, other days I might not use it at all. I have a charger and a couple cells at my desk so I can always charge or swap cells easily.

7

S41 with XP-L HI :slight_smile:

8

I changed from 219b to XP-L Hi. Still no match for the triple. My S41 is a shelf queen!

9

Is the triple brighter because it only has 3 led’s to feed?

i have a 219c S41 and parts are in the mail for an S2+ triple build, went xp-l hi for “showoff mode”.

10

It depends on whether they are connected in series or parallel.

For parallel they should get get same current feed to leds and more power then series connection.

11

so why is the s2+ brighter and only 3 led’s?

12

YUP!!

Right: S41 with XP-L HI V2 3A on Tpad Quad and Carclo
Left: My Green tinted S41 that had 2 emitters dedome themselves and I replaced them with 219C

Don’t kid yourself on the Solidness of the S41 head. Its pretty much hollowed out. XP=L HI get hotter Faster than the Nichia but I have the Tpad soldered to the Head now and the other is just thermal paste and screws.

S2 uses a nice hunk of copper spacer compared to the S2+ also.

13

Did you get from mtnelectronics? And they reflow the bare diodes in 4 parallel?

14

Yes mtnE, reflowed in parallel. If you use Carclo optiics you will need to reduce size to 22mm OD.
And I do recommend the carclo over the manker optic with t pad soldered to head.
Manker optic is the cause of the faulty emitters on these lights.

15

http://www.international.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=63_64&product_id=700
its this mcpcb?

16

Oh the shipping is so expensive $13 for 4 XPL HI+ Optic + MCPCB = $42 usd.

Can I just reflow 4 XPL HI into the standard XPG3 MCPCB? Is that possible?

17

If comparing the same emitter (Nichia 219b), my S41 quad edges out my S2+ triple by a decent margin (same driver/UI). :beer:

18

It seems like the S41 should outperform a triple (all things being equal), but an advertised 1600 lumens for a quad seems low.

So that makes me wonder what component(s) in the stock S41 limits the output.

19

I wonder about this as well. I have a S2 triple with XP-L HI and Manker E14 with 219C D320…the triple is definitely brighter. Both are DD on turbo.

20

I put XPL HI’s in my S41 using all the original parts, just reflowed LEDs onto the stock MCPCB. It was only pulling around 6 amps. Bypassed the switch, still pulling around 6 amps. Then I swapped in a MTN-17DDm driver and it’s up to just shy of 7 amps. The only thing left to replace is the MCPCB with the TPAD version that is supposed to have bigger traces and see if that does anything. I’ll hopefully get around to that in the next few days.