Hi everyone, it has been a long time since I have been here, but it has become time to replace my old Convoy S2+, as I lost it.
I believe I had the second brightest model, with 7135 x 6 drivers (I do have some memory issues, but remember it was the second brightest, not the maximum model. I may have the amount of drivers confused though).
Ideally, it will be for use on my mountain bike, and I found the Convoy S2+ to offer fantastic lighting on Mid mode, and this would last a good few hours with a Samsung 25R.
I would also use it for night time walks in unlit areas.
I have around 25 18650’s due to collecting a lot of vapegear, so want to go for another 18650 powered model, due to its size and already having plenty of good batteries.
I would like the flashlight to be at least as bright as the previous model, and a extra moonlight mode would be a bonus for emergencies when I could really do with the battery lasting me as long as possible.
So, what would you recommend now, or is the Convoy S2+ still probably best for me? I would like to try out another flashlight, but if the Convoy really is the best in this price range I guess it will have to be another of those.
I ordered my previous 2 Convoys from Gearbest, I live in the UK and am fine with ordering from overseas.
I’m a fan of the Thorfire 18650 lights at the moment. I dont actually own a Convoy S2+ to compare them against but sometimes I prefer to buy from Amazon UK because I know they’ve got me covered with warranty issues and I know the item will arrive the next day rather than sometime in the near/distant future.
My review of the VG15S can be found below. You can grab them from Amazon uk for within your budget.
I would just buy an S2+ again, but with the new firmware driver.
If 6*7135 is enough for your use, keep it like that, there’s not so much to gain with 8*7135.
The new firmware driver allows you to choose between a dozen groups of mode to adjust it for your use.
There are some groups with moonlight, other without it as well as blinky modes etc…
You make your choice once and then forget about all the useless to you modes
Ask Simon on Convoy store but be patient because the store just re-opened today
Thank you for your reply, and your in depth review of the Thorfire :).
That will definitely be on my list of possible buys, I will see what else there is as to be honest I have no idea what is around at the moment as I haven’t looked in a couple of years, but that seems a good contender.
Sorry to be a bit dense, but in your tests of the flashlights temperature and LUX, which mode is that on? As I notice it reaches a maximum of 44.3C, which is warm but not far too hot. Also, is there a reason the lux drops from 140 down to 55.7 in 5 minutes, or am I reading the chart wrong (This is possible, if so I apologise).
It looks like I would likely be using that on Mid, or even high most of the time, as the amp load seems to be similar between the VG15 on high and the newer VG15S on mid and high respective to each model.
I apologise for these questions, I have memory problems and I do know I learnt a fair bit about flashlight last time round, but have forgotten.
I agree that there isn’t much point of me going up if I bought another Convoy S2+, as the battery life to brightness seems good with the 6x7135 for me.
I just guess I would like to try something else, and was wondering what falls in my budget, that is actually worth getting and not junk lol.
If the Convoy is really the best I can get, it will be another one, but it would be nice to try something else out if possible :).
In regards to the VG15/VG15S they have a step down from their top brightness at 3mins. 45c certainly isn’t hot. My TN36 hits about 70c which is too hot to hold comfortably.
I really need to do a heat/lux test on that at some point.
Ahh, I understand now. That is not a bad idea, as I remember my Convoy S2+ on high did get very hot near the emitter if used on high, which was why I mainly used it on mid mode, plus for the better battery life.
Is the clip removable on the Thorfire VG15S? As I was thinking if I used it on my bike, the holder for the flashlight may not work with a clip in place.
It seems the S2+ is still a well recommended light, and for the price I will probably grab another.
But, I would also like another flashlight as I fancy one lol.
So, there is the Thorfire, if anyone else has any recommendations please let me know.
I also can’t think of any better than S2+ with the new firmware.
I was removing old Convoy drivers instantly - that was the weak point I could not stand. But with the new FW - it’s perfect! Simple, enough flexibility, no visible PWM, I love it!
For the perfect light - I could recommend S2+ 6x7135 + high CRI Nichia 219C.
Ok then, I think it will be a Convoy S2+ with the new firmware then, although I will also buy another flashlight from another brand, as I fancy another one too :).
It will be the 6x7135 version I go for again, although I will be sticking to the standard emitter, I am not very good when it comes to mods and ruined my first S2+ when I tried to mod it, so I think it will be the Cree emitter over the Nichia.
Also, are there any recommended batteries, or are my high drain li-Ions fine to continue to use? I have 2500-3000MAH Cells such as 25R’s and 30Q’s.
EDIT: Also, which tint would you recommend? I have no idea what my old models were, although they were quite white and not yellow.
I can’t seem to find the model with the new firmware on the Convoy store unfortunately, I do want to get one though so will have to find out how to do this.
I still wish to get another flashlight though too, so the Thorfire seems good, although any other ideas in this price range would be great too.
I will just use my current batteries like I did for the Convoy I lost, I got good runtimes out of a 25R or 30Q in mid mode, so might as well save money by using them still.
For XM-L2 most recommended tint is T6-4C. It’s more warm, but I like it very much. I also like 3B - more neutral.
Go to Convoy store on Aliexpress and write a message to Simon, he’s very responsive. As far as I remember for about $1 more he can make you light with the new firmware.
