i bought this light knowing it would not live up to the the ad because i want to get into modding. can anyone tell me the convoy it is modeled after (at least i think it is a convoy styled light)?
the materials and all are are not worthy but being new to modding i wanted a cheap no hurt if problems occur type of set-up.
definitely not a cree as expected (I love my eagle eye x6r), but being the nooby i am any steerage toward proper up-gradable parts that fit would be great.
this is a bit of a pre-question as i have only received it today and i have not measured any of the components.
definitely not the claimed cree, but should i go for that same real thing or a different led?
as it stands the spot is VERY small even at around 50yrds. and definitely no brighter than my current love.
i want to change the the reflector and led to begin with, should i also look at the driver or just one step at a time?
the reflector tells me it is meant to be a thrower, as i wanted, but it currently does not in any way out throw my x6r. i would like a wider spot and a throw to be envious of (from my non flashlight friends). at least to give the x6r a run for its money or better, even though i know the overall quality will not come close.
It’s a C8 clone. Probably better to do an emitter swap to a smaller die emitter such as an XPG or even an xpe if you want more throw. The XPG-2 can handle an FET DD driver if mounted on a copper DTP star, the XPE would need regulation but will give a tighter beam.
thank you, i think the throw would be well out there with a good emitter, as it is though i think it is just too tight. i know i can’t have the best of both worlds but i am looking a descent compromise. i expect to get a new reflector (this one is plastic), as it is my x6r is not only brighter but easily 3 times the spot of this iteration.
Do yourself a favor. Get a real Convoy C8 host. I went that route of getting cheap-ass clones, and by the time I replaced everything that was pure garbage (pill, emitter, driver, reflector), I could’ve saved myself the ag and just dropped in the driver and emitter and had a real host that was top-notch.
My favorite toy is a C8 with a 4300K-4500K XP-E2 emitter (on a regular Al star, unfortunately), 1-mode 1.05A driver (minimal benefit to go to 1.40A unless using a DTP star, as the XP-E2 fades fast beyond 1A). It doesn’t belch out huge amounts of light, lumenwise, but throws better’n 90% of the lights I’ve got, as it’s got the smallest tightest hotspot I’ve seen in a long while.
Feel free to use an XP-G variant, or even an XP-L/XM-L. In fact, you’ll probably need to go with an XM-size emitter because that’s what the reflector is drilled for, unless you have an XP/XM adapter. The cheap-ass clones I was referring to all had plastic reflectors that fit a teeny XP-sized LatticeBright emitter.
I’m ordering some hopefully DTP-mounted emitters, mainly XP-G2s (1A, for dedoming) and XP-G3s (3A. for use as-is), just to throw in some extra C8 pills. This way, I just swap pills vs needing hosts for each.
The newer C8 host has an integrated shelf, and doesn’t take pills. Either way… Better heat-transfer, but not as easy to swap innards like lights that take D26 pills.
cool, thanks. how would that work orange peel metal reflector wise? i’m not trying to spot a groundhog at 400 yrds but more like 5 at 200, haha. i know the deeper reflector offers more throw, but as it is it is so tight i have little surrounding visual reference.
OP reflectors fuzz the transition between the spot and the spill and also have less, if any, of the beam rings that smooth reflectors produce. The downside is in lower throw numbers from the loss in spill intensity.
that is sort of what i’m looking for. the deepness of the reflector will already help with overall throw, but as i said it is so tight right now that just being brighter would not indulge me. a more gradual step from center to wide would.
Have two of these budget C8 lights
The first was nice to mod
Replaced the LB led with a NW XML2
Replaced the hi med lo blink no men driver for a BKF A6
Baked it so it looked coppery.
Awesome light now
I write have, but that actually should be had
When baking the second the bezel warped, melted and I called it a day
Everydaysurvivalgear posted a good pill that fits these for not a lot of $
Hope he chimes in.
When Jerommel visited me he brought a extended C8 (don’t know the brand but those extensions don’t fit Convoy I think) with MTG2 and well very very nice beam and light
I think a c8 host with fet driver xpl v6 3d smooth reflector. That is the last one I built. Doesn’t throw like my other ones but still a good 250 yards nicely.
I don’t think you’ll want a op reflector but both are sold and you can swap a smo back in. Which k bet you will.
If you want a light with extension look at the convoy l2 and l6. But there are precautions you need to familiarize yourself with using lithium batteries in series. It’s not like stacking a couple alkalknes in maglight
I use convoy c8 host for my builds. They habnt used pills for over a year everything is integrated shelf which is better for heat dissappation. Swaping out drivers and emitters isn’t as fast as pills but not bad. Just unsolder and resolder a couple wires to change emitters a little thermal paste under the mcpcb and done.
Edit: sometimes you have to play around to get the reflector to focus but for the most part with c8 builds with the right centering ring its straightforward enough. You can also buy x6 hosts but minimum is 2 for $22 my favorite light is the x6 have 6 with different LEDs in them one is a triple. And like 4 c8s now. I edc a c8 or x6. As long as you don’t wear skinny jeans its not to big.
If you want a good ligjt with a op reflector look at getting a convoy m1 host and build one. Or you can buy one made already.
You could order a host, driver, led from mtn electronics and build one yourself. Walmart has 30watt 3m soldering irons for 5.77 next to the car headlights, fuses, speaker wires
About OP reflector
I have a grey Convoy with the good stuff of a Kronos light (XPLHi NW Bistro driver lighted tail) and love the OP reflector for it gives a smoother hotspot.
You might also want to consider trying a TIR optic, they tend to blend the spot and spill even more so than an OP reflector but are more limited in sizes. 35mm is about as big as they come but 20mm is very common. As with anything else, some like them and some don’t. I think they are particularly well suited for mtb the use since although they can scratch, they can’t be broken like a glass lens. The smaller multi-die optics like the Carclo triple 20mm are pure flood no matter what size led is used and even the larger Ledil Cute-3 with XP-G or XPL HI still has a wide beam in comparison to a C-8. One popular mod is the eagle eye X6 with a copper or aluminum spacer, a Noctogon 32mm triple, and a Cute-3 lens.
if you fear the TIR optic can be scratched, you can glue it with those mobile UV hardened transparent glue to a normal glas lens without loosing lumens
or just use TIR and AR coated lens
