Going to order a new clear convoy C8. Can’t make my mind on led tint. V2 1A 6500; or U6 3A 5000. A lot of experienced flashlight people lean towards a warmer tint. Is there much difference in brightness between the two? Quality of the beam for identifying objects seems to also be an issue. Anyone chime in. I know this results in opinions but I would like to hear them all.
No opinions? Wow
My opinion, not as a C8 user, but as a Convoy S2+ user with 3 different tints (Cool White, Neutral White and Warm White) is that the neutral and warm white are better tints, although they do not produce so much luminosity as cool white.
Recently I bought a Convoy S2+ (tan version) with smooth reflector and neutral tint (XPL-HI U6-3A) and I like it a lot. It throws well (due to the smooth reflector and the led).
If before I thought the cool white were the “coolest” after receiving the S2+ with the XML2 T6-4C (warm white) and then the one with neutral white, I realized that these have beautiful tints for indoor and outdoor use!
BTW, the difference in brightness is less from CW to NW than from CW to WW.
I guess it has a lot to do with the preference you have and the use you will give it!
All and all, I’d prefer the C8 with the U6-3A 5000 (among those you mentioned)!
Good points, I have several C8’s. My favorite is a 3C or a 4C and 5A1 is great for small lights. I love the borderline warmth of the 4C, seems to render colors better and in a more realistic light to me.
L <> R
7A, 5A1 and 4C
3A and 3D are really nice colors (CT + tint).
I like a blended 4C (eg, via ceiling bounce), but in a S2+ with reflector, it’s a bit yellow for me (and the spill rather blue). Replace the reflector with a 20mm TIR, and you got a really beautiful color, nicely blended.
Never tried a 4C in a C8. I prefer neutral for brighter lights and throwers, and will often go for a bit warmer with flooders and not-so-bright lights. Concentrated WW looks kinda funny to me, and not in a haha way. Nice tight NW is great, though.
I have decided I am not a fan of 7A, will not rip it out as it is great in fog but not a goto for me.
Bugger, now you tell me…
I got an itch to go and try this a few weeks ago, had no idea of the S2+’s dimensions (glass, pill, hole, etc.), and wanted to know if my TIRs would fit w/o shaving the outer edge or anything like that.
With the shoe (spaces it properly for an XM-L), it’s a force-fit down the pipe, but it does fit quite well, and the beam is so much nicer than from the reflector. Not much of a fried-egg beam at all anymore.
Lightbringer, the S2+ and 10 degree TIR is one of my favorite in an 18650 tube light. The beam is pretty awesome.
Sorry if this may be a bit off-topic, but concerning the throw, does a 10 degree TIR has a long range/throw like a SMO reflector?
If so, does it make a lot of difference if below the TIR we use a XPL-HI or an XML2?
@ wmpy
I would agree with Lightbringer on this!
NW (U6 3A 5000) seems to be a good tint for a thrower.
I just never tried to compare any of the tints (CW, NW and WW) in foggy conditions, where they can have different intensities.
For this you nay wanna take a look at this thread Foggy Night – Neutral or Cool White? or this Foggy Beams .
I have flashlights tinted 6500k, 5000k and 4000k
4000k is in the borderline of what I like, almost too yellow
6500k is too cool, specially considering how much blue/purple the spill gets
5000k to 5500k is the perfect range for me, good for indoors and outdoors, not yellow, not blue
If you’re like me, and just about every other flashaholic, you’ll probably start with cool white tints because they’re slightly brighter and look “high tech”.
Then, after a year or so, you’ll try a neutral white, and wonder why you ever liked cool white! After that, you’ll come to only buy lights with a neutral or warm tint.
So, you may as well skip the first step, and just get the 3A tint now. 3A is closer to cool white than it is to warm white. But it makes a good tint for a thrower. You won’t lose much brightness, but you will gain a lot in being able to separate colors better.
With a neutral white, things will look less washed-out and flat. You’ll see colors better, and you’ll see different shades of colors better. Overall, you’ll be able to see better with a neutral tint.
Cool white works well if there is little color in a scene. For example, if you’re inside a concrete building, or shining a light to illuminate a road. Something where color isn’t important.
You might want to also get a 4C tint to try it out. You’re going to eventually! So, you may as well try out both a 3A and a 4C for awhile, and decide which you like best for future purchases.
[quote=WalkIntoTheLight]
BTW, I have a Convoy C8 (the new one with XPL-HI) in a 7A tint. To give you an idea of what it look like, it’s very similar to an incandescent light.
I’ll post a photo if you want, but if I compare it with an old 4-cell incandescent Maglite, it’s quite similar. I like incandescent light better, but it’s very close if you want that incan look in an LED light. I measure it’s CCT at 3100K.
In a dark room, it doesn’t look very yellow. Your eyes adapt.
I find that it does increase the throw, maybe not quite as much as a SMO reflector. But, that being said… the beam is much more uniform and more clean than an SMO reflector. It does matter what led you put under it. TIR lenses are generally designed for a foot print. In other words, the cut out or hole in the back will determine the size of led. Most I have seen that fit the S2 size lights are designed for an XM foot print. If you use a smaller led under a TIR designed for a larger led the beam is hideous! Been there tried that in the small Olights and with the S2+.
Thank you very much for the explanation! In fact I have some TIR lenses here and I tried to see if they fit well the XML2 and the XPL-HI, but they don’t, so probably they are made for other LEDs.
I guess I’ll order some to try them on the S2! Do you have yours in the S2 with or without the lens holder?
I’m not sure if it would be better to order just the lens or with the holder!
Thanks and…sorry for the off-topic 
In most cases that I’ve seen, you need that “shoe” that spaces the lens slightly above the LED itself. A square hole lets you know the footprint it’s intended for, and that generally raises it a coupla mm higher.
Also keeps the LED centered.
For floodier lenses, it may not be that critical, but I never really played around with intricate spacings to compare.
Or who knows, maybe it’s more critical for floody lenses vs throwier ones.
Nice! I thouhght about that too! The holder will help to center it and not to use a glass lens on the top maybe! The ones I have don’t have the holder, so I have to use it with the lens and the led “escapes” from the hole! That’s why I don’t use them, in fact :person_facepalming:
I’ll try some of them just to experiment what can be better for me, lens or reflector!!
Thanks for the reply! :+1:
The 60 degree TIR in an S2+ with XM-L2 is my floodiest light, even more than my triple emitter with frosted medium spot optics. I’ve had a lot of variation in TIRs. My 60 degree doesn’t have feet at the bottom to hold it away from the LED and it works fine, though the top doesn’t sit perfectly centered. I have a 45 degree TIR that has 3 or 4 feet at the bottom to keep it from pushing onto the LED and that one fits flawlessly and looks great too, just not as floody. I don’t use a lens with any of my TIRs. I also don’t use the white carrier piece because it doesn’t fit in my S2+. The 10 degree TIR I have actually gives me a usable beam, but with absolutely hideous artifacts that look like hundreds of U-Shapes throughout. I’ve thought about sanding down the white piece that fits around it, but was never bothered to.
[quote=WalkIntoTheLight]
Here are two images (the same image, just different white-balance settings). They show 4 flashlight beams: an incandescent 4 cell Maglite, a Convoy C8 with a 7A tint, a 3A tint, and a 1A tint. The 7A is very similar to incandescent light, at least in CCT.
Well, that balance really makes the difference! Thanks for the photos 
BTW, the 1A in the first photo tends to go more to the “greenish” side than to the “blueish”!
The more I see the neutral white, the more I like it… And somewhere between 3C and 7A should be the 4C tint, correct?
@ Jtm94
Thanks for your experience! I already spent some more € to buy TIR lenses and try them on my S2+ :person_facepalming:
@ wmpy
Hope these photos and discussions are helping you to decide the tint for your new light!!! :+1:
Oops, that might be a 3A, not a 3C. Anyway, close enough.
I’ll try to take a 3A (or 3C) vs 4C picture and post it. I don’t have a 4C thrower, yet, so I’ll compare a couple of flooders instead.
In any case, there’s not a huge difference between a 3 tint and a 4 tint. 4 is a bit warmer, but still neutral. I prefer a 4 tint in a EDC light.