ENEDED

I understand the feeling, itā€™s a damn nice light.

In the Dutch version of the page it clearly states itā€™s the ā€œnew version without the blue light problemsā€. I ordered one anyway. Donā€™t believe in this ā€œBG might have dumped ā€¦ā€ complot theories. Just send it back if itā€™s no good. Seller rating is high. Iā€™m optimistic.

$25.70! Now I have a place for those 219Cs :smiley:

Ok, ordered the XP-G2 with ePacket delivery($1.58) and -$2.00 coupon.
$27.28 Shipped. Have a spare 18650 tube coming from BG in an earlier order.
This is the best deal I got out of the S41 and S41S collection. Second best is the S41 Nichia for $30 Shipped on Amazon Prime with 2-day shipping.

But I wonā€™t talk about the very first S41 I received and it was defective 2 weeks later. Paid $45 for that one and actually got a Full refund on it. Turned around and bought another for $37ish. Used the $8 to buy 2 Nichia 219C. Learned to reflow emitters and brought the #1 back to life. So $45 Divided by 2 equalsā€¦ Shhh, quiet, donā€™t say it.

And the defective head, $8 tube, $9 tail SW assembly, 2X XP-G2 R5 4C @ $1.47ea from Simon. $20

But as far as averagesā€¦ I have Seven (soon to be 8) and Only 3 survive as they came originally, still functional. 2 of those are the revised S41S versions and one S41 Nichia.

Oh, the Elfeland Outdoor Lighting Store also has the Tail assemblies for $6.50
Astrolux S41S Stainless Steel LED Flashlight Whole Tail Cap led torch tail cap light accessory For DIY
Replacement S41S heads for $22.61 - 25.47 all varieties
Astrolux S41S S41S Colored Stainless Steel New Version A6 1600LM Nichia 219B/XP-G2/XP-G3 LED Flashlight Head Torch head For DIY
And Astrolux S41/S holsters for $1.58
Astrolux 12.8x3.2cm LED Flashlight Pouch Pad Flashlight Protected Bag Holster For Astrolux S41/S41S/S41s colored

I just got my S41S (Nichia 219B) from Banggood, a very nice but heavy flashlight, maybe to heavy for EDC.

What I donā€™t fully understand, why does it get remarkably hotter than the BLF A6 at comparable brightness settings?
Even at level 5 it gets hotter than the BLF A6 at level 6 and it seems not brighter.

Another difference compared to the A6, the UI timing is slower. With the cold flashlight it seems I have to press twice as long to get from moon to turbo (step backward).
Lastly, Iā€™ve seen five flashes in the battery indicator mode with a fresh battery, at least one more than with the original BLF A6.

The Tailcap is very cheap too. But I have bought enough from banggood :cry:
https://de.aliexpress.com/item/Astrolux-S41S-Stainless-Steel-LED-Flashlight-Whole-Tail-Cap-led-torch-tail-cap-light-accessory-For/32784985608.html

I really want a full alum version for a lightweight EDC.

I believe the heat is due to the lower Vf of multi emitters resulting in higher amp draws. The heatpath of the S41 is also better than the A6.

Brightness levels are very hard to compare when dealing with different beam patterns. It would be tough even with similar beam patterns because our eyes cannot discern small lumen differences.

Ordered myself a new tailcap :slight_smile: So I guess Iā€™ll just use the blue led head on the short tubeā€¦

Stripped and polished S41 Aluminum, has the looks of the S41S without the weight.

very nice vwpieces

what equipment did you use to polish?

i so want to strip my one too but unsure how to polish it yet.

Most important is Time and patients.

Strip anodizing,
Wet sand starting with 320 or 400 grit. Work up 800, 1200 to 2000.
To get into grooves better 0000 Steel wool or red ScotchBrite pad, wet. I guess those SOS pot scouring pads with blue soap will do if you got some under the sink.
I usually polish it with Mothers Mag wheel aluminum polish, onto a Bounty paper towel, folded 1/4 or 4 plies.
Wash light and you with detergent to get all the black off.

Take a picture to brag and post on the internet and realise all the scratches and how bad it looks in the pictureā€¦

Start over with 1500, 2000 and polish it harder.
By now its 1AM and you need to be awake at 5AM for work.

For the wet 400 I use a rubber Body Work sanding block. It keeps the edges of the rings and tops of the knurling sharp. Well, it helps from rounding the edges off too much.
Also put some detergent in the water, pot or sink to help keep the metal particles suspended. Paper lasts longer and acts as lube. Does not need much at all, no Suds.

wow thatā€™s a lot of efforts :stuck_out_tongue:

and how long did it took you?

Nice :+1:

Thanks CRX.

Depends, could be done to my satisfaction in 2 hours, more or less. But usually get the Do-Over after pics, +45min. And that includes stripping anno.
No machine work, all by hand. Buffing wheels will smear the surface. Mirror finish is hand work and prep.

Most affordable flashlights are cast not turned on a lathe. Anno coatings cover a lot of imperfections. Pressure casting produces pretty good density and can be polished glass smooth. Was working on a VG-10 last night and I could see 3 lines the length of body, 3 piece casting mould, pressure cast. Guess one could also say Forged. Nothing wrong with that and can easily be made stronger than if it were made on a lathe from billet stock. Sure a cast body will need some finish work on a lathe, most is done after coating, to expose metal for continuity. You may also see machine lines in a cast product, because the mould was machined and density of the pressure cast will show that detail. I was impressed with the quality of the housing on the VG-10. It polished out pretty sweet.

I opened up the S41S bezel today.
The optic is not shrouded by the bezel anymore.
Yesterday i sanded down the bottom of the bezel because it had a loose lens.

Wow, that polish looks great!

I just received a message from the aliexpress seller. Seller says it is NOT the newer version:(
I had already ordered after seing the description that says it is new version. Hmm?

Oh thatā€™s great. :person_facepalming:

Kind of figured it would be the old version, didnā€™t really care either way since I planned on using the one I ordered as a host anyway.

:weary:
Kind of glad now i didnā€™t order one yesterdayā€¦
Theyā€™re back to full price now.