ENEDED

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 won’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 equals… Shhh, quiet, don’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 averages… 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 don’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, I’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 I’ll just use the blue led head on the short tube…

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 picture…

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 that’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 that’s great. :person_facepalming:

Kind of figured it would be the old version, didn’t really care either way since I planned on using the one I ordered as a host anyway.

:weary:
Kind of glad now i didn’t order one yesterday…
They’re back to full price now.

Since the description said it was the new version technically you can file a case when you get it if it is the old one and you will win automatically.

I wonder if that’s still the case after a notification like that.
LightRider could have cancelled the order to avoid the risk.
just saying…

lol, it is the case even if it showed up 100% correct, working and with an extra light in the package as a free bonus.

Sadly ebay and aliexpress are a scammers paradise for buyers. A buyer NEVER losses a case unless they flat out admit they are scamming the seller, in the official dispute message system. They can call you, email you, text you and even send you a telegram explaining exactly how they are scamming you and that they plan to do it again and they will still win the case.

Once you are on the sellers side of these cases a few times you loose ANY fear of buying online and realize it is truly a zero risk enterprise. Don’t want it or want a discount or even free? Start a dispute over some made up issue and boom, you at worst get a free return, even if the item said 100 different ways, no returns accepted, broken junk.

Or you get a partial refund from the seller in an effort to just make you go away and not have the case escalated. The seller knows they will loose and it is a MAJOR infraction for ebay / aliexpress to have to step in to say the buyer wins, so the seller has to bend over and kiss the buyers behind, no matter how obvious the scam is.

Many times the buyer will simply end up with a free item as the seller would end up loosing even more money by paying for return shipping not to mention he hassle and many times the returned item will be an old item that the buyer simply wanted to “exchange”. So it is easier to just cut your losses and refund the whole thing.

Sadly buyer know this to be the case and abuse it far to much.

As a buyer myself I simply buy without fear of any kind. I just keep in mind that while I can get items for free, it hurt the seller way more then people like to think unless it truly is an issue.