Convoy s2+ with biscotti driver

I’d go with the 7135x8 with the new driver. Moonlight mode is awesome, you’ll love it.

Desert Tan color still hasn’t been finalized. Simon is having a new sample made at the moment. Release is probably still a few months out.

As for batteries, I’ve heard good things about Panasonic 3400mah cells. But really any name brand (Panasonic, Sanyo, Samsung, etc.) battery will be fine.

The Liitokala Lii-100 and Xtar Mc1 Plus chargers have worked well for me.

I ended up going with the *8 driver. Some people recommend the *6 as it draws 700mA less which equals about 200lm less on high but generates a bit less heat. The tint you chose is the warmest for the S2+, it will be very yellow/orange. Check the comparisons Maybe that’s what you’re going for, just want to make sure you know. This is probably one of the best & highest capacity protected 18650 out there. Any charger off that same site will work as well.

Good info ‘elwood’. :+1:
That tint comparison picture is right on the money too. :wink: I saved it for future reference, thanks for sharing. I have somehow never seen that one.

BLF A6 is very similar but has the advantage of more modes to select just the illumination level you need. If you are really new to lights, “moonlight” is really, really dim. Virtually useless, IMHO, except for not stumbling over something in the dark; however, it is available in the A6 if you so choose. Then you don’t have to consider a light with lower maximum output just to get a lower level. FWIW

Thanks. Just for clarification, the image is not mine. But it’s from another forum and i’m not sure if it’s against the rules to post links from other forums on here.

Your welcome ‘elwood’.
Either way it is still a good picture and thanks for posting it. :slight_smile:

Ok, i read the forum rules and i didn’t see anything about posting links to other forums. Mods, if it’s not allowed, sorry… This guy has some great info on the S2+. It helped me quite a bit when buying my first one.

My goodness, that is some good, no great; info on the S2+…… all in one place.
Thanks for the link. It is a great reference to the S2+, as well as a few others in the S series.

I say go for the 7135x8 version you can set the modes for the brightness you need at the time. And if you need a bright light it will be there. The battery will still last a very long time on lower modes. And a good name brand battery will last you 300-500 charge discharge cycles. I do recommend two batteries. Just in case something happens and you need one while the other one is charging. And if you plan on buying more lights you need more batteries anyway. Its basically the same price for the *4 *6 *8 driver and you will want bright and brighter lights. Even on high it gets warm but it won’t get hot enough to burn or anything at 2.8 amps. I have one running at 5+ amps.

Another thing, if you buy directly from Simon’s (The creator of Convoy?)” store”:https://www.aliexpress.com/store/330416, you can request a driver with the newest Biscotti firmware for $1 more. It has a ton more modes than the previous firmware. You have to place your order and when you get to the step to pay, hold off and send him a message through his site requesting the new firmware. He’ll adjust the price automatically then you complete your payment. Also, the blue, red, and green versions come with a, IMHO, really nice metal tail-switch. However, it’s not as waterproof as the plastic switch and rubber boot on the grey & black version.

Great info everyone - thank you! Yes - I love the orange/yellow tint and even run my laptop on the 2700k setting using f.lux. So I’m definitely getting the 7A. I want low, but I just can’t conceptualize how low is too low. I’m not looking for major output. I’ve pretty much already decided my next light will be the BLF A6 with the 3D tint.

This light is going to be for indoor use only. Its a bit hard to convey, but basically, I have 4 young kids who manage to leave things out, leave attic lights on, leave basement lights, etc., etc. Add to that, I’m often up in the middle of the night or get up really early.

elwood - thank you! I’ll be getting the battery you recommended. I have seen the info from those two links. In fact, I was trying to use the chart to calculate the lumen output against the settings on the new Biscotti driver, but am not having any luck - bad at math, too new, who knows?! :slight_smile: I wish the comparison table with Bin and Driver were updated with the new driver options.

LenZ “…“moonlight” is really, really dim. Virtually useless, IMHO, except for not stumbling over something in the dark.” Not stumbling over something in the dark is exactly my goal! And shutting off lights in basement/attic (big sodium lights with a pull string, which leaves me in the dark on the way back). And I want to do all that without waking anyone up.

Biscotti:

Mode groups: (output is approximate)

1. 0.1, 1, 10, 35, 100%, strobe, biking, battery-check
2. 0.1, 1, 10, 35, 100%
3. 100, 35, 10, 1, 0.1%
4. 1, 20, 100%, strobe, biking, battery-check, SOS
5. 1, 20, 100%
6. 100, 20, 1%
7. 0.1, 1, 10, 50, strobe, biking, battery-check, SOS
8. 0.1, 1, 10, 50
9. 50, 10, 1, 0.1
10. 1, 10, 35, 100
11. 100, 20, strobe
12. 100% only

Thanks again everyone!

To me, “moonlight” is around 2-3lm, or low-low. “Firefly” is sub-lumen, and for me (eyes like a cat), is immensely useful for being able to see yet not ruin my night-vision.

And as you describe it, maybe derisively, is exactly what it’s best for! :smiley:

’Though for real night-vision firefly mode, I’d get one of the warm-warm 219s that Fasttech sells in a 3-pack for a few bux. That’s like 2700K or lower, for a really warm candlelight tint. Put that in something like a Jet I or a WK50, and it’s nighttime heaven! :smiley:

Ditto on the thanx, as I never saw it before, and that’s a really nice and descriptive pic.

The 0.1% is a firefly useful enough to navigate in the dark but not to see small objects you may step onto

The main advantage of the new firmware is you can disable memory and turn light always on on lowest mode

Thanks, guys - it’s good to know people find it helpful :slight_smile:

The reason I haven’t done an updated version yet is that there’s only one Convoy light available as stock with the new driver. That’s the clear-anodised C8 with XPL HI LED. Everything else is special request or DIY. I’m basically waiting to see what other stock options come out so I don’t waste my time crunching numbers for the wrong stuff.

Having said that, here are some rough and ready figures for a current-model S2+ with an XML2 T4-7A LED and a new driver with 8*7135, which I gather you’re considering:

Mode % 0.1 1 10 20 35 50 100
Cree Spec. Lumens ~1.2 ~12 115.4 222.8 ~370 499.1 853.8
Approx. OTF Lumens 1 10 92 180 300 400 680

Your welcome ’Phlogiston’!!

Your Thread has a ton of good info in it…. all compiled in one easy to read & see reference. You must have put a load of time into compiling this, thank you again for sharing it. :+1:

I hope at some point you’ll post it here on BLF. As far as I am concerned it should deserve “Sticky” status. :wink:

Phlogiston - brilliant and thank you! Your original comparison thread was extraordinarily helpful, as was this addition. Thank you!

You’re welcome :slight_smile:

I have a T4-7A S2+ myself, so you got me wondering what the Biscotti mode levels would be. The way to get me to answer questions is always to pique my curiosity!

While I have you, I have one more question if you don’t mind. If I get the 7135*6 2100mA driver, how long could you run that on high before it becomes uncomfortably hot?

Your chart suggests the high lumen output for 2100mA is 550 lm. There are times where I may need to run flashlight at the brightest available for 30 minutes or more. My thinking is, I could rund the 2100mA on high for a longer period of time than the 2800mA and it would be brighter than stepping down the 2800mA to 50%. But I’m not sure if 30 min. on high is too much for the 2100mA.

Thanks again!

I wonder: given the tint comparison chart, what tint looks most like an incan lamp? I thought it was the T4-7A, but the picture makes it look like it’s an incan on a brownout. The T5-5B seems closer to what I’m looking for.

(if someone could tell me the CRI on those bins, I’d love you to death)

That is AWESOME information, elwood, thanks a bunch :laughing: :+1: Finally I can get a Convoy with a non-blinky Low mode!