[Review] Convoy L6 (XHP70, 2x26650) ~ The Best Budget Monster Light

The flashlight was gracefully provided by Banggood.com for review.
Here’s the product’s link: Convoy L6
20% code: e5bfba

The Convoy L6 comes in a minimal cardboard package and is seated inside some laser cut foam.
Due to my liking for cool tinted lights, I went with the N4-1C tint (6000K).
Of course, Banggood offers different tint options ranging from 3000K to 6000K.

The packaging of the light is pretty minimal, probably to keep the cost down.
A tactical ring was all that was included in the original box.
The ring is mounted in the rear portion of the body and allows the light to be cigar gripped.

The one thing I am fond of the Convoy lights is their anodization quality.
As with all of their models, the anodization is thick, coarse and leaves behind a matte black color.
The fit and finish is excellent all around the light.

Here’s the light taken apart to its basic pieces.
The square cut threads are very beefy and arrived well lubricated.
As seen, the tail side threads are also anodized.

The light works using 2 x 26550 cells, but since the L6 arrived way faster (in just 10 days) than the Liitokalas, I decided to make use of my extreme ingenuity and create some DIY 18650 to 26650 adapters :smiley:

The tailcap has a thick spring has is held in place by a brass retaining ring.
As you might notice, the spring has been bypassed with 24 AWG wire in order to lower the resistance of the circuit.

The tail switch is forward clickie, which means that the light supports momentary on.
Thanks to the recessed placement of the switch, the L6 can tail stand.

The head houses the popular FX30 driver.
Again, the spring of the LED+ has been bypassed with wire by the factory.

The head of the light is quite massive and has deep heatsink fins in order to cope with the heat produced by the hard driven XHP-70.
The e-switch is covered by a black rubber button.

Something that I noticed compared to the previous production batches of the light is the fact that
there is now a ‘Convoy L6’ logo imprinted in the lower part of the head.

By default the L6 ships with an orange peel reflector, yet smooth ones are also available on Banggood.
The OP textured reflector helps dissolve the donut hole created by the large surface of the emitter.
Lastly, it’s worth noting that the AR coated glass is very thick.

The crenelated bezel is very helpful as it lets you know whether you have turned off the light while it’s facing the table.
Of course, the bezel can be also used for self defense. I am pretty sure that most people would prefer to get shot rather than getting hammered by an L6 :smiling_imp:

Inside the head, you can find the XHP-70 LED.
The LED is placed on a copper star that is directly mounted to the heatsink with two screws.
Under the star there is some regular thermal paste.

As you might imagine, the head of the light is its heaviest part.
It weighs around 375 gr and thanks to its big mass it can withstand the heat produced by the Turbo mode without getting too hot for handling.

The total weight of the flashlight is 552 gr.
Granted, the L6 is not a light that you will be carrying in your jeans’ pocket as a backpack or dedicated holster is a wiser option.

From left to right: Convoy S2+ , Skyray King, Convoy L6.
The S2+ looks like a battery pack rather than an actual flashlight next to the L6.

User Interface

Despite the dual switch of the L6, its operation is one of the simplest I have come around.

  • Momentary on: Half press of the rear switch
  • On/Off: Single press of the rear switch
  • Mode change: Single press of the side switch (Low > Mid > High > Turbo)
  • Strobe: Double press of the side switch

The FX-30 driver uses off-time memory which means that the user doesn’t need to stay any amount of time in a specific mode to get it saved.

Tailcap measurements

Mode - Current
Low - 0.03
Mid - 0.13
High - 1.60
Turbo - 4.45

According to the official specifications, my readings are a bit low but that’s probably due to using
some lower grade 18650 cells for my tests.
Once I get delivery of the 26650 cells I will make sure to measure the current draw again.

Beamshots

Here are some beamshots to help you understand the brightness difference between the modes.

Low

Mid

High

Turbo

I will make sure to include some outdoor beamshots once I get the opportunity to pay a visit to my village.

To conclude, I would like to say that I am very impressed by the L6.
Its quality and performance is excellent.
For $70 you get an excellent all around light that even has lots of potential for modding.

I just figured how I could a simple ceiling bounce test using my smartphone’s light sensor.
Here’s a little list a created:

Flashlight - Lux
Fitorch P26R - 384
Fitorch P30R - 120
Convoy S2+ - 110
Convoy L6 - 438

Of course the number itself doesn’t provide any useful information, but the comparison between the numbers produced could be somewhat useful.

Sorry for bumping the thread, but I was just given a 20% off code by Banggood.
Using it, the L6 can be purchased for around 45 Euros.

I have added the code in the OP.

nice review, but what happens if u stick in 2x 18650 will it even turn on ?

Of course it functions normally under 2 x 18650s.
I even mentioned that I used 2 x 18650s for my review as my 26650 cells hadn’t arrived at the time of the review.