Same here, my Sand and Blue models ordered from Simon at the end of Nov. look straight to me (but i guess my eyes could be crooked lol). I think the way the logo is designed can play some tricks too. The combo of italics, different size letters, and the first letter sitting on top of the tail of the last letter might skew the brain’s idea of parallel lines.
That said, my magnets fit the Sand perfectly (goes in a little then friction fits the rest of the way). But the same magnets can go in and out of the tail of the Blue S2+ without even touching. When i sent Simon a message wondering if this was within his tolerances or not he simply said “the oxide layer has error”.
So who knows, maybe they do need to make adjustments and these lights will look crooked beside later S2+’s. I think they are still worth getting even if the logo was super jacked, but i can understand how seeing something that doesn’t look right can make one wonder about the other aspects of the product. Also might be of note (as others have already stated) that the Sand’s head is unique…read new… even compared to the other metal switch models, so maybe the tolerances are closer to original on that model (all tolerances can vary somewhat even on the most expensive equipment due to age, wear, environmental conditions, or my favorite like Goose said calibration, etc…).
Also if you decide to get a Sand S2+, i believe the Biscotti firmware in a stock light is only available from Simon.
The S2+ Sand colored is considered a bit more premium and hence costs double even while in discount.
As for the audible PWM, it’s most probably due to bad grounding.
Try to improve the soldering of the driver to the pill and tighten the tail retaining ring after cleaning the tail’s inner threads first.
Quick beam shots in my office. Far from ideal but should give a general idea. Camera is a Panasonic Lumix GF2. 100 ASA 1/60 sec f/3.5
I do like U4-7A a lot more than the U2-1B which I find cold and harsh.
U4-7A is close to the same colour as tungsten but has an odd “yellow” feel to it. If you have 80 CRI 2500 or 3000k LEDs at home you may know what I mean. It is very similar.
The photos are close to what the beam patterns look like to my eyes. Camera is too close to get the edges. I’ll try and get some outdoor shots when I can. Colours is close but doesn’t accurately reflect the slight oddness of the U4-7A.
Andrew_Debbie, thank you very much for taking the time to take these beamshots!! :+1:
Indeed, the 7A is much more “yellowish” than my taste actually allows to use! But, it is not bad, just not my preference
The XML2 T6-4C is not so warm and seems to be less “odd” !
The 1B seems to be a mix of Neutral and Cold white, right?
If I had to make a comparison, it is not so blue as the XML2 U2-1A, but maybe not so neutral as the XML2 T6-3B (for what can be seen from the images)!
Thank you once again for taking the photos
Best regards!! :+1:
Yes, it’s not as good as incandescent light, but it’s the only “budget” light I know of that sells a stock ~3000K emitter. It makes a great tail-stand light when watching a movie.
I have 2 of them and use 1 in a flashlight for bedside standing after falling asleep! It helps to diffuse the light in more directions, like a candle Works very well, specially in moonlight or low modes, to not harm night vision !
I thought about that kind of diffuser, or DC-Fix, but for other purposes! For a room light, my guess is that the one from Convoy will be better! :nerd_face:
Thanks for the YouTube video. Informative but obviously, you and Mascaratum are talking about two different diffuser types. lol Your diffuser is purely directional and has its purpose. I’m looking for something similar to Mascaratum’s suggestion. I made a mistake of buying the Nitecore NDF beam diffusers. They’re alright and seem well-made, but the light that they give is too harsh for me. I’d like something that can do a Gary Fong Lighsphere for flashlights. Something that can diffuse light in all directions but gives a wide field of very soft illumination. An effective strong diffuser for flashlights that can eliminate harsh shadows. Oh, and not as overpriced as the Lightsphere, or course.
Of course more expensive does not automatically equal better.
The BLF A6 on sale is about three times the price of the $6.99 S2+.
The A6 is currently my favorite and the one I use. It is a good overal balance of the various compromises. — flexibility vs. complexity. - size vs. power - throw vs. flood.
It also feels a little better in my hand than the S2+.
At the moment the Grey S2+ is doing glovebox duty in the LEAF. Winters are dark in North Wales. The tan one will probably go in the car after I break the grey one trying to mod it.
I know a guy who sells 5 different types of diffuser film
this discussion about lanterns is always a difficult one because a diffuser wand will almost always look like a bare lightbulb and no one wants to be anywhere near a bare bulb throwing out 800+ lumens
one answer is a shade and I’ve been playing with a few paper shades … not as nice as my avatar >
I got the $7 S2+ today and overall, the construction is high quality and holding in the hand feels like a solid product.
But, there isn’t too much throw, very much flood type projection.
Is that what’s expected of this particular config?
thx