The old driver was still better than the numbers you’re seeing.
Make sure you clean all the contact areas and that the retaining ring is tight. If I loosen mine or cut the spring bypass I get approx 2000. Try redoing the spring bypass as I always get less with the factory job.
Thanks Funtastic,
Yeah I’m wondering if I do anything to it if they will honor warranty? :). I’ll try tightening the retaining ring, although one of the holes is damaged so not sure how tight I can get it. The bypass can be redone too. As long as the driver is correct the rest can be corrected (I hope)
The M50T has only a 7.3A rating so that looks to be the issue
When I first tested my Samsung 50E I only got 2200lm. After fiddling with the driver retaining ring I got 2700lm. A 30T squeezed out a few more at 3100lm. So the M50T is not that big an issue.
It’s just odd since my new lot are much better.
I’ve still got the old version if you want pics of both drivers
What lot are you refering to?
I never felt it was a driver issue, it seems to be a contact issue around the driver retaining ring.
I have one C8F from a previous batch that achieves 2700 and my new batch that gets 3070. With Blue’s spring and bypassed tail spring 3570 at 30 sec.
Something has changed, not sure what. My old C8F’s retaining ring is very tight and can’t get any movement of the driver whatsoever.
Notice how my retaining ring is a bit messed up? One hole drilled through side wall and the other is very close.
- Driver retaining ring
- Scuff off of anodizing underneath the “hot” label.
I think at a minimum I would want to get a new retaining ring. The packaging and all other accessories looked new. But I’m wondering if this was a refurb of the original batch to replace the driver? Not sure. But none of my Convoys came like this. I’ll try again with my 30T cell fully charged tomorrow as far as the output is concerned.
Nothing off looking though. I’m a dealer in New Zealand and quite often I get scratches and off centered holes in retaining rings on Sofirn lights. Sofirn used to apply black repair stuff on scratches in hopes of not noticing it. I had heaps on the old 18650 C8F’s until I complained and not long after I stopped seeing it
Sofirn offer excellent lights for the price, if you want everything spot on then look elsewhere
You could message Sofirn about the scratch and see if they’ll give a small refund
The question, is the ring tight against the driver or tight against the threads?
I think the threads bottom out right as the driver just starts to get squeezed. This prevents the driver from being squeezed hard like in a normal flashlight. IDK, this slight tolerance issue might be why some lights draw more amps than others and why the amp draw can vary when fiddling with the retaining ring (at least in my case).
I think YogibearAl should try loosening the ring and cleaning the edge of the driver on both sides, clean the ring and the flashlight head where the driver presses against, then tighten it up and see if the output increases.
His ring looks perfectly functional. Someone used pliers and squeezed too tight and that caused those gouges. No big deal, though.
Side note-
Anyone that would ask for a small refund because their light has a scratch or imperfection on it is a whiney little baby - in my opinion. It’s gonna get damaged the first time you drop it, so what’s the difference? SMH
Hmm, if it’s for personal use then yes, I wouldn’t bother, not for Sofirn prices. When selling them and I get some damaged ones I’d ask for replacements or a discount. I don’t get much cheaper pricing than everyone else. I do get wholesale pricing but Sofirn is barely making much so the difference isn’t much. Glad I don’t live in the US as I doubt I could resell and compete with Amazon. No Amazon in NZ yet and the Aus one doesn’t ship here
OK I verified this is a new driver, and after cleaning and tightening the retaining ring, it is at 2500 lumens on start up and drops down to about 2400 after a bit, so improved by almost 200 lumen.
I don’t care about the cosmetics, but just comparing to the Convoy C8+ I recently received they look a little better and is hitting close to the 1800 lumen advertised. Maybe I just need to reset my expectations? I’m not asking for refund. I just would like to get closer to factory rated lumens. Will try with the 30T tomorrow. The LG M50 definitely not the best cell for high output. Stay tuned 
Your C8+ SST-40 is hitting 1800 at 30 sec or turn on? I get 1600 at 30 sec using the ramping driver from Convoy. That’s with a 30Q so maybe would get higher with something better
My C8+ with ramping driver is completely stock. Starts out at just above 1800 and drops steadily, but at 30 seconds mine is just around 168x lumen. I am also using a 30Q measured with a Texas Ace Lumen Tube received less than a week ago, calibrated with Maukka lights just like yours. Its pretty consistent.
My comparison readings back to back with the Sofrin C8F is how I knew my Sofrin was reading really low. Even my Convoy L6 boosted is reading near others reports at just over 4500 lumens at start up using KeepPower 5500mAh 26650. So I know my measurements are somewhat accurate.
Ok finally got around to charging my 30T. Start up 2810 and 2570 @ 30 seconds. So best numbers so far. Will try cleaning some more and lower gauge bypass wires, to squeeze a little more it of it. So seems like ok.
That’s so strange how mine perform at 3070 at 30 sec stock. You must have received the older revision unless I got lucky
Well I read the rest of this thread and know that the driver looks new, so should be getting better numbers. Still satisfied with overall performance. After cleaning and tightening I noticed that the retaining ring isn’t fully contacting the driver board evenly. There is obvious uneven rub marks around the outer edges of the board trace. There is a spot with almost no scuffs on it, telling me it isn’t fully flat.
I’ll figure it out. This forum has helped a lot with ideas. Surprised to see the jump in performance from the M50 to 30T. Maybe order another one when on sale to compare. :). Overall I still really like it. I use it primarily in ramping mode.
Pretty simply question for those experienced at tearing down lights - I want to swap out the lens on my C8F - if I don’t have any tools specific to flashlight modding, is there any tool in the typical household tool box that I can use without damaging the light and retaining ring? I was thinking locking pliers wrapped with electrical tape on the teeth with just enough pressure to get a grip to twist without denting or crushing it. This doesn’t sound like a good idea. Perhaps there is a tool at harbor freight I could buy? Any advice would be most appreciated. Also, will I encounter any issues or concerns by swapping the lens - leds or anything else?
Twist it with your hands. Is yours extra tight or something?
To change the lens you only need to unscrew the front bezel. No need to remove the retaining ring. The retaining ring is removed from the inside of the head only to remove the driver or side switch on the C8F.
I have a pair of small needle nose pliers that I use to remove retaining rings. Usually they come right off if not glued on.
Do a search for reflowing LEDs for swapping LEDs from the MPCB, or how to replace with new LEDs that are prebuilt onto MCPCBs if you want to change LEDs. You should be somewhat comfortable with soldering.
BTW, what lense are you trying to replace the factory one with?