Good light, i ordered mine last year and got it around the end of January. It sat untested or a while until last month.
One thing i noticed is that if i use my (older) 18650s on full the light works for a few seconds then turns off. Not sure why, are my calls not high enough amp draw?
Also when i put the light down on a desk if blinks, the battery is not well secured.
Does it have temperature regulation (i get the impression it does).
Yea, you need a good strong battery to run turbo or it steps down to low. The battery compartment is long on this light. I had to stretch the tail spring out to make good contact. It is thermally regulated but seems to not step down much on turbo. It has a lot of mass.
How does it know to step down to low if the battery is not strong enough?
I’ve had it step down on turbo, put in a fresh battery, put it on turbo, left it tail standing and 20 mins later reengaged turbo. Also i got about 80 ions on a 4500mAh battery, full output surely uses more then 4.5A.
The driver is regulated. Step down occurs at certain battery levels. My only gripe is that it steps down to low rather than to next lower level. It would be better is it went down to high from turbo. Mine usually drops at 3.5 volts. Your battery might not be able to supply the needed current to run turbo even if it is charged. Also make sure all your connections are clean.
Interesting, i will try a fully charged 18650.
I am not a fan of the UI, it has its moments but it has annoying quirks as well.
The UI definitely is a far cry from Anduril for sure. Doesn’t really bother me though. I usually run it on turbo only. That’s where this light shines, pardon the pun, it holds turbo or close to it without getting scorching hot. I get 4 short walks per charge on turbo before recharging.
What battery are you using, i find it starts cutting brightness in minutes, though it will last 1 hour 20 mins on a fully charged 4500mAh 26650, most of it well under full brightness.
Shockli 5500 mah 26650. I added a tail spring bypass.
Nice, i am behind the times on my battery knowledge.
Is it safe to use this light while its being USB charged?
Mine works that way. Don’t see why is shouldn’t be safe.
hey so i just purchased this light based on your recommendation, im just scrolling through some reviews and stuff, you mentioned earlier that the charging ability is wonky… is that the case still? does it happen once in a while or is it a reoccurring theme?
I have the M3 and it’s a great light. I’d like to have the USB charging and the ramping UI of the M3C but just can’t bring myself to click the button. However, if Convoy ever offers the M3C in grey or tan it would be enough to push me over the fence.
cant you sell your current one and buy the m3c?
I have the gen 1 M3 also. Don’t need/want the USB charging. Ramping is cool but not a necessity. Great light BTW.
My charger indicator light turns green too early. About 4.0 volts. It does keep charging past this point and terminates at 4.2 volts. I have a USB tester connected to the charge cable so I can tell when it finishes. One other thing to keep in mind is regulated lights need clean connection points to operate properly. All lights really. The battery tube ends and where they make contact with the tail cap and driver along with the spring and battery terminals need to be cleaned with alcohol occasionally or they will step down early. Good luck with your new light. I think you will like it. It is my go to for evening walks.
It wouldn’t sell here and shipping to the US or Australia is expensive.
I tried out the USB charging for the first time, at 3.7V the light went green.
Tried removing the battery and reinserting, tried unplugging the USB brick, same result.
Even if it is charging how would one know when its finished without a charger that give amperage readings?
Right now i am draining a battery to see if it will work better on an empty battery.
Usb charging is no substitute for charging with desktop charger. Personally, it’s nothing more tha
another way for water to get into the light.
I can’t exactly re-mill the light.
Its got USB charging built into it so thats that.
But why is it no substitute?As long as it fully charges its fine, its not going to capacity test or test internal resistance or have a nice LCD that tells you how many mAh it put into the battery but i don’t see any harm in using it.