god dammit looks like I’m gonna have to buy both lmao
Real World Performance beats all that fancy book-larnin’ any day.
The stable level depends on temperature; it keeps the temperature steady, not the brightness. Due to the way the circuit works, it gets more efficient (less hot) as the battery gets low. So after it stabilizes, the brightness actually goes up the longer the light is on. At least, until it gets so low that it can’t maintain that much output any more… at which point it’ll drop off quickly and then trigger low voltage protection.
Results are a bit different on different lights, but they tend to have similar patterns. I don’t have a SP36 test with recent firmware, but here are some others to show approximately what to expect, depending on the host, the driver, and the LEDs:
When it steps up, it’s not sudden. It’s generally too smooth to even see without a lux meter. If we zoom into one of the graphs, here’s how those “sharp” step-ups look:
I’m not a fan of the XHP50.2 and 70.2 in larger reflectors as there is extreme tint shift/Cree rainbow/”fried-egg” beam.
SP36 w/LH351Ds has a smoother beam, better color rendition, and higher battery capacity at the cost of being slightly larger and heavier.
AFAIK most of the recent CC, boost and buck Convoy drivers have pretty aggressive temp stepdown unless you modify them.
The M3 had aggressive step down but the M3-C doesn’t. In winter I don’t notice any stepdown. You can try double clicking for turbo and see no difference. In the summer I see some step down. Double clicking to turbo will show a noticeable increase.
When the C model was released I asked Simon if there was any difference in heat management between the 2 lights and he said “no, they are the same”.
I’m going to test my M3 again later today.
Not sure what step down is being talked about besides the ‘turbo >to> high’ multiple reviews have shown it to work on high mode %40 1500lms and hold that until the battery runs out after 2.2 hrs without it dropping from 1500lms. That is amazing performance from a single cell flash light without getting too hot to hold at max 113F. Name another light that can do that at similar price with the same specs and usb charging and ill buy that one too.
My M3 does a quick drop to 40% at a minute and a half (it’s 29c here) and stays at that level. I looked at dave1010’s review and he says his M3C started dropping at 4 minutes and had a gradual drop to 40% over 16 minutes so if the samples are typical it does look like there is a difference in temperature control/heat management. The M3C seems to maintain a high output longer. Maybe Simon misunderstood me.
There was a thread about the aggressive M3 thermal step down here. People were removing a resistor to change it.
my m3c has not arrived yet i just bought my second flashlight, SC31 Pro, too good of a edc deal to pass up, $23.09 delivered with battery.
You are on your way. Now you need a thrower, 
And a headlamp . Etc.
ill wait till these 2 arrive till I buy more 
maybe we’ll see a banger deal at the 11.11 aliexpress sales
as far as a choice for a thrower the ‘Convoy 4X18A SBT90.2’ or if simon does the L6 in SBT90.2 would be a great contender for a usable thrower its just close to $106 usd rn so if we see a deal by than ill go for it.
SC31 is an amazing light, what you get for $25 is crazy.
The NTC was removed on the M3 to get rid of the thermal step down, but it also came with the issue of low voltage warning every time it reached x volts. Wasn’t exactly a fix
can these lights be left in the car in a fairy lot climate? like in the glovebox? would it cause any issues for the battery? wouldn’t want my car going up in fire lol
It won’t be a safety concern if they’re out of the sun, but it could cause them to degrade over time
I highly don’t recommend it, it will ruin the battery in a year or two.
I keep lights that run on Eneloop NiMH in the car.
I don’t keep anything with batteries in the car, and I’m not exactly Mr Careful.
Best case, it’ll ruin the cells more than normal use due to extreme cold/hot cabin temps.
Worst case, the cells might leak or worse.
ok fair enough, wont store in the car, I also bought the sp40 headlamp. looks like I’m gonna buy a whole collection before the first one lands at my door.
Hi guys, new user here.
I threw out two $8 zoomie flashlights last week and decided to get real lights.
Hundreds of threads and youtube vids later, I’ve received today my M3-c w. 70.3 at 5000k.
question relevant to this thread: how are you guys getting to High=40%, when my light only ramps up and down, and is not stepped? Do you all have stepped UIs for this light? Is there a way to change the UI from ramped to stepped in my M3-c?
PS, I made a mistake and didn’t order the 26650 6800 mAh version. I only selected the 5500 Keeppower cell. So I ordered the extension and the 6800 battery separately and await their arrival.
Since I now have an extra Keeppower 26650 cell, I think I’ll order an S11 w. GT FC-40 at 4500k and use the extra battery for that.
Lastly, I really, really like the floodiness and pics of the S21D w. 219b @4500 for dog walking, so I will order than when the Convoy Flashlight store opens back up in three weeks.
so those will be my three lights, m3c, s11 and s21d… upstairs, car, and downstairs/dog walking. Oh, I also have ordered a Sofirn HD20 headlamp w. 50.2 throw and 351D for flood for work in dark places.