Convoy S21D w/ legendary Nichia 219b :) - Review & comparison w/ Nichia 519a, E21a & other lights with Nichia LEDs incl. Emisar D4V2, Convoy S21F. (Summary & measurements on P. 1)

This review was incredible!

I just popped my "cri cherry" with my first light in years, just bought (my dad) a 4500K 519a S2 and it blew my mind, everyone at home was somewhat puzzled by how different things looked under this "small light". They kept looking at things under our old SSC-P7 light and switching to the S2, especially at the wooden floorboards. Their reaction was kinda funny because they know nothing about flahslights, leds, cri or even color ccts. Shortly after I went to purchase an S21d with the 519a's and they where out of stock, perhaps getting a 4500K and another 2700/3000K one since i liked it alot.

I'm surprised to know the S21d on 219's to be so bright. I would still keep on the 519a given the extra brightness and efficiency being a factor for me but you made me consider just getting everying in front of me now ahaha. They only thing i wished my 519a S2 did was to run on the "100%" for longer and cooler. The S21d may get me that extra brightness under manageable and runtimes.

I was wondering a few things:

  • light-up switches, how do they work? in which instances do they keep on? on the pics they seem to get permanently on? (noob question)
  • A friend on Reddit told me the S21d might work with Simon's "5a 6V boost driver". Is ordering/modding that possible?

Sure yes me too only recently “popping the CRI cherry” :confounded: & thanks. I am new to this hobby and am actually learning and testing as I’m posting, so questions like yours are helpful. The blue light stays on when light is off, and turns off when the light is turned on. This helps to find the flashlight in the dark, besides looking so much prettier.

But for me the important function of the metal switch is it’s a godsend for the 12 steps because it makes “tap” (the half press) and “click” (full press) more distinct and so much easier to engage IMHO. Older fingers tend to become more difficult, maybe a little painful, to move at acute angles, so for your dad if he’s old it will be a great help. Also IMHO, if I were to give this light to a friend or relative, I would be tempted to set it to the step number 12 (the last one) to make it simple. Just on and off to Turbo level.

BTW the 12 Steps UI is not my favorite. Maybe someone could tell me a better way but especially for battery check, it’s torture. J/K but really, say you are at 35%, to go through the different levels then strobe and biking to check battery, then SOS and another round of level to back to where you are is not the best way. And then you get 1 to 5 flashes instead of actual voltage like with Anduril. At least Simon’s newer lights have abandoned this weakness by using a different UI. These lights (the M21x models with GT-FC40) use 5 clicks to see actual battery level, similar to Anduril 2 Advanced.

Sorry I don’t know much about drivers to comment. Any expert here feel free to jump in. All my notes are on lights bought from Aliexpress Convoy store, unmodded. I have this vague impression that Convoy is more aggressive with keeping brightness up (less severe step-down) vs my Olight M2R Pro Warrior for example, but without instrumented testing, I can’t be sure.

Thank you for your detailed review and replies, it's quite helpfull, especially with your quality pictures. They are an awesome illustration of how the tint difference appears at real use.

You’re welcome & thanks.

This next observation is only for the hard-core pixel peepers among us :slight_smile: , in case you missed it the first time around. In real use, I’ve noticed Nichia 519a always seems to be brighter than 219b. From the 2 pictures below, it appears it’s not the central area of 519a that’s brighter, but it’s the periphery, the “spill” area (in parenthesis because these S21D’s are very floody and don’t really have hotspot and spill per se).

I don’t understand why this is so since the optics are the same. Both are domed LED of the same size no? Anyone would like to explain?

The die sizes (area of light-emitting surface) are different. The 219B die is a bit over 2mm^2, while the 519A die is around 4mm^2. With a larger die, you can expect a greater percentage of the output to become "spill" rather than "throw".

Thank you for explanation - now it makes sense. The two LED’s are so similar visually (1.5 mm vs 2 mm each side) I did not take into account once you square that seemingly similar size, the area is actually almost twice as big.

The lighted switches (like the ones you can buy from Convoy) are only on when the flashlight is turned off.

For me a must-have for the 12-Groups Convoy UI as it makes both “click” (full press) and “tap” (half press) so much easier to engage. Especially the half press since there is a now a “built-in” FIRM stop at half press, the fixed outer metal ring.

They are also VERY pretty.

It looks like those switches keep the light from tail standing. Is that true?

They could tail stand but it’s not stable, especially for the bigger M21B. For example on a heavy dresser is OK but table probably not. A side hit on the table will make them fall.

Thanks for the info. I guess I will pass. I like the way the switches look, but need a good dependable tail stand.

White wall shot showing difference in illumination between 519a and 219b in Convoy S21D. This was taken about 2 minute into a run-down from Turbo. No ventilation was provided. Taken with Canon DSLR in RAW format, 5000k white balance.

In addition, the difference in beam tint between 519a and 219b is pretty obvious. Both being Nichia, maybe I did not expect such significant change but “vive la difference” :slight_smile: .

BTW specs from Convoy - Flux: max 2000LM (219B) / 2600LM (519A)

I have new toys for the S21D twins: clear optic from IF25a that could be used in place of Convoy’s stock frosted optic. Brighter hotspot, less spill: It should make the light more useful for my evening walk, especially for the floody and bright 519a.

The IF25a optic’s diameter is very slightly smaller than stock, but still fit without any problem as the posts are in the same spot and height identical. The LEDS are still in center of each optic (9 mm center to center). Where to buy - 69 cents each :slight_smile: :+1: : Quad Optic Lens for IF25A

Will get some shots on the wall of truth.

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If you want a lighted switch and tail standing for the M21B, just replace the stock switch with a 20mm light switch for convoy M21A M21B M21C M26C L2 L21A L21B S21B.

I’m looking forward to seeing beamshot comparisons with the IF25A optic vs. the stock S21D optic.

I measured 2055lm for the 519A in the S21D on 100% (stepped down to 790lm between 105secs and 10mins), and 860lm on 35%, which is pretty good for the lights size and 95CRI. Convoy tend to quote theoretical lumens.

Good suggestion thanks. Not metal but at least lighted.

I sure will. Prelim result is excellent; as expected dimmer spill, but brighter central area. The stock S21D is nicely floody, but a bit too much for my use. The clear optic makes it a little more balanced with some spill + some throw. The Convoy now behaves more like Emisar D4V2.

The frosted optic makes for a nicer smoother white wall shot (probably one reason why it’s used, for the sake of perfect users’ reviews :slight_smile: ), but in actual use the clear optic is “better” for me because it increases max brightness (albeit in central area only). Any increase in max brightness is always a plus for Nichia lights for me.

At 69 cents IMHO this is a no brainer rec. for owners to try and decide for yourself.

@cannga - I tested my S21D (w/ 219b emitters) with the IF25A optic. For me, this is a major improvement. It gives a truly defined hotspot and makes it much better for general purpose use. I appreciate you doing the research on this and sharing your findings, as I’m very pleased with the results.

Strangely enough, I think I prefer my IF25A with the optic that came with the S21D, so it’s a win/win. Are you aware of any other optics that fit these two lights?

On a different note, have you noticed any strangeness on your S21D in terms of brightness? I’ve tested two groups (#1 and #5), and the 100% on both is NOT max brightness. If I cycle through the levels, every now and then it will jump to what I would refer to as “turbo”. The easy way to tell, aside from the increased brightness, is that at 100% the light head does not heat up to uncomfortable temperatures even after 10 minutes of running. At the “hidden” turbo setting it gets rather hot after <1 minute. The light does not remember this setting after turning it off - it reverts to whichever setting it was on before you slipped into “turbo” and you have to fiddle with it to get it back there.

I would describe the perceived brightness difference between “100%” and “turbo” as roughly 2x. It’s very noticeable. It seems to be easiest to get into this mode by holding the button in just before the amount of pressure normally required to cycle modes, then releasing once it switches to “turbo”. I have run it at this setting to the point of it getting as hot as my single LED Convoys get (not too hot to touch, but getting uncomfortable) and it has not released the magic smoke.

@undefined - I can’t say that I’ve seen any abnormality with the brightness. Not sure what is going on with yours but just a couple suggestions:

1. Turn memory off to remove that from the equation. Does the flashlight still have problem?
2. I use group 6 with memory off. Maybe gives this a try? It should turn on at max 100% every time and there should not be any brighter level. I will try your maneuver later to see if I could reproduce the “100 PLUS” brightness. Hope this helps.

Btw credit for the IF25a clear optic goes to poster “Verodin,” and yeah I am not going back to frosted optic.