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)

Please note my two S21D’s have the metal switch, not the stock rubber switch. I tried the above maneuver with 519a in Group 12 setting and cannot reproduce the “100% Plus” mode. Tried the 219b in Group 6 setting and cannot reproduce it either.

Thanks Stephen. I added your data to first page of thread.

Comparison of stock frosted optic vs clear optic from Sofirn IF25a. Shot in RAW with Canon DSLR, WB 5000k. Exposure settings are same for both shots to show brightness difference.

Less spill but a more defined and much brighter hotspot. Previously it was a very floody light, now a bit more balanced between spill and hotspot.

For my use, this is more useful so I’m keeping it.

A:B comparison of frosted vs clear optic
Same exposure and WB settings.

Very useful comparisons, but there is something to add, namely descriptions as to how you experience these various LEDs, in various situations. I mean the actual experience vs. pictures is not the same because we watch pictures on a web page (with more stuff on that page around that picture), in a room which has still more stuff that we can all see at the same time as that beamshot picture, such that actually what you show is not what you will experience when using it because our own white balance depends on the whole picture we see, so unless you watch in a dark room and only see the picture on the computer screen, what you see in reality is not what the picture shows. The more is on screen in the picture (the room) the better it is but it still won’t be the same so a description on whether “I get a pink feeling” experience occurs for example would be useful.

This is also a problem with beam patterns for cutoff lighting, actually even more so, which I analysed and explained on my website. I haven’t done this in in detail about the white balance, but I did mention on my site the issue with beam shots not showing what you experience due to perspective, the aim of your view (what you look at, and at what distance).

So various things that are obvious in your pictures may not be obvious in reality except in special circumstances. In your pictures the 219b shots I all see as pinkish, very unnatural, but perhaps in reality it works well in many situations, but not all situations! I ordered a D4V2 with 219b 4500K so I can try out different firmwares and try out these LEDs, will likely only arrive in a few weeks at best. I read comments that some people dislike the 219b in some situations, especially when there is snow, and that makes sense, it would give a pink glow then to what you see.

This is likely also my problem with the LH351D, in that the situation with lots of wood colours, things are off. I will do a beamshot session with the 219b 4500k, 219c 4000K, XML 4C, SST20 4000K and LH351D when the D4V2 arrives to see about the situations that I feel are problematic. I estimate that the SST20 4000K and 519A also ca. 4000K will be the best in giving good colours under all circumstances. I will try to get hold of some 519As in 4000K and 4500K…

Oh, something else, lit tail caps. According to Simon’s aliexpress pages of his lit tail caps, these take about 9-14 mA with a full battery, dropping off when the voltage drops. This would mean these suck an 18650 empty in a bit more than 10 days. That seems far too much (small LEDs don’t need so much power, e.g. you can run a 3mm standard LED that is rated to 20 mA at 1 mA and it will still be quite visible). In the thread “D.I.Y. Illuminated tailcap” a current is mentioned of 0.29mA, which is a lot better, that would take more than a year to drain an 18650 ca. 3400mAh battery.

Have you noticed such a high drain with those lit caps from Simon?

@swhs, thank you for the thoughtful analysis. You brought up some very good points…

1. Metal switch: The switch is nicely bright so I suspect it is draining on the high side. I have used the light continuously so can’t tell. When battery voltage is 4.2V, the current for blue light is 9.4 mA, when voltage is 3V then current drain decreases to 2.74 ma. How to calculate how long this will last in a 5000 mAh battery? Any expert please chime in if I’m wrong: Is it 5000mAh/9.4mA = about 500 hours minimum? Current drain goes down with lower voltage so I believe actual drain time will be longer than 500 hours.

2. This is obviously not the place for a lengthy photography discussion, but yes, there is NO replacement for “live view” and photography must be used in conjunction, not replacing. Where pictures are useful is when the difference is small, and when you need to confirm your suspicion in “live view.” One example is the Nichia E21a: I’ve read all sorts of posts, some hate it, some think it’s the second coming. Photography confirms for me that it looks very similar to 219b. Only photography could “freeze frame” (vs fleeting visual memory) what we see and allow us to share the scene, often enough “more reliable” than our words of description.

3. Magenta or not? Multiple discussions already and subjectively how nice it is, depends on personal preference, no right or wrong. I would like to emphasize that objectively, the 219b is unmatched in its CRI numbers. IOW it’s still the king, especially for the color red (R9). Used daily in nature or in my cluttered living room, it distinguishes subjects’ colors better. For this reason IMHO a 219b 4500k flashlight is a good first start for any light collection. And for various reasons the Convoy S21D with that LED is the very top choice for me.

4. Lastly IMHO, if I want a happy flashlight life, I would stop doing comparison :innocent: . Really, whether live view or photographically, comparison “magnifies” differences (partly why it’s so important for hobbyists). I never thought my SST20 4000k or LH351D 4000k were green until I compared them with 219b.

Yes, 500 hours.

That’s mainly why I don’t like the lighted switches: they are quite innefficient.

Ideally, they’d be sub 1mA so that the drain would not be noticed much.

Where are the objective data to show that the SW45K is unmatched in its CRI numbers? The SW45K has been famous for being a subjectively pretty emitter, but it has healthy company for R9080 rating.

Here are some actual objective data courtesy of Maukka:

E21A:

219B SW45K:

Optisolis:

SST20:

You are correct - thanks. E21a is outstanding and I actually mentioned it in my post above. :+1:

I have both Emisar 219b 4500k and Emisar E21a 4500k. I compared them with pictures and use them often Convoy S21D w/ legendary Nichia 219b :) - Review & comparison w/ Nichia 519a, E21a & other LEDs & lights (D4V2, Convoy S21F). - #16 by cannga . Both with my eyes and with photography, they look very similar (E21a a touch more yellow). So at least with the LED’s I have, subjectively IMHO E21a is nearly a 219b twin, meaning top-class CRI, but my opinion is to pass if you already have 219b, and partly why it didn’t get mentioned.

Thanks for the confirmation. :+1:

1 mA might be too dim to see? I have a Wurkkos TS21 that has the same problem with light button drain, but since it has Anduril I could change the light it to lower output setting. Don’t know what the drain is but then it’s so dim I can’t see it.

That depends actually.

Sub 1mA is very easy to see in the dark, especially if you’re willing to get a green/blue LED.

One other reason I recommend 219b over E21a @4500k is, at least with my Emisar, the E21a requires frosted optic 10623 which makes it looks dimmer, and too dim for me.

When I replaced that frosted optic with a clear one, brightness is better but then I discovered the beam shot has yellow greenish ring/corona. 219b 4500k with same clear optic still shows beautiful & smooth magenta beam.

The 219b is still the reigning champion for best beam and tint. It is something special.

My green lighted switches run at around 0.07mA (5.7 years on a 3500mAh battery) and blues at 0.15mA (2.6 years). Plenty bright under clear silicone switch boots.

The green 0805 SMD LEDs are by far the most efficient of the available colors.

My criteria is that I need to get a year or more run time with my lighted tail switches, given the color/battery combination.

What lit tailcap do you use, self made, modified, or say one of led4power’s ILCs ? And were any mods such as bleeder resistor required?
(I’m interested in one for a Jaxman E2L, for me same requirement: 1 year minimum runtime not using the main LED, low voltage protection would be nice but at 1 year not that essential)

Lately they’ve been the Convoy 16mm light switch for convoy S2+ S2 C8 C8+ S21A.

In the past, they were the Astrolux SC/SS/S2/S3 BLF X5/X6 Flashlight 2LED Lighting Switch For DIY. The Astrolux used to be cheaper and I like how it has 2 springs, but adding a bypass wire to the Convoy switch is pretty easy.

All of them are modified since I usually don’t like the brightness of the stock, or I make my own unique colors by mixing different color LEDs.

A bleeder resistor is usually needed for the driver, but some of the Convoy drivers are compatible with lighted switches.

Here’s an example of a modified lighted tailcap and a pic of some of my lighted tailcaps:

@NeutralFan that’s a beautiful collection of tail lights :+1: . So even when you use the Convoy tail lights you replace its LED and modify it?

Wonder why manufacturers can’t do the same thing you do?

Quite simple:

- Cost.

  • Battery drain in the current Convoy configuration.

Cost = more components and man hours to have the LEDs soldered.
Battery drain = LEDs draw power. With the default config, 5-10mA is very high.

Keep in mind too that different drivers respond differently to lighted tailcaps. I need to use more resistance for the same amount of brightness with a Mountain Electronics MTN-DDm driver than with a Convoy SST40 driver.

And people have different preferences on how bright they want them to be.

But if you like modding your flashlights, lighted tailcaps is a fun (and sometimes challenging) sidebar!

Wont neccessarily work. I tried it with mine.

The rubber boot requires this black plastic “spacer”? Not sure exactly whats its called, but since its not clear, it completely blocks the light from being visable at all.

EDIT: Nevermind, I just seen the lighted switch comes with a clear version of the plastic ring.