If you remove the tube (the 18650 tube) and look at the driver there is an extra contact ring. This is what makes the dual 3/5 mode work. When tight the tube contacts this ring for 3 mode. When the SST50 driver is installed this will cause a direct short to the positive and a small amount of the end of the tube will need to be removed. On the one I modded to this driver the ”Straight” knurl part that holds the driver was NOT glued and was easy to unscrew from the finned reflector housing. This made it easy to remove the driver. The last two lights I have received were glued. HTH
They should throw same. I dont know for XML thrower wich can throw as these two (You must look for 60mm+ diammeter of the head and well driven light to be up to par with them)
There is one Small Sun light from manafont, with sideswitch, just 28$, with same width reflector but underdriven.
If moded, wich is not so easy, it can throw about like these two
Nice looking light. How does the quality & tailcap readings compare? Like I said bargains can be found. Scored a Uniquefire clone which was identical to the SR/FF after the Dinodirect CS dance cost me less than $25. Got a black&gold Marsfire on Ebay for $23 but the driver was weak at 1.5A vs 3.4A of the SR/FF.
Yeah they have memory but I would prefer that they start always on high as Small Sun T13.
@rikr - I had all three lights, and I admit I didnt have test them side by side.
But if Small sun is pulling onlyx 0,9A on the tailcap as many people say, and FF and SkRay 1,4A, well thats pretty big difference and its logical to conclude that they throw further than small sun.
Also, I noticed that small sun lit marker (church tower) 360 meters froom my house less than I remember it was lit with first 2 lights…
SMall SUn T13 is good thrower but very unfortunately, I so regret it, its not giving its full potential. WIth good driver it would throw maybe cca 80 meters more and thats not so small difference…
I dont know :o (regarding heat dissipation). I think you wont go wrong with any of these flashlights, and if you want your flashlight to throw as far as possible these are better than Small SUn T13.
(Although, I told you, Small SUn C10 will outhrow all of them, maybe even Jacob A10 flashlight, and these are 13-14$ gflashlights, but different, narrow beam, much less llight altogether)
Regarding STL-V2 - did someone managed to pull out its driver. think I tried one time, when driver burned out on one heavukly used flashlight, and I didnt find ta way to pull ut the driver apart from breaking it. There is one small edge/ridge? behind the driver and you cant pull it out to the back. YOu cant ppull it out from the front side either…
So… 100000dollar question is - did anyone managed to replace the driver on STL-V2???
Theres lots of reasons to change a driver. Get rid of flashy modes, different current outputs, itchy fingers to not leave something perfectly ok to something that may be worse and the list goes on.
It is described on DX as 5A SST50 driver. Only thing you have to do later is to cut circular isolator between driver and battery that only spring is out, not whole driver. It shines better with this driver, it was even better with 3xml kai driver, but it overheated quickly
The STL’s are more or less identical and they’re 50% brighter than the T13 (so 22% more throw). They also have the 3 or 5 mode selection and good (immediate) memory but the T13 is obviously a good value proposition at half the price.