I got mine 2 weeks ago, just got around to it. It has a nice bright beam, nice tint, not too ringy, but a horrible mushy clicky. I am not a “modder”, but am curious about the two below questions:
Is there a clicky switch I can simply swap out
There is a sleeve for 3 AA batteries, but none for the 18650. The battery rattles a bit with a single 18650. Any fixes to this?
1. Yes, but I’m not sure what size you’ll need for this particular light (maybe someone else can chime in)
2. Mine came with a nice 18650 sleeve, but lots of people use thin pvc, or cardboard, or any number of things.
Curious on the shipping time to the U.S. for those that have ordered. Mine shipped out on the 13th of this month so it hasn’t been quite two weeks yet. What are folks seeing for their orders?
I shouldn’t presume to speak for OL, but here goes:
- resistor removal brings the unit from 5 modes to 4
- positive move means more current (so brighter)
- capacitor mod means that the light starts on high every time, so you don’t end up accidentally blinking
- locating rings on stock are a little high around the emitter, so the hotspot had a hard cutoff (and maybe loss of light)
- noctigons are way better for heat transfer than stock stars
- 22g wires have less resistance (so brighter) than the stock wires
- copper braid on springs = brighter
grease good
On another note, I know for a fact that OL put thermal grease of some description under the star. If you did absolutely nothing else, this one mod is a must. Otherwise, you run the risk of cooking the emitter and experiencing premature led death.
People (including me) have gotten the old xm-l instead of the newer xm-l2 in these lights. If you have the old one, take it up with GB customer support. My case isn’t totally resolved yet, but signs point to positive.
Presume away, I didn’t even see that post. What you said is correct. Thermal paste is needed for all of them, as none of them have any. I use Arctic Alumina, but Fujik or others will work. Any paste for CPUs will work.
Mine has been working reliably. I only added heat sink compound today. The fit and finish of mine is very good. It uses resistors instead of current regulator chips to control the current, but that is not a serious problem unless you want very high output. I expect to retire it soon, only because it is not a zoomy. I don’t have a Convoy to compare it to, or intend to get one.
Not the same type of platform, the F13 is more like the C8, the S2 is a slimmer EDC style more floody than throwy type light (shorter thinner reflector unlike the C8 or F13 wide long reflector)
Have you tried the spring bypass yet for more current? (aka soldering braid wick or a 22ga or thicker wire from the top of the spring to the bottom of the spring for better current flow)
Quick question on this (to OL or anyone); I’ve haven’t yet gotten into any modding, though it sounds interesting and a lot of fun. Do all lights need this thermal paste or just certain ones? For example, I have lights like the Sipik SK68 and SK98 as well as the TF A8 and now the F13’s are on the way (as well as various no-name lights from different sources). Would it be advisable to put thermal paste on all of these types of CREE LED lights? And if so, is there a good instructional vid to look at to know where and how much and any other tips and tricks? This sounds like something that I need to learn to do but want to learn to do it right.