When I was reading through my old messages from Simon, he said that he will be making a XHP version in the future. Letās hope that it will have a one piece tube like the Jax X6. Or better yet, have a larger head too. J) :evil:
I canāt make any promises about a bigger head but Iām fairly certain the one piece tube is going to happen. I will do my best to make sure of it. I took my new L2 outside with what I figured was my best comparison light. My comparison light is a favorite of mineā¦ a XinTD C8 with spring bypass in the tail, FET driver (Wights A17DD-S08) XM-L2 U3 1A (dome on) on a 20mm Noctigon putting out 1580 at the start and 1525 lumens at 30 seconds in turbo and pulling 4.84A at the tail on a freshly charged LG HE2. The lumen numbers are from a trusted, calibrated light sphere owned by a good friend. I donāt have one myself so my comparison is my eyes only. My New L2 is running on the only 26650 I own which is a King Kong 4000 mAh ICR26650 also freshly charged. When I took them outside (I live far from the city, nice and dark) to my naked eye the L2 probably puts out a few less lumens but has a noticeably tighter hotspot and throws further. Iām also much happier with this driver than any other Convoy I own. The 3 modes are very well configured. The low is not moon but it is lower than standard low, medium is just what it should be and the high is sweet. I also tested the hidden strobe which worked perfectly and was not once triggered by accident in an hour of fiddling. I am honestly far more impressed with the stock form than I expected to be. In my opinion this light has HUGE modding potential. It will be even better IMO with the double 26650 tube. When some of you skilled flashlight builders have at this thing itās going to be absolutely amazing! Iāve always been a fan of Simonās work but this one exceeded my expectations. Iām looking forward to a few more expert opinions. :bigsmile:
So that cuts out the option of any single cell builds, 2x series only.
Why would you say that? Nobody is asking him to stop making the existing host, just that he add a double cell tube option for those that want it. I sure do. Like KawiBoy1428 said. This is not an EDC light. Itās heavy. Built like a tank. IMO because of the massive yet beautifully styled head the tube seems a little short. Large hands will find they need more to grip and I think it will just overall balance the light much better. Donāt get me wrong, I love the existing designā¦but I will love a longer tube even more.
I honestly donāt care about the driver or LED as long as it takes extension tubes.
An extension tube would allow 1 cell or 2 cell use. As far as I can tell the only reason for a one piece 3x 2x series tube is to be able to beat people over the head with it. 
Now I do like having that option (for self defense) I wouldnāt want to sacrifice the ability to do 1 cell non-series builds. Like an XM-L fet driver build. This upcoming new design L2 will have a side switch, right? Totally different than this current L2. Attiny85 side switch fw.
~ edit ~ 3x 2x
3x series would allow for extended runtime with 6v LEDs and a buck driver or potentially using a boost driver with a 12v LED.
Just talking abiut the current model here. How is a 2 cell solid tube any less versatile? Yiu just swap between the single cell and double cell tubeā¦ Whenever you like.
So Simon is willing to produce a 2 cell solid tube while continuing to sell the single cell tube as well? Iām all for that.
I cannot guarantee that he is willing yet, but that is what Iām pushing for. Iād like him to continue to sell the current L2 and just offer the longer tube and OP reflector as add-on items. I think part of him wants to just drop this L2 and move on the XHP version. I certainly donāt want to slow him down on that project but it would be a real shame to scrap the current L2. I really like it. There is so much aluminum there to absorb heat itās just begging for power. In my testing last night after 5 minutes my XinTD was warm but the L2 was just as cool as the second I turned it on. Yeah itās not pushed very hard stock but still I see a lot of potential here. I have a host being sent to a friend who will put some power behind it. Iām really looking for some feedback from someone with modding skills.
IMHO, another critical change that Simon has to make is to make the pill accepts 21mm driver instead of the 17mm one.
It is easy to fit a 17mm in a 21mm opening (i.e. using a contact board or something), but it is very difficult to fit a 21mm buck driver āinā a 17mm opening.
This is why we had so much troubles to find a high current buck driver for the 1405, until Richard came out with something excellent.
Damn. hate you convoy!
Spend 40$ today. |(
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Yesā¦ I did buy the L2. :bigsmile: :party: 0:)
Just submitted the order for the L2 host, along with 1 blue S2+ host, and blue and red pairs of shorty adapters 
. Thanks!!
I think youāll be quite happy with all of them. The short tubes are perfectly machined and work like a charm. I bought one of each color too. :bigsmile: I canāt wait for the clip. That for me is whatās really going to make the shorty a great EDC light. And Iāve already said it but it bears repeating. I love the new L2. Itās built like a tank.
This host looks excellent. The only draw back I can see is the 17mm driver opening. IMHO I think it should be 22mm, this would give much better driver options.
bibihang, Richard has the high current 17mm MTN-MAX driver? It can still handle big currents & has been tested to withstand lots of stress tests. The 22mm version is probably better, but Iām not sure if its necessary?
I think its important that Simon makes sure that thereās enough height in the driver cavity for the driver to fit - the inductor takes up some space.
For single cell as it is now, the 17mm driver is perfect - lots of options, but of course I only want a FET+1 anyway. But yes, for 2-3 cell options, the bigger driver is almost a definite.
Ohh btw - Simon gave me 15% off the entire order 
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Wish I could jury rig an e-switch in this light though - would be perfect for my new 45/85 e-switch firmware (in here: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/34900). I always preferred e-switch's, but now, it's a whole new realm with almost all the bells and whistles, and room to add even more features. Just give me a side mounted switch with 2 wires hanging off of it in the pill, and I'll be happy.
Thanks shrick.
FYI - All of this has been communicated with Simon as well as 20mm for the MCPCB.
Yes, I do aware of Richardās buck driver, in fact Iām running it in my modded 1405 now and it rocks.
But,
- The price of the 17mm MTN-MAX high profile buck driver itself is quite reasonable actually, but for those who live outside USA, the shipping fee is insanely expensive, which is not quite affordable to many people.
2. This is not to say that Richardās driver isnāt good (in fact they are awesome), but larger pill opening means more driver options available. For example if I already have a 21mm buck driver in my storage box I can use it in the light directly, donāt need to order another driver for that matter.
3. Who knows Richard or other fellow BLF members will design an even better buck driver in the future, but comes in the size of 21mm?
4. If you want to use a 17mm driver in a pill with 21mm opening, it isnāt difficult. You can simply add a contact board to your 17mm driver, or press-fit a brass ring into the opening to āconvertā the opening diameter.
Just some humble thoughts. 