Review: Convoy S2+ (the red one!) – Fantastic 18650 EDC

Hi everyone, I just put together an S2+ from a host, qlite linear driver, and XPL HI V2 3D from mtnelectronics. I haven’t seen much info about a domeless XPL in this light, so I thought I would share my experience with it. I am very happy with the beam. I measured 2.9A on 100% and approximately 9300cd. I really like the driver; it works as it should with no visible PWM. I got the guppy FW with the user selectable mode groups. The customizability is nice.

In this beamshot, the wall is 3m away, and the tape measure up against the wall is pulled out to 1m. The spill directly from the LED just about fills the frame horizontally. For me, it is a very nice combination of flood and throw with a smooth transition from the hot spot to the spill.

And a pleasant color free beam from the XPL Hi.
I’m thinking of not buying more XML’s as I can’t stand the carnival beamshots with yellow corona and magenta spill anymore.
DC-Fix can cure it but then the spot gets too wide of my taste.
I want to mod all my XML’s to XPL Hi in bin 3D or 4A(hard to find).

(Perhaps Don was right after all…).

I’m thinking of getting the 2.8A variety of the S2+ and have trouble deciding on which type of cell to go for. Does anyone know at what voltage the driver turns off? If it’s something very conservative like 3.4-3.5V (doubtful) then the most recent high-current, high capacity cells like the LG HG2 and Samsung 30Q would be preferable.

Also, do those kind of drivers draw a constant current from the battery or do they operate variably (constant current when battery has high voltage, direct drive once battery voltage drops after a point).

The driver will behave close to this one:
lygte-info.dk/review/DriverTest%20Qlite%20Rev.A%207135x8%20Multiple%20Modes%20UK.html

Constant current until the battery voltage falls to the forward voltage of the LED at that current, then close to direct drive. If you want 2.8A regulation for as long as possible, choose a cell that maintains at least 3.55V at 2.8A for as long as possible. The 30Q is a good choice in this regard. www.lygte-info.dk has a large database of cell discharge curves if you haven’t seen it before.

Thanks for linking to the driver test. And I’m using HJK’s comparator to decide on what cell to use. Since I doubt I’ll be using the 100% mode for anything more than short bursts (since the light gets very hot quickly) I’m gonna go with a pair of Samsung 35Es that have comparable loaded voltage at lower currents and also greater capacity. Also it seems like the good ’ol Panny is completely inferior to the 35E in both capacity and voltage so I won’t give it a second thought

That Samsung 35E appears to be dated. The best 3500 mAh cell is the Sanyo/Panasonic NCR18650GA, available at most places. The GA is superior to the 35E and is the current state-of-the-art offering, and the LG MJ1 is a close 2nd to the GA.

The Samsung 30Q is considered the best high performance at 3000 mAh, while the GA is considered a good balance of runtime and performance. I’m pretty much buying only 30Q’s and GA’s at this time, and I got tons of 18650’s.

Unfortunately HKJ hasn’t reviewed the best, latest offerings in cells - believe me, I literally begged him to test these. You might find them under a different brand label though.

HKJ recently reviewed the Samsung INR18650 30Q cells: “[link]”:Test/Review of Samsung INR18650-30Q 3000mAh (Pink)

As for doing the rest, I’d cut him some slack. HKJ has done 155 reviews in the last six months. That’s an average of almost one review every day! That’s simply awesome. :beer:

When I can’t find any reviews done by HKJ, I try these two other resources:

:wink:

EDIT: Link to Mooch’s list of battery tests: Links To All 21700, 26650, 18350, 18500 Battery Tests | E-Cigarette Forum
Previous link was to battery recommendations.

I’ve decided on the black, 2100mA, T6-3B model. Thanks for all the information you provided. I’ve decided that for EDC the 2800mA mode would be a waste (flashlights are mostly tools for me, I don’t care about showing off), and I find the 3B tint more agreeable for outdoor usage.

It’s regrettable that the black and gray models don’t have the new metal switch (I’m a grumpy guy that dislikes colors). At least they have modified the tailcap wings so the standard clip fits.

:slight_smile:

I’ve just received my blue S2+. Looks very nice, very bright, first convoy I have.
However one thing disturbs me a bit - sometimes I can’t change mode when pressing button just for a part of a second - it stays on the same level. When I press button little bit longer (let’s say half of second) - mode changes and then very short press can change the modes further. When I stop on some mode for a while - again very short press does not work and need to be used “half second press”.

Is that something typical in this light?

I think it has more to do with how long the light has been on in that mode, and not so much to do with how long you press the button. It’s not a defect, just the way the Nanjg driver was designed. It’s what we call “On-Time” memory.

Thank you very much for the explanation pilotdog68! :slight_smile:

The metal button was too tempting, so I ordered a green S2+ with a T6 3B + 7135x6 config from Simon’s store. And I also god the nice clip (seems better in quality compared to the old stainless steel one with the screws and nuts that secures in the tailcap wing).

This is excellent! T6-3B LED and 6x7135 driver. The tint is so nice compared to the bluish 1C. Needless to say, I’m really amazed at the output (this is my first 18650 light) and machining quality is excellent. The new clip design is pretty nice, allows for deep pocket carry. and can be placed on 3 different locations.

With a 8x7135 driver, roughly how long can the S2+ be kept in high before it gets “too hot”?
(In warm ambient temperatures).

Does anyone know what the metric thread count is for the S2+? It's super close to 20 TPI SAE but it's obviously in metric.

The Blue S2+ has a 1.25mm pitch though its not a V thread. Its more a type of acme thread.

S2+ has a 1.25mm pitch metric thread. It is a 60° V thread, just truncated. (tips are cut off) You can cut the threads with a standard 60° threading tool.

Where is everyone buying Convoy products these days?

Here I guess! http://www.aliexpress.com/store/330416