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.
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.
When I can’t find any reviews done by HKJ, I try these two other resources:
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.
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”.
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.
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.
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.
Depending on you use, the 8* version could be too powerful, making the lower modes not very useful for extended usage. My advice comes from using the light as a tool and not as a bunny burner or toy.
I have the 6* version and while at 100% it’s nice and bright, it takes less than 1 minute for the head to start heating up noticeably, and at 3 minutes the light starts becoming uncomfortable to hold. The 8* will be even worse, especially since brightness does not linearly scale with current after some point, and the two extra regulators will heat up too. Note that the driver of the light has no thermal limiting so temperature will keep rising if left unchecked. I would personally get the 4* version if I could go back in time.
Tint is preference and 1A tint falls into the most efficient U2 bin. Note that it’s quite bluish and green outdoors nature will lack contrast and be suboptimal. I like the 3B tint for general outdoors usage, it’s neutral with a very slight greenish tint.
The metal tail switch also comes with the green color. It’s a shiny desaturated green that I think looks good and is not very flashy. Simon’s shop on Ali is the best source I think.
