First off, I have been lurking around this forum for a few weeks doing research and gobbling up all the information I can get. What a wonderful resource this place is. My hats off the the operator.
I am looking at making my first budget LED purchase and I think I have an idea of what I want but I figured I would ask the fine people of the forum for their opinion and recommendations first.
The reason for purchasing this light is for some night time hiking, camping. I want something that isn’t to big but I am open to flashlights bigger then the Convoy M1&C8 if they fit the usage. I also would like good if not very good run time at least on medium for around the inside of the tent and campsite as I may not be able to charge it for a couple of days. Just for reference I have looked at larger flashlights like the Skyray King 3xCree I’m just not sure what the runtime is on something that size.
I am going to list what I have picked out so far with links to Banggood.com just for referance. I may or may not purchase from them, again your recommendation my sway me.
My first question, is the Convoy M1 a better light then the Convoy C8? What is the expected run time on both these flashlights? My second question, would you recommend a different flashlight altogether? If so which one? My third question, are the NCR 3400mAH 18650 batteries a good fit for this flashlight or are there better batteries for this application that might increase the run time. My forth question, the total for the items I listed above comes to just under $54 dollars does this sound about right? Should it cost more then the flashlight to power and recharge it?
I know this is a lot for a first post and I apologize. Thanks for taking the time to read it and I would appreciate any suggestions or help you may be able to supply.
Not very familiar with those lights since I tend to buy more recognized brand ones.
I don’t think there’s much difference between them other than some minor stuff and different modes on the lights, which is up to a persons preference.
You can see the beamshots are basically identical
That being said I think a headlamp would be better suited for camping and hiking, I myself have a crelant 7g5 v2 and I use it mainly as a defensive light. My Spark SX5 is my main light for everything else, it’s extremely handy since it can use sever cells and has enough light for general use while having a nice moonlight mode for reading or any other long lasting activity that requires a long lasting light.
I have to agree with “I think a headlamp would be better suited for camping and hiking”. I like the small Zebralight headlamp (H5x) in a neutral color”W suffix” but these are not budget. They do run long, long times on AA primaries.
No, the M1 isn't 'better' than the C8 in quality, but maybe better suited for a particular application. It's smaller head makes it more pocket-able, the C8's larger head throws better. I find the 2 mode groups annoying, I keep inadvertently switching between groups when using the light for short periods on low.
You can have one custom made and in your hands much faster from Mountain Electronics, Richard is a member here.
Choose the host, emitter, driver, firmware, built and tested for $4.50.
I've heard of some problems with the i4 missing termination with NiMH's, but don't have one myself. (It's a little cheaper there too, but without the DC cord.