I recently received two Convoy S2+ flashlights.
One is the newer desert tan with a warm XPL-HI U4-7A and 7135 × 8. The other is a grey $6.99 bargain that I bought to modify. That one has a cold white XML2 U2 1B and 7135 × 6.
I was surprised how different they are. The build quality is similar. Both have good fit and finish, for the price. Both use the same UI with two modes. I’ve put both of them into the no strobe mode for now.
Now for the differences:
PWM on the grey one is audible. I can’t hear the tan one but I have high frequency hearing loss.
The $12.99 desert tan light came in a sturdy box with cut foam. The bargain came is a flimsy box with a bit of bubble wrap.
The desert tan light has a more elaborate lanyard. At first glance, I’m not sure which one is better. We shall see. It also has a clip while the grey one does not. The clip is black powder coated and looks functional. It is in the box photo above but doesn’t show up.
The tan (brown?) host is about 1mm longer. The heads are different.
….
I was expecting the tail switches to be different. The grey switch is much like my L6.
My Convoy Collection:
Nice, I have been considering a tan one.
Someone at Convoy needs to get their machinery/settings adjusted though – those ‘Convoy’ logo’s are very crooked, annoyingly so when all stood up!
Unfortunately my eyes get easily drawn to stuff like that, and then it’s all I see! must be ocd or something lol!
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Nice
The Convoy collection is growing 
And…let us see the mods you’ll perform 
Do you mind to take a beamshot comparison between these new two S2+? I’ve been thinking about the 7A tint and how it looks!
I thank you in advance
BTW, just to confirm, the Desert Tan version was the only one of my 5 S2+ that arrived in that neat box
)
And I had one if the with the “old” driver, but I don’t remember hearing it! I then replaced that driver for a Biscotti one and I must say I prefer it (no trouble when going through the modes
Enjoy your lights
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I’ll get to beam shots in a day or two. The two lights, my tripod and my camera are all in different places.
Didn’t think anyone would want them since the S2+ has been reviewed more than once.
U4-7A looks quite yellow especially against the U2-1B. The U2-1B looks brighter too despite the 6×7135. U2-1B is too bright on low.
I haven’t had a chance to use the 7A outside yet.
Thanks, and no problem with the time
I just found it funny because I have at least 5 different tints from LEDs bought on Convoy store (XML2 U2-1A, XML2 T6-3B, XML2 T6-4C, XPL-HI U6-3A and XPL-HI U6-4C) but I have none of those 2 you have, so I am just curious to see how they look
When you have the time and tools, no worries
Thanks in advance!!!
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Usually the types without rubber switchcover come with the luxurious box, other lanyard and clip. The drivers are the same, the head of the tan is different due to the extra mount for the clip, so you can reverse it.
Plus, the tail of the S2+ is slightly longer due to the internal structure for the metal switch, although this difference doesn’t seem to register on the other S2+ with metal buttons!!
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I have a xml-2 7A3 tint and it’s very close to a tungsten light. Nice warm yellowish tone. On lower settings it’s very pleasant. On higher settings it seems a bit dimmer. Then again mine is driven only to 0.9 amp.
Really ? i have 5 lights and the logos looks straight to me…
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+1 for the Convoy 7A tint. Very nice, and very close to incandescent. If you like warm tints, it’s a must-have, especially at the budget price.
Same here, my Sand and Blue models ordered from Simon at the end of Nov. look straight to me (but i guess my eyes could be crooked lol). I think the way the logo is designed can play some tricks too. The combo of italics, different size letters, and the first letter sitting on top of the tail of the last letter might skew the brain’s idea of parallel lines.
That said, my magnets fit the Sand perfectly (goes in a little then friction fits the rest of the way). But the same magnets can go in and out of the tail of the Blue S2+ without even touching. When i sent Simon a message wondering if this was within his tolerances or not he simply said “the oxide layer has error”.
So who knows, maybe they do need to make adjustments and these lights will look crooked beside later S2+‘s. I think they are still worth getting even if the logo was super jacked, but i can understand how seeing something that doesn’t look right can make one wonder about the other aspects of the product. Also might be of note (as others have already stated) that the Sand’s head is unique…read new… even compared to the other metal switch models, so maybe the tolerances are closer to original on that model (all tolerances can vary somewhat even on the most expensive equipment due to age, wear, environmental conditions, or my favorite like Goose said calibration, etc…).
Also if you decide to get a Sand S2+, i believe the Biscotti firmware in a stock light is only available from Simon.
Should my information be incorrect in the slightest please inform me as i am always learning as well and may not recollect everything properly. ALSO, ANYTHING I WRITE PLEASE TAKE WITH A THOUSAND GRAINS OF SALT AND YOUR OWN LIABILITY, AS YOU SHOULD WITH ALL INFORMATION.
Thanks for the comparison!
The S2+ Sand colored is considered a bit more premium and hence costs double even while in discount.
As for the audible PWM, it’s most probably due to bad grounding.
Try to improve the soldering of the driver to the pill and tighten the tail retaining ring after cleaning the tail’s inner threads first.
Quick beam shots in my office. Far from ideal but should give a general idea. Camera is a Panasonic Lumix GF2. 100 ASA 1/60 sec f/3.5
I do like U4-7A a lot more than the U2-1B which I find cold and harsh.
U4-7A is close to the same colour as tungsten but has an odd “yellow” feel to it. If you have 80 CRI 2500 or 3000k LEDs at home you may know what I mean. It is very similar.
The photos are close to what the beam patterns look like to my eyes. Camera is too close to get the edges. I’ll try and get some outdoor shots when I can. Colours is close but doesn’t accurately reflect the slight oddness of the U4-7A.
Andrew_Debbie, thank you very much for taking the time to take these beamshots!!
Indeed, the 7A is much more “yellowish” than my taste actually allows to use! But, it is not bad, just not my preference
The XML2 T6-4C is not so warm and seems to be less “odd” !
The 1B seems to be a mix of Neutral and Cold white, right?
If I had to make a comparison, it is not so blue as the XML2 U2-1A, but maybe not so neutral as the XML2 T6-3B (for what can be seen from the images)!
Thank you once again for taking the photos
Best regards!!
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Thanks for posting the photos!
Yes, it’s not as good as incandescent light, but it’s the only “budget” light I know of that sells a stock ~3000K emitter. It makes a great tail-stand light when watching a movie.
So far my favourite is the 4000K 5A tint in my BLF A6. It is slightly yellow but not as warm as a tungsten.
The A6 is a far more expensive light so it isn’t exactly a fair comparison.
I’m going to keep the tan S2+ stock. The warm emitter complements the colour of the host.
The grey one is getting modded. I’d need to take it apart anyway to cure the PWM noise.
Have to see if I can find any 90 CRI emitters. I’ve got some reading to do.
http://www.nichia.co.jp/specification/products/led_spec/NVSW219CT-E(3555E)Rnn%20R70%20R8000%20R9050.pdf
Now that you talk about it…it may work well!! Specially with diffuser like those sold by Convoy!
Well, this may not be a bad tint at all
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Diffuser? Make one for free!
Right. But how much is that laptop diffuser film?
I was talking more about this one
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Max-inner-diameter-24-5mm-flash...
I have 2 of them and use 1 in a flashlight for bedside standing after falling asleep! It helps to diffuse the light in more directions, like a candle
Works very well, specially in moonlight or low modes, to not harm night vision ! 
I thought about that kind of diffuser, or DC-Fix, but for other purposes! For a room light, my guess is that the one from Convoy will be better!
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Free!
You can salvage it out of any old electronic device that uses a back-lit screen. Old laptop, old smartphone, old TV, etc.
Thanks for the YouTube video. Informative but obviously, you and Mascaratum are talking about two different diffuser types. lol Your diffuser is purely directional and has its purpose. I’m looking for something similar to Mascaratum’s suggestion. I made a mistake of buying the Nitecore NDF beam diffusers. They’re alright and seem well-made, but the light that they give is too harsh for me. I’d like something that can do a Gary Fong Lighsphere for flashlights. Something that can diffuse light in all directions but gives a wide field of very soft illumination. An effective strong diffuser for flashlights that can eliminate harsh shadows. Oh, and not as overpriced as the Lightsphere, or course.
You know that more expensive does not automatic mean that it is better?
Kaidomain sells the 4000K 219C which is quite nice.
http://www.kaidomain.com/p/S026300.Nichia-219C-Neutral-White-4000K-CRI92-LED-Emitter-with-KDLIGHT-3535-16-16mm-x-1_5mm-DTP-Copper-MCPCB
Thanks for the link.
Of course more expensive does not automatically equal better.
The BLF A6 on sale is about three times the price of the $6.99 S2+.
The A6 is currently my favorite and the one I use. It is a good overal balance of the various compromises. — flexibility vs. complexity. – size vs. power – throw vs. flood.
It also feels a little better in my hand than the S2+.
At the moment the Grey S2+ is doing glovebox duty in the LEAF. Winters are dark in North Wales. The tan one will probably go in the car after I break the grey one trying to mod it.
http://budgetlightforum.com/node/42208
this discussion about lanterns is always a difficult one because a diffuser wand will almost always look like a bare lightbulb and no one wants to be anywhere near a bare bulb throwing out 800+ lumensone answer is a shade and I’ve been playing with a few paper shades .. not as nice as my avatar >
http://www.surrounding.com/Products/Akari/Noguchi_Lamp_1AD.asp
υμεις εστε το φως του κοσμου ου δυναται πολις κρυβηναι επανω ορους κειμενη
Dc-fix diffuser film >… http://budgetlightforum.com/node/42208
Now there is an idea I hadn’t though of.
A local firm makes paper lamp shades. Maybe I can get them to make one to sit over an S2+ or other single 18650 lights.
Just unsoldered the leads of my $7 S2+.
Under the MCPCB the was a dab of thermal paste of less than 4 mm in diameter. Somewhat disappointing….
I got the $7 S2+ today and overall, the construction is high quality and holding in the hand feels like a solid product.
But, there isn’t too much throw, very much flood type projection.
Is that what’s expected of this particular config?
thx
Yes
after spending a day, seems like a keeper for $7. I will give away the other S2 as a gift.
Is a particular config of S2+ that is a thrower? thx
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