The flashlight was sent to me by Convoy for review.
Here's the product's listing: Convoy M3
As with most Convoys, the packaging is pretty simple, with the M3 containing just 2 thick o-rings that can be used as an 18650 to 26650 adapter.
(My unit came is a thin paper box, but Simon informed me that from now on the M3 ships in a hard craft box) 
The M3 comes with excellent matte black anodization and is e-switch operated.
Judging by its chalky feel, the anodization is probably HA III.
The head of the flashlight has some heatsinking grooves, while the body is covered by a squared pattern that helps in grip.
The e-switch is very tactile.
It's protected by a rubber boot and is secured in place via a polished metal retainer.
The XHP70.2 emitter (mine is 5000K) is seated inside an orange peel reflector and is perfectly centered.
Here's a closer look at the disassembled reflector setup.
The emitter is mounted on a copper DTP board.
Two screws make sure that the the PCB doesn't rotate while the reflector is installed.
The tail of the M3 is flat, which allows it to tail stand with no problem.
Thanks to the dual cutout, a lanyard can be installed.
Of course, the rear end houses the spring assembly.
Keeping up with the tradition, the M3 comes with spring bypasses for maximum power efficiency.
The head houses the 6V boost driver which is secured in place via a brass retainer.
Just like with the tail spring, the driver is also spring bypassed.
The tail comes with thick, square cut, anodized threads.
Great lubrication from the factory.
The head side threads are identical to the tail's minus the missing anodization.
User Interface
The M3 uses a simple and easy to remember UI.
Here's all the supported actions by the flashlight's firmware.
Turn on/off: Single press.
Mode cycle: Long press (Low > Medium > High > Turbo > Low > ...)
Turbo: Double press while off
Low: Long press while off.
The driver comes with mode memory and LVP.
Output
In order to get my measurements I used my DPS5020 bench power supply set at 4.1V.
Here's the output of each mode along with the respective current draw.
Turbo gave me 4203 lumen which is quite close to the advertised 4300Lumen rating and it's an impressive number for a single cell flashlight.
I also measured the parasitic drain at 184μΑ.
Output and Thermal Regulation
Here's the output regulation graph I created for all the available modes.
What we can see in the graph:
- Turbo is fully regulated down to 3.7V
- Once the battery drops below 3.7V, Turbo is no longer accessible and will stepdown immediately.
- High mode is fully regulated down to 3.2V
- Medium is fully regulated down to 3.0V
- Low is fully regulation for the whole span of the battery.
- (Not shown in graph) LVP kick in at 2.7V
Based on my graph, I am really impressed with the power regulation achieved by the M3.
Good job Simon 
And here's a 15min thermal regulation graph.
What we can see from the graph:
- Turbo is sustainable for 96secs. After that, the light will stepdown to 1650 lumen.
- At any point ( did that 3 times during testing), Turbo can be invoked.
- The duration of the re-invoked Turbo will depend on the flashlight's temperature.
- The stepdown mode is fully sustainable and regulated.
As you can see, the thermal regulation of the flashlight is also excellent.
The head's temperature never got too hot to handle, even after 3 consequent Turbo re-invocations.
Outdoor Beamshots
Tree at 30m
White house at 75m
And the entire road lit up
As you might can guess, this is another great flashlight from Convoy.
It pretty match matches the L6's performance (in terms of output - the beam is of course floodier in the M3) at a more compact form factor.
Update: 01.02.2020
Thermal Pad Mod
Today I decided to do a little Mod on the M3.
I received a thermal pad from eBay (they are sold for dirt cheap).
Cut two strips, split the strips in squares, stacked them and placed them inside the driver's groove.
I made sure to align everything so that the conductor sits directly on top of the thermal pads.
And the results.
This time stepdown occured at 2:40, which means that I got an extra minute of Turbo sustainability
Nice review, could you please tell me how you did the nice graphs? Do you have an automated setup somehow that takes values and plots them into a table/graph? thanks.
Good review, thanks.
Convoy M3 has 4 selection of tints that will suit well for customer need which is really greats!
Convoy M3 CREE XHP70.2 :
In search of the most ideal flashlight in town:
1. BRIGHTNESS
2. Durabillity
3. Design
4. Quality
5. Price$$$
Wow, this seems like a very well rounded flashlight!
I’d adjust mode spacing a bit and maybe add some more modes but this is still decent.
At 184μΑ a 4000mAh battery fully charged would drain itself in 2.48 years. Or 3.37% per month
A few Qs, do the different temp emitters have the same lumen outputs, is the lens AR coated and anyone know if my old King Kong 4000mAh 26650s will be able to fuel this beast?
The Journal of Alternative Facts™
"It is critical that there is a credible academic source for the growing and important discipline of Alternative Facts. This field of study will just keep winning, and we knew that all the best people would want to be on board. There is a real risk in the world today that people might be getting their information about science from actual scientists."
I have mine in. I like it very much. It does seem to do a bit better with the Golisi 4300mah over the litokal 5000mah
Chuck Roxas
Thanks for the review. Looks like temperature regulation needs improvement, but overall very nice light.
BTW, where did you get that 21700 to 26650 O-ring?
In search of the most ideal flashlight in town:
1. BRIGHTNESS
2. Durabillity
3. Design
4. Quality
5. Price$$$
O-rings come with the light. I’m using the Shockli IMR26650 5500mAh battery however and it’s bright. Very happy with the light even in mode spacing. My only gripe is that turbo cuts out at too low a temperature. With its mass the light is just starting to feel warm when turbo cuts off. It took several turbo resets to get it warm. Some resets only a second long.
Regarding the output vs light’s temperature, in theory colder temperatures produce more lumen.
With that being said, I would suggest to leave the output hunting game aside and pick the a tint that you like, cause nothing can beat a tint that’s pleasant to your eyes
As said, the ultra thick o-rings arrived with the flashlight!
In lumen monsters i want raw brightness.
In other lights i go for neutral colours for aesthetics.
The Journal of Alternative Facts™
"It is critical that there is a credible academic source for the growing and important discipline of Alternative Facts. This field of study will just keep winning, and we knew that all the best people would want to be on board. There is a real risk in the world today that people might be getting their information about science from actual scientists."
In the past I was all about raw output in each and every light.
Times change, and now I appreciate a nice tint and CRI
Even in a floody light if the output is high enough you’ll have way more blowback/backscatter from a cooler temp. I see beamshot vids all the time where you can’t see what they’re aiming the light at, at all.
You can never have too many lumens, if you wash out one situation then you an find another where you don’t have enough. That said lights have modes for this reason.
The Journal of Alternative Facts™
"It is critical that there is a credible academic source for the growing and important discipline of Alternative Facts. This field of study will just keep winning, and we knew that all the best people would want to be on board. There is a real risk in the world today that people might be getting their information about science from actual scientists."
Is that a timed step down?
It’s a thermal sensor set so low that it trips in about 30-45 seconds. Light barely feels warm when it steps down. Repeated turbo clicks after that last 1-3 seconds.
That’s a shame. Looks like a good light otherwise.
I don’t mean the output is too high, but rather that the cooler the temp the more light scatters in the air and the more the beam is visible… which wrecks eye adaptation and obscures whatever you’re pointing the beam at.
I wonder if anyone has tried to put some thermal pads on top of the driver to dissipate the excess heat.
That way the Turbo runtime should be increased.
I might try to purchase some pads online and see if things improve (they should).
Well then the obvious solution is even more lumens
The Journal of Alternative Facts™
"It is critical that there is a credible academic source for the growing and important discipline of Alternative Facts. This field of study will just keep winning, and we knew that all the best people would want to be on board. There is a real risk in the world today that people might be getting their information about science from actual scientists."
I just ran it partially with the electronics outside the host. The driver slightly heated up then kicked in the drop. I believe she is just programmed too low on temp kick in. I don’t have any on hand but a big dab of thermal doping will probably help. In or out, kick in is about the same time
Niiiice. That’s the first time I see a comparison with the L6, a torch I always wanted but couldn’t get. Also more compact form factor but most importantly single-cell, with all the quality-of-life advantages of it such as no need to pair batteries from the same batch or needing a 2-bay charger to charge it in one go.
That’s not right. 5000k is neutral white, not “cold”.
I just received mine. It only took one week to ship to the UK
Its bigger than I thought, definitely not pocketable, and feels very solid. Usual good Convoy quality. I am very impressed with the output, and I actually like the UI. Admittedly I have not had it long so the delay in switching modes might begin to be annoying. I am not worried by the thermal sensitivity really, as I tend to use 100% power rarely and most often when showing the light off. On the lower modes the massive runtime is much more useful to me. It seems pretty fool proof so will be the light I lend to my wife when she goes camping with her youth group.
I wonder if the next generation will adjust the current issues, which would make this light a must have.
Bonum commune communitatis.
Yarp.
Mine does the opposite 3 dim slowly 1 goes off straight away.
Just got mine today the 5000k version, to be honest I find it a bit 'warm' wish I had ordered 6500k now.
Comparing to my others below, maybe I'm used to the white of Sofirn lights
I bought the convoy m3 came to the defective light is running in turbo does not go to other modes problem did not understand my driver
works in the turbo warms up the battery quickly finishes
I can only get either an iJoy INR26650 4200mAh – continue 40A pulse 85A or an Efest IMR26650 5000mAh – continue 18A pulse 45A.
Which would be best for longer Turbo enjoyment?
nice thanks for the review.
Thermal Pad Mod
Today I decided to do a little Mod on the M3.
I received a thermal pad from eBay (they are sold for dirt cheap).
Cut two strips, split the strips in squares, stacked them and placed them inside the driver's groove.
I made sure to align everything so that the conductor sits directly on top of the thermal pads.
And the results.
This time stepdown occured at 2:40, which means that I got an extra minute of Turbo sustainability
First off thanks for the insightful review!
I ended buying 2 of these but with all the craziness going on in the world it’s been a month and no trackable movement so now I am getting antsy and want to start planning mods haha. Anyway, based on relative size to the diode I guess the MCPCB to be 20mm in diameter and I was hoping someone may be able to confirm? Also could anyone give me a model number from the driver if one can be found?
Long time lurker BTW, this is one of the first times I couldn’t just dig up the info I needed through searches lol.
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