I currently have a c8+ Sst40 and an S12 LH351D. I am looking at getting a second LH351D light that has a bit more throw than the S12, but more floody than my c8.
Hoping someone might be able to suggest an option / has some experience with some of the options.
Two options I had been thinking of:
C8+ LH351d unsure if this will be much floodier than my Sst40?
M21b - I think I have read Simon may be able to do these with the lh351d, will this end up a mid range?
I really like the S12 and cri of the lh351d, just wanting an option with some more reach.
Hi, I definitely think your on the right track with M21B. I also do appreciate LH351D 5000k! IMO the M1 is the best general purpose Convoy.
So I’m definitely bias to your stated light and led selection
I don’t have measurements but having 3 C8s and 3 M1s. I would venture to say M1 is about half the throw of c8, give or take 10%. Also in my s2+ builds the LH351D is significantly more flood than sst40. I reckon that would scale the same for M1/M21B reflector
Not sure if you know. But you can ask Simon on aliexpress to throw together led and driver combo that you desire. OP or SMO reflector! Hope this was helpful
I really think you want a Sofirn C8F...very nice light and what you describe is what this light does. They started switching to XPL at some point but they still offer it in the LH351D in a great tint (I have three...one of which became a UV light). The quality on these is the same as Convoys in general, which is great. Sofirn as a manufacturer isn't as mod-centric as Convoy but they do offer all parts and are very willing to help you out with anything you need including some minor customizations sometimes if you ask. Here's the link for the Samsung version (if you wanted the green or brown host you could ask and I bet they'd do it for you but for this emitter they only list it in black): https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001417041700.html
Disclaimer, I don't have the M21B or the S12, but considering the emitter sizes and reflector widths/depths, I don't think the M21B is going to get you where you want to be - and if you swap its SST40 for a smaller LH351D it'll make it worse for your purposes. The S12 has shallow emitter pockets, so that reduces throw, all things considered in the design. Being shallow and wide allows it to spread out the light quickly and distance comes from the mass lumens, so to speak. The Sofirn CF8 is a similar triple but its reflector has deeper pockets and probably about 2-3 times the usable throw while still not being a tight hotspot. It's one of my favorite all around lights now. The M21B has a larger and deeper reflector and a bigger 5mm die. From pics in reviews it looks like it's a step up in throw, brightness, and hot spot size compared to your C8, but maybe still not as floody as you want (has a lot more throw though). If you put the smaller 3.5mm die in that same M21B reflector (or in your C8) then you'll end up with a tighter hotspot and more throw - much more focused than anything approaching floody. It may be what you want but I say give that C8F a thought. Sounds like it'll have the beam you are looking for and the same nice Samsung emitter you want (that's also one of my favorites).
Thanks heaps. I had looked at the c8f but didn’t manage to find a comparison with the S12. However two to three times the useable throw would be great. I really like the S12 just find that in more open bush or clearings I’m forever switching to 100% just to get more reach, and even then it’s not always enough. I’m quite happy to carry / use a dedicated thrower for when I really want one, but that sounds like perhaps an ideal middle ground for me.
Sofirn doesn’t happen to do blf discounts similar to Simon do they?
I take my C8F out for night hikes in wild places, lots of open area and brush where I live, too...truly is a favorite other than the weight/size of a C8 body compared to something smaller. Sofirn runs frequent sales on aliexpress where it ends up being 5%-10% off and sometimes you can stack coupons if ali has a general one going. I've always bought my Sofirn items directly from them but other retailers might have the same or better sale prices sometimes. I don't follow the various vendor threads on here much but if you ask on those maybe someone has a good code to use. Recently I ordered a Convoy L2 and had to do with someone besides Simon since he had removed the listing for it in his store...couldn't find any discounts and then stumbled upon a Charles Bridgetec coupon at BG that worked (hated to use a code from him, but...). Banggood and Fasttech still to a BLF discount, I think still around 5% each. If you're not in a hurry just scan their aliexpress store and wait a little.
Probably too late now, but I will “third” the M1 as an option. I bet Simon could put you one together with the 5 amp driver and either reflector you want (or both).
I built a c8+ not long ago specifically for the LH351D. Found my xpl hi version to be a great thrower with a tight beam but didn’t have a ton of total output, the beam was too tight for general use and the xpl hi leaves a lot to be desired in cri. Going with a LH351D,
Smooth reflector and the sst40 driver from Simon fixed all of these. Excellent output on max, good throw but a slightly broader beam makes for better general purpose use as well. Very happy with this setup.
I did ensure head and tail springs bypassed to decrease resistance and using a Samsung 30q (I think). Definitely bright and does eventually heady up quite a bit, though the c8+ seems to handle the sinking well.
