I myself missed multiple opportunities to get an SD10 (or I think I remember there was a GB for a newer version) … sigh ;)…
Yes get yourself a Eagle Eye x5r and a nice cell be done with it and run! 
+1 for Convoy S2+7135*4 with biscotti firmware
Or Eagle Eye X2R
An easy upgrade is an AR lens for it
Yes, you can run but the (flash)light will find you.
I should have read this much earlier!!!
Welcome to BLF, take your money and run
Maybe the Lumintop ED25 ?
Review here :
This video from just over a year ago says the S2 comes with an AR coating, is that no longer the case?
I’ve been trying to decide between the 1.05A and 1.4A versions, why do you suggest the 1.4A?
I’m not particularly keen on a blacked out tactical torch unless it stands out feature-wise, so as well as reading up on your recommendations I’ve been trawling through stores to look at pretty torches. Some of them are well reviewed and I’ve been able to dismiss as unsuitable but others I’m struggling to find reviews on as it’s difficult to tell what other name they’ve been sold under. Does anyone recognise any of the following:
SME-T626 :
Over-budget and probably entirely wrong for my requirements with a 52mm reflector. Very nice looking though, especially if that matte finish is real and not a render.
YZ-BG7236 / Ultrafire DV-S5 :
18650 tube light in a rather nice sky blue, with a rather cool if slightly impractical piston-style side switch.
TR008 :
Appears to be some sort of 2*18650 relative to the Ultrafire DV-S9, Starry Night DXM et al. Judging from the beam shot it seems to be much less of a thrower with it’s triple LEDs.
Any ideas? Thanks
My first 18650 light was given to me; it was a single 18650 version of the SME-T626 you have above. rather cool looking light, but bad driver. very noticeable pwm on low and med, unavoidable blinky modes, hollow pill. Rather throwy, kinda like a C8. Finish is OK with a matte anodized head and tailcap, but it wears off quite quickly. tube is stainless.
Well that won’t stop me, minor issues a little polishing job and some power and I’ve got another weird looking but cool light, Thanks,
Like they said, take your money and RUN…… 12 lights so far this year…
Edit: Looks like something DBC would make with his lathe… ha ha
A light with a build in USB charging capabilities will save you some dough and hassle, as you don’t have to fork out some extra cash for a dedicated charger.
While big battery capacity from a 18650 is nice, in the event that you’re stuck without a means of charging will do you no good either. For that I would suggest a Li-Ion 14500 sized battery that can also takes off the shelf AAs.
Thanks. Sounds like it’s not for me then.
An X2R is about £2 more than an S2+ in red while a USB charger is £5 so it’s not a huge difference, I suspect a charger is something you end up using for other things once you have it so it may even save that in the long run.
I can’t ever see that being a big issue, I’m never in the wilderness three days away from civilisation - there’s always someone else around with a torch I can borrow if mine is out of commission. Plus there’s always a phone.
I do like the fat torches that take 3-8 AAs but they seem to be out of budget. I saw the soshine TC98 the other day with the built in tripod mount which was a nice feature.
My current torch is between 4.5cm and 7cm wide and I’ve never found it too big. Even the 1x26650 torches are often smaller than that. 18650 torches seem like they’re worth looking at because the batteries are good value and there’s a wide range of choice but other than multi-AA the smaller batteries seem to be mostly used singly in smaller torches.
Have you had a look at the Lidl and Aldi specials which come out about once every six months?
The one I bought is a TIR zoom torch with a Cree XML LED which runs on 3 C cells. It came with three alkaline cells, reckoned to last 4 hours on high. The package said 720 lumens I recall, and I’ve found it bright enough for most things. They were £13 the last time I looked.
I run mine on low self discharge NiMH cells.
Problems are that it’s a bit bulky, there are some obvious artefacts in the beam and it has only two modes, high and a bit lower and the bit lower has noticeable PWM flicker. I used it exclusively for a couple of years and was happy with it.
If you don’t use the light regularly, alkaline batteries are worth a thought. Four hours run time can work out to a year or two with infrequent use.
The Eagle Eye X2R appeals to folk who have a need for a decent light but absolutely do not want to mess with removing batteries and having a charger hanging round. I can see USB rechargeable lights like that would also appeal to people who value being able to charge them in hotel rooms, or from cars, or from laptops etc. So it’s not necessarily a question of saving the price of a charger.
I can understand the appeal of USB rechargable torches, if you’re using it on a daily basis then it’s quicker to open a flap than to take the end off. I’ve no objection to going for one either, I quite liked the look of these work lights and would have bought one if they’d been £15 instead of £50.
Likewise I’d be happy with an alkaline/NiMH light but they don’t seem to be as common or widely reviewed. The only 1xD light I’ve seen is the discontinued Lumintop SD10 and I don’t think I’ve seen any multi-AA options in budget.
I do use it as an occasional work light so it can be needed for hours at a time for a few days every few months. I probably don’t go through many batteries overall, but I do want something that can put out a lot of light for several hours without having to swap the batteries.
Currently I’m thinking Convoy S2+ in red or one of the thick bodied double/triple o-ring lights like the Starry Night DXM/Ultrafire DV-S9. I’m still looking for reviews on the 18650 variants though as the 26650 ones seem to be somewhat throwy.
How much does the average diffuser reduce light output by?
Well I found a BLF thread on the red one above with some initial impressions in it, although it doesn’t seem to have resulted in a comprehensive review. I also found a mini-review of the inevitable ultrafire variant which looked close to the un-branded fasttech variant that was positive.
Although I have discovered that fasttech’s exchange rates are wildly optimistic. The light above was displayed at £16.25 which is within budget with a 10% discount. Unfortunately setting it back to USD shows the actual price is £20. As it doesn’t seen anything special I’ll rule that one out.
Still trying to find out information about the sky blue one though, which is still in budget. Gearbest also sell it under the Ultrafire DV-S5 name/variant:
http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_469448.html
Dunno about dive lights used as general purpose in-air lights. A dive light designed to be used immersed in water is going to have totally different heat dissipation problems to a light intended to be used out of water. Ultrafire, from my limited experience, is a marque I’m happy to steer clear of.
From what you’ve said, I think your first idea of getting a Convoy S2+ 3×7135 variant is a good one. If you can stomach a plain black one with a rubber cover on the tail switch rather than blue/green/red with a metal tail switch, they are a bit cheaper.
An 18650 or two. These are the real deal from my experience. They used to sell protected ones for slightly more, but you shouldn’t need that.
http://www.gearbest.com/batteries/pp_186582.html?wid=21
A charger. These seem well-thought of on here
http://www.gearbest.com/chargers/pp_272183.html?wid=21
A torch
https://www.fasttech.com/products/1653/10002364/1826702
And you’re sorted with change out of £20.
The current Convoy S2+ is better used with protected cells. Although it has a low voltage warning (it flashes to let you know that the cell is low) it doesn’t have a low voltage cutoff.
As an example, if it accidentally gets turned on in your backpack, it can easily destroy an unprotected cell by running it down too far. It’ll just keep flashing until the cell dies. I’ve seen one still going (very faintly) at 2.5V.
Look for James. Known as 3Tronics here. He’s in the UK and he sells modded convoys heh
I’m not sure they’re terribly serious dive lights, and I did ask in the DV-S9 thread and got the response that after ten minutes on full it was nowhere near hot which sounds promising.
Although this test on the S2+ suggests a torch-shaped object is still heating up at that point and could gain another 20°C.
They do have some good reviews over the last couple of years for their torches & chargers, and some of their batteries even achieve the rated capacity 
There do seem to be some shoddy products around though, whether fakes or for different markets I don’t know so I’m not going to buy one without a review so I know what to expect.
They even seem to sell through Amazon’s fulfilled by program so it’s the normal Amazon returns procedure which would be nice. Although I haven’t found either of the two models I’m looking at there (maybe on one of the other European Amazon sites?).
So many products only come in black these days that I already have too much black stuff. It does also seem a strange colour choice for something you want to find easily in the dark.
I’ve not buying a battery that doesn’t shut off for a torch that doesn’t shut off.
Although protected 18650s do seem to be a lot more expensive for some reason, often nearly twice the price for a well reviewed brand with delivery, is it just because they’re much lower production volume?
I have decided on the lii-202 2-bay variant. For less than £2 more it adds AA/AAA compatibility.
Another day, another question 
I see the C8 with the new firmware has low voltage protection (mentioned here). Is that a feature that the S2+ with biscotti would have as well or does it require additional hardware to completely cut off the power draw?
I’ve still no luck finding any comments about the YZ-BG7236/DV-S5 or related lights. I did see on Ultrafire’s site that it was click for on/off and half-click for mode switch which seems a decent UI for a light with no memory and that the bit around the switch lights up as a low battery warning.
You could look into the new jaxman light that was just released 2aa light 400 lumens. Around 20ish dollars. Wouldn’t need to get any accessories.