Thanks toykeeper I bought them from mtn electrics. Wasn’t sure which one it was so bought both sizes, their going to also have wires and spring bypassed installed.
Received my S41 yesterday and some xpl-hi emitters today. Now I have a 18.4 amps capable edc light!!! The idea was to use only 3B tint xpl-hi emitters, but by mistake I reflowed 3x 3B and 1x 1A. In the end, I liked the result. Used a MTN/Richard FET driver with Guppydrv 2 firmware and a Vishay SIR800DP FET, with a 20 second turbo setting. Reflowed the mcpcb to the pill eliminating the screws. Thanks for all BLF members for the ideas to mod this light.
Yes, I really like mixing emitter tints in this light. Using two 5000K and two 4000K. Result looks great!
I think my H17F isn’t working quite right though. I don’t think the 8x7135 FET channel is working. Result is there’s a pretty huge gap between medium and MEGATURBO.
Just got a question back from banggood about my s41 order. (am sorry for the long lack of stock for this flashlight.The supplier offered some stocks but now I can not confirm if your order could be shipped this time.Maybe I can confirm with you tomorrow.) This really sucks!!!
Anyone know a code for gearbest? Thanks
But… The XP-G2 remains ($37.89) but the Nichia has risen to $45.69.
BG finally got back to me in response to my bad S41. they offered to send a replacement head. We’ll see if it arrives.
Yep, I just got mine today (from the second batch), and the bezel is going to need some serious torque to come off on mine. Definitely some glue/loc-tite in there.
Looking through the optic, I can see that both screws are intact, and there are relief cuts in the sides of the pill for clearance. The 18350 tube was tight on mine as well, but I did manage to get that off by hand. No glue on mine there either, but the threads and o-ring on the head-end were dry as a bone. Strangely, the tail-cap end was well lubed.
I also had to replace the switch boot immediately as well, as the original was torn at the base upon arrival. Luckily it comes with a replacement, so it wasn’t a huge deal.
I also ordered the Nichia 219B version, and that was my first thought/observation as well. Maybe they are 219C’s then? The bezel on mine is going to require tools to come off, so if/when you manage to get the optic off on yours, please do post your findings! 
Hey, it’s easy to confuse: “glue” or “lube” look almost the same …
Are they the Mankers that are glued, or the Astrolux?
I have one Manker and one Astrolux. The bezel was easy to remove from both of them. I don’t think there was glue. However, both are first-run.
I think perhaps the later production runs might have more glue.
Mine was the Astrolux (S41) from the second batch. 
Sharpie, you mention lack of hotspot brightness as a disappointment with the S41, which is a bit unfair, complaining that my 50mm reflector thrower does not light up the whole area but just a tiny bit of it, is just as unfair. Triples and quads are about widespread light output and much of that, not about throw.
I started with wanting as much hotspot brightness as I could get, even for EDC-lights, but at the moment I appreciate the wide but still defined illumination of multi-emitter TIR lights better, for most uses of my EDC I find it the best beam.
‘lower modes are underpowered’ Isn’t that the point of lower modes, and if you’re not happy with that you switch to a higher mode?
‘ordinary unmodified A6/S1’ LOL, so that fast goes devaluation on BLF, a few months ago the BLF A6 was the coolest light on the planet, with 50% more output than any other 18650 light and its unprecedented BLF-developed user interface.
About the high CRI leds: with Nichia’s, I found that I can distinguish the 90+ CRI ones (not just the colour temperature) already by looking at the colour of the die: they have a more orange/brown tint while the lower CRI ones have a quite yellow tint.
Is it probable that they started gluing the lights because of the complains in this thread about possible shorts after re-assemble?
Also may be that has something to hide…
Even if you don’t open your light, check that all the emitters are working by turning it on moonlight and looking into the business end.
I bought 2 first-run lights: Manker E14 with XPG2 and Astrolight S41 with Nichia 219B.
One of the emitters in my E14 wasn’t working out of the box. The problem was a defective reflow onto the star at the factory. One of the emitters was tilted up on one side and didn’t have electrical contact to light up.
Probably. Glue makes it harder to mod. If it’s harder to mod then it’s less likely people will unscrew the star and risk having the screw threads break the mask on the star. My guess is all the reworked second-run S41 / E14s have lots of glue.
It’s a shame really. My first run versions of this light without glue were incredibly easy to mod. A real joy to work with and they have outstanding output.
I noticed this as well. I checked and as far as I can tell they are 219b’s, not the Cree’s by accident. Must be some cheap low-bin 219b’s. Nothing at all like the singles and triples I’ve ordered from RMM, or even the ones in the BLF-348. Pretty disappointed about that. I may have to reflow some better ones.
That would be it.