Hi there, I’m new in flash lights and a bit lost with all the data about lumens, drivers, lenses, reflectors etc… I was thinking that flash light are actually very simple devices .
Basically I need single multi functional flash light for mountain biking and hiking.
Astrolux S43 is exactly what I’m looking for:
- Flood light
Ramping UI
Unfortunately it is more expensive than what my initial budget was.
I would buy something like Convoy S2+, Convoy S3 (eventually 60* lense to) or similar flash light but only if I can have more than 3 modes (example 10, 30, 50, 70, 90, 100).
Is this even possible?
So at the end what would you recomend:
- Convoy S2+/S3 with 60* lense and modified UI (if possible)
You might like the BLF-A6. It has up to 7 evenly-spaced levels and a bike flasher mode. And if you want a wider beam, it’s reasonably simple to add some diffusion material to the lens.
You’ll never notice a difference between 90% and 100, in real life use it’ll be hard to notice even the 70 to 100% jump. Do you really need those modes?
BLF-A6/Astrolux S41 hands downs with it’s lego capacity. 18350’s, 18650’s, aluminum, stainless steel, single or quad. I see the BLF-A6/Astrolux S41 basic for about $20.00. However your 1st choice the Astrolux S43 is on sale for $27.00 and it’s parts also inter change with the BLF-A6/Astrolux S41.
But the S43 can sustain much higher output than the D4. I think the S43 is a more practical flashlight and it also comes with USB charging. S43 can be had right now for $27, which is a really good price for what you get.
Maukkas graph is the normal step down.
It can’t go up like Andúril.
You can manually ramp up a bit to get to 300lm.
If an Olight S1 mini can run on 250lm this big copper head should too and a bit more.
But I wounder what a production S43S can do. I read two reviews with over 3000lm at startup.
For such lamps I would be fine with Andúril Muggles Mode tweaked to 400lm
Don’t forget too the D4 has no RVP as well as no USB port. That’s why I don’t own one of those $35 fireworks…Just when you think you’re too smart to stick a battery in backwards…
Also can you be more precise about the diffusion material? Is there any lense that fit good, or some of the white “papers” that are used in LCD displays (i have bunch of them) or something else…
I wouldn’t use the flash light at its max potential (although it is nice to have). In my use case that would be in range of 300 - 500 lumens 80% of the time, and other 20% I would like to rump up bot no longer than 20 minutes at once.
As I mentioned earlier when compareing D4 and S43 I’m more interested in which one have wider beam, and maybe which one have more efficient leds.
Overall I’m now biased to S43 or BLF A6 but only if I found easy to make mode for wider beam.
Emissar D4 or D4s.
For a compact light that puts out over 4,000 lumens with XP-L HI emitters, it’s a beast.
It gets hot very fast and steps down 1,000 to 3,000 after 40 seconds. Then two more step-downs after. It will maintain 2,000 lumen or 1,000 for a decent amount of time.
It has ramping UI
quality is awesome!
If it’s in your budget, the Nitecore EDC23 is awesome. Right now it’s $43 with a discount code
The Rofis Mr30 is also a very good choice! It’s $40 with a code. Built in charging and comes with a nice 21700 cell!
If the Convoy S2+ with 60° TIR is bright enough for you, wouldn’t just getting biscotti (free from Simon) solve the modes issue for you? I’ve used biscotti, and it’s got a lot of mode choices.
You can get a D4 with a frosted optic, which makes it very floody. If you want the widest beam, that may be the easiest way to get it. It’s like 175 degrees though, so it might be a bit too wide.
For biking, I use a Convoy S2+ triple with a frosted optic, FET+1 driver, and some custom firmware. But I had to build that myself.
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