I have a question been wanting to buy a C8 from Simon’s store on Ali but funds have been tight a friend recently bought a couple of these from GB is this similar the specs look the same but am I missing something?
Your link is not showing. Lots of companies make a C8 style of light, but quality and output varies. Convoy’s C8 is known for its high quality and accurate output. The latest Convoy C8 is the clear color with updated firmware. It has all the goodies, an xpl emitter, AR glass lense, the new biscotti adjustable settings, etc…
GB and other sites will sell the Convoy C8 at a lower price than Simon. With these sites, quality has been hit and miss. Some people get the same light as Simon sells. Some get poorly made clones. No one, to my knowledge, gets poorly made lights from Simon.
If funds are tight, someone here might sell you one.
Last time I read about poor quality Convoy lights sold at Gearbest was long ago with a batch of fake S2s but I can’t recal fake Convoy C8 lights being sold at Gearbest or Banggood, is there a link to this?
Thanks for the advice I guess I will give him his keys back to his house lol. I as much figured as much I will wait a month things always change.
If you’re beat for bread, Fasttech seems the cheapest. They certainly offer loads of options on Convoy C8s, including OP reflectors.
They do the clear C8 and say it has an AR lens. I think it has one of the firmware options Convoy offers, not one I’d like because it includes disco modes, and I don’t think it can be modified by soldering links, so for that reason alone I wouldn’t buy one from there.
https://www.fasttech.com/products/1653/10002364/6059300
Also
https://www.fasttech.com/products/1653/10002364/2649100
for a black C8 with the usual two group firmware. Both less than $20.
Fasttech also give a small discount for the BLF code.
I’ve dealt with Gearbest a few times and they seem fine.
I placed my first order with Fasttech a few days back so I can’t say what they are like to deal with yet. I expect it will go smoothly.
I think it’s true to say that if you go through the Convoy AliExpress shop, the descriptions are accurate, not garbled, and it’s likely to be the latest version and it’s clear what you are getting. You have to read the listing at places like Gearbest carefully. Even then they can be a bit careless. For instance they might be selling a slightly older version of the product with an XML rather than an XML2 and that’s why it’s a bit cheaper.
the only reason I shop at GB & BG is I can get 15 day shipping for around $3 - $4 but to get any better than 45 days out of
ali cost me $50+ , I am in AU .
cheers D
Delivery time and costs from China are definitely worth a thought, depending on where you are.
Gearbest to the UK has taken between 10 and 14 days. I’ve paid a £ or so extra for registered delivery which just about gobbles up the discount code. There are DHL options which cost more than the order and guarantee delivery in a few days. AliExpress took over 20 days, but that may be down to chance.
I believe shipping Li-ion cells to some countries can only be done at significant extra cost.
I get the impression that the customs in Oz are let’s say, very enthusiastic about their duties and that may explain some of your delay.
you are being very polite I could have put it another way but would cop a holiday :innocent:
I don’t have a link handy Miller but it did happen. There were Convoy C8 clones being sold for a while though I don’t recall if at GB or BG. There are even Convoy C8 clones on Ali as little as 6 months ago and may still even be there. At this time buying from BG, GB or FT you should be getting the real thing. Anyone who knows of fake Convoy anything please PM me or contact Simon through his Ali store we do our best to shut that stuff down as quickly as possible.
Dealing directly with Simon is always my personal choice and will give you more customization options but if you’re going for the clear C8 it’s quite decked out in stock form no matter who you buy it from and BG and GB will typically save you a few dollars. Whether or not it’s worth it is personal opinion. The revised firmware and rev.2 driver haven’t made it into the lights yet but Convoy’s driver manufacturer is flashing the drivers being made now with the newly revised firmware ToyKeeper made for us. The currently sold clear C8 runs fast in the blinky modes and in config but mode groups without blinkies are great. I’ll be posting updates when the new drivers are actually in the lights. Shouldn’t be too long now.
mtnelectronics is another good source.
So far I have to say GearBest has REALLY been the ticket for me. Everything good, usually ahead of schedule on delivery and good customer service.
I got my Convoy L6 from GearBest and it was perfect. Took 4 days from China to Southern USA
I’ve been waiting for 23 days for another L6 that should have been here in 15 or less
as I paid for quicker shipping :weary:
Yes, I bought my C8 from here and I had Richard flash it with guppydrv for a few more dollars. Shipping is about a week and they take care of their customers. They also sell great batteries.
ThorFire C8s is $16.99 on amazon.
Build times depend on work load but for most things including flashed mcu’s RMM is very good on shipping times. He’s pretty much my first choice source for anything like cells or needitnow items. He’s also way more in touch and involved with current BLF events than any other US suppliers.
I bought this one for about $7 on GB with one of their batteries…wish I had the money back. I’d say it was the worst $7 I ever spent but there was this one time I got a half raw hamburger from BK. The light only made me feel like I wanted to puke, the raw burger OTOH…
Sorry about your bad luck. This light has been great for me. Ive had it well over a year and zero problems. I’m sure the one you got from GB and the one I got from amazon are not the same. There are a lot of junk C8’s out there.
Maybe it’s me starting to turn into a tint snob, it works fine but I don’t like how blue the light is and the UI is crud. If TF had used an LED with a little less blue or not used a plastic reflector I’d have loved it (and paid more). A few cents in production on their end and I’d probably have a few of them as camping lights.
I think part of it was having a Convoy C8 first. It makes me wonder if I’d look at the Convoy C8 the same way if I had a Xin TD C8 before I bought the Convoy version.
EDIT: deleted some sleep deprived nonsense.
FYI AliExpress occasionally has coupon codes good for around $7 off of $20. If you can snag one, it can bring the price of buying from Simon directly below the cost at GB. You can find the codes if you watch SlickDeals, but the codes get snatched up quick.
Simon also has what a 10% discount for blf members or something? Can’t remember the actual percent