But does it survive the washing machine test
Cause if carrying it every day of the year sooner or later the EDC will get into the washing machine
Is it spin cycle rated 
Ummm, no, as I got my weekly routine, and it involves clearing out every nook’n’cranny in any jeans or anything with pockets.
People screw up, not to mention significant others might decide to toss stuff in the laundry
Being able to survive a washing cycle is probably pretty important for a EDC that one carries every day of the year
Many people use the S2+ with an unprotected battery and are eager to tell new folks to do the same. So I assume Convoy has added low voltage protection, etc. Is that correct? From an old post:
I believe only the biscotti and the new 4 mode sst40 has lvp
The 3/5 mode basic doesnt
Of course the biscotti has a somewhat random recurring issue that can leave the light stuck on a single mode group
Flashaholics tend to recommend all sort of things, some of which dont make too much sense
Bearbreeder Personally, I think the only thing I would realistically EDC is a rechargeable keychain light and that doesn’t need a clip (but the expensive Jetbeam Mini-TI EDC has one). 40mm x 14mm sounds so practical. I’m not sure where the limit is, whether ~60mm, but at 70mm I start having second thoughts. I didn’t know they even existed before this thread, which is what has me so exited about this off-topic detour from 18650 lights that I would not EDC. I should probably make a separate thread for this topic.
One thing I have had for years on my keychain is a SuperTalent Pico USB drive:
I didn’t weigh it but 6g seems about right and a delightful 30mm x 12mm x 3mm. Durable, practical, and a fun conversation piece.
Makes sense. Watching lots of beamshot comparison videos is slowly giving me a better idea of what it’s like.
Lightbringer Wow that Nitecore MH20 has it all. I guess it better at that price. But really nice. Oh, and in a review, Mocarny put a Lumentop EDC Pico through the washing machine and a vacuum cleaner with positive results.
Thanks patmurris for a very nice selection of lights! You are all making it very difficult to stick to the plan of “just one or two” and I am noobishly trying to stay determined! I had my eye on the Eagle Eye X1R, but in video reviews the SP40 had a nicer beam and better brightness.
Out of curiosity, why are tube lights so much more popular than 90 degree lights? At first I thought the latter looked weird, but after thinking about it, it seems to me to be the most versatile.
You sure about that? I only have the old 105Ds with the crappy UI in them, and I had one do a slow blink for a few minutes, then 3 quick blinks and off.
Those that I replaced with the 105Cs and soldered the appropriate “star” pad, I don’t recall ever running down to vapors.
They may have changed from your old version
They’re ~80bux regular price, but I got most of mine at ~50bux with code.
Ask in any of the code-threads if anyone could get a code, or just see if they’re in perennial flash-sale or anything.
And check to make sure if there’s a NW/CW option. I never understood the pissing’n’moaning about all Nitecores being CW, as I quite liked the color on mine. And checking, yep, mine’s quite nice.
I’d have to dig out the others (which I so don’t wanna do) to check what their CT/tint might be.
But yeah, once I started EDCing mine, it displaced all my other lights, and I suspect it’ll be my main EDC light for a long time.
Unno. My first of any S-series lights was in mid-/late-2016, strangely enough. That article’s a year or so older.
Gaah, I was paying over 20bux just for red/blue hosts!
“The new Biscotti firmware includes low voltage protection, while the ‘old’ 3/5 mode firmware have low voltage warning only, it does not provide low voltage protection.”
I mean its easy enough to ask simon
Just make sure you ask if theres low voltage SHUTOFF, “protection” can be lost in translation
U want to do the honors?
Well… it’s funny how we all see things differently. I guess it depends on what you need a light for. IMO tube lights are more natural to handle/use whereas a 90 degree light only makes sense when tail standing, magnet stuck or attached as a headlamp. Each has it’s own applications.
Wellp, I could always just ask that particular S2+ if I’d be inclined to run down the cell to vapors again…
I wasn’t hallucinating. Blink every 10sec, 30sec, whatever, for a few minutes, then blink-blink-blink and off. I was actually surprised, as I didn’t think S2+es had LVP, either.
Its probably pretty important to determine for sure if ALL current production 3/5 mode s2+ have lvp, if BLFers are going to keep recommending unprotected bats
Especially for new or “muggle” users
Or one could simply suggest the BLF A6 which definitely has lvp and no biscotti issues
Comparing the DQG tiny to the SC600F is a bit unfair. The SC64 series is a lot closer in size, though the DQG is indeed smaller. I’ll still take my SC62 though, because I trust ZL’s build quality over DQG and prefer the UI and button.
I definitely don’t feel good carrying anything less than an 18650 light when I’m going to be out after dark, which is every day now that DST has ended and it’s winter. If DQG made the 1/2AA slim in 18650 size I’d probably give it a go, but alas. I should get a charged cell in my Unicorn and start carrying it so I can figure out the UI…
Can’t go wrong with FF E07, best light I ever used, pretty much outclasses fw3a in every way. just don’t bother using 18650s with included adapter when 21700s are just plain better. The Nichia 219b’s are a winner until China starts shipping E21A product…SST20 tint is kinda ugly and sickly greenish unless you’re putting 4-5 amps through it (and 3800k rather than “4000k”.
Convoy S2+ is….cheap… and has some throw at a loss of floodiness. I don’t really like single emitter lights. At 10-15 bux you can’t really complain though, best deal in the price range and for trying LEDs.
The powerful multi emitter lights like E07 do not need used on max, in fact in a regulated 3x7135 mode it is highly power efficient and runs cool while putting out a lot of light. If you need some throw, you can double click to go bright.
Emisars are also nice but they don’t have a Nicha 219b option, only 4 emitters, and the highest regulated mode is 1x7135…better off with FF E07, especially since it uses 21700.
Unfortunately lo CRI is far from yesterday.
Like (almost) always, things are a tradeoff.
I like high CRI, but I also like high efficiency.
High efficiency = longer runtimes.
High efficiency = less heat = longer turbo.
And no, I do not hate high CRI. In fact I have high CRI lights. I can see them being the best choice for some situations.
Low CRI tends to have more green, our eyes are most sensistive to green.
Currently I mostly use my Lumintop Tool 2 AA and the Tiny 26650.
I’ve been considering the Tiny 18650 but that’s a bit outdated, low output and older led.
The Tiny 26650 is NW and if I had to buy it again I would get the CW.
Most 18650’s are way to long, and throwers. I’m looking for a compact flooder 18650.
But I would prefer to try a 21700 light first. I’m trying to find the perfect size. 26650 packs a lot of mAh but 21700 seems to come closer and closer. 13% less power but 30% less volume.
And to be honest at a certain point longer runtimes add nothing extra. If I can get through the day with a cell my goal is reached. No need to have fat light that runs 3 days when I charge daily anyway.
My Zebralight H600Fc is compact and solid. But PWM on low on my headlight is awfull. I really like the configurability of the UI. I want just a few modes spaced the way I like it. My ideal UI would be one like ZL with a long press to switch on the hidden turbo like DQG has.
That’s where we disagree, then. I love the peace of mind that my battery life is so excellent, I can spend days or even weeks without juicing up the batteries.
Sorry if this was already mentioned, but if you’re willing to spend 80 bucks I’d go for a zebralight sc64. Comes in 3 led choices. Zebralight makes some of the most reliable lights and will last you years. It’s also very pocketable and one of the smallest 18650 lights on the market. Only the dqg lights are smaller but they are extremely unreliable.