Has anyone heard if Convoy will be releasing of an updated version or new model that will include a USB-C charger?
I know there are different views on what’s better however I’m a simple user and really just like my torches with onboard charging.
As I’m planning to use these as a gun light, Is there a good alternative that has both the brightness, range, price and is a 25mm body to fit in gun mounts (18600 or 21700 battery)??
Check out M21D, M21E, and M21F. They may suit your needs. AFAIK Simon has no plans to redesign any of his basic tail switch models to add integrated charging.
You can buy 21700s with usb-c ports built into the battery. Like these: https://www.illumn.com/batteries-chargers-and-powerpax-carriers/batteries/21700-keeppower-p2150tc-protected-button-top-usb-c-charge-port.html
Those will work fine in the L21B, but they are a bit of a tight fit so it’s possible that using them will compress the spring over time and make it too short to work with regular flat tops without a spacer. It’s still a good option if you just want to add integrated charging to the L21B, and will only be using those batteries in it anyway.
They do make 18650s with built in USB ports, but I’m not sure if those will work with the C8+.
There’s nothing that competes with convoy as far as price. Take a look at the acebeam L35, L18 and L19 for something a little more designed with gun mounting in mind. They have dual springs so they won’t flicker under recoil like the L21B will, and they’re designed to use 21700s with built-in usb-c ports.
You can’t use the L21B CULPM1 and SFT40 versions on a gun anyway unless you request it comes with the 6A driver. The 8A driver that’s used has no spring, so the chances are very high that damage will occur from recoil.
I sell this as a gun light in my flashlight store, but I install my own springs inverted, since the pad is too small for a standard size high current spring.
As said above, Convoy are the best price wise, so personally I’d recommend ditching the on-board charging and getting it on the battery.
That L21B was built at my request so I could sell something as a gun light that offered more range than a C8+. This is why there’s no on-board charging because I specifically requested not to have it. Charging would make it much harder to install multiple LED choices without making a special driver paired with it. I’ve been able to use Convoy’s 17mm to 22mm adapter which allows me to use many, many different driver options
Simon said he’s producing a new batch of 8A drivers and they have a spring. I THINK they’re available now but it would be best to message him to be sure.
Yes, he told me they were in production a couple days ago, but I’m concerned he’s using the short copper 8A springs. These are too short and will cause the light to flicker on a gun, even change modes after every shot. I’ve had this happen in the past when Simon used those low amp springs that were too soft, I was installing a dual spring for awhile.